Disclaimer: Stargate is not mine. Please excuse me while I go cry.
A/N: Deepest apologies for the delay on this chapter. My only excuse is midterms, but I hope you all will understand. On a lighter note, I wanted to thank everyone who alerted/favorited either this story or me. I'm all warm and fuzzy inside just thinking about it. To those of you who reviewed, you guys are rockstars! I can't thank you enough for the kind words and encouragement! Oh, and very quickly, I have to say congratulations to JAJJAJ, acer-sigma, whyistherumgone99, and E. Nagrom for all guessing possible sources for Vala's knowledge about Cam. They guessed Wendy, Darrell, and Amy, who I all thought could be sources, but not the one I was looking for. And thanks to Whirlwind421 for the inside scoop on the bee which is actually a hornet. Thanks for solving that mystery! Now, I hope you all enjoy the final chapter.
A Terrible Mistake
Chapter Five
Daniel peered around a corner, holding up a hand to stop his teammates when he saw four guards stationed around a door. Retreating, he led the group back down the hall they were currently in so they could talk. Turning to Vala, he asked, "You're sure this is the way we came?"
"Positive," she whispered. "Do you not agree?"
"No, I do. Just wanted to check," he replied, trailing off as he thought about what he had seen.
"Care to share with the rest of the class, Jackson?" Cam asked.
Daniel started and shook his head as if he had forgotten he was in the middle of an escape. "Well, Vala and I are both sure this is the way out, but there are four guys guarding a door that weren't there when we were brought in."
"So?"
"So, if they're Kasdi's guards, which I suspect they are, our GDOs could be in there. I think it's worth checking out."
"Right. Teal'c, you're with me. We're taking out the guards. Carter, you and Vala take point on the room. Jackson, keep an eye on the hall." Getting nods from his team, Cam got into position opposite Teal'c. With a nod of his head, he and Teal'c sprang around the corner and started firing. Teal'c took out the two on the left, but the guard farthest from Cam managed to duck and fire back. Cam somersaulted to avoid the zat blast, firing as he came up. Sam and Vala were moving towards the door before the guard even hit the ground, Teal'c and Cam right behind them.
Entering the room, Vala immediately trained her zat on Kasdi. "Don't move!" she commanded loudly, not caring who heard.
Finishing her sweep of the room, Sam focused on the commotion in the center of the room. Kasdi stood directly behind a badly beaten man tied to a chair, holding a knife to the man's throat. Next to them was a table holding several utensils that looked decidedly unpleasant. For a second, Sam thought Kasdi had already slit the man's throat, but then she realized the blood had run down his face. Hearing someone behind her, Sam spun around only to come face to face with Daniel and Cam.
"Put your weapons on the floor and surrender or he dies," Kasdi ordered as he tightened his grip, causing the man to let out a whimper.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Daniel said quickly. "Let's just…be rational about this. No one has to lose in this situation. Just give Neiram to us, we'll leave, and you'll never hear from us again. Problem solved."
"So you confirm that Neiram did help you? When you were discovered in his house, there was no way to tell if you had simply hid there or if he led you."
"You did all this to a man you weren't even sure was a traitor?" Sam asked in disgust.
"An example had to be set. If a person does not actively oppose the enemies of Lord Ba'al, he is as much an enemy. Neiram will be executed."
"That makes no sense. Plus, you're not really giving us much incentive to surrender by telling us you're going to kill him anyway," Cam pointed out.
"Kasdi, listen to me before you do something you can't undo," Daniel pleaded. "You have a few knives and a hostage set to be executed. There are five of us with zat guns and a hand device. We've also incapacitated most of your guards. Your best option is to just let us go."
For the first time, Kasdi looked as if he were thinking about giving in. His body seemed to be deflating as his shoulders dropped, his eyes fell to the floor, and his hold on the now unconscious Neiram relaxed slightly. When he looked up, however, his eyes told a different story.
"There is no honor in living if I betray my Lord. If I am to die, I will do so with the knowledge that I have defeated his greatest enemies." With no further warning, Kasdi threw the knife as hard as he could at Daniel's chest and reached for another on the table next to him. A shot from Cam's zat knocked him out before he even touched one.
"Daniel!" Vala yelled as she ran to where Daniel lay on the floor.
"Wow," Daniel said, sitting up from where he had thrown himself in an attempt to avoid the knife. "That almost never happens."
"What never happens?" Cam asked as he tried to untie Neiram.
"The handle impacted me. Not the blade."
"Something actually went right for you? That's weird."
"I know, right?"
"Darling, are you actually complaining about not being skewered?" Vala asked.
"I'm not complaining. It just seems noteworthy."
"Indeed."
"Whoa, Teal'c! When did you come in? I thought you were keeping a lookout?" Cam questioned.
"I am capable of guarding the hall from my position."
"Yeah, of course you are. How's he looking, Carter?"
"He's got at least one broken rib, maybe two. The disturbing part is that it looks like Kasdi carved some marks into his face, but I'm not able to tell what they are with all the blood. He's okay to be moved, though."
"Teal'c, you wanna give me a hand?" Cam asked. Each man put one of Neiram's arms around his neck and stood, pulling the man up with them. "Jackson, Vala, you guys are up again."
"We're close to the exit. Maybe a hundred yards or so," Daniel estimated.
The group left the room, leaving Kasdi unconscious on the floor. After five long minutes of shuffling along, the escapees reached the exit.
"No guards?" Cam wondered.
Daniel shrugged. "There weren't any when Vala and I were brought in. Don't ask me why, though."
"I think he just did, darling," Vala said, ignoring Daniel when he rolled his eyes.
"I believe it would be prudent to leave before Kasdi regains consciousness," Teal'c said in an effort to hurry his teammates along. Even after twelve years he was still amazed by how the Tau'ri could so easily be distracted from important tasks by the most trivial matters.
"Right you are, Muscles," Vala agreed. Taking the panel off the wall, Vala quickly rearranged the crystals. "Eight seconds. One for the record books," she said proudly.
"Yeah, great job, Princess," Cam said, placating her, "but we actually have to get home to share your achievement, so let's go."
Leaving the facility, the team found themselves in darkness. Stumbling over uneven terrain and roots the planet's two moons did little to illuminate, they managed to walk almost a mile before they were forced to stop when Neiram began to regain consciousness.
"Easy, easy," Cam said as he and Teal'c lowered the man to the ground. Daniel and Vala crouched next to him.
"Hey, Neiram," Vala greeted when his eyes opened. "Nice to see you again."
Looking thoroughly confused, Neiram stuttered, "H-h-how did …?"
"How did you get here?" Daniel supplied. Neiram nodded his head slightly, moaning at the pain it caused.
"Take it easy. We found you when Kasdi was…questioning you," Daniel said. At the mention of Kasdi's name, Neiram's eyes filled with fear and he began to struggle.
"You're alright, you're alright," Daniel said quickly. "We're a long way from him now. We figured we'd take you back to Earth with us, and then you can go wherever you want from there. You're welcome to stay, too." Neiram looked slightly less panicked, but his stress was still evident.
"You up for movin', buddy?" Cam asked.
"I am."
"Great. We should get goin'."
Taking Cam's place, Daniel helped Neiram up, releasing him into Teal'c's care once he was standing. Just as they were getting ready to leave, Teal'c held up his hand. Listening, the rest of the team could soon hear the sounds of approaching footsteps too. Readying their weapons, the team prepared to defend themselves.
"Colonel Mitchell?"
Cam held a hand up to signal silence in response to the whisper, unsure which of his teammates would betray their position at a time like this.
"Colonel Mitchell, is that you?"
"Reynolds?!" Cam whispered back, both relieved and exasperated. When SG-3 stepped out of the woods around them, they all relaxed a little.
"What happened?" Reynolds asked.
"Long story, as usual. You guys got a GDO?"
"Of course, sir."
"Excellent. You saved us a trip to the Alpha site, 'cause none of us thought to check for one when we saved Neiram here. We should get back to Earth before the guys we saved him from come after us."
"Yes, sir."
With SG-3's flashlights, the last mile back to the Gate went much faster than the first. Lieutenant James dialed home and sent the GDO code. Hardly believing their luck on this mission, SG-1 stepped through the event horizon, leaving Ba'al's prison behind.
"Well, it's not often I get SG-1 in my infirmary in one piece after they've been held hostage," Carolyn remarked.
"We're as shocked as you," Cam said. "The bad guy even threw a knife at Jackson, but the hilt hit him instead of the blade."
"Wow, Dr. Jackson. I'm impressed."
"I have been practicing," Daniel said with a grin and a shrug.
"As for Mr. Neiram, he's going to be just fine," Carolyn said, back to business. "There were marks carved into his cheeks that he says mark him as a traitor, but, fortunately, the man who did it was no expert in torture. He probably thought he was cutting deeply because there was so much blood, but wounds on the head always bleed profusely. The scars should fade to the point they'll be hardly noticeable."
"That's good to hear," Daniel said.
"Yes, it is," she said. "Okay, you're done here. General Landry wants to see you in the briefing room. Oh, Vala, Sam, could you guys hang around a minute?" Carolyn waited until the men had left the infirmary before continuing. "Are we still on for girl's night, or do you two just want to relax?"
"Girl's night would be wonderful," Sam said.
"Definitely," Vala said. "Besides, we need new dirt on the flyboy," she said with an evil grin. "I love making him think I can read his mind."
"Seven hours, sir?" Cam asked in disbelief. "We were gone for seven hours?"
"I believe that's what I said, Colonel," Landry answered. SG-1 had just given their accounts of the mission when he had told them it had all happened in the course of seven hours.
"Why did you send SG-3 after only seven hours, sir?" Sam asked.
"SG-7 had been visiting another planet that these people seemed to have reached. Fortunately, they had heard of Ba'al's death, so they explained what was going on. Colonel Reynolds and the rest of SG-3 volunteered to go since it was their information that sent you to the planet."
"Seven hours?" Vala cut in, unwilling to believe they had been imprisoned for less than thirty-six.
"Anything else?" Landry asked. When he got no response, he continued, "In that case, you're all dismissed. Your next briefing is at 0800 tomorrow."
"Yes, sir," Cam and Sam said as they stood.
"Seven hours?" Vala called to Landry's back as he entered his office. "I hate it when people steal my watch. It's so rude," she complained.
"It did feel a lot longer," Daniel agreed, puzzled. "If you include the walk there, the capture, the escape, and the walk back, all of us would have been in that cell together for less than five, maybe four hours."
"See, that's just not possible," Cam protested, hitting the table multiple times for emphasis. "We hang out all the time and it never feels four times longer than it actually was."
"I believe there is a Tau'ri expression that explains this," Teal'c said. "'Time flies when one is having fun.' In this case, the opposite holds true."
"I don't know, Teal'c. I was having a lot of fun," Sam said, grinning at Cam. "Hey, Daniel, Vala? Have you guys ever heard the story about how Cameron was the MVP for his football team his senior year?"
Inside his office, Landry chuckled along with the SG-1, sans Cam, as he listened in on his flagship's team's conversation through the briefing room phone.
"Really? You went fruit picking on your first date?" Carolyn asked. She, Sam and Vala were curled up on Vala's bed sipping wine and surrounded by chocolate and magazines. In the background, Sandra Bullock was trying to save Miss United States from an exploding crown.
"What is so strange about that?" Sam asked. "It's really very nice."
"I believe you, but you have to admit that it's not a very common first date."
"Yes, and it helped me win a bet with Cam because of it," Sam announced. "Speaking of bets, what did you win, Vala? Something to do with Daniel?"
"Oh, that," Vala said with a dismissive wave of her hand. "It's nothing horrible. The next five planets we go to, Cameron has to tell everyone we meet that Daniel and I are together."
"You do that already," Sam said.
"I know, but for some reason no one ever believes me. Hopefully things will be different if the news comes from Cameron."
"And if he doesn't do it since Daniel wasn't in the bet?"
"Let's just say he might end up missing some important articles of clothing the next time we share a tent offworld. Speaking of which, Carolyn, have you ever heard the story of Cameron and the bee?"