Chapter 76 - Conflicts
Even with the nagging question of the Abydonians, Sam and Jolinar joined with Martouf and Lantash for the first part of their Tok'ra briefing, listening and then offering more information. It became clear just how much the Tok'ra Council had agreed to this out of necessity; unlike any number of other possible alliances, the Free Peoples had both reason and experience to battle the Goa'uld directly. Had the Tok'ra not stepped in, their entire plan might have been dissolved by a random attack.
Now that things were as settled as they could be, the Council seemed to just nod and prepare to forget about it and move on. They'd lost the services of two operatives on this mission, not to mention resources and time and secure information.
Once Martouf had finished his story, the Council approved and dismissed him. Sam and Jolinar, however, were asked to stay.
"Given that your part in this effort was not exhausting, in the end," Garshaw offered, "the Council would like to offer you a mission that, though coming soon, we think you would be best to handle."
The statement hung in the air for a minute.
"What?" asked Sam, astonished.
"Your next mission, should you choose to accept it," Garshaw repeated, a slight wrinkle in her brow at Sam's reaction.
~Wait, aren't we—weren't we—~
*They, like us, forgot, or so it seems.*
"Actually," Sam said aloud, slowly, "we need at least a day to judge our readiness for...anything."
Garshaw nodded. "Then you may be dismissed until then; return once you are prepared."
Sam turned and walked out of the horseshoe-shaped Council room, feeling confused and a little shocked. ~This is it, isn't it? We actually finished our mission.~
*And if we forgot that it was supposed to be our last, is it any surprise that so did they?*
~I wasn't even thinking about it ending, not really. But now what?~
They'd barely gone more than a few paces when Vala approached them, face looking earnest in the soft tunnel light.
"What is it?" asked Sam, with trouble drawing her mind from the surprise of the briefing.
"Can we talk?" Vala asked, bending her hands rather awkwardly as if she couldn't keep them still.
"Of course," Sam said, managing a smile and indicating the nearest bench.
Vala sat in a hurry, turning a little to face them. She tried an awkward smile. "Now that things are quiet," she said, unable to know that for them it was not, "I don't know what I'm supposed to do. You've never been clear on that."
"Uh, well, we never had anything," Sam said, with a slight apologetic grimace. Jolinar felt even more that their planning had left out a lot of details in a lot of different areas.
"No, I could guess that," Vala said, barely rolling her eyes, though just in obviousness not in derision. "But I remember—I remember you said that you had a friend like me."
"Sha're?" asked Sam, blinking a little.
Vala shrugged hesitantly. "But it's true?"
"Yeah, yes, it is," Sam said as she settled a little more into her seated position, thinking.
"Where is she now?" asked Vala, and held Sam's gaze.
"Back on Earth with her family—my homeworld," Sam amended.
"Your people would accept her?" Vala asked.
"Oh, that's not the problem," Sam said, with a slight chuckle that almost reached bitterness. She ran her fingers through her hair, sighing. "That's all they're concerned about, saving hosts. They kept trying to save me."
Vala frowned but said nothing about that. She looked up at Sam. "Can you take me there? Anywhere away from...naquadah...and strange judgments." She laughed awkwardly. "Nothing against you, Samantha, I just need that."
Sam swallowed the lump suddenly rising in her throat as Earth was once again brought to the forefront of her mind. "I was just thinking about that," she said quietly. Jolinar felt hesitant, not sure where Sam was going. "I'll get back to you," she finally said, looking at Vala.
"Thank you," Vala said in a short, quiet voice. She flashed a tight smile, then rose and walked off, leaving Sam and Jolinar alone again.
Sam didn't move from the bench. She leaned over, resting her face in her hands. ~Oh god, I wasn't ready for all this.~
ooooooo
"Dan'yel? Dan'yel?"
The words pierced through Daniel's hearing, and he would have winced if he had the strength, so sharp did they hurt.
"I can't get this idiotic system working—why is it not digital, for god's sake?"
"We know what we have to know, Rodney, give it a rest! We need to work on a solution."
"For what?"
"Don't yell like that! We'll have something—just focus."
Daniel groaned as the voices drove into his head, giving him no rest, and yet clearing his mind of the heavy fog around it.
"Dan'yel?" He was aware enough to recognize that voice, as he'd recognize it anywhere. "Oh, Dan'yel, are you awake?"
Daniel couldn't remember why he had lost consciousness, just that the last thing he knew, he was standing in a hall and hearing that the Re'tu were invading. "Mm," he managed, trying to open his eyes.
A soft hand touched his face. "Dan'yel, hold still and relax. You are wounded."
"Really?" he managed to get out. He didn't want to move his limbs.
"Oh, he's awake!" He recognized the panicky voice from earlier as Mckay's.
Finally, Daniel blinked his eyes open, and the bright light only hurt slightly less than the sharp voices. He lay on the floor of the lab, propped against a wall. Mckay and Jean stood by their lab table still, as Chloe held Shifu. Sha're knelt next to him, worry contorting her face.
"What happened?" he murmured.
"You were thrown against the wall, and we heard and came out to get you," Sha're said.
"You've at least got a concussion," Mckay said, looking apologetic. He walked over a few steps, wringing his hands a little, then snapping his fingers as he turned back to Jean. "Wait—wait—I think I got something."
"Your head was bleeding, but we stopped it," Sha're said, still focused on Daniel. "Do you hurt anywhere else?"
"My elbow feels swollen," said Daniel, grimacing as he tried to get past the headache to focus on the rest of himself. "But I think I'm intact. Any news?"
Sha're shook her head. "None. Communication is down in here, but it's probably just static."
"Well, I can't go anywhere, I guess," Daniel said, frowning. "What are we going to do?"
"Rodney?" Sha're said, looking to the scientists over at the lab table.
"Hmm?" Mckay asked, looking up?
"We need a plan," Sha're said. "There is no point in all of us staying in here until you and Jean have a plan."
"Yes, but what can we do?" asked Jean, pushing her blonde curls out of her face.
"Look, I should go find O'Neill or Dixon or someone," Mckay said, gritting his teeth. "I'm on SG-1, I sort of have a responsibility."
"No, no," Sha're protested, standing up and shaking her head. "You are no good at fighting, Rodney, and do not protest because even if you were, you are much more useful in here. You need to work with Jean, find out how we can see our enemy."
"She's got a big point, Rodney," Jean said.
Daniel had to nod, too, and Mckay didn't seem to object much.
"But you are right, we need to contact the rest of the base," said Sha're, crossing her arms for a second.
"It's just like that training day," said Chloe suddenly, rocking Shifu in her arms. "The first thing we need to do is shut down the gate, if it hasn't been done already."
"Of course," said Sha're, nodding. "Here." She took Shifu and walked back over to Daniel. "Dan'yel, you cannot move from here, but hold Shifu. Rodney or Jean can help you if you need it."
"Why?" Daniel asked, confused as he accepted Shifu into his good arm. Thankfully his son was only passively whimpering, not full-out screaming.
Sha're took out a pin to pull her hair back fully from her face as she knelt by his side. Then she grabbed the sidearm from his belt, and the keycard from his pocket. "Chloe and I will go make contact with our people," she said, mouth in a small tight line. "And defend our home, if necessary."
"Or take out the power, maybe," Chloe offered, standing close. "Wait—we're going out there?" Her voice rose in pitch a little.
Daniel frowned, but Sha're had already stood up and walked back over to the lab table, slipping Daniel's gun into her waistband. "Rodney, Chloe will need your weapon, please."
"Are you sure about this?" Jean asked, frowning. Mckay just stood, looking a bit in shock.
Daniel frowned, but even with his head throbbing, this reminded him too much of that first couple days on Abydos to worry him. Especially after all that had happened.
"Well, we are trained for this," Chloe said, but her voice trembled and her hand wavered as she took Rodney's gun.
"There is nothing else to do," Sha're said. She nodded to Chloe. "You will not need your lab coat."
Chloe slipped out of the white coat, and then, in only their green BDU pants and black shirts, they checked their weapons for ammo.
"You have radios, right?" Jean asked. "In case we get this fixed?"
Chloe nodded, biting her lip. Sha're put a hand on her shoulder, then glanced back at Jean. "We are ready. Work hard, please."
And with that, she listened at the door for a few seconds, then opened it and, leading with her gun, walked out into the hallway. Chloe followed a few steps behind, and then the door shut and locked again.
"God, I hope they're okay," Jean said, frowning.
"Well, we can help with that if we get a move on," Mckay said, and turned back to the lab table, pushing aside a few papers.
Daniel still sat propped against the wall, feeling a little more alert with every minute. He looked down at his son in his arms, tired and sick, and hoped that Sha're could help with this whole mess.
ooooooo
Jolinar had not expected Sam's emotions to be so confused, and she took the moment of indecision to remove back to their quarters.
Sam felt like something was wrong, given the lump of panic that seemed to form as soon as a return to Earth was mentioned. It didn't die down quickly, though, and she worried. ~All this time, we knew the mission was ending, but why didn't I make the connection?~
*Very likely because of this fear you feel now,* Jolinar answered, trying to maintain a sense of emotional stability, even though her own feelings threatened to match Sam's, or at least be influenced by them.
~But when did I start—why did I—did you have any idea?~
*I have only felt what you felt; I didn't even think that your thoughts had grown very far from your old home.*
In the dark and quiet of their chamber, Sam felt her mind starting to pick at the confusing emotional pieces. ~Okay, so it wasn't just a surprise to me; everyone failed to assume that I'd try to go back now. Now that I have evidence that they would accept, all amends made. Which is my fault, but I didn't expect it to just happen. I'm actually afraid to go back to Earth.~
*I am sorry,* Jolinar said, feeling a sort of aching that she didn't completely identify.
~I don't think there's a reason to be sorry,~ Sam admitted. Back in control, she sat on their bed, knees brought up and hands resting gently on them. ~Not for us, at least. I mean, I think I just realized, I don't think I really can gain back their trust. Even with the Abydonians to vouch for all that we've done, even after these months of Sha're telling them her story. Maybe it's more my issue than theirs; maybe I can't get over the fact that they believed a Daniel from a different universe but they couldn't believe me.~
She swallowed, the fear curling in her stomach not lessening, even as she started cataloguing it. ~And if I went back, I don't think I'd ever believe that they assumed things were okay. Any breakthrough I made, any advice I had to offer—they might think it suspect, given that I was compromised. And they might not say it, so I'd never know whether to feel secure. It could be paranoid, I don't know, but of all the things in my life I want to be trusted.~
Jolinar's emotions and thoughts were strangely restrained, but at that she let loose a wave of sympathy.
~I don't know why I'm talking so much,~ Sam sighed, but she let herself absorb Jolinar's sympathy. ~I just don't think I can go back. And after everything...I can't resent the fact.~
The thought wasn't comfortable to her. And though Jolinar wasn't pushing, she knew that she'd have to follow it to the next step. She'd repressed so much, she was frightened of herself and bringing it all out. Even though something small within her told her that it would only bring her a feeling of freedom. For a moment, she held on to the repression.
ooooooo
Jack had no time for thinking as he stood, cornered on Level 26, Re'tu somewhere around the corner and ready to fire at him. He needed to get the power shut down. He needed to kill the Re'tu. He needed this to be a bad nightmare.
One of his men was already down, just wounded but sitting now behind the corner with him. Jack gritted his teeth and prepared to fire around again. It would help if he knew that his shots would make it, but oh well.
Where was the rest of the base, though? Hadn't they all been told now? The idea that other Re'tu might be in other areas did occur to him, just not as quickly as the idea that they could have at least called in.
The corner provided only the barest protection as he aimed some random shots—he thought he saw one ricochet off of thin air, but had to withdraw his head as the energy blast hit the wall across from him.
"Am I not dead yet?" Lieutenant Roberts asked him, sounding vaguely groggy as he clutched the wound in his shoulder.
"You and me both," Jack said sharply through his teeth. "Hell's great, isn't it?" He decided to bite the bullet and grabbed for his radio. "General? What the hell's going on, and why isn't there radio chatter?"
"We're a bit busy, damn it," came Dixon's voice over the radio, before Hammond's.
"More Re'tu holding the upper levels," came in Makepeace's next. "Not that it matters, right?"
Okay, okay, so there wasn't a point in them all radioing in, unless things changed. What were the Re'tu here to do, exactly, apart from the ambiguous "sabotage" that Mother had mentioned?
He heard steps down the hall behind him, human steps. Without moving his gun, he spun his head in that direction, and was surprised to see two guns peek around the corner.
Oh god, of all the reinforcements, I get the idiots, he thought. Then he saw a dark-haired head poke around, and before he could realize it, Sha're Jackson and one of the scientists dashed around towards them. Clad in BDUs, they looked as much like soldiers as anything he'd seen—and that was a specially weird look on Sha're.
"Oh Jack," she said, eyes lit up even with her face serious, as she joined them at the corner. "I am so glad to have found you."
"Where's Daniel?" he asked, confused. He glanced back around the corner, listening just in case.
"Injured by an invader," Sha're said, and he noticed she was breathing a little hard. "Chloe and I needed to see what was happening—our communications failed to work."
"Damn it," Jack muttered under his breath. He didn't need this distraction.
"Has the gate been shut down?" Chloe asked, eyes wide in her round face.
"No, that's the problem," Jack answered, leaning against the wall. "Roberts here," he nudged the wounded soldier at his feet, "got himself shot, and that one Re'tu can hold me off."
"What are they doing?" Sha're asked, frowning.
"Who knows, exactly?" Jack answered.
"Well, we can help at least," she continued, looking Jack in the eye with determination he found surprising.
"Er?" he answered.
"You're not serious," Chloe protested in a low voice, looking at Sha're with a slightly gaped jaw.
"We need to shut that power down," Sha're insisted, looking back at her odd-couple partner. They didn't cling to the wall like they were hiding, something that impressed Jack for a second.
"Yes," he said, "but there's a bit of an impasse here."
"Let us help you distract the Re'tu," said Sha're, facing him squarely. "It cannot shoot at all of us."
"You're insane," Roberts said, looking up at the three of them. "It'll kill you!"
"You're not soldiers," Jack said, brow wrinkled.
"We don't need to be," Sha're said pointedly. "And Chloe can shut down the power, she has done it before. You will hold this position, and we will get past."
"No, you'll get killed, and then Daniel will kill me," Jack protested, not liking how the desperation in him was starting to make this idea sound good. It hadn't been that long, but they were at such a disadvantage, it felt like they were rapidly running out of time.
"Dan'yel is not here, and so he does not matter," Sha're said flatly. "Come Chloe, make sure your weapon is armed."
The two women looked away from Jack, and so he swore under his breath and prepared to give cover fire. In the wide SGC corridors, maybe they would have a chance. He didn't know. Both women were small and lithe, so at least they'd have a better chance of dodging than Jack.
Grinding his jaw tight, Jack held his weapon, counted to three, and turned sharply around the corner. Sha're and Chloe darted past him as he opened fire, and they ducked beneath it, charging straight down the corridor as they hugged the wall. Jack had a flash of adrenaline as a Re'tu blast came from nowhere to swipe by his ear, but only one—it seemed to be distracted.
"Take that, bastard!" Jack snarled, pumping his weapon into the area where the Re'tu seemed to be.
Then, just as Sha're and Chloe seemed to get past, and around the next corner—he ducked back into his own hiding. They were on their own now, and god, he felt a bit of after-the-fact horror at sending them into it. What kind of leader was he?"
"Colonel O'Neill," came Hammond's voice over his radio.
"Yes, sir!" he answered neatly, grabbing at any distraction.
"Any luck?"
"Not sure, sir, they seem very resilient," Jack admitted.
"We finally had contact from our top scientists, and they're stuck on the problem. They might have a solution, but they don't have all the equipment necessary."
"Damn," Jack said, but not in his radio. "What then?" he asked.
"It may be our chance of stopping the Re'tu," Hammond said. "But not only is it untested, but we would have to hamper our defense positions to gather the things that they need."
Which meant that it might be useless, or worse, and definitely time-consuming.
"The Re'tu aren't doing anything particular yet, that we can see, right?" Jack asked.
Just then, though, he heard a loud winding down of something. The lights flickered.
"They did it," Roberts said, surprised. "They shut down the gate."
But Jack focused on something else, and that was the scurrying sound he heard round the corner. The Re'tu hadn't liked that, and this one was on the move. But the scurrying was headed away, and this time Jack moved around the corner for good, firing into what looked like nothingness ahead. The bullets fell clinking harmlessly to the floor.
"Sir, the gate's down, but the Re'tu from my position has gone up towards Level 24," he reported.
"Affirmative," Hammond answered.
"And holy crap, we've got movement up here, headed up levels," Makepeace's voice staticked across the airwaves.
"They're heading for an exit," Dixon's flat voice came next, and Jack knew it was true the moment he said it.
"Why?" he asked sharply, as he darted down to make sure that Sha're and Chloe were accounted for.
Just at that moment, though, he heard muffled explosions, more than one, and the whole base seemed to shake. He put a hand out, and leaned against the wall, heart starting to pound as if trying to escape from his chest. The lights flickered, went out, and in the darkness he heard deep cracks and groans and another muffled explosion.
Jack could have sworn a thousand times to himself. The Re'tu had sabotaged the base, and now needed a way out. Holy shit, the SGC was sabotaged. Before the emergency lighting kicked in, all Jack could consider was just how screwed they were.