Location: Unknown Goa'uld Planet
POV: Unknown
She ran.
She ran till her legs ached, her side stitched, and her lungs heaved.
Then she kept running.
The forest lay ahead of her, which meant the Stargate would soon be in view. She knew it wouldn't do her any good so she aimed to bypass it, silently cursing the fact that she'd never bothered to learn any coordinates.
I should've known this would happen. I should've—
Her foot caught on her dress and she went down hard, landing face first in the grass. She half-screamed in frustration, violently ripping off the lower half of her skirt.
Then she heard voices.
Her head whipped around, eyes locking onto the armored pair of men bearing down on her.
She knew they couldn't have been far behind. The blast she'd hit them with had only been strong enough to stun them.
Her heart hammered against her ribs. She fought the urge to freeze up, forcing herself back to her feet—feet that she now wished she wasn't in the habit of keeping bare—and barrelling ahead.
I just need to hold them off until he comes back.
Craning her neck back, she desperately searched the sky for signs of a ship.
But there was none.
She fought back the tears, fought back the thoughts threatening to drown her in despair.
Just keep going.
So she did.
Location: SGC Operations Room
POV: Daniel Jackson
"Well?" A sharp clap punctuated Jack's unmistakable voice as he called into the control room. "What have we got?"
Daniel didn't answer. Neither did anyone else. A somber anticipation hung over the room.
"Why so dour?" Jack asked slowly.
"Well," Daniel answered, dragging his focus at last to Jack, "According to Teal'c's intel, there's a chance that P3X-134 might be under Goa'uld control."
"P3 what?" Jack queried.
"Our next planet," Daniel answered with a twinge of impatience.
"Ah."
"We're sending the M.A.L.P. through now," Carter said just as the Stargate's dialling sequence completed, bathing all of them in oscillating light.
Teal'c stood quietly in the corner of the room, watching the M.A.L.P. roll up the ramp below. Though as soon as it was through, everyone's gaze shifted to the computer display, raptly watching the live image being projected from the probe.
Daniel leaned in closer, spying movement shown in the distance.
"What's that?"
Carter reached for the controls, signalling the M.A.L.P.'s camera to zoom in. Everyone stared in silence.
In the distance, an impressive fortress could be seen, simultaneously lit by an onslaught of surrounding fire and shadowed by the unmistakable shapes of Death Gliders swooping low around it.
But there was something else happening much closer to the Stargate. It was a collection of three figures, two of whom were clearly in the employ of Apophis given the design of their armor. The third was a woman, struggling against the hold of one Jaffa. All three had their gazes pinned on the Stargate and the strange thing which had just come through it.
Though their focus didn't last long.
Taking advantage of the distraction, the woman ripped the nearest Jaffa's weapon away from him, whacking him soundly across the face with it before cutting left toward a stretch of forest. The two Jaffa uttered some inaudible shouts before racing after their target.
Once again, Daniel was the one to break the silence.
"Teal'c, I thought you said—"
He stopped dead when he saw the look on Teal'c's face, a look of pain and shock.
"What is it?" he pressed.
"I know that woman," Teal'c answered in a near-whisper.
"You what?" Jack said.
Without further explanation, Teal'c brushed past the others.
"I must speak to General Hammond at once," was all he said.
Daniel exchanged a look with Sam and Jack, finding his own puzzlement reflected in their faces.
Like them, he needed answers.
So they all followed Teal'c.
Location: SGC General's Office
Hammond was understandably surprised to see them filing into his office.
"I wasn't aware SG-1's mission briefing had been moved up," he said, a hint of dryness in his tone, "Are the results from the—"
"General Hammond," Teal'c interrupted, prompting some mildly surprised looks from the rest of his team, "This is a matter of great importance. We must depart immediately for our assigned destination."
Hammond's eyebrows rose fractionally.
"Well, why?"
Daniel interjected hesitantly, "We don't know much but it seemed the M.A.L.P. stumbled across an ongoing chase by some of Apophis' men."
"Seemed?" Jack echoed incredulously.
Daniel ignored him.
"They were chasing a woman," he explained, glancing to Teal'c, "A woman Teal'c claims to know."
Hammond turned his attention back to Teal'c, his gaze expectant.
"I met this woman while under the service of Apophis," Teal'c began, "She was taken hostage and subjected to experimentation." His lip curled as he spoke, anger and guilt mingling together in his face. "Apophis implanted her with a weapon he believed held great power, power to rival even the combined forces of the system lords." Teal'c stepped forward, his countenance grim. "We cannot allow this woman to remain in Goa'uld hands. I cannot allow it."
There was something more he wasn't saying. That much was obvious to Daniel. But he refrained from questioning.
Hammond was silent a moment.
"I want to know exactly what you'll be walking into," he said, "We'll have a U.A.V. dispatched immediately. And you'll be accompanied by at least one additional SG team. In the meantime, your briefing has been moved to right this moment." He rose from his chair. "Teal'c, I want to hear everything you have to say about this matter. Understood?"
Location: SGC Briefing Room
"Apophis discovered the weapon among the former spoils of an ancient system lord known as Anubis," Teal'c began, "He determined its secrets, and dispatched an Ashrak to find him a suitable host. That is how I came to know the woman we saw."
He paused, visibly forcing down the emotions warring across his face. Carter leaned forward tentatively in her seat.
"I thought Ashraks were used for assassinations," she said.
"They have other purposes as well. Their infiltration skills are rivalled by none, and Apophis did not wish for the search to be constrained in any way. He said, 'A weapon worthy of a god must have a worthy host.'" The bitterness in Teal'c voice as he recalled those words was palpable, but he pushed on regardless, "Apophis sought to keep the weapon's existence a secret from the other system lords, but he failed in this regard. The system lord Ba'al managed to capture the weapon. I long suspected the planet you have designated P3X-134 to be a stronghold belonging to Ba'al. It seems now those suspicions were correct. And now as we speak, Apophis is trying to reclaim the weapon."
"Do you know if this weapon is really as powerful as Apophis believes?" Hammond asked.
"I do not know for certain. It seemed the weapon required a maturation period, at the end of which Apophis believed it would achieve its full potential."
"Maturation?" Carter echoed, "You mean the weapon is growing?"
"I saw it with my own eyes."
"Well, if Apophis is correct, then Teal'c is right. We can't allow that kind of power back into Goa'uld hands," Hammond concluded, "But with Apophis and Ba'al's forces fighting each other, you'll be walking into a highly volatile situation. You'll need to proceed with the utmost caution; if it's not tactically possible to retrieve the target, withdraw. And if that U.A.V. shows me something I feel you can't handle, the mission is off. I want a rescue op, not a suicide mission."
"Yes, sir," Jack said.
"Thank you, General," Teal'c breathed.
"Don't thank me yet, Teal'c," Hammond said, standing from his seat.
Daniel watched Teal'c's rigid back as they exited the briefing room. He could see from Sam and Jack's measured expressions that they could sense Teal'c's tension, that they knew just as well he did that this whole situation was far more personal than the former Jaffa let on.
Jack made an attempt at some light prodding once they were in the hall, "You good, Teal'c?"
But the response was decidedly closed.
"I am fine, O'Niell. Now if you'll excuse me, I wish to head to the gate room at once and await the U.A.V.'s return."
Jack relented, half-heartedly gesturing him on. As soon as Teal'c's back was turned, the remaining three exchanged some concerned looks.
A wordless conversation followed, Sam glancing between Jack and Daniel with a look of subtle expectation, as if to say, "Someone should talk to him."
You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.
Jack answered by rolling his eyes, an expression that said, "I just tried." Then his gaze fell to Daniel, seemingly asking, "Why don't you talk to him, Daniel?"
Daniel lifted his eyebrows, silently questioning, "Me?"
Jack mirrored the expression, tilting his head toward Teal'c in a way that clearly said, "Yeah, Daniel. You."
Daniel hesitated briefly, then turned to call after Teal'c, "Hey, Teal'c! Hold on a second."
Teal'c slowly turned back, Sam jogging over to him.
"I'll let Hammond know as soon as the U.A.V. is back," she promised, laying a reassuring hand on Teal'c arm, "If he okays the mission, I'll let you know first thing."
Teal'c slowly nodded his consent, Sam promptly disappearing around the corner.
"I'll go too," Jack said, his words notably disjointed.
Daniel resisted the urge to facepalm at his sheer lack of subtlety. He waited till Jack followed Sam around the corner before confronting the issue at hand.
"What is it, Daniel Jackson?" Teal'c queried.
"Well, correct me if I'm wrong, but I get the sense there's more to this story than you're saying."
"I gave General Hammond exactly what information I felt was immediately relevant."
Daniel exhaled slowly, sliding his hands into the pockets of his jacket.
"What exactly happened between you and that woman?" he asked quietly.
Teal'c's jaw flexed, the look of anger and guilt returning to his eyes. For a moment, he didn't speak. Daniel contemplated withdrawing the question, perhaps leaving it for a later time.
Then Teal'c began his recount, "As First Prime to Apophis, I was tasked with choosing hosts to his liking. You know this."
"Yes...I do," Daniel said, brows furrowing as his mind inevitably pulled toward Sha're.
"This woman...I chose her. It was because of my actions that she was subjected to unspeakable torment."
Daniel slowly withdrew one hand from his pockets, resting it comfortingly on Teal'c's shoulder.
"Well, hopefully you'll have the chance to make that right now."
From the look in Teal'c's eyes, it was obvious he wasn't convinced. But Daniel didn't get the chance to pursue the matter any further due to Carter racing back down the hall with the news that the U.A.V. had given them the necessary intel.
Their mission was a go.
Location: P3X-134
Daniel recognized much of the initial surroundings from the image the M.A.L.P. had shown, though both the fortress and ongoing fight in the distance felt much more daunting when witnessed in person. And the bodies of Jaffa scattered around the gate certainly did nothing to help ease that feeling.
"They fought for control of the gate," Colonel Barnes from SG-6 assessed, evidently noting the differing symbols marking the Jaffa.
"Looks like they both lost," Jack added with his usual sarcastic air, "Lucky us."
"Our target was last seen heading into the woods," Barnes said, jumping straight to the matter of their objective. He pointed to the treeline on their left before shifting his focus to the distant battle. "Whoever wins that fight is gonna send their forces scouring over the planet in search of what we're here for, so we'll wanna be quick."
"Copy that," Jack agreed.
Teal'c needed no prompting given he was already headed toward the forest. The rest followed slowly, eyes sweeping their surroundings.
"Barnes," Jack said, "Keep your team here. If you stick to the treeline, you can surprise anyone else who decides to try taking control of the gate."
"Yes, sir," Barnes confirmed, signalling to his men.
Teal'c was already standing at the border of trees, gaze fixed on something at his feet. Daniel moved toward him.
"Teal'c!" Jack called, "You find something?"
"Tracks," Teal'c answered shortly.
Up close, they were hard to miss. The heavy armor worn by Jaffa caused their footprints to press deeply into the lush grass. Daniel followed the trail with his gaze.
"Let's go," Jack said, brushing past them.
They started into the trees, the only sound that accompanied them being the sound of their own quickening feet. The forest seemed to stretch on for miles.
This woman—Daniel couldn't bring himself to use the word 'target'—how far could she have gone in the time they'd spent deliberating on whether or not she was worth rescuing?
He understood the tactical consideration for this mission, he understood Hammond's concerns, he could even understand to an extent the choice to use terminology such as 'target' despite how dehumanizing it felt.
But if they reached a point where it was no longer feasible to continue searching, if they were forced to leave an innocent person to fend for themselves against a terror such as the Goa'uld that had already inflicted so much pain on them, all for reasons beyond their control...well, the only thing he could do was hope for her sake—and Teal'c's—that it didn't come to that.
He listened for the distant sound of battle, noting how it gradually grew quieter as they ventured deeper into the woods. The silence grew almost palpable as time dragged on. And the whole while, Teal'c kept his eyes fixed on the ground.
Until he suddenly stopped.
"Wait," he said.
Everyone froze. Daniel peered around Teal'c, looking for what caused the sudden halt.
Then he heard it.
Screaming.
Teal'c took off like a shot, Jack's attempts to reign him back landing on deaf ears. With no other course of action available, they all raced after him.
The screams quickly grew closer till Daniel no longer had to strain to hear them.
It was definitely a woman's voice. Her desperation, anger, and absolute terror made Daniel's stomach twist. He unconsciously lengthened his stride.
Teal'c was well in the lead now, outstripping everyone in his singleminded race to rescue the one in distress. Daniel was just vaguely beginning to make out moving figures through the trees. He caught a glimpse of something white, though it was quickly overcome by the grey of Jaffa armor.
There was a shout—they had been seen—but almost as soon as it had been uttered, Teal'c slid to a halt, aimed his staff weapon, and fired. One Jaffa fell. Then Teal'c had his sights on the other; they went down just as quickly as the first.
Once again, Teal'c was running, the others close at his heels after finally having been afforded a chance to catch up to him. Daniel was almost entirely out of breath, but he pushed forward regardless.
The white he had seen unfolded from a heap on the ground, revealing itself to be a dress, torn below the knees and thoroughly stained. Its wearer appeared mostly unharmed aside from some badly bruised arms, though her long dirty-blonde hair was a tangled mess and her shoeless feet showed the wear of having carried her so far.
The woman stood, her dark eyes flitting between Teal'c, the dead Jaffa, and the rest of SG-1. Daniel could see the fear and confusion in her eyes, the instinct to run. Teal'c halted once more, leaving plenty of space between himself and the woman. Jack and Carter followed his lead. But Daniel pressed forward slowly, his hands outstretched before him in an unthreatening manner. He saw the woman start to angle away from him, like an animal contemplating flight.
"Wait, wait," he pleaded gently, "We're here to help."
Daniel had no idea what level of communication he could expect, so he was considerably surprised when the woman responded in perfect English.
"Are you from Earth?"
"Yes, yes, we are. How did you know that?"
"Colonel O'Niell!" Jack's radio crackled to life.
Unhooking the radio from his belt, Jack lifted it to his mouth, "What is it, Barnes?"
"It looks like Ba'al's forces are being overrun. Apophis' forces are regrouping outside the stronghold. I'm thinking we may have company very soon."
"Copy that," Jack responded before looking to Daniel and Teal'c, "We need to go."
Their rescuee shifted uneasily, something like dread appearing in her face as she pointed to the radio.
"What...what did they just say?"
"Questions later," Jack insisted, gesturing for them to get a move on.
Dread slowly turned to anger.
"I am not going anywhere with him," the woman hissed, eyeing Teal'c with unfathomable loathing.
"Hey," Jack said, an edge to his voice, "He just saved your life."
"Teal'c no longer serves Apophis," Daniel explained quickly, "In fact, he's the entire reason we're here at all."
There was cold fury in the woman's gaze. Evidently, she was unimpressed with the clarification.
"That's nice," she said, her mockery patent.
"Look, if you'd like, you can stay here and take your chances with Apophis' men," Jack said irritably, Daniel cringing at his tactlessness, "Either way, we're leaving now." To emphasize his point, he turned and began to walk away, calling back over his shoulder, "Come on, guys."
Rather than following, Teal'c moved to Daniel's side, kneeling before their rescuee.
"Teal'c?" Jack called questioningly.
Daniel shot him a warning look, silently telling him not to interfere and praying he got the message.
"I ask nothing of you," Teal'c said, "Only that you do not discard this chance to be free of Apophis, and all Goa'uld, once and for all."
The woman stared him down, her face a mask.
"I'll never be free of Apophis," she hissed, "Thanks to you."
Teal'c's face fell, silence blanketing the group.
"Come on, guys," Jack repeated.
Slowly, very slowly, Teal'c and Carter dragged themselves away from the scene. Daniel stayed where he was, locking eyes with the woman and silently pleading with her to come. Then he turned as well, starting back toward the gate. A string of muttered obscenities sounded behind him, followed by light footsteps hurrying after him. Daniel felt a wave of relief, pausing briefly as she fell in step beside him and gesturing to her bare feet.
"Will you be all right?"
"I ran all this way," she answered with a shrug.
She lengthened her stride, surging ahead. Worrying she might fall behind, Daniel opted to keep pace behind her. A distant drone caught his ear as they ran, approaching alarmingly fast.
Then Teal'c shouted, "Get down!"
Everyone dropped, hugging the trees for cover. Daniel threw himself beside their rescuee, hastily stretching his camouflage jacket over her. A Goa'uld ship soared low over the treetops; sure enough, they were searching for the weapon. As the vessel passed on and the roar of engines subsided, the click of Jack's radio sounded again.
"How's it looking, Barnes?"
A strain of worry could be heard in Jack's voice.
"Not good, sir. There's a sizeable force moving toward the gate. We won't be able to hold them off long once they get here."
"We're on our way." Jack glanced quickly upward before waving to the rest of the team. "Come on, we gotta move!"
They all obliged, increasing their pace as much as possible. Daniel watched their rescuee laboring ahead of him, the strain of what she'd gone through beginning to show.
"Almost there," Daniel called encouragingly.
She said nothing, simply pressed on, her speed waning continuously.
She can't keep this up much longer...
Her breaking point struck fast. She collapsed against a tree, drawing one ragged breath after another, her legs shaking so violently that Daniel marveled at how she could even stand at all. He skidded to a halt, glancing between her and their determined course.
Then the first shots of gunfire rang out. Barnes had engaged Apophis' forces at the gate.
Daniel made a split second decision, racing to the woman's side and hefting her into his arms, his already tired body screaming in protest at the added weight.
"What are you—"
But Daniel was already running again, his eyes desperately searching for a glimpse of the stargate.
There!
He saw it. Then he saw SG-6 hugging the treeline, spraying rapid fire at a host of Jaffa.
Jack reached them first, joining their efforts immediately. Teal'c was a close second, his staff weapon at the ready.
"Get ready to lay down some cover fire!" Jack shouted.
"Yes, sir!"
Daniel reached the edge of the forest, trying hard to keep his weary arms from dropping their rescuee as he set her down. She slumped against the nearest tree, hands clamped over her ears.
"Stay down!" Daniel shouted over the near deafening roar of gunfire, waiting till the woman nodded in confirmation before hurriedly joining the fray.
Without the aid of cover, the Jaffa were dropping like flies, but their numbers more than made up for the disadvantage. For each one that fell, two or three more would take their place.
"On my signal," Jack shouted, "We head for the gate! Keep low, use whatever cover you can! I'm gonna get to the DHD and dial us home, so you'd better keep my ass covered!"
"Sir, yes, sir!" came the flurry of confirmational shouts.
Anticipating Jack's cue, Daniel began backing toward where their rescuee was standing, keeping one eye on the enemy and his gun at the ready.
"Get ready to run!" he shouted.
The woman nodded again, her eyes wide with fright.
Then Jack yelled, "Now!"
In one uniform motion, they all bolted for the gate, delivering a barrage of fire on the enemy. Daniel stayed locked to the woman's side as they ran, shielding her from the possibility of any incoming fire finding its mark. Both teams reached the gate and scattered, Carter and Jack crouching behind the DHD, Barnes and one of his men lying flat on the ground beside them, while Teal'c and the rest of SG-6 sought cover behind the massive ring. Daniel fell in beside Teal'c, instructing their rescuee once more to keep down. As he levelled his gun at the oncoming Jaffa, he saw Jack risk reaching up to punch in the first few symbols.
They just needed to last a few more seconds.
A blast from a staff weapon flew narrowly over the DHD, its trajectory forcing both Jack and Daniel to hastily duck. A scream sounded from behind and Daniel twisted his head in fear that their rescuee had been hurt. But, to his relief, she appeared unharmed.
Jack reached up again, dialling the last few symbols. The Jaffa were almost on top of them now, some of them having resorted to using their fallen as a shield.
One of Barnes' men shouted, "I'm out!"
Then the stargate erupted with energy, its powerful vortex punching out into empty air.
"Carter, send the code through now!" Jack yelled.
"Working on it!" Sam shouted back.
Barnes echoed, "I'm out!"
Then came the merciful announcement, "We're through!"
"Let's go!"
Those of SG-6 directly next to the gate made the first move, Daniel pulling their rescuee to her feet before following. Teal'c stayed behind, helping maintain cover fire. Daniel pushed the woman through first, then stepped into the wormhole.
One second, lights were rushing past in a dark vacuum. The next, they were in the SGC.
"Get down!"
Daniel hardly had time to react before one of SG-6 yanked him down. A blast from a staff weapon barrelled through the gate, striking the concrete walls of the SGC. Daniel jerked his head around, trying to ascertain whether their rescuee was in the line of fire, but a member of SG-6 had already pulled her out of harm's way. A few more sets of boots struck the ramp.
Then Sam's voice screamed, "Close the iris!"
The familiar song of metal unfurling inward sounded, then there was quiet. Daniel pushed himself to his feet, looking over the rest of SG-1 and SG-6.
One of Barnes' men had been hit. Barnes was kneeling over him, telling him to hang on. Out of the corner of his eye, Daniel saw their rescuee slowly climb to her feet, her dark eyes fixed on the wounded man.
Then the sound of Fraiser's voice cut through the room, "Out of the way!"
With some assistance, she rolled a gurney up the ramp, giving the airman a quick lookover before having him lifted onto the gurney and transported away, rattling off instructions to her subordinates as she went.
Once again, silence fell over the room. Though it was soon broken by their rescuee.
"Will he be all right?"
"He's in good hands," Daniel assured her, silently hoping for the best.
Tearing his eyes away from where Fraiser and her patient had just exited, he met the troubled gaze of their new arrival, extending a hand to her. She took it without prompting, seemingly understanding the gesture.
Wherever she originated from must have a very Earth-like culture, Daniel thought, feeling a spark of fascinated curiosity.
"I'm Daniel Jackson," he said, turning to gesture at the rest of SG-1, "This is Jack O'Niell, Samantha Carter, and, of course, Teal'c."
The woman's eyes dragged over the group before turning to her surroundings.
"Where are we?"
"This is Stargate Command."
"No, I mean what country is this?"
Daniel exchanged a subtle glance with Sam and Jack. The question was decidedly odd.
"The United States of America," he said slowly, "Uh, what planet are you from?"
"I'm Marina Karssen," the woman said, "I'm an American citizen."