Chapter 16 The Upper Hand...Almost

Vala burst onto the bridge of the George Hammond, face flushed from exertion. She rammed her Zat back into her leg holster as she skidded to a halt.

"Hey!" Sam stood quickly and gave her friend's arm a reasuuring squeeze. "Okay?"

"Uh huh." Vala nodded, looking around. "Where's the Naquadah generator?"

Sam frowned. "Where's Mitchell?"

"Injured. Not too badly I think." Vala rubbed an arm across her sweaty forehead. "I mean, he can still talk. And move. And shoot weapons. Where's the generator?"

"Where's Daniel?" Sam looked over the other woman's shoulder. "Is he okay? We heard he was injured."

"He's fine!" retorted Vala, crossly. "He's behind me somewhere. Now, where's the generator?"

Daniel jogged slowly onto the bridge. "Hi guys," he smiled wearily, and sat down in the closest seat.

Vala flapped a perfunctory hand in his general direction as she continued talking at Sam. "See? Daniel. Right there. Sam – generator. It's up to me – I need it. Where is it?"

"WE need it," Daniel frowned at her. "I'm coming back with you."

"No you're not. That's just ridiculous." Vala began scooping her hair up into a ponytail. "You might be no longer at death's door, but you're not coming with me, you'd slow me down."

"Vala!" growled Daniel, but Sam broke in on his protests.

"She's right." The blonde Colonel told him gently. "You'd be putting both of your lives at risk."

"You can't go on your own," Daniel directed a fierce glare at Vala. "I won't let you."

"Darling, you can't stop me." His beloved alien cupped his cheek briefly in her hand. "Now where is that stupid generator, Samantha?!"

"I'll get it." Sam's face was pensive now too. "Daniel's right though. You can't do it on your own. You'll have to take someone with you."

"Who?" Vala squeaked. She waved her hands around in the air. "Who shall I take? You?"

Sam shook her head. "Not me. I'm in command here. I'll have to see…"

Jack O'Neill came loping onto the bridge, an injured Jaffa warrior hanging off of his shoulder, two more behind him.

"Hey kids," he carefully passed the wounded man over to one of the medical team. "Everyone okay? Mitchell's wounded but he's holding up for the moment. He's doing a fine job of being a sniper out there!" Pausing, Jack realised that both Sam and Vala were uncharacteristically quiet, and eyeing him speculatively. A sense of unease stole over the General. "What?" he asked, slowly, not sure he wanted to hear the answer.

The two women looked at each other.

"How are your knees?" Sam enquired, brightly.

Jack narrowed his eyes. "A little sore, but they're holding up. Why?"

Vala pursed her lips. "How fast can you run?" Her slate gray gaze was inscrutable.

Jack tilted his head. "Fast – ish. For an old guy. How fast is fast?"

The women locked eyes with each other again.

Vala shrugged. "Do you think he'll be quick enough?"

"Quick enough for what?" yelled Jack, exasperated. "Speak – proper – stuff! For crying out loud!"

Sam shook her head regretfully, smiling at her husband as she did so. "No, he won't. But I will. And as a General he can take command of the Hammond."

"Wh-what?" Jack could feel himself losing his grip on reality. "I can do what?"

"Sir, you have to!" Sam had gone all formal on her husband. "You can't run, Daniel can't run. Vala and I can – someone has to get that generator back into the palace! We'll be in and out in five minutes! There's more than enough Jaffa out there to protect us."

Jack pressed his lips together, eyes dark and unfathomable as he watched his wife and her accomplice.

Vala raised her eyebrows, face hopeful.

Sam returned her husband's gaze with a clear, open expression.

There was a long, long beat, before Jack reached out and stroked Sam's face very gently.

"Ten minutes," he said.

o – o – o – o – o – o –

Mitchell barely had time to blink as Vala and Sam hurtled past him at full throttle, closely followed by four Jaffa, and disappeared into the woodland behind. He was dimly aware that Sam had a backpack with her – he didn't have to guess too hard at what was inside it. The Naquadah generator, he'd lay odds on it.

The Colonel grimaced and moved his position slightly – fiery pain radiated up and down his leg. He hissed, through gritted teeth, before being interrupted by a slightly wobbly Daniel, who tumbled down next to him.

"Hey Mitchell," he said, propping a P-90 up on the dead warrior in front of them. "How's things?"

"Great. Peachy." The Colonel resisted the urge to swear as another fierce stab of pain shot through his wounded thigh. "Sam and Vala got the generator?"

"Yup. They're heading back into the palace. Apparently Bra'tac and Teal'c have reduced the troops inside there to mush!"

"Great." Mitchell fired off a volley of shots towards an inquisitive soul who had popped his head up for a moment on the balcony. "We winning then?"

"Think so." Daniel loosed off a round as well. He frowned. More enemy soldiers seemed to be coming their way again. "You think these guys are trying to get onto the Ha'tak?"

Even as he spoke yet more of the foe appeared from within the palace, heading in their direction. Unseen Jaffa and Air Force personnel began to fire on the enemy from out of the woodland behind, but still more crept forward, towards the Gou'ald ship.

Mitchell spoke into his radio. "Teal'c? Bra'tac? Anyone?"

There was second or two before he heard his team mate respond.

"ColonelMitchell. Is everything going to plan?"

"Well, if by 'going to plan' you mean getting shot in the leg, then yeah – it's going to plan!"

"You are injured?" Teal'c sounded concerned.

"I'll live. But – Big Guy – there's an awful lot of baddies coming our way. You see 'em? They coming past you? Trying to make a run for it?"

Bra'tac's voice broke over the air waves. "Many of the enemy are attempting to flee to the Ha'tak. We see them from where we are, close to the inner courtyard. We have killed and wounded several dozen but there are still some who have evaded us."

"Where's Athena?" Mitchell asked. "Do you see her?"

"I do not. Nor have I seen her at all, as yet." Bra'tac sounded as if he was moving. "I must end this transmission and resume the attack." His radio clicked off.

"We have to get Jack to destroy the Ha'tak," Daniel said, grimly. "Before Athena has the chance to get anywhere near it."

"Agreed." Mitchell rolled onto his back for a moment to take the weight off of his bad leg. "That damn woman is too wily – she'll be out into deep space before we know it and we'll have missed her again." He pressed his comm. button. "Sir? General O'Neill? Are you there?"

"I'm here, Mitchell." Jack answered at once. "What is it?"

"I think you're gonna have to blow the Ha'tak sir." The Colonel looked at the enemy warriors who continued to creep inexorably towards the ship. They were using the bodies of their fallen comrades as cover, where they could – others appeared on the balcony and attempted to lower themselves to the ground by that route. "Sir!" Mitchell re-iterated. "They're gonna get away! She's gonna get away!"

"If I blow the Ha'tak now it'll take you and Daniel with it!" retorted Jack. "Maybe even Carter and Vala. We've got to wait."

Mitchell pulled a face before rolling himself awkwardly again onto his front. As he did so, both men on the ground heard the roar of engines suddenly, from away beyond the woodland. It was loud, and coming closer.

"Do you hear that?" Daniel started to say, before Vielkah's Al'kesh suddenly swooped over their heads, firing down at the palace as it went.

Mitchell thumped his team mate excitedly. "I sure do hear it, and I say – that's our way out when the Ha'tak blows!" He bashed his radio comm. button. "Hey, Tok'ra guys – you read me?"

Jerrun's voice sounded crackly across the airwaves. "I read you, Colonel Mitchell. Do you require assistance?"

"Yep, we do. But not just yet – can you give us a few minutes?"

"Of course," and the Alkesh swept away again, not quite as gracefully as when Vala was at the controls, but still pretty smoothly.

Mitchell was still on the radio. "Teal'c, Bra'tac – as soon as Sam and Vala set that generator you need to get onto the Hammond okay? Just – run. Or you'll be fairy dust when the Ha'tak goes up."

"We will be there," Teal'c answered, gravely. "Do not concern yourself, ColonelMitchell, we can easily make the distance."

"Good. Sam?" Mitchell screwed his face up – the pain in his leg almost intolerable by now.

Daniel took the radio away from him. "Lie down," he told him. "I can shoot, and I can talk. What do you want me to tell her?"

"Mitchell?" It was Vala.

"Hey," Daniel's voice softened fractionally. He nodded at Mitchell.

"Tell them to run the other way when they leave the palace," the Colonel said. "It'll just be too dangerous – they don't wanna get caught close to an exploding Ha'tak. The Al'kesh can transport 'em up – just run as fast and as far as they can. We'll track 'em."

"You hear that?" Daniel asked.

"Gotcha!" Vala sounded remarkably cheerful "See you on the outside!"

"You mean, otherside?" Daniel grinned, in spite of the madness that was occuring around them.

"Same thing, darling, seeing as Sam and I are inside at the moment anyway. Now shut up, I'm busy." And she was gone.

Mitchell, lying with his eyes half closed, poked Daniel. "You sure you know what you're getting into with that one?"

"Oh yeah." The archaeologist handed him back the radio. "Oh yeah."

Mitchell spoke briefly to Jack, warning him to take off as soon as Teal'c, Bra'tac and the Jaffa arrived on board the Hammond.

"Got it." The General's voice was clipped, as always when he was in combat. "Carter and Vala travelling by Al'kesh?"

"Yes sir. Us too – I'm gonna radio them now. As soon as that Ha'tak takes off…"

"I know." Jack's eyes were dark. "I will."

"Yes sir." Mitchell repeated. He felt increasingly weary and handed the radio back to Daniel, who called the Al'kesh immediately to return and collect them. Mere seconds later and it appeared overhead, and the comforting white tingle of the transport beam engulfed them.

Daniel moved quickly to the front of the ship and looked down. They were still hovering, immobile, only about two hundred yards above the ground. "We need to wait," he told Jerrun, who was sat the command chair.

"I am aware, Dr Jackson," he told him.

"Hey, pull me up," Mitchell grunted from the floor. "If that palace is going up in smoke, then I'm watching!"

Daniel assisted his old CO to his feet – one of the Tok'ra vacated a seat so that the injured Colonel could rest while he watched.

"Hey, look!" Daniel pointed suddenly, his gaze intent on a person who had appeared stealthily, by way of what must be a hidden exit. "That's – that's Athena!"

"It most certainly is," Jerrun smoothly moved the Al'kesh in the direction of the fleeing Gou'ald, before activating the ring platform when they were directly above her.

Defeated, Athena looked up and stopped running. She clearly didn't fancy being squashed by a misplaced transport ring. Seconds later and she found herself, scowling, on the bridge of the Tok'ra ship.

"You will pay for this!" she told them, angrily.

"Really?" Daniel wrinkled his nose at her. He'd had quite enough of any Gou'ald for one day.

"Cram it!" Mitchell told Athena, in too much pain to be polite. Then he handed over a pair of cuffs to Jerrun who clapped them on her and marched the enemy leader off to be locked up elsewhere on board.

o – o – o – o – o – o –

Sam and Vala, meanwhile had reached the interior of Athena's palace and were heading for the lower levels. Sporadic weapon fire assailed them as they ran, but mostly the warriors who were left were heading either towards the Ha'tak or fleeing into the surrounding woods.

At the bottom of the steps, close to where Mitchell had been locked in the bedchamber, was where Sam decided the Naquadah generator should be placed. She began to work on it, the Jaffa around her fielding off any stray staff blasts or missiles.

Vala, kneeling beside her team mate, looked regretfully up the corridor towards Athena's boudoir. "I'm sure that she has some of my things in there," she told Sam.

The blonde Colonel squeezed her hand briefly. "Nothing that you can't live without though, right?"

Vala blinked, eyes wide. "Of course. Yes, of course. After all, I have my Daniel now."

"What?" Sam asked sharply, glancing up at her friend.

"Well, you see…" Vala broke off as the Colonel pressed a couple of buttons, and flicked a switch.

"Tell me later." Sam pushed herself up off of Vala's leg. "Now, are you ready to run?"

"Oh yes!" Vala clasped her hands together. "Count of three?"

Sam nodded. "Three!"

TBC...