Immortal Courage
Immortal Courage
by Michael Longstreet
Title: "Immortal Courage"
Author: Michael Longstreet
Archive: heliopolis achive
E-Mail: immortal74205@hotmail.com
Category: Crossover (Highlander), Action/Adventure, Sequel (to previous story "The Return of Klorel")
Season - 4: Prior to "Chain Reaction"
Spoilers: "Pretense," "A Hundred Days," "Family," "Crossroads," "New Ground"
Rating: PG
Pairings: Some Duncan/Rachel
Content Warning:Adult content, mild violence
Summary: Following the death of Klorel at the hands of Duncan MacLeod, Lord Zipacna seizes control of the SGC and demands the head of the 400-year-old warrior.
Disclaimer: "Stargate SG-1 and its characters are the property of Showtime/Viacom, MGM/UA, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Productions. We 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 authors."
"Immortal Courage"
("The Return of Klorel" Part II)
1 of 11
Major Samantha Carter and the Jaffa Teal'c stood in the small barracks room with impatience. Two armed guards stood inside the room as protection. They weren't that far from the main level in the SGC. They were given the almost impossible task of interrogating their Goa'uld prisoner.
Lord Zipacna was not very forthcoming on any matters pertaining to his god Klorel, or Apophis. General Hammond had ordered that Zipacna be turned over to the Tok'ra for interrogation, due to their agreement of sharing information about the Goa'uld whenever possible.
It was common knowledge however that the Tok'ra did not always share what they had with the SGC. Colonel O'Neill was a strong voice in the decision to keep Zipacna on Earth as long as possible so an interrogation could be performed.
Since the death of Klorel at the hands of Duncan MacLeod, Zipacna had been the prisoner of the SGC. Zipacna had verbally expressed his vow to avenge Klorel, but it seemed as though there was very little he could do about it.
Teal'c, being the former first prime of Apophis, thought he could be effective extracting information from Zipacna about current Goa'uld activities. But the prisoner was not cooperating.
General Hammond walked into the room as the Air Force guards snapped to attention. Major Carter straightened up her form as well.
"What have you found out?" Hammond always had a great deal of command presence to him. He was much better than the former Stargate Command leader, General West. Of course then, it wasn't called Stargate Command. It was simply the Stargate Project that was used for one mission and one mission only. It wasn't until Apophis attacked Earth did the SGC become a reality.
"Unfortunately not much sir," Carter reported.
"Maybe the Tok'ra can obtain more information," Teal'c suggested.
"I don't know Teal'c," Sam said.
"They do have those memory recall devices we've seen before," he stated. Sam knew this of course. She'd actually worn one twice. Once during her capture by Hathor in an attempt to give away secrets about the Tok'ra or the SGC, and another time during her trip to Nietu, where she attempted to remember how Jolinar escaped from that forsaken prison.
"I agree. Prepare the prisoner for transport to Vorash," Hammond said.
"Shouldn't we wait until colonel O'Neill gets back?" Colonel O'Neill was leading a team to retrieve naquadah from P5C-768, which the inhabitants call Edora. With him was Daniel Jackson, along with Duncan MacLeod. She was certain that O'Neill wanted to go back to Edora for another reason, most likely to see Laira. He claimed it was a good place to show MacLeod, him being a guest to the project and all.
However, a year ago, Jack O'Neill was stranded on Edora when a disastrous meteor storm buried the Stargate. The local leader of the Edorans, named Laira, took O'Neill in and began to fall in love with him. After all, he'd been there for nearly three months.
"We don't have to bother the colonel with our prisoner's transfer. He knew we were going to move him eventually anyway." Sam finally shook her head in agreement. She thought about using the excuse of recalling them so they could take Zipacna to Vorash personally, and also so Duncan could see it, but he'd already been there.
That was his second stop actually. The first place that O'Neill and the others took the Duncan was to Cimmeria, the planet of Thor's protected people. Thor's Hammer did not attack MacLeod, even though there was some speculation that Klorel's quickening might have left a genetic marker on the highlander.
After Vorash, Daniel took him to Abydos for his third trip through the gate. He explained the history of the Stargate to him and explained that, at the time, Abydos was the only destination the Stargate was capable of going due to their limited knowledge.
"Very well sir."
"I'll make the arrangements. I'm sure they'll want to be here as soon as possible." Hammond walked out of the room and headed for the Stargate control room to contact their somewhat secretive allies.
"Is that truly it Major Carter?" Teal'c asked.
"It would appear so." She headed out the door too as Zipacna smiled at Teal'c with satisfaction. Teal'c started for the door, but halted when he saw the prisoner's expression.
"Sho'va." Zipacna spoke to Teal'c in the Goa'uld tongue. It didn't help when he started the conversation by calling him a traitor. "Why do you help these humans?"
"I help the people of the Taur'i in order to help our own people. One day I will return to Chulak where all Jaffa will be free from the reign of the false gods," he stated. Zipacna laughed aloud. A Goa'uld laugh always sounded freaky because of the deep voice they spoke in.
"You know nothing." He raised his unbound hands slightly to study them, as if he were admiring his own hands. The two guards at the door instinctively put their hands on their pistols. Zipacna was in fact a great deal stronger than the average human. Had he decided to overtake the two Air Force guards, he could have. Teal'c was the only real thing standing in his way.
"I know enough to know that Apophis, and all Goa'uld enslave the Jaffa, then use them to battle in their name for a cause that only benefits themselves." Teal'c spoke with conviction.
"Yet you trust the Tok'ra."
"The Tok'ra are not Goa'uld," Teal'c said.
"They are Goa'uld!" He stood as he shouted his statement. The two guards had their guns raised now, standing right next to Teal'c, less than three meters from their target. "They simply follow a different path," he said as he sat back down. The Jaffa waved off the soldiers as they stepped back to their original position.
"They do not enslave others to do their bidding," Teal'c said defensively.
"The Tok'ra are no different from the Goa'uld. You just don't know it." Zipacna laughed again. He stood up slowly this time and laid himself down on the nearest bunk.
"Like the Taur'i, the Tok'ra will not stand for a lack of information. If necessary, the Tok'ra will torture you to get what they want."
"Why do you not do it yourself?" Zipacna challenged.
"Humans do not use torture as a form of interrogation."
"A shame." He laughed again. Teal'c turned and left the room as the guards retreated with him. They locked the door and stood guard outside it until the Tok'ra arrived to claim him.
2 of 11
Sam knocked on the door and heard it echo in the corridor. It was by no means deserted; there were a steady number of people moving throughout this particular section of the base. Guest quarters were located a few levels above the embarkation room and the control room, that way guests who was staying in the SGC would actually know anything about the Stargate whatsoever unless they were allowed to.
The door swung open and Sam smiled immediately. Rachel MacLeod was dressed in the new clothes issued to her, the Air Force green fatigues. They didn't really do her beauty justice. Of course Sam was not the type to judge at any rate.
"Samantha, how good to see you again." Rachel opened the door all the way, indicating she wanted her visitor to enter.
"And you. How are you holding up?" she asked. It had only been a few days since their arrival at the SGC, after the death of David Sanborn. Rachel had come to learn that he was infested with a Goa'uld and was no longer in control of himself. That is why Duncan had to kill him. Of course, she had no idea about the immortals. Duncan's quickening from Sanborn was powerful, intense and incredibly shocking to those who had never witnessed it before.
"I'll be alright. I still can't believe that I didn't know." She had told Sam that she suspected that Duncan MacLeod was the fabled man by the same name in MacLeod history, over 400 years ago. But she had dismissed it, obviously not believing that he was in fact the same man from that era.
"Janet asked I stop in on you and see how you were doing." Rachel stood by the mirror/desk that took up a small portion of one wall. The guest quarters at the SGC were nothing large, but they were comfortable.
"Well I can tell you that this is not my color," she said jokingly. Sam loved her accent. Rachel still had a heavy Scottish accent to her voice. She had lived there all her life and it was still heavy in the deepest parts of Scotland. Sam smiled at her statement.
"I will admit the green does take some getting used to." Sam herself was wearing a black undershirt and a kind of grayish color pants. Those were sometimes the off-world uniform rather than the green or the desert brown.
"Do you know when Duncan will be getting back?" she asked. Sam shook her head.
"It shouldn't be too much longer. We received a message from them not too long ago. They're almost done with the naquadah shipment."
"I really appreciate the fact that you trusted us enough to bring us here." Rachel started brushing her hair while looking into the mirror.
"Well to be honest with you. General Hammond wanted to make sure that you two weren't a security risk, knowing what you know about the Stargate program."
"And what conclusion has he come to?" she asked.
"In fact, he told me to inform you that he feels there is no problem with letting you return to your home whenever you wish, and that you were free to be our guest as long as you like."
Rachel smiled. She was glad. When she first arrived at Cheyenne Mountain, she had thought that she'd never see the light of day again. The Stargate program was probably the most classified secret currently on earth. No one would be allowed to leak that information to the general public.
"Did he have a basis for making that conclusion?" Rachel asked. Sam began slightly pacing the room.
"Well, he figured that if Duncan has been able to keep his immortality a secret from so many for 400 years, then he'd be able to keep this one too. In fact General Hammond and Colonel O'Neill had a long talk with Duncan about it."
"And what about me?"
"Duncan vouched for you." Rachel turned to look at her. "He did. He gave us his word that you would never tell anyone. Being the kind of person that I've come to know of you in the last couple of days, I know you're not the type to go telling the countryside about a covert agency that is only trying to protect this planet from alien invaders."
"Exactly." The phone inside the room rang briefly. Carter went over to answer it.
"Yes sir." There was a slight pause. "Yes sir." She hung up the phone. "General Hammond is preparing to send Zipacna to Vorash. Will you accompany me?"
"Absolutely."
3 of 11
Sam Carter arrived in the control room with Rachel just minutes after receiving the summons. General Hammond nodded at her presence. He didn't really approve of a civilian being in the control room, but he did not object. He gave Carter a lot of latitude when it came to the young woman, and he knew that eventually he'd probably have to put his foot down. She is after all, still a civilian.
Teal'c stood in the gate room with a grip on Zipacna's shoulder. They stood next to the large door that protected the room. The usual defense team stood in their ready positions until they knew it was appropriate to stand down, no matter who it was that came through the gate.
"Wormhole engaged." The sergeant that sat at the controls indicated an incoming wormhole. Since they were expecting the Tok'ra the iris to the Stargate was currently disengaged, another reason why the defense team was at their ready.
The light from the active gate filled the room as suddenly, five figures appeared at the top of the ramp from the inverted pool of liquid. However, they weren't who Hammond was expecting. Within the first three seconds of emerging on the earth's side of the Stargate, the five Jaffa warriors had taken out one third of the Air Force officers guarding the rest of the base.
The two .50 caliber canons that were next to the Stargate began to fire and took out a few Jaffa, but several more emerged from the Stargate without hesitation.
"Close the iris!" Hammond ordered. "Seal off the gate room." Teal'c attempted to shove Zipacna back into the corridor and quickly escape but his prisoner fought back. He raised his bound hands and hit the Jaffa in the back of the head, knocking him quickly unconscious.
Zipacna quickly darted back into the corridor with four Jaffa that had joined him. Twelve in all managed to get through the doors before they closed. The rest of the incoming attackers were trapped in the gate room until the doors could be opened. A few members of the defense team were captured. Most of them were killed immediately by a staff blast.
The blast doors had been closed over the control room to stop it from being hit by a staff blast. Soldiers scrambled to the control room and other key parts in the base when the alarm sounded.
"General quarters, seal off the base!" Hammond said. He turned to the sergeant at the controls. "Report."
"Iris is closed but the gate is still active." He moved his chair slightly to an adjoining computer. "Getting reports of firefights on all lower levels."
"General. Our machine guns aren't going to be much of a match against Gould weaponry," Sam said from behind him.
"Agreed." Hammond quickly went for the main computer and began to punch in some commands. "I need another officer Major."
"Sir." She joined him, knowing full well what he was going to do. The only way to prevent Stargate Command from falling into enemy hands was to activate the self-destruct sequence. That would efficiently destroy the entire bottom half of NORAD and Stargate Command.
"Stop!" Hammond turned to see Zipacna, accompanied by four Jaffa soldiers only a few feet away. They had a hostage as well. It was Teal'c. Rachel stood with the sergeant near the back of the control room while Sam and Hammond halted their computer entry. Zipacna held a zatnikitel while the Jaffa all had a mixture of staff weapons and zats.
Hammond quickly turned back to the computer and entered a last code. But it wasn't fast enough before Zipacna shot him with a zat blast, rendering him unconscious. Sam instinctively reached down to see if her c/o was all right.
"Any more attempts at bravery and I give him another." Everyone knew, perhaps with the exception of Rachel MacLeod, that another shot from the zat gun would kill the General. Sam stood up with her hands in the air. Zipacna laughed briefly. "Hello again my dear," he said. He was of course looking at Rachel.
"Now that I have control of your Stargate, tell me where to find the one who killed my god." Sam wasn't exactly sure what he wanted, nor how he was able to take control of the SGC with such ease. He had to have had help. The Air Force troops would have been able to stop a wave of Jaffa warriors coming through the gate. At least that's what they trained for. "Take them somewhere and hold them," he said to the Jaffa on his left. Samantha Carter knew one thing for sure. Hammond was able to seal off the rest of the base from the upper levels that contained NORAD. If Zipacna's team was successful in capturing the SGC, he would not reach ground level.
As the others were lead out, Zipacna turned his attention on Carter. She noticed that they had picked up Hammond and carried them with the others.
"Now, tell me. Where is Duncan MacLeod?"
4 of 11
Daniel Jackson and Duncan MacLeod stood within a close proximity to the Stargate. It was currently active and the naquadah retrieval teams were proceeding through to Earth. The immortal and the archaeologist thought they'd wait for Colonel O'Neill. He was saying goodbye to Laira.
Daniel had explained to Duncan the story behind O'Neill's forced stay on Edora and the liking that Laira had taken to him during that time. When the Stargate had been found and reactivated, O'Neill was able to return home.
"I still can't get over it." Daniel Jackson turned to see what his new friend was referring to. He was of course looking at the Stargate. It shut down once the last team had passed and was at idle until used again.
"You should have seen it the very first time we opened it. Everyone's jaw dropped when we saw it open." Daniel recalled in detail what it was like when General West had brought Daniel on the project to decipher the Stargate dialing system.
"I'll bet it was something," MacLeod said. Daniel shook his head. "Just the fact that we are halfway across the galaxy and this world easily looks like some corners of the Earth. I've done a lot of traveling over 400 years and I've seen country-sides just like this."
"Well many of the worlds that the descendants of Earth were taken to are actually not all that different from Earth themselves. I mean Abydos looks like Egypt would have a couple thousand years ago," Daniel explained.
"You know. I've been wondering," MacLeod started. "Since we have been around for centuries, some of us even a couple millennia, do you think it's possible that some of my people know about the Stargate?" Daniel thought about for a moment before answering.
"That's a good question. I would think that some of the oldest immortals could have knowledge of it. In fact, what's his name, that guy you told us about, Mekos?"
"Methos," MacLeod corrected.
"Methos, right. If he's as old as you say, then he could quite possibly have knowledge of the Stargate. Five thousand years is a long time and the gate was operational on Earth during that time in Egypt. Ra was taking slaves from Earth to Abydos during some of that time."
"Too bad I couldn't ask him about it." They both turned their heads quickly as they heard a noise from their left.
"All right campers, let's go home. Daniel...dial us up." Daniel leisurely walked over to the DHD and began the sequence. "So Duncan, what do you think of Edora?" O'Neill asked.
"I was just telling Daniel that this could easily pass for some place on Earth." Jack agreed as the Stargate opened, revealing their way home.
"I think Hammond has us going to a new planet in the morning. You're more than welcome to join us. We'd love to have you along."
"I'd like that." O'Neill motioned with his hand toward the Stargate after he saw Daniel input the iris deactivation code. Duncan MacLeod was getting used to gate travel now. The first few times he was dizzy when he emerged from the cosmic doorway. Not any more though.
The stars folded around them and a cosmic tunnel formed and the three travelers made their way through the subspace wormhole to Earth.
The Earth side of the Stargate was guarded like usual, except this time the guards were Jaffa. The first to emerge was Daniel Jackson. He froze immediately when he stepped onto the metal ramp that led to Earth's Stargate. Jack O'Neill and Duncan MacLeod both stepped through at the same time. When they emerged from the pool of artificial water, they immediately stood at the ready. O'Neill drew his MP-5 and MacLeod drew his sword. Daniel had drawn his pistol as well with the others and stood there, waiting.
Before acting however, the trio of arrivals surveyed the room and noticed that Carter was at the foot of the ramp, her hands bound, with Zipacna pointing a zat-gun at her.
"Surrender your weapons," Zipacna said. "Surrender and you live. At least for now." There was a pause that seemed to stretch on forever. "Resist and I kill this one." The deep Goa'uld voice echoed throughout the gate room. He fired his zat-gun at Carter and she fell to the ground in pain. Another shot would kill her, everyone knew. O'Neill wasn't taking any chances.
"Jack?" Daniel asked quickly.
"Yeah. Yeah okay." All three arrivals set their weapons down on the metal ramp beneath their feet and held their hands out in a non-threatening manner.
"Welcome to Earth." Lord Zipacna smiled with one thought on his mind, revenge for the death of Klorel.
5 of 11
Jack O'Neill, Daniel Jackson and Duncan MacLeod were led through a few corridors until they reached the mess hall. A short distance ahead of them was a pair of Jaffa who carried Major Carter, still unconscious from her zat shot.
The door to the mess hall opened and the two Jaffa put Carter inside. O'Neill managed to get a glimpse of the inside of the room. It was filled with members of the SGC. It looked like a mass holding area. One of the guards came to them and grabbed Daniel's arm. He too was put inside the room with the other humans.
O'Neill didn't notice Hammond inside the room. He would have thought that he'd be in the front, seeing as the commander would always take point in a situation like this. The doors closed and O'Neill and MacLeod were instructed to keep walking.
Shortly, the rounded the corner and entered the conference room. O'Neill had been here many times, mostly to discuss mission briefings and strategies. Standing at the window, looking out toward the Stargate was the current leader of the SGC, Zipacna. The two captives were stopped at the table and instructed to take a seat. They both preferred to stand and did not sit.
The room was guarded with four Jaffa, two at each door, plus the two who had escorted Jack and Duncan to the room, and Zipanca himself. O'Neill quickly counted the number of guards and concluded that he could not take them out, even with Duncan's help. There were simply too many of them, and not even humans to fight them.
"Duncan MacLeod." Zipacna turned to face them. His eyes glowed as he began to speak. "You present me with a very special gift," he said. He began to walk closer to the immortal. "I can torture you and kill you over and over again and you'll still live. That is, of course, until someone takes your head." He laughed briefly with his whole body. "What a delight indeed."
"And you." He turned his attention to O'Neill. "You will tell me the code to deactivate your barrier blocking your Stargate." The iris was still closed and none of the Jaffa understood how to operate the controls that released the barrier. "We have attempted to deactivate the device but have been unsuccessful."
"Well isn't that a shame," Jack said sarcastically. Zipacna nodded to the nearest Jaffa, who then used his staff weapon to strike Jack just below the back of the knee, causing him to kneel in pain.
"We have ways to make you speak," Zipacna said with a stern voice. Jack knew exactly what he meant. Implantation with a symbiote would join with the host and deliver any information that it wanted. Jack had that happen once while in the clutches of Hathor but the Goa'uld was destroyed by a Tok'ra spy before it had a chance to blend with the host. Suddenly an idea came to him.
"I fail to see how you can acquire a symbiote without access to the Stargate," Jack said. "Since you're the only snake head here and Jaffa can't do that, your threat is meaningless." Jack smiled as he stood back up next to his new friend.
"Very well then. I can kill you and ask someone else who does know." He motioned to another Jaffa. "Take him away. Put him with the others." O'Neill looked over at Duncan as the Jaffa started to cart him off.
At nearly the same time, Jack and Duncan jumped the guards nearest them. The two nearest guards were overtaken immediately and the two at the door nearest them had moved to target them. Both humans held the Jaffa in front of them as a shield, guarding against the shots they knew were about to fly.
"There is no escape. I control this entire facility," Zipacna said. Jack and Duncan continued backing up until they reached the door. "Surrender and join us or you will die." Quickly they shoved their hostages forward and darted for the door. A staff blast struck Duncan in the left leg, but it didn't stop him in his tracks. They successfully made their way out the door and disappeared around the next corner. "After them!"
6 of 11
Janet Frasier stood by the bedside of George Hammond. He was of course all right. The shot from the zatnikitel had knocked him unconscious for a short time. The infirmary was also under Jaffa guard. The experienced Air Force officer was careful that she didn't do anything to that would comprise the possibility of her doing something about this occupation.
"Doctor?" Hammond had opened his eyes and was not coherent. He moved slightly and blinked a few times, making sure he knew where he was and exactly what happened. He glanced over to the side and saw a Jaffa with his helmet on and recalled everything immediately. The Goa'uld had seized his base. How could he have been so unprepared, so willing to accept the travelers were Tok'ra before a confirmation?
"General." Frasier kept her voice low on purpose. "You're awake, good."
"What happened Doctor?"
"Zipacna has taken over the SGC. All but a handful of us are locked up. The others are either here in the infirmary or they're being interrogated by the Gould."
"Where's Colonel O'Neill?"
"Last I heard, he's loose in the facility somewhere with MacLeod," she said.
"They escaped?"
"So far."
"If they can get to the armory, they might have a chance." He thought a minute. "It helps that MacLeod can't be killed."
"Yes sir. I just hope they can do it."
7 of 11
Two Jaffa rounded the corner with their staff weapons at the ready. They were at one of the highest levels of the SGC, furthest away from the Stargate. They were ordered to check it out for signs of passageways or tunnels to the surface. They of course found nothing. The base was sealed off tight.
It was fairly dark in the corridors. The lighting was reduced to the alarming red klaxons that indicated condition red. They had been silenced since the Goa'uld take over, but Zipanca, like most of the Earth's technology, could not figure out how to turn them off and restore lighting. Tau'ri technology was much different from Goa'uld technology, which therefore required knowledge of their use in order to operate it.
One of the Jaffa said something almost inaudible to the other as they split up to search another area. Slowly, but efficiently, they searched the dark areas of upper levels of the SGC with their staff weapons at the ready. The chamber was already open and prepared to be used at the first sign of a human.
Suddenly an energy discharge came from an unknown origin and caused the Jaffa to shake violently, then made a loud thud as his armor hit the ground. This drew the attention of the other Jaffa who had traveled the other direction. The hard boots gave his position away easy. All Jaffa were easy to be heard in their uniform due to the hard boots on a hard surface. It was most likely a way to intimidate others with the sound of an approaching Jaffa army.
He came down the hall and stopped at the feet of his fallen comrade. He pointed his staff weapon quickly in every direction, trying to find the attacker. But it was too late. Another shot from a zat-gun emerged from an unknown source and dropped the serpent guard to the floor.
Jack O'Neil cautiously jumped down from the piping that led to the ceiling for heating. Seconds later, the highlander followed.
"Nice shooting," Jack said.
"Thank you. I'm starting to get the hand of these things," MacLeod said.
"Shall we?" O'Neill knelt down to the fallen Jaffa and began to remove their armor. MacLeod gave him a strange look. "We won't have to sneak around as much if we look like them."
"Good point."
"These things aren't too bad. I've done it before." Jack had done it once before, on Chulak. He had to steal the uniform of a serpent guard in order to escape from Apophis' palace after he followed Fro'tac, who had betrayed Teal'c and SG-1 and was going to turn them in to Apophis.
Jack O'Neill gave his friend a brief explanation on how to use the staff weapon and how to retract the serpent helmet, even though they wished not to do that. Neither one of them spoke Goa'uld so they would have to rely solely on the element of surprise.
"Let's go."
8 of 11
"Sir! I think I've got something." Tur'an, Zipacna's acting first prime Jaffa stood in the control room with several others trying to decipher the codes to the SGC's mainframe. Zipacna technically didn't have a first prime since he wasn't a system lord. He was simply an underling of Klorel, at least that was his former title. With the capture of the Tau'ri Stargate, he hoped to become more.
Without an order, the Jaffa sitting at the main computer terminal brought up the systems that were accessible without the use of the General's command codes.
"What is it?" Tur'an asked.
"A list of addresses for the cha'pa'i," he reported. Tur'an smiled.
"Excellent. Have you figured out how to access the system yet?" he ordered.
"I can get it to work sir, I just cannot release the barrier." Tur'an turned to see Zipacna enter the room. He walked slowly and stopped a few feet from him. His eyes glowed briefly before speaking.
"I hope you have good news to report." Even to the Jaffa, sometimes the deep voice of a Goa'uld seemed eerie.
"We have some, my lord." He stopped a moment, motioned to the computer screen and continued. "We have located a list of worlds that the humans have been exploring. As well as a list of worlds they plan to visit."
"What about the barrier? Right now my main concern is to bring more warriors and weapons through from Chulak so we can get to the surface of this planet."
"Nothing as of yet, my lord."
"And the two humans who are still loose in this place? O'Neill and the immortal?"
"We have not located them yet, my lord." Zipacna raised his hand and let a blast fly from a ribbon device that was latched around his wrist. It struck Tur'an straight in the chest and pushed him back several feet.
"I do not like incompetence Tur'an."
"We will find them, my lord. It's only a matter of time," he said while slowly picking himself up off the floor.
"See that you do. I will bring a few hostages up here to help you with the barrier." Zipacna turned to leave. "What if the will not help, my lord?" Zipacna stopped and turned to address him before continuing on.
"Then they will die." He walked to the door then turned around once more. "And so will you."
9 of 11
Jack O'Neill and Duncan MacLeod rounded the corner that led to the officer's mess, the place where all the members of the SGC were kept. They walked in concert like trained Jaffa do, and held their staff weapons in the appropriate manner.
The Jaffa that appeared to be the leader of the particular group walked up to the two new arrivals and spoke.
"Any sign of the two humans?" he asked.
"No sign." O'Neill spoke quickly and used a slightly deeper voice so he wouldn't be recognized. Of course not every Jaffa knew what O'Neill's voice sounded like. Mainly just those in the briefing room with Zipacna the moment they escaped.
"Very well." He turned back the way he came and left the two guards alone. They gave each other a quick glance, which in the helmet of the serpent guard was more like a massive gesture, and walked to the door of the hostages.
Before the Jaffa already stationed there could question them, they saw their leader come down a flight of stairs and walk toward them. O'Neill and MacLeod stood at either side of the door, with the two guards, making it a four-man detail instead of two.
"Open the doors," Zipacna said. O'Neill reached for one and the guard on the other side grabbed the other. Zipacna walked inside as did all four guards.
O'Neill was surprised at what he saw. All the members of the SGC that were located here appeared to be exhausted. He was sure that they weren't getting enough food. Carter must have been pulling her hair out. O'Neil saw that Hammond was now in the room, whereas he wasn't before. He approached the Goa'uld with Carter, Daniel and Teal'c immediately behind him.
Rachel MacLeod was also standing very close to Carter. Duncan was relieved. He felt confident that the major would be able to see to Rachel's safety.
"General Hammond," Zipacna started.
"I demand to be released from here at once." Zipacna laughed out loud.
"You are in no position to make demands." He paced a moment and came back to the place to where he originally stood. "You will help me in deactiving the barrier on your gate."
"I will do no such thing," Hammond said stiffly.
"How many of your people have to die before you cooperate?"
"Any of my people would rather die than give up the secrets of this facility," Hammond said. Sam Carter smiled briefly, proud of her commanding officer.
"Bring them!" Zipacna turned abruptly and motioned to his Jaffa. O'Neill, MacLeod and the other two Jaffa used their staff weapons to herd the members of the SGC that Zipacna wanted to interrogate.
General Hammond, Samantha Carter, Teal'c and Daniel Jackson were the ones that were selected. Since Zipacna were familiar with the SG-1 team, he figured he'd start with them. After all, they were the ones that went against him during triad on Tollana. It was because of them that Klorel got separated from his host in the first place.
Once again Zipacna stood in the control room, waiting for one of his captors to reveal their secret. Tur'an stood next to the prisoners, as did the two escapees in the Jaffa uniforms. A pair of Jaffa walked up the ramp to the control room with a prisoner in tow. That was when Duncan MacLeod shuttered inwardly.
He felt a presence. The presence he only felt while in proximity to another immortal. All his attention was focused on the man that was dragged forward by Jaffa.
"What is this?" Zipacna said.
"We found this human attempting to evade us in the corridors," the soldier reported. The captive looked up, sensing the same feeling that the highlander had. MacLeod recognized him at once, so did the members of SG-1. At least they thought they did. He was wearing military fatigues but Hammond did not recognize him. The two new Jaffa guards threw him forward so he was standing on his own.
"Who are you?" Zipacna asked.
"My name is Adam Pierson." Teal'c had to restrain his first reaction. He closely resembled Hebron, the host of Tanith, with whom Teal'c held a personal grudge.
"Do you know how to release the barrier that protects the Stargate?" Zipacna asked. Pierson shook his head.
"He requires medical attention my lord, we were forced to fire on him."
"Take him." MacLeod moved quickly so he was the first one to take him. O'Neill noticed his movements and went with him. Together they held Pierson by each arm and carried him towards the infirmary. The two guards that had brought him in took the place of Jack and Duncan.
O'Neill did not know why MacLeod had jumped out and chosen to escort this man to the infirmary, but he knew there had to be a good reason so he went along with it. Once they reached the infirmary, they noticed it was not heavily guarded. Only two guards stood at the entrance to the door. Neither one of them had their helmet masks deployed.
MacLeod saw the perfect opportunity and decided to use his staff weapon like he would his sword and swing it in the direction of the closet guard. O'Neill quickly reacted and likewise attacked the guard closest to him.
They both went down without a shot ringing out. Janet Frasier, who had been tending to a patient, came quickly when she heard the commotion. Pierson turned around and saw the two armored figures drop to the ground. The two mysterious saviors quickly dragged the unconscious bodies to the corner of the room as Pierson gathered up the two staff weapons that lay on the ground.
He handed one to Dr. Frasier and they both trained them on the two Jaffa now standing facing them.
"Who are you?" Frasier asked. The helmets on the uniforms of the two serpent guards retracted, revealing who was underneath. "Colonel!"
"MacLeod!" Pierson said aloud. They both lowered their captured staff weapons as their friends walked over to them.
"Are you alright sir?" Frasier asked.
"Quite alright yes." He turned to Pierson as MacLeod spoke.
"Methos, what the hell are you doing here?" the immortal asked. Methos smiled at him.
"I'm glad to see you too."
"This is Methos?" Jack asked. He started to remove his bulky helmet.
"Yes." Duncan began to remove his as well. "How did you get here? Better yet, know did you know I was here?"
"You think we don't have watchers in the military?" he simply said. "The name Duncan MacLeod came up at the Cheyenne Mountain Complex and Joe sent me to see if you were alright."
"Well as you can see, we have a little problem here," O'Neill said plainly.
"I can see that. It appears they don't know how to free the block around the Stargate." O'Neill looked at MacLeod with suspicion.
"You're injured," Janet said. She noticed his staff weapon wound near his shoulder. "C'mon let me treat you." She led him to one of the nearby infirmary beds and grabbed a few tools to examine him.
"It's alright, really," Methos insisted. O'Neill walked to the door and looked down the corridors to see if there was any immediate company coming. Frasier started to treat him, then noticed that his wounds were repairing themselves. There was, what appeared to be, a small electrical charge covering the wound, restoring it to the way it was. She ran her hand over the wound softly and felt the healing. Methos noticed that she had wonderful hands.
"You're immortal." Janet looked up at him and kept her voice soft so the other patients wouldn't hear her. The secrets of the immortals were still secrets to all but a few.
"I see they know about us," Methos said.
"Only a select few," MacLeod maintained. "I had no choice, they saw me come back to life. Besides, because of what we are, I was able to help the colonel and keep their secret as well."
"Speaking of secrets," Jack hesitated, "how do you know about the Stargate," The newly arrived immortal hesitated a moment before answering.
"Well, to be honest...I've seen it before."
"You have? Where?" Frasier asked.
"Egypt. Five-thousand years ago."
10 of 11
General Hammond and the three members of SG-1 were tired of kneeling. Zipacna demanded they worship his as a god. Of course they objected, but in order safeguard the lives of his officers in the SGC, Hammond was forced to abide by his wishes.
The iris protecting the Stargate was still sealed. Hammond wasn't about to give it up, he would rather destroy the base first. Of course he may not have a choice. He couldn't get to the computer and his men were being threatened with their lives.
Teal'c smiled briefly as he saw several Jaffa in the gate room attempt to penetrate the iris using staff weapons. The iris was enforced with trinium and naquadah and could not be penetrated by simple measures.
"You must know that won't work." Daniel Jackson spoke up to Zipacna, who turned to look at him after his statement.
"Your refusal to cooperate has forced me to take matters into my own hands." Zipacna's men still tried to break the code on the SGC's main computer to deactivate the iris and free the Stargate for travel.
"Well good luck with it," Daniel said sarcastically. Zipacna nodded to one of the Jaffa guarding the prisoners, who struck Daniel in the back with the butt of a staff weapon. He fell to the ground hard. Sam and Teal'c helped him back up without any difficulty.
"Free the Stargate or your men will die, General." Hammond was silent. Zipacna nodded again. The Jaffa in the gate room ceased firing on the iris and came together to form a firing line aimed toward the wall.
Hammond observed and could count seven members of his base escorted into the gate room and lined up against the wall.
"Tell me, or they die." Hammond was still silent but had a look of concern on her face. "Kree!" Every Jaffa in the line opened the tips of their staff weapons and aimed them at their targets. "I will give you one last chance." Hammond noticed that the three members of SG-1 were looking at him for instruction. He knew they all had the same question going through their minds. Would he give up members of his command to protect the blockade of the Stargate?
Suddenly, two Jaffa walked into the room, just Zipacna was about to give his order to execute the prisoners. The sight he saw was enough to make him laugh out loud.
"Duncan MacLeod." The eyes of the captives turned to see the immortal and his companion. Janet Frasier was also escorted into the room by the two guards. Both of them were holding zat guns so the two couldn't escape.
"Where is Colonel O'Neill?"
"We only found them," one of the Jaffa said. Zipacna didn't really care where the human was, he only cared about getting his revenge on the immortal who took the life of his god.
"Have a seat doctor." Zipacna motioned to the other captives as her Jaffa master pushed her that way.
MacLeod stood a few meters from his captor with his two serpent guard escorts pointing zat-guns at him.
"Where's Rachel?" MacLeod's voice was proud.
"She's safe, she's in with the other prisoners," Sam said quickly. To her surprise, Zipacna did not punish her for speaking. Instead he slowly walked around the highlander, visually studying him.
"So what exactly is it that makes you immortal?" he asked. Duncan hesitated in answering.
"No one really knows. It's just the way we are."
"Exactly, just like us. The Goa'uld are a highly advanced and superior species. We are inherently power hungry. What your Dr. Jackson would call evil," he explained. "No one knows why, we just are. The preservation of our race requires that we conquer, do we do so."
"This is all very fascinating, but what does any of it have to do with me?" MacLeod asked.
"Because once the barrier around the Stargate freed, I will show you just how much of an asset you can be to the Goa'uld."
"I will never join you!"
"You don't have a choice." He stopped walking around him and stood directly in front of him now. "Once you've been blended with a symbiont, you will be one of us." Duncan began to shudder slightly.
"Did I mention how much I hate snakes?" Duncan asked.
With that, the two Jaffa directly behind him turned in opposite directions and fired their zats at the Jaffa guarding the doors. Frasier quickly revealed her zat-gun that was hidden in her lab coat and fired as well.
Zipacna was left to fend for himself once his guards had fallen. The members of SG-1 were caught off guard by the surprise attack, but rose to their feet quickly after it was all over.
"What is the meaning of this?!" Lord Zipacna was furious. Teal'c and Samantha quickly picked up the fallen staff weapons and went to guard the now open doors. That was when the two friendly Jaffa retracted their helmets.
"Jack!" Daniel was pleased to see his old friend.
"Help me get out of this thing will ya?" Hammond and Daniel proceeded to assist O'Neill in dismantling his alien uniform. Frasier had her weapon trained on their captor as the highlander introduced the other savior.
"This is Methos. He's immortal, like me."
"We'll have time for more introductions later, we have to take back the base," O'Neill said. Hammond turned to his officer.
"I couldn't agree more."
Part 11
With Zipacna their captive, recapturing the SGC was easy. The Jaffa were caught off guard by the humans' advantage of familiarity with the facility. The Goa'uld leader and three Jaffa were all that was left alive after the battle.
The inner ring of the Stargate spun around as it came to a stop and locked in the final chevron. The billowing water effect filled the embarkation room with light as the main doors opened at one side of the room. The prisoners had their hands bound and were led up the ramp by Tok'ra operatives.
"I cannot thank you enough for the opportunity to interrogate Zipacna." Selmak spoke to the persons seated in the chairs of the conference room. He overlooked the gate and observed his people taking the residents of Chulak back to their base on Vorash. Selmak bowed his head, then turned back to face the others.
"How many did you lose George?" Jacob Carter now asked the question to Hammond. Still holding the rank of an Air Force General, Carter cared about the lives of the men and women under Hammond's command.
"Twenty seven." He responded solemnly to Jacob's question. He didn't like losing anyone, let alone a number that high.
"I'm sorry." The elder Carter turned to the far end of the table where the three civilians sat. "We all owe you a great deal of thanks," he said.
"Indeed. Without your assistance, it's most likely we would all be dead," Teal'c said.
"We're happy to help. I'm sorry I couldn't have gotten here sooner." Methos looked genuinely apologetic for what he perceived as his own tardiness.
"I would love to talk with you more about your experiences and your knowledge of the Stargate," Daniel said. He knew that he'd have a lot of questions. Nyan would as well. Ever since he joined the Stargate program and was rescued from Bedrosia, he's been quite curious about the Stargate.
"Certainly. It would be my pleasure to assist you in any way."
"Now that the others are through, I shall take my leave of you." Jacob Carter spoke once again in the voice of Selmak. Hammond nodded.
"I'll walk you." Sam stood to join her father and walk him to the Stargate.
"We'll start the briefing when you return," Hammond said. SG-1 always had a mission briefing after a mission. This one was no different. Except this time the mission had taken place right in the middle of the base. Janet Frasier was also present, giving reports of the dead and wounded to the General.
"Ah, Major, good." Hammond stood up as Major Davis came into the room. He was the liaison between Stargate Command and the Pentagon. Methos and Duncan immediately turned to focus their attention on the man as they felt something that they hadn't expected to. Davis froze momentarily and started at the two men who were unfamiliar to him.
"If you could get this report to the Pentagon. It's everything that's happened here in the last 48 hours. I think you'll find it interesting," Hammond said. He held out the folder with the information to the Major.
"Yes...yes sir," he said. "I'm sure I will." He turned quickly and walked out the door as Carter returned. Hammond looked at the two immortals as they quickly exchanged glances.
"What was that?" Daniel asked. He could tell by the body language of Davis that something was out of the ordinary.
"He's one of us," MacLeod said. Jack looked at Duncan, then to the door where Davis had just left, then back to Duncan.
"You mean he's..."
"That would explain why there's a Watcher in Cheyenne Mountain. Yes colonel, I sensed it too. He's immortal." Carter sat back down at the long conference room table as Hammond spoke.
"Well people. It seems the briefing is going to be even more interesting."
The end
If you enjoyed this story, please send feedback to Michael Longstreet
Heliopolis Main Archive
A Stargate: SG-1 Fanfiction Site
Immortal Courage
by Michael LongstreetSite Navigation
Support Heliopolis