Author's note: I don't own Stargate, be cool if I had a Stargate but I don't. Italics in quotations indicates the characters are speaking another language.
Chapter Seven
Hands were shaking me. Couldn't they just let me sleep?
Opening my eyes slowly I saw a dimly lit room full of blurry people. "Oh ow, I gotta stop getting hit in the head."
"Airen." A blurry person moved into my line of sight. Though I couldn't make out their features through the haze, I would recognize that voice anywhere. A soft hand brushed along my cheek.
"Skaara." I blinked my eyes and his face slowly cleared. "You're okay! Thank the god's." I pulled him close and sat up.
His arms came around my shoulders to help me up, as did another pair.
"Sha're?" I gasped and hugged her.
When I was upright I saw the whole of the room. It was a large dungeon with iron bars on all the widows and doors. The room was full of people in mismatched clothes and ethnicities. No one seemed to know each other. They were all probably taken from different planets.
"Where are we?" I asked.
"We don't know. We were brought here several hours ago and no one has come or gone since." Sha're answered.
A loud creaking called everyone's attention to the front of the dungeon. The two thickly barred gates swung open and several guards similar to the ones who attacked us come through with their staffs at the ready.
I only recognized one of them. The dark skinned man with the golden symbol seared to his forehead led the guards.
His eyes scanned the cowering crowd till they settled on Sha're sitting beside me. She looked over at Skaara and I, her eyes full of fear.
The man raised his hand and pointed at Sha're, "Her."
The guards strode forward shoving those unlucky enough to be in their way to the ground.
"Like hell!" I shouted kicking out the feet of the first guard who dared lay a hand on her. He dropped and I put him in a head lock. Skaara jumped into the fray, punching the face of another and knocking him down.
"Skaara! Airen!" Sha're ran tried to run to us, only to be stopped when two guards each grabbed one of her arms and dragged her right off the ground.
Quickly we were overwhelmed. The man I had attacked threw me off him and I landed hard on my back. Skaara was tossed next to me. Several activated staff weapons were pointed at our faces, ready to fire.
Their leader raised his closed fist, stopping them. He stepped up to where we laid looking down at us. "Your deaths can not help her."
The guards pulled a struggling Sha're towards the gate at the front of the room, "I'm not afraid of you!" She shouted bravely.
We were released by them as they followed their leader out. Skaara and I jumped up trying to chase after Sha're.
The rest of the prisoners held us back."Get off me! Get off!" I screamed. I shrugged off my outer robe where they had caught me and sprinted towards the rapidly closing gate. One of the largest men there dressed like a caveman tackled me to the ground.
Skaara had to be held back by several men. We were pinned to the ground until there was a resounding clink. The gate locked in place.
The men released Skaara first. He ran to the gate, pounding on it to no avail. He shook the bars once more before sinking to ground in defeat. Wrapping his arms around his knees Skaara dropped his head to his arms hopelessly.
Slowly I walked up the stone steps. Sitting beside him I put my arm around his shoulders and held him close. Skaara, who tried so hard to be strong and brave, buried his face in the crook of my neck, "Shhhh," I tried to sooth him, wetness fell on my neck, "We'll get her back, we'll get her back. We will."
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Several hours had passed. Many new prisoners were chucked into the dungeon with the rest of us. Periodically one soldier or another came and took the most beautiful women away. I dreaded to think of their and Sha're's fates.
The rumble of terrified voices and cries drowned out any sort of intelligible conversations the rest of the prisoners might have been having.
Skaara and I huddled in the back of the chamber with a few of the younger prisoners, the youngest was a auburn haired girl barely over fourteen.
As the day went on it got colder and colder. Involuntarily I shivered and pulled my knees to my chest to keep warm. Skaara pulled his outer robe off and draped it over the both of us. After I struggled out of mine earlier it had disappeared among the chaos.
"Thanks." I said leaning into his embrace.
"You should try to sleep." he murmured against my hair.
"So should you."
"I don't think I could," He looked around at the dozens of fearful people milling about, "not in this place."
The gate opened again and more prisoners were dumped in. It had become so common that we hardly glanced up when the gate clunked shut again.
"OH FOR CRYING OUT LOUD!" A very familiar voice shouted out.
Skaara and I looked at each in surprise. "Did you hear..." I started.
"O'Neill!" Skaara jumped up pulling me with him.
We had to squeeze through the crowd to get to where we had heard Jack. But when we got there there was no trace of him.
"There!" Skaara said tugging on my arm. There, towering over most of the prisoners was the distinctive top of Jack's trademark ball cap.
We followed the hat. Pushing around we finally caught sight of him. He was going from person to person questioning them. He didn't look like he was getting anywhere. "Hi, Jack O'Neill. Howya doing? Anyone care to tell me what the hell is going on here?!"
"O'Neill!" Skaara cried out.
Jack spin around looking shocked to actually see us. 'Skaara, Erin. Thank God." He pulled us both close and patted the back of my head affectionately. "After everything today I didn't think I'd see you guys again."
When he released us I saw on his face a sadness I had not seen in a long time. I also noticed that he didn't ask where Sha're was.
"Jack what is it? What's wrong?" I asked but he said nothing. All he did was shake his head like he was in pain.
Skaara glanced at me then he looked at Jack, "Is it Sha're?"
Jack put both his hands on Skaara's shoulders and leaned down so they were looking eye to eye. "I'm so sorry Skaara. Sha're is, she's been... Like how Ra possessed a human...one of them took her."
"No, nonono" I could barley whisper.
"But we can still save her. Can't we O'Neill?" Skaara's eyes pleaded with Jack.
"We'll try Skaara." Jack pulled him in for another hug. "It's all I can promise, but I promise we'll try."
"Hey," Jack said like he was suddenly remembering something. "Skaara are you going to be okay." All Jack got was a mute reply. "Come on, there's some people who'll want to see you."
He lead us back towards the front of the chamber. "Well if there's a way out I haven't found it yet. But look what I did find." He called out jerking his thumb back at us.
"Daniel!" I shouted when I saw him sprawled on the ground with Carter trying to help him up. I rushed to him. But when he tried to put his arms around me he nearly fell to the ground. "Whoa!"
Skaara appeared on Dani's other side supporting his weight. "Dan-yell are you okay?"
"I think so." he grunted clutching his head. He promptly slid out of Skaara's grasp and fell to the floor.
Jack rushed to catch him, "Easy there big guy. Welcome back to the land of the living."
As Jack straightened himself from crouching next to Daniel an armored hand shot out of nowhere and grabbed his wrist. One of the serpent guards with glowing ruby eyes held Jack in an unbreakable grasp.
"Ow jesh, strong grip." Jack patted the hand holding him with his free hand.
"What is this?" The guard pulled Jacks arms closer to what I could only guess was the viewing port on the otherwise blank part of the mask.
"It a watch!" Jack stated like it was the most common thing in the world. If you didn't know Jack you wound not have been able to see how he was using sarcasm to cover up how truly scared he really felt.
The guard's mask clinked open. It was the dark skinned man again. "This is not Goa'uld technology." He raised his gaze to the rest of us seemingly burning us on the spot with its intensity. "Where are you from?"
Again Jack answered with his trademark sarcasm. "Earth. Chicago if you want to get specific..."
The man, who was clearly a leader of some sort, had had enough. He dug into Jack's arm more and lifted him off the ground so they were eye to eye. "You words mean nothing! Were are you from?"
"Ah, excuse me." Daniel timidly interrupted.
The alien soldier glared at him and lowered Jack back to the ground. Once free, Jack rubbed his wrists to get feeling in them back.
Daniel bent down so he was kneeling on the dirt floor. With two fingers he drew the point of origin for Earth. "We're from here."
The last time we had tried to communicate in this way we had nearly sent a whole city into a frenzy. I hoped for a little less of a reaction this time.
The Soldier's eyes widened in recognition at the symbol. Using the rounded end of his staff he covered the symbol with dirt. For just a moment his eye darted to the people around us like he wanted to make sure no one else had seen. Once satisfied no one had, he snapped his mask shut and plowed his way back to the gate.
"Okay... that was interesting." Daniel commented as he stared dumfounded at his retreating back.
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Over the past hour or so I dozed with my head Daniel's shoulder with his left arm draped across my shoulders for warmth. Skaara's outer robe helped a bit but whoever owned this dungeon sure didn't care about keeping their prisoner's from going hypothermic. As much as I tried to stay awake the fatigue, and the fact that I hadn't slept since I woke up here, finally got to me.
It wasn't a deep sleep. The heavy aura hanging around this place put off would never allow it. I could still sort of hear what was going on around me. A while ago Jack had taken off with Skaara to scout out a possible way to escape.
Daniel and Carter talked softly next to me. Much of what they said was lost to the ever present murmur of voices, but I did catch a few words like "Ra", "Apophis", and "serpent".
Then without warning all talking in the chamber ceased.
"Erin something's happening." Daniel whispered in my ear. Urgently he shook my shoulder to wake me. I blinked my bleary eyes.
The gates swung open and dozens of the serpent masked guards poured in. The Soldier from before was at the lead. "Kree ho mel Goa'uld!" Holding his arms wide men and women in extravagant and gaudy clothes came through the gates. They appraised the cowering prisoners like were cattle to be bought.
Jack and Skaara wove around the crowd to get back to us. once he was by my side I took Skaara's arm.
"Stay close to me," Skaara whispered in my ear.
"What did they say?" Jack asked.
Skaara's face showed his disgust as he translated, "He said they are going to choose."
"Choose what?" Carter asked in a hushed voice.
"Who will be the children of the gods." Skaara spit out between clenched teeth.
A liter covered in thick sheets of silk and fine cloths was the last to be carried in by six men. It was set down just inside the dungeon so it blocked the open gates.
A gold plated hand emerged first followed by the rest of the man I recognized from when we were captured on Abydos.
He reached his hand into the liter to aid a veiled woman out. "Behold!" his reverberating voice echoed around the walls. "Your Queen!" Gently he lift the veil from the woman to reveal, Sha're!
"Sha're." Daniel surged forward heedless of any danger. "Jack help me!"
Jack and Skaara each had to hang onto one of his arms to keep him from racing to Sha're's side. "Don't don't" Jack said.
I had held some hope for Sha're, regardless of what Jack had said, until Sha're turned her eyes towards us. It might have been Sha're's body, but it wasn't Sha're behind those eyes. There was no recognition from her. None of the warm love she used to radiate, only a cold disgust as she sneered at the wailing people.
"Kneel before your masters!" the Soldier shouted. His men plowed into the crowd forcing everyone to their knees.
Skaara silently took my hand as he stared defiantly at the woman who used to be his sister an the man who had taken her.
When the men reached us they shoved Carter, Jack, and Daniel to the ground. When we refused to kneel Jack looked at us and slightly shook his head in defeat, "Skaara, Erin."
I nodded to show I understood and we slowly joined them on the dirt ground.
Once all were keeling to them the "gods" milled about the dungeon. Some stopped to inspect prisoners closely. Most prisoners were thrown back, but a few were carted out of the dungeon, screaming the whole way.
The Soldier had come to stand close to where we were kneeling. As he watched the scene unfold I expected him to be detached, or even show some satisfaction at the people's suffering. Instead he grew more and more disgusted with each person taken. For a moment, just a moment he glanced up at Apophis in utter hatred. It was only a moment, but it was enough. To my right Jack had also been observing him. Jack's eyes quickly met mine to confirm we had both seen the same thing.
A high pitched squeal pierced my ears from across the chambers. My eyes sought to the source till, with what felt like a punch to my chest, I saw the young girl I noticed earlier being inspected. Please not her, not her.
With a swift nod the couple inspecting her decided, "This one." And the small girl was dragged away just like the others.
"This one has passion." A reverberating voice nearby said.
My breath caught in my lungs and I swung my head around. Daniel had grabbed a male 'god'. Two staff weapons pointed at Daniel. He didn't notice.
"How much would I remember if you choose me?" Daniel's voice broke and tears streamed down his face. His pleading eyes were locked on Sha're, begging her to show anything of her former self.
"Daniel what are you doing?" Jack warned.
Daniel just continued, "Something of the host must survive."
Small movement out of the corner of my eye drew my gaze to the Soldier. He was barley shaking his head no. Oh God.
"We choose..." The voice hesitated, "this one."
I was still looking at alien Soldier when two men grabbed my arms and hauled me up. A cold sweat broke out across my skin when I realized they had chosen me. They held me almost a foot of the ground so the man and woman before me could see me better.
I couldn't control my shaking and stuttering breaths.
"No!" Daniel and Skaara both roared. They clawed at the guards trying reach me, only to be beaten back by staff weapons.
"Very beautiful." The man smiled as he pushed my dirty blond hair away from my face. I cringed away from his slimy fingers. His smile quickly faded and he glared at a spot above my left eye where I knew a jagged red scar ran across my brow and down my cheek.
He growled and with a whisk of his hand I was tossed to the ground.
Skaara immediately scooped me up into his arms. His movement caught the eye of the man who had just dismissed me.
He grinned evily and pointed at Skaara, "Him."
"NO!" This couldn't be happening. I twisted my hand into Skaara's shirt as an anchor to keep him by my side.
The guards wrenched through my grasp like I was made of paper and landed a heavy hit to my gut. The sudden pain dropped me, I pressed a hand to my stomach where no doubt an ugly bruise was already forming.
"Airen! Dan-yell, O'Neill!" Skaara screamed while kicking at his captors.
"Skaara!" I ran after him but two staffs descended in a "X" blocking my path. Jack came up behind me and caught my flailing arms, keeping them pined at my side to stop me from doing something stupid. With every step Skaara was taken away, my heart was ripped in to smaller and smaller shreds. I looked at the man who had chosen Skaara. He seemed to enjoy my pain. "Take me in his place, please!"
My begging fell on deaf ears. Skaara's screams continued to get fainter and fainter until they disappeared all together.
However, I caught the attention of Apophis. I locked gazes with him. "I'm going to kill you, in the most painful way possible." I spat at him. My voice wavered with anger. I had never felt such hate for anyone before, but if it was the last thing I did I would make him pay.
He merely sneered down at me. "Destroy the rest!" he commanded. Then he entered his liter with Sha're without a glance back.
Screaming broke out as the guards assembled in a line with their staffs pinning us between them and a solid rock wall. The prisoners that were left crowed at the back of the chamber, clawing at the walls for another moment of life.
Jack handed me off to Carter who pulled me and a shell-shocked Daniel to the back with the rest.
The Alien Soldier strode to the center of the chamber where the rest of his troops stood at the ready.
"I can save these people!" Jack shouted at the Soldier and he whirled to aim his staff at Jack. "Help me! Help me."
He glared at jack and for a moment I thought for sure he would fire on Jack. "Many have said that!" Suddenly he pivoted and shot one of his own men. After shooting down another he tossed his staff to Jack. "But you are the first I believed could do it!"
The guard's ranks were diminishing quickly. Blasts of red fire flew around the chamber, some hitting unlucky bystanders.
After being hit in the chest, one of the guards stumbled towards where Carter, Daniel, and I have taken cover. With a thud he fell to the ground and his staff rolled till it hit my foot.
Snatching it up I took aim and fired at the guards Jack and the Soldier had missed. One had been about to take out Jack from the side when a blast from my staff collided with him.
"Erin what do you think you are doing?!" Daniel shouted over the roar of the battle.
"What's it looked like I'm doing?!" I yelled back while taking out another guard.
The rapid blasts ceased and Jack waved his hand at the crowd, "Hey! Get out of the way!" And they scrambled away from the back wall.
Seeing that he intended to blow a hole in the wall I aimed my weapon on the same place and fired. After several hits a hole big enough for three or so to go through at a time was formed.
"Come on let's go!" He shouted at the crowd and they poured out of the whole into a forested area.
As Daniel and I were about to go through Jack caught us, "You are going to be okay?"
Daniel just stared at Jack blankly before flowing with the rest out of the hole.
Jack then turned to me, "No, I'm not okay." I glanced at Daniel's retreating back and sighed. "We're not okay." I used my staff as a crutch to help me over the rubble. Back in the chamber the Soldier was chucking off some of his armor. "What about him, Jack?" I jerked my chin in his direction.
"Hey come on!" Jack shouted at him and waving for him to follow.
The Soldier raised his arms, gesturing at the fallen guards and destruction around him, "I have no where to go."
Jack called to him again and waved his hand at the dozens of freed people escaping into the woods. "For this you can stay at my place."
He gripped his staff tightly and headed out of the hole, hesitating when he came to us.
"What's your name?" Jack asked.
"Teal'c," the Soldier responded.
We started walking again. The escaped prisoners were getting dangerously far into the forest. I had the feeling that if we lost sight of the group we'd never be able to find them again.
"Where will they take Skaara, the boy?" Jack asked while picking up the pace to a slow run.
The newly dubbed Teal'c glanced around the forest for threats, eyes darting side to side. "Through the Stargate. After they have selected hosts for their children they will return home."
Coming around a corner we saw Carter and Daniel waiting for us with a significantly smaller group of survivors than I remembered.
Jack took out his watch and checked it quick, "We got less than an hour before Hammond seals the gate. How we doing?"
"We lost a few when we got deeper into the woods." Carter reported.
"What's going to happened to them?" I asked looking to Teal'c who was the most likely to know the answer.
"They will be hunted down and killed." He said gruffly. "Any who do not serve the gods are their enemy."
"So that makes you..." Jack tossed his hand up at him.
"I am a Jaffa, bred to serve so that they may live."
Daniel looked at Teal'c numbly. "I don't understand." His need to understand and learn seemed to overriding the shocked part of his brain so he could cope.
Teal'c had been walking in front of me, so when he ceased walking without warning I plowed into his back. His arm shot out and grabbed Skaara's outer robe that I still had on and pulled me up so I was once again vertical with the earth. After he was certain I would not fall he backed away.
Teal'c reached his hand toward a slit in his armor that formed an "x" over his abdomen. The he reached his hand into his stomach!
I resisted the urge to hurl when he pulled away a flap of tissue so we could see into a dark gaping hole in his gut, like a marsupial's pouch. Only instead of a cute baby kangaroo, a white slimy worm-like creature peeked it's head out.
Everyone who could see jumped away from Teal'c, a few even screamed.
The worm thingy squealed in displeasure before retreating.
Jack's hand flew to his mouth like he was gonna be sick. "What the hell is that?!"
Teal'c replaced the cloths and armor covering the slits in his stomach. "An infant Goa'uld, the larva form of the gods. I have carried one since I was a child, as all Jaffa have."
"Get it out of there!" Jack ordered.
"In exchange for carrying an infant Goa'uld to maturity, a Jaffa receives perfect health and long life. If I were to remove it, I would eventually die."
"If I were you," Jack walked by Teal'c patting him on the shoulder. "I'd take my chances."
In the distance the top of the Stargate finally came into sight. A familiar humming radiated through the air.
"Take cover!" I shouted as I dove under a bush with Jack and Teal'c.
A ship hovered overhead and came to a stop above the Stargate. The bottom of the ship opened and a set of rings flew down and stacked atop each other. A beam of light traveled from the ship to the waiting rings materializing the group of "gods" and their chosen, who were strangely not fighting their captors. A second group was beamed down and with them was Skaara.
"Skaara." I whispered watching him. He stood by the man who had chosen him calmly and obediently. The Skaara I knew would never have given up or allowed himself to fall under another false god's control, he would have fought to his last breath. "Jack." Jack put down the binocular he'd been looking through and turned his head toward me. His concerned expression matched my own. "Jack, something's wrong."
Teal'c gently but firmly placed a hand on my shoulder and looked me with pity in his eyes. "The boy you knew is no longer who he was."
"I don't wanna hear that." Jack said in a clipped tone. "She doesn't want to hear that."
The ship beamed down a final group. Apophis and Sha're stood in the center surrounded by at least a dozen of his guards. The guards expanded into a larger circle surrounding all the "gods" while Apophis headed to the dialing device and started to input an address.
More humming came from overhead as gliders swung down low over our position.
"Get down!" Jack shouted at the refugees.
A group had just enough time to dive out of the way as a blast from one of the gliders exploded the ground where they had just been standing.
"Colonel we've been made." Carter was shielding a couple of young children from flying debris. "We're sitting ducks here! We..." The rest of her sentence was drowned out by a torrent of weapons fire as the gliders took another pass at us.
It was like a flashback to all those years ago on Abydos when we defeated Ra. Blast after blast rocked the ground with no end in sight. The screaming people were scattering in all directions, which made them easy targets.
The humming was closer than ever and looking up I was staring down the muzzle of a glider. I wouldn't even have time to raise my staff to fire back.
Suddenly the left wing of the glider burst in to flames. With one wing gone gravity did the rest by dragging the glider to the ground where it erupted, exploding shards of metal in ever direction.
Up on a hill stood Kawalsky holding a smoking rocket launcher surrounded by several marines outfitted with machine guns.
Jack stood up and cupped his hands around his mouth the amplify his voice. "Come on people, up the hill. Run!"
Teal'c held out his hand to help me up. "Thanks." I said. He grabbed my forearm and hauled me up, half-helping half-dragged me up the hill.
When we reached the top Kawalsky smiled, happy to see me. He eyed Teal'c suspiciously but said nothing.
"Erin, it's good to see you Kid." Hefting the launcher in one arm Kawalsky clapped me on the back.
"Nice shot." I complemented him.
Jack came up beside us huffing from running up the hill. "How many are there?" he tilted his head in the direction of the gate.
"About a dozen surrounding the Stargate. We don't have much time before they lock us out."
Kawalsky replied.
If we didn't make it back to Earth in the next ten minutes we'd be stranded here with no way home.
We climbed up the side of another hill. Coming over the top I saw the gate with a dozen of so Jaffa surrounding it. In the circle of stone steps around the gate stood Skaara with the couple who'd taken him about to go through.
"Stop!" Jack roared at them. He slid down the steep incline and raced toward the gate.
"Colonel, sir!" Kawalsky shouted after him. I moved to follow Jack but Kawalsky tried to grab my arm, and missed. "Erin get back here!"
But I was already sliding after Jack, sand and gravel kicking up in my wake.
All the commotion caught Skaara's attention and he stepped away from the gate, waiting for us at the edge of the platform. He smiled as we approached.
That smile. Skaara had never looked so, cruel. I stopped in my tracks while Jack kept on running past me, though I didn't really notice. My eyes were fixed on Skaara. Just like with Sha're, there was nothing in his eyes. "Skaara." I breathed out his name, but I could not find my beloved anywhere in the man that stood before us.
Skaara, It, raised his hand and a pulsating red glow came from a bracelet wrapped around his palm.
I tried to warn Jack as I ran to him, "Jack wait!" I shouted, to late.
Skaara's eyes glowed and a pulse flew through the air and plowed into Jack. He went flying backwards colliding with me and knocking all the air out of both our lungs We connected with the ground and to add insult to injury, Jack's weight crushed me before he could roll of.
I laid prone of the ground, my joints protesting. Turning my head to the side I was just able to see Skaara glance back once as he stepped through the event horizon. The gate shut off. He was gone.
"Jack! Erin!" Daniel shouted as he and the rest of the refuges caught up with us. "Did you see the symbols?"
I rolled unto my stomach and stared at the gate, hoping against hope that it would turn back on and Skaara and Sha're would come back through it, like nothing had ever happened and it was all just a bad dream. Please let this be a dream.
"Did you see them?" Daniel repeated.
Jack looked over at him and shook his head soundlessly.
"We got hostiles approaching! I repeat we've got hostiles approaching." An unfamiliar voice called over the radio. Back at the hill a line of marines were positioned on the ground with their weapons aimed at the forest.
Kawalsky waved all the refuges over, "Okay people we're going on a little field trip. Daniel," he looked at me sympathetically,"Erin get to work on that Stargate, we got company. Captain Casey and I will be the last ones out."
"Negative." Jack stood. "That's my job. Captain Carter help Daniel and Erin. Once you send the signal through tell them we're bringing company!"
"Yes sir." Carter quickly saluted him.
The three of us sprinted toward the gate. When we reached the dialing device Daniel dug a small notebook out of his vest. My eyes roved over the device, some of the symbols looked familiar as the address for Earth. I leaned against my staff weapon for support.
"Dr. Jackson!" Carter urged.
Daniel frantically flipped through his notes, "I know I know, I have it."
Kawalsky's voice echoed over the radio, "Sir, we got hostiles coming out of the trees."
"Come on!" Carter anxiously began jumping in place.
Putting together the pieces of the puzzle and trying to drown out the sound of battle was not an easy task. Finally one of the symbols caught my eye, suddenly it made sense.
"Daniel." I shouted over the blasts and punched the first symbol in Earth's sequence.
"I see it too!" And Daniel began dialing the rest of the symbols. "Send the signal as soon as it open Captain."
Carter pulled pager-like device out of her sleeve and pressed in a code.
"Is it working?" Daniel glanced back and forth between the gate and the device on Carter's arm.
"I hope so. If not I'll be the first to know." and she ran up the steps and threw herself through the gate. Her voice came through the radio on Daniel's vest. "Send them through."
"Come on everyone!" I shouted to the refuges waving my arm forward.
The enemy soldiers were getting closer. I heft my staff weapon up and took aim laying down cover fire for the fleeing prisoners.
Many of them were injured and bleeding as they tumbled through the gate. More gliders arrived and began firing down at us. One swept down close to the ground and blew away a few of the stranglers. One last group was running up the steps when a blast sent them flying. A small girl fell out of her mother's arms and landed in the dirt next the platform, all the while her mother screamed her name.
"Daniel, get her through the gate." I ordered him. He put the mother's arm around his shoulders and hauled her up the steps.
Running around the side of the gate platform, shooting down a soldier as I went I found the girl with a deep gash on her leg. "I got you." I said dropping the staff as I picked her up and she wrapped her arms around my neck.
Another pass of the gliders brought more rounds of earth shattering fire. The ground shook while I stumbled up the steps with the girl in my arms. Daniel was waiting just this side of the gate, apparently already having sent the rest through.
I approached and he took the girl from me. "That's it. Let's go!" He said grabbing my arm and throwing us through.
Just as I remembered there was a cold rush, then we came out the other side. A bald man in a military uniform and Carter were waiting for us when we stepped through the gate back on Earth.
The mother of the girl raced up the ramp and clutched her daughter to her chest. She mouthed, "thank you" before joining the rest of the refuges who had crowed towards the back of the gate room.
"They behind you?" Carter asked.
I glanced back at the still water of the gate. "I hope so."
The water rippled and the huge man dressed like a caveman followed by Teal'c came through. Suddenly all the guns in the room were trained on the two ready to pump them full of bullets.
"Hold your fire!" Daniel, Carter and I yelled simultaneously.
The bald man waved his hand indicating for everyone to lower their weapons.
Finally Jack fell through carrying a dazed Kawalsky. "Now! Lock it up! Lock it up!"
Several sharp plates of steel swirled out from the inner ring of the gate and clinked together forming a single metal shield over the event horizon. I jumped in surprised at the blades locked into place. Dull thuds came from what could only be something hitting the barrier. With a zip the gate shut off.
"Wormhole disengaged." A voice called over an intercom.
"Colonel O'Neill, care to explain?" The bald man walked up the ramp, careful to stay out of the way of med teams working on the injured.
Jack patted Kawalsky on the back in concern. Only after Kawalsky nodded, indicating he was fine, did Jack answer the man's question. "We can use the Stargate to send these people home."
The man glared over Jack's shoulder at Teal'c. "What is he doing here?" He said like he recognized Teal'c.
Jack walked up to Teal'c and placed his hand on his arm and stated proudly, "General Hammond this is Teal'c. He helped us."
But the General would not be swayed, "You know what he is?"
"Yes sir I do. He is the man who saved all our lives." Then Jack shocked everyone, Teal'c most of all. "And if you follow my recommendation he'll join SG-1."
The General stared at him dumbfounded for a moment before gathering his wits. "That decision may not be up to you."
Further up on the ramp Kawalsky caught my attention when he nearly tumbled to the ground clutching his head. I went to his side and wrapped my hands around his arm helping him up. "Kawalsky, you alright?"
He waved me off. "Yeah Kid, I'm good."
The General seemed like he was about to say something, then thought better of it. He just sighed wearily. "Colonel O'Neill, Kawalsky. This is sure to be an interesting debriefing, we'll start at oh-seven thirty hundred."
"Yes sir." Chorused Jack, Kawalsky and Carter.
After all the med teams and the refuges had been filled out the gate room, our group still stood on the ramp.
Daniel gazed longingly at the up at the Stargate, "She's still out there, somewhere."
Something clinked in Skaara's robe that I still had on. Reaching into a pocket I pulled out his zippo lighter. The sight of it brought tears to my eyes and I clutched it to my chest. Coming up beside Daniel I took his hand in my free one and pulled him into a hug. "So is Skaara." I said resting my jaw on his shoulder.
"What are we going to do?" Daniel's voice wavered and he buried his face in my hair.
A hand came down on my arm causing Daniel and I to part. Jack met both of our eyes and gave us a small smile. "We find them."
Author's Note: I hope you liked. Next up, "The Enemy Within"