As Archie, Haley and Liyan stepped off the shuttlebus in front of the Isai version of City Hall, Nelson fell into step beside them.
"How goes the demonstration of Jaffa weapons to these people?" She inquired.
"About like you'd expect," he answered. "They're torn between being afraid of the things and wanting to figure out how to use them. Oh, I heard you found a new toy."
"Did we ever!" She smiled at him. "I was able to access the data storage machine connected to it. We were at it almost three hours, and were only able to cover a few hundred years of recorded telemetry. There's really no telling just how far back it goes! If we'd had something like this on Earth, it would change every historical record we've got!"
Liyan nodded in concert with her. "It was a remarkable discovery, one which we owe to you offworlders. No doubt the Regent has called us here to thank you in person."
He led them past several doors, most of which were guarded, and into the Regent's office. Tony, Hargrove, and a young man she could only assume was the Regent were all there waiting for them.
Surprisingly, none of them spoke until the doors to the large office closed, and then the Regent said, "Now."
Two guards hidden behind the entryway stepped out, leveling their strange-looking guns at Liyan, and Archie smoothly pulled Haley and Nelson out of the way. At the same time, Tony and Hargrove leveled their PL90s at Liyan as well.
He froze, looking frightened. "What is this?"
"Search him," the Regent ordered, "and remember to keep your weapons trained on his head."
"Regent, I protest this treatment!" Liyan objected tersely. "I have done nothing wrong!"
The Regent said nothing, and the search continued. Mystified, Nelson could only stare as the two guards checked Liyan's pockets and found a golf ball-sized silvery sphere.
At the Regent's nod, the guard handed it to Archie, who ran his scanner over it. "It’s exactly what I thought it was. He must have had it long before we arrived on this planet."
"Uh, boss? What's going on?" Nelson asked, nervously. From their faces, Haley was the only other person as surprised as he was.
Liyan had gone completely still.
Tony waved his question aside, silently approaching Liyan. "Why did you come to this planet?"
The two of them held each other’s gaze for a few seconds, before the short, balding man began to change dramatically. His shifty, nervous glances vanished, and he stopped sweating so profusely. He straightened up, imperiously staring at them, and his eyes glowed for a moment. [So you know the truth, Colonel. What difference do you think that will make?] He asked in a low, resonating voice.
Nelson nearly jumped out of his skin, and Haley stifled a scream.
Even the Regent's eyes were wide for a moment. "It seems I owe you for more than just an archaeological discovery, Colonel." He intoned softly.
"Lock him away." He ordered the guards. "Maximum security."
After Archie scanned him for any more Goa'uld devices, the guards trundled Liyan, or rather the person who used to be Liyan, away.
Suna stepped in from the hallway, her own PL90 at the ready and a grim expression on her face. "So it was true?"
"What the hell??" Nelson demanded loudly.
Haley seemed to share his outrage. "Did everyone know?"
"Easy, Major, Doctor." Tony raised his hand. "The situation's under control now." He looked at Archie. "Pyrta?"
Archie spoke up, quietly. "At Major Hargrove's request, I did a general scan for naquadah, both on the surface and in the ruins themselves. Naturally, I found some within the Ancient technology, but I also detected a discrete source moving throughout the ruins with Doctor Matthews. At first I thought it was from the Goa'uld visual recording sphere she carried, but when I borrowed the sphere, I could still detect naquadah coming from their location. As a Goa'uld, he has minute traces of naquadah within his blood, but they were far too faint to be detected by this scanner. The naquadah I detected… was from that sphere."
"So that's why you borrowed that camera device." Haley said faintly. She looked like she might be sick, and then glared at Hargrove. "You knew he was a Goa'uld, and you left me alone with him??"
"I didn't know anything for sure, Haley, and you were being watched by either the Pyrta or Suna at all times." Hargrove assured her. "It just struck me as a little… convenient that the Goa'uld have known about Bisalis for over a year now, and still haven't done anything about it. It might have been a result of all the infighting over Sokar's death, but the more I thought about it, the more I figured they'd at least want to keep an eye on your people." He looked apologetically at the Regent.
"Your instincts appear to have been confirmed, Major. Still," the Regent added, looking at Archie, "a single source of naquadah is a long way from a Goa'uld spy."
Archie nodded. "In most cases, yes. But once I got a complete scan of Liyan and discovered the communications sphere on his person, I went over the results in private. I've had the opportunity to study another such device back on… our home base." He faltered slightly, but pressed on. "The signatures were identical. There seemed to be little doubt by that point."
The Regent bowed slightly in his direction. "I am impressed." He took the sphere, and put it into a small box, closing the lid.
There was a long silence, which passed quickly for Nelson. He was still catching up, after all.
"All right, so what happens now?" Tony spoke into the quiet. "It's a safe bet he was using that comm sphere to keep in regular contact with his superiors. When he misses his next check in, they'll know something is wrong."
"If they don't know already." Hargrove put in darkly. "We need to know what that Goa'uld knows, and fast!"
-.-
The Isai had confined their captive in the same complex as the Jaffa they'd seen earlier, but on the ground floor, and under much heavier security. Tony could see at least a dozen armed guards in the room, with more outside in the corridors.
He'd sent Haley, Archie, and Ahardt back to base, and had them send a security force from Hovak to Bisalis, armed with PL90s and whatever heavier ordnance they could scrounge up on such short notice. It was entirely possible that there were other Goa'uld in the city, despite Archie's repeated scans, and Tony didn't want to take any chances.
The Regent seemed just as concerned. He'd beefed up security around the Stargate, and in various places in the city. The populace knew something was up, but he'd told them it was a training exercise, for now. Tony couldn't help but smile at the parallels he'd seen to that on Earth.
In the end, he stood with Hargrove and the Regent outside the barred cell.
"How long have you been on this planet?" Hargrove demanded through the bars.
The Goa'uld gave him an insolent glance, and turned his attention to the Regent. [Your people have turned away from their god, Regent. They have been judged for their lack of faith, and their sins have been made known. Soon, all of your people shall be punished.] He smirked. [If you were to show a sign of true penitence, however, I may be able to convince Lord Apophis to spare you some suffering. Release me, and imprison these tau'ri heathens, and you may yet live to serve him.]
Ala'nois' face was blank, but his body stiffened barely noticeably. He looked at Hargrove and nodded.
Hargrove pulled out his 9 mil and cocked it. He took aim at the Goa'uld's right leg. "How long until Apophis knows you're missing?" He asked quietly.
Tony held his breath. He couldn't condone torture, personally or professionally, but then this wasn't his prisoner. The Isai had their own code of conduct and under the circumstances, he had no authority to argue with the Regent's decision. Hargrove had volunteered, having the most experience interrogating Goa'ulds in the past, and the Regent had agreed.
The Goa'uld gave him an amused look. [If you harm me, the punishment faced by these people will be far worse. In any case,] he looked up to the roof of the cell, [your question is easily answered.]
In truly dramatic timing, there was loud noise outside, and the ground gave a slight tremor.
Tony felt a chill run through his spine, and his radio crackled loudly. "Sir, we're under attack! Some kind of bright lights from the sky just hit the city!"
On reflex, he pulled out his radio. "Jahu, get your men under cover and hold position." He turned to the caged Goa'uld in a fury. "What have you done??"
The Goa'uld only smirked at him.
"They probably have a ship in orbit firing on the city." Hargrove said quickly. "There's nothing we can do about it until they get closer."
Almost before he was done speaking, another voice came through the radio.
"Colonel, we have an incoming wormhole here. Nothing's coming through, though." Si'snaav's voice was as calm as a mountain lake, typical of all the Talisi.
"Keep it under guard." Tony ordered. "Let me know if anything changes." He looked at Hargrove, and they shared a nod. The Goa'uld had no doubt opened the 'gate from offworld, to keep anyone from escaping while they sent in their ships.
The ground shook again, more forcefully this time.
One of his guards stepped close to the Regent. "Sir, we have to get you out of here, right now."
The Regent nodded, and let them escort him out, with Tony and Hargrove following.
The Goa'uld in the cell laughed openly. [Rats, scurrying desperately to avoid the flame!] The building shook as a blast hit nearby, but he kept on laughing as they left the room.
The surface was like a scene from one of Tony’s worst nightmares. People ran from buildings, screaming, and fires raged unchecked in at least three city sections he could see. The Regent stared openmouthed at the devastation and despite their training, his guards seemed just as overwhelmed.
As suddenly as it had started, the bombardment ceased, and they could all see a large, streamlined ship burn through the air past them and angle in for a landing. From what Tony could tell, it was headed towards an open field on the north end of the city.
"That's a troop transport." Hargrove informed them softly. "I've seen pictures of them."
As Hargrove got on the radio to order the Survivors out of that area, Tony gently put a hand on the Regent's shoulder. "Regent, you aren't safe here. The Goa'uld will want you, and the other leaders on this planet. You have to get to safety."
Ala'nois seemed to snap out of it. "Where could any of us possibly go to be safe from that, Colonel?" He demanded, thrusting a hand towards the sky, his voice a mixture of despair and frustration.
"The Stargate." Hargrove put in. "Get your people through the 'gate, sir. It's the only way to save as many as you can."
"Your people said it is active! We can't leave through it!"
"Not yet," he agreed, "but there's a time limit. In thirty-eight minutes, we should be able to open our own wormhole, and start sending people through. Now, Regent!" He exclaimed.
The Regent stood as still as a statue for a few seconds, and then suddenly began issuing orders to his people, who ran off in various directions.
"I don't get what they're doing on the north end of the city, though." Hargrove wondered aloud. "From what I was told, there's nothing there! At least, nothing they'd be interested in."
"It's where the Stargate was first found." The Regent explained as the last of his runners headed out. "I had it moved to the bunker for security reasons after we first encountered the Jaffa. Liyan, or the creature possessing him, wouldn't have known that. Only a few people do."
"That's our first bit of good news." Tony grunted. "They'll have to search for it, and that could give us the time we need." Another orbital blast struck the ground a few blocks away, and the ground heaved again. With their troops on the ground, the ships in orbit were free to start shelling parts of the city again.
"We must go." The Regent ordered, as another shuttlebus screeched to a halt in front of them. "Word is spreading of the evacuation."
Another burst of light from above lit up the sky near them, and as the building behind him exploded, Tony felt a flash of heat pass through him.
-.-
When he came to, Tony felt as though someone had taken a hammer to the side of his head. With a gasp of pain, he pushed himself off of the ground, and slumped into a sitting position. He lifted his jacket gently, and saw bits of shrapnel embedded up and down, some of which had cut through into his side. At least I'm not bleeding too badly.
The force of the explosion had apparently launched him into the street, saving him from being buried in the rubble. He could see abrasions where skin had been scraped off his arms, and felt a nasty scrape on his head. It was a miracle he hadn't shattered his arms and legs when he'd hit the street.
A cursory glance of the area showed the Regent's shuttlebus mostly flattened by a fallen wall. As his hearing slowly returned, he could hear a groaning cough from the other side of the wreckage. In the distance he could see more bursts of light falling on the city, but they seemed to have moved on from this area.
Staggering to his feet, Tony lurched like some kind of movie monster towards the shuttlebus. His head swam, and he nearly threw up. Nausea. Concussion. Got to keep moving.
As he came around the edge of the wrecked vehicle, he could see Hargrove performing CPR on the Regent. The dust showed a bloody trail from the shuttle, where he'd dragged the man. Tony fell to his knees in front of them, and could see the edges of a girder sticking out from the Regent's midsection. His face was already ashen.
With a grunt, Hargrove gave up and looked up at him. Tony winced out of reflex. The left side of Hargrove's face was a series of contusions and lacerations. His eye had already swollen shut, and blood oozed from several more injuries down his neck. Still, he seemed functional enough.
"We have to get back to the 'gate, sir. It's our only chance." His voice was raw from the smoke and dust in the air.
Tony nodded, immediately regretting it as his head swam again. He helped Hargrove up, and realized the man needed help to stay standing. His leg was injured, limiting him to a hobble. Tony examined it quickly, but Hargrove dismissed his concerns. "I know. It's just broken. I'll set it when I get the chance."
"The 'gate's over a mile away. You'll need a ride." He managed to croak. His throat felt like someone had rubbed sandpaper on his vocal cords. "Think you can hotwire one of those things?" Tony pointed across the street at one of the smaller Isai vehicles.
"I'd love to try."
They found a relatively intact one, and Hargrove got to work. As he navigated his way through the alien circuitry, Tony looked back at the building.
The whole thing had been gutted. Rubble had been blasted into the sides of nearby structures, and the edge of the street itself had been cracked into the sewers below. The lower levels seemed to be amazingly intact, though. Probably reinforced because of the military nature of the work going on inside. He couldn't see any living Isai, though.
"Come on, you worthless piece of-" Hargrove muttered, and the 'car' suddenly revved to life. "Got it!" He slid into the driver's seat. "Come on, sir. It’s only a matter of time before Jaffa start sweeping this area."
Tony started to slide into the vehicle, and came to a stop. He agonized over the decision for about a second before closing the door. "Go on ahead. I'll meet you at the 'gate."
"Sir!"
Hargrove's face was a mask of incredulity, but Tony met the gaze with his most determined stare. "Go, now! I have my radio if something goes wrong."
With a hiss of frustration, Hargrove got moving. The alien car jerked a few times as he sped up, but he swerved around a corner without any further problems.
Tony could breathe easier when he was gone. It wasn't as if he'd understand, anyway. Tony had closed the door behind him, and found it made his decision easier to live with. That, and the fact that he was no longer feeling nauseous. With a sigh, he trudged his way over to the gutted structure, and began moving debris as best he could.
-.-
Even though he knew where to look, it was slow work. Thankfully, the building's upper levels had been brick and mortar rather than steel, and bricks were comparatively much easier to move. Still, sweat beaded on his forehead and trickled downward, stinging his eyes. In the background, he could occasionally hear more blasts from orbit.
With a grunt, he heaved a chunk of debris off the floor-
-.-
-and lumped the pile of clothing into the drawer.
"Tony." His sister spoke up in an admonishing voice. "You know, you’re never going to get a girlfriend if you’re always such a slob."
Julia stepped past him, gently pushing him aside, and began re-folding the clothing for him
Tony looked up from the drawer, and around his new apartment. Out the window, he could hear the rush of traffic, and see the mountains in the distance. A new apartment, a new job, and based on what he’d been told last week… a new reality. He still couldn’t quite believe it all, and probably wouldn’t, if he hadn’t seen the damn thing open right in front of him.
A hand snapped its fingers in front of his face, startling him out of his reverie. Julia’s face moved into view. "Hey. Where are you?"
He smiled indulgently. "You know, I’m grateful that you offered to help me move, but that doesn’t mean you can insult me."
Julia laughed. "I’ve been insulting you since you were in diapers." She slapped him on the arm. "Besides, you never minded before!"
"True enough." He shook his head, and returned his attention to unpacking. Even with Julia’s help, he’d only been able to empty about a third of the boxes so far. In retrospect, he was still somewhat surprised she’d offered to help at all. She’d even suggested, obliquely, that she might want to move to Colorado Springs as well.
He decided to ask her straight out. At least he knew she wouldn’t keep monumental secrets about the very nature of life from him. Unlike his new bosses, anyway.
"Not that I’m ungrateful here, but why are you helping with this? I mean I’ve moved at least half a dozen times for my work, and you’ve never shown much interest, before now."
For once, she didn’t seem to have an immediate response ready. After giving him a searching look, she stepped over to look him straight in the eye. She’d been a few inches shorter than him for more than a decade, but somehow she always managed to make him feel as though he was looking up at her.
"You’ve been distracted for days, Tony. You accepted this new job right away- when you usually mull career decisions over in your head for weeks first- and you moved to Colorado with no hesitation at all." She put a hand on his shoulder. "Whatever’s going on with you, I can see that it’s big. And I mean really big. Whatever your new job is, it’s gotta be important."
Uncomfortably shrugging off her hand, he stepped back towards the window. Julia had always been as sharp as a tac. He should have seen this coming.
"I told you, I’m just part of the security detail for the new deep-space telescope they built on Cheyenne Mountain."
It sounded lame, even when he said it himself.
"Yeah, and I’m the Dalai Lama." Her laughter stung his ears. "Look, I know you can’t tell me what you’re really doing now, and I don’t care. Whatever it is, it’s important, or they wouldn’t have asked for you. I just want you to know that I’m here for you. Just like I was when we were kids. You’re not alone, ok?"
Tears blurred his vision for a split-second before he wiped them away. He didn’t usually get emotional like that, but God had blessed him with an angel for a sister. A bit unfocused, and often unsure of her goals, but an angel all the same. She frequently gave him reason to remember that fact.
Smiling over at her, he grabbed another box-
-.-
-and dropped the chunk of bricks on the floor of the passageway.
Dizzily, Tony put his hand to the wall, and slid to the floor as well. He hadn’t thought about that day in a long time. Moving into his new apartment. Trying the company line on his sister for the first time, and miserably failing to make it sound believable.
He put a hand to his head. Maybe it was the concussion that had sent him reeling down memory lane, or maybe it was just the dismal surroundings. With a sigh, he hauled himself up again, and got back to work.
Before long, he'd cleared enough of the passage to slip down into the concrete tunnels. The light from his PL90 cut through the dust, and he could see the doors he'd passed through just this morning.
It seemed like a lifetime ago.
The bodies of Isai researchers and guards littered the area. He checked for pulse after pulse with no results. Any who survived had most likely left the area before he'd even woken up. Then he turned towards the transparent cage.
One of the support beams reinforcing the ceiling had broken and fallen through the cage, shattering it. The Jaffa lay pinned beneath it, and Tony couldn't tell if his legs had been severed at the knees or not.
Tony carefully knelt next to him, and could see the Jaffa staring up at him in the faint light. Lines in the dust showed where he'd tried to free himself and slipped. A lot of blood stained the floor around him, but the cuts on his legs seemed to have clotted by now. From this perspective, Tony could tell that the Jaffa’s legs were still attached, though how long they'd last with that much pressure cutting off blood flow, he couldn't tell.
Standing, Tony braced his back against the beam and pushed with all his might. As if reading his thoughts, the Jaffa began straining to pull himself free at the same time.
Any member of the Survivors would have told him he was insane, but he knew that he couldn't leave until he was sure this man would live. Faith was never easy for him, after all.
With a pained grunt, the Jaffa slipped out from under the beam, and started crawling towards the middle of the room. Tony heard a crack from above him, and rolled out from under the sudden downpour of dust and bricks. Thankfully, the rest of the room seemed stable for now. Feeling totally drained, he sat down heavily next to the now-stationary Jaffa.
They just sat there, breathing, for what seemed like minutes.
Finally, the Jaffa slowly pulled himself up. He balled his right hand into a fist, and Tony reached for his gun by reflex. Instead of throwing a punch, though, the Jaffa moved the fist over his left arm in a cutting motion. "My name is Siali," he said in a deep voice, and followed it up with a violent cough.
Tony could see a faint scar on his left forearm, and wondered if the name and the gesture were symbolically linked.
"I'm Tony," was all he could say. For a moment, he was tempted to laugh at the ridiculousness of it all. A friendly chat with someone who was, for all intents and purposes, a bitter enemy? Why not?
"What you told my captors, earlier. Is it true? Sokar is indeed dead?" The big man asked weakly.
"It's true. You're free now."
The Jaffa glanced at the shattered plastic cage. "In more ways than one," he intoned.
His entire body shuddered for a second, and he suddenly collapsed, unconscious.
Fortunately, Tony was within arm's reach. He caught the Jaffa before his head could hit the floor, and and then began checking his vital signs. He didn't know Jaffa physiology very well, but he seemed all right, for now.
There was only one way to be sure, though.
Fervently praying the thing wasn't mature, Tony gritted his teeth and plunged his hand into the Jaffa's symbiote pouch. Focusing all his attention on the job at hand, he grimaced as he caught hold of the symbiote. From what he could feel, it was uninjured, despite the cuts on the Jaffa's side and midsection. Based on how it was wriggling, it was definitely alive. With a sigh of relief, he let go of the thing and pulled his hand out. Definitely not something I'll include in my report.
At least this one Jaffa would live. What that meant for him, or for Tony, only God could say.
