The loud shriek reverberated through the ship, magnified by the metal surfaces on every wall. Ba'al grabbed his head, dropping to his knees in agony. The egg-like weapon had dropped from his hand and rolled under the console. As the sound continued the System Lord appeared to grow weaker until he collapsed on the ground, unconscious.
With a gasp, Jack took a deep breath. Suddenly he could hear his heart beating – it was a sound he had not expected to hear again - at least not until waking up in the sarcophagus. In the foggy recesses of his mind a small voice told him he was still alive.
"Sir"
No – he took that back. The last thing he remembered had been calling Sam. That she answered must mean that he was dead. Maybe he was in heaven? That would be something, he decided. He'd often wondered if God would let him in after all the things he'd done in his life.
"Sir, you have to get up."
What? Why did he have to get up? If this was heaven you'd think they'd let him sleep in a bit. Dying took a lot out of you.
"Sir, please. We don't have much time. You have to wake up."
"Wha-?" He slowly opened his eyes and looked right into his most favorite eyes.
"Come on Sir, please."
"Oh …. Okay." He still couldn't figure out what was going on, his mind still reeling from the assault. He did know that listening to Sam when she had that tone of voice was important. He pushed himself to a sitting position, with Carter's help.
"Wha's happnin'?" he grunted. He started to fall back down but Carter stopped him.
"We're on Ba'al's ship Sir. We have to get off before they find us. Come on." She began to pull him up. He tried to help, really he did, but she ended up doing most of the work.
Once she had him to a standing position she began to lead him out of the room. He kept stumbling and the going was slow. Without warning he stopped.
"Sir?"
"Ba'al"
"It's okay Sir. I set a high pitched sound to play throughout the ship. It's set at a frequency that appears to affect the symbiote. I don't know how long it will last so we've got to go."
"No. Kill him. Kill Ba'al."
"Uh, he's gone Colonel. Come on! We've got to move." She began to lead him towards the door again. As they exited the room she could see Gro'Mal still on guard.
"Anything?" she asked the large Jaffa.
When he didn't respond she walked up and gently touched his arm. He jerked and turned to her, his zat held up. As soon as he saw who it was he lowered his weapon.
"It's okay now." She mouthed to him, pointing at his ears. He nodded and pulled something from each ear.
"We have to hurry." Gro'Mal took over helping the Colonel, his size and strength making it easier. Sam led the way to the ring room.
"Major." O'Neill gasped out. Sam turned to look at him. "Teal'c and … Tokra …. Ba'al got them."
"Damn!" she stopped. That meant more time spent saving them. "Gro'Mal, get Colonel O'Neill to the ring room. I'll go and see if I can help Teal'c and Kraneas." She turned and, before O'Neill could object, she headed in the opposite direction.
As Sam looked for her comrades she just hoped they had done as she had told them and had put the sap covered pieces of cloth in their ears before she set off the high frequency sound. If so maybe they had a chance.
Jack objected, as strongly as he could, all the way to the ring room. He desperately wanted to go and help find his 'team' but knew he was too weak. He was also frightened for Sam and Teal'c. What if they were recaptured?
He couldn't figure out why Sam had said Ba'al was gone. He'd hoped that they could have killed the bastard. He'd have to ask Sam what had happened.
"Major Carter!" a soft voice interrupted her careful trek through the gold covered corridor.
"Teal'c!" the man in question appeared from behind one of the pillars in the corridor, followed closely by the Tokra and D'jindra. "How did you get away?"
"We were prepared for the sound. As soon as it started we were able to overpower the guards. Were you successful? Were you able to retrieve O'Neill?"
"Yes. Come on. We've got to get off the ship. Gro'Mal has taken him to the ring room." The three 'rescuers', along with Matsya's 'torturer' made their way to where the Tokra waited with Colonel O'Neill.
"Do not fret Colonel. I am sure Major Carter will find them. Everything will be fine."
"Yeah", Jack didn't have the energy to say much more. As it was he couldn't stand and had sunk to the ground as they waited. So far they had only seen one Jaffa and he looked as if he had still been incapacitated by the sound. Whatever that frequency was, it sure affected the symbiotes. He wondered briefly why Sam hadn't used it before.
"Okay, let's go." Jack looked up in relief as he heard Sam speak. She, Teal'c and Kraneas were back. He was less pleased to see D'jindra but knew it was necessary. Teal'c quickly walked to he controls and nodded, waiting for everyone to take their positions.
"Here Sir." Sam walked over and, with Gro'Mal's help, assisted Jack to his feet and over to the ring pad. Teal'c quickly sent the controls and then hopped over to the others. Within seconds the rings had transported them back to the planet.
This was probably one of the most dangerous parts of their plan. They had tried to figure out how to ring to another location but didn't have the time to try and refigure new coordinates. They knew how tricky it was going to be to arrive right in the middle of a Jaffa camp. This is where they were relying on Daniel.
The moment they touched down and the rings disappeared they looked up to see at least a dozen Jaffa surrounding them. Someone on the ship must have recovered enough to send word.
"Kree!" Oh yeah, sure, thought Jack. Couldn't these guys at least be original for once!
He hadn't even had a chance to think a second thoughtwhen an explosion occurred no more than twenty feet from where they were standing. Before anyone had a chance to react another one went off, then another and another. Suddenly, the camp erupted in chaos with shouts and screams coming from all corners of the compound. Within seconds smoke and dust were everywhere and people were running in panic. Sam's group instantly took advantage of the pandemonium and ran towards the gate. A couple of the Jaffa tried to fire on them but Teal'c and Gro'Mal quickly neutralized them.
"Let's go!" shouted Carter. Still holding on to Jack she ran with him as fast as they could go. She could hear him wheezing but he used everything he had in him to keep going. Little did she know that he got a burst of energy anytime she touched him.
They finally made it to the gate which was still closed and barred. Two Jaffa stood and guarded it carefully even though they were looking worried over the seeming battle raging before them. As yet they had not seen the enemy but the explosions kept happening every few seconds.
It didn't take long for the escaped prisoners to make their way past the (now unconscious) guards and out into the forest beyond. Jack was pleased but wondered what good this was going to do. As soon as the chaos in the camp ended a Jaffa patrol would be sent and, with the speed at which he could travel, they were sure to be caught soon.
"We've got to find cover quickly," Sam panted. She was exhausted from having to support much of Jack's weight. Without a word Teal'c came over and took Jack's other arm. Instantly the load became lighter as he took much of the Colonel's weight. She went to take her arm away but Jack grabbed her hand, not letting her leave. She glanced at him and saw his exhausted, sick yet entreating eyes. Nodding, she continued to hold on to him.
They walked for another few hundred yards until they came to a small outcropping of rocks.
"Here Major Carter. There is a small cave." Kraneas pointed over to his right. When they arrived it became obvious it was really more of a depression in the rocks than an actual cave, but it would have to do.
It had been almost 20 minutes since they'd left the ship and as yet they could hear no one following. They helped the Colonel into the back of the small cave and all sat down, closely together. Jack couldn't figure out what was going on. It was clear they had rushed to get under cover, but from what he couldn't figure out. They certainly weren't concealed well enough from any Jaffa who might be searching for them.
It happened without warning. One minute the day was clear, with the sound of birds, insects and a light breeze rustling the trees. The next it was as if something, some great force, had sucked all the air out of the atmosphere. There was a strange moment of dead silence and stillness, as if the whole world had come to a stop and was holding its breath. This was followed, almost immediately, by the loudest 'boom' Jack swore he'd ever heard. The sound was so loud it was impossible to say when it actually ended – his ears continued to throb long after the actual sound had ceased.
It took Jack awhile to figure out what had happened. Everything was pretty fuzzy for him still so he looked at Sam in confusion. When she grinned back at him he knew he felt incredibly happy – but he still couldn't quite figure out why. It was only as he heard things begin to drop out of the sky that he began to figure it out.
Holly Crap! Sam had blown Ba'al's ship to kingdom come! She'd actually done it! A few wires, a circuit or two and some paper clips and she'd actually blown him to hell.
"Hallelujah!" he whispered. Never had he been more serious.
"Yeah Sir. It's great, isn't it." She spoke softly as they continued to remain protected from whatever pieces of Ba'al's ship hurtled to the ground.
"It is. How did you -?" he asked shortly, unable to say much more.
"Well, I realized that the ship we kidnapped had a small shipment of naquada on it. Either Matsya had just received it or was shipping it elsewhere. Anyway, when I saw that I realized I had enough to do some serious damage to the mothership if I could get there. So, I spent some time manufacturing some simple explosive devices. I left some with Daniel and then took some with me. I was able to plant them at a few key places on Ba'al's ship."
"What happened to Ba'al?" he asked the question he'd been wanting to ask for some time.
"He must have some kind of automatic personal defense system. As soon as he became incapacitated from the high frequency sound he was transported out of the room you were in. I saw him 'fade out' just as I entered. I'm sorry Sir. I'd hoped to be able to zat him."
"Hey, you've done enough. Let's just hope he was still on the ship."
"Yes, that's what I thought to. It would be great if we got the slimy bastard."
"Careful there … Major. You're channeling me!"
She grinned back. "Thank you Sir. Can't think of anyone I'd rather 'channel'."
He looked at her, affection shining from his eyes. Yup, his major had done it again. She'd so saved their asses! With a little help of course.
"Hey Teal'c – thanks! And you two." He looked towards Gro'Mal and Kraneas.
"We are honored to have been able to assist you Colonel." Kraneas answered. Gro'Mal just grunted, looking fierce and rather – sour. "We are doubly honored to have been able to assist in the destruction of one of Ba'al's motherships. It is a great day for all of us."
It seemed to take forever before pieces of metal stopped raining from the sky. What was interesting was the fact that none of the pieces were very big. The explosion seemed to have really ripped it apart.
Jack rested, soon falling fast asleep. At first he had simply leaned into Sam but eventually she had wiggled over and helped lay him down, his head in her lap. As she watched him sleep she worried, seeing how pale and weak he was. He was still cold, his skin almost icy. The only good news was that the staff wound was gone.
"How is he?" asked Teal'c who had come and sat beside her.
"Not well, I'm afraid. I was hoping the sarcophagus would help but other than fix his wound it doesn't seem to have done anything."
"No, it will not. According to him", Teal'c nodded with his head towards D'jindra who was being closely guarded, "the substances he was given changed his body and his mind permanently. The sarcophagus does not recognize this as an illness but simply as who he is, therefore it cannot fix him."
"Oh God Teal'c. What are we going to do? He can't die. I just pray to God Janet can fix him."
Teal'c sat silently, wrestling with what to tell Major Carter. He'd promised O'Neill he would not say anything but he did not want to see his friend die. Finally, he compromised.
"Major Carter, it is obvious that O'Neill is better when you are near. I would suggest that you stay with him at all times. Touch him, that seems to bring him comfort. Do not let him go."
Carter looked flushed, a red tinge of embarrassment seeping up into her cheeks. As much as she wanted to she felt uncomfortable about staying so close to Jack. If that was what he needed however, that is what she would do. She'd promised herself no more hiding, no more lies.
"Okay Teal'c. I will stay close." The Jaffa looked strangely pleased by that. Sam wondered briefly if there was something he was hiding. No, she laughed to herself, Teal'c is the most honest person I know. He would never hide anything from her.
A few minutes later they heard a rustling in the forest. Suddenly alert all of them – except O'Neill, who continued to sleep and D'jindra - pulled their weapons, waiting for an attack.
"Hey, anybody here?" Sam put down her zat and breathed a sigh of relief. Daniel was back.
"Over here Daniel", she called softly. A little while later Daniel appeared, sweaty but looking pleased.
"Everybody okay? How's Jack?" The archaeologist had spotted Jack first off and breathing a deep sigh of relief had sat down beside where Sam was holding him.
"He's not doing well Daniel, but at least he's alive."
"Did Ba'al … hurt him?"
"I don't know. I think he was doing something as I opened the door but I can't be sure. He did stick him in the sarcophagus however and that would have taken some time so hopefully he didn't have a lot of time to – interrogate him."
"Hey, 'him' is listening here. Hi Daniel", Jack turned and looked at the dark haired young man.
"Hi Jack. How ya doing?" Daniel squatted down and looked worriedly at his obviously very sick friend.
"Good. Much better now. Hey, great job there Danny. Quite a show you put on."
"Like that did you? I figured you'd appreciate it. I must admit I never could quite see what you got out of blowing things up – but it kind of grows on you." Daniel grinned down at Jack who let out a short laugh.
"Hey Carter."
"Yes Sir?" she looked down at the man who was still lying in her lap.
"Take a memo. I must let Daniel blow things up on our next mission."
"Yes Sir." She smiled, more pleased by his assumption that there would be a next mission than by the joke itself.
"So campers", Jack continued softly. "What's next?"
"Well, once we've determined what's happened to all the Jaffa we were going to try and rescue the rest of the captives – once D'jindra here tells us where they are." Everyone turned and looked at the little man who hadn't said a word since they'd left Ba'al's ship. "Teal'c is going to accompany you and Sam back to the spacecraft. Kraneas and Gro'Mal are going with me."
"Teal'c can go with you and S – Carter can help me back to the ship." He hated to think it – he so wanted to be able to help but knew, at this point, he'd be more of a hindrance than a help.
"Sorry Jack, I don't think she can make it with you without help. Teal'c can come back once you're at the ship. It's not too far from here. Hopefully it hasn't been found."
At this point the attention of the group shifted to D'jindra. With six pairs of eyes focused on him he knew he could no longer avoid the conversation.
"Where are they being kept?" Daniel asked bluntly.
With a sigh D'jindra looked at the younger man. "They are in underground caverns a short way from the compound. My Lord Matsya discovered them many years ago and had tunnels constructed from under the temple to the caverns. Enough food is kept there to last many weeks and there is a fresh supply of water from an underground stream. If you do not know where to look you would not be able to find the entrance."
"You must not have been happy to have been left behind." Kraneas added. A look of anger briefly appeared across the other man's face. No, he hadn't been happy at all. After all his years of faithful service, to have been rewarded like this was eating at his soul.
In answer D'jindra shrugged. These people did not need to know the doubts he was now having towards his god. He had been happy, holding power over all except his Lord. He had used pain and fear to control and it gave him a sense of power. He enjoyed the suffering of others; it was mother's milk to him.
"So, when do we go?" Daniel was anxious to retrieve the captives and get the heck off this planet. They needed to get Jack to medical help as soon as possible.
"We have to make it into the compound and then into the temple. The place is full of Jaffa – very angry, very pissed off Jaffa – who are going to be particularly glad to see us."
"They may be having second thoughts now that their god is dead." Daniel added optimistically.
"We don't know he is dead, Daniel", Sam added quietly. "For all we know he escaped to the planet before his ship blew." As she spoke she had been gently running her fingers through Jack's hair, trying to give him some comfort. It hadn't taken long for the soothing feel of her hands had lulled him back to sleep. He felt so much better than he had before.
"Okay then, how are we going to get in?"
The group sat there for a long time, trying to figure out the best way to make it into the temple. They knew they didn't have long but nothing seemed to be adequate in getting them in. Frustrated, they all tried to get some rest although it was mostly unsuccessful.
"Go in a different way." A soft voice suddenly split the afternoon air.
"What?" Sam looked down at Jack who was awake and who looked a little more alert.
"Go in through a different way. Matsya must have an entrance or exit closer to the caverns. He surely would have had an exit." They all stared at Jack as if he had three legs. Okay, he maybe sick but it hadn't been that bad an idea.
"You're brilliant Sir!" Sam reached down and kissed him, seemingly unaware of what she was doing. Teal'c and Daniel looked at each other, duel eyebrows raised.
"Yes, O'Neill is correct", Teal'c interjected. "A Goa'uld would make sure of an exit. He would not wish to get trapped. How do we find this place?"
Jack turned his head until he was looking at D'jindra. "You! You must know. Don't tell me Matsya's right hand man didn't know the escape hatch! Where is it?"
D'jindra looked angry, his last hope now gone. Glaring at O'Neill he was suddenly glad he'd done what he had to this man. Unless he and the woman got together he was as good as dead. D'jindra hoped it would be soon.
When it became obvious that D'jindra was not about to answer, Teal'c stood up and walked over to the ugly little man. He reached down and took him by the arm and lifted him to a standing position.
"You do not seem to understand", Teal'c continued, "if you are unwilling to help us there is no point in keeping you alive." The big man turned to O'Neill. "Permission to kill him Colonel." At those words D'jindra squeaked and then began to babble, begging to be spared, he knew where it was, yadda, yadda, yadda.
"I suggest you tell us now', added Daniel. "I think Teal'c is feeling antsy. He hasn't had a chance to kill someone in a long time. This might be what he needs.
That was the last straw as far as D'jindra was concerned. He began to tell the team everything he knew, from where the entrance was to what kind of defenses the caverns had. By the time he was finished everyone was raring to go – everyone but Jack, who was again asleep, and Sam, who cared nothing for anything right now except getting the Colonel home and well,
"Hey Carter", Jack's voice again floated up to her. He'd woken up again, mostly likely feeling her nervousness. "Everything will be fine, don't worry."
"I know Sir – luck of SG1, we'll be fine."
"Nah, this time I think it's the 'luck o' the Irish!' We'll get 'em back, don't worry." As his eyes once again drooped Sam knew that this was the time for honestly.
"I'm not worried about them Jack. It's you I'm thinking of." That startled him enough so that his eyes opened. Through his weakness and tiredness he tried to see her clearly, and to understand her.
"What?" he asked, trying to make sense of her words.
"You're the one I'm thinking of. I want you safe at home, under Janet's care. I love you too much to lose you now. You just hold on Sir. We'll make it home."
Jack lay there bemused. Carter just said she loved him. God, he hoped she meant it. Looking up at her, her eyes swimming in tears, he smiled.
"Yeah Carter, we'll make it home. And I love you too."