Disclaimer: Not mine. Never shall be (tear). However, I must admit that I am stealing the characters away to make them play in my own little world. Never fear, I shall return them none the worse-for-wear (mostly anyway).
A/N: First of all, thank you to all of you who reviewed last chapter. Life got terribly insane, and I lost track of a bunch of stuff, including replying to all of your reviews. I am terribly sorry for that, and would like to take this time to say a HUGE THANK YOU to everyone who took the time to do so.
Not a whole lot to say about this chapter. We're getting close to the end, though! Read, review, and enjoy :) All those who tell me what they think get a brownie this time.
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Chapter 8: The Rescue
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Colonel O'Neill stalked into the storage room that the SGC personnel had claimed as the Command and Control Center for the duration of their stay on the planet. As the door slid open, an angry voice leaked out into the air around him.
"I'm telling you, there's nowhere else they can possibly be."
"Well, I'm sorry, but we haven't found them yet, and we ascertained that no one had activated the Stargate, and we've had guards on the Ring Transporter ever since we took control of the base." That was Daniel.
"I'm sorry, Doctor Jackson, but we've searched everywhere they could even possibly conceivably be."
"Well then there's something we're missing," Jack said, the door closing behind him. Daniel looked up as O'Neill entered, throwing him a confused look. "Hey, I can be diplomatic sometimes," O'Neill countered, although he, too, was rather surprised that he was the one doing damage control for his archeologist friend.
"Listen, Colonel," Jea'fron said, sitting down at the table and folding his arms across his chest. "I am terribly sorry. I've done everything I can; thought of every single place they could be. But we still haven't found them, and I have absolutely no idea where either Major Carter or her father could be." His eyes filled suddenly with remorse and anger, although Jack suspected it was directed toward himself. "I'm sorry," he repeated, and stood, leaving the room with his head bowed.
"For crying out loud, Daniel," O'Neill said, plopping down in the vacated chair, "That guy is the key to finding them before…" Jack's voice died out, his face settling down into a steely mask. "The least you can do is be nice to the poor boy."
"I never thought you'd be the one lecturing me about showing compassion," Daniel said snidely.
"Daniel!" Jack barked. "What the hell has gotten into you lately?"
Silence followed his angry question, Daniel studying the swirling grain of the table without responding. Finally, he spoke.
"Jack, I'm sorry. I'm just worried is all. I know that that's a lame excuse but…" he trailed off.
"We're all worried Daniel," O'Neill said, folding his arms on top of the table. "Trust me, it's not just you." Silence descended again, this time one of two friends taking comfort in each other's presence in a time of fear and confusion. "I swear, everyone in this place is going crazy," O'Neill said, breaking the silence this time.
"What makes you say that?" Daniel asked, suddenly sounding exhausted.
"Well, first of all there's you, getting mad and me having to mend bridges and keep you from beating our newest Jaffa friend over the head with something heavy." Daniel opened his mouth to object, but then fell silent, his brows creasing. "Then, there's the whole thing with Griff telling me supplies are missing from our stockpiles. I keep telling him that's impossible, but almost every day for the last four days he comes to me with another list of things missing," Jack continued. "Then there's me. Just now I could've sworn that I heard the Ring Transport activate while I was walking by the Transport Room."
Just as he was finishing up with his explanation, the door swung open once again and Jea'fron entered, closely followed by Teal'c.
"Doctor Jackson, I'm terribly sorry for earlier…" Jea'fron said before trailing off, O'Neill's words sinking in. "You said you believed you heard the Ring Transport activate?" he asked the colonel.
"Yeah, but that's impossible, because I didn't get a report from Pierce saying that they activated."
The room went deathly still as Jea'fron's face suddenly went white, his eyes widening.
"I think I know where they are," he said quietly, looking around at the others. "That was the entire reason Jacob Carter and Selmak were here in the first place," the young Jaffa explained. "They were aiding another Tok'ra to repair a damaged Ring Platform at the old base. They had just managed to complete the repairs when Socran, the other Tok'ra, was killed, and Selmak was captured."
"Well can you get us through to the other side?" O'Neill demanded, standing, adrenaline beginning to work its way into his body.
"I believe so, just give me a few minutes."
"Good. Daniel, go with him. Teal'c and I will get geared up and bring your equipment to the Transport Room. Radio when you get it," O'Neill ordered.
"Okay," Daniel said, his voice suddenly lighter than it had been in days, getting to his feet as well and following Jea'fron out of the room and down the hallway. Behind him, he could hear Jack and Teal'c leave in the opposite direction, going to grab their gear.
"Listen, Jea'fron, I should be the one to apologize about earlier," Daniel said ashamedly, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "I shouldn't have exploded at you like that."
"It is fine Daniel Jackson," Jea'fron said, looking over his shoulder and grinning at Daniel encouragingly. "I can understand; you are afraid for your friend."
"Yeah," was all Daniel said.
Within moments, the two of them were entering the Transport Room, Jea'fron triggering the lights. A soft glow emanated from sconces on the wall, casting a soothing glow throughout the room.
"I was not with the group that went through to the old site, but I believe I should still be able to get the code right," he told Daniel absently as he knelt by the control panel.
"Cool," Daniel said. "If you need any help, ask. That's what I'm here for."
Daniel stood behind Jea'fron, shifting from foot to foot anxiously, watching him work. Suddenly, the rings burst from their position on the floor, the light sweeping up the set of rings. Daniel ducked down, peering around the corner to make sure no one was there, then grabbed his radio.
"Major Pierce, come in."
"Major Pierce here, go ahead."
"Got any Ring activity?" Daniel asked.
"Negative," Pierce replied.
"Okay thanks, Daniel out." He pressed the talk button again, saying, "Jack, come in."
"Go ahead Daniel."
"We got it."
"Good. We're on our way. O'Neill out," came the reply, and the radio went dead. A moment later, Jack walked through the door, Teal'c hot on his heels.
"Let's go campers," Jack said, taking his place in the center of the Rings. "SG-2 is packing up as we speak."
"You do realize that they might not be there, right?" Daniel asked, doubt suddenly piercing his heart. How many times had they thought that surely this was the right place.
"Yes Daniel, I do realize that. But I don't see the harm in being prepared," O'Neill said, glaring at him.
"Colonel O'Neill, do you not think it prudent that we form a strategy before entering combat?" Teal'c asked, speaking up for the first time.
O'Neill sighed exasperatedly, looking at Jea'fron. "Do you know anything about the layout of the place we're going to?" Jea'fron shook his head. "Alright then. The plan is to go in, find Carter…both of them…and make sure Jacob doesn't kill Carter," Jack looked temporarily taken aback before amending, "I mean, make sure Jacob doesn't kill Sam. If necessary, shoot Jacob, but don't kill him. Just neutralize him so he can't do anything all of us are going to regret later. That work?" he asked Teal'c bitterly. Teal'c bowed his head. "Then can we go?" Jack asked, clearly impatient to get going.
Daniel joined the other three at the center of the Ring Transport, Teal'c handing him his gear. He quickly buckled his vest on, accepting his handgun and holstering the Beretta. He also noticed that Teal'c was holding a second staff weapon, presumably meant for Jea'fron.
The younger Jaffa hit the control panel and jumped up, moving over to stand beside Teal'c, who handed him the extra weapon.
With a surge of anticipation, excitement, fear, worry, and adrenaline, the four of them were swept upwards in a flare of blue/white light.
~SG-1~SG-1~SG-1~
Pain exploded through Sam's head, driving her to her knees. Her hands reached for her temple, clutching her blood soaked head in shaking hands. Bloody welts crisscrossed her arms and palms, black and purple blotches marring her fair features.
Jacob's chilling laugh echoed around the small, enclosed space, the very voice seeming to leech warmth out of the already frigid air. Sam trembled at the sound of his voice, a small, unexplainable sound escaping from her lips: a mix between a whimper, a sob, and a plea. Tremors wracked her crumpled form, causing her to shake uncontrollably.
"No one will ever find you here; surely you realize that by now," Jacob said, stepping out of the shadowed corner where he had been lounging, watching the pain he had been inflicting on his daughter.
The young woman lying on the floor turned over onto her side, staring up at the man whom she had once loved with all her heart towering above her with anger and despair clouding her blue eyes.
"What happened to you?" she asked her thin voice catching. "Da-." The name was cut off as the man savagely kicked her, sending her body crashing into the plywood wall a few feet beyond.
He reached into his pocket, drawing out a short, slightly pointed, metal tipped rod, flicking a switch on the side. The small implement began to hum with power and the metal began to hiss and spark from the electricity coursing through it.
Jacob knelt by the Sam's side, grasping her hair and pulling her upright. With a savage glee foreign to his once benign features, Jacob gently lowered the buzzing metal until it barely brushed the bare skin between Sam's shirt and her neck. Her muscles immediately tensed, the currents of electricity jumping into her.
With an abrupt jerk, Jacob stabbed the dull point into her collarbone, the blunt tip impacting bone.
Sam's scream filled the night sky, the only witnesses to her pain the baleful moon and the ever watching stars.
A sudden, whining sound came from outside of the shack, and Jacob froze, turning to look through the cracks in the walls toward the Rings. They swung upwards, sending dirt flying through the air as they reached for the sky.
Jacob pulled the device out of Sam's collarbone, turning it off and standing, moving to look out the door. Behind him, he could hear Sam's choked sobs. He fingered the other device looped through his belt; the one that, with only one touch to flesh, split the outer layer of skin. He had also found out that it cracked bone in the same. Both of these things he had discovered earlier that night, causing long lacerations on Sam's back, neck, and face and cracking her cheekbone.
He didn't pity the woman lying broken and shaking on the dirt floor behind him. Instead, he worried that she would be taken from him before he had a chance to finish what he was compelled to do.
Jacob turned, pulling the knife from its sheath on his belt, when the Rings activated a second time. Jacob whirled, and saw four figures standing in the area that had just been bathed in bright light.
"Damn," he whispered, stepping over and kneeling beside Sam, his knife rising to hover above her heart.
~SG-1~SG-1~SG-1~
The Rings returned to their position in the ground, and O'Neill stepped forward, scanning the area. It was a small clearing, surrounded by the large trees that he remembered from their initial mission. Off to one side, he spotted a larger shape wreathed in shadow.
Jack grabbed Teal'c's arm, pointing toward what appeared to be a hut. Teal'c nodded, motioning for Jea'fron to follow him. The two Jaffa moved towards the shack, circling it. Finally, Teal'c appeared on the other side, returning to Jack's side.
"Colonel O'Neill, there seems to be one door and no safety precautions set in place around the building. This, added to the fact that I neither saw nor heard anything inside, makes me believe that Selmak and Major Carter are not in the shack."
"Maybe we should spread out then. You know, look around a bit," Daniel said quietly, sounding dejected.
"Yeah. Spread out, circle around," O'Neill ordered. He looked over at the shack one last time, sorely tempted to go and see for himself whether or not it was empty. But he trusted Teal'c and his assessment, and began to step away, his gaze sweeping the trees, looking for any signs of movement.
~SG-1~SG-1~SG-1~
Jacob grabbed Sam's mouth, covering it and holding it shut so she couldn't cry out, and tensed, preparing to plunge the knife into her heart, ending her life. He raised it another inch, then paused as he saw two shadows begin to circle the shack.
Making a snap decision, Jacob flattened himself, gripping Sam's mouth even tighter to make sure she couldn't make a sound, and grabbing her hands so she couldn't strike him. He used one leg to hold her own down, then lay there, completely still and holding his breath.
After a moment, the two shadows left, returning to where the other two were standing.
"Colonel O'Neill, there seems to be one door and no safety precautions set in place around the building. This, added to the fact that I neither saw nor heard anything inside, makes me believe that Selmak and Major Carter are not in the shack."
"Maybe we should spread out then. You know, look around a bit."
"Yeah. Spread out, circle around."
Jacob smiled. They were leaving. Everything was going as perfectly as it could.
And then, things stopped going perfectly.
Sam bucked, attempting to throw him off. Jacob was shocked; he hadn't thought she'd had this amount of strength left in her. His hold on her slipped for a split second, and she took the opportunity, ripping her hands free of his and grabbing his wrist. When she failed to jerk it away, she forced his fingers farther between her teeth, clamping down with all her might.
Cursing quietly, Jacob recoiled, blood dripping from the punctures in his skin.
He lunged forward to silence his daughter, but he was too late. She opened her mouth and screamed, the sound of her voice echoing around the small enclosure before his fist slammed into her forehead once again, cutting off her scream.
~SG-1~SG-1~SG-1~
A scream rent the air. Jack froze, turning to look at the shack, his eyes wide. And then he found himself moving toward the hut, horror that that voice only could evoke from his heart racing through his body.
Jack slammed into the door, throwing it open and hurtling into the small, dark room. The flash of a knife as the blade caught the light of a moonbeam drew his attention.
Jacob was crouching beside Carter, one hand dripping blood as he glanced over at O'Neill.
"Jacob!" Jack barked. "Don't do it."
"You don't understand, Jack," Jacob whispered. "I have to."
With that, he struck like a cobra, slicing downward toward Sam who lay in an unconscious heap. Jack leapt forward, tackling the Tok'ra and forcing him away from his 2IC. He felt a jolt as the knife punched through skin, and then he was hitting the ground, dragging Jacob with him. Jack could feel the second Jacob's hands left the knife's hilt, and he responded by reaching up to hit Jacob on the head in an attempt to knock him unconscious.
Vaguely, Jack heard Teal'c, Jea'fron, and Daniel enter the shack, the archeologist racing to Sam's side and dropping to his knees.
"Sam?" he said quietly, reaching out to feel for a pulse. A knife was buried hilt deep in her shoulder, the wound bleeding sluggishly around the blade. For a second, Daniel thought she was gone, but then he felt the faint flutter of a pulse.
The sound of something hard slamming into flesh resonated through the air, and Daniel looked up. To his surprise, he saw Jack fall from Jacob's back, the Tok'ra staggering to his feet. A crazed light was gleaming in his eyes.
"I'm sorry, but I have to," he whispered, then lunged toward Sam.
The blue light of a zat enveloped his body, forcing him to his knees. His mouth locked in a feral snarl, and he lunged forward a second time.
"What do I do?" Jea'fron asked, his voice panicked. "If I shoot him again, he'll die."
O'Neill picked himself up from the floor, looking over. He saw Jacob pull the knife from Sam's shoulder and raise it a second time.
"DANIEL!" Jack bellowed, his vision going dark as he realized what was about to happen.
Daniel reached down to his leg, pulling his handgun from its holster. He raised it, not even thinking about what he was doing, and shot Jacob in the shoulder. The knife fell to the ground with a thud, the force of the bullet sending the older man backwards.
Teal'c moved forward, grabbing Jacob's hands and pulling them behind his back, hitting him sharply in the temple as he did. Jacob slumped in Teal'c's firm grip, the blow knocking him unconscious.
Sensing Teal'c's request before it was spoken, Daniel pulled the zip ties from a pocket in his vest, tossing them to his Jaffa friend.
While Teal'c bound Carter senior, Daniel looked down at Sam again.
Her eyes flickered, then opened. When she saw Daniel, she shrank back, fear flickering across her features.
"Hey, Sam, it's okay. It's just me, Daniel," Daniel said, worry in his voice. "Jack, we have to get her back to the SGC now," he said looking up. Jack knelt beside his 2IC, looking down at her.
"It's okay Carter, just hold on. You'll be under the care of good ol' Doc Fraiser soon." She trembled, but nodded slightly, seeming to find comfort in O'Neill's voice. "Let's go," he barked, slipping his arms underneath Sam's back and knees. He stood, raising her up as he did.
Teal'c picked Jacob up, following O'Neill out of the room, Jea'fron and Daniel behind him. Within a moment, the six of them were standing aboveground again, the trees towering around them. They had transported back to the Ring Room, then up to the Ring Platform nearer to the Gate.
"Sir," Major Pierce said as they arrived. "The rest of SG-2 is waiting at the Gate for you. I take it you got them?" he asked, his voice much softer this time.
"Yeah. C'mon, let's go. We don't have a whole lot of time," O'Neill said, his tone brusque.
Major Pierce fell in with them, glancing surreptitiously at the limp figure in the colonel's arms. He glanced away, appalled by the sight that had met his eyes.
"Colonel O'Neill?" Griff called out as they drew near, raising his flashlight to illuminate the small group that was wending its way through the trees toward the Gate.
"Dial her up, Colonel," O'Neill called out. "We have to get them back to the SGC as soon as possible." Griff nodded to Sands, who moved to the DHD and began to punch in the symbols. The Gate began to spin, the chevrons lighting up and locking into place.
The Gate activated with its flourish, and Sergeant Bell entered the IDC code.
O'Neill mounted the steps, Sam breathing shallowly in his arms. "We're almost home Sam, hang on."