He had to get to Hubbard before he tried any of the Goa'uld weapons. He had no idea what kind of weapons he'd been traded for – although his ego hoped that they were wonkin' big space guns.

Mind you – those would be much harder to get rid of so maybe something smaller would be better.

Keeping in mind what had happened last time he'd tried this, he decided to be as careful as possible and moved cautiously until he was sure he'd found the room with Hubbard and the General.

He stopped and listened. Yes, there were three people in the room. He just hoped the third one was Burke.

With nothing more than a deep breath, he opened the door and threw himself into the room, zat blazing.

He winced when he saw Burke go down in a flash of sparks, but when he was sure that he'd also gotten Hubbard and Caine he felt a little better.

He made his way quickly to his fallen enemies, and removed any and all of their weapons. He then bound both the men tightly. He wasn't about to take any chances. By the time he was done, all three were beginning to wake up. It was Burke who spoke first.

"Why the hell did you do that?" he asked O'Neill as he pushed himself to a seated position.

"Sorry – I couldn't take a chance that they'd get the drop on me again, so I had to act quickly. I didn't mean to hit you."

"Well, as long as you didn't mean to," Burke said sarcastically. He then looked seriously at Jack. "Okay – so tell me what the hell is going on? What is this ancient crap? I mean, you are getting old O'Neill, but I don't think you're quite that old. And who was the egomaniac with the flashing eyes and weird voice? And the bizarre name! And what's a Goold?"

Jack grimaced slightly. He really should have filled Burke in. He was naïve to think that he wouldn't find out. "Uh – let's get these guys dealt with and then I'll tell you, okay?"

"I don't know O'Neill – this is getting pretty strange. What the hell did you get yourself – and me into?"

Jack took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I have a lot to tell you Burke, but just trust me, okay? I'll tell you everything as soon as we deal with these two."

"Okay – fine. But this better be worth it!"

"Thanks," Jack gave a quick nod of acknowledgment to his friend. "But hey – are you okay? They didn't hurt you, did they?"

"Nah – they're pretty amateurish. And Hubbard wanted you, not me. I was just collateral damage!"

"Yeah," Jack said, scratching his nose, "about that -"

Burke gave him a look and then turned to the two bound men. "So, what are we gonna do with these two?"

Jack regarded them for a moment. "I want to find out who else was involved and then I want them tried for treason."

"Are you sure that'll happen? It sounds as if this went right to the top. They'll probably try and cover their butts."

"Probably," Jack agreed. "But first General Caine and Colonel Hubbard are going to write out a confession, naming all those involved. And if there's any butt-covering, well, I'll just threaten to use the weapons that good old Says Who gave us."

Hubbard had woken up by this time and was making noises behind his gag. When Jack looked at him, he could see that the Colonel was furious – his face was red and the veins on his forehead were popping out.

"Did you want to say something Colonel?" Jack asked. He calmly walked over and released the gag. He glanced over at Caine while he did so, only to receive a glare that spoke of retribution and vengeance. He grinned and gave the General a sloppy salute.

"How the hell are you still alive?" Hubbard hissed. "You're supposed to be dead!"

"I'm afraid the news of my demise is premature," Jack told him. "You didn't know that good old Says Who had a sarcophagus, did you?"

Hubbard frowned. "He told me he didn't! Damn liar!"

"And you thought a Goa'uld was going to tell you the truth? You're more stupid than you look Colonel!"

"You think you're so smart O'Neill! Well, you have no idea how high this goes. You're never gonna be safe!"

"Really?" Jack stared down at him for a few seconds and then shrugged. "Well, I know the President is involved, and he's about as high as it goes, at least on Earth. Now why don't you tell me who else was a part of this?"

"Over my dead body," Hubbard sneered.

"Really? Well, I can arrange that if you'd like."

"What?" the NID agent looked confused for a moment and then his face cleared. "I know you O'Neill – you're not gonna kill me!"

"He may not," Burke broke in, "but I will. I have absolutely no compunction in ridding the world of vermin like you. And you know what? Afterward I'll forget all about you and go on a holiday, knowing the world is safer without you in it."

Hubbard looked in fear at the CIA agent and then turned his head to O'Neill. "You're not going to let him kill us," he said, although Jack could hear the question in his voice.

"Colonel, after what you did to me and to my friends – believe me when I say I won't have any trouble killing you! And you know the great thing? I can bring you back to life with the sarcophagus, and start all over again. And honestly – that's more fun then you'll ever want to have!" Jack ignored the strange look that Burke was giving him. He wished again he'd filled the man in on some of this. For now, though, he had to concentrate on Hubbard and Caine.

The NID agent swallowed and looked nervously at his two captors. "I don't believe you," he finally gasped out. Jack just grinned at him, and then turned to the General.

"General Caine! You're going to tell us everything, aren't you?" Jack walked over and pulled down his gag – and immediately was at the receiving end of a wild rant. Jack listened for a few seconds and then pulled the gag back up. "Shame on you General! What language! When you're ready to tell us what we need to know, I'll remove the gag."

Burke's face showed the disgust he was feeling towards their two captives. "You know what I think Jack?"

"What?"

"I think these two are too stupid to know when it was in their best interest to talk. Maybe we should just get rid of them and look through the records. I'm sure they have stuff here that will tell us what's going on."

Jack looked at his friend in interest. "Hmmm – good idea. I agree, these two probably aren't going to say anything. Should we just get rid of them?"

There was a muffled scream from Caine, followed by words that no one could understand. Hubbard looked furious, although he didn't speak.

"How about we see what we can find first and then get rid of them?"

Jack considered this seriously for a minute and then nodded. "Okay. Let's make sure these two aren't going to get away and then we'll start looking." He glanced down at the two bound men, who were both attempting to loosen their bindings. "We need to put them where they can't escape."

"I know just the place," Burke grinned. He bent and grabbed Caine by the ankles and dragged him towards the door. "Can you open that?"

Jack did as he was asked, but watched as Burke pulled the man down the hallway to another door. His face relaxed when he realized it was the cell in which he'd been kept between "sessions". "Make sure and lock the door after you get him in there!"

Burke just grinned. Once Caine was in the room, Burke returned to the room where Jack was waiting. This time, however, it was Jack who grabbed Hubbard and pulled him out of the room. To say he was less than careful was an understatement!

After both men were in the cell – much to their very loud but muffled consternation – Jack did something with the controls on the outside panel. Afterward he looked at his friend and smirked. "That should keep them out of trouble!"

"What did you do?"

"Just jimmied the control mechanism," Jack said. "It'll keep them inside. If they try and touch it – well, let's say it will be a shocking experience."

"Good! So now what?"

"Now I need to figure out where the weapons have been stored and then find out who else is involved."

"Even if we find out, what can we do?"

Jack pursed his lips and thought for a moment. "Not sure at this point, although I'm thinkin' we could send all of the perpetrators to another planet."

Burke started to laugh, but then stopped and stared at his companion. "You're serious," he said slowly, "aren't you?"

"About sending them to another planet? Yeah – sort of. I mean, I could but they should probably face justice her on Earth."

"Okay," Burke stopped dead again. "That's it. I want to know what the hell is going on!"

"Fine, but let's keep searching as I talk," Jack told him. "And I don't want you to say anything until I'm finished. You're going to think I'm making this up, but I promise you I'm not. Just – listen to everything." Jack gave a quick look to his companion, and then he began to tell Burke about the Stargate program, travel to other planets and the Goa'uld.

"So you're telling me that Shesmu is one of these "Goa'ulds? That he has a snake in his head?"

"Well, technically Shesmu is the snake – he's just stolen someone's body."

"My God – you're serious?"

"Yes, unfortunately I am. Shesmu is an alien – one of a race that's tried for years to take over the galaxy. Fortunately things have changed in the last few years and the Goa'uld are dying out. Their race is almost done – what we're seeing are the last gasps of a dying race."

"Wow! This is actually for real?"

"Yup."

"And this – Ancient stuff – that's real too?"

"Well, they did exist. They were an ancient race – the forefathers of Earth I guess you could say. That part is real."

"And they think you're one of these Ancient beings?"

Jack sighed and rubbed his eyes. He had a headache and wanted this whole thing to be over.

"Sort of," he said. "You see, one of these "Ancients" was a forefather or foremother of mine so I kind of inherited the gene."

"Yeah? And?" Burke asked when O'Neill didn't elaborate.

"Well, there is some Ancient technology around and it turns out that you have to have this gene to operate it. They figured that I would be handy to have around, I guess."

"Jack," Burke reached out and took his arm and stopped him as he was heading to check the next room for any information. "That's not all, is it? Come on, the truth!"

Jack sighed again and turned towards his friend. "No. I – remember I told you that I was hurt last year?"

"Yeah. Wait," Burke looked at him in wonder. "Was it when you were on a mission through the Stargate?"

Jack laughed, although it sounded rather bitter. "No, it happened when I was spring cleaning my basement. I fell and accidently stabbed myself. By the time they found me – well, let's say it didn't look good."

"O – kay," Burke said slowly as he considered his friend. "You said someone helped you. That's what they're looking for, right – the people who helped you?"

"Uh – sort of."

"Sort of? What the hell does that mean?"

Jack took a breath and let it out slowly. "There wasn't anyone who helped me – except the Ancients."

"But they're dead," said the confused man.

"Yes, exactly. You see, the accident caused some brain damage -"

"From being stabbed," Burke interrupted him.

"From blood loss," he explained. "But for some reason I – healed – on my own. The Docs surmised that it might have been the Ancient gene that did it. As a result they – Hubbard and his cronies – figured that I had some special power or something and they wanted it. They held me here trying to force me to explain it."

"But you didn't," the other man said, and it wasn't a question.

"No," the former Colonel gave a half-grin. "But it wasn't because I was particularly strong. The fact was, there wasn't really anything I could tell them. I don't really know how I healed." He stopped there and looked at the other man. He felt bad for not telling Burke the whole truth, but he had long ago decided that the fewer people who knew about his new abilities the better. It would put the CIA agent in a bad place and there was nothing to say that he wouldn't one day be captured and interrogated and Jack knew how hard it would be not to give up the information. No, it was better Burke didn't know.

The CIA agent whistled softly. "You really do lead a strange life O'Neill."

"Yeah, I know," he replied. "Some days I wonder if it's all a dream."

"And Sam?"

"What about her?" O'Neill frowned.

"Does she know all of this?"

"Of course," he told Burke. "She was the one who rescued me from here. She knows everything."

"Jack?"

"Yeah?" he answered, looking at the man suspiciously. "What?"

"Sam – where is she?"

"I told you, we live on a farm. We keep a low profile."

"And where is this farm?"

Jack grimaced. "Uh – on Thassos."

"Thassos? I don't suppose that's somewhere in Greece? In fact, I don't suppose it's anywhere on Earth, is it?"

"Uh – no."

Burke nodded. "That's what I thought. Okay fine – I'll help you – on one condition."

"And that is?"

"That you show me that farm when we're done with all of this."

Jack considered him for a moment and then nodded. "If I can at all make it happen, I will."

"Okay – then what are we standing here for? We have some weapons to find!"

Jack nodded and headed down the hallway to continue searching for those weapons. But, as he passed his friend he reached out and gave the other man a squeeze on the shoulder. It was all he needed to do to express how much he appreciated Burke's help. And Burke's answering grin told him that he understood completely.

Jack opened the final door and stopped.

"What is it?" Burke asked. At that moment Jack turned and looked at him, a pleased expression on his face.

"We've found it," he said softly. "We've found the weapons."