"YOU CAN'T HAVE HER. SHE DOESN'T NEED YOU. GIVE HER BACK TO US. I LOVE HER. SHE'S MY WIFE. DON'T HURT HER. I LOVE YOU VALA. DON'T LET THEM TAKE YOU FROM ME. YOU DON'T NEED THEM. THEY NEED YOU…………
Daniel was grabbed by the flames. He was pulled into the flames. Yet the flames did not inflict any pain. Daniel felt like he was being watched.
"Daniel?"
"Vala?"
"Vala it's me; Daniel. Don't let them take you from me. You're stronger than them. You've survived Quetesh, stoning from your own people. I need you, I love you. We all do. Listen to your own heart Vala. Don't let them take our love for you away. I love you, I love you Vala, and the Ori don't."
Vala's eyes came into focus slightly and the door of the cell came open. Taika took advantage for a second and spoke before she left.
"Escape from here." Said Taika. "I don't know how long the lost one will stay with him. I must go and infect what's been allowed to grow. Farewell my friends. I must go now."
Before anyone could answer. Taika left with blinding speed. The flames let go of Vala and followed Taika. Vala fell to the floor unconscious. Daniel picked her up in his arms. He looked panicked.
Sam immediately was at Daniel side. Mitchell and Teal'c knelt down beside him. Sam felt for a pulse.
"She's alive Daniel. She's alive. We need to go. Taika is diverting the flames to her. I don't know what will happen, but I don't think we'll see her again." Stated Sam.
"We need to find and escape pod and leave. Teal'c grab Vala. Daniel, Daniel? I need you to focus so we can get Vala safely out of here. Taika has given the Ori a distraction." Said Mitchell.
"Why can't they just leave her alone?" Why does she have to suffer so much? Daniel was crying and trying to compose himself.
"Daniel Jackson. I will take Vala. I will not let any harm come to her. We must take this opportunity to leave."
Daniel looked at Teal'c and knew he was Vala's own personal Champion. He looked at Sam and Mitchell and both of them nodded their heads that they understood his pain in seeing Vala used and hurt again.
"Let's move people. Sam, we need to grab whatever weapons we can. Let's take advantage of the ciaos and work our way thru the ship."
"Daniel, I need your help. We need to move fast." Said Sam.
Daniel nodded and looked back to Vala and caressed her forehead. He bent down and kissed her. "Stay with us Vala. We won't abandon you, we promise. We promise baby."
Mitchell peeked his head around the corner where the doors melted away. Sam would cover his back as Daniel and Teal'c would bring up the rear. Mitchell could see bodies strewn out the ship, burned or ash on the walls. Gruesome as it looked Mitchell needed to concentrate on getting his people out safely. Mitchell found Jaffa staffs in tact and handed one to Sam and Daniel. Daniel took the rear of Teal'c to protect his back and Mitchell and Sam took point. The ship felt like it was on fire and all of them moved with stealth, staying out of the way of fleeing slaves or any one else for that matter. They had to find an escape pod and soon.
Taika moved thru the Ori ship, with unspeakable speed. She had found the command center unmanned and no Prior. The flames had tried to sweep behind her, but Taika was faster than they could keep up. Taika knew her use for what the Alterans meant was at hand. She had to protect the lost one. Her purpose had been altered when Adria had pressed into Vala's mind. She had become more dangerous than expected. Taika knew what she had to do.
Taika entered the chamber that still had Adria in a trance. Her eyes where white and cold. Adria's head immediately looked to Taika. Taika moved swiftly in front of Adria.
"I KNOW WHO YOU ARE. YOU ARE NO CHILD OF THE TAU'RI. I WILL DESTROY YOU. I AM MORE THAN ORIGIN. I AM ORICI. I WILL DESTROY YOU."
Taika approached Adria with black eyes. Her appearance was that of a child, but Adria could now see in her eyes how ancient she really was.
"You have seen with the eyes on an evil one child of the lost one. You have taken on the memories to make them your own. You are not who you presume to be."
"I AM ORICI. ORIGIN NO LONGER CAN CONTAIN WHO I AM OR WHAT THEY WANT ME TO BE."
"Origin will do what it needs to do to survive. To subjugate all those who oppose them. Origin will not stop their greed for power. The lost one is the only hope for the final battle of good and evil. You just want power. Evil is evil. There is no fine line in this path that you choose. You use the memories to justify that you exist, that your thirst for blood is justified. These are the memories of a long dead race. You took what was not yours to take. The lost one was never to reveal those memories. It would have destroyed her. She did not remember such evil."
"SHE WAS WEAK. THEY HAVE SUCH POWER. THEY HAVE EMPOWERED ME. I CANNOT BE DEFEATED."
"Your defeat is not in the now, it is in the when. You cannot be allowed to exist for the now. Your flames of Origin come for me. They will find me as they will you."
"LET THE FLAMES OR ORIGIN DO MY BIDDING. I WILL NOT BE DENIED MY EXISTANCE."
"Then so be it." Taika stood her ground. Adria waited. She waited for the flames.
ORI CORRIDOR
Sam found and unlocked the doorways to an open bay. They hid waiting for the opportunity to steal a pod. When the flames erupted thru the ship, they had no time to wait. The flames were consuming everything in site. Mitchell moved and shot any Jaffa that tried to attack and they all moved swiftly to escape to the pod. Daniel kept watch on Teal'c and Vala. Once they opened the pod entrance, Sam took the controls, while Mitchell watched to make sure no one else tried to attack. Teal'c laid Vala in the back and joined Sam in the navigator's chair. Mitchell joined them and Sam lifted off as the flames licked at the back off the pod. They were now free from the Ori Ship. Daniel took Vala into his arms and held her. He watched her eyes flutter a little and called out her name.
"Vala, Vala please open your eyes. Please speak to me. I love you. I can't live without you. Come back to us. Your safe again. Your safe."
CHAMBER
The doors began to melt in the chambers. The flames now consumed the room. Adria held out her hand as if to summon the very flames to herself. Taika reached out her hand to summon the flames to her.
"You will be at an end one day child of the lost one. You have made a grave mistake. You have sealed your own fate."
Adria looked back at Taika with unmoving eyes.
"AND YOU HAVE SEALED YOURS."
Taika and Adria both drew at the flames. It stalled and then attacked them both. It circled Adria first and then Taika. Taika's eyes grew harder and darker as Adria's grew whiter. They're clothes burned as they both stood their ground. The flames licked at their flesh trying to consume their bodies and drive them to their death. The flames began to turn white hot. Melting everything in the room. The heat became as thousand infernos, unleashed upon the two opposing forms.
The flames where about to consume both Adria and Taika, but the flames where changing, changing to a blue form. Adria's eyes grew wider and whiter and a surprised look entered her face.
"You see child of the lost one. I am a virus. Your Origin infected me and my people long before you were born. I am the only one left for this purpose. Now I will return the injustice upon my people. You will not return until the child of the lost is ready to fight you."
"NOOOO, I AM THE CHILD. YOU HAVE SAID SO. I CANNOT DEFEAT MYSELF. YOU ARE WRONG. STOP. WHAT………WHAT ARE YOU DOING?"
"Taking you away where you cannot return until it is time. The Alterans have found the lost one. You have used her for the last time. You are an abomination to the universe. Origin will pay for their evil upon us all."
"NOOOOOOOOO. I AM OR…………………….
Taika's form blew apart and nothing was left but a blue light. Her light changed the flames blue, increasing and consuming the fire through out the Ori ship. It moved like liquid fire. Leaving nothing alive in its path. It consumed Adria and she screamed in agony. The flame that encircled her turned as blue as the fire that ran through the ship.
ORI POD
Sam was moving fast, away from the Ori ship. They all could see thru the viewer that the ship seemed to be on fire. But as they moved away, they saw the ship was engulfed with a blue flame. At first Sam, Teal'c and Mitchell thought the ship was going to pursue them. But they saw the Ori ship blow parts out in space. It was being consumed from the inside out. As they watched waiting to see what happens next, the ship imploded and then exploded right before their eyes. The blue flames that they watched consume the ship, opened a portal and shot through it. The Portal closed and then nothing.
"What the hell? Sam is that what I think I saw?" Said Mitchell almost with glee in his voice.
"I…..I think so. Do you thing Taika has anything to do with this?"
"Indeed. Her appearance was that of a child. But I sensed she was much more and old and wiser than we were lead to believe." Said Teal'c.
"She saved our bacon more than once. I…….I'm going to miss her. I wish we could have saved her." Mitchell said with regret.
Sam interjected. "I think this was what she was meant to do. I think she was the Alterans secret weapon."
"But she said Vala was the lost one Sam. What do you think she meant by that?"
"She said the Alterans had a plan. What ever it was, had Vala involved. We may never know why Vala was caught in the middle." Mitchell sighed knowing that Vala was still unconscious.
"How's Daniel and Vala doing? Asked Sam.
"I think they need their time together Sam. We've all been thru a lot. But Vala…….Vala going to need some time to heal. Can you find a map to home Sam, using the Ori ship computers?"
"I'm already on it. I've sent a coded message to our allies to see if we can be picked up by the Deadulis."
"Good; Teal'c check for any food supplies; I'm hungry." Stated Mitchell.
Teal'c nodded and watched a bemused Sam smile and shake her head at Mitchell's always rumbling stomach.
Daniel held Vala close, hoping upon hope to see Vala wake.
Vala moaned and spoke with barely a voice. "Dan………Daniel?"
"I'm her Vala. Please wake up. You're safe sweetheart, your safe with me."
Vala coughed slightly as her eyes barely fluttered open.
"So………..so, cough, cough……… so tir……..tired."
Daniel couldn't hold back his tears at hearing Vala's voice again. He pulled her into a hug, trying not to hurt her. He didn't know if the Ori flames had did any internal damage.
Sniff, sniff. Daniel was trying to contain his tears."It's ok; you can sleep now. I'm just so glad you're alright. I……..we were all worried about you. You don't have to speak now. Just get some rest, ok."
"Lo……love you." Cough, cough.
"I love you too Vala. I always have. Go to sleep. I'll be here when you wake again. Sleep baby, sleep."
Daniel's voice was like a lullaby. Vala was so exhausted, she could barely speak or hold her eyes open. When Daniel watched Vala finally fall asleep. He prayed that Vala would get through all the terrible ordeals that had been placed upon her. He had fought hard to get thru to her on the Ori ship and he vowed to himself, that he would fight even harder, to keep her safe.
UKNOWN CHARTERED SHIP
"Sir we've picked up a coded transmission in this quadrant."
"Can you locate where it's coming from?"
"Yes Sir. It will take an hour to intercept. It seems to be an Ori transmission."
"Good, keep me posted when we can intercept. I will return soon."
"Yes Sir."
The Commander moved thru ship with haste. He knew this information was important only to him and one other."
As he entered the room, the man seated was in deep thought. He was headed to a slave planet for some valuable cargo."
"We have picked up a coded message from an Ori ship. What can intercept them in one hour."
"Good Commander. Keep me posted and keep trying to contact Kraco. We continue on our course, unless something else more valuable is to be obtained."
The Commander bowed as the man stood up from his chair.
"As you wish Lord Ba'al."
A/N: Ok I admit it, baby sounds better LL. Yes, I know I keep torturing some people. Feedback and reviews are welcomed.