Disclaimer: Don't own it, wish I did, I just like to play with SG-1 once and a while. I'll put them back when I'm finished. I promise. (And if I owned it, Stargate SG-1 would run forever.)
Beta Reader: (Original): Pollyanna
Beta Reader(2013): Edited by Jon from stargatetwins dot com (Typo's are all mine.)
Reviews: Scottiedog: Yes Kayla is a stubborn as her father. Nightshae: You're going to have to wait to find out who the spy is I'm afraid, it doesn't happen in this chapter. And to answer you question, yes Reynolds does know who Jon is, which is why he wanted him on SG-3. winjan: father and daughter will get face to face and don't worry about Mitchell and Kayla, they'll be fine.
Author's Note: A big thank you once again to Polly for beta reading.
DF
Chapter Five: The Blood Stone Part 1
Stargate Command: Earth
Jack sat back in his chair and rubbed his eyes wearily; it had been a long week, longer than he wanted to believe. Seated in front of him was Hank Landry, the man looked just as tired. "Jack, I can honestly say I have a greater respect for you now."
Jack chuckled, "Thank you, I think."
Hank smiled. "There's one more thing before I head back to Washington, and my safe office within the Pentagon."
"Oh?" Jack sat up.
"The President agrees with me that the SGC needs a doctor on staff who is qualified to handle trauma counseling," Hank revealed, and then went in for the kill. "There is one person we think who can best handle the job."
"Who?" the SGC commander wanted to know, being handed a file, he opened it, seeing the included photo.
"Doctor Margaret O'Hara," the head of HWS stated.
"Margo?" Leaving the file on his desk, Jack leaned back in his chair. "Has she been approached?"
"No, the President thought you'd like to do it."
He nodded. "All right, I'll organize it."
Hank knew it wasn't going to be easy, "Good luck, Jack."
"Thanks." He stood and reached out to shake his friend's hand. "Nice work while I was away, General."
"May pleasure, General," Hank said, chuckling. "We'll have dinner next time I'm in town, or you're in my neighborhood."
"You bet."
The head of HWS nodded and left the office.
Jack returned to his seat and sighed. When the klaxons went off, and he was called to the control room, he was on his feet and down there in seconds. The Stargate was active and defensive troops were ready, as was a medical team. "What have you got, Walter?"
"It's SG-1, sir, code red," Chief Master Sergeant Harriman reported. "It's Ba'al."
"Crap," Jack swore. He moved the microphone. "Mitchell, what's your status?"
There was a lot of background noise as Colonel Mitchell reported in. "We're held up in front of the Gate, sir. Michaels is hit, Jackson is down…" there was a pause and then a yell of concern for Teal'c, then nothing.
"Mitchell!"
"We've still got a radio signal, sir." Harriman revealed, checking.
"What about the camera on the MALP?"
"Bringing it up now, sir," the Chief acknowledged.
Jack looked at the monitor; it flickered and then became clear, the MALP camera transmitting footage of the area in front of the Gate. SG-1 was spread out, either unconscious or dead. Kayla was lying on her stomach five feet or so from the Stargate, the back of her vest smoking from a staff blast. The camera was panned to show Teal'c had fallen not far from her. Michaels was near the DHD, blood on his forehead; Mitchell was to his left, his vest was smoking, a staff blast to the chest. The area was crawling with Jaffa and Lucian Alliance soldiers, who began stripping their people of their vests and weapons, none too carefully, throwing their gear on the ground. Ba'al stood near the platform leading to the Stargate, his First Prime with him.
"Bastards!" A voice hissed behind Jack as Kayla was dropped to the ground like a discarded rag doll.
Jack tore his eyes from the monitor, seeing his 2IC, Colonel Albert Reynolds, and his 'son' Jon. Both were geared up, both angered by what they were seeing. He looked back to the monitor, seeing Mitchell and Kayla being dragged over to the Goa'uld ring platform; then both were ringed away with two Jaffa.
"Look," Jon gestured to the monitor.
Michaels was conscious and being escorted to the Stargate, his fingers laced behind his head, a rope tied around his waist and held by a Jaffa, preventing his escape. He was stopped directly in front of the event horizon, facing it as the Jaffa moved out of the way.
Ba'al moved so the camera was directly on him. "I know you're watching General O'Neill," he sneered. "I'm tired of this game. Bring me Daniel Jackson within two hours, or his daughter and Colonel Mitchell will be sacrificed." He nodded to his First Prime, who fired his staff weapon. The blast hit Michaels in the back, and propelled him through the event horizon.
They tore their gaze from the monitor, seeing the badly injured Major come through the Gate and crumble onto the ramp, his back a bloody burnt mess. The medical team rushed up the ramp as the Stargate shut off, and the iris closed. Soon they were fighting to stabilize their patient, preventing him from going into shock.
Jack straightened, his anger apparent. "Walter, as soon the med team is out of the Gate Room, dial it up," he ordered and turned to Reynolds. "If it's clear, you have a go," he ordered.
"Yes sir," the Colonel acknowledged. The Stargate started spinning as soon as the medical team rushed Michaels out of the Gate Room on a gurney. Both Reynolds and Jon hurried from the control room, determination in their eyes. Joining the rest of SG-3 in the Gate Room, weapons were handed over to them, both men now heavily armed. Before them, the Stargate opened with a kawoosh and settled into its watery puddle.
Jack's voice came over the PA a few minutes later. "SG-3, you have a go, Teal'c is still near the gate, no sign of Jaffa."
Reynolds acknowledged him with a nod. "Alright people, let's go," he ordered as he led his men up the ramp at a run, and through the Stargate.
Jack gripped the back of Harriman's chair as the Stargate closed down. "Keep me posted, Walter, I need to make a call."
"Yes, sir," the Chief acknowledged.
Reluctantly, Jack left the control room and headed for his office. He set up a conference call to both the President and Landry, who was still on the plane back to Washington, and filled them in on Ba'al's demands.
"It sounds like a trap," Hank Landry's voice came over the speakerphone.
"It most likely is, Hank."
The President was the next to speak. "What do you want to do, Jack?"
Jack hesitated. "Mr. President, I know this is a trap, but I also know my people won't break. If he snakes either or both of them..." he paused. "I have to try to get them back, and I'm going to need Daniel to do it. Kayla knows enough about the Stargate and the Ancients to be a danger to us if she were to be taken as a host."
"Jack, if she can't be retrieved, if he's already had her taken as a host before you can get to her…"
"Mr. President, if it comes down to it, both Kayla and Mitchell would rather be dead than a host to a Goa'uld; I assure you. If there's no other way," he squeezed his eyes shut for a moment before opening them, "I'll give the order for them to be taken out."
"I'm sorry, Jack." Hank said solemnly.
"So am I."
"Contact Atlantis, bring Dr. Jackson home, General," the President ordered.
"Yes sir." He was just getting to his feet after hanging up when the klaxons went off. Jack hurried to the Control room, getting there as the Stargate activated behind the iris. "Walter?"
"Receiving SG-3's IDC, sir."
"Open the iris, medics to the Gate Room."
"Yes sir." The iris spun open, the go signal transmitted through the Stargate, and the medical team call was put over the PA.
Moments later, the puddle rippled as SG-3 exited with Jon leading, and two members of the team carrying Teal'c on a stretcher. Jon carried SG-1's discarded vests and weapons belts; next to him, a Sergeant had SG-1's P-90's, with Reynolds bringing up the rear.
The medical team rushed in and transferred Teal'c onto a gurney, then rushed him out. SG-3 handed over all weapons and damaged vests, and then Reynolds and Jon headed for the control room.
Jack patted Walter on the shoulder. "Dial Atlantis."
"Yes, sir..."
Reynolds interrupted Walter, "General, the area around the Gate was deserted. Sergeant Williams stabilized Teal'c while we did a quick search of the area. When he was ready we dialed the Gate and came home."
"They obviously have a mothership in orbit," Jon continued.
Knowing Jon was right, Jack nodded. He turned as the Gate activated, and grabbed the microphone from Walter's station, "Atlantis, this is Stargate Command."
"Stargate Command, this is Atlantis, we read you General," Elizabeth Weirs' voice came over the radio.
"Doctor, I need to speak to Daniel."
"I'm here Jack, what's wrong?"
Jack paused; he hated this, "Daniel, Ba'al ambushed SG-1. He has Mitchell and Kayla. Michaels and Teal'c are both in the infirmary with serious injuries."
"What aren't you telling me?"
"We don't know if the Colonel or Kayla were alive at the time they were taken," he answered gravely. "And if they were dead, they won't be for long. Ba'al will have them put into a sarcophagus. He wants you, Daniel, and he'll sacrifice them both if we don't hand you over."
There was a moment of silence, and then Elizabeth spoke. "General, he'll be there shortly. Atlantis out."
"Let me know when he comes, Walter, I'll be in the infirmary."
"Yes sir."
DF
"Any news?" Jon inquired as they waited outside the infirmary, watching Jack exit the ICU for the third time.
Jack shook his head. "Not yet, Michaels is still in surgery, Lam is with Teal'c."
"General, this is a trap," Reynolds declared.
"I know, and so does Daniel." Klaxon's went off. Jack swore under his breath as he went over to the phone, calling the control room. "Who is it, Walter?" he listened, and then replied, "I'll be right up." He hung up and turned. "It's the Tok'ra; they say they have Intel concerning Mitchell and Kayla."
"Permission to…," Jon started to ask, just as Reynolds began to speak.
Jack waved them away as he grabbed a nurse, and ordered her to have Lam inform him the minute there was any news. He then calmly headed for the briefing room, preparing himself for yet another dreaded meeting with the Tok'ra.
The Tok'ra were waiting patiently when Jack arrived – Malek, who'd they'd had contact with before; Jacob Carter, former General in the Air Force and Sam Carter's father, who had volunteered to be a host when he was dying of Cancer; and one person who they hadn't expected to see – Jonas Quinn.
Jacob greeted the General warmly. "Jack, you're looking well."
"Jacob," he shook the man's hand, "how are you and Selmac?"
"We're doing fine. How is Sam?"
"At Atlantis," Jack said casually, "engaged to Daniel. I'm sure they were going to contact you sooner or later."
"Daniel?" He smiled, not very surprised. "I'm glad they got their act together."
"Me too," the head of Stargate command remarked, and then got to the point. "So, Malek, Jonas, how can you help us get Mitchell and Kayla back?"
"We have an agent on Ba'al's ship," Malek informed. "Chandra is his contact; when he received the information, he brought it to us."
"Chandra?" Jack was confused, and saw Jonas step forward.
Jonas spoke in a Tok'ra voice, "That would be me, General O'Neill."
"Whoa," Jack took a step back. "What the hell?"
With a blink of his eyes, Jonas was back in control. "It's good to see you again, sir," he said smiling.
Jack frowned, and he wasn't the only one; Reynolds and Jon were frowning as well. "I think you owe us an explanation, don't you?"
Jonas nodded. "Our people decided to explore other planets, and since I was classed as the expert, I led teams through the Stargate, exploring different worlds. On one, we ran across the Tok'ra, forming an alliance with them."
"We've tried dialing the Langaran's Stargate, it won't lock." Reynolds stated.
The former SG-1 member nodded. "Four months ago, Ba'al bombarded my home planet from orbit, and then he sent troops down to the surface. They infiltrated the bunker where the Stargate was held and took it, beamed it and the DHD right out. My team and I were off world at the time, also under heavy fire, and we were trying to get home. I even dialed Earth, but couldn't get through, probably because your Stargate was active. So I dialed an address where I knew there was a Tok'ra agent. I was the only one of my team left by the time I stepped through the Stargate."
Malek added, "Chandra's former host, Mika, was dying. When we found Jonas he was also dying, his injuries far greater than a healing device could attend too. We gave him the offer of being host to Chandra. He accepted and they were blended."
"Chandra saved my life and I saved his," Jonas said calmly. "My people are under Ba'al's control for now; one day I hope to help free them and return their Stargate to them."
"Well, we may be able to help with the Stargate," Jack revealed. "SG-1 took out one of Ba'al's motherships, but not before they transported about thirty Gates off his ship and into the hanger of the Prometheus, where they are safe. DHDs; that may be a problem."
"So what is the information you have on Mitchell and Kayla?" Jon interrupted.
Malek frowned. "Who is this boy?"
Jack held Jon back with a gesture, "This is Jon O'Neill, my son."
Jacob arched an eyebrow. "Your son?"
"Yeah, long story; just answer his question."
Jonas' symbiote took control once more. "Ba'al is searching for a weapon called the Sangreal."
Jack looked to Jon for an answer, seeing he was running things through in his head. "Well?"
"Kayla has been working on the data she brought back with her, from all the alternate versions of her father. The Sangreal is a weapon Merlin invented to use against the ascended. An anti-Ori weapon, she thought. If we could find it, it might be what's needed to fight the Ori if they attack our galaxy."
"Merlin?" Jack was a little perplexed.
"Yeah, he was an Ancient."
"Great," the older O'Neill grumbled.
"Ba'al believes the weapon can be used not only against the ascended, but all life," Chandra continued. "However, he needs Daniel Jackson to assist him in retrieving the weapon."
"Why?" Jack demanded.
"Ba'al possesses a document he wants translated, and believes that Daniel, being formerly ascended..." Selmac told him.
Jack interrupted, "The same one he tried to get Kayla to translate when he captured her the first time." Jack saw Jacob nod. "She won't do it, and neither will he, you know that."
Jacob knew the score, "Having them both as prisoner may persuade either one, or both, to cooperate."
Jack was shaking his head, "Damn!"
"If he's going to use Kayla's father to manipulate her, or him, why take Colonel Mitchell?" Reynolds inquired.
"To manipulate them both," Jack realized. He took a seat, his exhaustion was catching up with him. "Ba'al must have a spy at Atlantis."
"Why do you say that, Jack?" Jacob asked.
"After Daniel arrived on Atlantis, he was scheduled to have the ATA therapy. Dr. Beckett did his initial physical and found out he already had the ATA gene," he explained. "It seems that ascending and descending twice caused the non-evolved gene to evolve and become active to its fullest potential, making Daniel an Alteran, of sorts. So with him being a natural carrier like Kayla, they can use ancient technology more easily and with built in intuition."
"What does this have to do with Colonel Mitchell?" Jonas asked, confused.
"While at Atlantis, I had the rest of SG-1 undergo the ATA gene therapy. It worked with both Mitchell and Michaels, but they can only use Ancient technology with limited success. The thing is…"
"If Mitchell is with Kayla, his success rate rises," Jon figured out, and Jack nodded.
"How is that possible, General O'Neill?" Malek inquired.
"During her first mission with SG-1, Kayla and Mitchell were injured. They fell into a hole in the ground, and both of them were unconscious for a short period of time. Kayla cracked her head open on a jug that contained a liquid that reacted to her ATA gene. Mitchell was also exposed to it; it was on his hands. It was at Atlantis, after testing the two of them together, that Dr. Beckett theorized that both of them being unconscious and exposed to the liquid created a bond between them."
"And no one at the SGC knew about it?" Reynolds wondered out loud.
Jack nodded again, slowly. He paused when the klaxons went off, and Harriman's voice blared over the PA system, "General O'Neill to the Gate Room."
"That'll be Daniel. Wait here, all of you, and have a seat," he ordered. The iris was open when he arrived, and the watery event horizon rippled as Daniel and the rest of his team came through the Stargate. All of them were geared up and ready for action.
"Jack." Daniel greeted, worried.
"Daniel," he acknowledged, and addressed Sheppard. "Colonel."
"We're volunteering our services, General," John announced.
Jack could see this wasn't up for discussion, nor did he want to argue about it. If anyone could back Daniel up, it was his own team. "The Tok'ra arrived and are in the briefing room; they have an agent on Ba'al's ship." Jack gestured two SF's over to retrieve the weapons, as they wouldn't be needed immediately, and would be cleaned and checked ASAP. Sheppard unclipped his P-90, and the rest of his team followed suit, even Ronon, who was a little reluctant, but agreed to let his special pistol be reloaded with ammunition invented at Area 51 by Sam.
Daniel looked up at the briefing room window, seeing who was standing there. "Jonas is here!"
"He's a Tok'ra now; has a damn snake in his head," Jack retorted. "Langara was hit by Ba'al, he stole their Gate, stranded Jonas and his team off world. He was the only one who made it to safety, after which the Tok'ra gave him a snake. Fortunately for the Langaran's, we stole their Gate back from Ba'al." He slapped Daniel's arm. "Come on."
They followed Jack back to the briefing room; Daniel shook Jonas' hand, greeting the man. Jacob gave him a hug and welcomed him to the family. Malek bowed his head slightly in a more formal greeting, which he returned. Reynolds shook his hand and Jon hugged him, promising he'd help all he could.
Jack waited until they were finished. "For those of you out of the loop," he waved at Sheppard's team. "Lt. Colonel John Sheppard, Dr. Rodney McKay, Ronon Dex and Teyla Emmagan; Daniel's team. They're here to back him up." He then introduced the Tok'ra to them and his men. When he was finished, they took their seats and he briefed everyone about what had happened.
"How do we get them back, General?" Sheppard asked, once Jack was finished.
"Well, the easiest thing would be to take the Prometheus and the Odyssey and beam them off the mothership, but I have a feeling Ba'al wouldn't make it that easy."
"Why not?" Ronon inquired bluntly. "Does this Ba'al know about your locator chips?"
"We're hoping he doesn't. And we don't know which Ba'al is holding our people."
"So, do it." The former Wraith runner didn't understand the hesitation.
"Well, the biggest problem is, we need to know how far along Ba'al is in finding the Sangraal." Jon stated.
Rodney snorted. "That's just a myth."
"Apparently it's not," the younger O'Neill corrected. "It's real, and in Ba'al's hands it could be turned into a dangerous weapon against not only the Ascended, but us too."
"I'd like to have a look at all of Kayla's research." Daniel declared.
Jon didn't wait for permission; he just got up and rushed out of the room, returning a few minutes later with a computer tablet. He passed it to Daniel. "Access Arthurian Mythology – sub file Grail," he told him.
Using the stylus pen, Daniel accessed the file, then swore in multiple languages.
"Language," Jack chastised him.
Daniel frowned. "This is going to take me awhile to go through, Jack."
Jack had already figured that. "We have less than two hours to get you off-world to be turned over to Ba'al."
"We need to stall him," his friend insisted.
"Of course we do, Daniel; any idea how?"
Daniel glanced up from the information he was reading. "Uh, lie or bluff?"
"Ba'al wouldn't know we have a ZPM here, would he?" Jon asked.
"As long as he doesn't have a spy within our ranks, no. However, if he does have one on Atlantis, then yes."
"Wait, a minute," John Sheppard interrupted the General. "What spy?"
Jack quickly filled him in, and then turned to his 'son'. "What do you have in mind?"
"Inform Ba'al that we have no way to contact Daniel from here, that Atlantis isn't due for a check in for another couple of days." Jon thought out strategically. "We send in the Prometheus and the Odyssey and launch a surgical strike; we get Mitchell and Kayla out and retrieve all the data that Ba'al has."
"Sounds like a plan," John Sheppard agreed.
"Sounds suicidal," Rodney declared straight after him.
"You can always stay aboard the Prometheus or the Odyssey," his team leader retorted.
Rodney didn't think the insult was justified, and explained, "I'm just saying that we need more intel, like shield strength, self-destructs, possible Ancient weapons integrated into the Goa'uld ship, how many and what kind of ships…"
Jack interrupted, "Agreed." Looking to the Tok'ra, "Can you get a message to your agent and have him ready to help out, and be near our people if and when we extract them?"
Malek nodded. "That is possible," he agreed.
"Then do it. McKay, go with."
Chandra spoke up next, "General, I'd like to be of assistance. If I may accompany the rescue teams?"
"Knock yourself out," Jack remarked and glanced at his 2IC. "Reynolds, get SG-3 geared up, your team and Jon will be accompanying Colonel Sheppard and his team. Under no circumstance is Daniel to be left alone while aboard Ba'al's mothership, is that clear? Neither are Mitchell and Kayla when you find them, and since none of you can sense if they've been taken as hosts, take Jonas with you. Even then, keep an eye on them until you can get them back to the ship, and checked out." He got acknowledgments from them all, except Daniel; who still sat hunched over the computer tablet, reading. "All right, let's move."
Dr. Lam came up the stairs. When they saw her, they waited. "General."
"How are Michaels and Teal'c, doc?" Jack asked, but her grave expression didn't give him hope.
She shoved her hands into the pockets of her lab coat. "Teal'c is going to be all right, his injuries weren't as severe as I first thought. I've upped his Tretinoin to fight off any infection; he's resting peacefully."
"What about Michaels?"
"He's out of surgery, but he is critical," she answered, her tone dire. "To be honest sir, the amount of damage done… He's going to need a miracle. Dr. Warner has him on a respirator, but the staff blast not only damaged his spine but caused a great deal of internal damage to major organs including his lungs. The tissue is all there, it's just burned to varying degrees."
Jack looked quickly to Jacob. "Can you help at all?"
"I can try," the ex-general answered.
"Do it."
"Wait," John stopped them, and got all their attention. He looked to Daniel, who stared back at him. "You could try."
"What are you talking about?" Jack demanded.
Daniel frowned and then explained. "It seems my ATA gene has given me more than just the ability to use ancient technology. It now feels like I was born to it. It's given me the ability to heal," he revealed, and added quickly, "though I've never tried it on anyone with injuries this severe."
"But you'll try?" Reynolds asked him.
He nodded. "I'll do what I can. It might be enough to let Jacob do the rest."
Jack nodded, "See what the two of you can do for Teal'c as well; we need him on this, sooner rather than later. Reynolds, look after Sheppard's team and Jonas while Daniel and Jacob are in the infirmary. Jon, escort Malek to the control room so he can do what he has to do. I'll get Pendergast and Emerson on the horn. Dismissed."
They all stood and left to carry out their assignments; Daniel and Jacob left with Carolyn Lam. Sheppard and the rest of his team went with Reynolds and Jonas.
Ronon walked with the Tok'ra. "You have a symbiote?"
Jonas nodded. "Chandra."
"What is it like?" Teyla inquired politely. "Having this symbiotic relationship?"
He smiled. "When he takes control, I can see hear and see everything he does, my body moves completely under his control, but he doesn't do anything I don't agree to. We talk a lot, sometimes we even argue."
Rodney snorted. "Gives whole new meaning to fighting among yourselves."
"You'd know, Rodney," John taunted good heartedly.
"Oh very funny," he grumbled while everyone else sniggered, then headed off to join the Tok'ra Malek, who was trying to connect with his agent on board the Goa'uld ship.
Reynolds took them to the team staging room on 25, where he found his men; he introduced Sheppard's team to them and briefed his people on the mission. As the SG-3 leader was finishing up, John heard Daniel's voice come over his radio's earpiece. "I'm going to need your help, John."
He tapped his earpiece. "On my way," he told him and saw Reynolds look questioningly at him. "Daniel needs me in the infirmary."
The Colonel didn't argue. "Level 21."
"Thanks." he took the elevator to 21, asking a nurse where to go. She smiled at the handsome man, and then pointed the way. Daniel was at the Major's bedside, his hands on the man's chest, and they were glowing. John nodded to Lam as he walked over, putting his hand on his friends' shoulder. "I'm here Daniel."
"Thanks," he whispered, strained by concentration.
Jacob noticed the glow became stronger. "Holy Hannah!"
"Yeah, he affects people that way," John remarked lightly. "You might want to be ready to help me, the side effect to this is exhaustion. He'll most likely go down pretty quick after trying something this big."
He saw the Tok'ra agent nod.
Carolyn looked to John for an explanation, so he signaled for her to get close, and whispered so as not to disrupt his friend's concentration. "Dr. Beckett theorized that when Daniel has contact with another person who has the natural ATA gene, his ability to heal increases, but it still drains his strength," he explained. "Carson also speculated that Kayla may be able to do this too, but he never got the chance to test the theory."
"I will when I get her back here," she said sternly, and checked the monitors. Ryan's heart rate was improving, as was his blood pressure and O2 levels. Ryan opened his eyes and panicked, starting to fight the machines and monitors. She quickly began removing needles as she lent in closer. "Relax Major, don't fight the tube, it's all right, I'm going to remove it, on three, blow out." She counted to three, and as he blew out, she pulled the tube out, causing him to have a coughing spasm. "Easy," she said gently, and saw Jacob move to help John as Daniel started to waver.
Ryan looked around, confused, wondering what Daniel was doing there and being held up by John Sheppard and Jacob Carter. "What's going on?" He asked hoarsely.
"Daniel is healing you," she explained, and saw the archaeologist open his eyes, his hands stopped glowing. He gave her a weary smile and then passed out. Jacob and John lowered him to the floor as Carolyn rushed around to them. She checked his pulse, and found it was strong. She looked to John. "I need him moved to the recovery ward."
John looked around the room, then dashed off as he yelled back, "I'll go grab a couple of orderlies."
Jacob stayed with Daniel on the floor, and looked at the doctor, "Look after Major Michaels, if he needs to be healed any more, I'll do it."
She agreed and got up, returning to the Major's side. Two orderlies rushed in with a gurney, followed by Sheppard. Carolyn told them what she wanted done, and they rushed him out of the room, the Atlantis team leader going with them.
Jacob was on his feet, and returned to the doctor's side. "How's the Major?"
"This is remarkable," she exclaimed. She checked all Ryan's wounds; his respirations were regular and not labored. "How are you feeling, Major?"
"Tired. Where are the Colonel, Kayla and Teal'c?" He asked.
"Teal'c is in the ward, his injuries weren't as bad as yours," she answered as she held his hand, being a comforting force. "The Colonel and Kayla were captured by Ba'al."
"They're alive?"
"We hope so," she gave his hand a gentle squeeze. "He needs them alive, Major, not dead," she assured him. "Gets some rest, I'll let General O'Neill know you're awake."
"Okay."
She ushered Jacob out of the room. "Physically he's healed, but his body has been through an incredible trauma. He's going to need to rest and massive infusions of nutrients."
"I'll see what I can do for Teal'c then," he told her.
"All right, I'll check on Daniel and then ring the General." As they both entered the recovery ward, she left Jacob with Teal'c and went over to Daniel. His team leader now held his vest; his shirt was undone a little, allowing the heart monitor attachments to be placed on his chest under his t-shirt. A pulse monitor was clipped to his finger. She checked both readouts. "How long does this usually last, Colonel?"
"He healed Rodney's broken arm, and was out for about thirty minutes; it's never been longer than that."
Realizing that the Colonel wasn't going to leave, she remarked while checking the monitoring equipment, "Okay, we'll keep an eye on him. I'll let the General know how he and Major Michaels are doing, and that you're here."
"Thanks, doc."
She smiled and hurried away.
John grabbed a chair and sat beside his friend, leaving the vest leaning against the chair. "Nice work there, Daniel. Now, just don't sleep too long," he said in a whisper, "I don't want to be the one who tells Sam you did this and they can't wake you up. She'll Gate over from the Pegasus galaxy and kick my ass for letting you do it." He sat back and got comfortable, or as comfortable as he could get, and waited.
When Jack came down to the infirmary nearly an hour later, he found the Colonel asleep in the chair next to Daniel's bed; and the archaeologist was still out. He grabbed another chair and sat down. In a few minutes, the Colonel woke, and started to move. Jack waved the man down, stopping him from getting up. "Relax, Sheppard," he ordered. "How's our boy here?"
"Trying to sleep," Daniel mumbled before John could say anything. "So keep it down, Jack."
Jack chuckled. "Sorry, Danny, but you're going to have to wake up, your ride is here." He saw the man open his eyes, "I want you and the rest of your team on the Odyssey, along with SG-3, Jon, and Jonas. Once you're aboard, the Odyssey and the Prometheus will leave, and you can get some more rest then. After we've made contact with Ba'al and pulled off our bluff, I'll send a subspace message through to the two ships, telling you if he fell for it or not."
"And if he doesn't?"
"Emerson will bring the Odyssey out of hyperspace, you'll find the nearest planet with a Stargate and haul your asses' home."
Daniel nodded and rubbed his nose. "How's Teal'c?"
"Jacob healed him, he's ready to go, Michaels is too, but he'll be staying on the Odyssey, doc's orders." Jack revealed and then frowned, realizing something. "What happened to your glasses?"
Both John and Daniel smiled, chuckling softly. "Don't need them anymore!"
"Okay, like to fill me in?"
"The Ancients, the Alterans, they had perfect eyesight," Daniel stated. "Carson found a medical procedure in the database that showed him how to fix my eyesight. We gave it a go, and it worked."
"No kidding," Jack remarked a little sarcastically, "you let Carson use you as a test rat? So, can you do anything for bad knees?"
"I'll ask Carson the next time I see him."
John chuckled, finding the bantering amusing.
Carolyn came over, "Good to see you awake, Dr. Jackson."
"Daniel," he told her.
She smiled, blushing. "Daniel," she leant over and turned off the monitors and removed all the attachments, "if you feel up to it, you can go."
"Great," he sat up and swung his feet off the bed. "I'm a little hungry actually."
"You can snack while on the Odyssey," Jack told him, and then addressed Sheppard as the man handed his friend his vest. "SG-3, Jon, and Jonas are waiting for you on 25; beam up to the Odyssey. Reynolds is in command of this mission. Teal'c and Michaels should already be on board." He saw a nod from Lam, who had released both men. "All right, get going."
"Yes, sir," John acknowledged him.
Daniel pulled his vest on and stood, "We'll bring them home, Jack."
"You damn well better, Daniel," the General warned.
Smiling, he and John left the room. "Anyone would think they were his kids," he said loud enough for his friend to hear.
"They are!" Jack called after him, and they laughed.
On level 25, their team, SG-3, Jon and Jonas were waiting for them, geared up and ready to go. They were handed their P-90's, clipping them to their vests.
"There's one thing that needs to be done before we go," Reynolds announced, his team smiling behind him. He walked over to Jon, ripping the SGC badge off the young man's fatigues. He threw it on the table, pulled out a SG-3 badge, and put it in its place. "Now we're ready to go." He saw Jon looked surprised at the badge and then back at him. "I asked the General for you to be permanently assigned to SG-3. So, let's move out Junior."
He groaned. "Why can't I lose that nickname?"
"Because, Indiana is taken, and," he glanced back at Daniel quickly, "so is Space Monkey."
It was Daniel's turn to groan. "I hate Jack."
"Space Monkey?" John asked him.
"It's a long story," he moaned as everyone else smiled.
"We've got the time," John declared. After Reynolds made contact with the Odyssey, they were transported aboard the ship.
Colonel Paul Emerson smiled. "Welcome aboard the Odyssey."
"Thank you, sir," Reynolds acknowledged.
"I gave orders to leave orbit as soon as you were aboard," Emerson reported. "Major Michaels is in the infirmary, and Teal'c is on the bridge."
Within the SGC back on Earth, a holographic image of Ba'al stood on the ramp within the Gate Room, the iris shut; the Stargate active.
Jack walked in and greeted the hologram, "Ba'al."
"I see you don't value Colonel Mitchell or Dr. Jackson as much as I thought."
"Oh, I value them," the General stated, a touch angry about his assumption, "but the problem is, Daniel isn't here. In fact, he isn't even in this Galaxy, which makes it a little hard to just pick up the phone and call him."
Ba'al frowned, "You have contact with the Pegasus Galaxy, O'Neill."
"Yes, we do, but they're not due to contact us for another two days," he pointed out, not surprised the Goa'uld had known about that. "So…"
"You have two days. Bring me Daniel Jackson, or I will kill his daughter and the Colonel," Ba'al ordered, and then the hologram flickered out as the Stargate shut off.
Jack turned and looked up to the control room. "Have a subspace message sent to the Odyssey and the Prometheus; tell them it worked."
Harriman nodded. "Yes, sir. General, Dr. O'Hara is on line 1."
"Thank you, Walter." Jack hurried out of the Gate Room. With everything going on, he'd forgotten about the call he'd made to Margo. He went up to his office and closed the door, "Dr. O'Hara."
Her throaty voice came over the line. "I'm returning your call, General O'Neill."
His pulse raced. "Damn, honey, you don't know what you do to me."
"Oh, I know," she mused, and then added, "What's wrong, you sound tense?"
"Bad day. Look, Margo, can you get Mrs. Wills to pick Drew up from school this afternoon, and then get yourself over to the mountain? I have a proposition for you."
"Oh?"
"It's a job, the President and the Joint Chief's all think you can handle it," he informed and added. "I think you can handle it."
"All right, I'll be right there."
"I'll leave word at the gate and have you escorted in. See you soon."
"Bye, Jack."
Hanging up, Jack sat back in his chair and ran his fingers through his hair. "Bring them home, Danny," he whispered.
DF
On Ba'al's Ha'tak, Cameron grimaced as he was forced down onto his knees next to his archaeologist. "You okay?"
"Fine, you?"
"Not bad."
He was jabbed on the back with the butt of a staff weapon by the First Prime. "Silence!"
With his hands bound in front of him, Cameron managed to keep upright, but that was definitely going to leave a bruise. As long as it wasn't another session in the sarcophagus, he could handle a few bruises. Being in there once had been bad enough, but it was also the reason they were both still alive.
Ba'al smiled mercilessly at them as he lounged on his throne-like chair. "You have a lot of – what is the word, aha, spunk, Colonel Mitchell."
"Thanks. Spent some time on Earth have you, which would make you the original or a copy?"
"That is none of your concern."
Kayla glanced at the Colonel. "Copy," she guessed.
"Looks like it," he agreed, and then taunted the Goa'uld. "We took one of your clones out on Earth, not to mention the one who went up with one of your motherships. But I'm sure you've got, or should I say the original, has plenty to spare."
"You are amusing, Colonel Mitchell."
"Thank you."
Kayla shook her head and managed to get off her knees, sitting cross-legged, her bound hands in her lap. "What do you want, Ba'al, or should we just call you C.C.?"
"C.C?" Cameron inquired.
"Carbon Copy," she said with a grin.
"Nice."
"I thought so."
"Silence!" the First Prime roared.
Ba'al merely ignored their taunts. "I want the Sangreal."
"It's a myth," Kayla retorted.
"The treasure at Glastonbury Tor wasn't a myth," he pointed out.
"Just because we found an ancient treasure, doesn't mean the Sangreal is real," she lied.
"The Ancient technology was, as were the book and parchments you found, all which you have been studying."
"Everyone needs a hobby, Ba'al," she told him sweetly. "Maybe you should get one, knitting is supposed to be relaxing."
Standing, the former system lord, sauntered over to them, hunkering down in front of her. "You can make all the jokes you like Dr. Jackson, but I will break you, and when I have, I have plans for both of you." He stood. "Take them back to their cell."
Dragged to their feet, Cameron and Kayla were ushered off the pal'tek.
DF
Jack was on the phone when he saw Harriman show Margo into the briefing room. The blast door was down, so he wasn't too concerned about security. He'd only wished he could have been there to bring her onto the base. Walter Harriman had been happy to do it; the man was Jack's very own 'Radar O'Reilly'. He finished his call and walked out, carrying a folder, putting it and the pen on the briefing room table.
"General O'Neill," Margo said with a curious smile, wondering what she was getting herself into.
"Doctor O'Hara," he grinned back, playing the game. "Before we start, I'd like you to sign this," he opened the folder and slid the legal document over to her, as well as the pen.
"What is it?" She asked.
"A non-disclosure agreement. What I'm about to show and discuss with you is classified Top Secret by the United States Government." She could see he was serious, so she signed the form and gave it back to him. He put it back into the folder and gave it to Harriman. "Thank you, Walter."
"Sir," the man nodded and hurried away.
Jack gestured for Margo to sit with him. "As you can see, I'm not involved with Deep Space Telemetry." He saw her arch an eyebrow in a way that just said 'duh'. He smiled at that and continued. "You're in a top secret military facility known as Stargate Command. In 1928, in Giza Egypt, archaeologists uncovered an ancient device capable of instantaneous transportation to other planets by means of a sub-space wormhole. We've been exploring other planets for the last nine, nearly ten years."
Margo sat back in her chair and crossed one leg over the other. "That was a rehearsed piece if I ever heard one," she commented.
Jack had to chuckle at that. "Actually it is; Carter wrote it out for me; I've got it memorized," he admitted and then became serious. "But it's all true," he stated and got up, opening the blast door. "There she is."
Margo got up and joined him at the window, looking down at the large ring. "Oh my god," she exclaimed.
Jack cleared his throat and gave her a brief history, as well as how it ended up within Cheyenne Mountain, and who unlocked its secrets; as well as a brief rundown of the last nine years, including when he took command.
Margo was stunned, trying to comprehend what she'd been told. "Marty used to go through that?" she asked, referring to her late husband.
Jack nodded. "He was killed off-world. His body was brought back. He was one of the lucky ones; sometimes we can't retrieve the bodies."
"How many have you lost?"
"Too many," he admitted. "But they gave their lives to ensure everyone on Earth wouldn't be enslaved by a race called the Goa'uld."
"Goa'uld?"
"Yeah, rather nasty eye glowing psychopaths who try to take over or control any world they can get their hands on. The Goa'uld are parasites that take a human host, do nasty things, enslave entire planets, wipe them out if they feel like it."
"And you fight them?"
"Well, we've taken most of them out," he revealed. "The problem is one survived and is now taking over what the others left behind. He also formed an alliance with a coalition of former smugglers and mercenaries, called the Lucian Alliance, who've banded together to take advantage of the power vacuum left by the demise of the Goa'uld System Lords." He took her back over to the table and had her sit down, doing so himself. "We have a number of teams that work out of this mountain. The flag team is called SG-1, and is under the command of Lt. Colonel Mitchell."
"Cameron?" she was stunned. "Which means, Kayla, Ryan and Teal'c; he said they were a part of his team."
"They are," Jack told her.
"What, what do you want me to do here?" she asked, a little shakily.
"We need a trauma counselor on our medical staff, the President is insisting on it and he and the Joint Chief's have chosen you."
"Me?" she saw Jack nod.
"I'm not going to sugar coat this for you, Margo; you can't tell anyone what you're really doing. In addition, if you take this job, you will hear things that will make your skin crawl and make you sick to your stomach. Not to mention the urge to cry, scream or punch something. I recommend the gym, about 2300, there's usually no one there, so you can punch crap out of the bag without being disturbed," he said, speaking from the heart. "I've spent seven years going through that Gate. I've been shot, zatted, tortured, killed, and made a host twice; not to mention had an entire ancient library downloaded into my brain twice. I've seen and experienced things that are beyond what most can comprehend. And in the last two, nearly three years of being in command, I've made decisions that have cost lives and stuffed up timelines. The point is, I did it to keep Earth safe, and I will keep doing it as long as I'm able." He reached across the table and took her hand. "I've seen you with SG-1. I've seen how you've helped them with only a fraction of the information they could tell you. You can handle this."
She knew she could too, giving his hand a squeeze. "Where do I sign up?"
He smiled. "Let's go into my office, I have the paperwork in there."
As they stood, it was then Margo posed her question. She could tell he was bothered by something, and to get him this tense, it had to mean one thing. "Jack, where is SG-1?"
He ushered her into his office and shut the door. "Have a seat. Mitchell and Kayla are in the hands of a Goa'uld named Ba'al. Michaels and Teal'c have joined the rescue team; they're aboard one of our two ships, with Kayla's father - Daniel Jackson, and his team."
"We have ships?" she asked, stunned.
Jack took his seat, smiling. "Oh yeah, we have ships."
"My god Jack; the people of Earth have no idea, do they?"
"None at all." He opened the file on his desk, turning it, and slid it to her. "Welcome to my world."
DF
On board the Odyssey, Teal'c approached the table cautiously. "Daniel Jackson."
Daniel looked up from his daughter's research, "Hey Teal'c, what's up?"
"I wish to ask for your forgiveness."
That made Daniel take notice. "For what Teal'c?" he gestured for his friend to sit.
"I have failed to protect Kayla Jackson."
"Teal'c, you did all you could."
"I should have done more."
Daniel sighed and put down the stylus pen that was attached to the computer tablet he was using. "Teal'c, Kayla knows you did all you could. In fact, I'd say she's probably concerned for you and Major Michaels; she and Mitchell don't know if you're safe or even alive."
"Major Michaels had received a head injury after being struck by a Jaffa, he was unconscious," Teal'c recalled. "Kayla Jackson had been hit by a staff blast as she ran for the Stargate; I was struck when I tried to get to her."
"And from what Colonel Reynolds and Jon told me, Mitchell was hit next," Daniel told him. "The Jaffa dragged him and Kayla to the ring platform and ringed them aboard their mother ship. Michaels had regained consciousness at that time. He was lead over to the Stargate, the First Prime shot him with his staff weapon, and he fell through the event horizon. It was after that, Ba'al gave his ultimatum."
"Ah, so that is what happened. As O'Neill would say, the mission went south," Teal'c declared.
That made Daniel smile. "I'm glad you're alright Teal'c, and there is nothing to forgive. You did all you could to help Kayla. Thank you."
The Jaffa bowed his head in response, before changing the subject. "How is Colonel Carter?"
"She's great, loving life at Atlantis," the archaeologist said, his face beaming when he spoke of his fiancée. "She and McKay are putting together a plan to have a number of Stargates linked together from the Pegasus Galaxy to the Milky Way Galaxy, with a connecting point in the middle. They're writing a macro that will let a person travel to a midway point, and then onto the SGC. That way, we're not using the ZPM to travel back and forth."
"Impressive."
"As you say – Indeed," Daniel said with a smile.
John and the rest of his team ambled in and joined them at the table. "So, doc, find the meaning of life yet?"
"Nope, but Kayla was on the right track to finding the Sangreal."
"What is this Sangreal?" Teyla asked.
"If I remember my high school history, it's the Holy Grail," John told her.
Daniel nodded. "Except in this case it's a weapon built by an ascended ancient – Myrddin, or as he's better known in our history – Merlin. He built the Sangreal as a weapon against other ascended beings who called themselves the Ori. Merlin did this by retaking human form and working in secret. Now, history has Merlin associated with King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. Kayla's notes say that Morgan Le Fay, who was really an Ancient named Ganos Lal, was sent to keep an eye on Merlin. She took the Sangreal and hid it. Kayla also has it referenced that Merlin disappeared the same time as Morgan took the Sangreal." He turned the computer tablet so they could see the picture. "That is the Sangreal."
"What will happen if this Ba'al gets this weapon?" Ronon asked. "There isn't a problem with the Ori in this galaxy."
"No, there's not, but if he can alter the weapon, he may be able to destroy all life."
"What's this passage that he wants translated?" Rodney inquired.
"It could be a clue to the whereabouts of the Sangreal."
"And obviously written in Ancient."
Daniel nodded. "Most likely one of the oldest dialects of Ancient, considering the time period."
"And Kayla happens to know it, just as you do." John declared and frowned. "Do you think she can stall him?"
He nodded again, this time more slowly. "I'm more worried about what could happen if he takes her as a host. Kayla knows what I do about the Ancients and a lot more; her knowledge on the Sangreal is up to date thanks to SG-1's side trip to the alternate reality."
"Kayla Jackson spent many hours with several versions of her father while in the alternate reality." Teal'c confirmed. "Each of these versions of Daniel Jackson was involved in fighting the Ori, and looking for a weapon to defeat them."
They saw Colonel Reynolds enter the room with Jon O'Neill and Jonas Quinn, gesturing them over.
"Jonas, does Chandra's contact on Ba'al's ship know if Ba'al has a symbiote in need of a host?" Daniel asked the Tok'ra agent.
He nodded, answering. "Ba'al's queen is without a host, but is not pleased with the choices Ba'al has offered her."
"Anat," Jon declared. "Goddess of War," he saw the frown that creased Daniel's forehead. "It's not going to happen, Daniel, we'll get her out before he can do that."
They all prayed he was right, because if they couldn't, the alternative was killing Daniel's only daughter.
Jonas gave control to his symbiote. "There is something else, Dr. Jackson. It has become known that Ba'al's clones are becoming more independent than he would have liked. There is the possibility that a clone has captured your people, and not only will he make your daughter host to Anat, but he will also take Colonel Mitchell as a host for himself. Together they will be a danger to the SGC, Atlantis, the Jaffa and the Tok'ra."
"I know," Daniel, said softly, his voice grave. "He'll need to break them first though, and that won't be easy. Otherwise, the host could retain control. He doesn't know Kayla and Cameron, both of them have lived through and survived horrific incidents in their lives. They know how to fight to survive, they won't break."
"Everyone has a breaking point," Rodney said, worriedly. "What if Ba'al finds theirs?"
"He won't," John said sternly.
Jonas was doubtful, "I hope you are right Colonel Sheppard."
"I'm right," he told the Tok'ra. "I know my sister."
DF
To be continued…