The Trials of Friendship

by ShooteM

 

 

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Summary: Why does Thor like Jack so much ? How did they get to be friends?

Category: Action/Adventure

Season: Season 5

Pairing: none

CONTENT LEVEL: 13+

Warnings: none

Disclaimer: Stargate SG-1 and its characters are the property of Showtime/Viacom, MGM/UA, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Productions. I have written this story for entertainment purposes only and no money whatsoever has exchanged hands. No copyright infringement is intended. The original characters, situations, and story are the property of the author(s).

Archived on: 04/08/03

 

 

 

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Spoilers: Anything to do with the Asgard, set early in the series, after T5R, before FG.

 

Archive: Fanfiction.net, Samandjack.net, Jackfic.com, Helio.

 

Disclaimer: Stargate/SG-1 and the characters thereof are the property of MGM/UA, Gekko, and Double secret Productions. This was written for entertainment purposes only and no money exchanged hands.

 

The Trials of Friendship

 

O'Neill slammed the door of his truck and headed to the entrance of the underground complex swinging his briefcase and whistling as he went. It was a nice summer day but he knew he wouldn't get to enjoy it from his office many hundreds of feet down. After passing two checkpoints he entered the first elevator and pressed the button for the lowest floor. It would only take him part way to his destination and sometimes it seemed to take far too long.

 

After the next checkpoint he entered another elevator and pressed the number for the officers living quarters. He needed to pick up some files he'd left there before reporting to the briefing at 0900 hours. He checked his watch, and read 0815; he even had time for a nice leisurely breakfast.

 

He was the only one on the elevator and just as the doors closed he sensed the light in the enclosed space go up a notch, then suddenly the room was full of light and he was taken. His briefcase dropped to the floor then fell on its side with a thud.

 

His next sight was the interior of a spacecraft. The walls were curved into high ceilings, sparse of decoration except for brightly lit control panels and windows to the outside revealing the darkness of space punctuated by pinpoints of light. He recognized the structure as Asgard and stood with his hands in his pockets wondering what the hell he was doing there.

 

In a few moments he was joined by the diminutive gray alien he knew as Thor. "Colonel O'Neill, It is good to see you again."

 

"Yeah, you too. You want to tell me what I'm doing here?" He tried to mask his impatience feebly.

 

"Certainly. Please sit." Thor motioned to a low chair. O'Neill felt he was sitting in a child's seat, but obliged. He motioned out the viewing portal, "I don't see a familiar blue planet out there. Am I missing something?"

 

"We are not in orbit around your planet, O'Neill. We are in fact not in your solar system at this time."

 

O'Neill could not help but feel uncomfortable at the thought that he was very, very far from home and back up if needed.

 

"The Asgard high council have been discussing the progress of your race and it has been determined that perhaps greater study is indicated. We have been quite impressed with your actions of late."

 

"Well, gee, thanks. So can I go home now?"

 

"We would like to request your help in a situation we are endeavoring to solve. It will require your entire team to accomplish and we will provide intelligence if you agree to accept the mission."

 

O'Neill looked at the alien through narrowed eyes. "If I agree? You want to give me some details here?"

 

"I am unable to provide any information at this time except that I will provide whatever assistance I can."

 

"You want me to agree to go without knowing anything about the mission? Are you nuts?" O'Neill rolled his eyes to the ceiling trying to think of a more diplomatic way to voice his opinion. "How wise do you think I'd be if I agreed to terms like that?"

 

"Very. It would be impressive."

 

O'Neill was taken aback. "It would be?" He put on the most skeptical face he could muster. "Impressive?" His thought processes went into full speed. He paced a few steps to the other side of the room and back again. "Thor, you know the specifics of this mission don't you? But for some reason I have to agree to go on your word alone."

 

He couldn't fathom why, but looking at Thor he felt an odd sense of trust. "Okay, if you'll watch our six, we'll do it." He gave a shrug as he finished speaking.

 

If Thor could have smiled he would have, this human was performing beyond all of their expectations. "Preparations will be made and I will conduct a briefing with you and your team in two week's time. Colonel O'Neill, thank you."

 

 

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O'Neill was returned to the elevator which was at a dead stop between floors. He could hear voices and machinery noises coming from the other side of the door. The doors were forced open and a technician stuck his head in. "Sir? Colonel O'Neill? Sir, I'm sorry it took so long, we weren't even sure anyone was stuck in here. Can I help you up, Sir?"

 

As O'Neill accepted the young man's arm he thought how coincidental it was that Thor just happened to abduct him while the elevator was malfunctioning. Not. It was an obvious set up. Thor was being more secretive than normal, but why?

 

O'Neill went to his office and prepared for the morning's briefing, and as his stomach growled, noted that he no longer had time for breakfast. He gathered his folders and headed for the briefing room. He'd get through the briefing and then discuss his recent conversation with the General.

 

When he arrived in the room he was surprised to see Jacob Carter was there, standing over an obviously distraught daughter. His eyes were beyond stern, looking like he had invented the term 'if looks could kill.' Hammond's expression was no less severe. The other members of his team were absent, and from the looks of things, it was intended to be just the four of them.

 

"General, what's going on?" He only acknowledged Jacob's presence with a glance.

 

Hammond looked miserable as he motioned to his office. "Why don't we take this to a more private location?"

 

In Hammond's office, Jacob held his daughter as if he was protecting her very life, all the while glaring at Jack. Carter was alternately sobbing and trying to hold back more tears and pointedly avoiding looking at her CO. O'Neill did not sit but stood shifting from one foot to the other in agitation.

 

"General, I demand to know what has happened!"

 

"Colonel O'Neill, you likely already know what has happened. However I'll give you the benefit of a doubt." O'Neill looked back at him with exasperation. This was making no sense.

 

"Colonel, some information has come to light which affects the operation of this Command and will certainly have extreme consequences for a long time to come. At least your team will suffer for it."

 

O'Neill was exasperated. What could possibly happen overnight to hurt his team? How could he not be aware of it?

 

Hammond continued, "I do not usually delve into past classified missions, but Jacob and Major Carter here have been given clearance due to their involvement. Several years before you went to Abydos you were involved in a covert mission here on American soil. You were ordered to set up an 'accident' to remove a politically subversive diplomat since the man could not be touched by 'ordinary' means. Your team set up a car bomb that did not go off as scheduled and the vehicle was allowed to move into a high traffic area. Do you recall it?"

 

O'Neill knit his brow. Of course he recalled it. He remembered every mission in great detail. This one had been one of the worst, from his first days in Special Forces. It was a partially botched job and although the objective was met the price had been high. He nodded slowly to his CO.

 

"The bomb did go off, and when it did it created a six car pile up, did it not? There was a secondary accident caused by someone trying to avoid the first one. Most everyone sustained only minor injuries, but two innocent Americans died. One of them was a certain Mrs. Jacob Carter."

 

The words hit O'Neill like a sledgehammer. He had been responsible for the death of Sam's mother. He closed his eyes and felt a chill run down his spine. Carter began to sob loudly as she buried her face in her father's shoulder.

 

O'Neill made a move toward her, "Sam, I'm so sor-"

 

Jacob turned to him with flashing eyes and Selmac ordered him sternly, "Leave now."

 

He looked to Hammond for something, anything that would rectify this awful situation but found no help. "Colonel, we will be discussing this in greater detail, but not now; dismissed."

 

He resisted leaving, but at another glare from Selmac relented. If there were low points to his life this would undoubtedly count near the bottom. He went to his quarters, slammed the door then pounded a fist into the wall so hard it nearly cracked his knuckles. Then he hit it again. His hand bruised this time. He slid to the floor with his back up against the wall, hands covering his face. It was over, his past had finally caught up with him and instead of destroying him alone, it destroyed his team. Teal'c may be able to understand having done some terrible things under the rule of Apophis, Daniel would not. And Sam, Sam would probably hate him for the rest of her life. Maybe never look at him again. That may be a plus, he thought, he didn't think he could stand for her to look at him anyway. He smacked his head against the concrete, not caring what it would do to his skull.

 

Hadn't Carter's mother died when she was just a kid? Apparently he'd got the timing wrong on that. He just sat, not allowing himself to think too hard. He would accept whatever repercussions were in store for him.

 

There was a tap at his door, which he chose to ignore, but the door opened anyway. General Hammond quietly stepped in.

 

"Colonel, I want you to take a few days off to work this out. We've all got a few skeletons in our closets, maybe some more than others. The file was closed on that mission a long time ago." He turned to go. "And if you're considering retirement again, let me just say I'd rather not lose you over this. You might consider your skills are still needed in an administrative and strategic capacity. For what it's worth, Colonel, I'm sorry."

 

O'Neill had not looked at the man the whole time he was in the room and still stared ahead with unseeing eyes. He blinked and on sheer autopilot, gathered his things, threw on his jacket and headed for home.

 

Several days later, Jacob had returned to the Tok'ra, and Sam had returned to the base, seeking comfort by losing herself in her work. Daniel stopped by her lab and was surprised to see her there. He stepped in and helped himself to a chair beside her. She ignored him for a few minutes, then relented, "Hi, Daniel."

 

"Sam."

 

"So, can I help you with something?"

 

"I thought I might help you, actually."

 

She frowned. Here it came, Daniel's 'you need to talk about it if you're ever going to get over it' speech. "Daniel, I'm fine and I'm busy right now."

 

"Anyone can see you're not 'fine.' You can talk now or later but it will only be harder if you wait." He looked at her with those big innocent eyes that she knew were far from innocent anymore, but the effect was the same. She shook her head. Okay, she'd throw him a bone, anything to get rid of him.

 

"I'm still in shock about the news if you really want to know. I just can't believe something like this could happen here in the United States. Covert missions and assassinations, hell, what else has our 'oh so clean and tidy' government been up to? And I thought the NID was bad!"

 

"It's a lot to take in, I guess when it's so close to home."

 

"You guess! That was my mother who died! My whole life changed after that, thank God Mark was there or I'd have never made it."

 

"So, you're angry." Daniel was baiting her and she knew it.

 

"Of course I'm angry. But I've cried over it again and now I need to go on, again. Dad's taking it a lot harder than I am you know. He can't believe the Air force didn't grant him enough clearance to know the truth back then when it happened. And then there's the Colonel."

 

That was the opening Daniel had been waiting for. "So, how do you feel about Jack now?"

 

"Daniel, he wasn't to blame, not really. He was a guy following orders. It was an accident, a terrible, wasteful, horrific accident." She stifled a sob then went on, "But it's rare for missions to go like they're supposed to, as you are well aware."

 

"You really don't hold it against him?"

 

"No." She rolled her eyes to the ceiling, "Yes. Maybe. I don't know." Daniel was silent giving her time to decide to speak when she was ready. She suddenly was blinking back tears again. "When I look at him, all I see is my mother's face in that casket." She stiffened in sudden anger. "Why did he have to go get involved in the Special Forces anyway, and what were they doing going after someone where innocent people could get hurt?"

 

She stood and began to pace the floor with agitation, her fists clenching.

 

"You know that Jack is taking this pretty hard too."

 

She glared at her teammate. "He'll be okay, he'll just stick it back in the box with all his other Special Ops stuff. He'll feel guilty about it for a while, but he'll get over it." She nearly spat out the words.

 

"You don't know him as well as I thought you did. I went to see him, Sam. He's a mess. Pretty much staying drunk all the time. I talked to Ferretti about it; he says Jack hasn't been that low since Charlie died. You know the only thing that even got him out of the house back then was being offered a suicide mission."

 

"He wouldn't commit suicide."

 

"No, not overtly. But you think he takes chances now when we're off world? Just wait and see, I mean if we are still a team which we may not be, remember I've seen what the man is like with a death wish."

 

"What do you mean, we may not be a team?" Suddenly her voice softened. She hadn't thought very far into the future ramifications for the team. She sat back in her chair.

 

"C'mon, Sam. You think Hammond is gonna let you two work together with something like this between you? Actually I wouldn't be half surprised if Jack didn't come back."

 

Sam sat back in her chair, thoughtful, letting her mind get control over her emotions again. She hadn't considered Hammond would break up the team over this. Yeah, it was awful, but it wasn't like Jack had gone off on his own and blown up a car. He was following orders, which likely came from very high up, and he wasn't the CO of the team, either.

 

"He'll come back, we need him, the SGC needs him."

 

"He won't if he thinks it would be better for you."

 

Their blue eyes met with intensity. "For me?" She suddenly felt exposed. Leave it to Daniel to drag things to the surface when everyone else is trying so hard to bury them. She looked down to her hands in her lap.

 

Satisfied he'd gotten what he came for Daniel leaned forward in his chair and took her hands. "Why don't you go talk to him? He needs you to, though I doubt he'll admit it."

 

She sighed with resignation, she would go, even if it was the last thing she wanted to do.

 

 

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She pulled into O'Neill's driveway and turned off the ignition. Even though it was only afternoon the drapes were drawn closed she noticed. His truck was in the driveway so she knew he was home. She walked up to the door and knocked lightly, still not sure if she should really be there. After a minute there was still no answer, on a whim she tried the knob and found the door was not locked. She stepped into the dark entryway carefully. Something crunched under her foot and she looked down to see the remnants of a broken beer bottle, the contents having made a dark stain on the wall where it impacted.

 

She took another step and gently closed the door behind her. There were two more empty yet unbroken bottles a little further in, one was larger, not beer, whiskey. Another few steps and she was in the den. The room was dark but she noticed the fireplace and several more bottles which had been thrown at the stone facade, some broken, some not, one smashed to pieces.

 

On the couch was her CO, his clothing rumpled, asleep, sitting with his feet on the floor, reclining back with his head forward on his chest. In his lap was a 9mm Berretta having slid out of his hand to rest on the cushion between his legs. 'Crap' she scolded herself, Daniel was right. She stepped over and gingerly reached to remove the gun from his possession.

 

In a split second he was on her. He grabbed and spun her around, shoving her to the floor face down with her arms behind her back. As she went down her face caught the edge of the coffee table and she cried out as her lip split. She felt the nose of the gun at her neck at the same time as she heard the safety being switched off. She gasped in fear as his weight leaned onto her back.

 

She struggled to take in a breath then choked out, "Colonel! O'Neill! It's me, Carter! It's Carter!"

 

She felt him ease off just a hair. "Carter would never come here." She felt the barrel move along the side of her neck and lift her hair slightly. "Carter." He spoke her name with a sudden softness and lifted the Berretta away clicking the safety back in place. He rolled over and came to rest on his back beside her, the gun lying across his chest. He seemed to be unconscious again. She inched away from him carefully, now knowing that an unconscious and drunk O'Neill was still very dangerous given his instincts and Special Forces training.

 

She eased up to her feet slowly still shaking from the encounter and crept into the hall bathroom. Wincing, she dabbed a wet tissue at the broken skin of her lip, it was already starting to bruise and swell. She fished her cell phone out of her pocket and made a quick decision on whom to call.

 

"Daniel?"

 

"Sam? I thought you were going to Jack's place?"

 

"Yeah, I did. Listen it's a disaster here, I don't think I can handle him alone. Can you come out? Maybe bring Teal'c too?"

 

"Aw, he's just drunk. Get him to drink some coffee."

 

"Daniel!" She whispered harshly, "I'm talking to you here with a spit lip. Believe me when I say it's bad."

 

"He hit you! I can't believe that!"

 

"He didn't really hit me, he just shoved me into the coffee table, sort of." She winced as she dabbed the spot again. "I was trying to take his gun away from him. I thought he was asleep."

 

"Sam!" His voice was panic-stricken. "I thought you knew better than to ever touch Jack's gun without his permission. You know the guy never really sleeps unless he's sedated in the infirmary. What was he doing with a gun anyway? Don't answer that. We'll be there in twenty minutes, stay out of his way until we get there, okay?"

 

"Oh, yeah, Daniel, I learned my lesson."

 

 

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Both Daniel and Teal'c frowned as they walked into the dark house. The smell of beer and sweat had gotten much stronger since Daniel had been there a few days ago. He and Teal'c stopped just short of the man on the floor. Carter was sitting on the bottom step leading up to the bedrooms holding a piece of ice wrapped in a washcloth to her lip. She half-heartedly smiled and motioned in the direction of the sleeping Colonel, still flat on his back gun in hand. Daniel nodded to Teal'c to be ready to grab O'Neill then he slowly reached for the gun. Just as his hand touched the weapon the Colonel sprang to life. The alcohol had slowed his reflexes though and he was no match for Teal'c. Daniel tossed the gun to Carter and turned only to be whacked in the face by a swing of O'Neill's foot. Luckily he wasn't wearing boots or the younger man would have been knocked unconscious.

 

Teal'c continued to struggle to hold O'Neill and realized his charge was about to get free. "Daniel Jackson, I require your assistance!"

 

"What!" Daniel was still reeling from the blow. O'Neill suddenly had one arm free and was turning to take a swing at the big Jaffa. Teal'c had had enough of this and prepared a counter to O'Neill's swing. He blocked and suddenly let go allowing O'Neill to totter slightly off balance as he turned all the way around to face him. Teal'c was ready with his left fist and shot it into the Colonel's jaw knocking him completely off his feet. He fell to the floor with a thud, unconscious again, this time out cold.

 

The three of them stood over the man, shaking their heads. This was not going to be simple or painless for any of them. It was decided that Sam would do what she could to straighten up the house and Daniel and Teal'c would tend to the Colonel.

 

The first course of action was to dump him unceremoniously into the shower fully clothed and turn on the cold water full blast. He awoke angry and swinging but now Teal'c had an iron grip on his wrists, effectively restraining him. Between the two of them and the Colonel's exhaustion, they got him stripped down and started to scrub on him.

 

He came around enough to make eye contact with Daniel and insist he could bathe himself. They left him to finish with the bathroom door open and Teal'c blocking it with arms crossed. Daniel picked out some appropriate comfortable clothing items and laid them out on the bed.

 

O'Neill had switched the water to hot and steam was soon pouring out of the small room, the wisps churning around Teal'c, still standing in the doorway. Daniel sat on the bed and mused how it made Teal'c look like a genie coming out of a bottle. With a smile he rose and indicated he would be out helping Sam while Jack continued to clean up.

 

After a few minutes the water stopped and O'Neill appeared at the doorway with a towel wrapped around his hips. Teal'c moved aside to let him stalk into the bedroom. Seeing the clothes, he jerked off the towel and tossed it back to the bathroom floor then sat on the side of the bed and proceeded to dress. Teal'c smirked and turned halfway to one side allowing him minimal privacy.

 

A disheveled O'Neill walked to the den, frequently reaching out to the wall for support. He found the room in moderately better shape. No bottles or broken glass, the furniture and cushions straightened and the smell of coffee in the air made it appear almost normal, save for the stains on the carpet and wall. He made his way to the couch, fighting to keep his balance and wincing at the afternoon light streaming in a window. Carter had opened the drapes and window to let the house air out a bit and a cool breeze flowed in.

 

O'Neill did his best to ignore the entourage and only grumbled a thanks when a steaming hot cup of coffee was placed in his hands. Presently he decided they were all going to just sit there and stare at him until he spoke so he obliged. "What the hell are you doing in my house?"

 

Carter thought it was up to her to begin, as she had been the one to call in the cavalry. "Sir, we were concerned about you and wanted to see how you were doing."

 

"Okay, you've seen. Now go away."

 

Daniel spoke out, "Jack, I don't mean to be insensitive to your little pity party here but don't you want to know what we think?" O'Neill shot him a glare.

 

"I've got a pretty good idea of what all of you think, Daniel, and I don't want to go over it right now. Hammond has made it clear that I'll be removed from off world activities. He all but offered me a desk job."

 

He was met with three shocked faces. Even Teal'c, grim as he usually was, had his eyes open wide enough to reveal the whites. Daniel jumped up, "He can't do that! We're the best team he's got!"

 

"He's the boss and he can and will do what he sees fit. SG-1 will go on. Carter, you'll probably get command, you're due anyway."

 

Teal'c stepped forward, "Colonel O'Neill I do not believe SG-1 would continue at its present level of effectiveness if you were reassigned. It would be a tactical error."

 

O'Neill was pointedly avoiding Carter and she remembered the reason she came here in the first place. To let him know they needed him, she needed him, and that she could live with his complicity in her mother's death. Teal'c and Daniel had already made their cases and it was obvious she had not yet spoken. She watched O'Neill drain the coffee and Daniel take the cup to get more.

 

When Daniel returned from the kitchen she met him at the doorway and took the cup from Daniel's hand. She whispered a request for him and Teal'c to give her a little time alone with O'Neill.

 

She waited for them to exit and then came to sit on the coffee table directly in front of O'Neill, her knees between his. She set the coffee aside and leaned forward with her elbows on her knees, looking at him. He avoided looking back at her and even with her proximity was trying hard to find something else on which to concentrate. His hands were folded in his lap, one thumb rubbing over a knuckle nervously.

 

She gently reached out and touched his hands causing him to pull back and draw in a quick breath. "Colonel." She frowned at the unwanted formality of the title. "You know this has been really difficult for me; I came here to talk to you about it. I don't hold you personally responsible. It was an accident, I know that."

 

He still wouldn't look at her. He finally spoke in a soft voice, "How can you let it go? I ruined your family, changed your life forever. You've talked about how it was, growing up, I don't expect you to forgive me."

 

"It's not that I don't forgive you, and yeah, I was angry with you, blamed you. Hell I wanted to blame the entire USAF."

 

He shut his eyes, the lines on his face more pronounced with sadness. "Blame me if you want. I was there. I deserve it."

 

She lowered her head to try and look at his face, "Sir, don't you get it? I know you were there. I can accept that." She caught herself holding back a sob. "But it doesn't really change things. I've known about your past for a long time, granted I never thought I would have been personally affected by it, but sometimes bad things happen. Maybe it was a mistake, maybe it was an accident. I don't care which, not now."

 

She continued, "I see how hard you try do the right thing. We've been through some rough times, but when it's all said and done, I trust you. I always will. I talked to Hammond, too. He's not trying to push a desk job on you, he's trying to get you to stay with the program. Stay. And I don't mean hiding behind a desk."

 

He still would not look up and started to make another objection but she stifled him by reaching forward intending to place a finger on his mouth. He saw it coming and leaned back to avoid the touch. He stared at the finger for a moment then raised his eyes to meet hers. She took the opportunity to continue, "For just one minute, believe me. I forgive you."

 

He stared at her, she was forgiving him, just like Sara had forgiven him for what happened to Charlie. Now, just like then, he knew could never forgive himself. "No."

 

Carter shook her head. What would it take to get through to him? She had a sudden flare of anger, how dare he refuse her forgiveness? She lowered her head, "Son of a bitch."

 

"What?"

 

"You pompous bastard! Who the Hell do you think you are?" Well that certainly wasn't the same response Sara had given him. He blinked at her.

 

His docile manner made her even more angry, "You ass! " She stood to her feet and took a step away then spun around and swung. The palm of her hand impacted his already sore jaw as she slapped him with everything she had. His head jerked with the impact and when he recovered from it he winced and rubbed his face but would not look at her.

 

"And now you're just gonna let me do that? That's a court-marshalable offense, Colonel!" She stood over him, looking down as he slowly raised his eyes to hers.

 

"Not gonna happen, Major."

 

"Why? Because there are mitigating circumstances? Because you forgive me?" Her voice was still harsh and acerbic.

 

He dropped his hands to his lap and shrugged slightly, "Yeah."

 

She sat back down in front of him as before, now trying to calm herself and slow her breathing. She licked her lips that had gone dry. "Don't you think I'm intelligent enough to get past the circumstances?" His eyebrows flicked as he considered that she thought he was questioning her intelligence. Before he could speak she raised her hand to his face and lightly touched his cheek. "I forgive you, too."

 

The earnestness in her eyes was overwhelming. As he held her gaze taking in a look he had seen only a few times before, it melted him a bit on the inside. He closed his eyes again, considering her words. Maybe he was trying to do the wrong thing all this time, trying to forgive himself, when what he needed to do was accept forgiveness from someone else. The idea struck a chord in his head, maybe that's what really went wrong between he and Sara. He took a deep breath and blew it out, "Okay." She forgave him. It would be enough, for both of them. He leaned forward just enough to let their heads touch lightly, "Thanks, Sam."

 

"Does that mean you'll come back?"

 

"Just try to get rid of me."

 

She smiled as he leaned back putting a little distance between them. They were both looking down at their hands where hers had come to rest over his. He pulled his hands apart and tuned them over to clasp hers and squeeze lightly.

 

 

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Finally getting to sit down with Hammond and discuss the contact he'd had with Thor, O'Neill was anxious to get on with the mission. What his team needed right now was some quality off world bonding and interacting with each other again. The sooner the better.

 

They were not disappointed when Thor contacted the SGC as promised and outlined a mission to one of the Asgard 'protected' worlds. . They had intelligence suggesting the presence of Jaffa and possibly a Goa'uld. He had no idea how they were able to get through the planet's defenses or if the people had been harmed. Despite having a level of technology near that of Earth, Thor was opposed to making contact with these people just yet, that was why he approached O'Neill with his request.

 

Hammond agreed to the mission and gave SG-1 a go for 1800 hours that evening.

 

 

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Instead of going by gate, this time SG-1 was transported aboard Thor's ship for their journey to the planet Lethew. One of the reasons for the Asgard's interest was that there was no functioning Stargate on the planet. So how had the Jaffa gotten there? They had found no ships in orbit and the planet was too far out for a small craft to have made the journey.

 

SG-1 was transported to a location just outside one of the large villages and after a mile and a half hike entered the outskirts of the town. They were amazed to see that although the buildings seemed to be rustic, it was likely only for the aesthetic appearance as there were small indications of advanced technology everywhere. The rooftops were dotted with solar panels and the windows were large and tinted dark to keep out the sun. At one home they saw a small dome-shaped device operating on it's own, moving slowly along the border of a garden, leaving a perfectly manicured edge in its wake. Most of the buildings had plain metallic looking doors at the entrances with a distinct lack of handles, knobs or any obvious way to open them. Carter pointed out they all had a rectangular plate about six by eight inches set off to one side, about three feet off the ground. She thought the black glass and size looked like the palm scanners back on earth, perhaps a locking or opening device? They walked on and after attracting some attention and Daniel making some initial greetings, they were invited to meet one of the village elders at a large community building.

 

Their leader was a gray haired man, about O'Neill's age. He was stockily built and wore the Norse clothing and accoutrements they had expected to see with the Asgard's influence. O'Neill stepped forward to greet the man.

 

"Howdy, there. We are peaceful travelers, from Earth."

 

Daniel added quietly, "Midgard. We're here as representatives of Thor, to greet you."

 

The elder raised his eyebrows. "You come in the name of Thor and from the home of the first men? You are welcome here then my brethren. I am Brokk, eldest here."

 

O'Neill nodded, "I'm Colonel O'Neill, that's Major Carter, Daniel Jackson and Teal'c."

 

Brokk steeled his eyes at the Jaffa. "You command him?"

 

"Yes, I do. Is there a problem?"

 

The man looked a bit shaken, "We have met his kind before, and it did not go well."

 

"O-kay. We'll see that it goes well today. Teal'c here is also a friend of Thor." He clapped Teal'c on the shoulder in a show of friendship.

 

"This is most amazing. Please come." He motioned for them to join him at a large table set off to one side and called for a young man to bring them something to drink. After everyone was seated and more comfortable Brokk turned to Daniel. "You bring greetings from Thor? What does he say?"

 

Daniel set down his cup, "Actually he sent us here to see if your people have had any problems lately. Any unusual occurrences."

 

"Thor is indeed wise. We have had a terrible event a few weeks ago, but we believe we have successfully dealt with it."

 

O'Neill swallowed a sip of the smooth ale, "And that would be?"

 

"A flying wing of great size crashed a short distance from here carrying fierce warriors with emblems on their foreheads similar to that." He pointed to Teal'c's head. "It took our greatest warriors to best them and our losses were many, but we did beat them. At least at first that is what we thought. We salvaged what we could from their ship, as much of it was technology we felt we could adapt to our own. We had no way of knowing they were carrying a horrible plague with them."

 

Brokk lifted his cup and took a sip before continuing, " They had with them a cache of vicious white snakes which killed several of my people before we even realized what was happening. They entered their bodies here, at the base of the neck and caused extreme pain."

 

Carter and O'Neill exchanged knowing glances, "Ah, that would be the Goa'uld."

 

O'Neill motioned to Carter and she proceeded to give Brokk a shortened but concise version of who and what the Goa'uld were. He sat in amazement. Up until now they were seen only as non-sentient creatures, acting on instinct to survive. He had no idea what would have happened if this 'blending' Carter spoke of had been successful. They had truly been fortunate that no one had survived. As Carter finished, O'Neill asked, "So where are these Goa'uld now?"

 

"Sealed in a cave far from here."

 

O'Neill had been looking around the room at the evidences of their technology and asked, "Why didn't you just kill them? You've got the ability, right?"

 

"We tried, but the last two soldiers took the crate to the cave, we assumed to protect it. They were killed not long after and then the snakes started attacking anyone who was nearby. We considered destroying the cave but the rock is very hard there and we could not be assured of the destruction of the creatures. The crate they were already in seemed to confine them well enough as long as no one got too close so we sealed the entrance shut for all time."

 

"You do not believe it would be possible for even one to escape?" Teal'c questioned.

 

"I was sure at the time, but now knowing these beasts are intelligent, I don't know. The cave is set with traps, but these are more to keep anyone from entering and setting them free. They must surely be dead by now, shut up in the dark with no food."

 

"The Goa'uld larva are quite capable of sustaining themselves for long periods of time while awaiting a suitable host. These Goa'uld appear to be infants, they would not be able to complete a blending successfully. I do not believe they would leave their chamber unless a suitable environment was available."

 

Carter regarded him, "More "More Jaffa."

 

Teal'c nodded silently.

 

O'Neill stood and walked slowly over to a window overlooking the mountainside, "So, Brokk, We'd like to get a better look at this cave, can you take us there?"

 

"The season has turned cold, this is not a good time to go up into the mountains."

 

"Maybe not, but we'd like to see it."

 

Brokk was displeased but still wanted to be friendly with these people who knew of Thor so he offered, "I can show you where it is but you understand I cannot make the journey myself. I am not a young man." He shrugged a bit sheepishly knowing that O'Neill was probably of the same age and added, "I have not ever been to the place myself, men from other cities and towns took part in confining the beasts."

 

Brokk led them to a large room similar to a library, with a great number of books as well as many cubicles with control panels and viewscreens. Their version of computers no doubt. Carter had been itching to get her hands on some of their technology and her eyes now grew wide with anticipation. Brokk stopped at one of the larger cubicles and after a few moments at the console, brought up a detailed map on the viewscreen. He pointed to an area saying, "Here is the crash site and here, is the cave, it is well marked with a warning."

 

Carter looked closely at the image, "Sir, this is like a GPS on earth, but I don't think it uses satellites to triangulate position. Amazing."

 

Brokk looked at her with his brows knit, "Why would we use satellites, you mean orbiting platforms, correct?"

 

"Yes exactly. You would use them to triangulate a position on the planet surface. You see, having several satellites in orbit at strategic positions around the globe would give known points of reference. You could send a signal to and from these satellites from any location on the planet and know your exact location within a grid of lines and degrees. You've got something like that here but it doesn't rely on satellite signals, does it?"

 

"That system would be deficient in a great many ways, first the expense and time involved in placing enough satellites in orbit to accomplish the task, then maintaining them. Who would use such an archaic system?"

 

Carter's eyebrows jumped, "Uh, that's what we do, back on earth. So, how do you provide for static points of reference?"

 

"We use the planet's core readings. Signals are directed downward and bounced off different layers of the rock below. It is a much more stable database than the uncertainty of space above, surely you see this?"

 

"Yeah, but how do you get a signal to penetrate the rock enough to make it workable?"

 

O'Neill was trying to be patient but he had come to the end of his proverbial rope. He held his hands up to his ears mockingly to keep out the onslaught of techno babble. "Carter! Does it work and can we get there? That's all we need to know!"

 

She shrugged a bit, "Yes, Sir, and yes, Sir."

 

"Fine. Now would be a good time." He forced a weak smile toward Brokk.

 

The information was transferred to a small handheld device with a screen much like a palm-sized computer, which Brokk handed to Carter. "It is a long distance, how will you travel there? It would take many days to walk that far."

 

"We have our ways. Kids, time to go." O'Neill motioned to the door.

 

Daniel quickly bid Brokk thanks for his hospitality accepted best wishes for the trip ahead. Once out of sight of the village Carter signaled Thor and they were transported back aboard the ship.

 

 

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"What did you learn, O'Neill?"

 

"You were right, there are Goa'ulds on the planet, but it seems your people down there managed to contain them, for now, anyway."

 

"They must be eliminated immediately."

 

Carter handed over the pad with the location and watched Thor study it. "These coordinates are to a location deep within the mountain. Unfortunately our transportation device cannot penetrate the dense rock here."

 

"You can get in and out of Cheyenne Mountain without any trouble, why not here?" O'Neill asked with a bit of irritation.

 

"The SGC complex is underground but not far and under igneous rock strata. There is no comparison."

 

"Okay, okay." O'Neill said with a shake of his head, "I kind of figured we'd be the ones going in after them anyway. The 'mission'."

 

"As accepted by you." Thor turned back the pad reviewing the information on the screen, "You will be transported to the entrance location. I will be able to remove the external barrier but once underground you must rely on your own resources."

 

O'Neill just shrugged. "Everybody clear on that?"

 

As the team assembled their equipment and prepared to be sent to the surface once again, Thor discussed the destruction of the Goa'uld with Carter. He gave her a small device capable of making any moderately sized enclosed area into a cryogenic chamber.

 

She turned it over in her hands, eyeing the controls. "And this will kill the Goa'ulds?"

 

"Yes, after the field is established it will take only a few minutes to eradicate them. You must leave the device in place after using it as it will self destruct in less than a day, removing all trace of the Goa'uld presence here."

 

O'Neill stood by watching, glad Thor did not go into the technical specifics of the device. "So once it's set, we need to be heading out."

 

Thor nodded. He then handed O'Neill some additional lighting devices. The Colonel turned one over in his hand and pointed to the light affixed to his P-90, "We've got our own flashlights you know."

 

Thor eyed the flashlight and blinked. "I do not believe that will be sufficient O'Neill. This device will not maintain power for the required length of time."

 

Carter moved closer and asked, "How much time do you think we'll need?"

 

"It depends on how quickly you travel, of course." Thor was being evasive again and O'Neill decided it was better to just take the offered assistance and get on with it. He passed one to each of his team and they were soon on the surface eyeing the sealed cave entrance.

 

Thor had set them down a hundred feet or so away from it so he could remove the cover without injuring them but it was large and they could see it clearly. The opening was oval shaped nearly fifteen feet high and ten feet at its widest point. The cover itself was of a dull gray metal and the vegetation was beginning to grow in around the edge with tall grasses at the base and some long vines hanging from above.

 

They watched as Thor's energy beam made the metal plate disappear in a flash of light then moved in.

 

 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

The passageway was large enough for them not to feel cramped but was not very level and they had to pick their way among the rocks. The ground was also definitely going down, a revelation that O'Neill snorted at realizing their exit would be all uphill.

 

Eventually the group came to a long narrow hallway of sorts and stopped to rest and consider the path. Teal'c noticed a metallic gray panel with an inscription. "Daniel Jackson, there is writing here."

 

Daniel stepped over to the small panel and blew the dust off before running his fingers over the raised lettering. "It's an old dialect, maybe Norwegian or something." He mumbled to himself as he tried to find familiar symbols in his memory.

 

O'Neill shook his head as Daniel's fingers touched the plate, "Danny, be careful what you touch down here. Didn't our friend say there were traps? You don't want to set one off, do you?"

 

"Ah, no actually I think this is instructions for how to get past a trap."

 

"So, what's it say?"

 

"It's kind of cryptic, but it reads: 'Victory to the quick.' I know it doesn't make much sense."

 

"Sounds like we may need to be ready to hurry. Maybe it's just a warning to not stay in here too long, after all we've gone pretty deep and the air supply is limited." Carter offered.

 

O'Neill knew she was right, about the air, anyway. He had already felt himself breathing a bit harder than he should with the stale air. "Okay then, let's take the hint and get moving. Teal'c take point." He let the Jaffa by and waited for Carter and Daniel to pass before he followed them through the narrow corridor. He felt the hair rise on the back of his neck as his instincts suddenly kicked in. They had gone barely halfway to the end and he froze, listening. Teal'c had also stopped and stood with his head tilted to one side listening too.

 

O'Neill's eyes moved up the wall to the rocky overhead where he could hear a slight scraping noise, something moving there. Suddenly the ceiling was coming down on them. Hundreds of long pointed metallic spikes were emanating from it as it lowered onto them quickly. O'Neill yelled, "Run!"

 

Carter and Daniel were now aware of the spikes as the sound had now increased to a roar and fell in behind Teal'c who took off at a dead run. As they came to the end of the hall Teal'c made it out standing but Carter and Daniel were having to crouch as they ran. O'Neill was having a bit of trouble keeping his lanky frame low enough and as he came to the end, decided to dive for the exit. Teal'c was waiting just beyond the last spike to grab his shoulder and pull him the rest of the way out. As he helped him to his feet O'Neill clasped his upper arm and nodded a breathless thanks.

 

Carter gazed back into the passage from where they'd come and saw that the spikes were now driven into the floor, the ceiling having completely collapsed. She suddenly jumped back when the whole ceiling began moving again, this time back up to its original position overhead in the darkness, the spikes completely concealed. "Well, at least we know what we're in for when we leave." She sighed.

 

After a few minutes of recovery and securing their gear the group was again winding through the stone passageway, ever downward. They walked around a corner and came face to face with a solid wall. The passage just seemed to end.

 

"Did we take a wrong turn somewhere?" O'Neill complained.

 

Teal'c looked back the way they had come and then to the wall now blocking their way, "I do not believe so, Colonel O'Neill. There were no intersecting corridors of any significance."

 

Carter ran her hands over the rough stone before her, "So where do we go from here?" She turned to Daniel who was peering closely at something in the rock. "Daniel?"

 

"I, uh, think I found another panel." At the same time O'Neill was gingerly stepping around an area of the floor with some kind of debris eyeing it thoughtfully.

 

Daniel continued. "It's another inscription. It reads something like 'rise above crushing.' That's it."

 

"Crushing? I don't like the sound of that." Carter sounded dubious.

 

O'Neill cringed as he realized the identity of the debris. Crushed was right. Two humans, or more specifically Jaffa, had been completely flattened. Not a single bone missed. He breathed deeply and decided not to pass his observation on to the others.

 

He wasn't yet fully recovered from his earlier dash to safety sighed and rubbed his face. "Alright, since I am not up for being folded, spindled or mutilated at this time, I suggest we either figure out where we're supposed to go from here or we're going back. Screw the mission. Five minutes to look around then..."

 

He never got to finish his sentence as a familiar low grating noise was heard all around them. O'Neill winced, "I hate it when that happens."

 

The group stood perfectly still awaiting whatever it was that was about to befall them.

 

Teal'c noticed it first. "O'Neill, this wall seems to be moving." He reached forward and rested his hand on the slowly advancing rock wall.

 

At the same time Carter was reaching out for the wall behind them and said "Oh, oh. This one is too."

 

O'Neill spun back to the passageway from where they had emerged only minutes before to find it now sealed and impenetrable. He punched the wall with his fist and cursed as his hand was jarred with pain. He turned back to Daniel and raised his eyebrows. "Anytime, Daniel."

 

"What? What do you expect me to do?" He held out his hands with exasperation.

 

O'Neill waved a hand at him in a silent apology then turned to size up the wall now several inches closer to him. He looked all the way up and could see no top to the wall, 'must be far up' he thought then realized the only way out of their current predicament was up. "Look for footholds, climb up, now!" He shouted. "There, Daniel! Right there! Get moving!" He shoved the younger man over to the wall and pointed upwards.

 

Teal'c and Carter had already grasped the Colonel's assessment and were finding their own hand and footholds to climb the rock face. In no time they were all well on their way to the top. It was a bit disconcerting climbing a moving wall, but there were numerous places to hold on or plant their feet, as if the wall had been carved to suit just that intention.

 

Teal'c was first to the top and reached down to pull Daniel to safety. The Colonel and Major were side-by-side climbing and as O'Neill was closer to Teal'c he was assisted first over the edge. Both O'Neill and Teal'c turned and reached for Carter just as she yelped in pain. Her boot had slipped but before she even began to fall two strong arms were dragging her upward. The walls were within inches of each other now and she grimaced as she felt her boot being compressed from the front and back at the same time. "Wait! My foot! I'm caught!"

 

O'Neill spat a curse and let Teal'c take her weight as he dove to his chest reaching as far past the edge as he could. His hand found her boot and he used his fist to pound the heel sideways so she could turn her foot and pull free. It gave and Teal'c pulled her up with one mighty lurch. O'Neill was still lying on his stomach and just managed to get his arm up out of the way as the two rock walls closed in. Another moment and a blast of air and dust blew up into his face and he squinted and jerked his head away as the rocks came together with a resounding clash.

 

He relaxed heavily on the solid rock beneath him, "Shit. Carter, you alright?"

 

The realization that her legs had almost been crushed beyond repair struck and she looked into her CO's eyes with a truly heart-felt thank you. He had risked himself again without hesitation to save her, just like a hundred times before. "Yeah, thanks guys." She uttered breathlessly.

 

They all rested uneasily for a short while and gathered their strength. O'Neill shone his light up and across the walls. "You know, now that we're completely sealed up in here, you'd think the air would be more stale. I think we're getting a little flow from somewhere."

 

Carter took a few deep breaths and replied, "You're right, Sir. The air is definitely more fresh than before." She shone her light down the only passageway from the small room.

 

As they got up and prepared to leave Daniel noticed Carter leaning heavily on the wall and trying not to put weight on her left foot. "Sam? You're hurt."

 

"I just twisted my ankle a little, believe me it's better than the alternative. I'm not complaining."

 

With a little insistence from her CO she allowed Daniel to remove her boot and get a look at the already swollen foot. Luckily there were no lacerations and the bones appeared to be intact so Daniel just wrapped it securely and tucked an instant ice pack into the dressing. Teal'c tied the now unused boot to his pack.

 

They resumed their journey more slowly than before allowing Carter to lean on Daniel for while then traded off for O'Neill.

 

Teal'c had been on point and stopped in his tracks again alerting the group to danger ahead. He pointed to the wide low hallway in front of them and to the mostly decomposed body at the halfway point. The man was leaning up against one wall, his decimated right arm raised with the hand resting on a panel with a dark crystal in the center.

 

Daniel quickly found another panel with writing since he now knew what to look for and began reading it aloud. "It says 'the quick die by'-" He continued muttering to himself, running his fingers over the plate.

 

O'Neill had let Carter down to the floor and now joined Daniel at the wall, "Daniel? And? What else?"

 

"Well, I don't know. Part of the panel has been damaged, I 'm not sure what it says."

 

"Great, just great. Ideas? Anyone?"

 

Teal'c had been looking over the passage with a critical eye looking for any sign of the trap. The walls here were smooth and polished with numerous small vent holes of some kind the whole length of it. "Colonel O'Neill, I do not believe we will be able to determine the nature of this trap unless we continue through it."

 

"You think we've been activating them by our presence?" Teal'c nodded his agreement.

 

"Okay, let's be careful here, Teal'c, you go through first. Everybody stay sharp."

 

Teal'c obediently stepped forward to his fate and moved slowly down the hall, swinging his staff weapon side to side in anticipation of a threat. He moved more quickly as nothing happened and was soon at the side of the dead man. He paused to look closely at the panel on the wall. "This man appears to have activated or deactivated a device before his death."

 

"Keep moving, Daniel, go on through. Do not touch anything." O'Neill emphasized the word 'not' as he sternly warned the archaeologist with a wagging finger.

 

Daniel stepped into the hall following the Jaffa's footsteps to the midpoint and gingerly stepped around the body. He peered at the panel and adjusted his glasses on his nose. "I don't see markings of any kind here. This device could be anything, Jack." He shrugged and continued to the end of the hall where the walls turned once again to the rough rock of the natural cave.

 

When he was all the way through, O'Neill offered his hand to his 2IC. "Looks like I'm your crutch, Carter." He helped her to stand and wrapped his arm around her waist and bent forward slightly so she could grip his neck with one arm. "Ready? Here we go."

 

Before they could take the first step a low grating rumble was heard from the passageway behind them. O'Neill froze then turned slightly to look over his shoulder. He couldn't see anything happening in the darkness but the floor was shaking from the vibration of whatever it was. O'Neill turned back just in time to see the hand and arm of the corpse fall from the panel and the crystal to glow red. The entire hall lit up with a pale blue light, the red tones of the crystal standing out in stark contrast.

 

O'Neill spoke up in a sing-song voice, "Oh, Indy, Doctor Jones? Any ideas here?" A comment on the absurd situations his team seemed to get into at the hands of one errant archaeologist. He and his 2IC stood motionless holding on to one another awaiting an answer.

 

"No, not really." He was wishing so much that he had stayed back and studied the panel more. He could almost make out the last part of the inscription and was now trying hard to visualize it in his mind. Remembering the first part of the inscription he added, "But whatever you do, I wouldn't do it quickly."

 

"Fine, Carter, let's go. Just take it real slow."

 

"Yes, Sir. Got it."

 

They took one tentative step into the blue light and were met with a barrage of something akin to staff weapon fire emanating from the vents in the walls. O'Neill jerked back out of the light and fell to the ground dragging Carter with him. She landed beside him and let out a cry as her ankle landed sharply on the hard stone.

 

O'Neill got up to his knees and began to pull Carter up as he suddenly noticed a new threat. The wall behind them had closed off the exit and was now advancing. Soon it would force them into the light and the promised 'death by fire' trap.

 

He rolled his eyes to the ceiling and yelped, "You have got to be kidding me!"

 

Teal'c and Daniel could see from their vantage point that the wall was indeed moving toward their teammates. "O'Neill!" Teal'c called out, prepared to re-enter the hall to save his friends.

 

"No, Teal'c! Stay where you are! C'mon Carter we've got to try again, slower this time." He pulled her up to stand beside him and make another attempt.

 

Daniel suddenly stood and shouted, "No, Jack! Wait! It wasn't 'quick', it was 'unskilled, unsure'. The way to get through has been the opposite response. "

 

"What the hell does that mean? We don't have a lot of time!"

 

"I don't know!" Daniel threw his arms around wildly searching for an answer, then his eyes fell to the floor and he noticed the center was painted with a softly glowing fluorescent stripe straight down the middle. It sparkled silver under the hazy blue light. "Wait! I do know! You've got to walk on the stripe, straight down the middle of the room."

 

"Daniel, that doesn't make any sense!"

 

Carter was still hanging onto his neck and touched his chest with her hand. "Sir, we've seen something like this before. I mean Daniel and I. When we went to the Hall of Thor's Might we had to cross a chasm walking on a six inch wide beam, it was a test."

 

"Oh for cryin' out loud. You mean this set up is Asgard technology?"

 

"Could be, Sir. I'm just saying it's similar."

 

O'Neill sized up the situation then glanced back at the wall behind them, now only a few feet away, then back to Daniel, who waved to them, "Trust me! I know this is right!"

 

O'Neill locked eyes with Daniel and knew what he had to do. He had to trust this awkward, hopelessly naive, yet brilliant in his own right young man. "Shit. We're not gonna be able to do it like this." O'Neill released his hold on Carter's waist then turned to face her. "Wrap your arms around my neck and hold on, I'll carry you across."

 

"You can't do that! You won't be able to see where to place your feet!" She implored him.

 

"I'm not leaving you behind. Even if I make it to the crystal, that wall will have pushed you out by then. Not gonna happen, Major." He paused to consider the options then dropped his pack and turned around thumbing his shoulder. "On my back Major."

 

She stiffened, trying to think of a better way.

 

"Right. I know. It's a bad plan, but that's what we're gonna do. That's an order!" With that he crouched and reached back to grab her thighs. She instinctively grabbed for his neck and held on tight. It took a little jump to get her settled tight up against him and his knees were already protesting the additional strain. Yeah, bad, bad plan.

 

He blew out the breath and licked his lips as he focused on the far end of the stripe on the floor. 'Just a straight walk on a level floor. How hard could it be?' He told himself as he took one step out into the blue light.

 

They were bathed in the soft azure glow for a moment unmoving as the wall behind them came to stop just inches away, cutting off their only route of escape.

 

O'Neill could hear Daniel saying something but he was so focused on his task that he barely understood the words. He took another step and then another, the path remained unbroken by flashes of red and yellow energy bursts. The blue seemed almost serene and drinking in the calm atmosphere he took another step. He had to shuffle his feet, leading with his right each time to stay on the mark.

 

Carter was sure they'd never make it. She clutched helplessly at her CO's neck with her eyes closed. All she could do to help was to be as still as possible, and hang on. She stifled a shiver but not before O'Neill felt it.

 

"It's okay, Carter. We're gonna make it." His voice was very soft and he tightened his grip on her slightly, assuring her. She thought about how many times she had put her life in his hands before, though not so literally, and how now both of their lives were being held in Daniel's hands, hanging on his words, his interpretation. She allowed herself a smile thinking how appropriate it was since the Colonel's strength was in his physical abilities and resolve, while Daniel's strength was in his words. Both were being put to the test today.

 

So O'Neill continued forward, his eyes glancing from the floor to Daniel, taking his cues from him as to whether he was staying on track. They managed to get as far as the corpse and O'Neill realized he wasn't gong to be able to step over the body nd still carry Carter. He stood, balancing precariously and whispered harshly to her, "Major? If we press on that crystal like this fellow did, will the trap deactivate?"

 

"I'm not sure, Sir. That's a good guess though, worth a try."

 

"Good. We're about two steps away. When I tell you I want you to reach down and see if you can touch it." She nodded.

 

He took another hesitant step and then one more and felt his boot hit up against the leg of the dead man. "Okay, now."

 

Carter reached to the wall and slowly felt around for the panel. She could just barely touch the edge of it. "It's too low, I can't reach it." O'Neill allowed his knees to bend slightly and crouched a bit to lower her and felt his knees and back complaining loudly at the awkward positioning. "Hurry, Major." He croaked out.

 

With a grimace he lost his balance and tumbled forward and down dropping Carter nearly onto the corpse. As he hit the floor he instinctively ducked and covered his head expecting a flurry of blasts to erupt from the walls. When they did not come he raised his head to see Carter, trying to keep her face away from the corpse, with the fingers of one hand on the crystal. The crystal went dark and the blue light dimmed leaving only the stark shafts of white light from their own devices still illuminating the cave. He quickly crawled over to her and pressed his hand over hers on the crystal.

 

"Teal'c! Come get Carter. We need something to hold this crystal down. Daniel, what do you have in your pack? Anything we could use?"

 

Teal'c carried Carter to the end of the hallway as Daniel grabbed his pack and dumped it at O'Neill's feet. He then began to dig through it not finding much to help as O'Neill stood and shifted from one foot to the other with annoyance, carefully keeping his hand on the crystal. "You need something with a little weight. There! What's that?"

 

"What a book? I'm not leaving one of my books behind!" Daniel was completely indignant at the thought.

 

"Well, I'm not staying behind either!" Then seeing the hurt expression on the young man's face he relented, "Okay, how full is your canteen? Get the tape out of the med kit and secure it to the panel."

 

Daniel handed off the canteen and dug out the tape as O'Neill bounced the canteen in his hand, judging the weight of the water. Between the two of them they taped the canteen and secured the crystal.

 

O'Neill stepped to the end of the hallway and slid to the floor with his back up against the uneven surface of the wall. Between the stresses of their ventures so far, the poor air quality and carrying Carter, he was exhausted. He sat and wanted to close his eyes badly but instead looked over his team. Carter of course was injured, and Daniel, despite all odds was faring quite well. He hadn't been hurt yet; chalk one up for the kid.

 

His gaze fell to Teal'c who was taking the opportunity to meditate for a short while as they rested. Something seemed not quite right with the Jaffa, though. He seemed to be restless or in pain. It was so unusual to see any outward signs of his condition O'Neill felt it was worth investigating. With a great deal of effort he got up and moved to sit beside him.

 

"Teal'c, you okay?"

 

Teal'c was displeased that he had not hidden his discomfort well enough and took a deep breath. "Indeed I am not, O'Neill. The symbiote within me has become increasingly restless."

 

"So what do you think is upsetting Junior?"

 

"There are no external stimuli which would affect it in this way." The Jaffa grimaced and O'Neill noticed he was beginning to perspire.

 

"Something internal? An infection? Or proximity to the other Goa'ulds?"

 

Teal'c's eyebrow rose. "It is possible, a symbiote can sense others nearby. However, I believe there is more, it desires to take a host."

 

O'Neill's eyebrows shot up. "Oh, no. Not down here. Can't be. Didn't you get any warning about this?"

 

"It is unusual for there to be no 'warning', but it is not unheard of. I will attempt to Kel-no-reem to reduce the urgency of its need." He got up and moved off to a corner of the cave by himself.

 

O'Neill went to check on the rest of his team and found Daniel had gotten Carter settled with her leg elevated on one of their packs, trying to reduce the swelling. He sat near them and feeling the movement of fresh air felt it was safe enough to light a sterno and heat up some water for coffee. He busied himself with the task all the while wondering what he was going to do about Teal'c. From the look of the big guy, Junior wasn't going to be up for a long wait. He grimaced as he burnt the end of his finger and pulled his hand away.

 

Carter was dozing with her head back against the wall and Daniel came over to sit beside O'Neill. Graciously accepting a cup of the steaming coffee he turned to his friend, who was being uncharacteristically quiet.

 

"Jack? I wanted to thank you."

 

Drawn from his reverie, O'Neill looked at the man, "For what?"

 

"For believing in me, trusting me."

 

At the odd look he received from O'Neill he continued, "Look, I know that sometimes I don't pay attention like I should and it's put us all in danger more than once. I know you didn't want to trust me on this one, and I don't blame you for it. But, you did, and that means something to me."

 

O'Neill gave the young man a crooked smile and shook his head. "Daniel, a lot of the time I have to do things I don't want to do. Trust isn't a factor there."

 

"Then why did you do what I said?"

 

"Given the options, and the fact that you had encountered something like this before, I made a decision on what action to take. It's a command thing, like making a risk assessment."

 

"So, you put your life and Sam's on the line even though you weren't completely sure. You trusted me."

 

"I weighed the alternatives and followed a plan." O'Neill sipped his coffee trying to hide a grin. He lowered the cup and shot Daniel a sideways glance.

 

"A plan? You've never had an honest plan in your life!" Daniel suddenly caught O'Neill's hidden grin and his mouth dropped open. "You ass! You're baiting me!" He shoved O'Neill hard enough to spill some of the coffee.

 

Instead of becoming angry, O'Neill laughed. "No I'm not!"

 

"Yes you are!"

 

"Am not."

 

"Are too!" Daniel folded his arms across his chest, sulking.

 

Carter was awake now and giggled at the men. "Would you two grow up?"

 

They both looked at her and then back to each other. O'Neill shook his head. "Okay, okay. Yes, Daniel, I trust you. If I didn't, believe me, you wouldn't be on this team."

 

Daniel raised an eyebrow to his nemesis, clearly saying, 'see I told you so.'

 

They settled into a companionable silence and O'Neill got up and moved over to Carter, handing her a cup of coffee.

 

"Thanks, Sir." She held the cup in both hands letting the warmth infuse her cold fingers.

 

He glanced over to Teal'c and then to his 2IC. "Carter, we've got a situation here."

 

Something in his tone alerted her military training and she snapped her head up, "Sir?"

 

"Have you noticed anything odd about Teal'c?"

 

"Now that you mention it he's been a bit restless." She nodded to the Jaffa who was shifting his weight and stretching his neck muscles, obviously uncomfortable. When meditating it was normal for Teal'c to become still as a statue, never even permitting a twitch.

 

"He's having some trouble with Junior. He said it's almost time."

 

Her eyes widened. "You mean?"

 

"Yeah, 'fraid so. We need a plan."

 

Carter thought for a while, now having to regard Teal'c as a possible threat was unnerving. O'Neill finished what was left of his coffee and chewed his lower lip, "You know, the reason we're here in the first place is those baby Goa'ulds, you think we could get one and, uh, switch 'em out?"

 

Carter's mind went into overdrive. "Maybe."

 

"You mean we could?"

 

"Yeah, I think so. But we need to verify the procedure with Teal'c, and then there's the Goa'uld. We've got to make sure it doesn't get loose."

 

They discussed a few more options and presently Teal'c rose, giving up his attempts to meditate.

 

"Teal'c, Daniel, come here. We need to talk."

 

After they sat, O'Neill turned to the Jaffa, "How's Junior?"

 

"Not well. I have been unsuccessful in my attempts to meditate."

 

Daniel was surprised, "What do you mean?" So O'Neill filled him in on this latest development in their journey. He had to resist the urge to wriggle away from the Jaffa's side.

 

"Have no fear, Daniel Jackson. I would rather die than allow this creature to harm any one of you."

 

"Now Teal'c I don't think we're gonna have to go there. Carter and I have been thinking about the point of this mission. We've got a whole crate full of baby Goa'ulds just up ahead somewhere and one of them is gonna be for you."

 

Teal'c raised an eyebrow, "Perhaps, but what of the mature symbiote?"

 

"We're just gonna have to make sure it doesn't find a new home."

 

"I do not believe the symbiote would willingly leave it's pouch if a suitable host is not procured. It would likely kill me first."

 

"So you're saying it would be aware of a deception? If you died, wouldn't it die too?" Carter winced as she spoke.

 

"We would both die."

 

Daniel was torn between flailing his arms and holding them close to his sides protectively, "Jack, you can't let that happen. We've got to do something."

 

"I know, Danny, I know."

 

The resolve in his voice made Daniel suddenly still as he regarded his friend. "You're not thinking what I think you're thinking, are you?"

 

O'Neill shrugged and cocked his head to one side. "Let's just say I'm considering all the options."

 

Carter nearly panicked, "Sir, you said you'd never!"

 

"C'mon, Carter! Of course we'll try to kill it first, but if it comes to letting Teal'c die, well, never is an awfully long time, things change. Do you want the honor?" He was instantly sorry for putting her on the spot as he saw her cringe. He raised his hand up, "I wouldn't let you, or you either Daniel." He turned to the younger man. "It's a moot point anyway unless we find those Goa'ulds. Teal'c can you travel?"

 

"I am able, O'Neill."

 

Daniel and Carter nodded to their CO as he looked at each of them. "Let's pack up and move on then."

 

Carter was still having to hold onto either O'Neill or Daniel to walk and Teal'c was moving at an incredibly slow pace as well. After several hundred more feet and more twists and turns, they found themselves in a large cavern. The ceiling was at least sixty feet above their heads and their footsteps echoed as they crossed the floor to a raised platform in the center. There was a plain looking wooden crate sitting on it.

 

Uncharacteristically Teal'c hung back at the rear of the group, not approaching the crate, his symbiote was sensing the presence of others of its kind and began to thrash within him.

 

"Carter? Sense anything?" O'Neill walked up to the crate and lightly tapped it with the end of his P-90.

 

"Oh, yeah, Sir. Its them." Her voice quivered and she took a step back away from the platform.

 

Daniel had been beside her and after watching her retreat turned back to the Colonel. "Jack, you may not want to do that." He half expected the lid to pop off and a hundred Goa'uld to leap out.

 

O'Neill shrugged and walked slowly around the crate. He stopped at one end and swung his P-90 out of the way then put both hands firmly on the top edge and shoved. The lid slid back a couple inches with a low grating sound to reveal bubbling water inside. He peered in and then took an involuntary step back. "Carter, get that device ready."

 

Daniel was trying to see what was inside without coming any closer. "What do you see?"

 

"Goa'ulds. A whole lot of Goa'ulds." He went to the other side of the crate and slid the top back in place then stepped over to Teal'c and put his hand on his shoulder. "You sure we can't trick that thing out?"

 

"I am certain of it."

 

"I thought Frasier removed it once to study it, why can't we just do what she did?"

 

"If the symbiote is mature it will have great strength and speed however I will make an attempt to remove it."

 

The Jaffa leaned back against the cold stone wall and unbuttoned his shirt. O'Neill stayed crouched beside him and watched in disgust as he gently pried open the womb and inserted his hand. The mucous substance within him made a sickly smacking sound as his fingers probed deeper. Suddenly Teal'c opened his eyes wide and gasped; quickly withdrawing his hand, which was now dripping blood from a deep gash.

 

"It bit you?" O'Neill was taken aback. The Jaffa only nodded, holding his injured hand out and inspecting the damage. Muttering to himself, O'Neill got up and dug a med kit out of his pack, then returned and wrapped the wounded hand with gauze. "All right. Plan 'A', total failure."

 

He called Daniel and Carter over who had been watching from a distance. "This is what we're gonna do and I do not want to hear any arguments. Understood?" He warily regarded each member of the team.

 

"We need to make it think it can get to one of us, namely me. Carter and Daniel you will stay far enough away for safety but be ready to shoot it. If you are not able to take it down before it does its thing be forewarned you will be dealing with a Goa'uld. There will be nothing I can do to help you. You'll have to get me back to the Asgaard for help."

 

Carter was looking extremely stressed now, "Sir, there's got to be another way."

 

"It's not gonna get me, Carter. You're a good shot. I'm just the bait." He gave her a shy smile. "All you have to do is not miss."

 

She stared at him. How could he make such drastic measures seem so innocent? "No pressure, huh?"

 

He grinned. "You thrive on pressure, don't even try to tell me otherwise." His eyes fell and he continued in a more serious tone, "But if you fail, you might only have seconds to react." He handed Daniel his P-90 and removed his vest and other weapons. "Teal'c get some rope out of your pack, you need to bind my hands and feet as tight as you can."

 

The Jaffa nodded, still displeased with this foolhardy plan. He did as O'Neill requested while Daniel and Carter watched helplessly. When it was done he left O'Neill kneeling on the hard floor. Carter and Daniel took up a position off to one side where they could get the best shot between the two men, Carter with her sidearm and Daniel with a Zat.

 

Teal'c removed his vest and shirt preparing to allow the symbiote to extricate itself from him. As he began to walk to the Colonel, O'Neill looked toward his 2IC and spoke with his voice soft yet full of resolve. "Carter, final order. If this thing gets in me and gets loose, you must shoot to kill. Understood? Once I've been compromised, you will be the team commander. Get your people out alive, Major, complete the mission."

 

She blinked hard twice, clearing the tears from her eyes. "Yes, Sir. It has been an honor, Sir." He only nodded in response.

 

Teal'c stepped in closer, noticing the symbiote was strangely quiet. He stopped a few feet from the Colonel who was watching his face with eyes of coal. The symbiote was making no move as yet and Teal'c was forced to move closer, one small step at a time. As the Jaffa neared, now looming over the kneeling man, O'Neill closed his eyes and waited. He could hear the sickening sound of mucous and opened his eyes just in time to see the pouch begin to open.

 

The creature first stuck out only the front part of its head, assessing the presence of danger, leaning its head from side to side. O'Neill glared at it, refusing to flinch until the last possible moment.

 

Suddenly it sprang at him making its move to his neck in with utter precision. He jerked back at the same instant the weapons erupted but the beast was already on his neck. As the firing ceased, Teal'c reached forward making a grab for its tail but it was too slippery and in a moment was gone.

 

The look on O'Neill's face told what they did not want to know. He grimaced in pain and fell to his side, writhing on the floor. They ran to him but could do nothing but watch as he fought for several seconds then stilled. Instinctively Daniel backed off from his stricken friend, pulling Carter back with him.

 

O'Neill lifted his head and turned to look at her as the tell tale light lit up his eyes. He never got the chance to speak though as Teal'c leveled a Zat at him and fired. His head fell back to the floor with a thud, unconscious. After the energy dissipated, Teal'c checked for a pulse and found one. "He is alive."

 

The Major sank to her knees, numb with grief. Daniel stood behind her shaking his head at the sight before him. It was several minutes before either of them could function.

 

Carter went to Teal'c to assess his condition. "I will need a short time before I am able to receive another symbiote. You must use this time wisely and prepare to activate the device."

 

"Not until we get one of them out for you Teal'c. This would all be for nothing if we don't do that." He nodded once in agreement. Daniel had checked the bonds on O'Neill and found them to still be tight so he backed off a few feet and took position as a guard.

 

After nearly an hour Teal'c announced it was time and Carter and Daniel slid the lid of the crate back a few inches to reveal the interior. It was lit from within by a bright white light and frothing at the surface as the primtas swam about. There were a great many and it took Daniel only a moment to snatch one out of the pool. He nearly retched as his hand closed on one and he lifted the slimy beast out of the liquid. Carter pushed the lid back in place as Daniel hurried to get the infant to its new home and out of his hands.

 

Teal'c was lying on his back, looking quite ill. The sweat was running off him in rivulets and his face looked gray. He lurched as Daniel laid the Goa'uld on his belly permitting it to seek out the pouch on its own and enter slowly. It sent a shiver down Daniel's spine to watch the beast slither into his friend but it had to be done.

 

He turned back to the crate to assist Carter only to step right into the hands of O'Neill, eyes blazing white. "Jack!"

 

Carter looked up from the cryogenic device to see O'Neill with his hands around Daniel's neck strangling him. She instinctively reached to her hip and pulled out her side arm, aiming it as she stepped closer to the men. "Stop! Put him down, now!" She yelled at the intruder.

 

O'Neill turned his face to her without releasing his grip on the archaeologist. His eyes flashed again and he smiled with a malevolent smirk. She knew her only option was to fire and tried to see the Goa'uld and not her CO, but it was impossible. She closed her eyes for a moment knowing that when she opened them again she would have to kill O'Neill. As she heard Daniel's choking sounds she opened her eyes and centered her target. With no more warning she squeezed off two rounds into the left side of the beast she once knew, letting the tears flow freely from her eyes.

 

"Oh, God. Jack!" She watched him fall to the floor, releasing Daniel as he went. The younger man scrambled back to his feet and to his friends side. Ignoring what had just happened he found the bullet wounds and began to hold pressure on them with bare hands to stem the flow of blood. He checked for a pulse with one hand and finding none his shoulders visibly slumped. "No!" His eyes met with Carter's in a split second of hesitation before he turned the Colonel onto his back and began to pump on his chest.

 

"Sam! Help me!" She shook herself and ran for a pack, tearing into it as she ran to their side then dumped the contents out and ripped open the medical supplies. She saw Daniel make a move to give a breath to O'Neill and stopped him with a hand on his shoulder, "You can't, Daniel, the Goa'uld -" He understood and resumed his rhythmic chest compressions. If O'Neill breathed he would have to do it himself.

 

Carter tore O'Neill's shirt out of the way and began to pack the bullet holes with thick wads of gauze. While holding pressure she leaned over and noted Daniel was kneeling in blood. She gasped and yanked O'Neill's clothing out of the way revealing a gaping hole in his chest where at least one of the bullets had exited. She was horrified by the damage for which she was responsible but forced herself to focus on providing medical attention, limited though it might be. She recalled the entrance holes were always the lesser wound and chided herself for forgetting to check for exit wounds sooner. It was almost preferable for the bullets to have lodged in his chest; they could always be removed later, now they had to deal with a massive bleeding wound.

 

After stuffing as much gauze in the wound as she could, she continued to hold pressure now on both sides of his chest. Daniel stopped for a moment and pressed his fingers into O'Neill's neck, willing a pulse to be there and was shocked to find it was, very weak but present. They watched with trepidation as his chest rose and fell in shallow breaths. Containing the sucking chest wound had allowed him to breathe but there was likely internal damage and bleeding, of which nothing could be done right now. They realized they'd likely bought only a few minutes for the Colonel to live.

 

O'Neill's eyelids fluttered and then opened with no light shining within. He coughed and spat out blood but managed to stay conscious and turned his head slightly toward Carter. With a raspy whisper he said, "Well done, Major" then closed his eyes and went limp. Teal'c was up now and stood by O'Neill's side, his face grim with sadness. Daniel checked for a pulse again and amazingly still found one, thready and weak, but still there. "Sam, we've got to go!"

 

It was a huge risk to move a patient in such condition but to not move meant certain death and Carter nodded her consent. "Teal'c are you okay to go?"

 

"I am in fact more than 'okay', Major Carter. The chosen symbiote is strong. My strength returns quickly. I will carry O'Neill."

 

Carter ran back to the crate and activated the device as Teal'c held the Colonel sitting up. Daniel used the rest of the med kit gauze and tape to tightly wrap his chest, keeping pressure on the wounds. He finished his task and then shouldered another of the packs containing more medical supplies he knew they'd need soon. Carter nodded that she was done and grabbed up the other unused pack as she hobbled after him.

 

She never looked back at the crate but the high-pitched whine let her know the device had begun the freezing process. Daniel took point running back up the entrance hallway. Teal'c followed at a rapid pace flanked by Carter. They left all their weapons except sidearms behind as insignificant now. It had taken them hours to get to the cavernous center of the cave system and they knew O'Neill had only a slim chance of living to see daylight, despite having a symbiote with its impressive powers of healing.

 

They sped through the first hallway carefully stepping past the corpse and the still bound crystal weighted under the canteen. The wall at the opposite end had reset to its earlier position and they were able to easily get back to the place of the second trap.

 

Now they were standing at the top of a sheer rock wall. The handholds would do no good in trying to get O'Neill down. They ended up wrapping two jackets tightly around O'Neill and attaching ropes. Carter and Daniel descended the wall first and received O'Neill's body at the base as Teal'c lowered him down.

 

Teal'c nearly jumped to the bottom after O'Neill was down safely, his descent was so swift. Carter had removed the ropes and Daniel rechecked the bandages, reinforcing them where needed.

 

They assisted Teal'c to once more take up his charge and started off again toward the exit. After trudging uphill for what seemed to be a mile, they came to the first trap.

 

Carter looked hesitatingly at the ceiling in the hallway before her. "Okay, this shouldn't be too bad, we already know the ceiling is full of spikes and is going to come down on us. All we have to do is run. Daniel, you go first, then you, Teal'c. I'll be right behind you." She was panting with the exertion but was determined to make it. She had been limping badly for most of the walk, barely able to keep up, saved only by the fact that Teal'c was slowed by having to carry the Colonel. At one point they had stopped for a five-minute break and she'd rewrapped her ankle tightly. It was enough to offer support but the pain was increasing with each step she took.

 

Daniel had only taken a few strides before he suddenly came to a dead stop, ignoring the ominous rumbling sound from above, signaling the beginning of the ceiling's slide downward. He focused on the end of the hall and pointed, "Thor?"

 

The rumble ceased as Thor activated the device on his hand and he approached them through the passageway.

 

Carter called out to him. "We need help, Colonel O'Neill-"

 

"I have been monitoring your progress and am aware of O'Neill's condition. We must move him quickly. Stand very close together here. We must be physically touching each other" He motioned for them all to join him.

 

Surprised and confused the team obeyed his request and were suddenly engulfed in a blue light. When it faded they were at once at the opening of the cave, facing an obelisk, which had not been there before.

 

Daniel gestured at it and looked at Thor, "Isn't that just like the one on Cimeria?"

 

"No. It is in fact the device from Cimeria. We must hurry."

 

With no other explanation they were engulfed by a white light now and deposited on the Asgard vessel. Unseen by them immediately after they were gone, the obelisk itself was whisked away too.

 

Once on the ship they were besieged by a flurry of activity. Thor had deftly ascertained O'Neill's condition and sent him immediately to the medical lab area. The rest of the team was an awful sight. All three of them were covered with O'Neill's blood. It was hard to believe he had much more left.

 

Thor provided them with accommodations and clean clothing first then insisted Major Carter be seen by one of the Asgard physicians. Finally Thor allowed them in to see O'Neill.

 

His condition had been grave, he was only barely alive when they arrived on the ship and the only thing the Asgard could do was to put him in temporary stasis for the trip back to Earth. His condition would not deteriorate further at least. While in stasis they had scanned him and found his numerous injuries. He had a partially collapsed lung on the left and bleeding into the lung on the right, which was completely collapsed given the large wound where his chest was gaping open. There was massive internal bleeding from a severed artery although the bullets had somehow missed his heart and spine. One of his ribs had taken a direct hit and was completely shattered. And he had a snake in his head.

 

The physicians and technicians hovered around him, gibbering to each other. It was decided to transfer him to a cryogenic chamber. The Goa'uld would be killed and his body would be preserved until treatment could be provided. The only difficulty would be reviving him from cryo and giving the human physicians time to stabilize him.

 

SG-1 did not leave the Colonel's side for the remainder of the trip home. The Asgard had removed his blood soaked shirt and bandages leaving him uncovered from the waist up. He was cleaned up and the wounds covered with a pressurized mesh. He really didn't look too bad except for the dark purple bruising all across and around the right side of his chest where blood had seeped into the tissues. His barely perceptible breathing and pulse were to be expected while in the chamber.

 

It took a few hours for the journey home and well before they arrived in Earth's orbit Thor had contacted General Hammond and apprised him of O'Neill's situation. Doctor Frasier was appalled at the condition in which Colonel O'Neill was to be delivered to them and insisted if at all possible, and she knew it was, for him to be sent directly to the operating room suite from the Asgard ship. A full trauma team including a top chest injury specialist from the Academy Hospital would be standing by to receive him.

 

O'Neill's arrival signaled the beginning of a well-orchestrated plan. With all the chest trauma Doctor Warner didn't waste any time placing two central IV lines, one in the right jugular and one in the right femoral as his OR nurses prepped and scrubbed the operative sites. The two central lines could handle six different IV fluids and Warner designated two of them exclusively for blood. His order was to keep it running until he said stop, no matter how many units it required. It helped that the Asgard had provided them with the scan results and much of the damage was known but Warner wasn't about to miss something by relying on an alien scan. The surgeon from the Academy stabilized O'Neill's breathing and inserted chest tubes on both sides to expand the lungs. The anesthesiologist inserted an endotracheal tube at the same time and kept up an almost continuous infusion of drugs through the jugular IV line. One to stabilize the heartbeat, one to keep his blood pressure from falling too low, one to help expand the low blood volume, and one to make sure the patient would not wake up in the middle of all this, not that anyone could.

 

After breathing and circulation were under control Fraiser assisted Warner to remove the one bullet they found and repair any lacerations on the way. Surgery was quite long and when it was over, all three physicians looked as though they had taken the same blood splattered trek through an alien cave as SG-1 had.

 

Janet Fraiser knew her duties would not permit her a break until she had faced the people waiting in the hall. She knew they'd all be there. Carter, Jackson, Teal'c, and even Hammond. She emerged from the suite and looked at them each with kind eyes. She didn't speak, just gave a nod and a forced smile indicating O'Neill was alive, for now anyway. It was all she could offer and she turned back to make sure the ICU was ready for him to come out of the OR.

 

After he was settled Fraiser allowed his team inside. "He's stable for now. There was really less damage than you'd think from the loss of blood and all of it was contained in his chest. Abdominal gunshot wounds have their own set of problems and in some ways are worse than hits in the chest. With the misses to the heart and spine, we are concentrating on his lungs, which were unfortunately badly damaged. He'll be on the vent' for several days, I expect."

 

"Will he wake up anytime soon?" Daniel inquired.

 

"No. We'll keep him deeply sedated until the endotracheal tube can be removed."

 

Carter looked at her, "But even sedated, patients can sometimes be aware of their surroundings and hear people talk to them, right?"

 

"Yes. You can talk to him. He may be able to hear you." After a few more minutes Fraiser asked them all to step out. They could return one at a time and stay by his side.

 

Two evenings later Daniel came in to check on the Colonel and found Carter asleep next to his bed; she roused as the he entered.

 

"Not the best way to get a sound night's sleep."

 

Carter shook her head sleepily, "I don't think I'd sleep well anywhere right now." A shadow crossed her eyes. "I don't know if I'll ever sleep well again."

 

Daniel put his hand on his friend's shoulder, "It's still to early to tell anything, you know that."

 

Carter looked up and blinked back the tears in her eyes, "Daniel, I shot him and he died back there on that planet. It was because you didn't give up we brought him back alive instead of a corpse."

 

"I know, but you did what you had to do, now you still have a duty. You've got to hang on. This isn't over yet by a long shot. If anyone could pull through this, I'd put money on Jack."

 

Carter only blinked back at him. He noticed the dark circles under her eyes and frowned. "You're exhausted. Why don't you go on and at least try to rest a while, I'll stay with him."

 

She shrugged her shoulders and stood up, glancing back at the still form on the bed. The muted pulsing sounds of the monitors and the light whooshing sound of the air through the ventilator were the only perceivable signs of life. As she turned to go Daniel stepped in front of her and took her into his arms letting her take a little bit of his strength. She self consciously wiped a tear away as she let go of his embrace, "Thanks, Daniel."

 

He watched her go and then pulled the chair close to the bedside. He reached out and took his friend's hand in just the same way Sam had been holding it only moments ago. Without thinking he spoke aloud, "Jack, It's Daniel. I'm here." Despite the grim situation he smiled. It was like the changing of the guard in some eastern palace. One left and another took their place, never leaving their leader to do battle on his own.

 

A few more days went by and the Colonel grew stronger, breathing with less help from the mechanical devices. His chest was still badly bruised but the color was fading slightly from purple to dark reds and yellows. On the sixth day Fraiser removed the chest tubes and stitched the gaping holes closed.

 

SG-1 came and went, never really leaving O'Neill alone for more than a few minutes, being on stand down until further notice.

 

General Hammond made his usual morning visit to the infirmary. "Doctor Fraiser? How is your patient today?"

 

"Better, stronger. But we can't take him off the ventilator yet, and so I' m keeping him well sedated. Blood work is pretty much normal, allowing for the machinery breathing for him."

 

Hammond nodded his understanding. "You'll let me know if there's any change?" It was his obligatory final remark.

 

"Yes, Sir."

 

After another two days Fraiser had lightened the sedation and was pleased to note the ventilator was providing only occasional support as O'Neill began to breathe on his own.

 

It was late in the afternoon when Carter came in to sit with him for awhile. She settled herself in the hard plastic chair and prepared to endure another long vigil. The room was quiet except for the humming and soft beeping of the monitors. Sometime over the past several days she had taken to talking to him during her stays at his side, mostly to keep herself awake than anything else.

 

She took his hand in hers and leaned in to him, "Sir, its Carter. How are you feeling today? Janet says you're breathing almost completely on you own now. That's good news huh? Daniel had to go help out SG-7 and so he won't be back to visit you until maybe tomorrow night."

 

She paused, waiting for the response she knew wouldn't come then continued, "I've been working on those Naquadah projections for P3C 827 and it looks promising. You might not even mind going there. The whole planet seems to be a grassy plain, no trees, not even one. We fitted the UAV with an additional fuel supply and sent it over seventy miles from the Stargate."

 

She continued on, talking to herself as well as to her CO, "It was hard to get the fuel to weight ratio within acceptable limits and I'm beginning to think we should consider an alternate fuel source or engine type. If I could build a small enough Naquadah generator we'd have a virtually unlimited power source and increase the range exponentially." She suddenly stopped talking. Was that a squeeze or maybe just a twitch of O'Neill's hand? She looked closely at his face and could discern no change.

 

"Sir? Colonel?" The hope sprouted from her voice. "Did you squeeze my hand? Can you do it again? Sir! Move your fingers, squeeze my hand." She allowed her fingers to be limp in his and felt the pressure increase as his fingers closed on hers. She jumped up and shouted for Fraiser who came running out of her office.

 

"I asked him to squeeze my hand and he did!" She was ecstatic.

 

Fraiser quickly checked the machine settings and pulled out her penlight to assess his pupil response. She took his hand and made the same request and smiled as he responded. "Colonel, I want you to open your eyes now. You know how we ladies fall for those big brown puppies of yours." She thought she could see him smile even though the tube was still in place as his eyelids fluttered for a moment then opened with great effort. "Would you like to get the tube out?" She was met with a squeeze of her hand and a forceful blink at the same time. She raised the head of the bed.

 

"Okay, you got it. Sam, hold onto his hands, would you?" The Major, having to go through the same process knew it would elicit a coughing fit and a bit of panic as his first few breaths were taken without the tube in place. Fraiser removed the tape from around the tube while holding it still with one hand. "Okay, Colonel. I'm going to tell you what we're going to do and then we'll do it, right? You will need to take a deep breath and blow it out. As you exhale I'm going to pull the tube out. It will make you gag but you need to try to stay relaxed and concentrate on breathing. As soon as it's out, take another breath but don't hold it, just keep the air moving in and out." He blinked his understanding. The explanation was several times longer than the actual procedure would be but Fraiser knew it was worth it to gain a cooperative patient.

 

"Okay, Colonel, take a deep breath. Here we go." As she extricated the tube he lurched forward half coughing, half gagging. Carter still had his hands and he squeezed them until both of their knuckles were white. Fraiser eased him back down to the bed noting that he was making an effort to breathe slowly.

 

She put her stethoscope to her ears and with the disc listened in several places around his chest. She nodded and smiled, "All there Colonel. How about a sip of water?"

 

He shakily nodded and realized he was still holding Carter's hands. He released her with a fleeting thought of embarrassment, and glanced up at her, but she didn't yet let go of him, meeting his eyes for a moment. That was all either of them needed for the time being. Just a split second to reaffirm that everything was going to be all right.

 

After accepting a sip of the cool liquid from Fraiser he let his eyes close again, exhausted with the effort of waking up. He drifted off to sleep still feeling the warmth of Carters hand and gave it one more squeeze for good measure.

 

After two days O'Neill was much more alert and his team was finally giving him a break from their constant attention. They decided he really was getting better when he started giving the nurses a hard time.

 

It was now night and having dozed so much during the day he wasn't tired enough to sleep just yet. He lay still, resting and realized he actually liked the infirmary at night. There was something soothing about the continuous soft whirring of the machinery and multicolored lights blinking rhythmically. The night shift nurse was obviously sensitive to over-stimulation and as soon as the previous shift left she'd gone around and muted all the alarms. They still would cause urgent flashing silent warnings at the nurse's desk and he knew from previous experience she never missed one. Must have really good peripheral vision or maybe she just 'knew.'

 

She reminded him of his Special Forces days, she was aware of every detail around her but only let on what she wanted someone to know. She never, ever slipped. He reached for his water pitcher and poured some, knowing without having seen her do it, the ice was fresh. It was still fun to badger her.

 

He drank the cool water and settled back down into the bed to doze some more, it was just past 0100 and he was finally getting sleepy.

 

As if in response to his thoughts about the nurse, his own early warning system kicked in raising the hairs on the back of his neck just enough so he could feel them. He was being watched, and not by the nurse.

 

Slowly and without moving any part of his body he opened his eyes to survey the room and saw nothing out of the ordinary but his radar had already honed in on its target and he lowered his gaze and turned his head to the side of the bed.

 

Despite his awareness of the presence he nearly leapt out of his skin when he found himself nearly at eye level with- Thor. The sight of the diminutive alien peering over the edge of the bed made O'Neill suddenly giddy.

 

Half laughing but trying to whisper O'Neill spoke to him, "Thor? What the hell are you doing here?"

 

"I am here to speak with you, O'Neill."

 

The Colonel glanced at the nurse who was sitting with her back to them. "This may not be a good time."

 

"We will not be observed."

 

"O-kay." Must be some technology thing. "So, you want to talk tome."

 

"It is regarding the mission you undertook for us. It was never my intention for you to come to such harm. I regret it greatly."

 

"Its okay. Sometimes bad things just happen. I'm not mad at you." O'Neill couldn't help but speak as if to a small child.

 

"I wish to make amends."

 

"It's not necessary, really. From what I've been told you saved my life. You 'borrowed' that obelisk from Cimeria to get me back to your ship faster and you got the Goa'uld out. Fraiser says there's not even a Naquadah marker in my blood left behind."

 

Thor blinked at him. "Then we can still consider ourselves allies?"

 

"Of course."

 

The next day General Hammond stopped by the infirmary for a visit. "Jack, I just had a very interesting meeting with a mutual friend of ours."

 

"Who would be-?"

 

Hammond smiled, "Thor. I've asked Major Carter to come here and join us. We can talk as soon as she arrives."

 

O'Neill raised his eyebrows. He just knew the little guy had gone and done something after their talk last night.

 

Soon they were joined by SG-1's 2IC. "Glad you're here, Major. I've taken the liberty of contacting the Tok'ra. Jacob may not be able to join us, but he will want to hear about this as well."

 

O'Neill's eyebrows were getting a serious workout.

 

"Well I'll get right to it then. I met with Thor early this morning and was given some very interesting information regarding the accident that claimed your mother, Major. I was made aware of certain discrepancies, which I then followed up.

 

Colonel, I had to pull a few strings but I was able to get the details of your mission that day. Including the date-" he paused for an instant, "Which was exactly ten years after the accident. Same city, same intersection, same day, but not the same year." Hammond sat back in his chair and smiled, completely pleased with himself.

 

Carter looked at Hammond, then to O'Neill and back again. "You mean, it wasn't-, he didn't-, not the same year?"

 

"Nope."

 

O'Neill was sitting with his mouth still open trying to take in the meaning of what had been said. "You got this from Thor?" His voice ended with a squeak.

 

"I did."

 

"Whoa." When the guy said he wanted to make amends he wasn't kidding.

 

"And I have a theory too."

 

Both of his subordinates were rapt in attention now.

 

"I believe we were fed false information on purpose to break up SG-1. I wouldn't be surprised if some of the other details didn't match as well if the original reports are pulled. Someone, Colonel wanted you out of the way and they almost got their wish."

 

"Actually, General, we, ah, kinda worked it out before we went on the mission for the Asgard."

 

Hammond regarded his 2IC, his look asking for more information.

 

"Well okay, they ganged up on me and I caved. They are the best, you know." O'Neill boasted.

 

"Major, will you take care of informing your father?"

 

"Yes, Sir!"

 

O'Neill whispered an aside to her, "Soon. Dealing with Dad was bad enough, but I thought Selmac was actually going to bite me!"

 

Epilogue

 

Colonel O'Neill sat at his desk lost in thought. He needed to put down in words what happened during the time the Goa'uld had blended with him. It wasn't like anything he could relate to. He'd been aware the entire time, struggling, and losing. It wasn't that he always had to win, God knows there had been enough times when he'd lost, and it didn't matter that someone else may read what he was about to write either. He just didn't know what to say.

 

The last four weeks had been one disaster after another. First the fiasco concerning his sordid past and the death of Sam's mother, then the mission to Lethew which ended in his being parastized by a Goa'uld and then being shot to death. He'd had some major damage to his chest and though he was improving daily, Fraiser hadn't yet cleared him for off world missions. So he took the time to catch upon paperwork.

 

He looked at the computer screen and went over what he'd already typed.

 

Summary: Threat Assessment

 

Live immature symbiotes in crate.

The container had a solid heavy wooden exterior and was three feet by four feet tall by four feet long. The inner chamber appeared to be of an unknown metal alloy. There was an internal light source as well as heat. It was filled with liquid that appeared to be water but was most likely a nutrient broth of some kind meant to sustain the occupants. The exact number of symbiotes present was undeterminable at this time but was likely at least one hundred.

 

Threat: LOW (As long as crate remains secured.)

 

2. Presence of at least three traps set throughout the cave system.

 

We encountered three traps between the entrance and the cavern. Although these were set off as we encountered them, it would be just as likely they were meant to keep someone in as keep us out. There were cryptic panels explaining how to defeat the traps on the way in. Daniel Jackson was instrumental in deciphering the language and extrapolating the meaning.

 

(See description of traps above)

 

Threat: LOW to MODERATE

 

3. Maturation of Goa'uld symbiote carried by Teal'c.

 

According to Intel provided by Teal'c, the symbiote should be considered extremely dangerous. It now had increased strength and speed and was actively seeking a host. Teal'c himself was in danger of death if the symbiote was unable to leave him and would also die unless a replacement could be secured. Three possible hosts existed, Daniel Jackson, Major Samantha Carter and myself, Colonel Jonathan O'Neill.

 

Four possible outcomes identified:

1.The symbiote would continue to be carried by Teal'c until able to return to SGC. 2.Teal'c and the symbiote would die.

3.The symbiote would attempt to take a host but be neutralized before able to do so. 4. The symbiote would take a host.

4a. In the event that a host is taken, that individual should be considered a hostile and must be neutralized immediately.

 

Threat: HIGH

 

He looked at the sentence: 'The symbiote would take a host.'

 

It was such a simple short description of such a ghastly process. He closed his eyes and mentally added the details. 'The symbiote will use it's sharp teeth to rip open the skin at the back of the neck and burrow it's way in causing considerable pain. It will wind it's way around the upper spinal column and neck eventually lodging within the skull of the host.'

 

He opened his eyes and looked back at the screen. He typed in:

 

Note: Once in place within the host it secretes powerful chemicals into the cerebral spinal fluid of the host allowing it to effect extreme physical and mental pain at will to elicit cooperation. The host, although aware, is in effect cut off from the outside world at this point.

 

He pushed himself away from his desk and got up out of the chair, suddenly needing to feel himself doing something, anything, pacing was good. After several minutes he returned to his desk, intent on completing his task. After another hour of typing and editing he finally came to the end.

 

Conclusion: Outcome and Recommendations

 

Goa'uld threat on the planet Lethew neutralized.

Trade negotiations with Lethew pending arrival of SGC Diplomatic Corps.

Teal'c returned to active duty after being in compromised situation.

O'Neill returning to active duty pending medical release.

Ongoing progression of alliance with the Asgard.

Recommendations regarding the planet Lethew deferred to SG-9 (Diplomatic Corps).

 

Recommend upgrade SG-1 status to Active and resume mission rotation.

 

Recommendations concerning the Asgard:

 

Opinion: While the Asgard are advanced far beyond the current level of technology on Earth, which assumes an advanced intellect with which to create such technology, they are not all-powerful or infallible and in a way they can learn as much from us as we can from them.

 

A certain level of trust has been achieved on this mission and the Asgard did demonstrate their resolve to remain our allies. In addition it is noted, when required the Asgard are willing to take extreme measures to protect or enhance this alliance. There exists a potential risk associated with collaboration with beings of this technological and intellectual level, which in this officer's opinion ranks the Asgard as a high-risk contact, however the benefits cannot be ignored. In light of this fact continued or augmented interactions are recommended.

 

Far away at the other end of the galaxy voices spoke. "The observations are concluded then."

 

"Yes, the results were most impressive."

 

"The subject demonstrated his true nature. The qualities range from remarkable perceptive abilities, exceptional leadership qualities and self-sacrifice for the greater good. The level of intelligence is well above predicted levels."

 

"The Tau'ri indeed possess great potential to evolve. Was the subject a true representative of the race?"

 

"Yes. However, I acknowledge he may in fact not be an 'average' representation. As I have evaluated this and other interactions with this race it is clear the chosen subject is perhaps their 'best,' though the potential exists for all."

 

"And your recommendations?"

 

"We should continue to observe this race and now that we are known to them, begin to interact on a more frequent basis. The already proven subject would be an acceptable point of contact."

 

"Very well. The council will consider this report with interest. You will continue to liaise with the Tau'ri and their representative. By what name should we call him?"

 

"O'Neill." Thor nodded his head and exited the chamber.

 

 

 

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