TITLE: Never Again

AUTHOR: PapayaK

CATEGORY: Whump, Hurt/comfort, a hint at romance

SPOILERS: None that I can think of

SEASON: Jonas

WARNINGS: Major Character Death

SUMMARY: SG-1 facing impossible odds

AUTHOR'S NOTES: Sorry, I keep killing people, I gotta get over that - don't worry, they always get better.

Disclaimer: I get nothing but pleasure from this

oO0Oo oO0Oo oO0Oo

Never Again - Chapter 3

oO0Oo

Jonas nods and moves to assist Teal'c in rearranging the piles of debris while I guard the door.

When I feel Teal'c behind me I move out.

We manage to reach the armory undetected. A moment with the door controls and we are inside. Our return to Jonas's position is not as simple, but we are able to fight our way through the surprised Jaffa.

"The element of surprise will no longer aid us."

"Tell me about it. Jonas?"

"Yeah – ready." Jonas has Jack's body over his shoulder, holding his legs firmly with one arm, his P-90 braced in the other. He looks a formidable warrior. Jack would've been as proud as he was of Daniel.

"Okay…" I will not call them kids, that belongs to the Colonel. And I feel a small flicker of hope. "Speed is of the essence. Toss a grenade and run. Teal'c and I will cover you."

Teal'c moves out, clearing the way for Jonas and his precious burden. We pass each other continuously in a classic fire and cover maneuver. The Jaffa are surprised despite Teal'c's prediction, simply because we refuse to engage them in any real manner. We continue to cut through their number, always moving forward. Soon I am forced to stay our six because we are allowing more and more Jaffa behind us; only staying alive (if not unharmed) through sheer volume of bullets, staff blasts, and grenades. Not the ideal situation, but, surprisingly, it's working.

Finally we reach the sarcophagus chamber and manage to lock ourselves inside. Teal'c takes the Colonel from Jonas and places him inside the sarcophagus with all the care he used once for his god. I briefly wonder if he feels the irony.

Jonas and I use every means we can think of to barricade the door. No matter what we do, it will not be long before the Jaffa break in. It just has to be long enough.

When I turn, Teal'c is watching the sarcophagus close. He like Jonas is covered in the Colonel's blood. His eyes find mine for a moment; hope exchanged. Then I turn and address both of them. "Injuries?"

Jonas is sitting on the steps leading up to the sarcophagus, holding his leg. I move to him, pulling out my med kit as I go. "Teal'c? I know you're hurt. Do your kel'no'reem while you can. I'll make sure you're aware when we need you."

"I will awaken before I am needed."

I nod over my shoulder and continue to treat Jonas.

"You don't look so good yourself, Major."

I smile at him, "I'll do you. You do me."

"Then what?"

"Then we wait."

"How long until the Jaffa start messing up all our hard work – OW!"

"Then we wait." I said, emphasizing the last word, not allowing him to think about the alternatives – not yet.

When I was finished, I leaned against the sarcophagus, and presented my shoulder and side for treatment. The sarcophagus was warm to the touch and vibrating slightly, an overall comfortable feeling. Jonas tried to be gentle, but I almost passed out before he was finished. I was very alert in the next instant, though, as I heard noises from outside. The race was on.

The race was on between Sarcophagus and Jaffa, and there was nothing we could do to affect the results. The sarcophagus – Jack – just had to win this race.

"It really is an amazing device." Jonas couldn't keep the wonder from his voice, even in this situation. Then he paused, but couldn't help asking me, "Will it work?"

"I don't know." I sighed, knowing that I owed him no less than the full truth. "It may have been too long. We have no way of knowing just how much time passed between the time the Colonel was hit and when he actually…"

"So there's a good chance…"

I smile grimly and nod, "He's strong… and stubborn. There's a chance."

TBC

one more chapter...