Warnings and disclaimer in chapter 1.
Enjoy.
Jack awoke to the very unpleasant sensation of being carried over someone's back. He started to struggle, which turned out to be a very bad idea when the world decided to start twirling. "Remain calm O'Neill." Teal'c's voice managed to penetrate through his grogginess and he stopped his struggles immediately.
"Teal'c," he rasped, licking his lips until he finally found his voice. "What happened?"
"We crashed," Teal'c said. "I am going to set you down soon. I believe it may be unpleasant." Without warning Teal'c stopped and slung Jack off of his shoulder. Jack managed not to scream, but couldn't stop the small whimper from escaping.
"Jack?" He could hear Daniel's voice but there was no way he was able to respond to it. "What about Colonel Mitchell?"
"I shall retrieve him immediately." He heard Teal'c stomp off, leaving him alone with Daniel.
"Jack?" Daniel called again. "I don't know if you can hear me, but you dislocated your shoulder. I'm going to pop it back in but it might hurt a bit." Without giving him any time to prepare Daniel grabbed his right arm and tugged. This time Jack couldn't stop the scream from erupting. Thankfully the pain also helped clear his head.
"Ya think," he quipped through clenched teeth when his shoulder popped into place and the archeologist let go of his arm.
"Sometimes," Daniel absently replied as he ripped his shirt to make a sling for Jack's arm.
"What happened?" he asked, looking around at the assembled group as Daniel strapped his arm tightly.
"We crashed."
"No. Really?" Jack rolled his eyes at his friend.
"The plan worked. The generator overheated and exploded destroying the Inturi base. The explosion was bigger than we thought it would be though. Unfortunately it took out most of the city." Jack nodded his head in understanding. He didn't want to destroy the city.
"At least it's abandoned," he said comfortingly.
"Mostly," Daniel said. "We did find a few casualties as we searched for a building sturdy enough to regroup. Mostly Inturi, but there are a few civilians here and there." Jack put his hand comfortingly on his friend's shoulder. This part of the job sucked and he knew Daniel would be taking it harder than anyone. "The shock wave caught the ship and tossed it like it was a toy. Smashed through the shields in a matter of seconds. Left us powerless and free falling out of the sky. Thankfully Teal'c wasn't able to get us any higher or we never would have survived the crash."
"How is everyone?" He noticed Vala laid out beside him and Joris and Sam off in the corner.
"Mitchell is still trapped. I don't know if he's alive." Daniel said this soft enough so only Jack could hear.
"He's tough," he reassured his friend. "Teal'c will get him." He turned toward the woman next to him. "Vala?" he asked loud enough for her to hear. Her eyes snapped open immediately.
"Alive and kicking," she smirked before frowning slightly, "well alive at least."
"Her wounded leg is now a broken, wounded leg," Daniel said. "I think Joris has a concussion while Sam just has bumps and bruises."
"She was zoning out when we crashed," Vala explained. "She didn't tense up like the rest of us did."
"Of course she didn't," he muttered before turning on Daniel. "You?"
"Broken ribs, punctured lung, tiny bump on the head." He shrugged. "Nothing I haven't had a hundred times before."
"I'll raise you a broken collarbone," Jack said as he struggled to his feet. He let the world settle down before taking stock of their supplies. "The ship?" he asked.
"In pieces," Daniel told him. "These are the only supplies I could find that survived unless something in the cockpit made it which I doubt." They had one complete pack and a few other odds and ends to work with.
"Joris?" Jack called to the Minister. He and Sam quickly joined them. Sam automatically reached for the medkit but stopped short, instead just staring at her hands in uncertainty. "Can we expect a rescue?" Jack asked.
"Eventually," he started, "but if communications have been disrupted it could be several days before they realize something is wrong and then several more days to make the trek from the new settlement to the old city. Not to mention when they find out what we've done the Chancellor might simply have them shoot us on sight."
"So I'm gonna call that a maybe." Jack thought for a moment before turning abruptly at a noise coming toward them. He automatically reached for his weapon before realizing it wasn't there. Cursing he looked around for anything he could use as a weapon until he caught sight of Teal'c quickly making his way back to them.
"You can put me down now Teal'c," they heard Cam say from his position on the Jaffa's shoulders.
"Indeed I can Colonel Mitchell," Teal'c said as they joined the rest of the group. "This may cause you some discomfort." Jack winced in sympathy as the big man effortlessly lifted the Colonel from his shoulders. Cam didn't cry out, though, but they soon realized it was because he had passed out from the pain. Jack didn't blame him. Aside from the broken legs he could see several bad burns on his hands and arms, and that was just what he glimpsed in his quick survey.
"Now would be a good time to set his legs Daniel," Jack said, "before he wakes up again." Daniel nodded and with Teal'c's help quickly set both of Cam's legs and was scrounging up material for a splint when Teal'c came over to Jack.
"The surviving Inturi forces are gathering near here," he reported. "I do not know what their intent is, however I believe it would be prudent to limit our contact with them from this point on."
"Maybe they're just licking their wounds like we are?" Jack's hope died shortly after though, when an artillery shell was fired toward their location hitting a few buildings away from them. "They know we're here."
"We've got to move," Cam said from his position on the ground. Daniel glanced up, surprised to see him conscious and quickly finished splinting his legs as best he could. Cam gritted his teeth but didn't make a sound.
"Ideas?" Jack threw out.
"We could go to the Stargate Project," Joris said suddenly. "It has reinforced walls that should be able to take this shelling. Maybe we can get the communication equipment working and call for assistance."
"Sounds like a plan," Jack said, helping Daniel pull Vala to her feet while Teal'c prepared to lift Cam again. "You gonna be okay carrying him T?" He could see Teal'c leaning heavily to one side and several burns all over his skin.
"I will be fine O'Neill. My symbiote is already repairing the damage." He turned to Cam again. "I am afraid I will again cause you more discomfort Colonel Mitchell."
"Story of my life," Cam said as Teal'c once again hauled him over his shoulder. Joris quickly led the group away from the shelling, toward one of only a handful of remaining buildings left standing.
"I'm afraid the lift might not have power," Joris said as they entered the building. He went over to an old fashion elevator and his the button, but the lift remained stubbornly silent. "There is a second way down, however it will be extremely uncomfortable with your injuires."
"Uncomfortable beats dead any day," Cam said from his position on Teal'c's back. "Lead on." The rest of the group nodded and Joris led them around the corner to an emergency hatch. "The first twenty feet or so is a ladder built into the tunnel, but when it opens into the excavated area beneath it becomes a stairway you should find much easier. Shall I go first and make sure everything is safe?"
Jack reluctantly agreed, all of his training screaming to keep the civilian in the back but he knew Joris was the best choice. "Go ahead." Jack said. Daniel reached into the bag and pulled out one of the two remaining flashlights and handed it to Joris.
"Good luck," he said as he helped the other man into the tunnel. They watched as his light went deeper and deeper and Jack wondered if the tunnel was ever going to end.
"It is secure," Joris shouted out suddenly. "I have surveyed the staircase and it looks secure as well."
"We're coming down," Jack yelled back down to Joris. "Do we have any rope Daniel?" Daniel shook his head. "Damn. You gonna be okay carrying Mitchell T?"
"Indeed," Teal'c replied. Daniel pulled out their medkit and handed Cam some pills.
"For the pain," he told him. "We do have some morphine if you'd prefer…"
"This is good," he stopped him. He grabbed the proffered pills and swallowed them dry. "Need to keep a clear head till we get somewhere safe." Daniel nodded understandingly.
"It would be best if you were to hold onto my back Colonel Mitchell," Teal'c said as he surveyed the tunnel. Cam agreed and they adjusted positions until they were able to accommodate the small space. Teal'c carefully began his descent. A few minutes later he called out, "We have successfully reached the bottom O'Neill."
"Way to go Teal'c!" Jack cried out before turning to the team. "Daniel and Vala your next." As they made their way down the windows shook from a shell that landed near the building. Looking out the window he saw the Inturi were slowly closing the gap between them, systematically destroying anything that they could be using for shelter.
"We're down Jack," Daniel called out. Jack headed back for the hatch surprised to find Sam already inside and waiting for him to join her.
"Guess it's our turn Sir," she said as she moved down a few rungs to let him have room.
"Don't worry Major," he smiled at her, "I'm right behind you." She waited till he was inside the tunnel before starting the trek down. He found the journey incredibly difficult and slow going with only one good arm, but Sam never got too far ahead of him and always waited for him to catch up before moving on. Just like the Sam he remembered would do. He smiled as he heard Sam's feet land on something that was not a metal rung and knew this part of the journey was almost over.
Joris was waiting for them as they dropped onto the staircase. "The others have begun the climb down," he explained as he led the way down. The stairs were much easier than the ladder and they quickly caught up to the rest of the team. Within minutes they had reached the bottom where the lift opened up again. "This way," Joris told them, leading them down a darkened tunnel. The tunnel ended at a door, which Joris could not open no matter how hard he tried. "I don't understand. There is no power to this sector. The door should not be able to lock without power."
"1 4 8 2 9," Sam said quietly, heading over and punching in those numbers to the seemingly dead scanner. There was a loud beep in the silent cave then suddenly the door opened. "They have their own power source here," she said as if in a trance. "A naquadah generator. I think I developed it for them."
"Why not," Jack joked, "you developed it for us." Joris turned and looked at Jack questioningly, but Sam had already headed into the facility and led them into the control room. Sure enough everything had power in the lab.
"I didn't know those came in pocket size variety," Cam said as Teal'c gently deposited him into one of the many chairs.
"Woah," Jack gasped as he saw what Cam had seen. "That looks like the one Orlin built."
"Orlin?" Sam asked, closing her eyes as she tried to find the memory his name almost brought up. Meanwhile Joris took a seat at the computer and pulled up the communications system.
"Communications are down," he told them. "While everything is working down here, the tower that transmits the signal beyond this facility is not responding. It was probably destroyed by the Inturi."
"Speaking of the Inturi," Jack injected. "They were slowly making their way here."
"Do they know about this place?" Daniel asked.
"I am unsure," Joris admitted, "but if they realize they destroyed a communications tower they might figure out there is an underground lab that we have taken shelter in."
"Let's secure this place as much as we can just in case," Jack said. He motioned to Teal'c as Joris told them how to secure the building. When he was finished they quickly took off, not wanting to leave any opportunity for the Inturi.
"Can we escape using that?" Cam asked, pointing to the miniature Stargate in the lab beyond.
"As impressive as that is," Joris said pulling up other files from the computer, "it is non operational."
"What?" Sam said, turning and leaving the control room and heading for the lab. Joris and Daniel quickly followed her leaving Cam and Vala in the control room.
"What do we have here?" Vala asked, sitting down in the chair recently occupied by Joris.
"What are you doing," he asked, pushing his chair forward as well, glad they had rollers to move them. "I doubt you are going to find treasure maps in there."
"You never know until you look," Vala said. "I do believe there are security cameras though."
"What?" Cameron quickly copied her actions and was surprised to find several feeds coming to them. "Sweet," he said as he quickly found Colonel O'Neill and Teal'c and was able to follow their movement through the complex. Another one he found extremely helpful and extremely terrifying was one on the surface looking toward the door of the complex that housed the entrance. It was partially buried, but still worked enough to see the remaining Inturi force slowly hunt for them. They hadn't found the entrance yet and Cam could only hope they remained ignorant.
"It should work," Sam interrupted, reentering the control room and using another computer to pull up the schematics she could almost remember writing. "If I could just remember."
"Remember what?" Jack asked as he and Teal'c reentered the control room. Instead of answering Sam simply stared at the schematics. Jack sighed and turned his attention back to the team. "We shut the outer door and disconnected the power."
"Good. There are several safety doors located throughout the facility that we can close as well now that we are all safely in the control room."
"We're gonna need them," Cam said from his monitor. "They just found the entrance to the bat cave." Joris quickly typed in a command and the safety doors all closed.
"That is as secure as we can make this facility," Joris told them.
"Will it hold?" Vala asked.
"We can only hope." Joris sounded resigned.
"There is another way out," Sam said suddenly, turning to face them. "We can leave through the Stargate."
"It doesn't work Carter," Jack reminded her softly.
"I can make it work," she insisted, locking gazes with Joris. "I just need to remember."
"No!" he said sternly.
"What?" Jack asked looking back and forth between them.
"Father please," she begged.
"I will not lose you," he told her, "even to yourself."
"There is no other way."
"What?" Jack asked again, only this time he nearly shouted the word. They both stopped and stared at him. Joris reluctantly answered him.
"The electrodes they implanted for the procedure react with electricity. If a steady stream is applied they are able to sift through memories as easily as if they were reading a book."
"If we do the same thing I can remember," Sam finished. "I can figure out why the Stargate isn't working, repair it and we can use it to escape."
"What's the downside?" Jack asked, knowing there had to be one for Joris to be so adamant about not doing it.
"There are many problems Colonel," Joris answered. "First the electrical current the Inturi use during the procedure is highly regulated for power, duration, and timing. The equipment available here is nowhere near sophisticated enough to apply the current safely. It could overload her nervous system and she could die. Second the Inturi had equipment that allowed them not only to review and modify memories, but to store them and ultimately return them, either in a dormant or active state, to their victim. If we are somehow able to fire off the electrodes without killing her, without the proper equipment once the effects fade…"
"Her memories will be gone," Daniel finish for him.
"No," Jack said sternly.
"Sir there is no other way." She turned to face him, looking him directly in the eye. "You can either loose me or loose everybody."
"Shit," Cam exclaimed glancing down at his monitor to check the progress of the Inturi. "They're through the tunnel and at the first door."
"There is no other way Jack," she said softly. He stared into her eyes for what seemed like an eternity before making his decision.
"Where are we going to get the electricity needed?" he asked, hating the fact that she was right again.
"That's the easy part," she said, nodding to a primitive looking outlet on the wall.
"I will find you again Sam," he told her quietly as they moved toward the wall.
"I'll be waiting Jack," she said as she laid the frayed wire in his hands. He impulsively pulled her into his arms and kissed her so deeply he momentarily forgot anyone else was alive in the universe except her. He regretfully broke the kiss just before he plunged the wire into the outlet.
For a moment nothing happened. Then suddenly the current jumped from the outlet through the wire, singing his fingers where he held it. With a curse he dropped the wires and turned just in time to see Sam falling backwards, the electrodes sparking and being pushed out of her head from the force of the electrical current. Teal'c caught her before she hit the ground, but there was little anyone could do as several seizures overcame her. "Help me hold her down," he cried out as he and Teal'c threw themselves on her. Within seconds everyone else had followed their lead. It seemed like an eternity before the seizures finally let up. Jack cautiously lifted himself from her body and felt for a pulse. "She's alive," he said with a sigh. He and Teal'c helped get everyone else off her and settled back into their chairs. For a moment she simply lay on the floor, and then she quickly got to her feet, studied the schematics for a minute, and quickly headed to the lab. "Monitor their progress Mitchell," Jack ordered as everyone who was able followed Sam.
"Right," he said grimacing against the pain, keeping one eye on the monitor where the Inturi were currently trying to blast through the outer door and keeping one eye on Sam as she tried to fix their only hope of getting out of this mess.
"Do you think this will work?" Vala asked, settling her chair next to Cam. She wasn't even looking through the computer now, instead all her attention was on Sam.
"I'm confident," he told her, unwilling to let his own doubts show in front of anyone.
"So am I," she replied. "After all they are the legend of the SGC."
"And what are we? Peons?" he quipped, glancing briefly to the monitor to check the Inturi's progress. "Don't you have buried treasure to find?" She jumped up at the reminder and slid her chair over to her computer. Content that the world was as good as he could make it, he sat back and watched the legends do their thing.
"Sam?" Daniel asked as she dragged himself and Joris over to the miniature Stargate. She pried open a panel on the chevrons, studied the inner mechanism for a moment, and then deftly disconnected and reconnected the misaligned conduit. She handed the tools to Daniel with a pointed look. "We'll just check the rest of them." He knew he said the right thing when she turned and started routing through their packs. He was curious what she was doing, but knew they had to get this done. He turned to Joris and asked, "Did you get any of that?"
"I think so," he said, stepping up and studying the circuitry intently. "The conduit is misaligned. Instead of the current heading to the next chevron it was sent to a dead end branch. Probably the result of a simple error during the transcribing phase of the Stargate's development."
"I hope so," Daniel said as they moved to the next chevron and pulled off the casing, "otherwise we'll never have enough time to find and replace all the faulty circuits." Joris nodded his agreement but they were able to locate and fix the circuit quickly. They had managed to find and replace all the wrong conduits just as Cam called out.
"They're almost through the outer door." Jack cursed and headed up to the control room with Teal'c.
"The security doors will not hold the Inturi long," Joris said as they rejoined Sam. She had pulled out their laptop and was typing away furiously. "What now Kianna?" Joris asked quietly.
"Power the gate," she said without breaking stride. Joris nodded and returned to the control room where he input a series of commands. Everyone held their breath as first one glyph than another lit up on the Stargate. Their cheers were dampened when Cam announced the Inturi had broken through the first door. Sam suddenly stopped typing and returned to the control room with the laptop. Vala quickly moved out of her way as she headed right for the computer terminal the thief was using and connected it to the laptop.
"Teal'c," Jack ordered, "get everyone into the gate room and ready to go through the gate as soon as it opens." Teal'c nodded and soon everyone was within a few steps of the miniature Stargate. "They've broken through the second gate," Jack announced. "Only one more and they're here." The group below began to upturn table and chairs. Anything they could think of to create cover between them and the Inturi. Just as the Inturi made it to the third gate Sam finished whatever she was doing and hit a key. She waited just long enough for the Stargate to start dialing before grabbing the laptop and making her way down to the group, Jack following quickly behind her.
"I just realized something," Cam said as the second chevron locked in place. "It's not big enough to walk through so you're going to throw us through like pieces of trash aren't you Teal'c."
"Indeed," Teal'c smirked.
"You can throw me anywhere Muscles," Vala cooed. Daniel's laugh turned into a wince as his broken ribs protested while Cam just looked at her in amazement as the chevrons continued to click into place.
"Anyone have any idea where we're going?" Daniel asked as soon as he could breathe again.
"Anywhere's better than here," Jack shouted. They could hear the Inturi as they tried to break through the last door. It didn't hold them for long. The Inturi broke through the final door as the Stargate burst into life. Teal'c grabbed a hold of Cameron and flung him through the open Stargate then turned and did the same for Vala. By then the Inturi realized what was happening and concentrated their fire on the Stargate. Jack and Daniel returned fire with the only weapons they could find, Daniel's sidearm and Vala's zat. Sam made her way up the ramp and threw in the pack where she had returned the laptop. Just as she was about to leap through the gate Joris saw the bullet streaking toward her.
"No!" he cried as he pushed her out of the way with every bit of strength he had. They both fell hard to the ramp.
"Sam," Daniel cried as he and Jack increased their cover fire to allow Teal'c time to reach them. Daniel's gun soon ran out of ammo and he threw the useless weapon away and went to help Teal'c. "You get Joris and I'll get Sam," he told the Jaffa. Teal'c nodded and lifted Joris up and threw him through the wormhole. Daniel was able to pull Sam off the ground before Teal'c effortlessly picked her up and she too went flying through the Stargate.
"Go Daniel," Jack ordered. Daniel didn't need to be told twice and flung himself through the wormhole. He shook off the shock of landing on the other side, knowing Teal'c and Jack would be coming through soon, and scrambled out of the way. He heard people running towards them and heard voices, but couldn't place them as the pain in his chest skyrocketed to new levels. He managed to stay conscious long enough to hear Teal'c and Jack join him and the Stargate shut down before he fell into darkness.