Chapter Text
Sam and O'Neill stumbled through the Stargate and out onto the ramp at the SGC. The gate room was full of stretchers, and medical staff were milling about everywhere. General Hammond was there as well, and stepped towards them as soon a he saw them.
O'Neill turned briefly to Carter. "Carter? You okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks."
"Colonel," Hammond said. "I want you and your team in my office in five minutes."
"General?" O'Neill frowned at Hammond's haunted expression.
"Not now." Hammond turned to a nearby nurse. "Tell Doctor Fraiser to have the Nasyans ready to move out in two hours. At most." He hurried out of the gateroom.
Concerned, the members of SG-1 looked at each other before heading in the same direction as the General.
They entered through the door to Hammond's office, just as he hung up his telephone.
"Close the door and sit down," he told them, still looking very concerned.
"What's going on?" Daniel asked, as they took seats around the table.
"While you were offworld, we got notified that something was approaching Earth, and it has just entered orbit. We suspected it was alien vessels of some kind, and we just got confirmation. They are large, triangular ships of some kind." Hammond took out several photos from a folder and handed them to O'Neill. "They look like the ships Apophis used when attacking Earth - only there are three of them this time."
"What the hell?" O'Neill looked at the pictures, then handed them to Teal'c. "Could Apophis be attacking us again?"
"That is most unlikely!" Sam exclaimed, then quickly looked to Teal'c. "He would not have been able to gather forces so shortly after attacking us."
Teal'c nodded. "Correct, Captain Carter. When we destroyed his ships, we likely removed his capacity even to defend much of his empire. It cannot be him."
"Who, then?" Hammond wanted to know.
"There are many powerful system lords who are in opposition to Apophis. One of those may believe he can succeed where Apophis failed," Teal'c said.
"Show off to his fellow Goa'uld?" O'Neill asked.
Teal'c inclined his head marginally. "As well, the world of the Tau'ri would be a great prize."
"I concur. It was here that Ra held his court, and where Ra was cast out. Conquering this world would be a signal to the other System Lords that he was ready to take Ra's place, perhaps," Sam said.
O'Neill frowned at her, finding her speech a little off. He shrugged. "Sounds likely, I guess."
Daniel looked at her a little strangely as well, then nodded. "Right. That makes sense. He'd be the one who put things right again - in a manner of speaking."
"That's all very well and good, but it doesn't get us any closer to a guess at who this is. We need any information we can get, in order to defend ourselves!" Hammond said.
"Apophis has a powerful enemy called Cronus," Teal'c said. "Heru'ur is also his enemy. Both have large domains and a strong fleet."
"So you think it's one of them?" Hammond asked.
"It is likely. Cronus would want to spite Apophis."
"And this Heru'ur?" Hammond asked.
"He is the son of Ra and Hathor."
O'Neill made a face. "Nice pedigree!"
"You think he'll want his father's position as Supreme System Lord?" Daniel asked.
O'Neill nodded. "It does make sense. I guess this world should have been his, according to how he thinks" he made a face. "His inheritance."
"If our ancestors hadn't rebelled against Ra," Daniel pointed out.
"Right. That's got to have been a sore spot for the Goa'uld," O'Neill said.
"Teal'c - what can you tell us about Heru'ur?" Hammond asked.
"Heru'ur is a very powerful System Lord. Much feared, even among the Goa'uld. He is a conqueror. He eliminates all who dare tread in his shadow, including other Goa'uld. Like his father Ra, he has long been an enemy of Apophis."
"And Cronus?" O'Neill asked.
"Well, we may know something about him," Daniel said. "Cronus was amongst the earliest Greek Gods, one of 12 Titans who eventually ascended to supreme domination. He was god of Fate and eventually became father to Zeus, Hera, Poseidon and Hades."
"Cronus is the most influential of the System Lords. He originally banished a Goa'uld called Sokar. Cronus is also a mortal enemy of Apophis," Teal'c said.
Hammond nodded. "Thank you. We will gain no further information until we know who is attacking. Make sure all the Nasyans are ready to be sent offworld, perhaps to the land of the light. All non-essential personnel should be ready to evacuate to the Alpha site. Dismissed."
"Get down!" O'Neill shouted, throwing himself behind the crates they had put up as a makeshift cover.
The explosion blew out the door and it hit the other side of the corridor, just as a deafening crash sounded from the stairway. When everything was silent again, O'Neill stood and hesitantly approached the now open doorway.
"Careful, Jack!" Daniel warned.
"Always," O'Neill said, and poked his head through the doorway and looked up. He whistled. "No one is going to be able to come down this way for awhile." He smiled. "With the elevators from the surface disabled too, it should be some hours at least before the damn Goa'uld has cleared a path and get down here." He paused. "Time enough to evacuate the base."
"Get him to the infirmary!" O'Neill ordered, looking with concern at an unconscious General Hammond who was lying on the floor.
"He'll probably have a headache for a couple days, but he'll live," Janet promised when she had finished her examination.
"That's a relief." O'Neill nodded. "Damn Goa'uld grenade! Took out most of the wall." He looked at Ferretti who was sporting a bloody bandage. "Sure you're okay to continue fighting?"
"Of course! Would I leave you guys to fight the snakeheads alone?" Ferretti sounded insulted.
"I'd feel better if you went back to the infirmary with us," Janet said, adding when she saw him start to protest, "But things being as they are, I understand." She sighed. "You'll be fine."
"Get Hammond offworld with the rest," O'Neill told her.
Janet nodded. "I will." She gestured at the medical personnel with the stretcher and they started walking.
"Carter, you and Daniel go and see if Janet got the last patients down to the gateroom. We'll hold back the Goa'uld!" O'Neill shouted. Several staff blasts zipped past them, and he, Teal'c, and the members of SG-2 shot back. "For a while, at least. Hurry!"
Ferretti threw a grenade, and the explosion caused the Jaffa to back off for a moment.
Sam and Daniel ran to the stairs and down, going for the infirmary, the sounds of battle now behind them. When they arrived, the rooms were in chaos. Everywhere medical personnel were bandaging someone, or moving someone to a stretcher.
"Janet?" Sam called. "How is the evacuation going?" She looked around in concern.
"Sam, Daniel," Janet said, appearing from another room. "We need more time!"
"Sorry, Janet." Sam looked apologetic. "The Goa'uld are almost here." She looked in the direction of the door to the corridor, when a large explosion made her statement obvious.
"Can we do anything to help?" Daniel asked.
"Some of these patients are just too badly injured to move." Janet shook her head.
"Move anyone that can be moved. The rest... the rest will have to take their chances with the Goa'uld," Sam said.
Janet gave her an incredulous look. "With the Goa'uld? Do you know what you're saying?"
"Yes. I... sorry. I only meant we are out of options."
Janet nodded. "I'm well aware."
"What about Cassie?" Daniel asked.
"With my sister." Janet got an unhappy expression. "There was no time to get her here."
"I'm sorry," Sam said. She frowned and looked through an open doorway at a bed where a patient lay, completely covered in bandages. Her hand slid surreptitiously down to the zat'nik'tel she had taken off a dead Jaffa earlier.
Janet saw her gaze. "He is one of the patients that can't be moved." She shook her head. "I'm not sure how he is even alive. He has third-degree burns to over 80% of his body, but he seems to be stable."
Another explosion was heard, again warning them the fighting was getting closer.
"Janet, I'm sorry. You have to get everyone you can move out - and leave the rest. Now!" Sam insisted. "Daniel, go back and report to the Colonel. I will help Janet move the last of the patients."
Daniel nodded. "Sure, Sam." He left.
Sam snuck into the room with the worst injured of the Nasyans. All the medical personnel were currently occupied, either moving patients or preparing patients to be moved. No one saw where she went.
She silently closed the door and listened for a moment, then hurried to the bed with the motionless patient.
She looked down at him for a moment, then pulled out her zat'nik'tel and activated it. Suddenly her eyes flashed, and she spoke in a low - flanged - voice, "Ashrak. You failed to kill me. Now I will kill you." She fired, killing the Goa'uld.
After making sure he was indeed dead, she went to the door, listened for a moment, then opened it and snuck out, unnoticed.
She was almost at the door to the corridor when someone spoke behind her.
"Sam? I thought you had gone back to the others."
Sam - or rather the symbiote inside her - took a deep breath and calmed herself, then turned, giving Janet a weak smile. "Janet. Yes, I was just about to."
Janet nodded. "Tell Colonel O'Neill we will have everyone off this level in 15 minutes." She sighed. "Somehow."
"I will." Relieved, she slipped out the door and went to find the rest of SG-1.
"Carter! Where have you been?" O'Neill exclaimed. "We're evacuating the level. Now!" He and Ferretti shot at the approaching Jaffa, while Daniel and Major Warren carried an unconscious and bleeding Teal'c between them.
"Doctor Fraiser reports they will have everyone off level 21 in 15 minutes," Sam said.
"They damn well better!" O'Neill exclaimed, as they ran down the stairs to level 20. "We ought to go to level 28 and blow out the stairway completely - I don't see any other way of stopping the Jaffa."
The enemy was closing in behind them, and as soon as O'Neill and the others were out of the stairway, he pushed the button on the detonator he held in his hand, blowing up the stairs above them. Screams were heard as several Jaffa were caught in the blast.
O'Neill stuck his head out into the stairway and looked up. "It took out the stairs of several floors, and the rubble is blocking any access up." He looked down. "Unfortunately the way down isn't completely open either, but we can probably clear it quickly."
Sam looked out as well. "I believe it should take the Jaffa an hour at least to clear a way to us. Well done." She looked at Teal'c and realized what Sam would ask. "What happened to Teal'c?"
"He was hit by some rubble when the Jaffa threw a grenade - took out part of a wall," O'Neill said.
Sam nodded. "His symbiote will heal him."
"I hope so." O'Neill sighed. "Let's make sure this level is empty of all the eggheads who needed to pack up whatever it is they are working on, then move further down. I'd rather not have another confrontation with the Jaffa like the last one."
Sam and O'Neill slammed the door to the stairway after they exited on the lowest floor, and with the help of Daniel, pushed several large crates in front of it.
"That is not going to keep them out for long," Sam observed.
"I agree. Time to set the self-destruct." O'Neill looked to Teal'c who was now awake and standing, but leaning against the wall. "Daniel, Teal'c! Accompany the last of the personnel through the gate! Carter and I will follow in a moment."
"I will not abandon you!" Teal'c insisted.
"You're not! We're joining you in a moment, but you're in no condition to do anything right now!" O'Neill said. "Now, move!"
"Come on, Teal'c," Daniel said. "Be careful!" he called after Sam and O'Neill, as they took off in a sprint to set the self-destruct. He held out his arm to help support Teal'c, but the Jaffa insisted on walking unsupported.
It was only minutes later when the whole floor was rocked by an explosion, and the door and part of the wall was reduced to rubble.