Title: Old Debts and Resistant to Change, epilogue

Author: MajelB and Devra

E-Mail: majelitab@lycos.com and paravati@optonline.com 

Status: Complete: Includes Worth It, Standing Tall, Search and Rescue, Too Easy, Nothing's Permanent, Light, and Resistant to Change

Archive: Majel's Homepage, Heliopolis. All others, please ask.

Category: Action/Adventure, hurt/comfort, angst, drama

Pairings: none

Spoilers: major ones for Fair Game, ITLOD, Tok'ra 1&2, FIAD... minor ones for Stargate: The Movie, Bloodlines, Solitudes, Hathor, The Nox, and Foothold

Season: 3, after FIAD, but before A Hundred Days

Rating: R

Content Warnings: language, violence, character deaths, whumpings galore

Summary: SG-1 runs afoul of an old friend who has a twisted sense of honor. He's a Goa'uld, so what'dya expect?

Author’s Notes: We worked really hard on this and would greatly appreciate feedback of any kind! Enjoy! 

Disclaimer: SG-1, nor anything realated to Stargate SG-1 belongs to me, unfortunately. No money exchanged hands, yadda, yadda. This was written for entertainment purposes only. More mumbo jumbo at the bottom. 

Part 1: Worth It

“Dammit! Daniel, get over to the gate and dial us home! We’ll cover you.” Jack shouted over the deafening sounds of staff weapons firing rapidly in SG-1’s direction.

They were making their way back to the gate as fast as they could while still trying to stay hidden in the brush flanking the wide path through the trees. Finally, they had gotten close enough to make a try for the DHD. Out of the corner of his eye, Jack saw Daniel’s head poke out from behind a large bush a bit behind him and to his left. Daniel crouched on the balls of his feet and strapped his gun across his chest and shoulders, out of the way. He readied himself like a sprinter at the starting line and with a quick nod from Jack, bolted out from behind the bush. Jack noticed that Carter and Teal’c, situated just in front of Daniel’s hiding spot across the path, saw him too, as they noticeably stepped-up their firing to better cover their friend.

Suddenly, a shot blazed past Jack’s head… but it hadn’t come from in front of him.

“Sir! They’re surrounding us! They’re closing too fast!” Carter shouted over the din. Jack glanced over his shoulder to check Daniel’s progress. Almost there. Good. He looked back over at Carter and Teal’c and stopped firing his P-90 for a moment.

“Carter, head for the gate and cover Daniel. Teal’c, giver her a ten-count, then follow her.” Both nodded and Carter turned around in her crouch, jumped to her feet, and started running towards the gate. Jack sprayed bullets in the direction of their unseen Jaffa assailants as Teal’c fired his staff.

The next ten seconds felt like an eternity for Jack. He couldn’t stop shooting to look over and check on Carter and Daniel, he couldn’t help but try and will Teal’c into starting his dash for the gate, and he tried really hard not to think about how he was going to get there. Finally, Jack saw Teal’c stand up and start running. He was really pretty graceful for such a big guy.

*  *  *  *

Teal’c ran as fast as he could toward the Stargate, unable to fire his staff. He could still hear O’Neill firing behind him and staff blasts hitting trees on either side of him. As he neared the gate, he could see Daniel Jackson crouched behind the DHD, zat drawn, waiting for an opening to dial. Major Carter was still running, but Teal’c was catching up with her fast. It took him a moment to understand why she was moving so slowly. There was a burn through the right calf of her BDU’s, but she was still running. Teal’c hefted his staff, intending to defend Major Carter if they were overtaken and increased his speed to catch up with her faster. He reached her just as she began to stumble and grabbed her forearm to steady her. She looked up in surprise, her eyes flashing an instant of fear before she recognized her friend.

 “Teal’c,” she breathed with relief.

“You are injured?” he queried, taking some of her weight by moving his arm down around her waist and half carrying her.

“Ya’ think?” she grunted. “It’s not bad. Just grazed me.”

She relaxed a bit, trusting Teal’c to get her to safety, and risked a glance over her shoulder. She could see the colonel running, waving them on as he broke the tree-line. She watched him for a second, morbidly curious as to how many Jaffa were following him. Just then, a glint of gold caught her eye, much closer to her and Teal’c. She gasped slightly and Teal’c tightened his grip around her, urging her to speed up. He didn’t see the Jaffa poking his staff weapon out from behind a tree to their right. How did he get so close?

Time slowed down as Sam saw, with remarkable sharpness, the end of the staff open, preparing to fire. Her mind was racing, much faster than her mouth could move, anyway. Instead of warning Teal’c, she pulled out of his grip and tried to turn him around, to pull them both out of the line of fire, but she was too slow. She was facing him now, clawing at his shoulders, trying to get him to move in another direction, trying to tell him what was going to happen. He saw the Jaffa over Sam’s head just before she slammed into him with the force of a staff blast to her back.

Teal’c stumbled as he tried to catch her, cursing himself. He could not hang onto her as he tried to keep running. In the back of his mind, he thought he heard Daniel Jackson and O’Neill shouting as he knelt, laying Major Carter on the ground. Teal’c finally got a good look at her face. Her eyes were clouded over in a combination of panic and pain. There was a slight drizzle of blood at the corner of her mouth, starkly contrasting the paleness of her skin, and her hands were white as she clutched at the sleeves of his jacket.

“Run,” she breathed, pleading with him to go. Teal’c was grief-stricken. His eyes were wide as he looked around uncertainly, his mouth dropping open to offer some explanation to O’Neill as he ran up to them.

“Teal’c, go! Now!” O’Neill shouted as he heard the wormhole open. Daniel was yelling.

“O’Neill-,” Teal’c began, but Jack cut him off.

“Get the hell outa here, for cryin’ out loud!” he said, kneeling down to pick up Carter. “We’ll be right behind you,” he added, a bit softer, but without looking up.

Jack saw the large man rise and bow his head. Teal’c looked over to where the blast had come from, aiming his staff, but the coward was nowhere to be seen. He turned and cautiously made his way to the gate, wary of the sudden silence around him.

“Jesus, Carter,” Jack breathed, as he surveyed the scene before him. He had seen what she did, how she had saved Teal’c’s life. He couldn’t decide between being proud of her or pissed as hell at her.

“C’mon, Carter. Stay with me. Ya’ gotta help me out a little here,” he whispered, leaning down to pick her up. Her eyes got very wide.

“Sir-,” she choked.

“Shut up, Carter,” he said as he curled his arms under her knees and shoulders.

“No- Sir-. B’hind you,” she whispered.

“What?” he said. The hairs on the back of his neck tingled as he swung his head around to find the business end of a zat six inches from his face.

As the charge from the weapon coursed through him, he thought he saw Carter’s eyes close.

*  *  *  *

“Jack. JACK! C’mon, wake up! Jack!”

Someone was talking to him. Not just talking… someone was shaking him. Hard. That’s not right…

Jack gasped, sitting up fast and nearly knocking Daniel over in the process. Man, he hurt. Jack winced at the sharp ache in his head and scooted back to lean against the coarse, damp wall of the… cell. Shit.

“Okay, hang on.” Jack rubbed his eyes and shook his head, trying to get a grasp on reality. “Me, captured, I can understand, but… why are you two here? And if we’re all here, where’s Carter?” he asked, his eyes still squinting as the pain started to subside. “Did she at least make it?”

Daniel blinked and the color drained from his face. Unsettled by Daniel’s lengthy hesitation, Jack turned to Teal’c.

“O’Neill-,” he started. Jack closed his eyes. Teal’c. She had been with with Teal’c, and then-

“Shit. Shit!” Jack hammered his fist onto the hard dirt floor as the memory flooded back to him. He looked around the cell for a second and, feeling totally helpless, he proceeded to massage his eyes with the heels of his hands.

“She’s dead, isn’t she, Jack? She couldn’t have survived,” Daniel said, slowly and softly. Jack nodded his head, peeling his hands from his face.

“O’Neill, I cannot express to you the depth of my regret that I did not defend Major Carter. She is dead because of me, and I can only beg your forgiveness for my error,” Teal’c said slowly and carefully, chin up, prepared to face well deserved punishment. Jack just sat there for a moment. At first, he stared at Teal’c’s face, considering his words, contemplating their truth. His first instinct was to blame Teal’c. He should have taken care of her. Jack closed his eyes then, trying desperately to escape reality for even the briefest of moments. Thankfully, Daniel and Teal’c chose to leave him alone. Daniel, for one, was quite certain that his best friend was finally losing it.

It wasn’t Teal’c’s fault at all, Jack mused. It was his. The CO. He was responsible for the people under his command. But he had been so far away—too far to help her. Why hadn’t he run faster? Left sooner? Sent Teal’c first? Then Teal’c might be dead instead. Or both of them. Why hadn’t he seen that Jaffa? Why hadn’t Teal’c? Why is the sky blue, Jack? What if the world was a checkerboard? Why did she have to be so brave? Why her?

“It’s not your fault, Teal’c, so stop beating yourself up about it,” Jack said finally, eyes still closed. He startled the other two men, who had followed Jack’s example and retreated into surreal little worlds of their own. “She… she wouldn’t have done what she did if she didn’t think you were worth it, Teal’c. She’s- was- a smart kid, ya’ know,” he continued.

They sat in silence, then, each reflecting on the events of the day in his own mind. They had gated to P7C-448 early this morning- just after dawn. Daniel had some old caves he wanted to poke around in, Carter— Carter wandered around taking samples of stuff. Wonder what happened to those samples, anyway? Teal’c stood around looking ominous, and Jack… had had a bad feeling about the place from the start, but had ignored it, thinking he was just being paranoid.

It wasn’t until Carter had run up to him, mouth moving a mile a minute, going on about the place being familiar, about Jolinar having been there and having been afraid, that Jack ordered the team to pack up and head back to the gate. Now, Jack wished he hadn’t zoned her out while they were walking, before the Jaffa attacked. She had been telling him about what she remembered. That information might be kinda useful now. He was a total dumbass. He always zoned her out, even though he knew he should be listening. She was, after all, way smarter than him, but she had always been willing to patiently go through things a second time with him, making sure he understood.

He could see her face so clearly. She had smiled a lot that morning. She had always been able to laugh at his stupid jokes, so why couldn’t he have just paid more attention to her for five lousy minutes? He would do anything to have those five minutes back now. What had happened to her, anyway? Was she still lying out there in the middle of the clearing? When the SGC sent a MALP to see what happened to them, would his Major’s rotting body be the first thing it saw?

“Okay,” Jack started, taking a deep breath. “Aside from the obvious, what’s our status?”

“Well, Jack, we’re in a dark, dank little cell, hundred of millions of miles from home, on a planet with lots and lots of Jaffa, we don’t have any weapons, and-,”

“I said aside from the obvious, Daniel,” Jack cut him off. “Do we know who’s Jaffa those were? What happened after I got zatted? Why didn’t you guys go through the gate?” Jack asked, suddenly very aware of how little he really knew. “Daniel. I heard the gate open. Why didn’t you go through?” he demanded.

“No one gets left behind, Jack,” Daniel whispered, his eyes boring through Jack’s so intensely that Jack couldn’t argue.

“Right,” he said, reluctantly. “So, what happened?”

“Well, I got as far as sending the IDC, but when I looked back— I saw Sam get shot. I started yelling for Teal’c to pick her up, to drag her if he had to. Then you got there and Teal’c started heading over to me. I turned around for a minute to radio base to have a medical team in the gateroom, and then… well, uh, I think I must’ve gotten zatted too,” Daniel finished. Jack breathed a sigh of relief. At least Hammond knew they were in trouble. We’re in trouble, Sir. She’d said that to him once. She’d saved him then… Focus, Jack!

“Teal’c? How ‘bout you?”

“Much the same, O’Neill. I, too, was rendered unconscious by a zat’nik’atel.”

“So, uh… how come nobody fired second shots?” Daniel asked.

“Huh?” Jack was now halfway between surprised and confused. “What’dya mean?”

“I mean, why aren’t we dead, too? We were each only zatted once.”

“Good question,” Jack sighed, running a hand through his hair. He hadn’t even noticed there was dried blood all over it. Whose? Oh. Yeah.

“Daniel, did you hear any of what Carter was going on about just before we were attacked? It was something about Jolinar-,”

“What, weren’t you listening, Jack? She was talking to you!” Daniel interjected, his voice positively dripping with accusation. Jack’s jaw dropped. If it had been any other man who had said that to him… any other man, and Jack would have broken his neck.

“No, Daniel,” Jack said, trying to keep his tone level. “No, I wasn’t listening. I never listened, okay? Shoulda’, but didn’t, Daniel!” So much for keeping his voice level. “And it’s just a little late now!” he shouted, standing now, and wanting badly for a nice, heavy punching bag. Better yet, a keg of beer, maybe some whisky…

“I’m sorry,” whispered Daniel, almost inaudibly. He was staring intently at the floor.

“What?!” Jack snapped, closing the distance between them in an instant, to hover over the younger man, seething.

“I said, I’m sorry, Jack. I shouldn’t have said that. It’s not your fault.” His voice cracked slightly on the last word.

“God, Daniel,” Jack said softly. He pulled Daniel toward him in a fatherly embrace.

“God, Jack. She’s gone. We watched her die,” Daniel whispered, slowly pulling away from his friend. Jack squeezed his shoulders.

“I know, Daniel. I know. But we can’t afford to think about it now, or we’ll be the next to go, okay? You know Sam would want us to get out of here.”

“Yeah.”

*  *  *  *

She was shot by a staff. She could feel the fire from the blast burning through her back, seeping into her lungs, through her ribs, her spine… God, it HURT! She wanted to scream, to cry out in agony, but she couldn’t. Her chest contracted painfully as she tried madly to breathe. You can’t scream if there’s no air in your lungs. Teal’c was there. She could see her hands on his sleeves. He was peering down at her. Sam had never seen him look so helpless… not since he had seen the burned-out remains of his home on Chulak. It scared her. She heard sharp thunder in the background-- a staff weapon discharging. The Jaffa were still firing. She told Teal’c to run. His mouth dropped open, but before he could answer her, someone else came running up to them. Another Jaffa? God, she was so scared. She didn’t want to die. Don’t want to die…

Colonel! Thank God, the colonel told him to leave. The colonel knelt over her. He was saying something. She could see his lips moving… Who was he talking to? Wasting time! Didn’t he understand that he needed to go? God, she didn’t want him to. She was dying. He couldn’t help her. But she didn’t want to die alone…

“Sir-,” she said. He cut her off. Did he just tell her to shut up? Creep. He was so busy looking at her, trying to pick her up, too, she guessed, that he was oblivious to all else going on around him. Someone was coming. Shit. Sam saw the Jaffa creeping up behind the colonel. He had a zat in his hand. Shit, Colonel. You waited too long!

“No- Sir-. Behind you,” she struggled to say. His eyes narrowed. Oh, God. This was it. He swung around. God, she couldn’t move, couldn’t run, couldn’t watch. In her mind’s eye, she saw the Jaffa pull the trigger—

Sam sat up fast, gasping desperately for air, incredibly surprised that it didn’t hurt to breathe. Ah, but it did hurt to sit up like that! She leaned forward and cradled her pounding head in her hands.

“Holy Hannah, what a nightmare,” she said aloud. Her voice echoed a bit in the room. The sound of it was almost tangible, grounding her and pulling her back into reality. She lifted her head and looked around. The Air Force Major in her memorized every detail of what she saw. The Sam Carter in her was profoundly afraid.

There was no doubt in her mind that the room was of Goa’uld design. The walls were plated in gold and covered with hieroglyphics, just like Apophis’ ships and Hathor’s base. There was a soft yellow light emanating from somewhere above her. Beneath her, though, there was a very bright, white light, just like… in a sarcophagus. She was sitting in a sarcophagus.

Panicked, she reached behind her and felt the gaping hole burnt through her jacket and tee shirt. She could feel the smooth, unbroken skin of her back.

“Shit, it was real!” she breathed. She scrambled over the side of the sarcophagus and jumped down. She ran to one of the walls and began running her hands over it, searching frantically for a seam, a raised symbol, a doorknob, anything.

Sam nearly jumped out of her skin when she heard the wall behind her begin to slide open. She swung around and pressed herself up against the wall behind her, feeling the cold metal on the bare skin of her back. Her mind raced as her eyes darted around the room, looking for something she could use as a weapon. Her right hand dropped to her hip, hoping to find her Beretta, but it wasn’t there. She wiggled her ankle in her boot. Her knife was gone too. The room was totally empty, save the sarcophagus.

Well, she could hide behind it, she supposed. What, and be found in half a second anyway, sitting there on the floor cowering like a scared puppy? Hell, no. The least she could do was face what was coming standing up, head held high. Like a soldier.

The colonel would be so proud.

The clanging footsteps of the Jaffa making their way down the corridor outside the room was deafening. Sam stiffened in apprehension and resolution and strode to the middle of the room, facing the door. To her infinite surprise, the footfalls stopped, all except for one, slightly softer sounding set. Something in the back of Sam’s mind tingled. Goa’uld were all over this place. One walked in through the open door.

It was Cronos. He stepped just inside the threshold, staring her down for a moment, before casually walking up to within a few feet of her. Sam stood her ground. He ran his eyes up and down her form, inspecting her. She lifted her chin slightly in defiance but, deep down, she wanted nothing more than to run away, screaming for the guys to come and save her- not something that would be happening anyway, if they were all dead, as she had been.

Sam shuddered almost imperceptibly at the thought. Now’s not exactly the time for pessimism, Sam. Cronos’ gaze fell to her hand and stayed there as he started speaking.

“You are Major Samantha Carter of the Tau’ri,” he said. He looked at her face, then, eyes demanding a response. She didn’t oblige. She could tell that his just being in the same room with her disgusted him. Sam could relate.

“Where is my team?” She finally found her voice.

“I was not indebted to your team, Tau’ri, as I am now no longer indebted to you,” he replied, typically Goa’uld in tone. Okay, now Sam was thoroughly confused. Indebted?

“You didn’t answer my question,” she said, taking a small step forward for emphasis. “Where is my team?”

He laughed smugly upon hearing the insolence of his prisoner and, in one fluid motion, raised his arm and threw her hard into the wall behind her with a ribbon device. She was dazed by the impact and so dizzy, she could barely move, let alone stand.

“You saved my life once and I have saved yours. I owe you nothing, Tau’ri. You would do well to remember that,” Cronos said and walked out.

Sam’s head lolled as she fought to keep her eyes open. Yup, definitely got a concussion, there. Four Jaffa marched in at that point. Two of the burly men grabbed her upper arms and dragged her out into the corridor.

*  *  *  *

“Anybody else hungry? I’m hungry.” Daniel broke the silence in the small cell. Jack looked at his watch again. Almost twelve hours since they’d set foot on this stupid planet, seven hours and 46 minutes since they were first attacked, seven hours and 28 minutes since Carter had… What the hell was he gonna tell Jacob? Six hours since he had woken up in this pit, three hours since-

“Jack? I just asked you if you were hungry,” Daniel probed softly, holding out a few squares from a Hershey bar. Jack looked up at him in amazement and Daniel returned his gaze with a small grin.

 “Daniel, where did you get that?” Jack asked. He couldn’t help but smile back. He was pretty hungry after all.

“I, uh, sewed a secret pocket into my BDU’s. I always bring a couple of bars with me on missions. When talking fails, try food, right? Worked on Abydos.”

At that, Jack actually started laughing. It was just a slight, nervous chuckle at first but, when Daniel joined in, he had to wipe the tears from his eyes, he was laughing so hard. They both were, thinking back to how they met Kasouf and Skaara, about how Daniel had been dragged at high speeds by his ankle behind that big, hairy, drooling… thing, about the pure insanity of their current situation. Maybe he was losing it. Teal’c, who had no idea what was going on, simply raised an eyebrow at them.

When they managed to calm themselves down, Jack took the chocolate from his friend and began to munch.

“So. Jack.”

“Yes, Daniel.”

“Think of a way to get us out of here yet?”

Jack took another bite of candy and leaned his head back against the wall. This day just kept getting better and better.

“Well,” he replied. “Unless this is some new Goa’uld game we get to play, whoever’s in charge here woulda’ probably killed us already if they didn’t want something from us. And, seeing as we’re still here…”

“They probably want something from us,” Daniel offered, nodding.

“Yup. And if they want us for something, they’re gonna have to open that door to get it.”

“Soooo…”

“So, when that door opens, we rush whoever’s on the other side and make a mad dash for the exit.”

“That great military mind of yours and the best you can come up with is ‘make a mad dash for the exit?’ Really, Jack, I’m disappointed.” Daniel smiled so that Jack would know for sure that he was joking. Jack chuckled a bit.

“Yeah, well. Workin’ with what I’ve got, here, Danny-boy. Teal’c? Do you have anything to add?”

Teal’c considered the idea before replying.

“Your plan has merit, O’Neill. However, it is likely that this Goa’uld is aware of our tactics. It is possible that he would expect that course of action from us and that the contingent of Jaffa present will be too large for the three of us to defeat.”

“Sure, Teal’c, just go ahead and rain on my parade. It’s a big risk, I know, but right now, I think it’s the best we’ve got,” Jack replied. “So the second we hear that lock disengage, we’re outa’ here.” Daniel and Teal’c nodded their agreement and they lapsed into silence again. 

“Oh!” Daniel exclaimed, making Jack jump.

“Dammit, Daniel! What is it?”

“I never answered your question. You know, whether or not I remembered what Sam was saying about the planet.”

“Go on,” Jack prompted.

“Well, I think the guy we’re dealing with is Cronos.” Teal’c looked up suddenly upon hearing the name of his father’s killer. “Sam said that this planet is one of his bases of operations. One of the more minor ones, granted, but important enough. It’s close enough to the action to make a good listening post and garrison, yet backwater enough not to be perceived as too great a threat by the other system lords. Jolinar was sent here on a reconnaissance mission. The Tok’ra expected to find a very small base with a relatively small group of Jaffa guarding it, but Jolinar barely got back to the stargate. She found out that this place was a lot better defended than was originally thought. Probably because Cronos spends so much time here himself.”

“So, he could be here right now,” Jack added.

“It’s possible,” Daniel replied.

“That could make things a little more difficult,” Jack said.

“Well, yeah.”

“Man, I really wish Carter were here. At the very least, her snake detector would really come in handy right now,” Jack mused, leaning back against the wall again and stretching his arms over his head to work out the kinks in his back.

His head snapped to the door as he heard the lock click loudly… 

Part 2: Standing Tall

“Great plan, Jack. Real effective.”

“Shut up, Daniel.”

Teal’c had been right. When the door opened, six Jaffa had their staff weapons aimed into the cell. Now, the three men were sitting in what bore a vague resemblance to a throne room. The Jaffa had forced them to kneel before a very ornate chair opposite the door and Jack, Daniel, and Teal’c each had their own personal guard holding staff weapons inches from their heads, making hand bindings somewhat superfluous.

They all tensed when the huge door slid open. Out of the corners of his eyes, Daniel could see Jack on his left, his hands balled up in clenched fists, jaw set stubbornly in classic O’Neill ‘I’m-gonna-kick-your-snakey-ass-first-chance-I-get’ fashion.

Daniel noted the same set jaw on Teal’c. While his friend was able to maintain his stoic countenance, Daniel knew it must be hell for him, trying to control himself, knowing he might very well come face to face again with his father’s murderer, and now the man responsible for the death of one of his dearest friends as well.

Sure enough, Cronos walked into the chamber, making a point of looking as regal and pompous as possible. He was trying to present himself as a god, after all. He was flanked by a Jaffa honor guard in full ceremonial dress. The three male members of SG-1 looked decidedly unimpressed, which agitated the false god. He began speaking without preamble.

“You were warned. While the System Lords’ treaty with the Asgard forbids me to attack your planet,” Cronos spat with disdain, “We are not on your planet.” His lips curled into a foul smile as he fondled the ribbon device on his left hand.

Okay, now Daniel was starting to enjoy himself less and less. If that was even possible.

“Yeah, well, you got to come and visit us. We all had such a great time, too, so we thought we’d stop by your place. You know, have a look around, see the sights. Great planet you’ve got here. Really. Though the guest accommodations have been less than stellar. You might want to get the front desk to check on the kitchen, too. I ord-.”

Cronos’ eyes glowed bright orange and in a heartbeat, Jack was slamming into the back wall. Daniel flinched as Jack’s unconscious form slid to the ground, cursing his friend’s tendency to try and protect his team even at his own expense. Teal’c was enraged, but only let it show through an exaggerated frown and a tightening of his muscles.

Cronos lowered his hand and returned his attention to the two men still kneeling before him.

“Shol’va. You have been very quiet,” he taunted. Teal’c tensed further, and while Daniel knew how badly Teal’c wanted to take his revenge, he silently begged his friend to keep his cool. Things could still get so much worse.

“I can see it in your eyes, Teal’c. Why do you not attack me and avenge your father? I killed him slowly and caused him great pain. Does this not anger you? Are you a coward, Shol’va?” He paused and hovered over Teal’c for a moment, trying to intimidate him. He did not succeed; nevertheless, Cronos huffed in satisfaction.

“You do not attack me because you know I am a god! What could you do to a god?”

“False god,” Teal’c growled. Cronos smiled.

“Your opinion will change soon enough, and you will embrace my omnipotence, just before you beg me to kill you.”

Stimulating as the exchange he was witnessing was, Daniel was getting anxious. That, and his knees were really starting to hurt. Okay, enough was enough.

“I’m, uh, sorry to interrupt, but was there something you wanted?” Daniel put his best O’Neill sarcastic edge to the question.

“You Tau’ri must be very courageous or very stupid to display such insolence toward your god.”

“False god,” Daniel retorted with the hint of a smirk. Cronos backhanded his face, but Daniel managed to stay upright. Cronos seemed amused.

“You will learn your fate in good time, though when you do, you will wish I had killed you where you now kneel. Get this trash out of my sight!” he directed the guards.

Daniel and Teal’c were then unceremoniously yanked to their feet as Jack was dragged to the door. Once in the corridor, Daniel suddenly realized that Jack was not going with them. He was, in fact, being taken in the opposite direction. Daniel started to struggle.

“Hey! Hey, wait! Where are you taking him?! Jack! Jack, wake up! JACK!” He shouted, hoping that his friend would wake up and help himself. Teal’c joined him with louder shouts of “O’Neill!” in the hopes that he would regain consciousness. It didn’t work. He disappeared around a corner. 

*  *  *  *

“Where are the Tok’ra hiding?” Cronos demanded for about the fifteenth time.

Sam didn’t say a word, just glared daggers up at her enemy. Cronos crept toward her, bringing his face to within inches of hers, She could feel his hot breath on her cheek. If her hands hadn’t been bound behind her, she would have decked him in a heartbeat.

“What worlds are the Tau’ri now exploring?” Cronos whispered in her ear. Sam refused to wince, refused to respond in any way. She couldn’t show him how afraid and disgusted he was making her. She’d managed to remain totally stoic for the entire interrogation session so far- she wasn’t about to let down her guard now. She had found that if she could just focus her attention on something, it was a little easier to ignore Cronos and the dull ache throbbing in her head from being fried with the ribbon device a few too many times. She kept her eyes trained unwaveringly on the golden throne.

“Very well,” he sang, strutting over to her. Sam watched the stone in the palm of his ribbon device begin to glow again. She braced herself and kept her eyes on the throne…

“How can I penetrate the barrier on the Tau’ri Stargate?” he asked, the picture of patience. Sam locked her jaw in response and was immediately overcome by the effects of the ribbon device. Her head swam as she fought against the burning pain in her mind to maintain some semblance of coherence. She heard herself cry out as she lost her grip on what little control she had. She dropped to her knees, utterly transfixed on the orange stone, the pain seeping further into her, disorienting and paralyzing. Agony.

Then she felt herself falling again. She landed hard on her left shoulder as Cronos released her. Sam blinked hard, willing the pain to recede.

“Where are the Tok’ra hiding?” Cronos demanded again.

Sam could barely hear him through the ringing in her ears, but managed to rasp out a simple, “Can’t you take a hint?”

He rushed toward her, angered by her insolence and resistance, and pulled her up by the collar. His eyes glowed intensely as he hoisted her above the ground. Sam braced herself, expecting to be thrown across the room or something. Cronos looked ready to kill her. He was angry and tense, so Sam was startled when he merely dropped her.

“Pathetic human,” he spat. “Not worth my time.” Cronos turned briskly on his heel and made his way to the door. He looked back at her writhing form once, huffing in satisfaction, as he motioned the two guards by the door to follow him out. They left her alone.

Apparently, as Sam figured it, he must have thought she was too tired and weak to try anything resembling escape. They left her alone. Stupid snakehead.

Sam rolled onto her back, recognizing the opportunity the second it had presented itself. She looked around the room quickly. She was more lucid now, as her headache started to fade again. She sat up gingerly, but as fast as she dared, knowing that the guards who were no doubt standing just outside the room’s only door could walk in any minute. She stood up and felt compelled to head toward the throne. Why had she chosen this particular object to stare at? There were plenty of other objects in the room that could have held her attention- tapestries, large pots, golden nick-knacks of all sizes and shapes. Why had she been so drawn to this?

There was something about it. There had to be.

She began to examine the large chair, her fingers gliding over the cold, smooth patterns carved into the arm. She looked uneasily at the door- just to check- her heart beating out of her chest in apprehension.

This was a golden opportunity! Why was she staying here looking at a stupid chair? She should be bolting out that door.

It all played out beautifully in her rather scrambled mind- All she had to do was open the door, incapacitate and steal the weapon of the Jaffa standing guard outside, find the guys and a GDO, break them out, get out of the base, find the Stargate, and voila! Home before dinner. Right, Carter. And pigs fly.

There just had to be another way. She turned her attention back to the throne, looking for… something. She didn’t know what exactly, but somehow she knew it was there. It had to be.

“Come on, come on,” she whispered impatiently. She was taking too long. She was about to give up and take her chances with the door, when a little voice in the back of her head directed her attention to the underside of the seat. Lying on her back, she slid under the throne.

She saw it immediately- a small remote. It actually kind of reminded her of a Nintendo game controller or something, except this one was pale blue and crystalline. She grabbed it hastily and pulled herself out from under the throne.

She pressed her thumb down onto one of the ‘buttons’ and sighed in relief as a small panel in the wall behind the throne’s dais slid silently open. She didn’t think twice before crouching down and slipping into the dark tunnel, letting the panel close automatically behind her.

Sam scrambled through the tunnel on her hands and knees with the distinct sense that she’d been in the dark, cramped space before. She was familiar enough with the feeling to know it was Jolinar. This tunnel must have been how she was able to get in and out of the base on her recon mission… and how she finally escaped after she had been captured.

Distracted by her reverie, and the soreness in her abused knees, Sam didn’t see the abrupt and steep downward angle of the floor and when her hand hit nothing but air, she slipped and started sliding down the chute. It didn’t take long for it to deposit her roughly on solid ground.

Slightly dazed, Sam brushed herself off and struggled to her feet, giving her eyes time to adjust to the relative brightness of the cavern she now found herself in. The room was unmistakably Tok’ra in construction and Sam couldn’t help but wonder how it hadn’t yet been discovered by Cronos or his people. The Goa’uld were shrewd beings. How was it that Jolinar’s escape route had managed to elude him?

Sam didn’t ponder the question long, choosing not to look the gift-horse in the mouth. Instead, she started walking, stepping softly as though someone would hear. She needed to find out where these tunnels could take her- and if they would lead her to the guys.

The guys. It suddenly dawned on her as she crept through the blue crystal corridors, all alone, that they probably thought she was dead. Well, it wouldn’t really be that far off the mark. Smiling weakly to herself, she thought that she couldn’t wait to see the look on their faces when they saw her. Her grin faded, though, as another thought crept unbidden into her mind. Would they ever see each other again? 

        *          *          *          *         

Daniel Jackson was not normally a violent man. However, he could hardly categorize his situation as normal. Quite frankly, beating the shit out of the wall was making him feel a little better.

Sam was dead. Whack.

Jack got carted off, out cold, to God knows where. Thwack.

They were sitting in a cell, with no way out, at the beck and call of a particularly nasty snakehead. Whump-thwack.

His wife was dead. Smack.

His phone bill was overdue. Thud.

He lost his favorite book on South American cultural diffusion. Smack.

And…

And Teal’c was just sitting there! Daniel hurled his balled-up jacket past Teal’c’s head. He opened one eye and peered at Daniel, disgruntled over the interruption of his kel-no-reem.

“How can you do that at a time like this?” Daniel practically shouted, throwing his arms into the air in frustration.

“Daniel Jackson, do you not require rest?”

“Of course I do! But how am I supposed to sleep?”

“Perhaps you should try. You will not be effective when we escape if you are deprived of rest.”

Daniel just stood in place for a moment, slack-jawed and blinking.

“I hate it when you’re right,” he finally said, frowning, and plopped, cross-legged, onto the ground.

“Toss me my jacket, will ya’,” Daniel mumbled. Teal’c sighed and sent the garment in Daniel’s direction. He caught it and scrunched it up to serve as a pillow.

“I guess I am kind of tired,” Daniel yawned.

“Indeed.” Teal’c closed his eyes again, clearing his mind of distraction.

Just as Daniel lay down and closed his eyes, getting very used to the idea of being unconscious, the door slid open loudly. Daniel swore under his breath and Teal’c sighed in irritation. Daniel was just starting to stand up when he was knocked down by the flying body of one Jack O’Neill. The door slammed shut.

Jack groaned as he painfully rolled off of a rather stunned Daniel.

“Jack,” Daniel grunted when he was finally able to draw breath again.

“Daniel,” Jack replied, sprawling out on his back on the floor.

“You woke me up, Jack.”

“Terribly sorry, Daniel.”

“You okay?” Daniel rolled over to face him, concerned by his friend’s condition.

“Yeah.”

“What happened?”

“What do you think? They, ugh, asked me some questions. Didn’t like my answers,” Jack replied.

Daniel took in his haggard appearance and knew immediately that, roughly translated, ‘asked me some questions’ meant ‘interrogated,’ and not in a nice, polite way, either. Daniel chose not to pursue the topic, wanting instead to allow Jack, and himself, some time to rest.

“I’m, uh, gonna finish my nap, okay?” said Daniel, resuming his prone position on the ground. Jack just nodded as Daniel noticed he was practically asleep already. Well, at least they were all back together, again. That was something. Daniel closed his eyes, exhausted.

“Hey Daniel?” Jack asked, breaking the silence, his eyes still closed. Daniel sighed.

“What?”

“Why do you think they would ask me where Carter is?”

Daniel’s eyes flew open.

“What do you mean, they asked you where Carter is? Jack, what exactly happened?” Daniel asked hurriedly, forgetting about sleep entirely. Jack sighed tiredly as Daniel sat up to look at him.

“Well,” he replied. “I woke up, really sore, actually, in a cell just like this one. I banged on the door for a little while, which apparently only pissed people off, and then a couple of hours later, Cronos showed up and started asking me questions…” 

Flashback

Jack grimaced, head throbbing, as Cronos released him from the ribbon device and dropped his hand back down to his side.

“Now, Tau’ri, I will ask you again- how do I deactivate the barrier protecting your Stargate?”

“And I’ll ask you again- where’s the rest of my team?” One of the Jaffa swung his staff weapon hard into Jack’s abdomen, causing him to double over in pain.

“HOW DO I PENETRATE EARTH’S DEFENSES, HUMAN?” the Goa’uld demanded, eyes glowing fiercely.

“Click your heels together three times and say, ‘there’s no place like home,’” Jack grunted in reply, earning him a backhand across the jaw. He swayed a bit on his knees before recovering and resuming his anger-filled glare at Cronos.

End Flashback 

“Just then, another Jaffa walked in,” Jack continued. “He started whispering something in the snakehead’s ear. Apparently, it wasn’t good news. Cronos got kinda upset.” Daniel winced at the thought of an ‘upset’ Goa’uld. 

Flashback

“My lord,” the Jaffa regarded his master softly.

“What is it?” Cronos hissed, irritated by the interruption.

“The woman, my lord. She is no longer in the throne room,” he continued, obviously uncomfortable with his proximity to Cronos, especially when delivering unwelcome news.

“FIND HER!” he roared, angrily, eyes blazing. “And when you do, kill her again.”

Jack’s ears perked up. Kill her again? Cronos turned and stalked back toward Jack. He steeled himself up for another blow, but it never came. Cronos stopped, paced the room for a moment, fuming, then turned back to Jack.

“Where is Samantha Carter hiding?” he asked.

“How the hell should I know?” Jack replied, trying valiantly to hide his elation at hearing she wasn’t dead. And even better- she had escaped. He couldn’t help but think that Cronos knew perfectly well that there was no way Jack would have that information. Not that he would tell him even if he did know.

“You have one chance to answer this question, human. If I find your answer to be satisfactory, I will show you leniency.” Cronos paused to give Jack a second to think it over. As if he needed to. “What do you know of the Tok’ra Jolinar’s escape from this fortress?”

“Don’t have a clue what you’re talking about,” Jack replied, triumphantly.

“Very well,” Cronos said and turned to the Jaffa who had brought him the message.

“I want this entire facility searched, leaving no door unopened, no crevasse ignored. You will find the wretched woman!” Cronos barked. The Jaffa turned to carry out his orders.

“Wait!” The Jaffa turned to face his master once more. “Do not search the palace.”

“My lord?” The Jaffa questioned, confused by Cronos’ change of heart.

“We will wait,” the Goa’uld snarled, glancing over at Jack, still kneeling on the floor. “I believe,” he continued, grinning sinisterly. “That she will come to us.”

End Flashback 

“And then a couple of Jaffa picked me up and dragged me back here,” Jack finished. Daniel took a deep breath before responding.

“Well, at least we know that Sam’s alive,” he said, giving Jack a small grin. Jack gave a weak smile himself, but it didn’t keep.

“Yeah, but for how long?”

 Part 3: Search and Rescue

Sam wandered through the seemingly endless series of Tok’ra tunnels with an increasing sense of desperation. She was cold, hungry, tired, and alone. She wished she had her watch. No, wait, she didn’t. Chances were, it would have become an obsession by then, and her mind was wandering enough as it was. She should have found something by now. It wasn’t like this tunnel could go on forever, was it?

                    *                  *                  *                  *

Teal’c woke from his kel’nor’reem feeling refreshed and strong. He was ready to face the challenges that he was sure the day would bring. He took in his surroundings, noting his companions, still asleep on the ground. Teal’c was pleased that his friends had been able to get some rest. Perhaps learning that Major Carter was alive had contributed to their peace of mind, as it had for him.

Daniel Jackson stirred. He opened his eyes and closed them again quickly, as though he thought he was still dreaming. He groaned as he rubbed them furiously, realizing that he was not, in fact, still asleep.

“Daniel Jackson, are you well?”

“Teal’c? Um, yeah. You?” Daniel asked, sitting up. He spared a glance over at Jack, who was still out cold. Hmmm. He was usually the first one up.

“I am indeed well, Daniel Jackson. I was able to complete several hours of kel’nor’reem.”

“Uh. Good.” Daniel paused, just looking around. He’d only been awake for two minutes and he was already bored. Peachy. He actually considered waking Jack up just to make things more interesting.

Then again, he really had enough unpleasant thoughts floating around his head to keep him occupied for a good while, considering where and under what circumstances he was.

“Hey, Teal’c, I don’t suppose you have any field rations on you, by chance?” Daniel then queried, suddenly very aware of the pangs in his stomach. How long had it been since that Hershey bar? Teal’c raised an eyebrow.

“I do not.” Teal’c replied, expertly hiding his own disappointment. He was famished, but he would never show it.

The two men went silent again, allowing them to hear perfectly, the approach of footsteps in the corridor outside. Daniel hoped they were about to get breakfast, or at least some water. Teal’c was not so confident.

“O’Neill!” Teal’c hissed loudly. Daniel gave him a look that said ‘what the hell are you doing’ in any language, confused as to why Teal’c would disrupt his friend’s peaceful slumber. “O’Neill!” he said again, a bit louder. The colonel stirred a bit. Teal’c rose and made his way toward O’Neill and Daniel Jackson, as the footfalls outside became louder and louder. Teal’c shook him. “O’Neill, Jaffa approach.”

Jack woke up with a start, a bit confused at first, but recovering quickly as his brain booted itself up. “Teal’c? Daniel? What’s goin’ on?”

“There’s some guards outside, Jack,” was all Daniel managed to get out before the door was opened and several very large and angry looking Jaffa entered the cell.

“You will come with us!” the lead Jaffa boomed, as his subordinates passed him and moved to restrain the three men. Teal’c stood as Daniel knelt to help Jack up. Apparently, they weren’t quick enough for their benevolent hosts. One Jaffa grabbed Daniel by the upper arm violently, pulling him away from Jack as another yanked Jack up off the ground by his jacket collar.

“Hey, hey! We’re comin’. No need to get pushy,” Jack commented, as his hands were restrained behind him. He looked over at Daniel and Teal’c and noticed that they were getting the same treatment. At least these Jaffa were consistent.

                    *                  *                  *                  *

“Finally!” Sam breathed as the literal and figurative light at the end of the tunnel came into view. Energized by adrenaline, she marched triumphantly toward it.

The opening was small… just large enough for her to fit her body through, she imagined as she cautiously peered out. To her surprise, and horror, she could see the Stargate and DHD a short distance away. No wonder the tunnel seemed to go on forever. The devices were closely guarded by quite a large contingent of Jaffa and at the bottom of the steps leading up to the gate, she could make out what was left of a MALP. It had pretty much been blown to bits. So much for a rescue party. Hammond would never send a team through such a heavily guarded gate. They would be on their own. She was on her own. In the immortal words of Colonel O’Neill, she thought, this sucks.

Sam had to think for a minute. She had no weapons, no GDO, no team, no rescue. She couldn’t dial home because if she tried to get to the gate, she would most likely be shot. Again. She shivered at the thought. Sam moved away from the opening and deeper into the tunnel. Suddenly feeling totally spent, she slid down a crystalline blue wall into a tired heap, wanting desperately to just sit there and cry, but not finding the energy.

She wished the Colonel were there. He’d know what to do. Daniel and Teal’c would come in handy too—working together the team always managed to get out of tight spots. Sam let out a dismal laugh. If they had all been with her, she wouldn’t even be having this conversation with… well, with herself.

C’mon, Carter. You think. That’s what you do. Think. Sam smiled at the unbidden voice of the Colonel in her head. The guys were counting on her.

What could she do? She had the tunnel. The opening to the outside was well hidden and she could probably slip out and into the woods without being seen. She could backtrack and find the base on the planet’s surface. Then what? Break back in?

Actually… that might work. She thought back to the foothold situation a few months ago. The Cheyenne Mountain Complex was designed to keep people out, not in. That’s why she’d been able to make it off the mountain so easily. Prisons were just the opposite, designed to keep people in instead of out. Surely, Cronos wouldn’t expect her to try and break back in. He thought she would try and get home, hence the overkill with the Jaffa at the gate. If she got back in, she could find the guys and their gear. Although, there was also that pesky little possibility that she would get caught.

We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. Sam stood, mind made up. She couldn’t just sit in the tunnel waiting to be discovered. She had to do something, and so far, that was all she could think of. She walked back to the opening and shimmied through the small hole. She carefully surveyed her surroundings, staying low and hidden, before sprinting into the forest. She disappeared into the trees.

                    *                  *                  *                  *                          

Sam’s head had lost its connection to her body hours ago. It felt like hours, anyway. She couldn’t even feel her feet pounding on the hard dirt of the forest’s floor. The only clues to her that she was still running were the repeated thuds of her boots hitting the ground in rapid succession. She wasn’t even entirely sure where she was going, anymore.

It seemed all she could do was sit back and let her instincts take over… and sit back she did. She was practically asleep on her feet.

She knew she should stop, that she needed to rest, but she also knew that if she sat down, she probably wouldn’t get back up. If she lost her momentum, she would never get it back. So she kept running.

You’re almost there, Sam. She slowed at the soft insistence of the little voice in her head, and soon became aware of sounds other than her own ragged breathing. The clank of armor, the footfalls of heavy metal boots, voices. Unmistakable. She was close.

Then she heard it. It sickened her, permeated her being, like sandpaper to her ears. Cronos was speaking. Sam was still a bit too far away to clearly make out what was being said. She managed to get the gist, though, his tone betraying his foul mood. She thought she heard her name as she crawled through the brush to get closer to the clearing ahead without being seen.

Cronos’ sprawling fortress finally came into view as she crested a small hill and looked down into the shallow valley below. She poked her head up above the bush she was hiding behind for a split second, and quickly became very aware of her error in judgment. There were Jaffa everywhere. If she thought there were a lot guarding the gate, there was a veritable gaggle still here at the fortress. And she was poking her blonde head up and directly into their line of sight.

Sam ducked down again, looking around the forest floor. Luckily, she found exactly what she was seeking. There was a small puddle in the dirt about ten feet away. She crawled toward it and ran her hand through the thicker mud surrounding the water. Perfect. She cupped her hand, filled it with the brown glop, and proceeded to lather it into her hair. Well, it’s not exactly Nice ‘N Easy, but it’ll do. Her hair effectively turned dark brown. She grabbed up a small pile of leaves and wove them into the mess on her head, too, for good measure. She took a little more mud and smudged it on her face, hands, and BDU’s. Sam was already starting to feel invisible.

Satisfied with her transformation, Sam turned back toward the fortress, again. Something was happening in the courtyard that she needed to see. As she crept to within earshot of the base, she could hear Cronos more clearly. It sounded like he was interrogating someone. A shiver ran down her spine.

She finally found a place where she could situate herself and see what was going on without being seen. She climbed into the low branches of a large, full-leafed tree and peered through the foliage.

Upon first glance, her worst fears were realized. Cronos was, indeed, interrogating someone. Three someones, in fact.

Despite her terror at seeing them in such bad shape, she was elated at seeing them at all. She looked at each man’s face in turn. Daniel looked tired. His glasses were gone and replaced by rings of puffy black and blue-ness and a slight trickle of blood was flowing from his nose.

Teal’c’s eyes betrayed to her what no one other than the members of SG-1 would be able to discern—he was in pain. He was tired and hurting, but his face was stoic as ever. Where did he find his motivation?

The Colonel was speaking, though it was a bit too soft for her to understand. He had a lopsided grin pasted onto his bruised and bloodied face. He must have been making some kind of rude and sarcastic comment for Cronos’ benefit because he had earned himself a series of hard punches to his stomach. Sam winced sympathetically with each blow, but was encouraged that he managed to keep his head up despite their obviously having been thoroughly worked over.

Each of her teammates was standing shirtless, back against his very own large timber post planted firmly in the ground. Their arms were pulled behind them, around the posts, and tied, effectively rendering them immobile. Their torsos were covered with bruises and Teal’c’s pouch looked enflamed and irritated. Hurt the symbiote, hurt him, she guessed.

Cronos was talking again, very softly. He had leaned in by Daniel’s head, whispering something in his ear. Daniel grimaced in disgust at the Goa’uld’s proximity and Cronos laughed, lifted his ribbon-device-clad hand, and struck the already raw skin of Daniel’s face. Sam could almost hear the contact between the metal of the device and her friend’s jaw. She couldn’t watch this anymore.

Just as she was turning to climb down and start working on a plan to free her team, Cronos called her name. She froze and slowly turned back to look down into the courtyard again. Had he seen her?

“Samantha Carter,” he called again. He had his arms outspread, palms up, seeming to beckon to her, as he slowly turned around, eyes searching the tree line. Sam breathed a sigh of relief. Her hiding place was still hidden.

“Do you see what you have caused your friends to endure, Samantha? All because you wouldn’t tell me what I wanted to know, all because you chose to disrespect my hospitality by departing. Do you see what you have caused?” Sam shuddered and bit her lower lip, fighting back a choked sob. She saw, alright.

She saw that all of this was for her benefit alone. Cronos had had her figured out from the start. He knew that she wouldn’t stay away for long, not if he had the rest of her team in custody. He had known that she’d come back for them and now he was trying to lure her out. Was she that transparent or had he taken Tau’ri Psychology 101 in Goa’uld Prep-School?

Cronos was still walking around the clearing, inspecting its perimeter, patiently awaiting a response. When his back was turned to the men, the Colonel directed his gaze in her direction, seeming to stare straight at her. Her eyes widened. Did he see her or was he just staring at an arbitrary point in the trees? She saw the colonel nod almost imperceptibly in response to her silent query. Man, he was good. She smiled back broadly, trying to send her friend the message that she was okay and that they would be, too.

The Colonel’s face turned to stone the instant Cronos spun back around to look at his prisoners. He hesitated for a moment, an evil grin playing at the corners of his mouth, before striding over to Jack. Cronos snaked his hand around the back of Jack’s head and wove his fingers into his graying hair, tightly curling it into his fingers. Jack took in a sharp breath as Cronos yanked his head back at a painful-looking angle. Sam watched as their enemy brought his face down to within inches of her CO’s, eyes glowing and staring straight into the Colonel’s, no doubt trying to intimidate him. He was speaking in a low, distorted voice, and after a moment, the Colonel choked out a reply.

Cronos released his grip and the Colonel took a couple of breaths before cocking his head toward Daniel and Teal’c, no doubt to silently ask their opinion on something. Seeming to have gotten his answer, the Colonel opened his mouth.

                    *                  *                  *                  *

Jack inhaled sharply as Cronos practically pulled his hair from his scalp, forcing his head and neck into a rather awkward and painful position.

“Order her to reveal herself, human, or you will all be punished in her stead. What of your companions, Tau’ri? Do you wish for Jackson and the Shol’va to continue to suffer for your arrogance?” Cronos hissed, his face and glowing eyes hovering inches from Jack’s.

Gotta buy time, Jack. Just buy some time. Carter was still out there. She was safe and she knew where they were. All she needed was a little more time. If Cronos managed to convince her to turn herself in, he highly doubted that he would be as merciful as he was trying to make him believe he could be. That, and they’d all be in deep shit. No, there was no way in hell he was gonna order her to come out. If anything it would be just the opposite, but he needed a chance to tell her…

“Okay. Just let go!” he coughed, trying to sound pained and pitiful. The snakehead bought it and let go of his head. Jack took some deep ‘recovery’ breaths to stall long enough to check on Daniel and Teal’c. One look told him that they knew he wasn’t about to betray Carter and that they’d kill him if he ever did.

Okay, Jack. Showtime.

“Carter,” he shouted, ignoring Cronos’ satisfied and smug expression. Cronos looked away from Jack, again, and stared back out into the trees. Jack found Carter’s hiding spot and stared straight at her barely visible face so she knew, without a doubt, that he meant business. “Under no circumstances are you to show yourself, Major! That’s an order!” He kept his eyes on her just long enough to see her mouth drop open in protest, followed by an understanding nod as she saw the logic of his decision.

Before the words were even out of his mouth, Cronos was upon him. He had already marched up to one of the Jaffa guards, relieving him of his Zat. Cronos approached him, and Jack braced himself, hoping to God that he hadn’t just killed his team. Cronos’ eyes were aflame as he activated the weapon and aimed for Jack’s head. Just as he was about to fire, he swiveled and re-aimed at Teal’c. He pulled the trigger and Teal’c let out a short cry, writhing in electric agony, before slumping over, unconscious.

Jack was so surprised, that he let out a loud “Hey!” to try and draw attention back to himself. Daniel looked at Jack, face betraying only the slightest measure of panic as their eyes met. Cronos smirked at their reaction, enjoying it. He pointed the Zat at Daniel and fired again. Jack was beside himself with fury. He struggled with the ropes on his wrists frantically, positively twitching with desire to make Cronos suffer.

Cronos turned the weapon back on Jack, delighted by his distress. “Do you see it now, Tau’ri? Do you see that I am in control? That it is in my hands whether you live or die?” Jack stopped moving long enough to spit in his face. Cronos pulled the trigger.

                    *                  *                  *                  *

This is not happening this is not happening this is not happening this is not happening this is not happening … The steady cadence beat through her mind, a mantra of denial. It was mind over matter. If she didn’t believe that what she was seeing was real, then it wasn’t. That was the way it was supposed to work, anyway.

Sam slumped against the trunk of the tree she was still perched in, physically and emotionally drained. She closed her eyes and counted to ten, taking in slow, calculated, calming breaths. When she opened them again, she saw her friends, still hunched over from the Zat blasts. Reluctantly, she tore her eyes from them to survey the rest of the courtyard.

By then, the sun was rapidly setting on the horizon behind her, and even in the receding light, Sam could make out the looming figures of only two Jaffa. Apparently, Cronos had taken all the others back into the compound with him.

Finally, she had a glimmer of hope. Two Jaffa weren’t that bad. They were even on opposite sides of the courtyard. Bonus. Theoretically, she could take them out, one at a time, without the other knowing about it. Sam sighed. She didn’t envy the Colonel his time in Black Ops, but in situations like this, she really wished she’d had the training he did. This was going to require some serious sneaking around.

                    *                  *                  *                  *

Sam waited impatiently for the opportunity to put her plan into motion. It had finally gotten dark and the courtyard was lit only by the light of the full moon overhead. Sam’s eyes had already adjusted to the darkness and she could easily make out the shadows of her friends who had finally begun to stir. It would have been useless to try and free them while they were still unconscious, so she had chosen to wait, using the time to rest a bit herself in the branches of her tree.

The two guards had not changed their positions in the half-hour or so since they had begun their watch, and Sam decided to make her move.

As lightly and quietly as she could, she slid out of the tree and onto the soft dirt surrounding it, immediately ducking into the cover of the nearby brush. For the moment, she ignored the guard standing at the courtyard gate nearest to her, opting instead to neutralize the one at the gate on the far end of the yard first and then make her way back around.

Sam crept noiselessly around the compound, slipping from one bush to the next, jumping from behind one tree to another, maintaining a safe distance, but keeping her target in sight. The darkness effectively concealed her, but made her journey more difficult, and by the time she reached her destination, her still muddy face and hands and her exposed back were covered with tiny scratches and lacerations from the thorny fauna.

As she neared the Jaffa, she picked up the largest, heaviest fallen branch she could find—and carry—and hefted it in her right hand. She continued on, then, carefully stepping around the twigs and dry leaves littering the ground. She moved so slowly. Her heart was beating out of her chest and she was so close to the Jaffa that she feared he would be able to hear the thumping as clearly as she could.

She was behind him, three steps away. Two steps away. She gripped her club like a baseball bat and held her breath. One step. Sam mustered all the strength she had left in her abused body and struck the Jaffa with a rather impressive blow to the head. He slumped over and began to fall. Shifting her weight, Sam managed to maneuver herself under him, catching him and slowly guiding the lifeless body to the ground before his armor had a chance to clang together too loudly.

Sam allowed herself a second to start breathing again before leaning down and checking the guard’s pulse. She didn’t find one. Christ, I killed him! She thought briefly, momentarily forgetting that he was her enemy. That he stood between her and her friends. Killing… over all her time in the military, it had never gotten any easier for her.

Sam blinked herself out of her reverie, chastising herself for losing focus, and gripped the dead man’s ankles. She dragged the body into the woods and said a silent prayer for his soul as she relieved him of his knife and Zat. She then covered him with leaves and branches to conceal him from any passers-by. Sam retrieved her club and made her way back around the courtyard to take care of the other guard. 

Retracing her steps, the return trip passed quickly, as Sam was able to knowingly avoid the more hazardous obstacles. Her heart was back to trying to escape from the confines of her ribcage with renewed zest and the fact that she finally had some weapons on her didn’t really help her morale.

She approached the Jaffa as slowly as she had the first, but not quite as carefully. Her eyes were glued to his back instead of on the ground. She was only a meter away from him, when beneath her foot, a twig snapped. She froze. The sound had been barely audible, even to her, but the Jaffa had heard it loud and clear. He spun his staff in a close-quarters defensive posture, turning himself to face the direction from which the foreign sound had emanated.

The staff nearly hit Sam squarely in the stomach, but somehow she had been ready for it. As the Jaffa spun, Sam turned into the blow, catching the weapon’s shaft, battling its owner for control. The Jaffa had not expected the intruder to be so close to him, and was surprised when he saw Sam hanging onto his staff for dear life.

The guard was, expectedly, far stronger than Sam was, and easily knocked her to the ground. She managed to hang onto the staff with both hands and pulled him down with her. As he fell, she kicked up into his abdomen with both feet, wrenching the weapon from his grip as she did. He faltered, but recovered quickly, kicking the staff out of Sam’s hands before she had the chance to stand.

Before she knew what had happened, the Jaffa had drawn his knife and straddled her, trapping her legs under his weight. Her right hand was still free and she desperately grabbed for her opponent’s knife as he brought it down toward her neck. With her left had, she felt frantically at her hip for her own blade.

At the same moment, her fingers curled around her knife’s handle and the Jaffa’s hand broke free from her grip. In a last ditch effort, she swatted at his hand, knocking his trajectory off. The blade slid effortlessly into the muscle of her upper left arm. Sam bit back a scream and gritted her teeth as she pulled her knife from its sheath and thrust it up into his larva pouch. Stunned, the Jaffa froze, then leaned back on his heels. Sam winced and drew a sharp breath as he let his full weight rest on her knees, examining his wound with morbid curiosity.

He looked, then, at Sam’s face. He hadn’t uttered a sound yet, but his eyes searched hers for some explanation. He could not fathom how he could have failed so miserably. Sam held his gaze and the night stood still. He looked back down at his abdomen, at the hand that still held onto the knife embedded in him. His face twitched in disbelief just as his eyes rolled back into his head. He lurched sideways, the knife pulling out of the wound as Sam held fast to it, blood dripping onto her shirt and pooling there as he fell to the ground.

After what seemed like an eternity, Sam finally remembered to start breathing again. She realized that she still had a knife in her hand and, disgusted by what she had had to do with it, she threw it into the woods. Sam battled to control her breathing and her wildly erratic heartbeat, still lying under the dead Jaffa.

Dazedly, she extricated herself, wriggling little by little from under him. She felt herself stand and hone in on her goal. She walked through the now untended gate into the courtyard.

Part 4: Too Easy

Jack thought he heard something. He could barely make out the sounds of shuffling and rustling leaves, then silence. Jack shook his head, trying to fend off what must be audio hallucinations.

Jack looked over at Teal’c and Daniel, once more attempting to gauge their states of mind. Daniel had his eyes closed and was leaning heavily on his post, but Jack knew he wasn’t asleep. Teal’c also had his eyes closed, and was having considerably more luck in the resting department. His symbiote had been seriously injured by Cronos and Teal’c had needed to start kel’no’reeming so Junior could start healing.

Jack sighed and directed his attention back toward the courtyard’s gate, some fifty yards away from him. To his surprise, the stocky form of the guard who had been there a few minutes before had taken on a new, much slighter shape and had started walking toward them.

Even upon his first, fuzzy glance, Jack knew without a doubt that it was Carter. As she neared, her features became more discernable and he could make out the dirty brown color of her hair and face. Her gaze was trained unwaveringly on the ground in front of her so he couldn’t see her eyes. Something shiny on her arm glinted in the moonlight.

Something wasn’t right and Jack was worried. Sure, she’d probably had quite a time of it in the woods, warranting her disheveled appearance, but something told him that underneath the dried and hardened mud still adorning her face, she was white as a sheet.

Then Jack saw why. The shiny glint he had seen on her arm had been produced by the gold ornamentation on the handle of a Jaffa’s dagger. There was a light, but steady, stream of blood flowing out from under the sleeve of her black tee-shirt and her left arm was hanging limply at her side. She looked like she didn’t even know it was there.

“Sam?” Jack heard Daniel question softly, trying to get her attention. He sounded as worried as Jack felt. Carter didn’t look up and Jack and Daniel exchanged concerned glances.

“Carter?” Jack asked, a bit louder, when she stopped a few steps away from him. She started patting down the pockets of her BDU’s, like she was looking for something. She still hadn’t acknowledged the presence of the rest of her team.

“Sam,” Jack said softly, followed by a quick glance around the compound to make sure they didn’t have any company. The place was still deserted. Must be past their bedtime…

“Where is it? It was right here…” Sam murmured. Jack wasn’t sure if she was responding to him or just talking to herself. The way she was acting, he wouldn’t put it past her.

Sam glanced lazily around the courtyard, as though she might have just dropped whatever it was she had been looking for. When she did, she caught sight of the knife embedded in her arm. At first, she ignored it, but did a double take when she realized what it was.

“Oh, here it is…” she mumbled almost inaudibly, and she reached up with her right hand and pulled it out. She didn’t even flinch. Blood was now practically pouring down her arm and she didn’t seem to notice.

She walked past Jack and around the post, starting to saw into the ropes on his wrists with the blood-soaked blade.

“Jack, is she okay?” Daniel hissed, straining his neck to see her. Jack shook his head.

“I don’t know,” he replied as the ropes snapped apart. “I think she might be in shock or something.” Jack let his stiff arms drop to his sides and flexed his hands once before turning and snagging Carter’s uninjured arm as she started walking over to Daniel.

He felt her muscles tighten under his hand in the instant before her reflexes kicked in. Before he knew it, Carter had twisted free of his grip and was shoving him hard, with her bloodied arm, into the post behind him, her right hand coming up to angle her knife against his throat. Was that his blood or hers dripping down his chest?

Jack didn’t move. Something had happened to her out there and the last thing he wanted to do was traumatize her more by taking her down. He slowed his breathing, trying to get over the initial shock of being attacked by his 2IC. He stared into her empty blue eyes as she tightened her grip on the weapon and thrust it upward slightly, forcing Jack onto his toes. It didn’t look to him like anybody was home.

“Carter,” he said in a soft but authoritative tone. She shifted her grip again. “Sam, it’s okay,” he whispered, as though to a child. “It’s just me, it’s Jack, Sam. I’m not gonna hurt you.” She blinked, and Jack slowly started snaking his hands up to reach hers. “You’re okay, Sam, we’re all okay. Just give me the knife.”

She relaxed a bit and blinked again as his hands closed around her wrists. “Sir-,” she rasped. She looked like she was going to be sick.

“Yeah, Carter, it’s me. Here, let me take that for you.” He nudged her away lightly, and when she didn’t fight him, he took her right hand in his and used his other hand to pull the knife gently out of her clenched fist. Still holding her hand, he directed her to turn around and lean on the post.

“Sit down, Carter. I can take it from here,” Jack said softly. She nodded and slid her back down the length of the pole, coming to a rest in a heap on the ground. She was still clinging to Jack’s hand.

“Sam, I need you to let go for a minute.” She shook her head and held tighter. “Major, let go of my hand,” Jack demanded, emphasizing her rank. Her head snapped up and her fingers opened immediately, accompanied by a slurred “Yessir.”

“I’ll be right back, Sam,” he said as he stood up. She nodded her head. “Yessir.”

Jack headed over to Daniel, who was waiting very patiently for his turn. Jack gripped his shoulder briefly as he moved behind Daniel, knife in hand. Daniel gave a weak smile in reply. Jack wiped the knife off on his pants and proceeded to cut through Daniel’s ropes as Carter had for him, glancing around every few seconds just to make sure they had no unwelcome guests.

The ropes abruptly snapped loose and Daniel shook his arms out and rubbed his wrists as he turned around to face Jack.

“Go check her arm. See if you can bandage it up or something,” Jack ordered, and Daniel went to do as he was told with little more than a nod. Jack sighed, a wave of exhaustion coming over him as he moved on to Teal’c, feeling slightly envious of his friend. He was still deep in meditation.

“Teal’c!” Jack whispered softly, trying to wake him before he got to work on the ropes. Teal’c’s eyes snapped open and his body tensed with readiness. Guess he’s feeling better, Jack thought absently.

“O’Neill,” he greeted as Jack approached.

“Yeah. Hold still a minute.” Within seconds, Jack had cut through that last set of ropes and he and Teal’c walked over to where Daniel and Carter were whispering quietly.

                    *                  *                  *                  *

“Hey, Sam,” Daniel cooed, kneeling down to his friend’s level on the ground. “How ya’ doin’?” He gave her a cursory inspection, noting with a cringe the injury on her arm. He reached out his hand to apply pressure to the wound.

“-m cold,” she murmured. “An’ hungry. Where’s your chocolate pocket?” Daniel smiled and gave a short laugh.

“Sorry, Sam. No more chocolate,” he replied, rubbing her shoulder with his free hand in an effort to warm her up some. It was chilly out in the night air and he wished he had his jacket to give her, but at the moment, he didn’t even have a tee-shirt from which to tear bandages for her arm.

Bandages. He had to do something to stop her bleeding.

“Sam, I can’t hold my hand here forever. I need to tear some of your shirt off so I can wrap your arm up. Okay?” he asked.

“Yeah. Go ahead.” Sam reached her hand up to her injury as Daniel nodded and slipped his hand away. She covered the wound quickly and Daniel reached his hand around her back to tear off the bottom of her black tee-shirt. He cringed slightly as he felt her bare back where the fabric had been burned away by the staff blast she had received… when? Yesterday? He shook off his uneasy feeling and began to rip a strip of fabric. When he finished, Sam moved her hand away from the bleeding hole in her arm and allowed her friend to tend it.

Daniel was concerned by her silence. It just didn’t seem right… Sam and quiet. He kept glancing up at her, hoping she’d start talking. About anything. She kept silent, but Daniel got the feeling that she was starting to relax. He decided to get the ball rolling.

“You, uh, look like you had quite an adventure. Want to tell me about it?” he whispered.

“Adventure?” she hissed in a tone that made Daniel freeze. Way to go, Jackson. He winced at her reply as she huffed her disapproval of his ice-breaking technique.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean—,”

“How’re we doin’, kids?” Daniel jumped when Jack made his presence known. Apparently he had, quite stealthily, snuck up on the pair while they were otherwise engaged. He and Teal’c were standing behind him, watching as he finished bandaging Sam’s wound.

“Jesus, Jack! Don’t do that!” Daniel whispered emphatically as he recovered from a mild heart attack. He nearly had another one when Sam started giggling faintly.

“Oh, and you think this is funny, do you? Sure, let’s all laugh at the blind archeologist. Last time I do anything nice for you,” Daniel quipped, smiling brightly at Sam. She was still chuckling. Daniel gave a sideways look to Jack, who shrugged, and Daniel pulled the bandage tight as he tied it around her arm.

Sam winced and let a muffled “Ouch!” escape as she brought herself under control. Daniel couldn’t stop smiling. Yeah, it is so good to all be together again.

“So, Carter. What’s the plan?” Leave it to Jack to ruin the moment. Daniel reached out and pulled Sam to her feet so she could face him.

“Sir?”

“Well, you seem to know your way around. Are you up for continuing our little field trip?”

“Do I have a choice?”

“Uh… no, not really, no. Look, Carter-,” Sam closed her eyes and took a deep breath before cutting him off.

“Yes, Sir,” She said quietly, seeming to have resigned to her fate. Daniel watched Jack out of the corner of his eye. He could see him studying Sam, searching her for anything that could tell him what was going on inside her head. Daniel glanced back at Sam, who never broke her CO’s stare, standing stock straight, refusing to let him see one more moment of weakness. Daniel couldn’t help but marvel at the collective stubbornness of the two.

“O’Neill, should we not move to another location?” And leave it to Teal’c to state the obvious. Jack’s eyes broke from Sam’s and wandered around the courtyard again. Even Daniel knew that out in the open was not the best place to be just then.

“Yeah. Carter, which way to the ‘Gate?” he asked, turning back to Sam. She didn’t hesitate a bit before answering.

“Actually, Sir, I don’t think that’s such a great idea.” Jack gave her an inquisitive look, and she continued to explain herself. “The forest probably isn’t the safest place. First, it’s dark and we’re unfamiliar with the territory. Second, by now, Jaffa are probably combing the area for me.”

Jack wasn’t satisfied with her response.

“Well, unless you’ve got some transport rings up your sleeve, I don’t really see any other options.”

“There is another option, Sir, although I don’t know how much better it would be than risking it in the woods…” she kind-of trailed off, loosing herself in thought. Jack cleared his throat to regain her attention.

“And…?”

“Well, Sir, if we can get to the throne room, we can take a tunnel all the way to the clearing where the ‘Gate is. And on our way, we might be able to get our hands on one of the GDO’s and some weapons.”

Realization hit Daniel like a brick wall. “Tunnel?” He asked. “As in, the Tok’ra kind?”

“Uh-huh. Jolinar must have grown it. It was how she escaped. There’s a panel in the wall behind the throne that can be opened by remote control. The tunnel leads all the way to the ‘Gate. I don’t think Cronos even knows it’s there.” Sam looked to Jack for approval of her plan.

Jack ran a hand through his hair in mild frustration, his expression mirroring the one Daniel knew he must be displaying himself. Daniel really didn’t like the idea of going back into the fortress. They were free and outside. They could get to the ‘Gate just fine! Why bother going back inside and risk being recaptured?

“And you know for a fact that this tunnel is there and empty?” Jack asked.

“Yes, Sir,” Sam nodded. “I found the remote and the tunnel myself. It’s how I got out.”

Apparently, Jack saw merit in Sam’s logic that Daniel had missed. His jaw dropped when Jack nodded his head in Sam’s direction. “Okay, Carter. Lead the way.”

“But, Jack-,” Daniel protested, fully expecting the exasperated sigh that Jack released as he prepared for the impending argument.

“Daniel. Carter’s right. I know it really sucks going back in there, but given the choice between the forest, being unarmed and without a GDO, and a hidden tunnel with weapons and a GDO, I pick the tunnel.”

The two men just stood, looking at each other impassively, for a moment, each considering the other’s viewpoint against his own. Daniel broke the silence with a small whisper.

“I can see that, Jack, I just… I have a funny feeling. Like this has all been just a little too easy, or something. I mean, all things considered, we’re in pretty fair shape. And just look around- not a Jaffa in sight. Don’t you think that something is a little off here? Like we should just cut our losses and run for the ‘Gate as fast as we can? I mean, I know we’re good, but…”

Jack blinked and tapped his fingers nervously on his pant leg as Daniel spoke. Daniel knew that Jack knew that he was making a valid point. He hadn’t missed Jack’s watchful glances around the compound every thirty seconds and he waited breathlessly for Jack’s response.

“You’re right Daniel,” Jack replied softly.

“Uh, what?” Daniel answered, stunned by his friend’s candid admission.

“I said, you’re right. I don’t like this either. We could head straight for the ‘Gate, but what then? That’s probably where all the Jaffa are. What’re we gonna do? Just glare at them and hope they just… fall over like dominos?”

“He’s right, Daniel. The gate is heavily guarded. We can’t just walk up and ask them to please step away from the DHD,” interjected Sam, who had been half following the conversation and half scanning the compound. Daniel opened his mouth to argue again, but he had to admit the truth of their statements. He closed his mouth and nodded. “Okay. Let’s do this.”

“Well, now that we have Daniel’s approval, let’s get going. Major, ladies first,” Jack said, gesturing for Sam to lead the way. Daniel shook his head in defeat as Sam gave him an understanding glance. She pulled out the Zat she had stuffed in her pants and handed it to Jack, before turning and cautiously heading for the large, gold, pyramid-esque building a few yards away.

                    *                  *                  *                  *

Teal’c was uneasy and had been for quite some time. He and his friends were still alive, still breathing and upright, and, most importantly, they were free. Yes, Teal’c was very uneasy. He kept his eyes open and his mind alert as he guarded Daniel Jackson, having placed a hand on his shoulder to make sure he did not stumble over some unseen obstacle on the ground.

By all rights, the group should not be in so fair a condition.

Teal’c turned his attention back toward the two officers approaching a side door of the compound’s primary structure. O’Neill, wielding a Zat’nik’atel, waved Major Carter forward. She nodded and signaled O’Neill to cover her and jogged to the control panel next to the entryway. Silently and stealthily, O’Neill made his way to join her, taking up a position on the opposite side of the door from Major Carter.

O’Neill searched out Teal’c and Daniel Jackson’s location, hidden among some bushes, and turned back to Major Carter’s activities once he was satisfied that his companions were still well and concealed.

Major Carter drew a small device from her pocket, then, and O’Neill gave her a quizzical look. She shrugged and proceeded to finger the device, glancing from it to the door’s control panel, and back again. After a few more deft movements, the door slid silently open, without even the slightest of alarms to speak of.

Yes, Teal’c was very uneasy.

O’Neill motioned to Teal’c to bring Daniel and enter the building behind Major Carter and himself before disappearing into the darkness inside. Major Carter hesitated a moment, rapt by her teammates’ progress, then followed O’Neill. Teal’c guided Daniel Jackson through the door and it slid closed behind them.

The interior of the building was dimly lit and Teal’c had difficulty even seeing Major Carter walking through the corridor ahead of he and Daniel Jackson. The team moved slowly and quietly until their eyes better adjusted to the light, or lack thereof.

“Teal’c!” Came a sharp whisper from O’Neill. “Where do you think they would stash our stuff?”

They stopped at an intersection of corridors and Teal’c stepped ahead of O’Neill and Major Carter, attempting to get his bearings and assess his familiarity with the layout of such a building. It was, in fact, very similar to some of the planetary bases Apophis had used while he was First Prime.  Creative, the Goa’uld were not.

“The armory should be on this level in this direction, O’Neill,” he replied, sure of himself. O’Neill nodded.

“Right. And even if our stuff isn’t there, we can at least pick up a few Zats or something. I don’t want to spend more time in here than we absolutely have to,” he replied. “Let’s go.”

Teal’c looked back to where he had left Daniel Jackson and was pleased to find that Major Carter had assumed his former position, having placed a hand on the man’s shoulder. She nodded to Teal’c, encouraging him to take the lead.

They made a right and headed down the indicated hall.

                    *                  *                  *                  *

Sam gripped Daniel’s shoulder tightly, more for her own security than his. The Colonel had given her back the knife she had… uh… been stabbed with. The metal handle was hot in her hand, and she trembled when she started thinking about it. Daniel could feel it through his shoulder, no doubt. He kept glancing over at her, giving her little smiles. She was so glad he understood, that he was okay with the deathgrip she had on his shoulder.

She and Daniel followed the Colonel through the halls. Sam couldn’t relax. She kept thinking about what Daniel had said—about this whole thing being just a little too easy. He was absolutely right.

Then again, maybe not.

The corridor behind them lit up as if by lightning. The four people spun around in unison, ducking away from the staff blast that had seemed to come blazing out of nowhere.

“Get down!” The Colonel yelled as he jumped behind a pillar. Sam reacted to the sound of the blast with surprising agility. She pulled Daniel harshly out of the line of fire behind a pylon and the pair glued their backs to the wall, helpless to do much else. 

Sam could suddenly hear the clanging of Jaffa boots on the metal floor over the firing of weapons. The Colonel was peeking out from behind his pillar to fire the only Zat they had, trying to stave off the advance of the approaching Jaffa contingent. She tightened her grip on her knife, as if it would do any good in a firefight, and squeezed the life out of Daniel’s shoulder. It made her own injured arm hurt, but just then, she didn’t really care.

The noise was deafening and all she could do was stand there and watch as blast after blast just barely missed the Colonel. He just kept firing, despite the fact that the Jaffa were still out of the range of the less-powerful weapon. Teal’c was standing next to him, aching to do something to help.

Sam poked her head out for just a second, trying to asses their enemies’ advance. In that moment she simultaneously heard two things over the sound of the staff blasts—Daniel shouting the Colonel’s name, and a cry of pain…

Part 5: Nothing's Permanent 

“Ah, shit! Goddamn son of a—Teal’c! Here, take the Zat.” Jack handed Teal’c the weapon and waved him over to the cover of the pillar he had been hiding behind, ignoring his concerned expression. “I’ll be fine, just fire the damn gun!” Teal’c nodded ever so slightly and began firing down the corridor at the advancing Jaffa.

Jack took a moment to examine his wound. No matter how many times he was hurt, it never got any easier for him. He really didn’t like pain, but unfortunately, the Goa’uld did. Hence the oh so imaginative design of the staff weapon.

The burn really wasn’t that bad. Sure, there was a tiny, really small… kinda big hole in his stomach. Nothing to worry about though. He’d had worse. Right? ‘Course you have, Jack. You’ll be fine. Just ignore the gray blotches swimming around in front of you, Jack. They’re not really there. Hey, you’ve lost more blood than that lots of times, just don’t think about it. Don’t think about it Jack, you’re not done here, yet…

“Colonel!” Hey, when’d you get here, Carter? She was kneeling beside him, trying to peel his hands away from his wound so she could get a better look at the damage.

***“Mind if I have a look, Sir?”

“At what?”

“Well, let’s just say you were wounded… Wow! That’s a miracle!”

“Crunches.” ***

A miracle. He could really use one right now.

“Sir? How’re you doing?” Carter asked, trying valiantly to hide a cringe when she saw the full extent of Jack’s injury. She covered it with what Jack knew to be one very fake smile.

“How do ya’ think?” He grunted, painfully. She looked around at the battle going on around them. Her eyes darted uncertainly before refocusing on him again. That damned patronizing smile was back.

“Want me to put a splint on it, Sir?”

He almost laughed, though it came out a little more choked than he would have liked. Damn blood. “Very funny, Carter.” A genuine smile lit her face for a split second.

“No giggling, Sir.” He grunted a chuckle, resulting in a slight trickle of blood materializing on his lip. Okay, this is bad. This is very, very bad. Hey, he’d died before, knew what it felt like. It felt remarkably like he did now, actually. This is very bad…

“Sir?” Carter again. What was she doing, yelling across the Grand Canyon? How the hell did she get so far away so damn fast? He could barely hear her…

                    *                  *                  *                  *

Shit! “Colonel? Colonel! Jack, c’mon, stay with me! Dammit, Colonel, I am not taking you home in a box, now open your eyes, Airman! Shit. Teal’c, I-,” And suddenly, the corridor went dead silent. Sam looked around again, looked to Teal’c, who appeared as puzzled as she was.

Sam then looked to Daniel, who had crouched on the floor next to the wall where she had left him. The look on his face mirrored her own horror as he stared at the Colonel’s limp body. She was so stupid! Daniel had been right. She never should have suggested that they go back into the compound. They should have just taken their chances in the forest. This never would have happened if she hadn’t been such an idiot…

“Major Carter, what is O’Neill’s condition?”

She blinked hard in disbelief as she pulled her fingers away from his neck. She didn’t think her mouth could form the words…

“Sam?”

“He’s dead,” she replied, finally, her voice devoid of emotion. He DIED protecting us.

Neither man said a word. What could they say? In the last two days, they had watched two of their closest friends die. Two… Dammit! Why didn’t I think?!

Sam’s expression changed in an instant from one of fear and grief to one of hope. She began to loop her arms under the Colonel’s, preparing to drag his body to—

“Sam! What are you doing?” Sam stopped for a second and waited for Daniel to cross the hall. Sam sighed, overwhelmed by the adrenaline now coursing through her. She had to hurry. There wasn’t much time.

“Daniel, would you just think for one second?” He gave her a blank stare, startled momentarily by the unusual sharpness of her tongue. She hadn’t meant to be so cold, but her impatience had manifested itself without really consulting her first. She tried to calm down and start again.

“Daniel, why do you think I’m here?” Daniel’s jaw dropped in sudden realization.

“Sarcophagus?”

“Yes, Daniel.” He ran a hand through his hair in a very O’Neill-esque maneuver, glancing down the hall at where the Jaffa had been, concerned by their sudden vanishing act. Sam started situating the Colonel for travel again.

“Um, Sam?”

“What, Daniel?” She snapped. Man, her arm hurt!

“Don’t you think it’ll be guarded?”

“Maybe,” she replied, without looking up from her task.

“Oh. Well… just making sure you knew, is all.” She gave him a weak smile as a thank-you for dropping his concerns.

“Teal’c,” Sam said, “Take Daniel and keep heading for the armory. Get what you can, and we’ll try to meet you there. If… if we’re not there in 30 minutes, we probably won’t get there at all, and you need to take this,” she pulled the Tok’ra remote device from her pocket, “And get to the throne room. Press the orange crystal to activate the panel and take the tunnel all the way to the ‘Gate.”

Teal’c nodded his agreement with her plan and handed her the Zat. “You may need this more than I, Major Carter.”

“Thanks, Teal’c.” She took the weapon and handed him the knife. “Here. At least you’ll have something.”

“Um, Sam-,” Sam lifted her head, face positively exuding exasperation. Daniel wasn’t stupid enough to miss it.

“Good luck. Bring him back to us, Sam.” She smiled.

“Yeah, you too. Be careful.” Sam watched as half her team turned and ran down the corridor, then she looked back down at her prone charge.

“C’mon, Colonel. We’re off to see the wizard.”

Sam couldn’t decide which was worse—the eerie silence of the corridor, or the fact that she had taken to talking to the cooling corpse of her CO—using his stupid Wizard of Oz clichés, no less…

                    *                  *                  *                  *

It was quiet. Too quiet, thought Daniel, as he closely followed the big, dark blob he knew to be Teal’c.

“We are very close, now, Daniel Jackson. Remain as near to me as possible,” Teal’c whispered. Daniel nodded. Teal’c was poking his head around a corner, looking at what Daniel assumed to be the entrance to the armory. A smaller dark blob attached to his friend began waving. Daniel caught the signal and followed closely when Teal’c started to move again. They cautiously approached the closed door.

“Remain here until I return. There are most likely Jaffa inside. I will attempt to take them by surprise.” Daniel nodded again in reply. Teal’c bowed his head ever so slightly and touched a button on the panel beside the door, causing it to slide silently open. Daniel began holding his breath as Teal’c slipped through the doorway.

After a very quiet and tense few seconds, Daniel heard the sounds of a scuffle followed by the sound of a Zat discharging. Daniel jumped, startled by it, and prepared himself for the worst, tensing as he heard footsteps approaching the doorway. He sucked in an unsteady breath, hoping to God that it was Teal’c.

“Daniel Jackson.” Oh, thank God! Teal’c wasn’t whispering, but speaking in a normal tone.

“Teal’c? Are you okay?” Daniel replied, peeking his head through the open door. He was greeted by the sight of two Jaffa lying motionless on the ground. There was a pool of blood growing around one and the other was just… lying there. Must be the one he Zatted.

“I am, Daniel Jackson.”

Daniel walked into the room and looked around, searching for any signs of their confiscated gear.

“Any luck finding a GDO or any of our other stuff?” he asked Teal’c, who shook his head slightly in reply.

“I have not yet had the opportunity to search.” Daniel’s eyes darted back toward the door, a frown crossing his face.

“Well, let’s get that door closed and start looking, shall we?”

                    *                  *                  *                  *

Jeez, Daniel. You’re really on a roll, Sam thought as she observed the two guards standing watch outside the sarcophagus room. Daniel had been right again.

Sam had laid the Colonel down against the wall behind a pylon several yards away so she could creep forward and gauge the situation a little better. She was still having trouble getting over the recent lack of force in the ‘attempt’ to recapture the team. With our luck, they’ll all be sitting out by the ‘Gate waiting to shoot us when we get there. Sam did her best to shrug off the uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach and concentrate on the task at hand.

She crept slowly and quietly down the corridor, drawing her Zat. Two quick shots, Sam. That’s all you need to do. Fire, aim, fire.

Sam stopped as soon as she knew she was in range and hid herself behind a pylon. The guard’s weren’t paying any attention to her end of the corridor, and she used their oversight against them. She looked over at them, bringing her Zat up to fire, and pulled the trigger. One of the Jaffa fell, writhing, to the floor. The other reacted to the attack instantly, bringing his staff weapon to bear. He didn’t have the chance to fire, though, as she deftly pulled the trigger once again. He joined his counterpart on the ground.

Checking the hallway behind her, she turned and ran back to where she had left the Colonel. She knelt down and got a good grip on his body and continued dragging him to their destination.

As soon as we get back, Sir, you need to go on a diet. She hauled him as quickly as she could to the room’s entrance, touched a few buttons on the keypad beside the door, and sighed in relief as it slid open. The room was empty, save the life-giving piece of technology. She pulled the Colonel inside and made sure the door closed behind her.

A few more steps and they were there. Sam opened the sarcophagus and sighed deeply. Okay, this is going to be hard. Favoring her injured appendage, Sam rallied her strength and, quite ungracefully, managed to pull the Colonel up and into the device. She waited the few seconds until its ‘hatch’ closed over him, before collapsing onto the floor, leaning against the embossed gold of the machine, to catch her breath.

                    *                  *                  *                  *

There was noise all around him. Lots and lots of very loud noise. And light. Little streaks of lightning bursting everywhere. Too many and too close. The damn Zat was too slow. There were a bunch of Jaffa down the corridor and it didn’t seem like he was able to hit a single God-forsaken one.

Teal’c, Carter, and Daniel were there. He could see them out of the corner of his eye. Somewhere in his mind, he was able to marvel at the detail he could see in their faces, even though he was barely paying attention to them. He was entirely focused on firing his Zat, on protecting those faces that could always tell him so much with merely a glance…

Dammit! They were just too far away. He and his team were outnumbered, but he kept firing as though his life depended on it. Hell, his life did depend on it!

He let his mind wander for just a second as he began to consider escape routes, when one of those little streaks of lightning came flying at him.

He saw it. Heard it. Knew exactly where it was going to hit. He knew all of this in one blinding split second of epiphany. Unfortunately, it only took a split second for the bolt to sear into him—

“Holy shit!” Jack sat up like a shot, blinked a couple of times, then ran his hand over the skin of his belly, just to make sure there wasn’t a hole there like there had been in his rather vivid dream. He got the distinct impression that wherever he was, he shouldn’t be there.

He turned his head, looking around the dimly lit room, searching for some clue as to what had happened. He didn’t usually wake up feeling so… disoriented.

He’d been lying down, he was in something, and his hand brushed some raised gold… Son of a—

Faster than he thought possible, considering that just a few minutes ago he had been dead, Jack climbed over the side of the sarcophagus and jumped down, preparing to sprint toward the door a short distance away. He was actually about as panicked as he ever had been.

He felt a small, but strong hand grip his bare shoulder from behind and, acting on instinct alone, spun around and swung his fist indiscriminately at his assailant. Just before impact, he saw a blonde head duck out of the way, and suddenly, there was a hand on his other shoulder too. Carter held fast as he figured out what was going on, and waited patiently for the recognition that would finally grace his features.

“Carter? What the hell…” He moved his hands to her upper arms, needing to make sure she was real. She winced when he touched her wound, but didn’t pull away.

“Yeah, glad to see you too, Colonel,” she said with a hint of sarcasm. He grimaced, remembering that he had just taken a swing at her.

“Yeah, uh, sorry about that…”

“Don’t worry about it. You okay?”

“Uh, yeah. I guess so,” Jack responded, taking another look at his gut for confirmation. “Uh… how long was I…”

“About half an hour, I think. The sarcophagus took a little longer than I thought it would.”

“Where’s Teal’c and Daniel?” Jack asked, looking around the room again, expecting to find them.

“I sent them ahead to the armory. Told them to give us 30 minutes, then head to the throne room with the remote. They should be there by now,” Carter answered.

“Well, then. Let’s go join the party, shall we?”

                    *                  *                  *                  *

“We have arrived,” Teal’c commented, gradually coming to a halt near a large double door.

“So, uh, what then? We just go in shooting? Shouldn’t we wait for Jack and Sam?” Teal’c observed the younger man standing next to him for a moment as he considered his answer. Daniel Jackson stood awkwardly against the wall, weighed down by two P-90’s slung over his shoulders and the Zat’nik’atel hanging from his waistband. His eyes were earnestly searching Teal’c’s for the answer he so desperately wanted to hear- and that Teal’c desperately wanted to give. That they would not be leaving their friends behind.

Teal’c released an uncharacteristic sigh. They had been fortunate. In fact, their equipment had been stored in a locked section of the compound’s armory. All of it. It had not been difficult for the two men to obtain their weapons and GDO’s, but the operation had taken long enough to where, upon its completion, they had expected to see Major Carter and O’Neill walk in at any moment. They did not arrive and after several long moments of waiting, they had shouldered what they could and taken their leave.

“Major Carter’s orders were clear, Daniel Jackson.”

Daniel’s eyes jerked to the door and then back to Teal’c. “You’re not saying we should leave them behind, are you?” he asked incredulously. Teal’c was certain the man intended to make him feel guilty with the slow, deliberate tone of his voice.

“I am not. I am suggesting that we enter the room and assure that our escape route is clear. We will then wait for Major Carter and O’Neill to arrive.”

“What if they don’t arrive?” Daniel asked quietly, voice barely audible, even for Teal’c.

“Major Carter will succeed in reviving O’Neill, Daniel Jackson, and they will find their way here. They are very capable warriors and will not fail.”

“I hope you’re right…” Daniel mumbled as he moved to the other side of the doorway. He gave Teal’c a nod, signaling his readiness to move into the room as he drew his Zat’nik’atel and shoved the rifles behind him. Teal’c nodded back, gripping his staff weapon in one hand, and fingering the panel beside the door with the other. It slid open.

Teal’c poked his head cautiously around the doorframe and looked inside. He could not see anyone. He turned to Daniel Jackson and signaled him to follow as Teal’c entered the room, weapon still at the ready. The room was, in fact, empty. Teal’c lowered his staff and looked to his companion as he began to walk casually over to his location in the middle of the room.

“So what now?”

“Now, we wait.”

Teal’c had just begun to pull the Tok’ra remote from his pocket when the large doors behind him began to slide open once again. Daniel Jackson tensed beside him and both men simultaneously drew their weapons. The tip of a Zat’nik’atel became visible in the doorway and Teal’c aimed his staff. A hand soon came into view as well. Followed by an arm, and finally a silver-crowned head. O’Neill.

Teal’c lowered his staff, infinitely relieved to see his friend. O’Neill’s eyes scanned the room and stopped when they met Teal’c’s gaze. He lowered the Zat’nik’atel and turned back to the hall. When he finally walked into the throne room, Major Carter was following, barely two steps behind, constantly looking over her shoulder. The doors slid shut behind them.

“O’Neill. I am pleased to see you are well.” Teal’c bowed his head slightly and O’Neill smiled back, though it quickly faded.

“Uh, yeah. Thanks buddy. Look, it’s great to see you guys and stuff, too, but there was a patrol following us pretty close. D’ya think we could get out of here? Now?”

Teal’c responded by handing Major Carter the Tok’ra remote. She got the hint and strode to the wall behind the throne and opened the panel. O’Neill nodded to her and, with another look back at the doorway, she crawled into the dark space. The three men were not far behind and Daniel Jackson saw the panel close behind him just as the room’s double doors opened.

Part 6: Light

Sam braced herself subconsciously for the sudden drop in the crawlspace she had hit the last time she was there, but she have the presence of mind to notify her teammates about it until she had managed to get all the way through. She brushed herself off and, as an afterthought, turned back toward the small opening.

“Hey, guys? Be careful, that last step is a-,”

And Daniel came rolling out, knocking them both into a tangled heap on the ground. Sam couldn’t help but let out a small whimper at Daniel’s weight on her skewed limbs.

“Ow… ugh. Sorry, Sam,” he mumbled, trying to move off of her.

“A doozy? Yeah, got that,” the Colonel said as he emerged from the opening, P-90 in hand and followed closely by Teal’c. The Colonel jumped down and moved to help Daniel up while Teal’c reached a hand down to Sam. She took it, gratefully, and stood, relieving Daniel of the rifle that he was now holding out to her.

By silent consent, the group sat down on the ground for a moment, to catch their breath. Sam leaned her head back against the wall and closed her eyes, just for a second, sighing deeply…

                    *                  *                  *                  *

“Jack,” said Daniel, very quietly, breaking Jack away from his attempt to clear his mind of all the shit that had been running through it since they first set foot on this God-forsaken ball of snake-ridden…

“What, Daniel?” Jack replied in a tired, breathy tone as he kneaded his eyes with the heels of both hands. His adrenaline high was fading fast. So much for clearing my mind.

“She must be tired.”

Jack looked up just in time to see Daniel gesture in Sam’s direction. He shifted his gaze to Carter, who was slumped bonelessly against the wall. Her eyes were closed, the lids barely discernible from the rest of her face. Her usually fair skin was still lightly coated in a layer of brown dust- remnant of the mud she had earlier smudged all over herself for camouflage. The same dust was still giving her hair a light brownish color, complimenting the rogue clumps of mud still clinging to a few unruly strands.

His eyes moved down her motionless body, taking it all in. The black tee-shirt bandage on her upper left arm had grown blacker since the last time he looked. Her wound must have reopened at some point. Her tee-shirt itself was practically in shreds… small tears all over it denoted close calls with tree branches and thorns. The bottom, while still falling well below her waistline, was frayed, and he tried not to imagine the burnt-away hole in the shirt’s back. Her olive drab cargo pants were beyond salvageable, even for the skilled laundry staff of the SGC. They were thickly coated with mud and blood… probably belonging to more people than just Carter.

At that moment, just sitting there watching her sleep, Jack had never respected her more.

                    *                  *                  *                  *

“Sam! Hey, wake up. Let’s go.” The haze in Sam’s head dissipated instantly and she jerked forward, tense and reaching out for Daniel.

“Hey, take it easy,” he told her, gripping her good arm. Bless him.

“Sorry. Sorry, I just… I didn’t think I was that tired. Surprised me a little,” she replied, a tad breathless. “How long?”

“Not long. Couple of minutes. You just dozed off, I think.” They stood up.

“Teal’c and the Colonel?”

“Oh, they just left. Won’t take long to catch up.”

“They left us?” she snapped, voice laced with the slightest twinge of panic. Sam didn’t like the sound of that at all. She didn’t think they should be separating, and she thought the Colonel would have agreed.

“Just for a second. They’re scouting the tunnel ahead. Relax,” he replied, smiling gently.

“Easier said than done, Daniel,” she said, smiling a little back.

“Didn’t seem that way a few minutes ago.”

Sam laughed lightly at the obviousness of her friend’s statement as the pair started to walk down the tunnel. “Yeah. When we get home, I’m gonna sleep for a week.”

Daniel remained silent. She looked over at him only to see that his eyes were glued to the ground. Her smile faded. “What?” she asked. He looks so tired…

“I just… uh… it’s been a long couple of days, you know?” Sam nodded. Daniel dropped his head again and they continued on in silence for another minute.

“We thought we lost you, Sam,” Daniel finally whispered, so softly she could barely hear him.

“Yeah, I know,” she whispered back.

“And then you show up tonight, looking like death warmed over-,”

Sam didn’t want to interrupt his train of thought, hoping that talking to her a little would help him to feel better, so she remained silent. She knew how she would feel if the roles were reversed.

“And then, when Jack…” He stopped, unable to complete the thought.

“Long couple of days, huh?” she supplied. He nodded.

“Yeah. Long couple of days. Sleeping for a week really does sound like a great idea,” Daniel said, a glint of humor returning to his eyes. Sam chuckled.

“Yeah, it really does, doesn’t it?” They continued on, silently enjoying each others’ company and the first moments of real peace they had had in what seemed like an eternity.

Sam was about to strike up another round of idle conversation with her friend, when her stomach started doing funny little unnatural twists, accompanied by the slightest of twinges in the back of her mind.

As her exhausted brain began to wrap itself around the sensation, Sam noticed that they were fast approaching a sharp turn in the tunnel. She couldn’t see what lay beyond, but she could feel it, she realized, as her brain finally got back to her with the results of its analysis. Goa’uld. And in the perfect position to mount an ambush. Dammit! If the Colonel and Teal’c had gone off ahead of them…

Shit. God-damn son of a bitch! Please, God. Not now. Please not now! Not after we’ve come so far. God, we’re so close! Almost there! For Christ’s sake, can’t you ever just give us a break? Sam reached out and grabbed Daniel’s arm, halting him with a jerk. He just gave her a questioning look, having the good sense to keep his mouth shut this time. She hefted her P-90 into a more comfortable firing position and he got the hint. They both moved so that their backs were against the wall near the corner.

Sam could hear them now. The breathing of the Jaffa. The occasional clank of armor. Maybe they don’t know we’re here. Maybe we still have a chance to take them by surprise—

“I can feel you, Samantha.”

Sam visibly paled, fighting tooth and nail, the urge to fall to her knees, sobbing. She just wanted all of this to end. Was that really too much to ask? Would it really be so hard for that psychopathic snakehead to just smile, say ‘It’s been fun,’ and let them all just go the hell home?

“You are responsible for the deaths of two of my most skilled Jaffa, Samantha. You did not really believe that I would allow you to leave without reimbursing me for their loss? Life for life, Samantha. Your debt to me needs to be repaid.”

Sam could almost hear Cronos smiling in self-satisfaction, overtly pleased with himself and the results of the clearly orchestrated course of recent events. Why else would their escape have been so easy? The fucking snakehead had been planning this all along, playing with their heads and waiting for them to walk right into his hands. Huh. Easy. Yeah, right.

Sam was seething, her emotions all muddled up into an unidentifiable mass of hate and anger, of frustration and fear and exhaustion. A cold shiver ran down her spine and she nearly jumped when Daniel laid a steadying hand on her shoulder. God, how she wished this was all just a bad dream…

                    *                  *                  *                  *

When Sam startled and looked up at him, Daniel was taken aback by what he saw. Sam… strong, stable, unwavering Sam… was lost. Undeniably. Inextricably. Her face clearly showed him, without question, the tumult of emotion raging in her head and heart. It scared him, and he fervently wished that he could wave his hand and make all of her troubles disappear, but unfortunately, he had left his magic wand sitting on his desk in his office.

“I am not an unreasonable being, Samantha,” Cronos continued. “Nor am I without honor. As such, I must respect you Tau’ri for your near worthiness as an adversary. So, I present you with a proposition. Since you are responsible for my Jaffa, I will be satisfied with taking your life, alone. Otherwise, I shall be forced to find other means of recompense. Two lives for two lives, Samantha. Colonel O’Neill? Please say hello to Major Carter.”

Silence.

“Shol’va? No? Well, Samantha, your friends seem to be rather out of tongue, but rest assured, they are here. On their knees, before me, in fact. Decide quickly, Samantha. I may be a reasonable being, but I am not patient.”

Sam’s shoulder shuddered again beneath Daniel’s hand, but when he looked back down at her face, he saw that all the uncertainty previously there had melted away. Now, she was resolute. Somehow, Daniel found this new expression scared him more than the one before. It meant she had made her decision already.

Daniel clamped his fingers down hard around her shoulder, shaking his head no. Don’t go, Sam. He’ll kill you, you know that! There’s got to be another way! There’s another way, Sam, we just have to find it! Daniel hoped his eyes were able to convey all of the words floating around in his head. He hoped his silent shouts were somehow reaching her ears. They were. Sam’s eyes pleaded with him for understanding.

Her shoulder fell away from his hand as she turned to round the corner. As Daniel dropped his arm back to his side, his hand brushed something he had forgotten about entirely.

Daniel stepped forward and grabbed Sam’s arm again, twisting her around violently. She tried to pull away, but stopped when she saw what he was holding in front of her face. Her knife. Not the foul, golden-handled dagger of the Jaffa she had killed, but her own, trusty, leather-bound field knife. Daniel had found it with the other weapons and equipment in the armory and thought it might come in handy.

Sam’s eyes widened as she silently took the weapon from his hand and gave him her P-90 in return. She moved her hands behind her, tucking the weapon into her waistband at the small of her back, and Daniel nodded to her, trying to tell her that everything would be okay. He didn’t think she quite believed him, but she gave him a small, sad smile as she turned again, lifting her arms in surrender as she disappeared around the bend. Be careful, Sam.

                    *                  *                  *                  *

Jack’s heart sank when Carter came into view, hands high in the air, slowly walking toward her death. He had hoped she would have had enough sense in her to backtrack, to leave them and find another way out. He had hoped, but deep down he’d known she wasn’t capable of it. No one gets left behind…

Jack felt, rather than saw, Cronos stride between he and Teal’c, who were kneeling on the ground, staff weapons aimed at their heads. The Goa’uld was in front of them, now, his back toward them, facing Carter.

Cronos stopped. Carter stopped.

“Kneel before your God.” Jesus, Carter, don’t do it. God, Sam, don’t do it! I can’t watch you die again! She was staring straight at him. He knew she could see the pained look on his face, the pleading in his eyes.

She knelt.

God, where the hell is Daniel? Why didn’t he stop this? What the hell was he thinking?!

Carter slowly drew her hands behind her back. In his mind’s eye, Jack could see Cronos smiling with delight at the complacent gesture. He extended his ribbon device-clad hand toward Carter’s forehead.

“Have you anything to say, Tau’ri?” Carter closed her eyes for a split second and took a deep breath. Jack barely noticed that he did the same.

“Yes, I do.”

Carter’s left arm flew out from behind her and she effectively knocked away Cronos’ outstretched hand. He was so surprised, that he didn’t even notice Carter’s right hand as it quickly pulled a piece of glinting metal into Jack’s view.

Cronos doubled over in pain as Carter thrust the knife into his stomach. At the same moment, Daniel rounded the corner of the tunnel, bringing Carter’s P-90 to bear on the nearest Jaffa. Jack and Teal’c, warriors that they were, took immediate advantage of the distraction, turning and knocking away the staff weapons formerly held at their heads as they began to fire. The Jaffa guards were knocked off balance, and their trajectories skewed, causing the bolts to hit nothing but wall or ceiling.

Jack wrestled with his guard adamantly, battling for control of the staff weapon they both gripped. Jack jerked the staff toward him with a surprisingly powerful yank on his opponent’s arms, causing him to loosen his grip slightly. That gave Jack the opportunity he needed to deftly twist the weapon away from the Jaffa. At first, he wielded it like a bow staff, ramming the shaft up and into his enemy’s jaw, then he crouched and spun, knocking the Jaffa’s legs from under him. He fell to the ground, unconscious. He spun the weapon in his grip, fingering the trigger so he could fire it. He turned to dispatch the guard that Teal’c was still struggling with.

“Jack!” Shit, Daniel! Jack suddenly noticed the conspicuous lack of flying bullets as he turned toward Daniel’s voice. All of the Jaffa, except Teal’c’s, were on the ground. Danny and his gun had seen to that. Daniel’s face was ashen, but he was still poised to fire his weapon at—

Jesus Christ! Carter was still kneeling on the ground, leaning awkwardly toward Cronos, her hand still stubbornly gripping the knife embedded in his gut. But Cronos was a Goa’uld, not to be stopped by a mere stab wound. His ribbon device was aimed at her head again, and it was most definitely active.

Carter’s face contorted in agony as Cronos let loose on her all of his own frustration and pain as slow torture through the ribbon device. They were killing each other, and Jack honestly couldn’t see how Carter, strong as she was, could possibly win this battle of wills… Daniel, why the hell aren’t you firing?

“Jack! God, do something! I don’t want to hit Sam!” Christ, O’Neill! Wake up! The kid doesn’t have a shot. You do!

Jack activated his staff weapon and fired.

Cronos and Carter both fell to the ground as the ribbon device darkened, her hand still hanging onto that knife for dear life.

                    *                  *                  *                  *

Through the throbbing pain in her head, she was aware of two things. Well, one, if you didn’t count the throbbing pain in her head.

Voices. She could hear voices, floating toward her from what seemed like miles and miles away. Wait… no… it was one voice, but it just kept on yelling to her like it didn’t know how much the sound made her head hurt. If she had had anything at all in her stomach, she was quite sure she would have been throwing up just then.

“Carter? Carter, come on, Sam. I know it hurts, but you have to wake up for us. They’re coming, Carter. We gotta go!” She wanted to answer him. Really she did, but she just couldn’t seem to make her mouth move the way she wanted it to. Instead, she felt like she did a pretty good impression of a fish out of water.

“Teal’c? Here, help me, will ‘ya?”

Just a few seconds later, she felt herself being lifted away from her relatively comfortable prone position on the ground. She groaned quietly in protest. Aww, Colonel… Can’t you just let me stay here and sleep?

“Sorry, Carter. Sorry. I know it hurts, I know. Just stay with us okay? Just a little longer.”

Teal’c was on one side of her, the Colonel on the other, as they practically carried her at a brisk pace through what was left of the tunnel. Her head bobbed helplessly as she waged a mental war to stay at least semi-conscious.

What really woke her up was the thunderous sounds of Jaffa marching behind them, coming closer and closer.

                    *                  *                  *                  *

Teal’c shifted his grip on Major Carter as she stirred, sparing a glance toward O’Neill as he readjusted his own hold on her.

“S’okay, Sir. I‘c’n wa’k” Major Carter slurred weakly. Teal’c and O’Neill both looked at her face. Her eyes were wide open, though not entirely focused, and she seemed more or less alert.

“You sure?” asked O’Neill, uncertainly, as he looked back over his shoulder. Daniel Jackson nodded his head toward his friend, assuring him that he was capable of watching their backs.

“Yessir,” came the weak reply. O’Neill loosened his grip slightly and Teal’c followed suit.

“Okay, Carter, but we gotta make time, here.”

Major Carter stumbled a bit, and Teal’c and O’Neill both kept their hands on her arms to make sure she didn’t fall, but she managed to keep pace and it wasn’t long before Teal’c saw it.

Light. A brilliant, bright, beautiful circle of light just ahead of them. He actually allowed himself a sigh of relief.

He sighed too soon.

The Jaffa pursuing them had almost caught up. They were now close enough to fire and have a good chance of hitting someone. A staff blast flew past Teal’c’s head, leaving the foul stench of ozone in its wake.

Major Carter spun her head around to see what was going on when O’Neill let go of her arm, leaving her in Teal’c’s care alone. He did not intend to fail again.

Daniel Jackson and O’Neill had both crouched, seeking the relative safety of the walls of the tunnel, firing their respective weapons. The noise of the battle was intense, and Major Carter’s head began to lull uselessly to one side as she fought to remain conscious.

Teal’c was torn. He had a staff weapon in one hand. He could go to O’Neill and Daniel Jackson, assist them in firing upon their opponents and hopefully eradicate them, allowing the team access to the Stargate. In his other arm, he held Major Carter, who could barely even stand on her own.

Within seconds, his dilemma was resolved for him.

“Teal’c! Get outta here and dial up the ‘Gate! We’ll be right behind you!” O’Neill shouted over the melee. Without hesitation, Teal’c turned and moved quickly toward the small opening in the ground above. He hastily pushed Major Carter through the hole, before hoisting himself onto the surface.

                    *                  *                  *                  *

As Jack pulled himself up and out of the tunnel and looked toward the clearing and the Stargate, he had the strangest sense of déjà vu. It got even stronger when he became aware of staff blasts emanating not only from the tunnel, now, but from the forest as well.

Teal’c and Carter were still okay, and making respectable time, actually. But Daniel, who Jack had told to sprint to the DHD as soon as he hit the surface, was running his little heart out and had quickly overtaken them.

Jack himself was running now, too, legs pumping in harmony with adrenaline. A staff blast whizzed past his head.

Daniel had reached the DHD. Thank-you God! He was dialing, and Jack savored the sounds of each chevron locking. It was music to his ears, climaxing as the wormhole wooshed into existence.

He waved his team on, gesturing them to go through, but dense as they were, they ignored him and proceeded to take up defensive positions around the ‘Gate. Teal’c had laid Carter down by the ‘Gate and had begun firing his staff as Daniel crouched by the DHD, peppering the trees with bullets from his P-90.

Jack was almost there. Homestretch, Jack. Just a little further…

His thoughts were interrupted by a wrenching pain in his knee as he tripped over some unseen little obstacle in the grass. As he hit the ground, he caught a glimpse of a staff blast shattering the air above him, right where his chest had been. He rolled over to get a better look at the object that had just saved his life.

Well, I’ll be damned! He picked it up and quickly crawled to his knees and then to his feet, staying as low as he could. The Jaffa were even closer, now, their staff blasts hitting the ground all around them.

When he reached Carter and Teal’c, he nodded to Teal’c to keep firing as Jack reached down to pull Carter to her feet, half carrying her in one arm. He turned to look over at the DHD and Daniel.

“Daniel! Let’s go!” he shouted. Daniel spared him a glance, making sure he was okay, then fired a couple more shots for good measure. He stood, turned, and sprinted at the ‘Gate. Jack breathed a sigh of relief when he saw him disappear through the event horizon.

“C’mon, Major. Let’s blow this pop stand.”

“Yessir,” she managed to croak in response, as they hastily made their way onto the dais and through the Stargate.

A few dizzying, but very welcome seconds later, Jack and Carter stumbled through the wormhole, too tired to really focus on much other than Daniel, who had sat himself down at the bottom of the ramp. Jack readjusted his grip on his 21C and led them both to follow Daniel’s example. They plopped down breathlessly beside him as Jack heard a familiar tenor voice behind him order the iris to be closed. Teal’c.

Jack heard his footfalls on the ramp and wasn’t at all surprised when his friend sat down unsteadily beside him as the iris slid shut.

“Hey, Carter. Look what I found,” he said softly, leaning toward her ear. He was holding a small olive-drab bag- the object he had tripped over in the clearing.

“Hmmm?” she replied, sleepily.

He held the bag out to her, flipping open the lid to reveal a mess of sample bags and vials full of soil and plants… All of the samples she had gathered before they realized the danger they had been in… the reason why they had gone to that stupid planet in the first place. The irony was not lost on even the sleepy Carter still in his arms and he smiled as she let out a slight chuckle.

“Hey, Carter? Good job,” Jack said into her ear. She barely heard it and only nodded minutely in reply. ‘Night, Carter, he thought as the EMT’s rushed through the blast door.

The End of Old Debts

Resistant to Change

By Devra

Jack laughed to himself as he exited his house holding two bottles of beer, sliding the door shut behind him. Teal’c was inside watching and attempting to understand the humor of the Marx brothers. He had introduced Teal’c to the Three Stooges, Daniel upped him with Abbott and Costello, Jack had retaliated with Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis and today Daniel had thrown down the gauntlet with the Marx Brothers. Based on the expression that Teal’c wore on his face, Jack wasn’t too sure if the stoic Jaffa was really comprehending their strange brand of comedy.

The day was warm, hot almost, and you could feel the promise of summer in the air. Jack had invited the team over for a barbecue. The charcoal was lit and ready, and now he was just waiting for Carter before he threw the burgers on. The last mission had been harder than normal, and the team had been on prolonged down time to accommodate for their recovery. After careful consideration, Jack came to the conclusion that they just needed some time to reconnect with Earth, and each other, before their return to SGC on Monday.

Jack stood over Daniel, who was stretched out on a lounge chair soaking up the sun. Shaking his head, he swore his archeologist was part lizard, enjoying the heat and sun that would leave him and Carter begging for air conditioning. Daniel had removed his shirt over an hour ago, and with his sunglasses on, he wasn’t sure if Daniel was sleeping or not. Jack tapped the chair with his leg, but the other man refused to move. Secure in the knowledge that Daniel was Daniel and surely hadn’t put on any type of sunscreen, Jack realized that their resident archeologist was going to end up with a painful sunburn if something wasn’t done. Now, on a good day, Daniel was impossible to wake up. Getting him to go to sleep was a job unto itself, but trying to get Daniel out of bed required hazardous duty pay.

Jack shook the bottles of beer so the condensation dripped onto Daniel’s bare torso. Nothing. Tapping the chair a little harder this time, his only response was a sleepy “Go ‘way”.

“Daniel,” Jack called. This elicited absolutely nothing. With a wicked grin Jack tilted one of the bottles to pour onto Daniel when a commanding voice cut across his yard yelling, “Sir, don’t.”

“Oh Carter, shit, you’re no fun.” Jack handed her a bottle of beer as she approached.  She placed the bag she was carrying on the grass and took the beer.

Taking a sip, she looked down at Daniel. “Looks like it’s going to be painful sir.”

“Don’t I know it…what do you suggest we do to awaken Sleeping Beauty, here?”

“I have just the thing. Daniel asked me to get him something when I went to the store this morning.” Reaching into the bag she had placed on the ground, Sam pulled out a sack of ground coffee beans. Opening it, she stuck it under Daniel’s nose and waited a second for the desired result.

Daniel’s eyes opened as he inhaled orgasmically at the contents of the bag. Sitting up, he took the bag from Sam’s hands continuing to inhale with a blissfully stupid expression on his face. “Wow! Thanks Sam, what would I do without you?”

Sam smiled halfheartedly as an unbidden vision of their last mission, featuring Daniel and the others tied to posts and being beaten because of her, sprang to mind. She hastily shrugged it off.

“Jack can I brew this now?” Daniel asked expectantly.

Jack shook his head in wonderment. Great. That’s all they needed…a caffeine-high, sunburned, and he was sure by the end of the day, intoxicated, archeologist.

“Sure Daniel, but first, put on some sunscreen…or your shirt”.

“Why?”

Jack glanced at Sam with a ‘Well, duh’ look on his face. Queued, she leaned forward and gently poked Daniel’s shoulder.

“Ow, oh damn. Point taken.” Daniel grabbed his shirt from the ground, held tightly to the sack of coffee like it was a treasured artifact, and entered Jack’s house.

“Mission accomplished, sir.” Sam and Jack touched beer bottles in a toast.

*        *        *        *

“Colonel?”

“Up here Carter. Plenty of room.” Sam took the hint and began climbing the ladder up to Jack’s observation deck. As she neared the top, he leaned over the railing and helped her the last few steps up to the roof.

“How’re they doing?” Jack asked with a smirk on his lips as he resettled into his chair.

She turned to him with a full-fledged smile on her face. “Thank God we don’t report to SGC until Monday, sir. Daniel is going to need at least a day to recover.”

Sometime over the course of the day, Sam demonstrated her talents as a bartender and introduced Daniel to Mississippi MudSlides and then progressed to Irish Coffee after dessert. Sam laughed. “You know, Colonel, I decided that deep down Daniel really is a lush, as long as the drink contains coffee or chocolate.”

Jack grimaced in sympathy as to how Daniel was going to feel in the morning.

Sam seemed to read his mind. “Don’t worry sir, I gave him a full glass of water with four aspirin and when I left him he was sitting on the couch trying to explain to Teal’c the comedic qualities of Fred Flinstone and Barney Rubble vs. The Honeymooners. I firmly believe that Teal’c hopes he passes out soon so he can have some peace.”

“Or he will just zat him and put them both out of their misery,” Jack commented wryly, adjusting his telescope.

“That’s a possibility too.”

They sat in silence for a moment, sipping their beers and enjoying the soft breeze wafting over the rooftop. Jack hated silence.

“How’s the arm Carter?”

Embarrassed, Sam unconsciously rubbed it against her body. “Healing sir. No residual damage. Dr. Fraiser says I’ll probably be on light duty for about a week and then back to full in no time.” Upset that she hadn’t remembered sooner, she inquired, “The knee Colonel?”

In response to her question, Jack flexed his leg. “See Carter, all there and in proper working order for the time being.”

Jack leaned over and began peering through his telescope. It was a comforting gesture. Something familiar to hang on to when the world was spinning out of control. When it seemed like everything was changing… changing. He was stalling.

“You know Carter, before I was recalled to active duty, I thought NASA was the way to go.” He threw her a sideways glance to gauge her reaction to his mention of her own previously pursued career choice. Her head lifted a bit in interest, and he continued. “I was disappointed in myself for never having the forethought to push my career in that direction. And now, even though we travel to different planets, I find it hard to equate traveling through space using our Stargate. It’s just not the same.” He stood up and motioned for Carter to take his place by the telescope. “So, when we come back to Earth after certain missions, I try to map where the planet was in relation to Earth. Then I come up here and try to find it through the telescope. I guess looking at the stars makes the fact that we travel through them more of a reality to me.” He pulled her gently away from the telescope and propelled her to one of the chairs that adorned the deck on his roof.

“We need to talk. We need to discuss the last mission.” Jack pushed gently.

Sam’s heart started to pound in her chest, so audible in her ears that she was positive Colonel O’Neill must also be listening to it. “Sir, I…”

“Carter, don’t pull a Daniel on me. Just shut up and listen, okay.”

“Mouth closed, Colonel.”

“I spoke to General Hammond, and….”

‘Shit,’ thought Sam. ‘I wonder if this is one of those stressful situations that will test the strength of my deodorant. Get a grip Major and pay attention!’ She mentally slapped her wrist.

Noting the faraway look in his 21C’s eyes, Jack sighed in exasperation “Carter, stay with me here, okay?” He raised his eyebrows for emphasis.

“Sorry sir.”

The echo of Daniel’s laughter through an open living room window suddenly permeated the night air. The two officers looked at each other and smiled.

“Daniel seems to be enjoying himself, sir”.

“I doubt the same thing could be said for Teal’c,” Jack chuckled.

The brief moment of levity ended all too soon and Jack took a deep breath, wanting to say his piece all at once before he either lost Sam’s attention or his nerve. “I spoke with General Hammond this week. I, uh, recommended you be given a command of your own… SG6 is yours for the taking… if you want it.”

Jack hung his head, busy examining a speck on his pants. After their previous mission and SG1’s run in with Cronos, while lying in his infirmary bed, Jack was hit by an epiphany. He was holding Carter back. She was more than capable of commanding her own SG team; she had been for a while. Carter really had handled this mission on her own, making a majority of the command decisions and doing whatever it took to save their collective asses. Again. He hadn’t wanted to lose her, to break up his “family,” so he held her close… never supplying her with the words of confidence that she needed to feel the desire to fly on her own. He was just being selfish, though. She was military, and Carter deserved more than to be just his second in command, a Riker to his Picard, a Spock to his Kirk….

“Colonel… I, uh… I don’t know what to say.”

Tapping her on the knee, Jack stood up and faced her. “Don’t say anything yet, Major, sleep on it, think about it, no hurry…just know that you deserve it.”

“Thank you for… for believing in me, sir,” she answered, bowing her head and trying to hide the hint of a smile that had graced her lips.

“Believe in your Carter? I trust you with my life…to guard my six… and my seven, and my eight…” He smiled as she suppressed a giggle. “Bottom, line, Sam, I couldn’t believe in you more, please know that. And I am positive that Teal’c and Daniel feel the same way.”

A howl of laughter from the window, followed by the crash of glass, accompanied by a loud “DanielJackson”…made Jack glance heavenward. “Of course Carter, I wouldn’t exactly ask Daniel that question right now…” He laid a hand lightly on her shoulder to emphasize his sincerity.

“Stay the night. We’ve all had a little to much to drink…Daniel’s been delegated to the couch, now…you can stay in the guest room. We’ll talk more in the morning if you want.” Swinging a leg over the railing, he glanced back at her. “I think it is time for all little archeologists to go to bed, now. Coming Carter?”

“No sir, if you don’t mind, I’d like to stay up here for a while.”

“Okay, but you’re just chicken, making me handle Daniel on my own.”

Sam laughed as she heard the Colonel start to call Daniel’s name from the moment he hit the ground.

She sat back on the chair, stunned. ‘Her own team,’ she thought…followed by a feeling of elation so great it felt that her heart would soar. ‘Leaving SG1’…followed by feeling of such desolation it felt like her heart would break. She knew that they would always remain friends…for a time. There would be no more barbecues at the Colonel’s house that she would feel comfortable going to, no more team nights and drunken revelries at Daniel’s apartment. ‘But her own team, the ability to forge her own rituals with new people.’ No more all night science fests with Daniel; they would be on different schedules, different teams, different workdays. SG1 would always be there, but in a different way. They would try for a while to keep their bond strong, but she knew that eventually it would progress to a head nod as they passed each other by in the hall, a quick cup of coffee in the commissary… the closeness would get lost in SGC’s everyday life. She knew that the decision the Colonel made in letting her go was as hard as her decision was going to be with regard to leaving.

With a sigh she got up and looked to the sky for guidance. Finding none, she decided it was time for bed. ‘No hurry,’ the Colonel had said. Well at least she was going to sleep on it. She entered the house quietly and found the Colonel in the kitchen drinking a hot chocolate.

Nodding her head yes at his silent offer for a cup of her own, she quietly went to check on Daniel.

“DanielJackson is out for the numbers,” Teal’c reported curtly. “He was most difficult tonight. If this is what my son is going to be like as he gets older, I most certainly am not looking forward to it.”

Sam gave him a quizzical look. “Out for the numbers Teal’c? Oh! Out for the count. I don’t think Ry’ac will be anywhere near as difficult as Daniel. I don’t believe anyone can be as difficult as Daniel.” Sam looked at her “younger sibling” and smiled. The Colonel had managed to change Daniel into sweats and a tee shirt, but the redness of his forearms, cheeks, and nose was a warning as to how much Daniel was going to complain in the morning. One of Daniel’s arms hung off the couch and the other was tucked snugly under a pillow as he snoozed away. Covered with a light blanket, he began muttering to himself in one of his 23 languages.

Teal’c looked at Daniel as one would look at a child who had done something so incredibly stupid, it took your breath away. “If you do not mind, MajorCarter, I wish to enter Kel-no-reem while DanielJackson is still in a state of sleep.”

“No problem, Teal’c. If he keeps you up, you have the Colonel’s and my permission to zat him into unconsciousness.”

“You have my word that I may take that into consideration.” He bowed slowly to Sam, dismissing her.

She walked back to the kitchen, shaking her head.

 Colonel O’Neill held up his hand to her. “Before you even ask, he threw up twice and threatened you in some alien language that I interpreted as you should never come near him again with alcohol. I changed his clothes, he passed out on the couch, and if he moves from that position, I gave Teal’c permission to inflict bodily injury.”

Sam chuckled as she sipped her hot chocolate. “I gave him permission to zat him, sir”.

“See? Great military minds think alike.”

In that instant, in that kitchen in her CO’s house, Sam made her decision. No sleeping required. “Colonel? I want to thank you for your confidence in me sir, but I’d like to stay on SG1, if that’s alright.”

“Alright? Of course it’s alright, Carter. But, may I ask why?”

Putting her hot chocolate on the counter, Sam shrugged her shoulders. Tears filled her eyes, but she would not let them overflow. “I guess it’s kinda hard to explain, sir. I just… I don’t think I could ever go through the Stargate without you, Teal’c and Daniel. I would worry about who was watching out for you, while trying to watch out for SG6. That’s not fair. Not fair to you, not fair to SG6, or to me. You guys are my family. I don’t want to lose that.”

Jack started to interrupt her, but Sam held up her hand. “Sir… you were very close to Ferretti, right? But then you both got your own teams. Now, it’s not the same, is it? Sure, you’re still friends, but the closeness… the everyday functioning, the inside jokes, the looks… it’s not there anymore, is it Colonel?” She turned and watched him fiddle with his mug, eyes on the table.

“No Carter, it’s not,” he replied softly. “Don’t get me wrong. It’s not bad. We are still friends, but you’re right, it is different.”

“I’m sorry to disappoint you sir, but I’m just not ready for things to be different,  yet. I guess I like things just the way they are.”

Jack raised his head and stared her straight in the face. “You could never disappoint me, Carter. I am proud that you’re a member of my team. Never ever think otherwise. Know that I have every confidence that you will make an excellent team leader whenever you are ready. Okay?”

A single tear fell from Sam’s eye. “Well, I’m being trained by the best.” She smiled.

“Carter? I want to thank you for saving our asses back on that planet, and ….”

“Sir?”

“Thank you for staying on SG1 and keeping the family together.”

Sam just smiled and took another sip of her hot chocolate. All was still right with the world.

The End

Thanks for reading!

Disclaimer:    The Stargate, SG-1, the Goa'uld and all other characters who have appeared in the series "Stargate SG-1," together with the names, titles, and backstory, are the sole copyright property of MGM-UA Worldwide Television, Gekko Film Corp, Glassner/Wright Double Secret Productions, and Stargate SG-1 Prod. Ltd. Partnership. Any material in this work of fanfiction is not intended as an infringement upon those rights and is solely meant for entertainment. All original characters, story ideas, and the story itself is the property of the author, not to be reproduced or archived without the author's permission.