Episode 5: Former Friends, New Enemies (Part 2)
Disclaimer: I don't own Resident Evil, Stargate SG-1, or any of its characters.
"Prepare the viral weapons," ordered Sekhmet as she stared with a frown at the distant sphere that was Mar'cara.
"It will be done, my lady," replied Sark'non. "I will send two of your finest warrior to retrieve the weapons for launch right away." He turns to his squad. Eyeing two awaiting guards in front of him, he shouts an order and they nod with understanding. Then they march through the entrance off the bridge. Meanwhile, Sekhmet turns her attention towards Rarnek, who's recently moved to the main controls.
"Bring us back into hyperspace and proceed directly to the planet," ordered Sekhmet.
"I am afraid we cannot, my lady," replied Rarnek. She seemed almost, but not too surprised by his response.
"Why is that?!" asked Sekhmet.
"According to the condition of the power core," explained Rarnek, "we do not have sufficient energy to initiate a hyperspace window. We have no choice but to wait until the core is ready for another jump."
"Move aside," commanded Sekhmet, who was not giving in to Rarnek's lie. Growing impatient, she rushes off her throne and walks towards the controls. Rarnek steps out of her way as she observes the information displayed in front of her. After quickly rechecking a few times, Sekhmet looks up and she turns to beam a cold stare at Rarnek. "The power core reads normal. There is enough energy to re-enter hyperspace." Rarnek's eyes widen as he appears to be shocked about his error.
"You have my sincere apologies, Lady Sekhmet," said Rarnek, hoping to maintain his cover. "I must have misread the data on the controls." Sekhmet lets out a dark smile as she approaches him.
"There is no need for an apology," she replied, "because...I know who you really are." She stops right in front of him. Her smile quickly changes to an angered frown. "Tok'ra!" Without hesitation, Sekhmet throws her open palm out towards Rarnek. The red gem on her hand device glows and a rippling shockwave shoots out, sending the Tok'ra sailing across the bridge before colliding into a wall. Nearby Jaffa guards train their opening staff heads on Rarnek, who was barely crawling on the floor. Sekhmet slowly walks over to him. "Somehow I am not surprised to see a Tok'ra operative onboard my ship. Did you really think you could delay my efforts to crush the Jaffa rebellion?" Rarnek lifts his head up to stare into her eyes.
"You will never succeed in wiping out the encampment on Mar'cara," he said. "The Free Jaffa are not alone against you and Anubis."
"Yes, I know," said Sekhmet. " You have managed to allow the Tau'ri to sneak an SG team aboard in order to halt my attack. I already have the one known as Leon Kennedy imprisoned in one of my cells. However, I do not see anymore use of you." She looks at Sark'non, who has taken up a position on her left. "Kill him." Sark'non opens the head of his staff and he aims it down at Rarnek. Carrying out his goddess' order with pleasure, he fires an energy bolt at the center of the helpless operative's upper back. It strikes to form a deep wound and Rarnek flops onto the floor lifeless. Sekhmet smiles as she stares down at the corpse. She turns her head to Sark'non to issue another order. "Engage the hyperspace window and resume our course. Then continue your patrol around the vessel. Kill any intruders that you come across. I am going over to the cells to have another talk with the prisoner." She starts to head towards the way off the bridge.
"My lady," said Sark'non. Sekhmet stops and she turns to face him. "If I may ask, what do you want us to do with this Tok'ra filth?"
"Dispose of his body by any means necessary, but do it quick," replied Sekhmet.
"Yes, my lady," said Sark'non with a nod. As Sekhmet leaves the bridge, he removes his zat gun from his waist and fires a blast at Rarnek's corpse. The body disintegrates in the field of discharged energy.
Inside a dark, small storage room filled with three tall stacks of wooden crates, Carter closes the small compartment on one of the two missiles. She carefully examines the removed vial containing the T-virus. Jill kneels down next to her, who was also holding onto another vial. Barry manages to crack open one of the top crates, marked with the insignia of Anubis. He reveals a supply of several zat guns. Rebecca and Daniel rest their backs against a wall nearby the closed door.
"Damn, where is it?" Carter said to herself aloud.
"What exactly are you looking for?" asked Jill.
"The vials back on Anubis' base had a soft seal in which we used to insert the agent and, at the same time, prevent the virus from breaching out," explained Carter. "But these ones are different. I can't find any place to insert the syringe."
"Normally, Umbrella designed their vials in order to be suitable for experimentation," added Jill. "Either these vials had been strictly made for weapons use or Anubis has somehow found a way to reproduce the virus."
"Knowing Anubis and his knowledge of Ancient technology, he may have already begun attempting to reproduce the T-virus for more weapons," said Daniel.
"I hope not," commented Rebecca. "That would give that bastard an endless supply of viral weapons to use on God knows who." Carter performs one final check on the whole surface area of her vial, but with no luck.
"Anything?" Carter asked Jill, who had also given up on her viral sample.
"Nothing," she replied. "This vial has been wiped clean of soft spots."
"I guess that leaves us with no choice," said Carter. "We're going to have to take the virus with us." Barry looks up from the open crate with a stunned look on his face. He is carrying two zat guns in his left hand and one in the other hand.
"You've got to be kidding," he said. "If any of that stuff leaks out, we're screwed."
"These missiles will be useless without the virus and this may be our only chance to avert an outbreak on Mar'cara," explained Carter. "Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."
"Okay. Just don't have me carrying them," said Barry, who was still uncomfortable about travelling with a deadly, fast-spreading toxin. Every member of the team pauses and their words are held back in their throats. The sound of approaching footsteps nears the sealed door with every step. Barry quickly slams the lid back onto the open crate.
"I think we've got company," warned Daniel. Carter points towards the stack of crates beside Barry and her team scambles to hide behind the large stack. The door lifts itself up and two Jaffa guards march in. No one else could be seen inside the storage room. One of the guards proceeds to one of the missiles, followed by the other guard. Taking position on each end of the missile, they slowly lift it up and march out of the dim room, carrying the heavy weapon with them. The light from the hallway fades away as the door closes again. As the sound of footsteps gradually fell into silence, Carter and the others emerged from behind the crates.
"I don't know about you guys, but I always get an uneasy feeling whenever I hear those armour-clad bastards," commented Barry.
"Sekhmet must be getting close to Mar'cara," said Daniel. "One of the viral weapons has been taken. It's a good thing we swiped the virus out before those Jaffa came."
"Boy, she's gonna be really pissed off when she finds out her viral weapons have been degraded into blanks," said Barry.
"Yeah, and then she'll use whatever firepower this ship has to wipe the Jaffa encampment right off the surface of the planet," added Carter. "We need to find and shut down that power core. Jill, you take point and use that PDA to lead us there."
"Yes, ma'an," replied Jill.
"Okay, let's go," said the Lieutanant Colonel. Barry stuffs his zat guns into his gear bag before joining the rest of the team. They follow Jill as she opens the door and leads them out of the storage room.
Teal'c wanders among the tents, staff racks, and the other Jaffa that make up the Mar'cara encampment. Two different warriors are now present in the training circle, both of them armed with a wooden staff. He reaches Dar'mec's tent and Bra'tac steps out. The old, yet strong Jaffa looks exhausted and stern. Teal'c stops in front of him and speaks.
"Have you been able to convince Dar'mec, Master Bra'tac?" he asked.
"I have tried everything that I could think of," replied Bra'tac, "but he still refuses to evacuate Mar'cara."
"He will lead our warriors to their deaths," Teal'c explained a possible, ill-fated outcome. "Sekhmet will only send an army after everyone here has been infected with the T-virus. Then our dreams of all Jaffa being free will crumble and our cause would be for nothing. Dar'mec must realize the consequences if we stay."
"His mind is blackened by thoughts of avenging those on Kel'tesh," said Bra'tac. "It will be nearly impossible to convince him to change his mind."
"I will talk to him again myself and he will listen," said the determined Jaffa, turning his head to face Dar'mec's tent. "Dar'mec!." Bra'tac also turns to stare at the tent. He sees the flaps covering the entrance fly open and Dar'mec walks out.
"Who calls my name?" he demanded. Teal'c remains silent and waits until Dar'mec finally notices him. He frowns. "Ah, it is you, Teal'c. What is it that you wish to see for this time?"
"You are making a fatal mistake," spoke Teal'c. "We must leave this planet before Sekhmet arrives."
"I have told you before, Teal'c," refused Dar'mec. "Our brothers will stay here and fight Sekhmet and those who follow her will. The Free Jaffa on Kel'tesh will be avenged."
"You will never achieve revenge for any fallen Jaffa if you are dead," continued Teal'c. "Your decisions will bring death to every warrior here."
"Are you questioning my ability to lead my own warriors?" asked Dar'mec, who seemed to be deeply offended by Teal'c's last statement.
"Your leadership here on Mar'cara is not honourable, but suicidal," replied Teal'c, provoking the hot-headed leader's temper.
"Then we shall see who is the most honourable leader," said Dar'mec, pointing an index finger at Teal'c. "I challenge you to a fight in melee combat with the Mashaks."
"Are you mad, Dar'mec?" intervened Bra'tac, unleashing his anger out on the proposed duel. "The Goa'uld are your enemy, not Teal'c!"
"He believes I am not worthy enough to lead an army," explained Dar'mec. "I must demonstrate to him my skills as a true warrior."
"If it is a challenge you want, then I will gladly accept it," said Teal'c with an angry stare. A surprised, yet impressed Dar'mec turns away from Bra'tac and looks over at him.
"I shall look forward to it," he replied with a small smile.
In the dark and gloomy cell, Leon uses the little strength he had left within his legs to stand up. His muscles ached with sharp pains after enduring the inhuman torture received earlier from Sekhmet. The only thing that was in the room with him was the small, wooden table. The chain that linked the cuffs to the ceiling chinked quietly with every move he made with his raised arms. The cuffs barely rubbed with his wrists as they held them with a tight grip.
The door lifts up for the second time since Leon's imprisonment. A slow pace of footsteps echo into the room from behind his position. He slowly turns his head to his right to catch a glimpse of Sekhmet making her way towards the area in front of him.
"Look. I've already told you," he spoke. "There's no one else aboard this besides you and whatever size army you've brought al..."
"Silence!" shouted Sekhmet. Leon immediately shuts his mouth and prepares himself for any torture that Sekhmet might have for him. She, however, does nothing except stare at her helpless prisoner. "Your Tok'ra friend thought he was quite cleaver. His impersonation as one of my loyal Jaffa nearly deceived me, but I had my suspicions. It was one fatal mistake that had revealed his true identity. I gave my First Prime the honour of ending his life."
"So is this why you came in here?" asked Leon. "To tell me who you've just murdered?"
"In your words, you call it murder," Sekhmet continued after a short breath. "I, however, prefer to see it as eliminating an enemy who vows to foil my mission. One who foolishly opposes my powers."
"You're not a goddess," growled Leon. "You're nothing but a hideous parasite who's using my friend to carry out another deed for Anubis."
"Anubis freed me from my exile," said Sekhmet. "In return for serving him, he has given me more power than I have ever held before. A stronger army, an indestructible vessel, and a younger host...A host who surprisingly has feelings for you, isn't that correct Leon Kennedy? Someone who cares about you." She slowly moves closer to Leon's face, placing a hand on his cheek. "Someone who, perhaps, loves you." After exhaling a deep breath, Leon opens his mouth to speak.
"I know what you're trying to do and it won't work on me," he said with a hesitant voice. "Claire will fight you. She would rather fight back for control than give in to a snake like you and, one day, you'll wish you had never used her." Sekhmet stares into Leon's eyes and lets out a small smile. She backs away towards the wooden table.
"Bold words, Kennedy, but I am afraid you are wrong," countered Sekhmet. "She is weak against my will. Her struggles are hopeless, but she is here with us. Watching this very moment as we speak. She will soon witness the annihilation of the rebellious Jaffa on the planet and then, she will witness your slow and painful execution." The Goa'uld walks out of the cell and the door lowers itself shut. There was nothing that Leon could do except wait in the darkness, fixed in his held position.
After navigating through a maze of dim, alien-constructed hallways with the guidance of the Tok'ra PDA, the combined SG team reaches a black, heavy door just off to one side. Jill stops nearby the door, halting the rest of the team. She looks down at the PDA's screen.
"What is it?" asked Carter.
"The power core should be right behind that door," replied Jill, pointing at the huge obstacle.
"Are you sure, Jill?" asked Barry.
"Hey, I'm just relying on this little gadget," answered Jill, holding up the PDA.
"The Tok'ra are excellent in reconnaissance and data gathering," explained Carter. "I'd doubt this is the wrong area." Carter walks over to a control panel next to the doorway. After punching in a combination with the button pad, the large door lifts up with a vibrating rumble. Then she prys off the frontal plate of the panel with her fingers and removes some of the crystals inside. The team follows her into a small, plain room. However, beyond an energy force shield stood a massive naquadah power core. Blue emissions pulsed up the reactor and a low humming noise filled the room. Beneath the protected display window was a set of nine, retracted crystal panels. "Close that door." Daniel, who was the closest to the door's other control panel, quickly presses a button and the door descends back to the floor, sealing off the core's control room from the rest of the ship. Carter and Jill head over to the crystal panels. Kneeling down in order to further observe and study the strange technology, Carter pulls out one of the panels and reveals the different coloured crystals inside.
"You remember what Rarnek said about the crystals," Jill reminded Carter. "If you remove them all or screw up the order completely, the power core could overload and blow up."
"I know, Jill," responded Carter. "This core is much larger and more different than most others used in Goa'uld motherships. It seems to be generating more power than what a standard mothership requires."
"I bet alot of that extra power's for that friggin huge gun we saw from our cargo ship," commented Rebecca.
"The weapon appeared to be of Ancient design," said Daniel. "More likely, this could be an attempt by Anubis to create something similar to a ZPM, except in a much larger-scaled replica."
"A ZP what?" wondered Barry.
"I'll explain later," replied Daniel.
"Hand me that PDA," said Carter. Jill gives her the personal data assistant and she starts searching through its database. After a little period of time, she looks up and stares at the panels. "Okay, I know how this thing works now. Each crystal panel represents a different system. The crystal configurations control the amount of energy being routed to the systems."
"So if all of the crystals were removed from a particular system...," added Jill.
"...then the flow control is removed and thus causing an overload," continued Carter. "But if somehow we reconfigure the crystals so that no power is flowing, that system would shut down."
"Okay. So which panel did you just pull out?" asked Jill.
"This one controls the flow of energy to the ship's staff cannons," replied Carter. "I plan to disable every system except some critical systems such as life support. I'm going to start with this system first." Carter proceeds to remove a red crystal from the exposed panel.
In the cold vacuum of space above the Earth-like planet of Mar'cara, a hyperspace window blasts open. Sekhmet's Ha'tak shoots out before slowing down to maintain a steady speed above the atmosphere.
On the Ha'tak's bridge, a different Jaffa operates the controls which Rarnek used to work on before his cover was lost, along with his life. Sekhmet stares at the imaging screen from her throne. Her Kull warrior bodyguards stand motionless on both sides of her.
"We are now in a low orbit around Mar'cara, my lady," reported the Jaffa.
"How long until we are within range of the encampment?" asked Sekhmet.
"At our current speed and position," replied the Jaffa, "we should be within firing range in an estimated nine minutes."
"Excellent," said Sekhmet. "As soon as we are there, I'll give the order to launch the viral weapons."
In the commander's office onboard the Prometheus, General Hammond arches over his desk as he read a small stack of papers from a file. He rests in a leather chair, which looks almost similar to the one that he once had back at the SGC. His office was small with various pictures and frames decorating the bare walls. A wooden cabinet filled with some antiques and liquor bottles stood in a corner behind him. Taking a break from his reading, Hammond looks up and smiles at a framed photo of his grandchildren. They seemed to smile back at him as he paused and remembered a few past memories.
A knock hits the door from the outside, catching the General's attention. He looks away from the photo on his desk.
"Come in," responded Hammond. The door opens gently and Chris steps into the office. He gives Hammond a salute. "At ease, Redfield."
"You wanted to see me, sir?" asked Chris.
"Yep. Have a seat." Chris walks over to the desk and sits down in a black, semi-leather chair that faced Hammond's direction. "Since your return back to the Air Force, you're probably already aware of your demotion in rank. Now this, of course, was due to the fact about your dishonourable discharge many years ago for insubordination. Could you maybe explain what happened?"
"Well...," Chris began recalling that one, terrible day in his life. "During an important mission in Bosnia, a fellow pilot who was assisting me was being targeted by a SAM site. He was trying to fly out of its range but he couldn't because he was too far in. So he contacted my fighter and told me about his situation. I was carrying a bomb for an enemy bunker, which was my objective to destroy. It was a very tough decision to make, but my friend was in danger. So instead, I turned around and used the bomb to destroy the SAM site. He was lucky. If I hadn't disobeyed my orders, he would have been dead."
"So I take it your superior officer at the time didn't approve of your actions and filed a report leading to your discharge," said Hammond.
"Exactly," continued Chris, who was finding it hard to contain the emotions he experienced during his discharge. "I was kicked out of the Air Force cause I saved a friend from certain death rather than blow up just another goddamned bunker!" A long silence fills the office. Chris starts to calm himself down and Hammond does nothing. Then, after a sigh, the General opens his mouth and speaks.
"Redfield...," he said. "Uhh, Chris. I apologize for bring this up and making you remember that moment, but I had to hear your side of the story. I've been diving into your file and records in order to learn more about the reasons behind your discharge. What you did was brave and heroic and I believe that a hero never deserves to be removed from our nation's armed forces without honour. When I was in command of the SGC, I treated the staff, especially SG-1, as if they were my family. When a member of an SG team went missing, I would not rest until they were found. I would never abandon anyone...Now as a general and your superior officer, I can do something about your rank which, of course, I'm going to do right now." Hammond stands up out of his chair and Chris does the same. "Sgt. Chris Redfield, I hereby promote you back to your original rank as 1st Lieutenant. Your bars will be waiting for you when we get back to Earth." The unexpecting surprise fills Chris with shock, yet happiness. His eyes and mouth remain wide open.
"Wow...," spoke Chris, trying to catch his breath. "Uhh...Thank you, sir...I..I don't know what to say."
"You don't have to say anything, Lieutenant," said Hammond with a smile. "A handshake and salute will do just fine." He extends his hand towards Chris. They both shake hands before exchanging salutes. Chris heads out of the office, closing the door behind him.
Meanwhile on Mar'cara's surface, a large crowd of Free Jaffa warriors gather around the training circle. Inside the enclosed circle, Teal'c and Dar'mec give each other cold stares as they waited for their dueling weapons. A warrior in the crowd hands Dar'mec a Mashak, or wooden training staff, and he stands ready. Bra'tac gradually squeezes through the cluster of Jaffa with a Mashak in one hand. He stands beside Teal'c.
"I know you are furious at Dar'mec," spoke Bra'tac as he gave the staff to Teal'c, "but whatever you do, try not to kill him."
"I will try to respect your wish, Master Bra'tac," replied Teal'c.
"Good luck," Bra'tac said with a nod. He steps out of the fighting grounds and takes his position in the spectating crowd. Dar'mec and Teal'c tightly grip their weapons as they strafe around the perimeter of the training circle, carefully watching each other for sudden moves. Then Dar'mec steps in and he swings the top head of his Mashak at Teal'c's chest, but Teal'c counters it with a block. With the other end of the staff, Dar'mec tries another attempt. This time, he aims for the side of the head, but again, Teal'c blocks it. The duelists continue to exchange strikes and swaps. The clanking of the Mashaks colliding into each other fill the area with rage and excitement. Teal'c manages to land a blow on his opponent's stomach, causing him to grunt and lean forward. The strong Jaffa swings for Dar'mec's head, but he barrel rolls off to his left side and performs a sweeping attack on Teal'c's legs. He falls hard onto the ground. Dar'mec brings himself up and he waits for his opponent to stand up again. Teal'c rushes towards Dar'mec with a powerful swing, only to be stopped by the shaft of the other Mashak. Dar'mec counterattacks by landing a blow across his face and then another strike on his stomach. He kicks Teal'c in the chest, making him stumble back. Resisting the pain, Teal'c looks up and frowns angrily at Dar'mec. Purplish-red blood trinkled from a cracked lip.
"Give up, Teal'c," taunted Dar'mec. "You are no match for my skills. The choice is yours. You can continue this futile aggression for my leadership or stop now and allow me to lead the Free Jaffa to total victory."
"I am not fighting to gain leadership," sneered Teal'c. "I am fighting to save my brothers!" He yells out a battle cry as he charges at Dar'mec. They both engage in a fierce series of blocks and strikes. Finally, Teal'c gains the upper hand and he lands a blow on Dar'mec's face, breaking his nose. He then strikes him in the chest with one head of his Mashak, followed by another hit in the right kneecap. Dar'mec drops to his knees as Teal'c quickly makes his way around him. Using his Mashak's shaft, he hooks Dar'mec from behind and pulls him back until he was right up against him. The wooden staff presses down hard on the front of the subdued Jaffa's neck. Dar'mec gasps and gags as he tries to push free from Teal'c's Mashak, but it was no use. Blood flowed in tiny streams from his nostrils and mouth.
"Go ahead...Kill me," gasped Dar'mec. "Break my neck where I stand." Teal'c ignores him as he slowly loosens the grip.
On the bridge of the orbiting mothership, Sekhmet listens to the Jaffa at the main ship controls as he updates her with the most recent news.
"My lady," he said, "the encampment is within our range."
"Are the viral weapons ready?" asked Sekhmet.
"Yes, my lady," replied the Jaffa. "They are now targeting the enemy."
"Fire!" ordered Sekhmet after a short pause.
Out from the bottom of the ship, two missiles race towards the surface of the planet. The death-threatening projectiles eventually became engulfed in fireballs as they entered the atmosphere.
Teal'c keeps Dar'mec in a chokehold with his Mashak. Although his strength was slowly wearing away, he still refuses to give up. An odd fire-like sound suddenly catches the crowd's attention and they turn away from the duel to stare up at the sky. Teal'c also takes notice and he releases Dar'mec from his grasp. Breathing heavily and gripping his neck with one hand, Dar'mec looks up to see what everyone was staring at. High up in the sky, two fireballs burn as they descend at a fast rate down to the encampment.
"We are too late," predicted Teal'c. The fireballs reach just above eighty metres from the crowd before a bright explosion consumes the sky, nearly blinding every Jaffa who watched. Most of them cover their eyes and wait until the brightness subsides. Bra'tac continues to look up and then he scans his surroundings. No one seemed to be infected with the T-virus. Not a single Jaffa was changing into a bloodthirsty cannibal, unlike the outbreak on Kel'tesh.
"This is strange," said Bra'tac. "We should have all been infected by now."
"How could this be?" wondered Dar'mec.
"SG-1," answered Teal'c with a smile. "They have succeeded, along with their new recruits."
"We must prepare yourselves for an attack," warned Bra'tac. "Sekhmet will try to destroy us by all means."
"Indeed," agreed Teal'c.
"Report!" demanded Sekhmet.
"The missiles have detonated just above the encampment," responded the young Jaffa, observing the controls, "but I am not reading any signs of the virus. Nothing is spreading."
"So the Tau'ri managed to foil an outbreak on Mar'cara," said Sekhmet. "However, I have not failed yet. Target the encampment with the staff cannons. Annihilate everyone and everything."
"Yes, my lady," accomplied the Jaffa. He presses a few controls, but they respond as inactive. He looks puzzled and surprised. "My lady. Our staff cannons are not responding. Power has been completely cut off from them."
"The Tau'ri intruders are at the power core. How predictable," said Sekhmet as she stood up and walked down from her throne. She moves towards a tall, young Jaffa guard with the mark of Anubis tattooed on his forehead. He stood nearby the entrance to the bridge. "Find Sark'non. Tell him to rally his squad and proceed to the glider bay. I want him to lead an attack on the shol'va."
"Yes, my lady," he replied.
"And when you are done giving him my orders," continued Sekhmet, "gather a few warriors and proceed to the power core. Kill all of the intruders and repair whatever damage they have inflicted."
"It will be done, my lady," replied the Jaffa again. He nods before marching out through the entrance. Sekhmet turns to another guard behind her, who displayed no tattoo at all.
"Bring me the prisoner," she ordered.
Carter tightens her grip around a handle on one of the crystal panels. It slides out smoothly, revealing its crystal configuration. She glances over at Jill, who was kneeling right beside her.
"Jill, could you help me with the other panels?" asked Carter.
"Sure, no problem," she replied, walking over to the other end of the row and pulling panels out of their slots. Meanwhile, Daniel slowly paces himself around the small room in boredom. His P90 rests in his hands. Rebecca walks over to Barry, who's on his knees in front of his gear bag. He separates the bonded teeth of the zipper.
"What are you doing, Barry?" asked Rebecca.
"Check out what I've found back in that storage room earlier," he replied, spreading open the gear bag. Barry reaches in and pulls out an odd, fist-sized, metal sphere. A clear black eye stared at him as he rose up.
"Wow, what is that?" asked Rebecca, expressing some interest in the strange object.
"I don't know," was Barry's reply as he examined the sphere. "It looks like a big, ugly 8-ball to me."
"I don't think it's an 8-ball, Barry," Rebecca said with a smile.
"No, I didn't say it was an 8-ball," corrected Barry. "I said it looks like one. Hmm...I wonder what this is.."
"Stop!" Daniel sprints over to Barry and rips the sphere out of the curious man's palms. Carter and Jill quickly turn away from the panels to see what Daniel was trying to halt.
"What? What the hell's going on?" asked Jill.
"Good, you didn't activate it," said Daniel after checking over the sphere.
"Huh?" wondered Barry.
"This is a Goa'uld shock grenade," Daniel explained to him. "If you had turned this on and left it for a little while, we would've all been rendered unconscious."
"Oh...uh, okay...Thanks for telling me," said Barry, who was fairly shocked.
"Here, you can have it back now," said Daniel, giving the shock grenade back to Barry.
"Okay. Now that I know it's a powerful weapon, I guess I'll just have to be a little more careful," said Barry.
"You should hang onto that grenade," Carter advised him. "It may be useful at the right moment." Daniel notices the several exposed crystal panels nearby the power core.
"Uh, Sam?" he asked. "I thought you were disabling the systems one at a time."
"We were, but it occurred to me that if the systems were disabled one after another, it could arouse suspicion and attract enemy Jaffa to our location before we're finished," explained Carter. "I've already disabled the ship's staff cannons. Hopefully, Sekhmet will not try to use them at any time soon."
"I wouldn't worry too much," said Barry. "If Sekhmet's Jaffa realized someone was tampering with the power core, it would take them awhile to get here." Suddenly, faint shouts and footsteps could be heard from beyond the sealed door. Rebecca raises her P90 and aims at the door as the other team members turn to hear what sounds like a small squad of Jaffa trying to get through. "On second thought, I take that back."
"They must've tried using the staff cannons," said Rebecca. "We must orbiting Mar'cara."
"Or Sekhmet's fighting some rival Goa'uld mothership," Daniel stated another possiblity.
"It could be anything," said Carter. "I've removed some control crystals from the door panel outside so it should hold them off from a while. Jill, I'm gonna need your help with some of these panels. Just follow the information on the PDA."
"Yes, ma'am," replied Jill.
"If you need any help or run into trouble, let me know," said Carter as she resumes work on the panel in front of her. She exchanges an orange crystal with a green one.
Dar'mec wanders through the Jaffa encampment, now active with his brothers in arms preparing for a possible attack. He looks around to see Jaffa crews mounting powerful staff cannons onto many specially-modified turrets. Jaffa warriors run in and out of tents to deliver various parts for the turret crews. Finally, he spots the warrior he was looking for. Teal'c. Dar'mec walks over to him, who was testing a turret's movement and firing arcs.
"Teal'c?" he said. In response, Teal'c stops moving the turret to see his once former opponent standing nearby.
"Yes, Dar'mec?" Teal'c replied.
"I am curious, Teal'c," began Dar'mec. "Why did you not kill me in that dueling circle when you had the chance? I felt your anger and hatred as you held me in your choking grip."
"You are not my enemy," answered the strong and wise Jaffa with a smile. "I only wish to kill Jaffa who refuse to accept freedom over the worship of a false god."
"Well, I thank you for sparing my life," said Dar'mec. "However, you have won the duel and, in return, you now have the honour to..."
"I do not wish to withdraw your position as leader," interrupted Teal'c.
"I don't understand," said a confused Dar'mec.
"I had not fought to gain leadership, Dar'mec," explained Teal'c. "I had fought for the lives of all Jaffa on this planet." He bows his head.
"Very well. How long until Bra'tac arrives with reinforcements from Chulak?" asked Dar'mec.
"I do not know, but I hope soon." A growing sound of ships from the distant, forest landscape immediately catches the attention of Teal'c, Dar'mec, and other nearby Jaffa. "The enemy is coming."
"Prepare for battle!" Dar'mec shouted to his warriors as he ran towards his tent to retrieve his staff weapon. The roaming Jaffa warriors scramble for their weapons and the turrets begin to turn with their staff cannons aiming at the source of the approaching sound. Teal'c stares closely at the horizon from his turret. He could roughly make out several dark, arc-like shapes in a formation moving closer to him. However, one of the distant figures appeared larger than the others. Then he made his estimated guess. Several Goa'uld death gliders led by an Al'kesh.
Inside the lead ship of the small squadren, Sark'non solely flys the Al'kesh. He watches the imaging screen as the Free Jaffa encampment inches closer to his reach. Pressing down a triangular button on the control console, he shouts a single order to the surrounding gliders.
"Jaffa! Ha'tak shol'va!" he yelled.
The gliders begin to spread farther apart from each other, forming a wide expanse in the sky and allowing the Al'kesh to move closer to the front. The enemy squadren crosses over into the encampment defense perimeter and the turrets open fire. Most of the burning plasma bolts pounded on the Al'kesh's armour, but with no damage. It appeared that the First Prime's bomber was reinforced with an unknown alloy. As the unscratched ship passed over the tents, two flashing spheres of orange plasma descended from its belly. The powerful bombs explode with deadly force, taking out a few rebels and destroying one of the turrets. The death gliders break out of formation and begin firing at random targets in the encampment. The Battle for Mar'cara had just begun.
Engulfed in the chaos of the attack, Teal'c rotates his turret and searches for a target. A glider firing on the storage tents catches his eye and he turns to aim his staff cannon. He fires a couple of blasts, but the glider manages to dodge them with sudden manuveors. It proceeds to wipe out another tent, killing two nearby fellow Jaffa. Teal'c clenches his teeth and frowns. He fires more blasts at the elusive glider. A bolt finally penetrates the craft's left wing, severing it and sending the rest of the glider into a death spiral. It crashes and explodes in the nearby forest. A fireball rises above the trees.
Leon could do nothing except wait in his dark cell. His strength was gradually leaking back into his sore body and he was able to stay on his feet a little easier than before. However, his emotional wounds were healing very slowly. Unable to free himself from the tight cuffs that held him, Leon could only think of two outcomes. Will the other members of the combined SG team find this cell and free him, or will he die under the evil will of Sekhmet?
The rumbling sound of the opening door behind him echoes into the cell. Leon does not move and waits as a Jaffa guard walks toward his back. Using a tiny key with one hand, the guard frees the captive's wrists before shoving him towards the wooden table with his staff. Leon slowly turns around with his hands up to face the guard. The Jaffa aims his staff at his prisoner's chest with a stern look. Then he slightly waves the weapon.
"Hi'ato!" spoke the guard.
"Alright...I'm going," replied Leon. He starts walking towards the brighter hallway with the Jaffa guard following behind. They turn around a right corner before beginning their march down the long passage. Leon slows down his pace and then, catching the guard by surprise, throws himself around and grasps the middle section of the staff. Using much of the strength he had in him, he delivers a strong kick to the guard's stomach. The Jaffa stumbles back a couple of feet and loses grip of his staff. Leon swings the guard's weapon around to his favour and watches as the now angered guard reaches and grabs for a zat gun on his belt. The staff head opens and Leon fires a blast of plasma into the Jaffa's abdomen before he could draw his snake-like pistol. The guard falls backwards to the floor dead and Leon lets out a sigh of relief. Quickly checking both ways for more guards, he bends down and grabs the zat gun from the dead Jaffa's fingers. He looks around again before choosing to run down the opposite direction of the hallway.
Sekhmet rests on her throne and listens to the young Jaffa at the main controls.
"I have received a message from commander Sark'non," he reported. "They have engaged the rebel encampment."
"Excellent," said Sekhmet with a smile. "The shol'va will be no match for my elite warriors." A low-pitched beeping noise catches the Jaffa's attention and he stares down at the controls with a surprised look.
"My lady," said the Jaffa. "Our long range sensors are detecting a vessel approaching this sector through hyperspace."
"Where is it coming from?" asked Sekhmet. The Jaffa checks over the newly received data. Then he looks up at the imaging screen.
"Our forward position," he replied.
In a low-orbit above Mar'cara, a hyperspace window bursts open. Shortly after, the Prometheus capital ship drops out of hyperspace and slows down to a very low speed. It soon comes to a complete stop to face the opposing Goa'uld mothership.
On the Prometheus' bridge, General Hammond sits in his command chair while the various stations are operated by other crew members in blue uniform. He issues an order to the bridge crew.
"Raise shields and power up weapons," he said aloud. A young, middle-aged woman with red hair observes a communications console nearby Hammond. A name badge on her upper right chest reads "Lt. McComb."
"Sir, we are being hailed by the Goa'uld ship," reported McComb.
"On screen," ordered Hammond. He swivels his chair from the frontal window and to a large imaging screen on his left. The general then comes face-to-face with the evil Sekhmet. Her cold and stern eyes beam at him from the screen and she frowns.
"This is your goddess, Sekhmet," she introduced herself. "Power down your weapons and submit to my worship."
"I'm afraid we cannot do that," refused Hammond. "You are attacking a close ally of ours. Cease this aggression immediately and leave this sector."
"Ha! Your weapons will not stand a chance against my vessel," taunted Sekhmet. "Surrender now!" To Hammond's right, a tall, broad, Hispanic man operates a sensors control console. The name badge on his uniform reads "Cpt. Ortega."
"Sir, she's not lying," Ortega spoke in a developed American accent. "According to our Asgard sensors, I'm detecting a highly upgraded plasma shield surrounding her ship. However, her weapons are offline."
"SG-1," Hammond whispered to himself before looking back at Sekhmet. "We are not leaving our allies nor are we surrendering."
"Then prepare to be destroyed." The Goa'uld orders the connection to be terminated and she instantly disappears from the Earth vessel's imaging screen.
After finishing her exchange of words with General Hammond, Sekhmet turns to the lead Jaffa on the bridge.
"Is the cannon still operational?" she asked.
"Yes, my lady, but it will need to be recharged before it can be used with maximum efficiency," replied the Jaffa.
"Then initiate the charging sequence," ordered Sekhmet. "I want that ship and its entire crew obliterated."
As Carter and Jill work desperately on the power core's crystal panels, a surge of concentrated energy causes the core itself to increase its power output, thus increasing the pulse rate. The continuing sound of Jaffa guards trying to access the room places uncomforting pressure on both them and the other SG team members. They all take notice of the core's unusual power buildup.
"Whoa, what do you both just do?" Barry asked.
"It wasn't us," replied Jill. "I don't know what's happening."
"The naquadah power core appears to be increasing its output," observed Carter, "probably to a particular system."
"Which system do you think, Carter?" asked Jill.
"I'm not too sure," replied Carter. "It could be..." An eerie thought crosses into her mind. "Oh my god."
"Carter? What is it?" asked Daniel.
"The cannon," she answered. "That huge cannon on top of the ship."
"Sekhmet must be powering up the damn thing," said Barry.
"We've got to get these systems disabled soon and fast," stated Carter. "Barry, Daniel, Rebecca, I need you all to keep an eye on that door in case the Jaffa do manage to break in."
"Yes, ma'am," Rebecca accomplied as she, Daniel, and Barry re-trained their firearms on the black door. The two sabateours continue with their objective.
The chaotic battle on Mar'cara rages on. Warriors of the Free Jaffa fire their weapons at Sark'non's attack squadren as they defend their encampment at whatever cost. More than half of the enemy death gliders have been reduced to scrap metal. However, the other gliders and their Al'kesh leader are now targeting the defense turrets. Some of the free warriors have resorted to using their own personal staff weapons on the ships, but with very little or no effect.
Another explosion destroys a turret, soon followed by a scream from a dying Jaffa. Teal'c ignores the awful sound and aims his staff cannon at the glider responsible. Two powerful plasma bolts strike the center body and the glider explodes into many hot fragments, avenging the fellow Jaffa's death. Teal'c glances around the surrounding battlefield and notices a horrific sight. Apart from impact craters and the Free Jaffa, both alive and dead, he realizes that he was operating the only turret left standing. He turns his head to notice the Al'kesh approaching his position for a bombing run. Teal'c quickly disembarks from the turret and he makes a run for the nearby forest. A line of energy bombs spill out of the Al'kesh's belly and they pound the field with trembling force. Teal'c is thrown off balance and he falls to the ground as the turret behind him is engulfed in a wall of destructive fire. Disoriented, he slowly lifts himself up and looks around. Up in the sky in front of him, an approaching death glider threatens to finish off Teal'c. Before the enemy could fire off its staff cannons, a missile suddenly appears from the right of Teal'c's sight and it obliterates the glider. Surprised to see such an event occur, the confused Jaffa looks over to see a F-302 fighter zip right above him. A small wave of more fighters soon pass him before splitting out of formation.
Inside the cockpit of the lead fighter, 1st Lieutenant Chris Redfield, who's still in his old Sergeant stripes, issues an order to the rest of the squad.
"Alpha squad, this is Alpha leader," he said. "Engage the enemy ships. I repeat, engage the enemy ships only. Do not engage any Jaffa on the ground, over." The other fighters obey him and they proceed to fire at Sark'non's squadren with guided missiles and projectile cannons.
"The cannon is at fifty-five percent efficiency and growing," reported the lead Jaffa. Sekhmet does not respond. Instead, she remains silent and stares at the imaging screen with her Kull warrior bodyguards. A stern and determined look is present on her face.
Carter removes a clear crystal from the panel closest to her and places it on the cold floor.
"Can't you go any faster?" asked Barry, feeling a little uneasy.
"Barry, we're working as fast as we can," replied an annoyed Jill. "There's already enough pressure on us right now."
"Sorry, just these Jaffa on the other side of that door are making me very edgy," said Barry.
"We know, Barry," said Carter. "Just let us stay focused. We're almost done. Jill, hand me that red crystal."
"Here you go, Carter," said Jill, placing a red crystal in Carter's palm, who then slides it into the empty slot where the clear crystal had once been.
Although every Goa'uld death glider around the encampment was destroyed, Sark'non refuses to give up. He continues his rampage on every target of opportunity. Tents, Free Jaffa ground troops, even the newly arrived F-302s from the Prometheus. Many Jaffa have taken refuge in the cover of the forest. Teal'c had managed to obtain a staff cannon from a fallen glider and he fires at the Al'kesh, moving to a different position after each shot. However, the bomber's upgraded armour appears to be impenetrable, even to the F-302's weapons.
A pair of staff cannons extend out of the Alkesh's belly. The duel cannons rotate to the ship's rear and several plasma bursts launch out at two pursuing fighters. One of the fighters is pounded by plasma and it violently explodes.
"Damn it!" shouted Chris. "This is Alpha leader! Alpha-two is down! Alpha-five, get the hell off of that bomber's tail!"
"Roger that Alpha leader, over," replied Alpha-five. Chris could see the fighter swing out of pursuit. The staff cannons miss the craft by inches.
"Alpha squad, this is Alpha leader," Chris spoke over the comm system. "Most of the surface area on the Al'kesh is completely invulnerable to our weapons. Search and target anything that appears exposed. There has to be some way of..." Before he could finish his order to his squadren, he spots the blue-emitting engines on the rear of the bomber. Then an idea climbs into his mind. "Squad, target the engines. Repeat, target the engines behind the Al'kesh. Use your naquadah-tipped AAMs and stay clear of those cannons, over." The other fighters begin to fall into pursuit at a farther distance. Some daring to get closer for an accurate shot are soon deterred by the plasma bolts from the staff cannons. Chris attempts to close in, rapidly dodging bolts. Briefly glancing down at his targeting computer, he notices a lock on the Al'kesh's engines. "Fun time's over, buddy. Time to put your ass to sleep." He presses a red button on his control stick. A long missile bursts out from under his F-302's left wing. The rocket leaves behind a trail of expanding white smoke as the warhead homes in on the exposed engines. Chris throws his fighter out of pursuit as the missile makes contact. The initial blast soon sets off a chain reaction of violent explosions.
On the Al'kesh's bridge, Sark'non yells out a loud, angry cry while the controls crackle and spark. A wave of fire soon engulfs the entire interior.
Two simultaneous explosions burst out of the crumbling armour before one massive explosion disintegrates the whole ship. The soaring fireball fades away over the encampment.
"Eighty-five percent efficiency, my lady," reported the Jaffa. "Shall I fire at the Tau'ri vessel?"
"Not yet," replied Sekhmet. "Wait until the weapon is fully charged. Then I will give the order."
With every crystal configuration rearranged, except for a couple of panels, Carter and Jill stand up. The PDA is placed into Jill's gear bag by Carter and she turns her head to Barry.
"Barry, could you lend us a hand?" asked Carter.
"Sure," he replied. What do you want me to do?"
"Every exposed panel has been configured to prevent power flow to their systems," explained Carter. "Jill and I are going to retract them back into the core at the same time."
"And cause a massive power failure?" interrupted Barry. "I like where this is heading."
"Same here," continued Carter, "but we've only got about two-thirds of the panels covered. We need you to cover the rest of them."
"Yes ma'am," said Barry. He takes his position on the far right of the crystal panels. With their arms pressing against them, the three wait for the command.
"Alright, on three," said Carter. "One..two...three." With all their strength, they force the exposed panels back into their dwelling slots. Suddenly, the lights in the room begin to flicker wildly. The once rapid pulsing from the power core quickly drops down to an extremely slow pace. Every member of the SG team glances around the now hectic atmosphere.
The flickering lights stir up the confused Jaffa on the bridge. Sekhmet looks around the scene unfolding before her eyes, curious on what was happening to her vessel. Her Kull warriors, however, remain still. Then the lights switch to a more permanent sleep and more darkness fades in. Sekhmet turns her attention to the Jaffa operating the main controls.
"Report!" she shouted, deeply angered. The Jaffa checks over the controls, which were still online.
"My lady," he responded. "According to the ship's computer, we have lost power to several main systems. Weapons, shields, even engines are offline. Only life support and gravity plating remain operational, among other minor systems"
"Arrrrggghh!" Sekhmet slams her fist down on an arm of her throne. She immediately stands up. A furious and threatening look covers her face. "Those pathetic vermin! They may have foiled my mission, but they will never leave this vessel with their lives!"
"Shall I assemble a squad to hunt them down?" asked the Jaffa.
"No!" Sekhmet replied furiously. "You stay here with the others and keep a watch on the Tau'ri vessel. I want the pleasure of killing the sabateours myself...Kull, kree hol!" She steps down from her throne. Her black armoured bodyguards follow on both sides of the hotheaded Goa'uld as she makes her way off the bridge.
Now with the Ha'tak's naquadah power core operating at minimal capacity, the SG team turns their attention at the small number of Jaffa guards. They attempt nearly every possible method of forcing open the sealed door in order to eliminate their Tau'ri enemies, but with no success. Meanwhile, Col. Carter prepares a little surprise for them. She kneels down and places a Claymore mine about one foot away from the door. Then she stands up and steps back towards the nearby access panel. Carter turns her head to the rest of her team, who have barricaded themselves behind an improvised wall made of their gear bags. Their P90s are trained on the closed door in front of them.
"Barry, do you have the detonator?" asked Carter.
"Right here, Carter," he replied, holding his hand up with a small remote detonator clutched in his grip. "You know, you could've just turned that thing on after setting it on the floor. It would've been much safer."
"This Claymore can only be detonated with that remote," stated Carter, "which has a safety catch. So it doesn't really matter either way."
"Alright, suit yourself," said Barry.
"I hope you're out of the blast radius, Carter," said Rebecca.
"If I wasn't, Rebecca, I would be standing somewhere else," replied Carter. "Okay, so here's the plan. I'm gonna open this door and as soon as it's about halfway up, Barry will detonate the mine. That will be the signal to open fire on the Jaffa. Got that?"
"I think we all got it, Sam," responded Daniel, after a few nods from the group.
"Alright, get ready." Carter procceds to punch the door code into the panel. The dark, heavy door slowly begins to lift up. The awaiting team could then see the long, grey boots of a battle-ready Jaffa squad. Their legs gradually become unveiled from the rising door and Barry flips off a black safety cover on his detonator. He presses down hard on the exposed red button and the mine explodes. A wave of tiny, hot ball bearings lash out at the unexpecting squad, killing two guards in front instantly and injuring the rest. With the door almost hidden in the ceiling and the Jaffa trying to recover from their ordeal, the team members behind the barricade open a loud display of automatic gunfire. Sparks fly off the squad's armour as a hail of bullets penetrate into and through their wounded bodies. The squad drops to the floor as dead warriors without the chance to fire back with their staves.
The gunfire subsides and Carter runs out to check the hallway, now littered with a small pile of deceased guards. She trains her P90 at the dead before observing both ways for more Jaffa.
"We're clear both ways," she reported. "Pack up and follow my lead." The other team members quickly reclaim their gear bags with Jill carrying Carter's. Then with their gear packed and weapons ready, they head straight towards the room's exit to rejoin Carter, who receives her gear bag from Jill before leading her team down the left path.
Sekhmet and her bodyguards march through the maze of darkened hallways with one determination. To exact revenge on those responsible for thwarting the evil Goa'uld's plans for mass slaughter. Turning around a corner, the trio steps into a short, wide hallway with several smaller hallways branching off in various directions. They continue their march down the main path.
Appearing from the mouth of a hallway off to Sekhmet's right, the SG team rushes in. Sekhmet and her Kull warriors stop in front of them, surprised to cross paths with their enemies in such a short period of time. Facing the Tau'ri, the supersoldiers start to raise their arms for a multiple attack. Before they could fire off their blasters, Carter raises her P90 and, with a Kull disrupter attached to her firearm, fires two blasts of blue energy. The Kull warriors are quickly dispatched as they fall to the floor with a loud thud. Sehkmet now stands alone against the SG team with P90s aimed at her. A haunting glow pulses from her eyes.
"Oh my god...Claire," Rebecca whispered to herself.
"Well," Sekhmet spoke. "You must be the insolent beings who degraded my viral weapons and sabotaged my ship. If so, you must be foolish to really think you could stop me and Anubis."
"Give it up, Sekhmet," warned Carter. "If you make one hostile move on us, you will be dead in an instant."
"Ha!" taunted Sekhmet. "Do you not already know? If you kill me, you will be killing your friend as well."
"Claire would rather be dead than spend an eternity as a prisoner in her own body, especially by an ugly snake such as you!" retorted Barry.
"That is too bad, Barry Burton," continued Sekhmet. "But I am afraid you cannot kill me. I am a goddess. I am invincible." Barry fires a short burst from his P90 at Sekhmet, but the bullets are suddenly repelled by a personal shield of streaming yellow plasma.
"What the hell?" Barry said to himself. Believing she had wasted enough time with the Tau'ri, Sekhmet reaches for a strange, black bracelet on her left wrist and presses a large, green gem. The jewel suddenly begins to rise a couple inches above the odd piece of jewelry. Black pieces of metal start to unfold, forming a muzzle-like shape. More triangular fragments of the unknown element sprout from the bracelet to consume her entire hand. A gauntlet-shaped weapon appears to have formed.
"What the hell is that?" Jill wondered aloud.
"Your death," sneered Sekhmet.
"Run for cover!" shouted Carter. Sekhmet fires a couple bolts of green energy from her gauntlet, but they miss the team members by inches as they quickly split into two groups. Carter, Jill, and Barry manage to take cover behind the corner of a hallway. Daniel and Rebecca head for a hallway opposite from the other group. An energy bolt, however, strikes Daniel's upper right arm before he could retreat out of Sekhmet's range. His singed skin reeks with piercing pain. Rebecca takes notice of his burnt wound.
"Daniel, are you alright?" she said with worry. "Let me take a look at that."
"Errghh!" Daniel clenched his teeth. "I'm okay..Oww!...I've had worse."
"Daniel, I'm a trained professional," Rebecca reminded him. "Let me at least wrap that wound up before it gets infected."
"Alright," accepted Daniel, "but just be ahhh!..Ahh!" Sekhmet fires intimidating shots at the mouths of both hallways. Burn marks discolour the metal walls.
"Cowards!" shouted Sekhmet. "Why do you not face me? You cannot escape my vessel! Step out here now and I might make your deaths quick and painless!" She fires more shots at both directions. "You cannot change the inevitable! When I am finished with you all, I will annihilate your entire world! Then the worlds of the Tok'ra and the shol'va! I will have vengeance on this galaxy!" With her anger and hatred concentrated on the suppressed SG team, Sekhmet does not notice a stealthy Leon sneaking out of a hallway behind her. Seizing the opportunity, he sprints towards her and wraps his arms around her torso.
Hearing what sounds to be some kind of a struggle, Carter and Barry scramble out to the main hallway. They halt to see, to their surprise, Leon trying to wrestle with a raging Sekhmet as if she was some kind of angry bull. However, the Goa'uld's enhanced strength proves to be too much for him and he is thrown off. Sekhmet quickly turns around to backhand Leon in the face. He stumbles back towards a wall behind him. Before he could jump back into the fight, Sekhmet pins him against the wall with her gauntlet clutched onto his neck. She raises her other arm with the hand device and a stream of energy flows into his forehead. Leon's bruised face tightens at the unbearable pain inside his skull.
Watching as their friend is being tortured to death by the evil parasite, Barry reveals the shock grenade he had in his possession to Carter.
"Carter, will this work?" he asked.
"It might," she replied. "Throw it at her." Barry activates the Goa'uld shock grenade and the black eye starts to glow red. He rolls it along the floor like a bowling ball towards the false goddess and her torture victim. "Everyone clear the area!" Ignoring the retreating SG team, Sekhmet stares into Leon's partially open eyes with a haunting smile.
"Look...and bid farewell to my host," she said. Sekhmet feels a sudden tap on her left foot and looks down to find an active shock grenade. It slows down to a stop next to her and her eyes begin to widen, They emit another glow before a painful sound and a blinding light engulfs every square millimetre of the main hallway.
Leon slowly opens his eyes only to see a grey ceiling with a few fluorescent lights built in. His head aches with pounding pain and he feels the comfort of a sheet covering the rest of his body, except for his arms. Wondering where exactly he was after his ordeal with Sekhmet, he turns his head over to the left. The beeping of a nearby electrocardiogram fills his ears, then Leon finds out where he is. He's resting in a hospital bed inside the Stargate Command Infirmery. Over to his left, Leon could see two more beds, a doctor's or nurse's desk, various medical equipment, and a brief glimspe of an upper observation room behind a large glass shield.
Walking over to Leon's bed, a young female nurse with long blond hair checks over a couple of packets filled with various fluids such as plasma. Small tubes allow a controlled flow of these fluids into Leon's arm. The nurse looks over to see the patient moving his head with both eyes open.
"Oh..You're finally awake, Mr. Kennedy," she said, surprised, yet glad. "How are you feeling?"
"I'm feeling a little weak and my head hurts like hell," replied Leon with a quiet and exhausted voice, "But I think I'm okay."
"That's good to hear," said the nurse. "Here, let me adjust the bed for you so that the lights aren't in your eyes." Removing a safety lock underneath, she lifts up the portion with Leon's head and torso until he was facing the opposite wall. The nurse then locks the bed in place.
"Thanks," said Leon with a smile.
"Do you need anything at the moment?" asked the nurse.
"Maybe you can spare me a couple of painkillers and some water, please," Leon answered politely.
"Sure, but I'll give you only one painkiller to start," said the nurse.
"Sounds good enough," thanked Leon. The nurse turns around and she head for a small room nearby the desk. As he waits patiently for the drug, he looks over to the other side. General O'Neill steps into the infirmery through the open entrance. He bears a warm and friendly smile.
"Hey, Leon!" said the general. "I'm glad to see you're finally out of that long sleep of yours."
"General," responded Leon. "Uh,...it's good to see you."
"Well, I thought I'd pop in for visit," said O'Neill, walking over to Leon's bed. "See how well you're doing. So, you feeling alright?"
"Just a massive headache, but I'll live, " replied Leon. The nurse returns with a small cup filled with clear water and a white, oval-shaped pill. He gladly accepts both substances from her. "Thank you."
"Umm, nurse?" asked O'Neill.
"Yes sir?"
"Can you notify Col. Carter that Leon Kennedy just regained consciousness?"
"Sure, no problem sir," replied the nurse. She makes her way towards the infirmery desk and picks up a black phone. Leon tosses the painkiller into his mouth and then forces it down his throat with a few gulps of water.
"Yeah, I know what you mean," continued O'Neill, standing next to Leon's hospital bed. "Goa'uld shock grenades and those nasty hand devices don't seem to mix very well."
"How long have I been out for?" asked Leon.
"Oh, nearly a week," estimated O'Neill. "We were all worried sick when you were brought in here. You were in pretty rough shape."
"Wow," said Leon. "The last I remembered was..." An image of Claire's face forms in his mind. "Claire...General, is she alright? Where is she?"
"Leon, settle down," O'Neill calmed the worried patient. "She's doing just fine. Sekhmet was only knocked out for a brief moment, but Carter and her team managed to restrain her. With the assistance of the Prometheus, they contacted the Tok'ra and brought her in through Mar'cara's Stargate."
"Did Carter tell you about what happened during the mission?" asked Leon.
"She filed in a report to my office," replied O'Neill. "It was good thing that Teal'c and Bra'tac were at the Mar'cara encampment cause most of the Jaffa there were really pissed off at Sekhmet."
"So the Goa'uld is finally out of Claire's head," said Leon.
"Yep, the snake is gone and she's back to normal," added O'Neill. "Well, almost."
"What do you mean?" asked Leon.
"Claire's back here in the SGC," explained O'Neill, "but she's been fairly depressed and guilt-stricken. She believes that she was responsible for allowing Sekhmet to torture you."
"It wasn't her fault," said Leon. "Everything that Sekhmet did was not her doing."
"Yeah...I know," agreed O'Neill. Footsteps approaching from the entrance catches the attention of the two guys. They turn to see Carter and Rebecca walking up to Leon and his hospital bed. Both of them displayed smiles on their faces.
"Hey, how are you feeling?" Carter asked.
"I'm good," replied Leon. "Where's everyone else?"
"Well, Teal'c is away on Chulak," answered Carter. "He's celebrating the victory on Mar'cara with Bra'tac and some of the other Free Jaffa. More recruits have joined their cause and Sekhmet's ship's been added to their fleet."
"Ah, it's good that they're alright," said Leon.
"Jill and Barry, on the other hand, are with Chris at his lake cottage in northern California," continued Carter.
"He got back promoted back to a Lieutenant," added Rebecca. "The pilot within him is back again."
"Well, if I don't see him again anytime soon," said Leon, "maybe one of you could send him my congrats for me."
"No problem," said O'Neill, "I'll tell him." He curiously glances around the room in wonder. "Wait a minute. Where's Daniel?"
"I don't know, sir," replied Carter. "I did see him walking around a while ago."
"He's probably in his office all wrapped up in Ancient language deciphering," sighed O'Neill. "I'll gonna head over and see what's keeping him. Get well soon, Leon. That's an order."
"Yes sir," promised Leon. O'Neill backs away from the hospital bed before heading through the open entrance and out of sight. Before he could engage in conversation with Carter and Rebecca, Leon hears a familiar voice calling him from outside the room.
"Leon?" In quick response. Leon turns his head and he sees Claire standing in the doorway. She wore a black t-shirt, green demin jeans, and army-issue boots. A worrisome, yet happy expression is present on her face.
"Claire," said Leon as she rushed over to his bed and embraced him in a tight hug. Tears of both joy and sadness streamed down Claire's cheeks.
"Oh Leon. I'm so glad you're okay." She unhooks her arms from him, who was very happy to see her free from her torment.
"Same here," said Leon. "At first, I'd thought I would never hear your voice again. I just knew you were trying to fight that Goa'uld inside you."
"I was," said Claire, "but she always had an advantage over me."
"That's all in the past now," said Leon. "It's great to see you back to normal." After hanging up a phone call, the blond nurse walks in haste towards the infirmery entrance. She turns her head to Rebecca.
"Rebecca, could you please assist me in the gymnasium?" asked the nurse. "Lt. Stevens has a dislocated shoulder and he's in alot of pain."
"Bench pressing weights?" Rebecca responded with another question.
"Yep," she replied.
"That's the second he's overdone his limit," Rebecca said with a sigh. "I'll come with you." She immediately walks over to join the nurse and they leave the room.
"I had a difficult time sleeping last night," Carter spoke after a brief moment of silence. "I'm going over to the mess hall for another cup of coffee so I'll leave you two here to talk." She waves a goodbye to them before leaving the infirmery.
"Leon," began Claire. "Uh, back in that holding cell..."
"No, no, Claire," interrupted Leon. "None of that was your fault. Sekhmet was the one who tortured me, not you."
"Perhaps, but it was horrible," explained Claire. "I could do nothing except watch her use my body to inflict harm on you. I felt her evil and cruelty when she planned to murder countless lives. Not just that, I still have her memories of past cities being wiped out and helpless people either being slaughtered or being forced to worship her."
"Claire, you must try not to let that destroy you mentally," said Leon. "Think about the wonderful times you've had before your possession. Before Umbrella and Raccoon City."
"I'll try, Leon," promised Claire. "I'll try." She and Leon extend their arms for another warm hug. They hold each other as if tomorrow did not exist.
End of Episode.
Next Episode: Barry is kidnapped just outside his apartment complex, possibly by thugs working for Wesker. O'Neill and the members of SG-1 and SG-17 must find out where their friend is being held and why, fearing that he may be forced to leak out vital information about the Stargate program.