Part 17 (2/2)

”Most Jaffa,” the colonel pressed, ”want to kill us, not help us.”

Hunter looked perplexed. ”You ain't our enemy,” he said. ”It's the s.n.a.t.c.her's we're fighting.”

”That's interesting,” Daniel said. ”My enemy's enemy... ?”

”If he's really their enemy.”

Daniel lifted an eyebrow. ”If?”

”I'm just saying it's a little odd. Why would they keep him alive if he's such a big shot in this 'resistance'?”

Hunter snorted. ”s.n.a.t.c.hers don't care what I am. To them, we're all just food.”

”And we're not exactly in a position to turn down help,” Daniel pointed out.

A long look pa.s.sed between him and the colonel, a silent conversation, and then the colonel nodded. ”Okay,” he said, with a sigh that sounded rather more like capitulation than a decision. ”Teal'c, cut him free, Daniel go grab that thing's weapon.”

Daniel headed off and Sam moved to help Teal'c, but the colonel stopped her with his hand on her arm.

”Hey,” he said, lowering his voice. ”Good job back there.”

Surprised, she just said, ”Oh. Thanks, sir.”

He nodded, but didn't let go of her arm, if anything his grip tightened. ”You okay?” He made a vague gesture toward her chest. ”I mean, does it hurt?”

”A little,” she said, reaching up to touch the place where the creature had tried to feed. ”But I think it's mostly bruising.”

”That was -” He shook his head and blew out a long breath. ”What the h.e.l.l are these things?”

”I have no idea, sir. Not a clue.”

He huffed a laugh and dropped his hand from her arm. ”That's usually my line, Carter.”

She smiled, partly at the old joke, but mostly because she felt like something had changed. Despite their precarious situation, the tension that had dogged the team since the colonel's return from Edora seemed to have disappeared. She was a little disconcerted by how relieved she felt.

”Um, Jack?”

Daniel appeared at the colonel's shoulder and behind him Sam could see Teal'c helping Hunter step free of the coc.o.o.n. She shuddered at the way the tendrils flinched and moved as if they were alive, and fixed her attention on Daniel instead.

He was watching the colonel with a familiar challenge in his eyes. ”We're okay with leaving the rest of these people here?”

”No, not really,” the colonel said. ”But do you think we have a choice?”

Daniel made a face, like he really wanted to argue the point, but in the end he just sighed and said, ”Maybe we can come back?”

With a sympathetic clap on his shoulder, the colonel moved past Daniel toward Teal'c. Sam watched him for a moment. ”He seems in a better mood,” she ventured.

”Yeah,” Daniel said with a lift of his eyebrows. ”Inexplicably, given the circ.u.mstances.” Then he shook himself, dismissing the vagaries of their mercurial leader, and held out his scavenged weapon to Sam. ”You take it,” he said. ”You're the better shot.”

She didn't argue. ”Thanks, Daniel.”

”I'll take point,” the colonel said then, handing the third blaster to Teal'c. ”Keep an eye on your new buddy, huh?”

Teal'c nodded. ”I shall.”

The colonel grunted an acknowledgment as he headed for the door. ”Carter?” he said, jerking his head toward the door controls. ”Do the honors?”

”Yes sir.” The door looked heavy and was made of the same organic material as the rest of the s.h.i.+p, but the interface appeared simple enough and, after spending a moment examining it, she was satisfied she could open it without a problem. There was no reason to lock these people in, after all. ”Ready, sir?” she said, before she touched anything.

He nodded. ”Do it.”

She hit the release mechanism and the door slid open, but the materiel felt unpleasant beneath her fingers and she pulled them back quickly, with a muttered exclamation.

”Carter?”

”Nothing sir,” she said. ”It's just - It feels warm, like it's alive.”

He pulled a face, but didn't comment. Glancing each way down the corridor, he made a quick decision and turned left. Daniel, Hunter and then Teal'c slipped out after him, leaving Sam to cover their backs as she followed her team out into the dark corridor beyond.

There was a patch of scrubland outside the entrance to Level 1, just dry gra.s.s and dirt where people sometimes came to smoke.

It was quiet, and right now Makepeace wanted quiet. He lit up a cigarette, taking a long drag as he gazed up at Cheyenne Mountain looming high above them. Just another guy taking a break, getting some air. He threw a casual glance at the guards on duty at the entrance, but no one was watching him, so he turned and walked quickly along the side of NORAD's administrative offices and past the giant fans sucking air down into the mountain complex.

Once he was hidden from view, and the hum and whir of the fans was loud enough to mask his voice from anyone trying to overhear, he stopped and pulled out the cellphone Maybourne had given him. He hit dial and pressed the phone to his ear, squinting against the afternoon sun.

After two rings, Maybourne answered. ”You have news?”

Smoke caught in his throat, making his voice scratchy. ”We have to stop,” he said. ”It's gone too far.”

There was silence. Then, ”What are you talking about?”

”They're coming,” he said, dropping his voice. Beneath his boots, the dirt was dry and dusty. ”The Goa'uld are coming and our allies won't help us because of what you - What we've done. Maybourne, we screwed up. We have to give back what we stole.” He swallowed, ground out the rest. ”And we have to give ourselves up.”

Another silence.

”Are you listening? We screwed up, Maybourne. We have to fix it before it's too late.”

”I never realized,” Maybourne said at last, ”that you were so short-sighted, Colonel. This is exactly what we wanted.”

Makepeace kicked at the hard, compacted earth. ”Are you insane? It's an invasion.”

”It's a chance to prove our worth,” he said. ”Are they evacuating Stargate Command?”

”Yes, but I don't know where. There's no Alpha Site set up.”

There was a pause, and then Maybourne said, ”There's ours.”

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