I forgot to say this before, so I'll say it now:
Olivia Benson and the other characters of Law & Order: SVU are owned by Dick Wolf and Universal. The Stargate: SG-1 gang are owned by MGM. I'm not making any money off of this story; it was just written for kicks.
I would like to thank those of you who either placed this story on your alerts, or have made it your favorite story. Thanks very much. I appreciate it, and I hope you're enjoying the ride.
Stargate: SVU 2
Chapter Two
To her horror, Casey Novak found herself back aboard that nightmarish alien ship. She stood once more on the hard marble floors, which felt icy cold beneath her bare feet, and was clad in that same outfit of jeans with her 'sex crimes' shirt. It was what Casey had worn when they came for her in the middle of the night and abducted her.
They…the terror from the stars.
The Goa'uld.
Casey glanced around the vast chambers, and found herself to be completely alone. She didn't understand what had happened; wasn't Olivia supposed to be with her?
'No,' Casey realized. 'It was all over! Olivia and the others saved me, and brought me back to earth. Elliot and Munch then brought me back home to New York!'
"So why am I here?" Casey asked aloud, her voice echoing in the empty room. "Again?"
The answer appeared in the fringes just beyond the illuminated space where Casey stood--for deep within the shadows, something lurked.
Something with a pair of glowing eyes.
"Oh, God, no!" Casey cried, as she ran for her life from someone who should be dead.
Her Lord Empress Neith.
She arose from the blackness like a malevolent spirit, floating right over the floor with her eyes glowing unnaturally bright. Neith let out an enraged hiss as she gave chase to Casey with her claws outstretched like those of a bird of prey.
Despite her best efforts, Casey could not escape this terrible wraith. She found herself cornered, with Neith looming over her, her gaping mouth revealing a row of fangs.
Neith lunged right at Casey, who let out a terrified scream as she--
--sat up in her bed.
"Oh, thank God," Casey whispered, when she realized it had been a dream--a horrible nightmare, really; one of many that had plagued Casey since Elliot and Munch had brought her back from Cheyenne Mountain.
She wearily got out of bed and stared at her pale reflection in the bathroom mirror. She hadn't had a decent night's sleep for several days, now--and Casey had no idea what the hell to do about this.
Restricted by a gag order from talking about her abduction at the hands of Neith, Casey had still approached George Huang, the SVU's psychiatrist, about her nightmares. Casey figured if she only spoke to him about what she was dreaming, that somehow George could still help her. Yet it proved to be of no use. George meant well--he always did--but when he tried to interpret Casey's dreams as being nothing more than a symbol of her fear of failing at her job, which was to help the victims of the SVU, it took everything Casey had to keep from strangling George right there and screaming, "BUT IT WAS REAL! IT ACTUALLY HAPPENED, YOU QUACK!"
Casey let out a sigh as she strode past her bed--she might as well forget about trying to get back to sleep tonight--and went to the window, where she stared up at the night sky. Since she lived in New York City, the nighttime stars were by and large wiped out by the city lights.
Yet Casey still stared up at the blackness that lay beyond the skyscrapers, knowing that somewhere, out there, Olivia Benson was working hard to help fight the very same real monsters who stalked Casey's dreams.
"Hope you're having better luck in dealing with them than I am, Liv," Casey whispered softly.
SG-1: SVU
"Asgard Slayer?" O'Neill asked. "What's that?"
Osiris shook her head in disgust. "Do not play me for the fool, O'Neill. I know you presently search for the ultimate weapon that can wipe out all the Asgard."
"Really?" O'Neill gave her a surprised look. "And you know this--how?"
"I have my sources," Osiris murmured.
Olivia watched Osiris closely. This was the second time that Olivia had encountered a Goa'uld up close, and she noticed that while Osiris lacked the regal manner of Her Lord Empress Neith, she still had an arrogant bearing to her walk and overall attitude.
'What Jack and the others say about them is true,' Olivia realized. 'The Goa'uld are a pack of obnoxious egomaniacs. The galaxy would really be a better place without them.'
Olivia cast a furtive glance around her. Osiris' Jaffa numbered about ten, including the man whom they had captured, and they had her and the rest of SG-1 efficiently surrounded. Neither Olivia or Jennifer Hailey--who stood beside her--could make a move without being shot down.
'Damn it,' Olivia thought in frustration. 'If only we could get some kind of a diversion….'
"Osiris has built up quite the spy network since Sam, Janet and I have last seen her," Daniel said. He and Satterfield, who were the first to be captured, sat tied to chairs. "Back in that Egyptian temple, almost a year ago…."
"Ah, yes, the temple," Osiris said, as she crossed over to where Sam stood. She snapped her fingers, and two of her Jaffa each grabbed Sam by her arms and held her in place.
Osiris went up to Sam, until they were face to face. "I recall, as I ringed up to my ship, you tried to shoot me. I suppose you feel sorry now, eh?"
"Yes, I am sorry," Sam said, as she glared back at Osiris. Then her voice took on a hard edge as she added: "I'm sorry I missed."
Osiris belted Sam across the face with a vicious slap.
"Hey, hey!" O'Neill shouted. He started to move towards Sam until he was stopped when one of the Jaffa pointed a staff weapon right at his chest. "Look, your sources were wrong, Osiris! We're just here to do some research, that's all!"
O'Neill gave Sam a pained expression as he took a deep breath. "I'm sorry, Carter. But I can't bear to see them hurt you. I've got to tell her."
"What is it?" Osiris demanded. "What research are you doing?"
"Well, if you must know," O'Neill said grudgingly. "Lt. Hailey over there has a really hard geometry test coming up, and we were just looking to make her a good crib sheet, you know?"
Hailey abruptly nodded her head furiously. "My math teacher is a real dragon lady. Although, when it comes to being a bitch," Hailey added, as she stared right at Osiris, "she's nowhere near as bad as you."
Olivia could not help but chuckle at that. 'Kid's got guts….'
Osiris shook her head sadly. "If you'd rather I torture the information out of you, then so be it. Jaffa, tie the rest of them up, and we'll--"
"Excuse me," Hereta said, as she suddenly emerged from behind a bookcase. "But the noise coming from back here is too--"
The librarian never got to finish, for Teal'c used that momentary distraction to attack the Jaffa who stood guard over him by bashing a stone inkwell over his head. Once the man staggered from the blow, Teal'c grabbed his staff weapon and smashed the butt end into his face.
Olivia and Hailey took advantage of the melee that followed by grabbing their captured guns from the table. Hailey shot down another Jaffa who was about to shoot Teal'c in the back, while Olivia zatted the two Jaffa who held Sam captive.
"Rin tel nok!" Osiris commanded, and the remaining Jaffa huddled around her as she made an escape through a side door.
Once Osiris and her Jaffa left, everyone grabbed their captured weapons from the table.
"You all right, Carter?" O'Neill asked Sam.
Sam nodded with a slight smile. "I'm feeling much better, now, sir."
"Uh, we're ok, too," Daniel sarcastically said, as Olivia untied him from the chair. Next to them, Hailey untied Satterfield. "Thanks for asking, Jack. Appreciate your concern…really!"
Teal'c paused by the door with his staff weapon. "Osiris is escaping."
"She'll probably be headed for the gate in the marketplace," Sam said, as she retrieved her P90.
"Then let's stop her," O'Neill said. "Everybody lock and load!"
"No! You can not!" Hereta shouted at them. "To do so would reign chaos down upon Ionia from the forces of Osiris!"
Olivia stared at the librarian, stunned. "You knew she was here, all along?!"
"Of course she did," Daniel said, sounding very disappointed in Hereta. "How else could Osiris and her boys gain access to the records storage area, which is normally off limits?"
"I am sorry," Hereta said. "But if I did not help her, Osiris threatened to invade all of Ionia!"
"And you believed her?" O'Neill said, shaking his head in disbelief. "You never believe anything a Goa'uld tells you."
"Besides that, Osiris has only been revived for barely a year," Daniel told Hereta. "She hasn't had enough time to amass a sizable army. Chances are, the goons she's got with her are the bulk of her army!"
"O'Neill!" Teal'c called from the door. "There is staff weapon fire coming from the market square!"
"C'mon, we've dawdled here long enough," O'Neill said, moving to the door.
"NO, STOP!" Hereta cried in a panic. "GUARDS! GUARDS!"
"But we're here to help you!" Satterfield called back.
"Grace, forget her," Hailey said. "Let's move!"
Olivia had just re-holstered her zat and Glock before she ran out the door with the others. Judging from the panicked crowds that ran past them in the opposite direction, it was safe to assume where Osiris and her goons had gone: to the center of the marketplace, where the gate was located--just as Sam had predicted.
O'Neill, who led the charge with Teal'c, gestured for all of them to take cover against a wall while they scoped out the marketplace that lay just beyond.
"They are not here," Teal'c said, puzzled. "There is no sign of them."
"The gate's still shut down, and there wasn't enough time for them to gate out," O'Neill said with a frown. "So they must still be here, somewhere."
"If they are in hiding," Teal'c said thoughtfully, "then what are they hiding from?"
"Jack," Daniel called, "when we do meet up with them, please use your zats, ok?"
O'Neill shot him an 'are you crazy?' look. "In case you haven't noticed, Daniel, Osiris and her boys are all packing staff weapons!"
Daniel nodded. "I know. Look, Osiris may have control over Sarah right now, but she can still be saved; if she's captured alive, the Tok'ra could safely remove the Goa'uld from her."
Before O'Neill could respond, Olivia pointed at the platoon of soldiers who suddenly appeared marching down the street towards them. They were clad in armor with bronze helmets and were armed with crossbows. "Whoa, who are these guys?!"
"Looks like the real library police answered Hereta's call to arms," Sam said grimly.
"Damn it," O'Neill muttered. "I don't want to fight these guys. But if we have to, use your zat guns on them. Single shot only; just knock them out. C'mon, let's fall back to the stargate and get the hell out of here!"
Yet no sooner did SG-1 begin to run across the marketplace then they fell under a withering hail of staff weapons fire. It came from a shop on the far side of the marketplace, whose façade was bristling with staff weapons.
'Oh, good Christ!' Olivia thought, as Sam grabbed her arm and pulled her down behind the cover of the Dial Home Device. Olivia wasn't expecting a pleasure cruise when she agreed to go out with SG-1 again, but she also didn't expect to be in full-scale combat so soon again.
"I'm gonna dial the gate," Sam shouted at her under the constant barrage of staff weapon fire. "Cover me, Liv!"
"OK!" Olivia shouted back, as she pulled out her zat, stood up behind Sam, and started firing pell-mell at the Ionian guards. Olivia really wasn't used to this; usually, whenever she and Elliot had encountered a situation with excessive gunfire, they ran for cover and allowed the SWAT team to deal with it.
Yet her crazy salvo of zat fire seemed to be doing the trick: the Ionian guards--who looked like extras from that Spartan movie--were ducking for cover behind the very same wall that SG-1 had just emerged from. Jenny and Satterfield helped Olivia return zat fire, while O'Neill, Teal'c and Daniel focused their suppressing fire on Osiris and her boys in the shop in front of them.
When Olivia heard a loud roar of engines, she glanced up and saw a large Goa'uld ship hovering just above the marketplace.
"It's an Alkesh," Sam called, as she continued dialing the gate. "Looks like that's what Osiris was waiting around for!"
Sure enough, Osiris ran out into the middle of the empty marketplace with her Jaffa surrounding her. They were beamed up into the ship via a ring transporter, just as the stargate flared to life with its massive energy backsplash. No longer under fire on their end, O'Neill, Daniel and Teal'c rejoined the women at the DHD.
Olivia stared up in wide-eyed fear as the alkesh ship--which still hovered over them--brought its massive laser cannons to bear down on them. "Heads up, guys!"
"They are targeting us, O'Neill!" Teal'c shouted.
Sam nodded at her GDO. "We're clear to go through!"
"Then GO!" O'Neill shouted. "Everybody through the gate now!"
Olivia, Sam and Daniel went through, with O'Neill, Satterfield and Hailey right behind them. Teal'c brought up the rear--just as a huge laser blast erupted on the stargate platform behind them.
Olivia was suspended in time and space as she rode through the kaleidoscope-like tunnel of colors and sounds that was the stargate. No matter how many times she made this trip, Olivia never failed to be awed by it--nor at the fact that she presently traveled over several thousand light years in a matter of seconds.
Still, Olivia was grateful to be back on terra firma once she emerged in the gate room. General Hammond was waiting for them at the far end of the gate room. "Is everybody all right?" he asked.
"Fine sir," O'Neill said, as the gate shut down behind them. "It got a little hairy at the end, there. But we're all right now."
"It turns out we're having some problems of our own on this end," Hammond said. "Let's resume this conversation in the conference room, after you're done being checked out in the infirmary…."
SG-1: SVU
Janet stared at Corporal Ellis with concern.
The Army corporal had successfully been revived from the stasis tube by Rodney McKay, only to be stricken by a mystery ailment that left him struggling for breath. He lay in a hospital bed in an isolated ward within the infirmary with an oxygen mask strapped over his nose and mouth. Nothing Janet did could relieve the Corporal of his pain, nor could she figure out the cause of this ailment, or how to treat it.
Nurse Rei Maseru entered the isolation room, clad in a special mask and outfit designed to prevent further infection to the Corporal--as well as preventing her from catching what he had. Janet wore the same garments as well. She had called for Nurse Maseru to relieve her when Mr. Woolsey had asked if he could meet with Janet personally for an assessment of the medical situation--which Janet presently saw as being pretty dire, until they could figure out what had caused the Corporal's infection.
After Janet had gone through the decontamination process and changed into her usual uniform and white medical coat, she emerged into the hall, where she saw Rodney. He stood leaning awkwardly against the wall, until he saw her.
"I got it," Rodney said excitedly. "In examining the stasis tube, I found a nozzle, which led to a small tank that injected the air within the stasis tube with an airborne toxin of some kind."
Janet shook her head in disgust at the thought that this had been a deliberate act. "I hope you were wearing protective clothing, Rodney."
He quickly nodded. "Yes, I was." Then he had a pained expression on his face. "Although it would have served me right had I been infected as well…."
"Rodney! Don't say that! It wasn't your fault…."
"Yes, it was," he insisted. "I should have foreseen that the Goa'uld would have had some sort of failsafe mechanism to prevent anyone from opening the stasis tube without proper authorization."
"It's still not your fault for being unable to think as deviously as a Goa'uld," Janet said.
"How's the Corporal?" Rodney asked, changing the subject.
"Stable, for now," Janet replied, as she continued walking down the hallway. "Have you been also called for a meeting by Woolsey?"
"Yeah, he's eager to know what we're doing about this little complication," Rodney said.
"'Little complication?'" Janet said, irked. "I'm sure Corporal Ellis wouldn't consider this to be a little complication."
"Woolsey's words, not mine," Rodney told her. "But, I take it that the Corporal is feeling better?"
"I didn't say he was better, Rodney. I said he was stable, which means no change. He hasn't gotten worse…but that's not saying much. Because he also hasn't improved, either. I just hope this isn't what's in store for the rest of the Disappeared when we--"
Janet abruptly stopped walking when something occurred to her. "Casey Novak…."
Rodney stared at her in puzzlement. "Casey Novak? Who's that, a baseball player?"
"No, she's an assistant district attorney in New York City," Janet said. "She was also one of the Disappeared, whom we rescued."
McKay's eyes grew wide. "Yes, I remember her, now! I read the report. You pulled her out of one of the stasis tubes, didn't you?"
"And she suffered none of the side effects that Corporal Ellis is suffering from," Janet added.
"Why?" Rodney asked. "I mean, how is that possible?"
"That's a very good question," Janet said, as she resumed walking. "One which I intend to find the answer to."
SG-1: SVU
"Respectfully, sir, we need to go back," Satterfield urgently said. "We need to send in a fully armed team, like SG-3, to help the Ionians."
"She's right," Daniel added. "For all we know, Osiris' alkesh may be laying waste to the city right now. The Ionians don't have the weaponry to fight back against something like that."
There was an uneasy moment of silence around the conference table. SG-1 had just returned from their check up in the infirmary, for which they had all been cleared. And now they sat around the massive table on the second floor conference room that had a grand view of the gate room down below. Hammond sat at the end, and Sam thought the way he thoughtfully regarded both Daniel and Satterfield did not bode well.
"Did the Ionians specifically ask for our help?" Hammond asked.
'Damn it!' Sam thought with infuriation. She knew what was coming.
"Uh, no," Daniel replied, looking annoyed. "I must imagine, being under attack by an alkesh, that one wouldn't have much time to lodge a formal request for help!"
"Oh, c'mon, Daniel," O'Neill said. "That's not fair!"
"Is it?" Daniel asked.
"You know it!" O'Neill shot back. "The Ionians were shooting at us, remember? That's not the act of someone who's asking for help."
"They were shooting at us because of a stupid misunderstanding," Daniel said.
"Wars have begun over the very same circumstances that you've described, Doctor Jackson," Hammond said sadly.
"And let's not forget that Hereta was working with Osiris," O'Neill told him. "The Ionians were in league with her!"
"So we just condemn the entire race, based on the actions of a few people?" Daniel asked.
"No, we don't, Daniel," Sam said softly. She glanced at Satterfield, who also sat glowering in her seat. "But there's only so much that we can do in a situation like this. You both know that."
"We do not know for sure if Osiris laid waste to all of Ionian society," Teal'c added. "She could have broken off her attack once we had gone through the stargate."
"But we don't know for sure about anything, do we?" Daniel persisted. "If nothing else, aside from the loss of life, the loss of the Ionian library will be just as historically tragic as the loss of the Great Library Of Alexandria was here on earth!"
"The Ionians could have contacted us for help the moment Osiris approached them," O'Neill said firmly. "But they did not. They chose to instead work with her, against us, in subterfuge."
Daniel, growing sick of the conversation, just waved his a hands in disgust.
"So, um, I guess we won't be sending in the Marines this time?" Olivia meekly asked.
"I'm afraid it's a lot more complicated than that, Detective Benson," Hammond said. "When dealing with a planet that has any kind of a society, we must respect them as if they were just like any other sovereign nation. If they didn't ask for our help, then sending in the Marines could be considered an act of war on our part."
After taking a deep breath, Hammond continued: "Add to that, the subject that Colonel O'Neill and Doctor Jackson have just discussed--the fact that the Ionians may well have been colluding with Osiris--and it just becomes a very tangled ball of string. Do I dare risk sending any more people through the stargate, knowing that they may be walking into a hostile situation? I have to weigh all of this whenever making a decision."
Hailey leaned forward in her seat. "Sir, might I suggest that we at least send a MALP back to Ionia to ascertain what happened?"
Hammond nodded. "That is what I will do, Lieutenant. Doctor Jackson, would that be acceptable to you?"
Daniel nodded. "Yes, sir. Thank you. And--General Hammond, I don't blame you personally, sir. You're simply doing your job. It's just…a very frustrating situation overall."
"Believe me, I know how you feel when it comes to feeling frustrated," Hammond said. "I've been dealing with Mr. Woolsey now for the past--"
Sam looked over in horror when she saw Woolsey walking up the staircase right at that very instant.
"Um, sir!" Sam quickly spoke up, cutting off Hammond before he could say any further derogatory comments about Woolsey. "It appears that Mr. Woolsey has decided to join us."
Hammond shot her a quick nod of thanks as he turned to face the bureaucrat. "Mr. Woolsey, I thought we had an understanding regarding the separation of our spheres of influence…."
Woolsey held up his hands. "Yes, general, I know. I'm only in charge of the Awakening Project, while you still run the day to day operations of Stargate Command. However, Doctors Fraiser and McKay have brought something to my attention which I think you should know."
'McKay?!' Sam thought with alarm. 'When did they let him out of Russia?'
She was further shocked, and sickened, when Rodney--who stood beside Woolsey with Janet--gave her a snarky little wave in greeting.
'Oh, this day is just going along swimmingly,' Sam thought miserably. When she turned back towards the table and despondently buried her head in her hands, Sam felt a hand gently touch her arm.
She glanced up and saw it was Olivia who had touched her. She stared at Sam with concern as she whispered, "You ok?"
"I'll live," Sam whispered back. "I'll explain later, Liv, in private."
Olivia nodded in understanding.
Sam quickly put her repulsion at seeing McKay again aside and focused on the conversation between Woolsey and Hammond, who spoke about the revelation that Janet had regarding the fact that, unlike Corporal Ellis, Casey Novak didn't suffer any side effects from waking up.
"What was different about the situation when Ms. Novak woke up?" Hammond asked SG-1.
"Her stasis tube had been shot during a firefight, sir," Sam told him. "It was damaged, and filling with smoke. Teal'c smashed the glass and got her out."
McKay pointed at her as he nodded. "Yeah, that would explain it! Novak was never infected because the tube never had a chance to infect her! It was damaged!"
"Still, sir, I'd like to get Ms. Novak back here for another medical check up, just to be sure," Janet said. She glanced at Olivia and added, "I'd also like to give you another once over, Liv--just to be on the safe side, too."
Hammond gazed at Olivia with concern. "If I recall correctly, your stasis tube was opened while you were still in Neith's facility, Detective Benson."
"Yes it was, sir," Sam chimed in. "I opened it when we were in the control room of the facility. Liv suffered no health side effects either."
"That makes sense," McKay said, as he nodded his head once more. "The stasis tubes may have been designed to be safely opened only from the Goa'uld control room--otherwise, if you remove them, and then try and open them, that sets off the booby trap."
"Then since Ms. Novak's tube was damaged," Hailey joined in, "all we would have to do is somehow damage the stasis tubes of the Disappeared in the same way. We could shoot it with a zat."
"The electrical charge from the zat should be enough to nullify the booby trap," Sam said, smiling with approval.
But Rodney merely stared at Hailey with distain. "Excuse me, but I'm having a scientific disscussion with Major Carter, who's at least almost in the same league--intellectually speaking--as I am. So, when I need the opinions of a grunt, I'll be sure and ask you."
Hailey, who glared back at him with a mixture of shock and outrage, started to abruptly get up from her seat--as if she meant to tackle Rodney to the floor--until Sam waved her to sit back down.
"He's like that with everybody," Sam told her. "Trust me, just let it go."
Olivia leaned over to Sam and whispered: "Now I think I know what your problem with him is."
Sam just nodded at her with a broad grin. "Bingo!"
"If I could reassume control of this briefing for just one moment," Hammond said, not without a measure of sarcasm. "I think it would be best to get Casey Novak back to Stargate Command before we begin any further experiments on the Disappeared."
"Yes," Woolsey said. "I quite agree."
"And regarding Corporal Ellis, Doctor Fraiser," Hammond added. "How are you coming along with a cure?"
"Rodney found the delivery system that infected the corporal," Janet spoke up. "I'll just need to examine the residue within the tank, and--hopefully--will be able to track down the means for a cure."
"Very well," Hammond said. "Colonel O'Neill, since Ionia is presently a dead end in our search for the Asgard Slayer, I'd like for you and SG-1 to go to New York and retrieve Ms. Novak."
"I hope we're not giving up on the hunt for the Asgard Slayer, sir," O'Neill said.
"On the contrary, Colonel, the hunt is heating up," Hammond assured him. "I've contacted the Asgard, and Thor is on his way here to confer with us personally about this matter. I've also contacted the Tok'ra, and they've told me that they'll have one of their best people investigating the exact whereabouts of the Netian Empire. So, if anything pans out, SG-1 will be the team that checks it out."
"Very good, sir," O'Neill replied, satisfied. "As long as it's SG-1 that does the panning. Well…you know what I mean, sir."
As the meeting began to break up, Janet called over to Olivia. "Just come with me, and we'll get your check up done right now."
Olivia nodded as she got up from the table. Yet before she could go with Janet, Rodney deliberately stepped in front of Olivia. "Well, hello there, gorgeous," Rodney said, in his best rakish manner. "Olivia, is it? I've noticed that we've haven't been introduced."
"Yes, and I'd like to keep it that way," Olivia cheerfully said. "Now excuse me."
Rodney's come-hither smile quickly faded as Olivia roughly shoved past him and left the conference room with Janet. Sam had tried to hide it, but her grin was just too big to keep hidden from Rodney. She just gave Rodney the thumbs up sign and said, "Way to go, Romeo!"
Rodney was about to walk over to where Sam stood with O'Neill--until he saw a very angry looking Hailey stride up to him.
"Uh, pardon me," Rodney said, as he quickly walked away.
Hailey snapped off a salute to O'Neill and asked, "Permission to pummel that man senseless, sir?"
"Um," O'Neill muttered, as he actually considered the idea. Then he shook his head. "No, Lieutenant. As much as he deserves it, permission denied."
Hailey flashed him a grin. "Very well, sir. May I ask something else?"
"Ask away."
"Lieutenant Satterfield and I are still without an SG unit, what with Sergeant Cullman still in the infirmary, and SG-12 still not having been assigned a new team leader as of yet," Hailey said. While she spoke, Satterfield came up and stood beside her. "And we would very much like to continue with SG-1, at least while you search for the Asgard Slayer."
"Yes, Lieutenant," O'Neill said. "Both you and Satterfield are more than welcome to continue continuing with us…isn't that right, Carter?"
Sam had to think about the awkward phrasing that he used for a moment. "Yes sir. Uh, I wouldn't quite use the same vocabulary that you did, but I share your feelings. I also welcome Hailey and Satterfield's help."
O'Neill shot her a narrow-eyed look. "Well…as long as we're all on the same page, then to hell with the vocabulary, I say."
That response made Hailey and Satterfield give each other a puzzled glance. Sam knew how they felt, because she was confused too. But after serving with Jack O'Neill for five years now, Sam had become used to it.
'Time for a change of subject,' she thought.
"It'll be good to have the Tok'ra helping us," Sam said.
O'Neill's expression became dismal. "Oh, please….we don't need their help."
"Well, you have to admit, sir," Sam said. "The likelihood of finding the Asgard Slayer will increase now that we have some extra eyes joining the search. You know, the general said the Tok'ra have one of their best people on the case. I can't help but wonder who that is."
SG-1: SVU
"Amazing," Jacob Carter said, "simply amazing…."
He sat in the pilot's seat of his teltac ship, admiring the design of the Ha'tak-class Goa'uld vessel that hovered just ahead of him. The familiar flashing and streaking lights of hyperspace swirled all around them--and normally, when traveling in hyperspace, Jacob enjoyed viewing the endless patterns that were created in the vortex.
But this ship, with its unusual design, had seized Jacob's full attention. From the Goa'uld crest--which showed two crossed arrows over a shield--to the unique engine configuration, everything about this Hat'tak was completely different to Jacob's eyes. Instead of fitting into a space platform, like the standard Ha'tak, this pyramid-shaped vessel had its hyperspace engines built right into the base, which propelled it from the bottom like a rocket.
'This is the result of a branch of the Goa'uld who have evolved off on their own over the centuries,' Jacob thought. 'Her Lord Empress Neith and her followers, who were defeated in battle ages ago by none other than Ra himself. Ra should have made sure they were completely vanquished.'
When Jacob first received this assignment, he had at first been highly skeptical of the reports of a new Goa'ald empire. He had heard that Neith had been killed by SG-1--the team that counted his daughter, Samantha, as among its members. Usually when that happened, when a Goa'uld was killed, his/her followers always scattered. Killing the lead Goa'uld was like cutting off the head of a snake, the body simply withered and died.
But, according to the reports, that wasn't happening this time.
Jacob had taken up position in orbit of Kelora in his teltac, which was fully cloaked. It had been his plan to wait and see if another ship from Neith's little empire came looking to see what had happened to their empress. And Jacob's hunch had paid off handsomely when this ship had showed up. It didn't hang out for very long--apparently the wreckage of Neith's ship in orbit of the planet was evidence enough for them that she was dead--before it jumped back into hyperspace.
And Jacob had tagged along.
Following another ship through hyperspace was tricky. It wasn't so much that you actually followed the ship, but that you were swept up along with it and pulled by it through hyperspace. Normally, Jacob would have easily been spotted, but thanks to the cloaking ability of his teltac, he might as well have been a ghost.
And as he sat for the past few hours, looking over the ship design of this new enemy, Jacob could feel a growing sense of dread build within him. Until he realized that the build up of dread actually wasn't within him, per se.
It was Selmak.
Jacob closed his eyes and mentally sought out the 2000 year old symbiote who resided within his skull. 'What is it, old friend? What's wrong?'
'The children of Neith,' Selmak replied. His voice in Jacob's head always sounded like a gentle whisper. 'They will be just as much of a threat to all of us as Ra once was.'
'But how can they?' Jacob asked. 'For once they realized their Lord Empress is dead, they shall break apart--just like the Jaffa of Ra, Hathor, Cronus and the many other Goa'uld who have been killed have done.'
'You can not deny, by the very sight of that ship before you, that the Netian Empire is vastly different than that of other Goa'uld,' Selmak countered. 'And it is never a good thing to underestimate your enemy.'
Before Jacob could reply, there was a steady beeping noise from his console. It was the proximity alert. The Ha'tak was coming closer to them, which meant that they were slowing, getting ready to emerge from hyperspace.
Jacob quickly and expertly slowed the teltac so that it stayed in pace with the Goa'uld vessel. Once the larger ship jumped into normal space, the teltac did so as well.
"Perfect," Jacob said, smiling. "They never knew we were--"
Jacob's smile instantly vanished when he saw the entire Ha'tak briefly glow as brilliantly as the sun. The flash was gone within an instant, but Jacob grew apprehensive at the sight of an energy wave that shot out from all directions of the Ha'tak. The wave spread out from the Ha'tak in a steady pattern--
--and a large chunk of it was headed straight for his teltac.
"Damn it," Jacob muttered, as he urgently tried to move his ship out of range of the energy wave.
'What was I just saying about underestimating your enemy?' Selmak's voice whispered.
"Ok, ok, you were right," Jacob frantically replied. He had turned the teltac away from the approaching energy wave and was about to put it into full burn. "Happy, now?! Just let me get--"
Jacob was helplessly thrown against the console as his teltac was violently rattled from the energy wave impacting against it. A panel blew out from the wall behind him, shooting sparks and smoke all over. The flashing lights on the console informed Jacob that the hyperspace drive was down, and that he was also in trouble of losing his cloak.
"Wonderful," Jacob grimly muttered. "When it rains, it pours….."
SG-1: SVU
"What is it?" Lord Battlemaster Amun said, as he strode over to the panel.
Pal'tee bowed. "My Lord. We launched the seeker energy wave as soon as we emerged from hyperspace, as per standard procedure. And we found something." He pointed at a section of the screen. "There."
Amun saw a section of the wave had crumpled up against something that was invisible. "A cloaked ship?"
Pal'tee nodded. "Most likely."
Amun tapped the section of the screen where the wave had crumpled up. "Send two squadrons of gliders to this position. Whoever was following us, I want them brought before me, alive."
Pal'tee crossed his arms before his chest in the standard salute of the Netian Empire. "Consider it done, my Lord Battlemaster."
SG-1: SVU
Casey suppressed a yawn as she rode the elevator down to the lobby of her building. 'Jeez, the day's barely started, and already I want a nap!' she thought with a weary shake of her head.
And it was going to be a long day in court, as well. Roland Dupree's attorney was trying every trick in the book to get his confession thrown out, which was a waste of time on his part--thanks to the mountain of evidence that Munch and Fin had collected against him. But just because something was a waste of time didn't mean Dupree's attorney still won't try, so Casey had to be on extra guard in court today.
The elevator doors opened to reveal the lobby, where Mike, Casey's doorman waited for her with a smile. "Good morning, Ms. Novak," he said, as he held the door open. "Looks like it's gonna be a fine day today."
"Morning, Mike," Casey replied, as she stepped through doorway. "Yeah, it does look nice. Just hope I can stay awake to enjoy it!"
"It's a nice day for a nap, too!" he added.
"Don't tempt me!" Casey called back.
On the sidewalk was a bickering young couple who were both fashionably dressed in the latest urban styles. The woman, a blonde, was pointing down the street, while her boyfriend angrily gestured in the opposite direction.
"Eighth Avenue is that way," he said.
"No, she said it was down here," the woman insisted. "We're going to be late for the appointment, Gary!"
But the man shook his head. "I know what I'm talking about, babe, it's down this way. Don't worry, we'll get to the doctor's in time."
Casey was about to walk past them, until she decided it would really be best to give them proper directions. They seemed like decent enough folk who were in a tight spot.
"Excuse me," Casey said, as she walked over to them. She pointed to her left. "Eighth Avenue is down this way."
"Really?" the man said, as he went behind Casey to get a better look at the street. "Could have sworn it was the other way."
"Oh, thank you so much!" the woman said gratefully to Casey. She walked over to her and held up a piece of paper. "This is the exact address we're looking for. Would you know where this is?"
Casey peered at the sheet of paper the woman gave her…and realized with a frown that it contained a paragraph of typed gibberish. "Wait, this isn't an address, it--"
Casey let out a scream, which was quickly muffled, as the man grabbed her from behind and placed a damp rag over her nose and mouth. As Casey struggled helplessly in the man's grip, the woman pulled out a cell phone, into which she said, "We got her. Let's move!"
SG-1: SVU
Mike looked on with horror as he watched the van pull up to the sidewalk. The man who had grabbed Casey Novak from behind now carried the unconscious woman into the van, which flung open its side door for them.
Mike had been a doorman at this building for almost twenty years, now, and he had never seen anything like this. He took a step towards them and said, "Wait one moment, what the hell do you think you're--?!"
Mike stopped short when the young blond woman pulled out a gun and pointed it right in his face. "Do yourself a big favor doorman," she said coldly, "and don't be a hero."
"We got her," the man called from inside the van. "C'mon, let's go!"
The woman backed up towards the van, still holding the gun at Mike. Then, once she got in, the door slammed shut and the van sped off with Casey Novak inside.
'Oh my God,' Mike thought, as he ran inside to call 911. 'I can't believe what just happened! Poor Ms. Novak, I hope she's ok!'
To Be Continued...