PART FOURTEEN "Endings"
Jack sat back against the wall and regarded Osiris� looming form from beneath half closed eyelids. He was surprised at the surreal calm that gripped his insides at the sight of the System Lord. Away from the cell and the grim reminders of futility, he could breathe again. Instinct was telling him that Jonas would survive, which was all the salve he really needed for his shredded self-control. He licked his lips and crossed his arms. �Did you come in here to gloat? What if I told you I don�t care?�
�I would not believe you,� Osiris stated flatly.
�Suits me,� Jack shrugged with feigned nonchalance. �So what do you want?�
The tall, slender woman blinked, and paced the width of the open door. A scowl twisted his delicate features as he watched Jack out of the corner of his eye. �You were not so brave in the cell, Colonel O�Neill. You whimpered and begged for mercy.�
�That was then,� he replied icily. �This is now.�
�Nothing has changed,� Osiris reminded. �I still hold you prisoner, and now I have your friends as well.�
A shiver sang across Jack�s frazzled nerves as the ramifications of Osiris� bald statement sank in. Was it true, or was the arrogant creature simply manipulating him with words? Saving actions for later? He swallowed hard, suppressing an anxious tremor beneath a clearing of his throat. �You don�t have my mind, Osiris. Only my body is here��
�I own you!� he interrupted hotly. Spinning on his heel, the System Lord crossed the cell with three long strides, and grasped Jack�s shirt collar with skeletal fingers. �I own your heart, your very soul! You will bow to me.�
Jack stared into the glowing eyes. The pulsing orbs were hypnotic, holding his gaze like a cobra seducing a wayward bird. Every fiber of his being was screaming to turn away, but he refused to blink. Fighting the urge to yield any part of himself to the quivering creature that held him fast.
Osiris roared his fury and flung him back against the wall. He fell heavily across Jonas� legs. The Kelownan reacted by curling into a silent, fetal ball. Jack gasped for air and brought a hand to the back of his head as he shifted on the hard bench. �Give up?� he rasped mockingly. There was a perverse pleasure to be gained from the telltale darkening of Osiris� pale features. He had touched a nerve with his defiance.
The Goa�uld stepped back and folded his arms. �Insolence� It will be your undoing.� His cold gaze slid over Jonas� curled form. �He will be a willing subject, you will simply be amusement��
�I don�t think so,� Jack denied softly. He climbed shakily to his feet and took a step forward, blocking Osiris� immediate view of the younger man. �I don�t think you can control him without the sarcophagus to weaken his mind. And as long as I�m still breathing, I won�t let you try.�
�You will have no say in the matter, Colonel. I told you, nothing has changed.� Osiris moved to one side, allowing the two waiting Jaffa to enter the small room. �Bring him,� he commanded sharply, indicating Jonas with one jeweled finger.
Jack lunged for the throat of the nearest guard. The heavier man swung one meaty arm, deflecting his attack and nearly knocking him off his feet. He ducked and plowed into the man�s armored midriff. The Jaffa grunted and shifted his weight with a muttered oath. Jack spun away. The momentum from the guard�s defense propelled him into the second warrior, who had reached Jonas� side and was attempting to lift the now struggling young man into a fireman�s carry. The three of them crashed into the bench and onto the floor in a tangle of arms and legs. Jack reached out and captured Jonas� wrist. He pulled and the Kelownan slipped from the stunned guard�s grasp. Pushing the younger man half beneath the bench with one hand, he forced all his strength into the other and delivered a solid punch to the Jaffa�s cheek. The larger man fell back onto the floor and Jack pivoted on his knee, intent on delivering similar punishment to the remaining guard�s groin.
The whine of a charging hand device rose above the sounds of the brawl. Jack heard, and felt, the air as it sizzled with heat and energy. Too late, he ducked for cover behind the remaining guard. The discharge of the weapon slammed him into the edge of the bench. Fire shot across every nerve, filling his throat with the flame of silent screams. He convulsed and slid to the floor. Numbness spread through his body, and dimmed his vision to a single pinpoint of brilliant amber light. He shuddered as Jonas� limp form was dragged across his legs, and out of the room.
Hollow laughter chased him into the darkness. �Nothing has changed�.�
Awareness returned in a wash of pain and the remote sensation of someone prodding his bruised shoulder
�Jack, wake up.�
�Cut it out,� he protested weakly.
�Sorry.�
Jack cracked his eyelids. The familiar gold and brown walls of the cell swam before his bleary eyes. He blinked to clear his vision and Daniel moved into view. His pale face twisted into an anxious grimace.
Now that�s reassuring�
�Jesus, Daniel,� he didn�t bother to continue. Stifling a tired groan, he rolled to a sitting position and took in the plethora of anxious faces that filled the room. �Family reunion time?�
�Yes, Sir.� Sam whispered softly.
Her hand was twitching by her side. Clearly needing to touch him, and reassure them both. Heedless of their audience, he reached out and grasped the chilly fingers in his own. �I�m okay.�
They stared at one another, caught in the moment. He held on, unable, unwilling to let go. The connection between them pulsed like a live thing, infusing him with the strength to climb to his feet. She nodded fractionally, and disengaged her hand with a gentle tug.
�We weren�t sure what we�d find, if anything at all,� Karen commented from her position by the door.
�I�m a toy,� Jack replied drolly.
She chuckled in reply and turned back to watching the hallway.
�Osiris is typical of most System Lords, arrogant and selfish. Predictable at least.� Jacob stepped forward and looked Jack over with a critical eye. �Give you a bit of an air trip, did he?�
�Last time I fly economy,� he managed stiffly, while rubbing the blossoming bruise in the small of his back.
�We�ve been on quite the roller coaster ourselves,� the Tok�ra replied with a wry smile.
�How did you get here? Osiris�� he fell silent, waiting for an explanation.
�He fired on our ship, caught us and transported us off. Put the ship itself in one of the hanger bays.�
�Teal�c?�
�We never saw him, Sir.� Sam interjected.
�We were hoping he was with you.� Daniel murmured.
�No dice. They took Jonas and I out of the cell and I didn�t see Teal�c again.� Jack ran a hand through his tousled hair and paced the length of the cell. �Osiris wouldn�t just kill him��
�No, he knows too much about us and about the Tok�ra/Jaffa alliance,� Jacob agreed.
Jack nodded grimly as the Tok�ra echoed his own conclusions.
�How would Osiris even know about that? He�s been out of the loop for so long�� Daniel sank onto the bench, confusion and anger evident in his dark tones.
�Does it matter?� Jack replied irritably. �I got zapped when Osiris took Jonas out of here��
�You spoke to him, Sir?� Sam stepped forward, stopping just short of his arm.
�Yeah.� He stopped pacing and looked at her. A furrow of concern rippled across her pale brow, darkening her large eyes to sapphire chips. He clenched his fists in silent empathy. �He sounds okay, but he won�t be if he goes through the sarcophagus a couple more times.�
�Sarcophagus?� Jacob stepped forward and touched Jack�s elbow on the opposite side. �Osiris has one?�
�Yeah, Jonas told me.�
�So he can go on indefinitely. Sarah will be forced to live out an eternity, knowing what�s going on and unable to do anything to stop it�� Daniel muttered grimly. He rose to his feet and punched the air with one clenched fist. �I can�t let this happen again, Jack. I can�t watch it again!�
�I know.�
�Do you? I don�t think so.� He let the matter drop, and took a deep, steadying breath. �We have to stop him.�
Jack watched the younger man for a long moment.
I know how you feel, believe me�
He wanted to reassure him that things would work out, but truth be known it could go either way. Lies of comfort were still lies. He turned to Jacob. �How did you break out and how did you find me?�
�The Tok�ra operative I mentioned. He was able to free me and together we found Sam, Karen, and Daniel in another cell further down.�
�You weren�t together?� Jack asked, perplexed.
�No.�
�Why?�
Jacob bowed his head and then looked up. Selmak appeared with a muted flash of his deep set eyes. �We were questioned,� he said simply.
Jack swallowed the urge to query Jacob further. The Tok�ra�s gaze had jumped meaningfully to Sam while he spoke. Fortunately she was looking the other way. �Understood. Where is the operative now?�
�Dead. One of the Jaffa guarding the second cell shot him.�
�Alarms?�
�No, we were successful in terminating him before he could warn Osiris.� Selmak retreated with a bow of Jacob�s head. �Shame really,� the older man commented sadly. �He was a good man, young.�
�Sorry to hear.�
�So was I.� Jacob shrugged. �Knowing the layout of these kinds of ships, I would hazard a guess that Teal�c is being held on one of the upper levels. High security and close to the bridge, so Osiris can effectively split his time between monitoring operations and interrogating his prisoner.�
�What about, Jonas?� Sam asked pointedly.
�Osiris isn�t interested in interrogating Jonas.� Jack responded darkly.
�So it�s verified then? Jonas will become a host for Osiris?� Karen voiced the words that none of them wanted to say.
�Yes.� Jack confirmed.
Daniel sighed thickly and crossed to stand beside Sam. �Did he say when?�
�Could be happening right now for all I know,� Jack bit out. Fear and guilt rose in bitter waves, harshening his tone.
Why did I have to goad the bastard? Wasn�t he already charged up enough?
�He may have put Jonas in the sarcophagus��
�Why would he do that? How bad were Jonas� injuries?� Sam shifted on her feet, her blue eyes never wavering from Jack�s drawn features.
�Not to heal him, to weaken him,� he replied cryptically.
�He couldn�t keep control if he blended with Jonas when he was in a full healthy state,� Daniel deduced. �He needed the sarcophagus to help twist his mind, like Shyla did to me.�
�Yeah.�
�So we have a bit of time before Osiris takes over Jonas?� Karen asked.
�I don�t know how long I was out,� Jack replied wearily.
�Not long, Sir. We heard the scuffle in your cell.�
He looked at Sam. �But you didn�t see where they took Jonas?�
�No, Sir. We had to wait until it was clear to come around the corner. Couldn�t have been more than five minutes.�
�Timing,� he muttered sourly. �So three problems then. Find Teal�c, get Jonas, and blow whatever weapon Osiris is carrying to high hell before we get to Earth.�
�You believe Osiris is going to blow up Earth�s moon?� Jacob surmised.
Sam replied for him, her voice tight with suppressed ire. �It makes sense. Test the weapon on your enemy.� She locked gazes with Jack and licked her lips. �He wanted you along so you could bear witness.�
�Nice to know I�m still good for something,� he quipped. She winced and turned away. He jammed his shaking fist into his pocket. �Focus, Major.�
�Sir,� she swallowed hard, and continued in a firmer tone. �We�re going to have to separate in order to get all this done. We can�t take the chance that Osiris will change his mind and test the weapon before we get to Earth.�
�Or jump ship and snake Jonas,� Jack added.
�No, we can�t.� Daniel agreed.
�Teal�c is too valuable a resource to leave in Osiris� hands for very long either,� Karen added
Jack crossed the small cell and laid a hand on Karen�s arm. �Definitely,� he agreed soberly.
She smiled and patted his hand, accepting his silent gratitude. �So how do you want to play it?�
Jack sighed and cast his gaze to the ceiling. Want had little to do with the situation. Military tactics said it was safer to spread out your force. More targets in play. Sometime over the last few weeks he had stopped thinking like a soldier, however. Emotion was getting in the way of logical thought. It was becoming dangerous. Jack forced the anxious tides of fear and anger to the back of his mind with grim determination. They wouldn�t make it out if he allowed his heart to dictate his actions.
He could feel Sam�s eyes resting on his back. Feeding him with her will to move ahead in every way. He latched onto the subconscious thread and breathed a heavy sigh of resignation. Spinning on his heel he addressed the group. �Jacob, you will take Major Carter and find the weapon and disable it. If you can�t, then rig it to blow with enough delay for us to get off this tub. Then get to the landing bay and fire up the Scout Ship.�
�Yes, Sir.� Sam responded to his order with a stiff nod. Her fair skin had paled to near white, and her lips were pressed into a thin anxious line. Blue eyes met brown, and an unspoken question sizzled through the humid air between them.
Are you sure�?
It has to be�
Jack nodded firmly and turned to Daniel. �You and I and Karen are going after Teal�c and Jonas.�
�And Sarah,� Daniel whispered.
�Daniel��
�We have to try.� The younger man brushed by him and joined Karen in the doorway.
He bit back the harsh admonishment that rose acid like in his throat. Daniel was determined and there would be no swaying him. The price of his conviction would be determined when they confronted Osiris.
Karen eyed the younger man with an uncertain glance and then shifted her focus to Jack. �How long do we have before the mission is considered a bust?�
As long as it takes�
He stifled the vague response and looked at his watch before addressing Sam and Jacob. �Meet in the landing bay in one hour. Train leaves without you otherwise.�
�Understood.� Sam replied firmly.
Jacob handed him a captured Zat as they gathered in the doorway and scanned the empty hall. Adrenaline was roaring through Jack�s veins, sending his heart into his throat, and the dull aches and pains of his fresh bruises to the back of his mind. He glanced at Sam and smiled grimly at the look of determination in her bright eyes.
�Move out.�
HR>
Jack pressed his back against the wall and slid into a dark alcove, as a Jaffa contingent rounded the corner and proceeded down the hallway. It was the third group they had encountered since leaving the cell. Luck was the only thing standing in the way of the guards discovering his absence. A full alert would blow their somewhat disjointed plan of action all to hell.
He ground his teeth and caressed the warm metal of the Zat beneath his fingers. Sending Sam and Jacob off with little more than wits to disable Osiris� weapon had left him with a feeling of cold dread. Their winding progression up through the many layers of the Mothership provided scant distraction from the nagging feeling that the whole mission was only a hair�s breath from disaster. He glanced at his watch, and groaned inwardly. Time was ticking away. An hour was a blink of an eye, but any longer was just foolish. The mission hung on too many variables.
�Jack,� Daniel whispered hoarsely.
He jumped at the hand that brushed across his hunched shoulder.
Pay attention�
The self admonishment rang hollowly through his jumbled mind. �What?�
�This way�� Daniel stepped out of the darkened niche, and followed cat footed in Karen�s wake.
Jack glanced down the hall before falling into step behind them. He turned frequently, keeping watch on their retreat. Scanning doorways and niches as they passed, bringing up the rear and leaving the lead defensive position to Karen. Daniel was close to her back, indicating changes in direction when they reached intersections or access shafts.
The ship hummed around them. Distant echoes of voices and moving equipment prickled the hair on his arms. He moved instinctively. Forcing himself to disconnect from the anxious, fretful side of his brain as they proceeded towards their goal. Emotions would incite errors in judgment, hesitation in action.
I can�t let them down�
When had the mission become a test?
When had it not been?
He shoved the question aside and flattened against the wall next to Daniel and Karen. Just beyond their position, the hallway broadened into a wider area lined with several cells. Jack watched as Karen chanced a look around the corner, and pulled sharply back with a low hiss of controlled anxiety. From his vantage the cells stood empty. He caught her eye and she nodded curtly, shifting her gaze meaningfully towards the unseen hall.
�Teal�c?� he mouthed.
Karen shrugged fractionally. �Closed cell,� her silent words were accompanied by a quick flip of her wrist and the closing of her fingers.
Jack considered the information for a moment. Daniel was watching the interplay between them. His lips pressed into a thin, white line. Jack could see the veins pulsing in the younger man�s temples, and feel the barely contained tension emanating from his body in waves.
Calm down�
He willed Daniel a sense of self-control as he stepped around his slightly quivering form to stand beside Karen. She indicated the cell block with a tilt of her head. He nodded, and she slid aside so he could take her place at the corner.
Their current location was a corridor that intersected with one end of the block. Four Jaffa patrolled the room. Two of the guards stood at the distant end of the hall, two more outside the closed cell.
Son of a bitch�
Jack bit back the curse, and cast his eyes to the ceiling. Even if they could take down the Jaffa in front of the cell, the other two would get away and raise the alarm.
Bad day�
He suppressed a grim smile of recollection. Six years had passed since SG-1 had involuntarily stowed away on Klorel�s ship. The feelings of frustration and anger were identical, only stronger.
Yup, bad day�
He clenched his fist and glanced at Karen. �Is there another way in?�
She rolled her eyes at his silent query and glanced back down the hallway they had just traveled. Daniel followed her gaze, and then threw a questioning look in Jack�s direction.
He raised a hand and splayed four fingers. The young man nodded in understanding, his blue eyes growing impossibly darker with repressed emotions.
Karen turned back and shrugged. She tapped her watch and shook her head, clearly exasperated.
Time was dwindling away with alarming speed. They would have to risk it. He gestured to Daniel, indicating that he stay behind him as Karen shot across the mouth of the corridor to the opposite wall. They looked at one another for a long moment. Warriors and friends frozen at the point of no return. Karen offered a small smile and whispered a single word before pushing off the wall. �Luck.�
Jack slid around the corner and took aim at the distant guards. One of them sank heavily to the floor, stunned by the glancing discharge of his Zat. The three remaining brought their weapons to the ready and answered the interlopers with a volley of unfriendly fire. The cellblock blazed with electric fury as the Jaffa responded with Zats and the ponderous blasts of Staff Weapons. Jack dropped to the floor and smelled burning hair, as a blast sizzled past his ear and tore a molten chunk from the corner above his head. He heard Daniel growl an oath and reply with a rapid burst of Zat fire. One of the guards in front of the cell fell to the floor and promptly disappeared, as the young man unleashed a third deadly shot on his quivering body.
Nice shot�
He rolled across the floor, firing as he went. The second cell guard crouched and fired his Staff. White-hot energy burned across Jack�s shoulder, filling the air with the noxious fumes of melting nylon and singed flesh. Momentum carried him across the width of the hall. He grimaced with satisfaction as Zat fire pinned the guard to the floor and vaporized him. The remaining door guard fled into the corridor, his booted feet pounding a rapid staccato on the polished floor.
�Get him!� Jack growled furiously, as he clutched his injured shoulder.
I should have zigged and not zagged�
The grim thought was rapidly followed by a fresh onslaught of pain. He rolled his head from side to side and heard the injured vertebrae in his neck crack and pop in protest. Seared nerves sent tingles radiating the length of his arm, numbing his fingers until they opened uselessly and released the Zat to go spinning across the floor.
He watched bleary eyed as Daniel knelt by his side and tore the sleeve off his uniform to expose the injury.
�Jesus Jack, next time duck!�
A dry chuckle escaped his lips. �That�s my line,� he managed hoarsely.
�Shut up�� Daniel murmured softly as he fished through his pockets. He pulled a tube of burn cream from one pouch, and sterile gauze and tape from another. �This is going to sting��
�Get on with it, we don�t have a whole lot of time�� He winced as the cold ointment bathed the injury. �Karen?�
�Here!� She called from her place by the cell door. �Anyone got a lock pick?�
Jack groaned and lurched to his feet as Daniel sat back. The tape pulled at his skin and the burn throbbed dully beneath the bandage. He pushed the surface pain aside and stumbled to the wall next to the door. �Can you get in, short it out somehow?� He wished briefly and futilely for Sam and her propensity for gadgetry.
Finally, a valid excuse for cloning�
His mind was wandering, seeking a refuge from the overwhelming tensions. Not a good sign. Jack shook his head to clear the cobwebs, and turned soberly to Daniel. �Keep watch, we�re bound to have company soon.�
�Right.� He watched as the younger man crossed to the doorway and fired two more shots into the stirring guard. The man disappeared. Daniel glanced up, his dark eyes blank. Jack swallowed hard. The distance he saw on his friend�s pale features was chilling.
Swallowing the cold knot of anxiety that clogged his throat, Jack swung his gaze back to Karen. She was considering the locking mechanism. Idly fingering the staff weapon the guard had dropped before he disappeared in a haze of fluctuating energy and smoke. The panel was rectangular and fitted with a series of nine colored coded buttons. They both knew that random selection would take far too long and no doubt prove fruitless in the end.
�I could shoot the damn thing. No guarantees I could even touch it, let alone short circuit it after,� she suggested.
�I wish I knew for sure who we have here,� Jack replied. He slammed a fist against the unyielding door.
A deep rumble echoed through the Ship.
What the hell?
He stifled the ridiculous urge to look at his clenched fingers, and shifted his gaze to the mouth of the cellblock. �I think Carter has been busy��
�One can only hope.� Karen replied.
They joined Daniel in the doorway. �Ideas?� Jack asked the younger man hopefully.
�Maybe we don�t have to open that door.� He raised a hand and gestured. �Listen, they�re coming��
�Ambush?� Karen asked doubtfully. Her bright, blue eyes flitted to Jack�s face.
He shook his head. �I think we�re pushing our luck��
�We have a choice?� Daniel protested as they stepped into the shadow of the door jam.
�Jaffa Kree�� Osiris� voice reverberated off the walls as he barked a series of orders to the approaching contingent. Jack ground his teeth in exasperation, catching one word in ten of the incomprehensible dialect. The heavy Jaffa footfalls paused and then seemed to split. A small group continued towards them, and a much larger rumble faded into the distance.
�Dammit�� Jack whispered angrily. Heads up, Carter! He willed her a fervent, silent warning before gesturing for Karen and Daniel to follow him into the intersecting corridor. The fresh patrol marched into view as they slipped around the corner.
He peered around the engraved edge of the wall. The air was still thick with smoke from their earlier skirmish. It reeked of ozone and the sharp tang of melting wall panels and burnt flesh. He swallowed a cough as the acrid fumes filled his nostrils and roughened the back of his throat. Osiris stood in the entrance to the cellblock. His slim arms were crossed, a look of rabid fury on his delicate features.
�I know you are here, O�Neill.�
Jack blinked, only vaguely surprised at the bald statement. He considered a reply, and then dismissed it with a slight shake of his head. There were too many Jaffa to risk his miniscule party in an all out confrontation.
The System Lord paced the mouth of the cellblock. The sharp snap of her footsteps ricocheted off the walls as she took each step with deliberate force. �Why not end this? Surely you must realize that the Jaffa is no more?�
Daniel sucked in a startled breath, and Jack waved him into silence with one impatient hand.
You�re lying�
Not even you can be that blind or arrogant�
He clung to the hope, furious that the mere suggestion of Teal�c�s demise had filled him with breath stopping fear.
Osiris laughed breathily and stopped pacing. He swiveled his slender form until he was facing the back of the cellblock. His cold, glowing eyes roamed the wall and drifted over the juncture of hall and room. Jack flattened his quivering, rebellious body into the corner. The fresh burn throbbed painfully, and he felt the tape release as his shoulder shifted beneath the remnants of his shirt.
�It was a ruse,� the Goa�uld informed them mockingly. �A means to draw you out� Do you not see? Or are you too feeble minded? Has the cell drained all measure of intelligence from your weak Tauri body?�
Jack bit his tongue. He could hear the rustle of fabric as Daniel shifted behind him, and the muted click as Karen clenched her teeth. The System Lord was baiting them. It was the only conclusion he could allow himself to accept. The other options were too infuriating, devastating, to consider.
�Perhaps you cling to the notion that you can retrieve Jonas Quinn. Rescue my new host before he fulfills his destiny? Foolish, pathetic man.� Osiris walked further into the block and paused outside the cell door. �Would you care to test the truth of my words?� One slim hand hovered over the keypad. �To see what misguided loyalty has brought you?�
A second distant rumble quivered through the walls. The ship seemed to buck, wracked by a series of shudders. Jack strained his calf muscles, struggling to stay upright as they decelerated. A shadow of pure loathing passed across Osiris� pale features and fled in a breath, leaving a twisted smile on his lips. �Your friends will be captured and executed, just as the Jaffa was,� he assured. Long jeweled fingers reached out and stroked across the keypad.
One�
Two�
Three�
Weapons fire lit the cellblock from the doorway. Osiris spun, hissing with rage.
�Now!� Jack commanded and launched himself from the mouth of the corridor. He sprinted across the width of the block and slammed into the opposite wall. Pain blossomed through his shoulder as he brought the Zat to bear on Osiris. The System Lord was quicker. He pivoted on his heel and raised one arm. The hand device glittered in the dull light of the small room. The center glowed to life as Jack ducked and dashed for cover behind a narrow pillar running up the wall. Osiris fired, and the wall above his head exploded in sparks and chips of molten metal.
Jack flinched and pushed away from the wall. Zat fire whined and Staff weapons thundered through the small room. Backlighting shifting bodies with an eerie bluish glow. He kept his gaze focused on Osiris, acknowledging and dismissing the frustrated cries of friends and enemies with a distance born of necessity.
Someone screamed.
He froze.
The System Lord strode rapidly across the small space, blocking his frantic view of the doorway at the end of the block. �You are mine!� He stood like a red and gold pillar in the center of the chaos, and extended one arm. The force of the blast sent Jack sailing backwards into the far wall. He landed with a bone jarring crunch, and slid dazedly to the floor.
�Sarah!�
Jack blinked rapidly and struggled to straighten up and retrieve his weapon from the floor. Pain shot jagged arrows the length of his back and up into his throbbing skull. The world dimmed, washed white by the glow of weapon�s fire, and the stars that swam across his vision. He shifted his blurry gaze to the mouth of the corridor.
Daniel�
Oh God�
No�
The younger man was standing in the mouth of their approach corridor, a lone sentinel against the onslaught of violence that washed over them all like a tide. He had trained the muzzle of his Zat on the back of his former lover and held it fast in both hands. All motion seemed to stop, frozen in the single indecisive moment.
Now�
Daniel�
Do it now�
The internal plea seemed to shatter the surreal mirage. Bodies and energy discharges splintered like glass across his vision. Osiris raised his hand a second time and Jack was powerless to duck. He lay like a rag doll against the wall, arms lying uselessly at his sides. His legs were numb, his mind a jumble of frustration, rage, and fear.
Daniel�
�Dr. Jackson!�
Osiris whirled away at the sound of Karen�s voice. The Lieutenant Colonel dashed from her hiding place in the shadow of the corridor and launched her body at Daniel. The wall around him exploded in melted slag and sparks with the impact of a Jaffa Staff blast. The two of them crashed to the floor. Karen was up first, years of training propelling her into a defensive crouch.
Weaponless�
No�.
The room fell eerily silent. Beyond the tall, still form of the System Lord, Jack spotted Sam and Jacob moving through the descending smoke towards the cell door.
What are you doing here?
The thought slid from conscious consideration as he took in their harried state. Sam was clutching her forearm and her father was limping slightly, but both appeared relatively unscathed. The Jaffa guards had not faired so well. Caught unaware, the small contingent lay scattered across the floor, stunned or dead from Zat fire. There was one exception, a burly figure standing against the wall to Jack�s right. He watched numbly as the large man raised his staff weapon and trained it on Sam and Jacob.
Osiris laughed huskily. She kept her gaze focused on Karen as she spoke. �You see, Colonel O�Neill. I have won. You and your pathetic force will not stop me. I will test my weapon on your planet�s moon, and you will be there to watch.� He paused, a languid smile curling his lips. �However, I do not need more than one witness��
Jack refocused his frantic gaze from her impassive face to Daniel. The younger man had risen to his knees, and one hand was curling inconspicuously around the butt of a Staff Weapon.
Now�
He willed his friend to action, pleading for him to look beyond the delicate features of Sarah Gardener and see the monster that stood before them.
Daniel hesitated. The hand clenched and unclenched, bone white with strain.
Now�
Osiris raised her arm.
Now�Dammit, Daniel! Now�.
The hand device hummed ominously and Jack�s eyes flickered to Karen. She crouched, wide eyed. Her parted lips moving slightly in a muttered mantra, dulled by distance and the pounding of his heart.
Now�
Daniel grasped the staff and raised it from the polished floor.
A blast of amber light shot from Osiris� hand and slammed into Karen. She convulsed, her mouth forming a ring of shock and pain. A silent scream escaped her lips in a rush of expelled air as she fell backwards. The solid thump of her skull impacting with the wall shot a lump of empathic agony into Jack�s dry throat.
No�
Daniel�.
FIRE!!!!!
The hand device glowed to life a second time. The System Lord laughed low in his throat. His hand jerked spasmodically as a second bolt shot through the crackling air to impact with Karen�s quivering body.
A single, furious scream clawed its way up Jack�s throat, and exploded in a whisper of disbelief as Karen slumped lifelessly to the floor.
Continued in Part Fifteen Going Home
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