A/N: I'm going to try to finish this story before the end of the month.

For a few moments the uproar from the SGC personnel in the room was so loud, Alex wasn't sure she could hear herself think. Finally, she took the whistle out of her pocket and blew. Hard.

Everyone stopped talking and looked at her, awe-struck that she had even thought of doing something like that. Alex took a deep breath before starting to talk, "Okay, now yelling isn't going to get Sam out of that room any faster." She looked at Pendergast, Daniel and Jack, "Now, is there anyone that might be able to … beam her out?"

Hailey shook her head, "That wouldn't do any good. Those explosives are very powerful. If she got her hands on the heaviest explosives onboard … General, that would be the same kind SG-1 used to blow up Apophis's mother ships in the first attack against Earth eight years ago. Even if Colonel Carter wasn't in the room, the bomb could be detonated just as effectively."

"So we need to … beam out the controls?" Daniel asked, turning to Jack (who was the resident explosives expert in the room despite the fact that Hailey designed numerous weapons to that effect).

Jack shook his head, trying to get past the fear that he might lose Sam and the baby, "There's probably something on the bomb itself that would allow her to detonate immediately without the controls." His head shot up and he looked at Daniel with a clear expression. One word was all it took to convey his message to the members of the SGC: "Lya."

"We're hours away from their planet, General," Pendergast commented while Daniel and Vala's faces took on pensive expressions.

"Who's Lya?" Vala finally asked, voicing the question for herself and the two civilians.

Daniel turned to the woman he was stuck to and asked, "Have you ever heard of the Nox?" after she shook her head in a negative answer, he explained, "The Nox are one of the Four Great Races – right up there with the Asgard, Ancients and Furlings. Lya's one of them. They specialize in … hiding things and playing tricks with the mind."

"So … you can get her to hide the controls for the bomb, then beam Nicole into a holding cell, right?" Alex asked, wondering if that was even possible.

Vala nodded, with a grin, "And then you can play with her while we travel back to Earth so that Daniel can take me on that date he promised me last week."

Daniel glared at her before Jack answered, "Actually, we'll have to make sure she's really the only mole on board … then we'll have to decide where she'll be prosecuted."

"Not to mention what we want done with her," Pendergast commented.

At Bobby and Alex's confused looks Jack explained, "It's more of a matter of what you want done with her: the most agonizing death you could imagine; swift and virtually painless; or a trip back to Earth for our justice system."

"What do you mean, Jack?" Bobby asked, a frown creasing his face.

Jack shared a look with Hailey before saying, "We've saved a lot of people out there. They owe us favors – big favors. I can think of two very powerful races right now that would be happy to torture her to death because of what she's done."

Daniel coughed, "Three."

The General looked at him, "The Tok'ra don't count. Selmak was the only one of them I trusted and she's dead."

Daniel nodded, conceding the point and letting the matter drop, knowing there was a lot more Jack had to say on the issue but would never admit to. (Like that it was more Jacob - Sam's dad, and Selmak's host, that Jack trusted.)

Jack nodded to Pendergast, "Set the course for the Nox home world. Hailey? How long should it take to get there?"

"We've already been moving in that general direction, sir. It would take us five hours tops to hit orbit," Hailey said, silently wondering if Sam had that much time.

Bobby shook his head, "That's too long."

Pendergast looked at Hailey for a second before turning to Jack, "Sir, I believe we're in close proximity to P4X-131 – where you and SG-1 met Warrick for the first time."

"How long?" Jack asked, his voice low with worry.

"Five minutes max, sir," Pendergast replied.

Jack nodded, "Do it." Pendergast and Hailey saluted him before leaving to go set the course of the ship to P4X-131.

"How's going to that planet going to help us get to the Nox planet?" Bobby asked, a little confused as to what was going on.

It was Daniel who answered, "P4X-131 has a Stargate on it. We can 'Gate to the Nox planet and have a few representatives there within seven minutes."

Nicole cocked her head to one side as she studied the woman who was her captive, "I read your mission files, you know."

Sam was inwardly wondering how the hell the maniac had managed that trick, but refused to allow her face to reveal any of those emotions. Instead she said, "Really? Good reading?" She'd really been spending way too much time around Jack.

Nicole nodded, "Oh, yes. Especially reading about how your relationship with Colonel O'Neill has transformed through the years. It's most … titillating to read about your unrequited love."

"It was hardly unrequited, Nicole," Sam said, trying to remain calm. "We are, after all, married and about to start a family. Not like your relationship with Bobby. Now that is unrequited love."

Nicole leaned forward intimidating even with her small frame, "What makes you so sure he doesn't love me?"

Sam smiled, cold and mysteriously, "Because if he loved you, he would have let you get away with your crimes. Instead, whenever you come on the scene, he grows closer and closer to Alex. You're infatuation with him is going to end with him in her bed – not yours, Nicole."

The maniacal look in Nicole's eyes frightened Sam as much as any of the System Lords had. The woman who held her captive had as much power as they did (for the moment), and a lot less control.

Where the hell was her rescue?

A/N: So? What do you think? The next chapter is entirely from Alex and Bobby's perspective - as will be the majority of the rest of the story. Please review.