Heya guys, i had such awesome reviews for the last chapter so my muse was working overtime to get you another chapter. RL have been crazy these last couple of days but i just had to get this written and posted. my other stories will probably be next. anyways thanx for everyone who fav'ed, alerted and reviewed, you guys rock and my muse absolutely loves you! so do i!

Thanx again to my wonderful Mommy who also plays beta,(she gets to hear all my stories before i post them). and before i forget, its womens month in South Africa so happy women's month to all the girls and women out there!

Like i said before i only own the planet of Fleasia and the evil little Fleasians. the rest is not mine, but Christmas is coming and i am sending my list early so i can get them but i'm not holding my breath. lol, enjoy Chapter 4 of 'Taking the lead'...

The bang sounded around the hall room causing everybody to flinch even if it was expected. The sound of water was evidence of success as it whooshed out of the tank. Chains were heard as it pulled a body to a sudden stop and the sound of alarms ran out as hard as ever but nobody came. Three people held their breath as they waited a while before coming to the rescue of their fallen CO.

Jack was leaning forward halfway out of the tank. The chains cutting into his flesh around his ankles and wrists. The mask around his mouth was keeping him breathing so Sam decided that they have to move him with the machine it was connected to, this turned out to be a smallish device not much larger than a backpack. Teal'c picked it up as Daniel and Sam got rid of the chains. Expecting O'Neill to fall forward, Teal'c moved into position to catch him if necessary, but he never did. Instead he just stood there staring straight out, not moving an inch.

"Should we take the thing of his head?" Daniel sounded sceptical, that was never a good sign.

"I think we should leave it, like we leave these things" Sam fingered the collars each of them still wore "we don't know what it does."

"I agree with MajorCarter" Teal'c spoke up. "If we pull him along with us, I believe he will do what we position him to do." His stoic face remained impassive only an eyebrow out of place.

"Okay, let's head for the gate. Teal'c you take point, Daniel stay with the Colonel, I'll be on our six."

The two guys nodded as Teal'c put his gear on as well as O'Neill's. Daniel took the 'breathing thingy' in one hand and snaked his hand around Jack's upper arm pulling him towards the door. Jack walked willingly without any hesitation. This was one for the books. The team kept scanning the area as they went forward making sure that there was no one in their way.

Jack saw his team come into the room, work the controls and taking cover. He saw Teal'c take aim with the Beretta and his heart stopped in his throat as Teal'c fired the gun. The tank exploded with force and Jack could feel the shards flying into his body and exposed arms and face. He fell forward with the water but jerked to a stop when the chains held him in place, the cuffs bit painfully into his flesh but he didn't flinch or pull away. His whole body was numb. He felt the pain from the last couple of days as well as the new additions but he couldn't tell anybody. He heard when they spoke about the damn thing in his throat and was glad when they decided to keep it in. he knew that he wouldn't be able to breathe on his own without it. His whole body was on fire and where his team worked to get the cuffs and chains off of him their touch burned. Teal'c led him out of the tank and like before he just stood there. Waiting for a command. He heard the conversation around him, agreed with most of it but he wanted to tell them to stop as they were walking. Every move sent agony up his already messed up knees, fire to his back with every step, his head was pounding with every erratic beat of his heart but worst of all, with these controlled movements, he was reminded of the knowledge that he was not in control and that he carried the combined burden of his team. He was grateful for this because that meant that he protected them, that they were not in pain or dying unfortunately the same could not be said for him.

SG1

Hammond sat in the briefing room waiting for the Tok'ra to reply to them. They had sent a message through as soon as Bra'tac had explained the situation on the planet he now knew to be Fleasia.

"They start by looking simple. The leaders of their world play, how do you say? Stupid? Until they learn what they want to know."

"They probably learnt that the people of Earth know a lot of things."

Bra'tac nodded, "The people of the Tau'ri are well known as being warriors fighting the False Gods. They also know that you possess great knowledge about the Chappa'ai." He nodded towards the Stargate.

Hammond nodded and dropped his head into his hands, "SG-1 must have been a good catch then."

Bra'tac just nodded, Hammond sighed. His best team, Earths flagship team, paying the price for their exploration, his friends were suffering- again. He lifted his head and once again looked at Master Bra'tac. Understanding shone out of the older man's eyes. Hammond pulled himself together, sat up a little straighter in his chair. Bra'tac nodded showing he approved this move.

"Master Bra'tac, we need to know everything you know about this planet so we can be ready when the team comes home."

"I do not know much Hammond of Texas, the Tok'ra knows more. All I know is that they have technology that is very superior. They can allow one person to take the wounds and pain of a number of individuals."

"What do you mean 'take their pain'?"

"Like if I hit you and Teal'c was to be the chosen one, the mark as well as the pain will be on him and not on you."

"Crap! So is it real or just an illusion?"

"I do understand, what is an illusion?"

"An illusion is something that you see but it doesn't really exist."

"Oh, like the show of some of the false gods when they are there but also on another place?" Hammond nodded, it was close enough, "oh no, they have it as if it was done to them. They always choose the leaders. I believe that O'Neill will be the chosen one."

"That means that he will take the pain of the other three?" Bra'tac just nodded silently, "I had better call doctor Fraiser and tell her to be ready."

"That would be a wise thing to do Hammond, if my calculations are right, they will be here shortly."

Hammond nodded and picked up the phone on the wall, this was going to be a very long day.

SG-1

The team made good time getting to the gate. The Fleasians was too busy fighting the attacking Goauld to notice the team escaping. They were about ten metres from the gate when a group of Jaffa stepped out of the trees right in front of them, weapons raised.

"Kree!" came the familiar command but Teal'c started speaking in Goauld to the leader who then gave the rest of his group a command. They immediately lowered their weapons and half of the group moved on as if nothing had happened.

"Uh, Teal'c?" Daniel was weary, this had been too easy. Teal'c grabbed the forearm of the man in front of him and they pulled each other into a fierce hug.

"DanielJackson, this is Gump'ta. We grew up together. He is also in the service of Lord Yu."

"The snakehead that is attacking the planet?"

"Indeed."

"We must hurry, you're friend needs a healer soon." This statement caused the three members of SG 1 to exchange worried glances. Teal'c was the one to ask the question on everybody's mind.

"Why do you say so, Gump'ta?"

"Were you hurt? Did they strike any of you?"

Sam answered, "They hurt all of us."

"Then he has the pain as none of you have any marks on you."

"But he doesn't either." Daniel didn't want to believe it, that meant…he couldn't even finish the thought. His mind played cruel tricks as he stood staring at Gump'ta, making a perfect impression of a goldfish. "They whipped me Sam," he had said, "Didn't feel a thing."

Sam was thinking along the same lines, a feeling of dread washed over her as she remembered the team resisting the Fleasians, "Do what you want to." Sam had actually laughed at the man as he kicked her leg with so much force that it should have been broken.

Teal'c was looking at Jack and remembering their conversation the last time these people had brought Sam back

****** Flashback *******

"They are not the ones hurting him, Daniel."

"Then who is?"

"We are Daniel, we are."

"But how? Why?"

"I don't know Daniel. You know how we don't feel anything when they beat us?" She waited until they nodded before she continued, "he feels everything." He looked at her questioningly.

"I don't know how, but I saw him get hurt when they whipped me. Daniel he can't even fight back."

****** Flashback ******

They had suspected this but the realisation hit hard. Teal'c looked straight into his warrior brother's eyes and saw the pain there. If he had not been a warrior, if he had been a female, he would have cried. But he straightened his shoulders and turned to the people around him.

"We must get him home to DoctorFraiser. She is the only one that can assist us now."

"Indeed, my brother, we must make haste before they discover that we are escaping."

"You are coming with us then?" Sam asked almost relieved that she did not have to think about ….she stopped herself, she needed to get these people and the Colonel home and then she could give in to the guilt that was eating away at her heart.

"Yes, MajorCarter. Master Bra'tac is awaiting my return with your Tau'ri First Prime." This was said with the normal seriousness of a Jaffa, but the two humans looked at each other and burst out laughing despite the horrible situation they were in. even Teal'c couldn't hide the big smile on his face as all off them suddenly had a picture of General Hammond in full First Prime uniform meeting them at the gate. Poor Gump'ta was looking at them in surprise. 'I will never understand humans.' He thought.

"I will explain later, Gump'ta. Let's get out of here." Sam said after they sobered up a bit.

"Indeed. This way." He said and walked in the direction of the stargate. The whole team was weary of this new friend of theirs but Teal'c seemed to trust him so they trusted him. After another couple of minutes they reached the gate and were relieved that there were no guards.

"This is too quiet." Sam said lifting her P90 to firing range.

"I concur." Teal'c said.

"Teal'c circle around the right side, I will take the left. Gump'ta stays with Daniel and the Colonel."

Gump'ta wasn't very happy with a female ordering him around but his long-time friend seemed to trust her instincts so he will too. After a nail biting half an hour, Sam's voice came over the radio.

"Daniel, haul ass to the gate and start dialling." Her voice left no room for argument and he hauled ass, Gump'ta had picked up the Colonel, slung him over his shoulder and ran after Daniel.

Just as Daniel had entered the last symbol and pressed the red middle button, gunfire erupted to their left. Sam came running out not one minute later while Daniel was sending the IDC code. Teal'c came running from the right and helped Sam lay down cover fire.

"It's through, let's go."

"Daniel go and warn them."

Daniel ran up the steps and dove through the gate, followed by Gump'ta who still had the Colonel over his shoulder. Teal'c and Sam gave one last rain of bullets to the advancing Fleasians and then hurried to get their sixes through the gate.

SG-1

"Unscheduled off-world activation!"

Walter's voice came over the intercom, making all three people in the briefing room jump. Hammond and Janet made their way down to the control room followed closely by Master Bra'tac.

Just as they reached their destination, Walter called out excitedly, "its SG1 sir!" He was practically jumping out his seat. "Well then, open the iris!" They all raced down to the gate room arriving as Daniel came through the gate head first landing with a loud bang on the ramp, followed by a Jaffa that had someone over his shoulder. This had the SF's raising their weapons again until Master Bra'tac told Hammond that he was the Jaffa helping them.

"Lower your weapons." He didn't take his eyes of the scene in front of him as Daniel helped Gump'ta put the Colonel on his feet. He wanted to run to them but knew from past experience to stay clear until the wormhole had disengaged. A couple of minutes later saw the three people at the base of the ramp looking at the three people standing at the top of the ramp. One looking at Master Bra'tac, another at the wormhole behind him and the third staring straight ahead, not moving and not blinking. Janet didn't move towards the Colonel, he didn't appear to be injured and for safety reasons she had to wait for the wormhole to shut down. Just then Teal'c and Sam came flying out of the shimmering pool and like Daniel connected with the ramp hard.

"Close the iris." Sam shouted.

The wormhole shut down a couple of seconds later. What happened next will haunt everybody for a very long time. As the wormhole disengaged, Jack O'Neill blinked for the first time in almost four days; he turned his head towards Sam and blinked. With that blood came pouring out from wounds that suddenly appeared, his legs gave out from under him – one bending at an odd angle – his clothes tore as the flesh on his back ripped open and he closed his eyes. The only indication that he was still alive was the artificial air being pumped into his body by the strange alien device. Everybody stood frozen but when the device stopped pumping air Janet sprang into action, calling out instructions and orders to her medical team. Bare second later the gurney was headed to the infirmary leaving behind a group of people that were too shocked to say anything. Once again Jack O'Neill had to fight for his life, but will he be strong enough to win?

DUM DUM DUUUUUM, so? please take the time to feed my muse and tell her and me what you think. i also wrote a salute to all medical personal out there called "A Salute". for those interested it can be found under the CSI ny folder or on my profile. have a blessed week and take care - CSIflea