A Series of Hijackings
By dinkydow - jd3031@socket.net


RATING: FR-M

WARNINGS: violent images and language. Serious Jack whumping.

CATEGORY: Series, action/adventure, angst, hurt/comfort, written from 
Jack's point of view.

SPOILERS: "The Lost City, Parts 1 and 2." 

TIME FRAME: This takes place sometime early in season eight.

SUMMARY: Jack meets up with some old enemies and gets into trouble. 

DISCLAIMER: Nope, don't own any of them. Couldn't afford to if I did and 
don't have a mountain to hide them in. Showtime/Viacom, MGM/UA, Double 
Secret Productions, Gekko Productions do. I wrote this for entertainment 
and won't be making any money for it. (Heavy sigh).

AUTHOR'S NOTES: So, whatcha think? Since I'm writing this in April, some 
of my guesses about the shows in season eight will probably be a little 
off base. What can I say? "My god, Jim! I'm a small, not a medium." A big 
thank you to Jerry and Liz for help with the "O'Neill-isms". And thanks 
to Alice for continuing to be my beta. Jolene, this "whack" is for you! 
Yes, send constructive feedback!  


                         *******************

Like a nuclear submarine surfacing too rapidly from the depths of a 
silent, black ocean, the sounds of the outside world assaulted my ears. 
The strident sound of beeping was the first thing I noticed. These sounds 
were ones that I'd always associated with the Infirmary. Somehow, I knew 
that wasn't the case this time, but wasn't sure just how I knew that yet. 
Because of my hunch that all was not as it seemed, I ignored my initial 
impulse to automatically open my eyes. I used the time to scan my 
surroundings by utilizing my other senses. 

My ears continued to supply only the beeping noises. However, their slow, 
easy, rhythm had been replaced with a more rapid tempo. From past 
experience, I knew that this would inform whoever was monitoring my vital 
signs that I was conscious. That meant that I would be having company 
soon. Crap.

In a desperate attempt to make the most of the time I had left to answer 
some questions, I tried to move a finger. Receiving no response, I 
realized that I couldn't feel anything. In fact, my entire body felt like 
it wasn't there. That was so not a good sign. Was it? I don't think so. 
As in nope, not at all, no way, no how.

Feeling more alarmed now, I frantically rummaged through my most recent 
memories, trying to find answerers that would explain my present 
predicament. Nothing came to mind at first. With an effort, I tried 
regulating my breathing. Since I couldn't feel my chest expanding and 
contracting, that was hard to do. Reasoning that if I was conscious, I 
had to be breathing, I resolutely ordered myself to imagine that I was 
carrying out this task as usual. After a moment of inner debate and 
confusion, I was able to accomplish this and knew I had succeeded when I 
heard the pace of the beeps from the heart monitor slow to its previous 
slower rate. 

Once again, I cast my mind back over the memories I had of my recent 
past. When I was able to hold the picture of my recent promotion ceremony 
in my mind, I felt a momentary flash of triumph. Using that image as a 
starting point, I could piece together some of the events which had 
resulted in my being promoted to Brigadier General. I smiled inwardly as 
I relived those moments of pride and excitement as President Hayes and 
General Hammond fastened those silver stars on my shoulders. Those 
memories automatically led to the events that had followed.

After pinning the stars on my shoulders, the President had proceeded to 
blow me away with his announcement that I'd been awarded the 
Congressional Medal of Honor by a unanimous vote of the Congress of the 
United States. Well, spank me rosy! I couldn't help but wonder what 
they'd used to blackmail Kinsey with in order to convince him to vote for 
something like that? Everyone knew about the mutual hatred we held for 
each other. The Commander in Chief must have gotten some pretty good dirt 
on him for that bastard to go along with awarding me the nation's highest 
military commendation. 

According to what Hammond had said, the President had ordered him to 
submit his resignation as quickly as possible. All I could say about that 
was 'shucks, couldn't happen to a better guy'. One could only hope that 
something that great would happen immediately. Of course, in my reality, 
sweet occasions like that never ever happened and always got screwed up 
at the last minute.

My mind continued to process the events following the ceremony in an 
effort to piece together what had landed me here. Where ever that was. I 
could remember saying good-bye to the Asgard representatives before they 
beamed back to their spaceship, "The O'Neill II". They had promised to 
keep in touch and keep monitoring me, and my teenaged clone, John. So 
far, so good. No problems there. 

Then the party followed. No problems there either, even though the spiked 
bowl of punch had pretty much left the entire staff 'swinging-from-the-
Stargate' drunk. My friend, Lou Feretti, had warned me about that one, 
the booze in the punch that is. Even though I'd stayed away from 
partaking of its contents, I'd decided that the staff of the SGC had 
earned the right to get blitzed out of their ever-loving minds after 
surviving the latest attack on our home planet. Because I was their new 
CO, I'd arranged for an extra-large supply of hangover remedies to be 
available to them when they woke up. Since, I couldn't let anyone drive 
home drunk, I'd made arrangements for everyone to sleep it off in the 
safety of Cheyenne Mountain at Stargate Command.

Because I was so new to my position, I'd decided to live in my quarters 
on base for the next few weeks as I made all the changes necessary to 
ensure a smooth transition. The previous head honcho of the SGC had been 
a female civilian appointed by the new President by the name of Dr. 
Elizabeth Weir. Her reign had been short and tumultuous due to Anubis 
deciding to take out Earth once and for all. Thankfully, she had the 
balls and guts to overrule Kinsey when he tried to veto my team's mission 
of searching for the Lost City of the Ancients. That was when he'd gotten 
bawled out by his boss and told to "shut the hell up", according to 
Hammond. 

The only thing that would've made that news any sweeter to my ears was if 
I could've been a fly on the wall to witness that conversation for 
myself. Being able to watch Kinsey get his pee-pee whacked would've been 
such sweet revenge. Not that he could have much of one in the first 
place. A pee-pee that is, considering that his balls were virtually non-
existent. Compared to him, Thor's balls were the size of Teal'c's. Not 
that I'd been checking out the size of T's...whatever. OK, bad example. 
Yep, in my opinion, Kinsey was definitely a dickless wonder.

Mentally, I reviewed some of the changes I'd made with the input of 
Hammond and the President. I'd given Feretti a long over-due promotion to 
Light Colonel and made him my 2IC at Stargate Command and command of my 
former team, SG-1. That was an arrangement that was much more comfortable 
for me than having Carter in that position. Placing Feretti as her direct 
commander gave both of us a little space to maneuver and explore our 
feelings toward each other. In addition, it gave her more time to 
concentrate on her scientific mumbo-jumbo, which was her forte anyway. 
Even though being the top dog at SGC made me her CO, at least she wasn't 
reporting directly to me. 

As for Feretti's qualifications, he'd been with the program as long as I 
had, and I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that he would be able to do 
the job admirably. Hell, he'd been there with us when Daniel and I made 
that first trip through the wormhole to Abydos all those years ago. By 
working closely together, I knew that we would get the SGC whipped into 
shape.

Then, I'd sent Carter, Teal'c and Daniel, along with Dr. Weir, down south 
to head up the investigative team that was checking out the Ancients' 
Outpost under the Antarctic ice. Between Daniel's interpretive linguistic 
skills, Carter's scientific abilities, and Weir's diplomatic expertise, I 
had no fears that they'd have that place all figured out soon. And with 
Teal'c along, nobody would dare mess with them.

But, I still didn't have a clue as to where I was and how I'd gotten 
there. All I knew was that I most definitely was not in the Infirmary at 
the SGC. With a sigh, I realized I wouldn't find out the answers until I 
opened my eyes. Initially, I was unable to do this, which scared me a 
little. Just what the hell kind of drugs did they use on me? Crap. As the 
beeping sounds of the heart monitor machine sped up, I realized I could 
discern the presence of someone standing beside me. Their breath tickled 
the inside of my ears as they spoke to me.

"You might as well open your eyes, O'Neill. We know you can hear us." 
Damn, just who was this jerk, anyway? His voice didn't ring any bells for 
me, so I redoubled my efforts to open my eyes. After a few moments, I was 
rewarded with the sight of a fuzzy face-shaped figure in front of my 
eyes.

"Very good, Jack. You don't mind if I call you Jack. Do you?" He ignored 
the fact that I was incapable of objecting to his unwanted familiarity 
and continued. 

"Your ability to recover from our medications quickly is excellent. You 
will make a most rewarding test subject for me." I tried opening my mouth 
to reply, but was unable to accomplish this simple task. With an effort, 
I was able to grunt, which seemed to surprise my mysterious and 
unscrupulous companion.

"You were administered a drug soon after you were detained in order to 
prevent any inadvertent injuries while you were transported to our 
facility. Do not concern yourself with your inability to speak, as this 
side effect will dissipate soon. Don't you remember how you came to be 
our...guest, Jack?" At my look of puzzlement, he continued. I had a 
strong feeling that he was going to be near the top of my shit list. In 
fact, this asshole seemed to have a snake-like flair for the 
melodramatic.

"Ah, well, that's not really surprising, Jack, as temporary short-term 
memory loss is another one of this drug's side effects. Based on my past 
experiences while using this medication, you should regain more muscle 
control over the next thirty minutes." 

Well, this asshole was right about one thing, the paralysis was slowly 
lifting from my muscles. Experimentally, I tried licking my lips and knew 
a brief moment of triumph when I felt my tongue moisten them. God, but 
they were dry and cracked. Now I could feel that a nasal cannula was in 
place, feeding me oxygen. Just how long had I been here? And where the 
hell was I?

"But I digress, Jack. Where are my manners? You must have a million 
questions about your current...situation. Am I right?" I cautiously 
ordered my head to nod, not trusting myself to be able to talk yet. If 
this guy wanted to spill the beans to me, who was I to stop him?

"You should feel honored to be our guest, Jack. Thanks to you and the 
foresight shown by my employer, great strides will be made toward the 
defense of our planet." Interpreting the look of confusion on my face 
correctly was all the excuse that this blabbermouth needed to continue. 
To my disappointment, he was interrupted and turned to speak to someone 
else.

"Ahh, Mr. Smith. I have good news for you. Our guest is awake and seems 
to be recovering from his medication quite nicely." Mr. Smith? Oh, how 
cliché could you get? Please. Note to self: Speak to whoever is writing 
this stuff and get better lines for the villains. 

To my horror, suddenly a well-known face hovered over mine. Kinsey! I 
deliberately closed my eyes, having no other way to show the disgust I 
felt toward this man. Crap, I couldn't even spit on the bastard.

"Jack O'Neill. Or should I call you General O'Neill now?" purred my 
captor condescendingly. Since I couldn't tell him exactly what I thought 
of him, I opened my eyes to give him my coldest glare. 

If I could only stall these guys a little longer, maybe I would have the 
chance to get the hell out of Dodge. Already, I could feel tingling 
sensations in my legs and arms that signaled the end of my paralysis. 
With the gradual return of sensation in my arms, I realized that an IV 
line was attached to my left arm. Cautiously, I licked my lips and 
cleared my throat, and realized it was a movement that now came easy to 
me. Now, maybe I could try speaking.

"General to you," I rasped. Not bad for a first try. His sneer was 
replaced with a frown. Ooh, didn't expect that from me, huh? Well, that's 
just too damn bad. My eyes followed him as he walked around my bed, 
scratching his chin. Then his smile returned and he chuckled.

"General O'Neill, then. Well, no matter. You are in no position to make 
demands of me. Unlike my former political partner, Hayes, I'm willing to 
take the necessary risks that will ensure the survival of the people of 
our planet. Too late, I discovered just how soft and easily manipulated 
Hayes and Weir could be. Unfortunately, for me, I made the mistake of 
trusting that they understood the necessity of a strong hand to control 
the Stargate. However, they have not triumphed, no, not at all. While it 
is true that my plans have suffered a slight setback, my vision will yet 
prevail. And I have you, General, to thank for that. Would you like to 
know how you will assist me, Jack? Because, you will, you know," he 
smirked. 

Yep, the asshole was spouting typical villain-type lines. Any minute now, 
he'd be twirling his non-existent moustache. If I acted quiet and 
helpless for long enough, he'd tell me all about his 'great vision'. 
After that, I could devise a way to throw a little C-4 into it and blow 
it all to hell. I grunted by way of reply. Sure enough, that was all the 
encouragement he needed to boast about his 'great vision'. 

"You're the key, Jack. Or at least what's inside your head is." I raised 
one eyebrow by way of asking him what the hell he meant by that. I had 
the feeling I knew where he was going with his little tirade, but figured 
if I could keep him talking long enough, I might have time to figure out 
how I could stop him.

"When I learned that you had retained all that knowledge from the 
Ancients, I just knew that it was a sign from heaven. It was as if God 
himself had given me the mission to use this information to safeguard our 
planet and our race. I tell you Jack; it was like a divine revelation and 
I was confident that I'd discovered the entire purpose of my life. Which 
leads me to you, Jack." Kinsey was smiling that condescending smile of 
his again. Placing his hands on either side of me, he leaned over to look 
me directly in the eyes.

Without warning, I struck his nose with the flat of my palm. With a 
little bit of luck, the force of my blow would drive his nasal cartilage 
into his brain and kill him. His head snapped back and he screamed as he 
fell to the floor. A spray of blood spattered all over the hospital 
scrubs I was wearing and everything nearby. Awkwardly, I maneuvered my 
legs off the opposite side of the bed. Then the force of gravity did what 
comes naturally and pulled the rest of my body to the floor. Reaching 
over to my left arm, I jerked out the IV needle and threw it as far away 
from me as possible. I'd like to say that it flew clear across the room, 
but it didn't. Guess that drug stuff was still in my system. Then I 
ripped off the nasal cannula strap and the other wires that were attached 
to my chest and the heart monitor. 

By now, I could hear the sounds of running feet, the clanging of an 
alarm, and the moans of Kinsey. Crap, that meant he was still alive and 
kicking. Well, on to plan B, Jack. With considerable effort, I managed to 
struggle to my knees. Using the bed as a support, I got to my feet and 
took a rapid recon of the room.

Kinsey was still on the floor and the evil doctor type was on his knees 
beside him. The room I was in appeared to be rectangular in shape with 
three dull-gray walls and a window taking up the fourth one. Their décor 
would probably get them a spot in the "Evil Doctor's Laboratory Monthly 
Gazette". Judging by the observation window, those goons wanted to keep a 
close eye on me. That was so not going to happen, because I was NOT going 
to be their latest 'lab rat'! A door was situated across the room from 
me. It looked to be a million miles away, because of my weakened state. 
In between the door and me were the bed and a bunch of fancy medical 
equipment. 

As quickly as my weakened body allowed, I staggered around the bed, using 
it for support, and headed for the door. The one thing I had going for me 
was the surge of adrenaline in my bloodstream. I knew once that was gone, 
I wouldn't be able to do much. So, that meant I had to get as far away 
from this hellhole as quickly as possible. 

That damn alarm hadn't let up yet, and I could see the figures of more 
men gathering in the observation room. Ignoring them for now, I continued 
to head for the exit as fast as my bare feet could move me. Kinsey and 
the Doctor didn't seem to notice that I was leaving. Needless to say, I 
didn't stick around for a long good-bye.

Upon reaching the door, I jerked it open. Luck was still with me, as it 
wasn't locked. My forward pace sent me staggering out into a hallway, 
right into a line of unfriendly-looking goons. Deciding I had nothing to 
lose, I just kept stumbling toward them, as there was no place else to 
go. Swinging my arms, I managed to knock a few of them down. Just when I 
thought I might make it after all, I felt a stinging pain in my upper 
back. My legs and arms turned into jelly again as I slipped to the floor 
to lay facedown. Damn! So close...those assholes must've darted me. Then 
everything faded to black

                         *******************

Once again, my sense of hearing returned first. Beeping. That's all I 
could hear. This time, I could remember everything leading up to my 
aborted escape attempt and could feel myself breathing. Well, that was 
definitely a plus in my favor. Just like before, the tempo of the beeps 
sped up to announce my return to consciousness. 

I figured now would be the time to test the limits of my boundaries. A 
pinching soreness in my left arm meant that the IV had been installed 
again. Experimentally, I tried moving a finger. Was able to do that. One 
down, a bunch more to go. Next came the hand. Movement was definitely 
restricted there. Crap. That meant restraints. Well, duh! Wonder why they 
did that, Jack?

When I tried moving my legs, I ran up against the same limits. Restraints 
there too. Cautiously, I slitted open my eyes, but slammed them shut 
immediately. My eyeballs felt like an extremely bright light had seared 
them. I heard a groan and damned myself for not having better control. 
There was no way in hell that the evil Doctor wannabe could've missed 
that. Any minute now, I was going to have company. Moving my head to the 
side, I tried opening my eyes again. If the bad guys were going to show 
up, I at least wanted to be able to see them. Maybe I could fry their 
brains out with my withering glare. NOT!

"Oh, for crying out loud," I muttered. Sure enough, the Doctor guy was 
back. Didn't see Kinsey though. Wonder how his nose was feeling? Hope he 
had the mother of all headaches. That's it, Jack, think happy thoughts.

"Good morning, Jack," came a familiar sounding voice from a speaker on 
the wall. Lifting my head up a little, I was able to make out the figure 
of Kinsey peering at me through the observation room window. It looked 
like his nose was all taped up. His face probably looked like Ho Chi 
Minh's casualty report. 

I laid my head back down and didn't say a word, although I was smirking 
and doing a victory dance on the inside. The ridiculous chant of 'I broke 
Kinsey's nose, I broke Kinsey's nose. Nyah, nyah, a boo-boo!' kept 
running through my mind. It would've been even better if I'd killed him 
though. That slimy, yellow-bellied, son-of-a-running-dog's voice let me 
know he wasn't finished talking yet.

"The gloves are off now, O'Neill. Before your vicious attack on me, I was 
planning to let you go after you gave us all that information. But now, I 
can't. Oh, and don't bother getting your hopes up that your friends will 
rescue you, because they won't. No one knows where you are, Jack. I've 
been planning something like this for years and had this underground 
bunker built where no one can ever find it. It was built especially to my 
specifications and is so well hidden that even your whore, Carter, 
wouldn't be able find it with her gadgets." That last remark got to me, 
just like he knew it would.

"Why aren't you down here, Kinsey? Afraid I'll kick your yellow ass 
again?" I snarled. With satisfaction, I watched as he reflexively stepped 
back from the window.

"No one has even missed you yet, Jack, because you sent your friends down 
to the base at the Antarctic. You've already been my guest here for two 
days. Doesn't that tell you something? No one can find you here unless I 
want them to. And I don't intend to let you get off easy this time. 
You'll leave here only after I've gotten what I want and not a minute 
sooner." 

His words brought back the memory of leaving the mountain late Friday 
night. I'd been looking forward to a relaxing four-day weekend because of 
the federal holiday. Most of the staff at SGC were taking advantage of 
the extended weekend and heading out of town. Only a skeleton staff had 
remained on duty at the base. Crap, he was right. 

He'd said that I'd been here for two days. If they'd grabbed me on Friday 
night, that meant today was Sunday. I'd told everyone I wouldn't be back 
to work until Tuesday morning, barring any emergencies. That rat bastard 
must've noticed that I'd been doing some thinking, because he couldn't 
help rubbing it in a little more.

"Getting worried, Jack? Would you like to know who's getting you after 
I'm finished?"

"What the hell do you want from me, Kinsey?" I growled in my most 
menacing tone.

"I want what's in your head, Jack. Tell me the secrets you learned from 
the Ancients."

"Oh, how cliché can you get? I suppose this is the part where you rant 
and rave about torturing me and the Spanish Inquisition. What? No comfy 
chair? Oh, but I forgot. 'NO one expects the Spanish Inquisition.' Go to 
hell, you dickhead!" The quote I'd used acted just like bullet shampoo 
and went way over his head. Guess he didn't watch too much British TV.

"No matter, I really didn't expect you to just give me the information. 
You know, your refusal just makes this a little more interesting for me. 
Because, I will get what I want, Jack. I always do. And when I've gotten 
what I want, Ba'al will get what he wants," he said with a knowing smirk. 
I froze at the mention of that Snake's name. Even after two years, I 
still hadn't gotten over what he'd done to me in his House of Horrors. 
The memory of it still caused my stomach to clench with fear. 

"Do you know what Ba'al wants, Jack? He wants you. Imagine that. In fact, 
he wants you so badly that he's willing to make a deal with me. Would you 
like to know what it is?"

"Are you nuts, Kinsey? Making a deal with those snakeheads is suicide. 
They'll turn on you in a heartbeat. Those snakes were selling each other 
out when our ancestors were still climbing out of the trees, you moron! 
What the hell did that scum-sucking Snake promise you?" I shouted.

"The safety of Earth, of course. That's all I've ever wanted. Money means 
nothing to me anymore. It's nothing compared to having power. That's what 
I get out of the deal, Jack. Power. No more President Hayes. Just 
President Kinsey. Ba'al promised me he'd take care of it after I deliver 
you to him. He's orbiting our planet in his cloaked Mothership right 
now."

"You stupid bastard! Don't you get it? Those snakes don't keep promises 
any better than you do. Your little bargain will put our entire planet at 
risk. What's to stop him from taking over and throwing you out on your 
yellow ass once he has me? Huh? Did you even stop to consider that? Well, 
you should, because it isn't just me I'm talking about here. Everyone 
will lose, except Ba'al. That includes you too, Kinsey. What's to stop 
him from killing you once he has me? Huh? Because he will. You can count 
on it." My yelling had left me panting on the table. Crap! It looked like 
Jack was up a shit creek without a scoop and there were a whole shit-load 
of people in the same boat with me. 

"Doctor, I suggest we get started as Jack is getting overly excited." I 
twisted my head to the side to get a better look at what the mad 
scientist wannabe was doing. With dread, I watched as he injected a 
syringe of clear fluid into my IV port. 

Its effects were immediate. A warm tingling feeling stole over my body 
and I had trouble keeping my eyes open. My mind was feeling fuzzy and it 
was hard to think straight. I kept struggling to keep my eyes open, 
although I couldn't remember why it was so important that I do that. 
Through the drug-induced haze, I heard a voice.

"He should be ready soon, Mr. Smith."

"Good, inform me when he's ready. I have some arrangements to make." The 
voices faded away, and I felt like I was floating. Time was meaningless 
and nothing seemed real or important.

"Jack? Can you hear me, Jack? Answer yes if you can hear me." For some 
reason, it seemed vital that I reply. I tried nodding my head and 
answered.

"Yes..."

"That's good, Jack. Now, I want you to listen to me. Your team is in 
trouble, Jack. Major Carter needs your help."

"Carter?"

"Yes, Jack. She needs to know about the Ancients. Tell me about the 
weapon in the Antarctic. It's important, Jack."

"I...What?"

"Major Carter needs to know about it, Jack."

"I'm...sorry, Carter, but I...can't." A part of me wanted to give them 
the information, but I couldn't, because I really didn't know what they 
were talking about. When I searched my mind for it, the information just 
wasn't there. Dimly, I heard a voice in the background. It sounded angry. 
Then, my body tingled and felt all weird again. My head started hurting 
and I couldn't keep my eyes open any longer. Somewhere, someone groaned. 
Then I heard nothing.

I awoke to hear arguing. My head was pounding so much it felt like the 
cannons from the 1812 Overture were going off inside it. My mouth felt 
like something furry had crawled into it and died. Tasted like it too. 
Still couldn't think very clearly. I tried opening my eyes.

"Can you hear me, Jack? Answer yes, if you can hear me." Automatically, 
my mind supplied the answer.

"Yes..." I whispered.

"That's very good, Jack. You must listen very carefully to me, Jack. 
Major Carter needs you to tell me about the Ancients. Where is the weapon 
you used against Anubis, Jack?"

"Carter?"

"Listen, Jack. Where are the weapons you used against Anubis?" continued 
the oily voice persuasively.

"I...don't...know," I murmured softly. Once again, I really couldn't tell 
them, because I didn't know what they wanted.

"You said this would work, Doctor. Why isn't it?"

"It should be working. He's on the highest dosage I've ever used on a 
test subject. Maybe it's because of his Special Ops training."

"Nonsense. He's just stubborn. Give him another dose, Doctor. Maybe then 
he'll talk."

"But, it could kill him." That was the oily-smooth voice and it sounded 
nervous. Somehow, I thought I should recognize the other one, but my 
thoughts were too slippery to pin down. I tried opening my eyes. When had 
they closed?

"I don't care if he dies! Give it to him, Doctor!"

"No! My Master desires him alive!" boomed a gravely voice that somehow 
made me shiver inside. 

The only person I could see in the room was a guy in a white lab coat. 
Everything seemed so dreamy, almost surreal. My thoughts still seemed to 
be bouncing around in my head like some kid's demented super ball. Since 
no one was asking me questions, I remained silent.

"Renek. I didn't expect you so soon." That voice had come from the guy in 
the observation room. By lifting my head a little, I could see him 
through the window. Standing beside him was big honkin' Hulk wannabe who 
looked like someone had pissed in his Froot Loops. Hurriedly, I dropped 
my head back down because the smallest movements made me feel dizzy and 
nauseous. The headache wasn't letting up any, either. 

Swallowing rapidly, I did my best to keep from puking my guts out, but it 
was a battle I was destined to lose. Turning my head to the side, I 
retched painfully onto the sheet beside my head, but the only thing that 
came up was bile. Guess there wasn't anything in my stomach to puke up. 
The dry heaves just made it more painful, though. When I tried curling up 
on my side to protect my aching stomach muscles, I discovered that I 
couldn't move my arms from my side. Restraints? When had those gotten 
there? 

Momentarily, my cramping muscles took my mind away from those questions. 
They were cramping so hard that it was hard to breathe and I could feel 
the puke drying on my face and in my hair. Finally, my stomach calmed 
down a little and I could catch my breath. Through the foggy haze in my 
brain, I could hear loud voices around me. They seemed to be arguing 
right next to my bed. When did that happen?

"You don't understand, Renek, I'm not finished with him yet. By the terms 
of our contract, Ba'al clearly agreed that he wouldn't get O'Neill until 
I was finished with him. General O'Neill hasn't told me what I want to 
know yet, so your Master will just have to wait." Suddenly, I heard the 
smack of a fist against flesh, followed by a startled yell and the sound 
of something hitting the wall.

"Be warned, foolish Tau'ri. My Master will not tolerate such impudence 
from a Has'shak fool such as you."

"But..."

"Silence, Shol'va! As First Prime of my Lord Ba'al, I have come to claim 
what belongs to him. Jaffa, kree! Bring the Tau'ri O'Neill to me. 
Tal'shak! Do it!"

"No, you can't! It's too dangerous to move him now because the drug could 
cause irregular heartbeat and respiratory fa..." The man in the lab coat 
grunted as he was slapped across the room to lie next to the other guy. 

My reverie was broken when I felt large, rough hands fumbling at my arms 
and legs, releasing the restraints. A sharp pain in my arm signaled that 
the IV had been jerked out. Then I felt myself being pulled roughly off 
the table. With one hulking guy on either side to hold me up, they 
dragged me toward their leader and followed him out of the room. I was 
still trying to get my feet under me so I could at least walk, but my 
legs weren't cooperating. 

The rest of the trip was pretty much a blur, so I must've passed out or 
something, because, the next thing I knew, we were outside in the 
nighttime air. My captors seemed to be in a hurry, and my bare feet were 
taking a beating, so I didn't have the time or energy to spare for any 
sightseeing. Soon after the four of us clustered into a tight circle, we 
were surrounded by a shaft of intense white light. As five silver rings 
appeared around us with a high-pitched whine, my surroundings 
disappeared. 

When the light and rings vanished, my guards started dragging me with 
them again. My legs still weren't cooperating, so I just let them carry 
my weight. Obviously, we were no longer outside. Looking blearily around 
me, I noticed that the walls around us were covered with gold and 
symbols. One part of my brain recognized it, but my thoughts will still 
so disordered that I couldn't quite understand what it meant. However, 
the sight of those walls made the hairs on the back of my neck stand 
straight up and my stomach start cramping again. 

Helplessly, I felt the bile rise once more in my throat. I tried 
swallowing it back down, somehow knowing that it wouldn't be a good idea 
of piss off my guards. But it was a lost cause. There wasn't a whole lot 
of anything to puke up, but the dry heaves still hurt like hell. And I 
was right about pissing off the guards. While one of them held me up, the 
one with the puke on him punched me in the stomach so hard I couldn't 
even breathe. 

Without missing a beat, they each grabbed an arm and continued to drag me 
down the hallway while I struggled to catch my breath again. It seemed to 
take forever, but I was finally able to draw some air into my lungs. It 
hurt like hell though. The floor under me shook as if it were being 
bombarded by something. Didn't distract the guards who were dragging me, 
though.

My thoughts still seemed hard to hold onto as they continued to careen 
wildly around inside my brain like a crazed squirrel on speed. For some 
reason, my body seemed to be getting weaker and more uncoordinated 
instead of stronger. It was even getting hard to hold my head up, so I 
just let it sag forward. The task of drawing air into my lungs was taking 
all my concentration anyway, so I ignored the passing scenery. It was all 
probably done in the usual over-the-top gold décor anyway. The floor 
shook a couple more times as we continued down the hall, threatening to 
throw us all to the floor.

When my escorts finally stopped, I was breathing in noisy, wheezing 
gasps. After they let go of my arms, I slumped to the floor onto my 
knees. Proudly, I tried my best to keep my face off the floor by propping 
myself up into a sitting position. Even that little action cost me and my 
breathing became even more ragged and labored. From the way that black 
and gray splotches were dancing in front of my eyes, I knew something was 
horribly wrong. Wait a minute, hadn't that doctor said something about 
how moving me could be dangerous? 

My heart seemed to be pounding so hard that my eardrums were in danger of 
bursting. The feel of a cold floor on my face made me aware that I'd lost 
the battle to remain upright. My arm hit the floor with a smacking sound 
when someone turned me over. This left me staring at the ceiling. A dark 
shape moved into my range of vision and I heard him speak in a deep 
echoing voice that filled me with a gut-wrenching fear.

"What is the meaning of this, Renek? O'Neill was to be brought to me 
alive."

"My Lord Ba'al. The Tau'ri Shol'va used a dangerous drug to interrogate 
him. He has been dealt with as you ordered."

"No matter, Renek," he replied as he bent over me and caressed my cheek 
with one hand.

"What a pleasure it is to see you again, Jack O'Neill with two L's. You 
will not escape me so easily this time. This, I promise you." He must've 
noticed that I could hardly draw any air into my lungs at all now and was 
breathing in short agonizing gasps.

"Jaffa, kree! Take him to the sarcophagus." Then my eyes widened as a 
blinding white light that brought a strange feeling of comfort invaded my 
senses and consumed everything. Charlie...!

                         *******************

When I opened my eyes, I was still surrounded by a glowing white light, 
but somehow, it didn't seem as comforting as what I'd experienced before. 
Turning my head slightly to the side, I could see that I was lying on my 
back in a rectangular box. The grating sound of stone rubbing on stone 
above my head provided me with a clue as to my whereabouts. Moving my 
head back to look upwards, I could see the top of my box splitting open. 
Memories came flooding back and made me gasp out loud. Ba'al! I was in 
his sarcophagus again. Did that mean I'd died? Ya think? Crap. That 
gutless bastard, Kinsey, had killed my ass. Just wait till I get my hands 
on him! 

Beyond the open lid, I could make out two dark figures looking down at 
me. Squinting my eyes, I tried to make them out, although I had the 
sinking feeling that I already knew their identities.

"The Tau'ri, O'Neill, lives, my Lord." That must be one of his Jaffa, 
probably his First Prime.

"Excellent, Renek. Have him prepared and brought to me in my chamber." 
Considering that I still heard it in my nightmares, I had no trouble 
recognizing that voice. There was no doubt in my mind that it belonged to 
Ba'al, a snakehead that made most Goa'ulds seem like a walk in the park. 

Two hulking guards pulled me roughly out of the box just in time for me 
to see him walk out the door with his First Prime. This is so not a good 
thing. Jack, you're really in deep shit this time. Just who's going to 
haul your sorry ass out of the fire this time? 

In hindsight, I realized that I'd seriously misjudged the tenacity of my 
enemies when I thought that I'd be relatively safe if I stayed on Earth. 
I'd made the erroneous assumption that the umbrella of protection 
provided by being in the good graces of President Hayes would be enough 
to discourage any of the homegrown bad guys from trying to grab me. To 
further complicate matters, I'd believed Thor's promise that the Asgard 
would watch out for me. My present circumstances were a painful 
illustration of what could happen when you underestimated the 
intelligence and hatred of your enemy. The promise of protection from the 
President and the little gray guys hadn't been worth squat. 

Evidently, my guards thought I had an important appointment to keep with 
His High Royal Snakiness, because they didn't waste any time dragging me 
out of the room and into the hall. From the faint vibration I could feel 
in the floor, I guessed that I was aboard one of his ships and we were in 
hyperspace. The walls around me were covered in the usual 'kneel-before-
your-god' gold décor. Couldn't these guys be a little more original in 
their decorating? 

Glancing down, I discovered I was dressed in a chillingly familiar 
costume of matching brown pants and long-sleeved shirt. The floor under 
my feet felt cold. Guess their clothing allowance for prisoners didn't 
cover shoes. For once, I didn't annoy the hell out of my Jaffa companions 
with my witty repartee, knowing I needed to conserve my strength for the 
coming confrontation. I was so not looking forward to this. Crap.

Nervously, I plastered a fake smirk on my face, practicing for when I 
would have to make it look convincing for Ba'al. This wasn't an easy task 
because of the memories I held of all those times he'd tortured me to 
death. They were so fresh in my mind that it almost seemed like it had 
happened yesterday. Trying my best to prepare by emptying my mind, I felt 
a strange numbness settle over my body. It almost felt like I wasn't 
really there. The last time I'd felt that way was when I was recovering 
from my last visit with this particular Snake. 

Dr. Janet Fraiser had called it psychic numbing and assured me that it 
was actually quite healthy. She'd said it was the mind's way of dealing 
with experiences that were too painful to remember without going 
completely bonkers. Well, I guess whatever the hell I was walking into 
certainly qualified on all counts. Only trouble was, once the real pain 
started, I knew that this so-called psychic numbing wouldn't help at all. 
Nope, not one bit.

As we rounded a corner, I could see that my guards were leading me toward 
an open door. Gee, three guesses as to who was behind door number one, 
and the first two don't count. Turning to one of my guards, I started my 
song-and-dance number, hoping the Snake waiting for me would buy it. 
Somehow, I knew he wouldn't be fooled by my flippant, devil-may-care 
attitude, but I had to try.

"If you don't mind. I'd prefer to pick door number two," I commented with 
a smirk. The response was immediate, as well as painful. His First Prime, 
Renek, greeted me at the door with his fist. This guy just did not have a 
sense of humor, I thought as I was dragged before the Head Snake. 
Hopefully, he hadn't broken my nose.

As was usual for all Head Snakes, he was seated on a throne-like chair, 
looking pleased to see me. Wonder if that was one of their rules? Let's 
see. How would it go? 'When meeting prisoners, always sit on your throne, 
speak with over-used clichés, and demand that they kneel before their 
god.' I'd heard their standard lines so often, I already knew them by 
heart.

"Yeah, yeah. I know. Kneel before your god, Tau'ri scum. Yadda, yadda, 
yadda. Right?" Noting with satisfaction the look of surprise on the 
Jaffa's faces, I allowed myself a moment of triumph.

"Well, here's my line. Go to hell, you snaky-assed son of a bitch!" I 
growled menacingly. Their response was also immediate and predictable. A 
staff weapon hit the backs of my legs, and I groaned as I sank 
unwillingly to my knees.

"Very good, Jack O'Neill with two L's. I like my prisoners to have 
spirit. It makes my...work...so much more...challenging and...enjoyable," 
Ba'al answered with a feral smile.

"Well, as I live and breathe. If it isn't my old pal, Base Ba'al. Oh, 
wait. I have you to thank for that. Don't I? Well, if it's all the same 
to you, I'll be on my way. Can't stand long drawn-out good-byes. You know 
how it is, places to go and people to see," I answered as I struggled to 
my feet. Didn't make it far though, not with those two goons leaning on 
my shoulders to keep me on my knees.

"Silence, Tau'ri," thundered Renek.

"Well, you know what, big guy? Never could follow orders very well. Just 
ask my boss." 

Movement jerked my attention back to the dangerous Goa'uld in front of me 
as he chuckled, low and deep. Rising from his throne, he moved down the 
steps toward me, eyeing me like a piece of meat. I tried to keep eye 
contact with him, but couldn't as he continued to circle around me like a 
great white shark, assessing its prey before the fatal strike. He stopped 
in front of me, still smiling and stroking his goatee. He chuckled again, 
low in his throat. God, how I hated that sound. That same evil sound had 
haunted my nightmares all too often.

"You have no idea how long I have waited for this moment, O'Neill. It is 
a pity, though, that such courage and vitality is wasted on such as you." 
Abruptly, he turned and returned to sit upon his throne.

"Time grows short, Colonel O'Neill. Tell me what you know about the 
Ancients and perhaps I can be persuaded to let you die a painless death." 
The smile was gone now. In its place was the deadly glare I was so 
familiar with.

"That's General O'Neill to you, Mr. Bocce Ba'al," I snarled between 
clenched teeth.

"Should that signify something to me? Perchance, your new title implies 
that you are even more valuable to me now than before. Hmm?"

"Bite me!" Crap. Once again I'd dug my hole even deeper by running off at 
the mouth.

"Ahh, but, General O'Neill. You should know by now that my methods 
of...persuasion...are not that...primitive." Oh yeah, I knew. As if I 
could forget just what his methods were when they involved pointy knives 
and dripping acid. Double crap. 

"Oh well, to each his own, I always say," I replied, trying to shrug 
indifferently but it was hard to do with those two goons leaning on me. I 
treated each one of them to one of my patented 'withering glares' but 
they didn't budge an inch.

"Do you guys mind? You aren't helping my back at all, ya know. And while 
you're at it, cut out the 'silence Tau'ri' crap. It's so cliché." 

Ya know? Jaffa just don't have any sense of humor at all. My first clue 
was when my nose was being ground into the floor and my mouth was 
bleeding. Gingerly, I probed my aching teeth with my tongue, checking for 
loose ones. Didn't feel like I'd lost any. Yet.

"Such spirit, O'Neill. But it is a wasted quality for you. Do not count 
on being rescued this time. While my ship has its shields in place, they 
are impenetrable by the Asgard transportation device. With the defeat of 
Anubis, all that was his is now mine. As for your Tau'ri friends, it is 
true that your primitive fighters attacked me while in orbit around your 
pathetic home world. However, my superior forces annihilated them all. 
You are all alone, Jack O'Neill, with two L's. And you are mine to toy 
with for as long as I wish." Once again, he stood and looked down upon 
me.

"Prepare him! Jaffa, kree!" he ordered as he snapped his fingers. Ya know 
what? Although it's a cliché, those guys really do jump when he snaps his 
fingers. So, I went along with my escorts as they half drug, half walked 
me out into the hallway and into another room. 

The minute I laid eyes on it, I knew that it wasn't a fun place for Jack 
O'Neill to be. This room seemed to be Ba'al's version of 'Play Land' and 
resembled the movie sets of medieval castle dungeons. All the usual stuff 
was there: manacles, chains, whips, knives, and a long table complete 
with restraints at each end. Didn't see a spider web thingy, though. As 
if he really needed it with all those other toys for him to play with. In 
short, everything that would make a sadistic, scum-sucking, slimy-assed, 
snakehead like Ba'al happy. Jack O'Neill was not a happy camper. Nope, no 
siree, bub. Not at all.

The Jaffa version of Twiddle-Dumb and Twiddle-Dumber led me over to the 
table. Sure, I fought them every step of the way, but it didn't do any 
good because I was still recovering from the sarcophagus and feeling weak 
and disoriented. They threw me onto it lying face up and proceeded to 
restrain my hands and feet with the manacles. They even fastened an iron 
band around my waist. When they were finished, I couldn't move anything 
but my head, fingers, and toes. Those guys certainly knew their jobs and 
probably got a hell of a lot of practice at it. Wonder what their resumes 
looked like? When they stepped back, Ba'al's First Prime stepped forward 
and drew out a nasty-looking toad-sticker and held it near my neck with a 
grim smile.

"Whatcha doin, Red Neck? Afraid you'll miss out on some of the fun?" I 
smirked. 

He ignored my comment and used the knife to slit my brown shirt from top 
to bottom, deliberately nicking the skin on my stomach just enough to 
make it bleed. Then, he did the same with both the sleeves and threw the 
tattered remains of my shirt to the floor. The cut on my stomach was 
stinging, my face hurt, and I couldn't help the shiver that passed over 
my body. Yep, it was official. Jack O'Neill was in 'a deep state of oh-
shit'.

Thankfully, the Head Snake didn't keep me waiting for long. Not that I 
was in a hurry to get hurt. Don't get me wrong, I hate pain. In fact, I'm 
allergic to it. It's just that I don't do waiting well, because while I'm 
waiting for something to happen, no matter what it is, my mind is busily 
imagining all the terrible things that might occur. And my mind has a 
very fertile imagination. While the event is actually taking place, I can 
at least devise some way to deal with it, even if the only thing I can do 
is die. Besides, the ceiling in this room was BORING and lying spread-
eagled flat on my ass left me nowhere to look but up. My first clue that 
His Royal Snakiness was in the room was when I heard his First Prime snap 
to attention.

"The Tau'ri has been prepared according to your instructions, my Lord." 

Then, I heard two sets of footsteps coming toward me. Instead of turning 
my head to look, I just kept my eyes fixed on the ceiling. I knew who 
those footsteps belonged to and it sure wasn't the pizza deliveryman. 
There would be plenty of time for looking at my tormentors...later. I let 
the Snake speak first, knowing that he would. His huge, honkin' ego 
wouldn't let him wait. 

Behind him, I could hear the sound of equipment being moved. Oh joy. 
Well, at least they hadn't tied my head down. By banging it against the 
table, I could distract myself from the pain they would inflict. Don't 
laugh, it really works, and I had the sinking feeling that I was going to 
be banging away real soon. Ba'al didn't waste any time with chitchat and 
got right down to business.

"One last time, O'Neill. Tell me what you know about the weapons from the 
Ancients." 

"Afraid I can't do that, Skippy." By now, that Snake was standing right 
next to me, looking down into my face with that nasty, evil smile of his.

"How should we start this time? Knives?" he asked.

As he had turned his face to the side, he didn't seem to be watching me 
at that moment, but I knew that he was. He wanted to gauge my reaction to 
the various play-toys he was naming off. Therefore, I was trying to keep 
a poker face so as not to give anything away. But, let's face it. He knew 
how to get to me, as we'd danced to this music before. We both knew that 
it was all just part of the game. He continued rattling off ways to get 
me to talk, in an effort to shake me up.

"The branding iron, perhaps? No? Maybe the Tal'vic Acid...?" He smiled 
when he saw me cringe. I knew it was coming and I really tried to stop 
the flinch, but it was a purely reflexive reaction on my part. Huffing 
the air out of my mouth, I began to prepare myself. When things had 
gotten bad in the past, I'd developed the ability to zone out. It was 
kind of like retreating to a part of your head where the pain wasn't so 
bad anymore.

"Ahh. So it will be the Tal'vic Acid. An excellent choice. This acid is 
my own special mixture, blended so that it does not eat its way through 
the body too quickly. It burns just fast enough to...magnify...the agony 
to exquisite proportions." Yep, this guy could teach a few things to the 
Iraqi's. Not that I was going to provide him with a job reference. Now, 
he was watching me again, and held that damn bottle of liquid fire right 
over my chest.

"Tell me about the weapon." He upended the bottle and squeezed out a 
single drop.

Drip. Just like before, it began with a tickling sensation, which grew 
into an itch, and then erupted into a burning pain that wouldn't stop. 
Biting my lower lip with my teeth, I tried to prevent the moan that 
wanted to leave my mouth. The head banging had started.

"Urgh."

"Where is the weapon, O'Neill with two L's? If you tell me, I will give 
you the antidote." Now, he was holding a bottle in each hand, knowing 
that it would make my silence that much harder to maintain. 

"No? Very well, then." 

Drip. 

"Arrgh!" This time I couldn't stop my outcry and banged my head again. My 
wrists and ankles felt raw, from jerking repeatedly against the 
restraints. The acid was slowly eating through my lungs and it was 
getting harder to breathe. 

"You've already used it on Anubis. What harm can come of telling me about 
a useless tool that has served its purpose?"

"I...don't...know," I ground out between clenched teeth. 

Oh God, it hurt! Just like before, the acid had spread to my bloodstream 
and I could feel it burning through my veins. I coughed and tasted blood 
in my mouth, so I spat it at him. Didn't hit him though, as I didn't have 
any umph behind it. Got to be able to breathe to spit for distance. 
Although it did make me feel good to see him flinch away. Then, the sneer 
was back on his face again.

"Tell me and I will reward you with the antidote," he continued 
reasonably. I just shook my head, not having the breath left to speak. 

"You pathetic Tau'ri have such fragile bodies," as he set one of the 
bottles down on the table behind him.

"It is so easy to kill you. A little acid...." Drip. "...Here and..." 
Drip. "...There. And it's..." Drip. "...Over." With each pause, he chose 
a different spot on my torso to anoint with his most unholy potion

"Noo!" I whimpered.

"Tell me about the weapon. Then, I will stop." Shaking my head again, I 
only had enough breath for a whisper.

"No..." From prior experience, I knew that the end was close. The end of 
this session, but not the final one. I only could hope that it would all 
finally end soon and I would be allowed to die one last time. But, with 
the luck I'd been having lately... 

The lighting in the room seemed to be getting dimmer and I could hear the 
sound of my heart thudding irregularly in my chest. It seemed to be 
beating slower with each passing second and my vision was fuzzy around 
the edges. Then the light came for me, just like before.

                         *******************

Part II

With a sudden gasp of breath, I regained consciousness in Ba'al's 
sarcophagus once more. Crap. This routine was getting old fast. I 
discovered I still was minus a shirt when I ran my fingers over my skin 
to check for damage. On the positive side, the charred holes in my chest 
from the acid burns were gone. They didn't hurt anymore either. 

As I became more aware of my surroundings, I realized that I was totally 
and completely butt-naked. As in naked as a jaybird, wearing nothing but 
my birthday suit, in the buff, and exposed to the world from the hair on 
my head to the tootsies on my feet. Crap! What the hell did they do with 
my damn pants? Shit, did I crap my drawers back there or what? 

All too soon, the grating lid separated noisily above me and let reality 
in. Did you know that reality can really suck sometimes? Well, it truly 
sucked for me right now. Twiddle-Dumb and Twiddle-Dumber were back and 
hauled me out of the box again. Did I mention that this routine was 
getting old? When I was standing back on my feet, another one of Ba'al's 
goons held out a black robe to me.

"You will clothe yourself in this, Tau'ri. My Lord Ba'al has ordered it."

"Uh, no. It's just so not me," I stated. "Do you have it in a green?" 
Behind me, I heard the unmistakable sound of a staff weapon charging and 
felt it being shoved against my back.

"All right, all right. Don't get your shorts in a wad; I'll put it on. 
While we're on the subject, where are my pants?" I got nothing from them 
but a stare and silence. "Oh, come on, at least give me some boxers to go 
with this thing," I grumbled. The staff weapon kept poking me in the back 
and no one said a word.

"OK, OK! I get the message, no boxers," I muttered. No shoes either. 
Crap.

My two goons let go of my arms one at a time, just long enough for them 
to pull the robe over my head. Briefly, I considered trying to take them 
out, but decided that the odds were very, very bad. In short, they 
sucked. Welcome to my sucky world. Did I mention that my life sucked? 

After they pulled the damn thing on, I saw that it looked kind of like a 
caftan thing and reached past my knees. It felt soft and silky and was 
definitely not the standard wear for prisoners. Ooh, this was so not 
looking good for yours truly. Once I had it on, my goon guards walked me 
out the door into the hallway with the extra guy and his charged staff 
weapon right behind us.

"Aww, for crying out loud," I muttered. "Here we go again." 

I was escorted to the throne room by Twiddle-Dumb and Twiddle-Dumber, but 
we didn't stop there. Our progress continued past the vacant throne and 
through another doorway. I kept trying to memorize all the places that 
I'd been, on the off chance that the opportunity to escape would present 
itself. It didn't. Crap.

What I could see of this latest room didn't exactly fill me with 
overwhelming joy and confidence about my immediate future, either. 
Situated in its center was a long rectangular block of polished black 
stone. Over it was hanging some very expensive looking lamps. Ba'al was 
standing at the head of the stone thing and smiled evilly when he saw me 
escorted in by my guards. His First Prime and another important-looking 
guy wearing a fancy robe was standing next to him holding a clay urn. 
When I saw the urn, the hairs on the back of my neck stood straight up. 

OH! MY! GOD!! They couldn't be thinking what I think they are thinking. 
Could they? Ya think? I tried to put on the brakes and halt my progress, 
but it didn't do me any good. Just got my arms bruised up. By now, 
several more Jaffa had come to join the party and I was completely 
surrounded. The Jaffa wrestled me to a halt when they'd manhandled me 
over to the side of the altar-thing furthest away from the door. I 
couldn't help looking longingly toward the door and my only avenue of 
escape. 

Ba'al nodded his head to Renek and he stepped over behind me and raised 
his big knife again. Holding it against the back of my neck he used it to 
slice through the back of my robe and then the sleeves. The robe covering 
me fell to lie in a puddle of shimmering black around my feet, leaving me 
totally and completely exposed. Literally and figuratively. Pimply goose 
bumps sprang up on my arms and back and I couldn't stop a shiver from 
rippling through my body. My pucker factor was at a ninety-nine and my 
balls felt like they were trying to climb up inside my groin. I didn't 
blame them a bit. Ba'al's eyes glittered with speculation as he walked 
toward me stroking his beard. He stopped, just out of reach from any 
attack I might attempt. As if my guards would let me.

"Your body is strong, O'Neill. It bears many scars telling of successful 
battles. It is the body of a warrior."

"Yeah, well, it's not in that great a shape. The knees are shot, the back 
is just about gone, and the hair's all gray now. The shoulder acts up 
when it rains too. Not exactly a turn-on for the ladies, you know," I 
commented disparagingly. 

I continued to struggle against the Jaffa holding me, but it was a 
useless exercise. There were just too many of them and they obviously 
weren't planning on me going anywhere. Still keeping his distance, Ba'al 
walked a slow circle around me looking me over and stroking his goatee. 
When he returned to stand in front of me, he had a predatory smile on his 
face and my death in his eyes.

"Jaffa, kree! Prepare him!" he ordered loudly. 

Cursing, I intensified my struggles, but with all the extra manpower, I 
was pretty out-numbered. When I tried to get in some kicks, they just 
grabbed my legs, picked me up, and laid me on the top of the stone altar, 
face up. The black stone felt cold and unyielding against the bare skin 
of my back. Hidden restraints were produced to encircle my wrists and 
ankles, leaving me spread-eagled, like before. God, I was beginning to 
hate this position. 

My teeth were clenched so tightly the muscles in my cheeks ached. I was 
doing that to prevent the scream in my throat from escaping. Twisting and 
jerking at the restraints was a waste of my time and energy, but I had to 
check out all my options. Let me tell ya, my options were looking pretty 
damn poor at that point. The Goa'uld had moved to stand next to my head 
and was smiling again. When he reached down to caress my cheek with his 
hand, I jerked my head away from his touch.

"General Jack O'Neill, I have often wondered just what the outcome would 
be if you were made a host. However, I also had to consider the 
possibility that, as a Goa'uld, you could become a significant threat to 
me."

"You're damned right, you scum-sucking, snaky-assed, reptile-house 
reject. The first thing I'd do is take you out!" I snarled between 
clenched teeth. By now, sweat was pouring down my face and my heart felt 
like it would hammer it's way out of my chest.

"Yes, I thought as much," he continued smoothly. "So, you see, I had a 
problem without an apparent solution. After much consideration, I reached 
a very satisfying...conclusion. Actually, you yourself were my 
inspiration. When you refused to tell me about the Ancients, I realized 
that if you wouldn't give the information to me, then I would have to 
go...get...it...myself." His eyes flashed as he smiled at me again.

"Don't do this, please!" 

"O'Neill with two L's, meet your God, Ba'al with two A's," he announced 
with a triumphant smile as his eyes glowed once again. 

"Nooo!"

I screamed and bucked wildly in a last ditch effort to get off that damn 
stone block, but it was no use. The restraints were too tight. As I 
watched with growing horror, Ba'al walked to a waiting chair and seated 
himself. The guy in the fancy robes, his priest I guess, knelt in front 
of him holding the urn. With an unholy screech, the symbiote slashed its 
way out the front of the host's neck and was guided into the jar. Without 
the symbiote to keep it alive, the body of Ba'al's former host collapsed 
in upon itself, leaving behind nothing but a crumpled and bloodstained 
heap of clothing. At this point, a paralyzing fear held me motionless in 
its grip, kind of like the deer that freezes in the lights of an 
approaching car and gets turned into road-kill.

Renek had moved up to stand beside my head in order to allow the priest 
to stand next to my chest. Then the priest reverently lowered the jar and 
tipped it, allowing its deadly contents to spill onto my bare chest. The 
screeching symbiote slowly slithered up my chest, taking its time. It 
looked huge. My eyes were fixed on its progress until I felt Renek grab 
my head, forcing it to turn to the side. With a final shriek, the Snake 
struck and sliced open the skin on the back of my neck, forcing it's way 
into my body. I screamed, long and hard until my voice gave out. 

Opening my mouth, I tried to scream again, but nothing came out. Gasping 
in terror, I tried again, with similar results. Crap, he must've grabbed 
control of the nerves to my vocal cords as soon as he wrapped his snaky 
self around my spine. When I'd been snaked by Hathor, the symbiote had 
been relatively young and inexperienced, which gave me a fighting chance 
against it. Ba'al however, was very experienced, and knew exactly what he 
had to do to establish his dominance as rapidly as possible. 

As if from a distance, I realized that the restraints were gone and my 
wrists had been crossed on top of my chest. There was no need to for them 
anymore as my enemy was inside me, and I had nowhere to go. A silky black 
sheet had been draped over my lower body and I could feel that demon in 
snakeskin wriggling around in my neck and back. 

When I lost all sensation in my body, I knew he must've sunk his teeth 
into the base of my brain. My entire world had narrowed to my frantic 
thoughts and an inner image of myself. In my mind's eye, I saw myself 
running through doors and barricading them from the rampaging monster 
that sought to possess me. His shrieks and threats echoed in my mind and 
filled me with terror. The most important battle of my entire life had 
begun with the stakes being the ownership of my body. It was a 'winner-
take-all' fight and the stakes were definitely stacked heavily against 
me. Hell, I would've bet against me

"Kneel before your God, pathetic Tau'ri. You are no match for my infinite 
powers. As long as you refuse to submit to me, your body will experience 
immense pain for I rule over it now. Your God will triumph in the end."

The door in front of me bulged on the verge of collapse, so I turned and 
ran to the next one and slammed it behind me. Once again, I locked and 
bolted it, but I knew that door would soon give way too. I was losing. 
Crap. What I would do for some C-4 right now.

"Will this do, Jack?" came a voice from behind me. Startled, I spun 
around and gaped at the scene in front of my eyes.

"Kawalski? Charlie Kawalski? Is that you? What the...?" Automatically I 
caught the square of high explosive in my hands and began molding it to 
fit around the edge of the door. 

"Got a detonator, or a fuse? Either one will do," I added. Maybe later I 
could take the time to figure out this crazy scenario. Right now, all I 
knew was that I'd been given the chance to delay that Snake crawling 
around in my head, and I wasn't about to pass it up.

"Hey, O'Neill. Catch," suggested my dead friend as he tossed some wire 
and a detonator my way. Expertly, I added it to the explosive, fixing it 
to detonate when the door finally gave out. Taking a moment, I bent down, 
leaning my hands on my knees to catch my breath. Yep, this really makes 
sense, Jack. Here you are, inside your own head, and you've just planted 
enough explosive on that door to blow your brains all the way from here 
to Netu and back. Wait, we already blew up Netu. Didn't we? Bad example.

At that moment, I noticed I was wearing my fingerless gloves and olive-
drab combat pants. Hell, I even had on my boots, a black t-shirt, my cap, 
and the cool black vest that had a gazillion pockets. As my eyes moved to 
inventory the contents of the rest of the room, I discovered I was 
standing in the Armory at the SGC. It was stocked brim full of all the 
weapons, equipment, and ammo. I would need it all if I had a prayer of 
limiting the amount of control the Snake had over me. Sweet.

"Need some help, Jack?" asked Dr. Janet Fraiser with a big grin. 
Lieutenant Elliot was standing behind her with a P-90 in his hands and 
they were both dressed for field duty right down to the boots on their 
feet.

"Is it just me, or does anyone else here think this is very, very weird? 
Oh, for crying out loud, you guys are all dead. Why am I asking you? No 
offense guys. OK?" I remarked.

"None taken, Sir," Elliot commented as he moved around the Doc to hand me 
the P-90 and a couple of grenades. After I slipped its black carrying 
strap around my neck, I started loading my pockets with all the weapons 
and ammo I could get my hands on. No telling if I'd be able to make it 
back to this room in the future once I left it. Sure, all this seemed 
crazy, but right now I didn't give a shit. If it gave me a fighting 
chance against that monster, I'd take it in a New York minute. Yes sir, 
you betcha, and three bags full, Sir.

Another thud on the door that almost shook it from it's hinges reminded 
me that I needed to get the hell out of Dodge. Frantically, I looked 
around the room. When I didn't see another exit, I remembered that the 
SGC Armory only had one door. The Snake continued to hurl insulting 
taunts at me, and for a moment, I listened to them.

"Submit to me, Tau'ri, and save yourself from so much pain. Your pitiable 
efforts are no match for my superior intellect and power. Why prolong 
your agony, when we both know I will prevail in the end." As I listened, 
the images of my dead friends shimmered and almost faded from my sight.

"Don't pay attention to him, Jack. His words give him power over you. As 
long as you don't listen, you can fight him. You can't give up now, 
Jack," Janet said in her most encouraging tone.

"Why shouldn't I, Doc? You and I both know that this is a battle I can't 
win. Just how long do you really think I can hold out aganst this thing 
in my head, huh? Because, I don't think you understand just what it's 
like to get snaked. This is my head we're taking about here, Janet, not 
yours." The thuds against the door beside me were getting louder and 
stronger and I knew it wouldn't hold the Snake back much longer.

"You're right, Jack. The Doc doesn't understand what it's like. But, I 
do, Jack. You know I do, because you were right there with me up until I 
died," Kawalski stated firmly.

"Jack, you don't have to hold out forever. What you don't realize is that 
help is on the way. Thor and your team are planning a rescue right now. 
You just have to hold out until they can free you," added Fraiser.

"What? Thor is coming here?" I asked. Crap, this was getting way too 
confusing.

"Dad!" At that familiar sound, my body spun around. Standing in front of 
me was my son, Charlie. Did I mention that this was getting confusing?

"Dad, we don't have much time. Come on, there's another door over here. 
See?" 

Like a sleepwalking zombie, I allowed him to lead me across the room and 
through an open door that shouldn't have existed. Then, my friends locked 
it behind me. My son didn't let me stop there, though. His tight grip on 
my hand kept me following him through twisting corridors that made no 
sense, until I had no idea where we were. Judging by the gray walls 
around me, I figured we were still underground at the SGC, but beyond 
that, I didn't have a clue. He must've noticed the puzzled look on my 
face, because he stopped and let me catch my breath. I figured now was as 
good a time as any to find out just what the hell was going on.

"Could somebody here please tell me what the hell is going on and explain 
why I have a bunch of dead folks traipsing around inside my head? Or have 
I finally gone completely bonkers?" It was my son, Charlie, who spoke up 
first.

"We could see you were in trouble, Dad. We're here to help you out."

"Can dead guys do that? I thought you had rules against that," I 
answered.

"I think you're referring to Oma Desala, Jack," corrected Janet. "We 
didn't ascend, so we don't have to go by their rules." 

"Ah!"

"We do have our own set of regs, but they aren't as strict as the one's 
Daniel had to go by. We're here to act as your guides," stated Kawalski 
helpfully. Crap, this stuff was getting more and more baffling by the 
minute.

"So, you're my guides?" I asked disbelievingly.

"Yes," they chorused.

"So, guide me the hell out of here and get that fricking Snake out of my 
head."

"That's not the way it works, Jack," explained Janet.

"Of course, it doesn't. Let me guess...more rules. Right?"

"Right, Dad. We're here to guide you to a 'safe place' where you can hang 
out until you're rescued by Thor."

"Guys, in case you haven't noticed, we're not really at the SGC. We're 
inside my head. Jack O'Neill's head, to be exact. Only, I have a roommate 
who doesn't DO sharing. So, what you're saying is that it's your job to 
guide me to some sort of hideout where I can kill time until Thor shows 
up to bail my ass out. Is that what you're telling me?" They all nodded 
their heads.

"Could somebody please tell me where this 'safe place' of yours would be? 
It's not as if I can slither out my ear and run off to hide someplace. 
I'm not a Snake, you know. At least, not yet. And then, there's the 
little complication about my impending rescue. Do my team and Thor know 
that I've got a Snake in my head now? That little detail is an important 
one, because I have the feeling that Ba'al doesn't want to be rescued. 
And that could be a problem. Don't ya think?"

"Dad, listen to me. I know it sounds crazy..."

"Ya think?"

"Stop it, Dad. This is serious stuff. Remember how Thor locked away all 
that stuff from the Ancients you got downloaded with? Well, he locked it 
away from you by creating a kind of separate section inside of your head 
for all that stuff."

"That's the hideout? You've got to be kidding me. Right?"

No, Jack. Pay attention to us. Thor knew that he had to do something to 
keep all that data from killing you, so he created a barrier between it 
and the rest of your mind. That way, you could access the information 
when you needed it, and it wouldn't kill you," explained Fraiser 
patiently.

"So, your job is to get me past this barrier thing so I can hide out from 
Mr. Snakehead. Right?"

"Exactly, Dad." In the distance, I could make out the sounds of a very 
pissed off Snake and I knew if he caught up with me, I was toast.

"Just exactly where is this 'safe place' you keep yapping about?" I 
asked. Kawalski answered me.

"It's on the roof of your house, Jack," stated my dead friend in a matter 
of fact voice. 

"You've got to be kidding! On my roof? Just how the hell am I supposed to 
defend the top of my house?"

"Please, Dad? It's not a good idea to hang around here. We can't stop 
yet."

"Wait a minute, Charlie. Would somebody please explain how the top of my 
roof could be this so-called 'safe place'?"

"Think about it, Jack," Janet suggested. "Where is the one spot we could 
always find you when you were having a rough time? Your rooftop 
observatory was the one location where you always went to chill out and 
relax. After a rough mission, you would go there to think things over and 
look at the stars. Right?"

"Umm, yeah," I agreed cautiously. She took that as permission to continue 
her explanation.

"Jack, your safe haven isn't so much about location, or its strategic 
value. It's more about you and your own methods of dealing with all the 
horrible things that you've had to endure. With Daniel, his 'safe place' 
would probably be in his office surrounded by his artifacts and a full 
coffee pot. Sam's would be in her office working on a nacquada generator 
and eating chocolate. Do you understand how it works now, Jack?"

"Yeah, I think I do. So how do we get there from here? From the way it 
looks to me, we're still deep under Cheyenne Mountain."

"That's the easy part, Dad. Just imagine that you're there, and you will 
be."

"What?"

"Jack, remember all of this is inside your head. So, just envision how 
your rooftop observatory looks, and tell yourself you want to go there," 
coaxed Doc Fraiser. 

To better concentrate, I closed my eyes, and tried to picture the night 
sky above my observatory on top of my house. It worked because when I 
opened my eyes, it was to see the intoxicating view of the starry night 
sky above Earth. We were all standing there and I'll admit I had a big 
shit-eating grin on my face. 

Fortunately, for me, I'd imagined how it was to be there on a warm summer 
evening and not in the middle of a howling Colorado blizzard. Guess that 
was one of the advantages of being inside your own head. You get to make 
the rules. That is, unless you had a Snake infestation problem. And I 
did, that's why I was hiding out on my roof, talking to a bunch of dead 
guys.

"OK, kids, I got us to my roof. Now what?" Nervously, I started to pace, 
which is a hard thing to do when you're sharing the top of your roof with 
a bunch of your friends who just happen to be dead. I felt a tug at my 
shirt and looked down into my son's upturned face. He looked worried.

"Dad, come over here with me and sit down. Then we can talk." With a 
weary sigh, I let him lead me over to a couple of lawn chairs and sank 
bonelessly down into one of them. Crap! This had been one hell of a week. 
Or had it been longer? Suddenly, all the energy I'd used to keep me going 
up till now, leaked out of my body and left me wanting to sink to the 
floor and curl up into a ball. When I felt a soft hand on my shoulder, I 
looked up into the compassionate brown eyes of Dr. Fraiser.

"OK Jack, I'll try to explain it the best that I can. It might be easier 
if you just ask us questions and then we'll try to answer them." Crap, I 
had so many questions whirling around in my head. How could I hold onto 
one long enough to ask it? I'd felt like I was on my own through all this 
crap. Where could I start?

"OK, Janet. You guys told me earlier that Thor and my team were planning 
a rescue. Right?" They all nodded in agreement.

"How did they track me down? Kinsey told me Carter's gadgets couldn't 
find the underground bunker where he'd stashed me. From there, I got 
ringed up to Ba'al's' ship. Everything happened so fast that I didn't 
have a chance to leave any notes or a even trail of breadcrumbs to 
follow."

"Is it OK if I bring him up to date?" asked my friend, Kawalski, with a 
serious look on his face. Since no one objected, he continued with the 
story. Maybe I would finally get enough info to make some kind of sense 
of the mess I was in.

"To make it easier to follow, I'll start with when you got grabbed by 
Kinsey. He had some goons waiting for you when you got home late that 
Friday night. They shot you with a tranquilizer gun as you stepped out of 
your truck and then threw you into the back of their SUV. Since it was so 
late at night, nobody saw it happen, and you weren't missed until the 
next day." I nodded my understanding. So far, it was making a horrible 
kind of sense.

"So, how did they figure out that I was missing?"

"Daniel and Teal'c stopped by your house that next day, Saturday 
afternoon, to invite you out for a steak dinner at O'Malley's. They knew 
something wasn't right when your truck was sitting in the driveway but 
you were nowhere to be found. Daniel got on the phone with Colonel 
Feretti and Major Carter. He ordered the place cordoned off by a bunch of 
SF's, but it was Teal'c that found the clue you left for them."

"Huh? What clue?" I asked with a puzzled look on my face. I didn't 
remember leaving any clue.

"After you got darted, you managed to pull it out of your shoulder before 
you passed out. The goons who grabbed you didn't see it because it rolled 
out of your hand and under your truck. Teal'c spotted it and the SGC lab 
checked it out. Janet, you're the medical expert. Do you want to tell the 
next part?"

"Don't mind if I do, Sir. Lab analysis showed the drug on the dart was a 
type of anesthetic somewhat like curare. That's why you went down so 
fast. However, this particular drug originated from off-planet, so they 
knew to look for someone who had connections to the Stargate. In the 
meantime, President Hayes had informed them that Kinsey had dropped out 
of sight at about the same time you disappeared. Using satellite imaging, 
Sam was able to locate Kinsey's location by pinpointing the global 
positioning device on his vehicle."

"Cool. Way to go, Carter." Then Kawalski jumped in to continue the 
narrative.

"The President gave the SGC permission to send in a couple of teams to 
raid his facility. By the time they got there, you were already gone and 
Kinsey had skipped town. However, they did manage to catch the Doc that 
Kinsey was using for his little project. When they interrogated the 
Doctor, he told them about Ba'al ringing you up to his ship. It fit in 
with what NORAD had picked up on their radar. The snakes had to drop 
their shields when they ringed you up, so they were able to pinpoint 
their location above Earth. The President gave the go-ahead to launch a 
squadron of F-302's to intercept the ship and stop it from leaving orbit. 
From what I heard, they were able to get in a few hits before it went 
into hyperspace." Well, that explained a lot.

"Yeah, they did hit the ship a couple of times. I can remember feeling 
the jolts while they were dragging me down the hall. Wait a minute; you 
mentioned that Thor and my team have a plan to rescue me. Do they know 
that I've been snaked? That little bit of Intel might be important for 
them to know. Don't ya think?" When I saw them all exchange that 'look', 
I knew I wasn't going to like their answer. You know the one I mean. It's 
the significant pause that people exchange just before they have to tell 
you bad news.

"OK, so the good news is that Thor is on his way to beam my sorry ass the 
hell off this ship. Right?" They all nodded.

"And the bad news is..." Janet was the bearer of the bad tidings this 
time. 

"The Tok'ra are trying to find out what happened to you, but with the 
defeat of Anubis, all their usual operatives are out of touch. Thor and 
the Asgard Doctor, Eir, were able to confirm that you are aboard Ba'al's 
ship. They were able to accomplish this by tracking the locator beacon 
they installed in your body as part of the barrier protecting you from 
the download from the Ancients."

"Ernie's with Thor?"

"Yes, he is, Jack. He's been working with Thor to track down your 
whereabouts by using this homing beacon. The good news is that they were 
finally able to pinpoint the position of Ba'al's ship. Sam, Daniel, and 
Teal'c were beamed aboard "The O'Neill II" by the Asgard soon after Ba'al 
left orbit around Earth and went into hyperspace."

"OK, if Thor knows where I am, then why doesn't he beam me out of this 
joint? Come on. Spill it. I know there's something that you aren't 
telling me." They all did the 'significant glance' thing again.

"Oh, for crying out loud, people. Spill it. I mean, it's not as if it can 
get much worse. Can it?" Crap. No one was talking. Kawalski broke the 
silence.

"As long as Ba'al's ship is in hyperspace and has his shields up, Thor 
can't beam you out, Jack. That means that your team will have to find a 
way to get onboard so they can knock out the shield generator and the 
hyperspace crystals." I was speechless for a moment.

"So, all they have to do is sneak aboard and blow up the innards of the 
ship. Then Thor can beam me out. Only they don't know that I've been 
snaked and Ba'al is walking around in my body. Right?" I asked 
incredulously. They all nodded. 

"And that's their mission plan? Well, it's a crappy one. I've got to warn 
them somehow. I can't just let them walk into an ambush like that." I 
shuddered as I imagined the damage that Ba'al could do to my friends. No 
one said anything.

"In view of that, what's our plan to warn them about the new and improved 
Ba'al? How do we help Thor bust me out of here?" I kept looking at the 
friends, willing them to provide me with answers I wanted to hear.

"Dad, there's nothing you can do."

"What do you mean? If you think I'm going to let my friends walk straight 
into a trap, you've got another thing coming," I retorted angrily.

"Dad, listen to me. Ba'al controls your entire body now, except for this 
little spot inside Thor's barrier. If you move outside it, he'll know 
immediately and take you over. Don't you get it, Dad? Even if you tried 
to help them, Ba'al would stop you from doing it."

"OK, if I can't do it, then you can. Right? Can't you get word to them so 
they know what they're walking into?"

"No, Dad, we can't get word to them either. That's a little beyond what 
we're allowed to do. We would do it if we could, but we can't. I'm sorry, 
Dad. I really am." Those words knocked the wind right out of me and I was 
glad that I was already sitting down. If I weren't, I'd be sitting on my 
ass right now.

"OK...so if you don't have the power to warn them about me being snaked, 
how can you get away with advising me about Thor and his rescue? I asked.

"That's different," he argued.

"No, it's not."

"Yes, it is, Dad. We can give people information if they ask us for it. 
You did ask us to tell you," my son explained patiently.

"Oh, but if my team can't see you, how can they ask? Catch 22?" 

"That's right, Jack. Catch 22," Kawalski agreed with a shrug of his 
shoulders.

"Then, just what CAN you do?" I asked hopefully.

"Sir, what we can do is keep an eye on their status and report it to you, 
just like you asked us to," Elliot answered.

"So, you can do a little reconnaissance and keep me informed on their 
progress. Right?"

"That's right, Sir," replied the Lieutenant. Crap, I had to get him to 
cut out the 'Sir' stuff. After all, he was dead. What was I going to do 
to him, demote him?

"Elliot, you don't have to call me 'Sir' anymore. Just call me Jack. OK?" 
He gave me a big smile.

"Yes, S... Jack."

"Is there any way that I can help out while you guys are out doing a 
little recon? It would be helpful if I could see what that Snake has been 
doing since he took over the 'head office'."

"Sure, Jack. You can keep track of what he's been up to by looking 
through your telescope. You'll be experiencing the world through his, I 
mean, your senses while you're doing this. He shouldn't notice that 
you're spying on him as long as you're careful about it," explained 
Kawalski.

"Sweet. Now you're talking. Is there anything special I need to do while 
I'm checking things out? Oh yeah, and is there anyway to influence his 
actions?"

"You have to be careful about how you do it, Jack. As long as you watch 
him passively through your telescope, he won't know that you're spying on 
him. But, the minute you try to influence him in any way, he'll recognize 
what you're doing. Once that occurs, you open the door for him to take 
you over. If that happens, he'll be able to exercise complete control 
over you. Jack, you've got to bear in mind that Ba'al can manipulate all 
the nerve centers of your brain. The only part that he doesn't have 
access to is right here behind Thor's barrier. Although he's aware of 
this site and the information it contains, he can't hack into it, which 
does not make him a happy Snake. However, you've got to accept that his 
domination of your body is all-inclusive, Jack," explained Doc patiently.

"Do you really expect me to sit back and do nothing if I see that Ba'al 
is torturing one of my friends? For crying out loud, guys. You know me 
better than that."

"We can't tell you what to do, Jack. We can only advise you of the risks. 
The rest is up to you," replied Janet.

"Yeah, ain't it always? So...who's going to scope out Thor's ship? 
Elliot?"

"Yes, Sir. I mean, Jack."

"Kawalski, check out the status of Ba'al's ship and find out where the 
hell he's taking me. It would be a big help if you could eavesdrop on one 
of his strategy sessions. You know the kind of Intel I can use. Well, hop 
to it and report back to me ASAP." I was back in my element, mapping out 
campaign tactics. At least it gave me something to do and made me feel 
like I had some control over something.

"Yes, Sir," Elliot said and he snapped off a quick salute as he and 
Kawalski disappeared.

"And Elliot, no saluting." I swear I could hear an echo of him 
apologizing, but it was probably my imagination. That left just Janet, 
Charlie, and me in the little corner of my mind.

"What now, Dad?" Boy, could he read me like a book.

"Now, I do a little recon of my own and discover just what the hell that 
Snake has been doing with my body since he moved in. That's what. Janet, 
I'd like you monitor me while I'm doing this. Your mission is to keep an 
eye on me and haul me away from the scope if it looks like I might do 
something stupid."

"I've got to warn you, Jack. This could be pretty traumatic for you. Are 
you sure you're up to it?" asked Janet anxiously.

"No, but since when has that made any difference?" I replied bitterly. 
Charlie looked nervous and was dragging one of the chairs over to the 
telescope.

"Here, Dad, you can sit on this while you're looking. OK?"

"Yeah, Charlie. That would be great. Thanks, son." I walked over and 
enveloped him in a great big hug. 

Taking a deep breath, I sat in the chair and positioned myself in front 
of the telescope. It felt kind of weird to know that I would experience 
everything the Snake's doing with my body. Crap, it's still my body. 
MINE! And there had to be some way to retake possession of it. I could 
feel the comfort of two hands offering their support and friendship on my 
shoulders.

"Are you ready, Dad?"

"Yeah, I'm ready. Let's do this," I muttered as I looked through the lens 
of the telescope in front of me. The sudden assault on my senses stunned 
me and I jerked away in surprise.

"Whoa," I exclaimed.

"Are you OK, Jack?"

"Yes, Janet, it just took me by surprise, that's all. Give me a minute 
and I'll try it again." To prepare myself, I huffed a big breath of air 
out my mouth before looking through the lens again. This time I knew what 
to expect, so it wasn't quite as much a shock to my senses as my initial 
attempt had been. Still, it felt very, very weird.

Apparently, Ba'al was in his bedroom getting dressed. Only, he wasn't the 
one doing the dressing. A couple of his female slaves were all over him, 
pulling on all his clothes and I do mean ALL. As in, from the skivvies on 
up. The only thing he did was stand there, letting them do all the work. 
That, and slap them around whenever one of them screwed up. 

As was usual for him, he was wearing black pants and an ankle-length silk 
brocade jacket with lace peeking out of the neck and cuffs. Lace? On my 
body? Crap, Jack O'Neill wearing lace was just wrong, on so many levels. 
And what was this thing he had about wearing black? Did he think it made 
him look like a cool dude, or what?

After he'd been dressed, he stood in front of a mirror and twisted and 
turned to admire himself. Then, he crossed his arms over his chest and 
his, no, MY eyes flashed. The sight of my own brown eyes glowing like 
that was almost more reality than I could handle. With a startled cry, I 
jerked away from the telescope. Seeing my glowing eyes proved beyond the 
shadow of a doubt that I was host to a Goa'uld. I'd been turned into my 
deadliest enemy. I, Jack O'Neill, was a snakehead! For a while, I just 
sat there, staring out into space. Gradually, I became aware of a small 
body nestled into my lap. Charlie.

"Dad?"

"Yes, Charlie?"

"Dad, I know it's awful. More than anything in the world, I wish I could 
change what's happened. But I can't."

"It's not your fault, Charlie. I don't expect you to change what's 
happened. I'll just have to figure out a way to get myself out of this 
ungodly mess," I murmured. No pun intended.

Scrubbing my hands across my face and then through my hair, I leaned back 
in the chair with a weary sigh. Two small arms clutched my chest as my 
son wrapped them around me in a firm hug. My arms followed suit as I 
returned the gesture and he nestled his head on my chest. As father and 
son, we both just sat there like that for a while. I think we both needed 
to do that. Plus, it gave me a chance to regroup and catch my breath.

The disturbance began softly at first, like a whisper in the wind. Then, 
it got a little louder. Charlie sat up and looked at me funny when I 
cocked my head to listen better. I still couldn't quite make it out, and 
it was disturbing that it was even there at all; because I knew those 
mysterious whispers weren't part of the setting I'd created. Wasn't that 
barrier supposed to be secure and impenetrable? Standing up, I turned to 
scan my immediate surroundings. Nothing seemed out of place in my little 
hideaway. Then I heard it again.

"Did anybody hear that?" I asked.

"It's Ba'al," explained Janet.

"So he's figured out where I am. I thought that Snake couldn't penetrate 
Thor's barrier."

"Ba'al can use the nerve centers in your brain to infiltrate the barrier 
in much the same way as you were able to use the telescope to conduct 
surveillance on him," explained the Doc. Then, I heard it again, but it 
was louder and easier to understand what he was saying.

"Your God has come for you," it mocked hauntingly.

"Don't pay attention to him, Jack. If you listen, he can drag you out of 
here. Whatever you do, don't listen. Please, Jack," pleaded Janet. I 
looked at Charlie and he nodded his agreement emphatically.

"OK, so how do I ignore him? Put in earplugs? Put my hands over my ears, 
or what?"

"The best tactic is to keep yourself distracted by doing other things," 
she added. I tensed when I heard it again.

"It is pointless to conceal yourself from me. Your puny defenses cannot 
withstand your God's invincible power. You belong to me now, for I own 
you; mind, body and soul," he taunted. 

Plugging my ears didn't help, and holding my hands over them didn't 
either. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that he was already 
inside my head. With every word I heard, the images of my two friends 
wavered and my rooftop sanctuary became less substantial. Hoping the 
distraction would be successful; I dropped down on the floor and started 
doing sit-ups and counting the repetitions out loud. 

"One. Two. Three. Four..." It seemed to be working because I couldn't 
hear the Snake anymore. Unexpectedly, the house shook underneath us and 
my concentration was interrupted. I suppose that was the whole point. 
Then Ba'al struck again and I cried out.

"Arrgh!" It felt like every nerve in my body was on fire. He hit me with 
the pain again, and then, a third time. By my third outcry, my voice was 
so hoarse that it came out as more of a raspy croak. The Snake's voice 
was back too, and it was louder.

"I will continue to punish your body as long as you defy me. You know 
that you cannot withstand your God's superior powers much longer. 
Surrender to me and I will stop the pain."

"No," I whispered between clenched teeth. As if from a distance, I could 
hear my son's voice calling out to me.

"No, Dad. Don't answer him. He's using the pain to get through Thor's 
barrier. If you answer him, he..." I didn't hear the rest, because a 
fresh wave of pain hit my body, making me twitch and spasm violently. 

For a second, I wasn't on my roof anymore, but was lying on Ba'al's bed 
instead. Luckily, the image of my rooftop snapped back into place when 
the pain stopped. Curled up on my side, I panted in an attempt to regain 
my composure. Every muscle in my body was sore, and I couldn't seem to 
catch my breath. Suddenly, I realized that the entire SGC Guardian Angel 
Squadron was back. Guess Janet and Charlie had called for reinforcements.

"God, that hurt like a mother," I panted. "Would somebody help me up so I 
can get your reports? I think that Snake's got my number and I'm running 
out of time here." Between Kawalski and Elliot, they pulled me up and 
helped me over to a chair where I collapsed inelegantly into a heap. 

Then another spasm of pain hit me, and I curled up into a ball in an 
attempt to ride it out. When it eased, I uncurled just a little and 
called out to my companions in a raspy voice, but nothing came out of my 
mouth. Janet appeared at my shoulder holding out a tall glass of ice 
water to me. Gingerly, I raised my head to suck thirstily at the straw. 
The water soothed the abused tissue in my throat and felt good going all 
the way down to my stomach.

"Elliot...report." I figured if I kept my sentences short, my voice would 
hold out a little bit longer. 

"Thor's ship is continuing to follow Ba'al's Mothership through 
hyperspace, and they think he's headed for his home planet. According to 
their calculations, he should probably arrive there in a couple of hours. 
They figure he needs to consolidate control over his recent conquests and 
introduce his subjects to his new host. Your team..." I interrupted his 
report. The urgency of my message gave me the strength to get my point 
across.

"Ack! Stop! Don't tell me their plans. If I don't know what they're 
planning, then I can't spill the beans to Ba'al about them. Let's face it 
guys, I don't know how much longer I can hold out against him. Once he 
forces me to leave this place, he'll know every... Urgh!" I didn't get to 
finish, because another wave of pain rippled across my body. I curled 
into a ball again and moaned. Like before, the image of my immediate 
surroundings shimmered.

"God, Janet! Isn't there anything you can do to help me out here? Maybe 
some of your happy juice would help," I pleaded after the pain 
diminished. The feeling of blood trickling down my chin let me know that 
I had bitten through my lower lip.

"The symbiote is attacking you by stimulating the nerves in your spinal 
cord, Jack. His tendrils are firmly established in your nervous system 
now, so whatever he does will be harder to counteract. I can try giving 
you something to help you with the pain, but..."

"Just...do it, Doc. You've been...aching to jab one of your...needles in 
my butt...ever since we got here." I grunted in between panting breaths. 

"OK, Jack, but remember, you asked for it," she added teasingly. 

"Just hold still, Sir," she ordered with a smile. Instead of a small 
prick from the needle piercing my skin, I felt a soothing sensation, 
which rapidly spread, throughout my body. The pain was replaced with a 
sense of calm and reassurance.

"There, all done. Feel any better, Jack?" she asked.

"Yeah, a little. Thanks, Doc. Bet you never thought I'd ask you to jab me 
in the butt with one of your needles. Huh?" Slowly, I began to uncurl 
from my previous protective ball. 

"Yep! This is definitely a red-letter day for me, Jack. I'd better write 
this one down in my calendar," she replied with a teasing grin.

"By the way, what did you really do? We both know that you didn't exactly 
give me a shot back there."

"I laid my hands on you and gave you a boost of healing energy."

"You did? I gotta tell you, it felt great! How long will this so-called 
booster shot of yours last?"

"Not long enough, I'm afraid. Just like you guessed, it's only a 
temporary fix. It will hold off Ba'al for a while, but the more he 
stimulates the pain centers of your brain, the sooner it will wear off. 
I'm sorry, Jack. I wish I could do more," she apologized. 

Gee, even though she was dead, Doc was still in the healing business. I'd 
take her healing hands any day over those damn needles she used to stick 
in my ass! Resolutely, I directed my attention away from myself and back 
to my companions. I was certain that I was running out of time. 

"Kawalski, what can you tell me about that Snake's plans. It couldn't do 
much harm for me to know what he's up to," I ordered with a grim smile.

"Jack, Ba'al is heading for his home base to shore up all his defenses 
and bring his new conquests into the fold. According to what I could find 
out, he'll be dropping out of hyperspace in about an hour and a half. 
Once he's in orbit, he plans on ringing down to his stronghold and 
addressing his new subjects from there. He's also gone to the trouble of 
calling a meeting of all the remaining System Lords. If he can hold onto 
all the new technology he acquired when Anubis was defeated, he'll be in 
the position to take over the leadership of the System Lord's." I 
grimaced as another wave of pain rippled across my body, but, thanks to 
Janet, it wasn't anywhere near as painful as the previous ones.

"Good job, Kawalski and Elliot. If Ba'al is made the top dog of the 
Snakehead Social Club, everyone will be in jeopardy," I stated.

"Yes, Jack. One of the other reasons he's calling the meeting is to show 
off his new host."

"Well, that's not surprising," I joked. "I AM the infamous Jack O'Neill 
of SG-1, you know. A regular Snake exterminator extraordinaire!" I 
smirked.

"That's not all I found out. Once that Snake's manages to get the 
Ancients stuff from your head, he plans on using it to challenge the 
Asgard. If he does that, you can kiss the 'Treaty of Protected Planets' 
bye-bye," Kawalski reported grimly. 

Everyone there looked worried when they heard that news. The scary fact 
was that he could really challenge the Asgard if he got his hands on my 
Intel. Fortunately, Thor had stashed it safely away deep inside my head. 
My train of thought was interrupted by another wave of pain. This one was 
stronger, and had me curled up into a ball again. I couldn't hold back 
the groan the came out of my mouth. They all waited until I was able to 
speak again.

"So, guys...what's...the plan?" I croaked from my curled up position on 
the chair.

"Jack, the longer you can hold out against him, the more time your 
friends will have to come up with a plan of attack," Kawalski stated.

"Sounds, reasonable...so just how do I hold out against...this?" I 
whispered as another wave of fire rippled across my body. The sound of 
the Snake's voice had returned and I fought to keep the image of my 
sanctuary in front of me.

"Here, Jack, maybe this will help," Janet said as she laid her hands on 
me once again. It helped a little, but didn't seem as effective as the 
first time she'd done it. 

While I tried to get my breathing back under control, I remained in my 
fetal position. My friends were worried sick about me, I could tell. 
Well, crap, I was worried about me too. When I felt small hands cupping 
each side of my face, I knew it had to be Charlie's. By concentrating on 
his loving touch, I was able to open my eyes and hear his words.

"Dad, just hold onto me and whatever you do, don't let go. Do you 
understand? No matter what, don't let go!" he pleaded. 

I struggled to get to an upright position so my son could climb up onto 
the chair beside me. Luckily, it was just wide enough so he could snuggle 
up to my side. We sat there with our arms wrapped around each other, 
holding on for dear life. Literally. When the next wave of pain hit me, I 
struggled to concentrate on feeling my son's arms around me. It wasn't 
working, because the pain just seemed to keep going on and on, with no 
end. The Snake's voice was back too. The sound of my son's voice was 
intermingled with his threats.

"Dad! I love you, Dad! You've got to hold on. Please..."

"Submit to your God, impudent host. There is simply no way you can resist 
my awesome power. Your resistance is foolish and futile. When you 
surrender, the pain will cease. Don't you want me to end your suffering?"

I screamed hoarsely as another wave of agony engulfed my entire body, 
sending tendrils of pure fire through my every nerve. It was so brutal 
and relentless that my son's touch vanished, leaving me alone and more 
vulnerable than ever before. Desperately, I tried calling up the memory 
of his touch. Dimly, as if from a great distance, I could hear his voice 
calling out to me. I didn't dare open my eyes, because I knew if I did, 
my rooftop sanctuary would be gone.

"Charlie!" I whispered desperately.

"I possess you wholly now. Nothing of the host survives. There is only 
your God, Ba'al." 

"No," I whispered.

"Perhaps you require an additional demonstration of your God's absolute 
supremacy. Your impudence will be your undoing, weakling. Such ill-
advised behavior must be punished accordingly," he warned. 

Unexpectedly, I was plunged into total darkness where no sound, sight, or 
touch could intrude. I'm not really sure just how long he kept me there, 
but enduring it wasn't a walk in the park. That's for damn sure. Total 
sensory deprivation is no fun at all. Abruptly, my solitude was broken by 
the Snake's voice.

"I have your companions. They walked right into my trap, just like I 
planned. Open your eyes and you will see that it's true. Your God has 
triumphed, fool. You belong to me and I intend for you to remain my host 
for a long, long, time." Stubbornly, I just shook my head and tried to 
keep ignoring him.

"Pathetic host, why do you persist in your insolence? Perhaps you require 
additional...persuasion. Hmm? I have the female, Carter. Perhaps she 
would be suitable as my mate as I am in need of a new Queen. I believe 
that Daniel would make an excellent addition to my court as a slave. As 
for your shol'va friend, Teal'c, he will be added to my army of loyal 
Jaffa. Do as I command, and I will give them a painless death," the Snake 
continued. Reluctantly, I opened my eyes, as Ba'al had known I would. 
He'd known my price and had played his trump card.

When I looked around me, I realized I was looking through Ba'al's, no, my 
eyes at the kneeling figures of SG-1. He hadn't been lying when he said 
he'd caught them. As I was allowed to gaze down upon them, I could see 
they looked rattled. Obviously, none of them had known about my being 
snaked. My team seemed to be relatively unhurt, so they must have been 
taken completely by surprise. 

"Jaffa, take them away and have them placed in separate cells. Prepare 
the female to be presented to my Queen. Kree!" I could tell that his, no, 
my eyes flashed by the shocked look on my friends' faces. Yeah, you think 
you've got it bad. Just try seeing that crap from the inside. 

Then, my vision suddenly went black, as once more, Ba'al shut down my 
access to the outside world. None of my senses were receiving any input. 
I'd been educated about how the technique of sensory deprivation affected 
the victim when it was used as a form of torture as part of my training 
as a special ops agent. My instructors had even subjected me to it, in an 
effort to demonstrate how powerful a tool it could be. That little 
classroom demonstration had nothing on what I was experiencing now. It's 
one thing to experience it in the relative safety of the classroom 
setting. That lesson had left me feeling unsettled and anxious. What I 
was undergoing now started out as a feeling of anxiety and escalated on 
up to panic. The sound of my tormentor's voice was almost welcome in 
comparison. Even though I recognized that this was the exact reaction he 
wanted me to feel, my sense of relief was instantaneous.

"You see? When you cooperate, you are rewarded. When you do not, your God 
punishes you. It's actually quite simple. Don't you agree?" The blackness 
in front of me gradually lessened to be replaced by the awful sight of 
me, Jack O'Neill. Only it was a Jack O'Neill with eyes that glowed. It 
was an image meant to inspire fear in its victim and it was extremely 
effective. I struggled to mask it by my usual inane banter.

"Cut the crap, Mr. Basket Ba'al. You don't need to bother with the usual 
'kneel to your god stuff', because you and I both know that you're 
nothing but a scum-sucking parasite living off my body." It must've 
worked, because the sneer on his face was replaced with a snarl.

"You will suffer for your insolence, fool. Before long, you will beg for 
mercy from your God!" Once again, every nerve in my body seemed to be on 
fire. I could feel all my muscles jerking and shuddering with the agony 
he was inflicting upon me. 

Then, just as suddenly as it came, it disappeared, to be replaced once 
again by the black void where time had no meaning. Taking advantage of 
the momentary respite, I tried to calm myself enough to envision my 
rooftop sanctuary in the hopes that I could return. However, no matter 
how hard I tried, only the black abyss surrounding me remained. Possibly 
he was too busy elsewhere to bother with me right now, so I settled down 
to wait for whatever happened next.

Sometime later, a brief jolt of surprise and fear penetrated my prison of 
nothingness. Cautiously, I tried to pinpoint the source of these new 
emotions. After a quick inventory, I came to the conclusion that they 
hadn't originated with me. If they didn't come from me, then that meant 
they must've stemmed from my reptilian roommate. 

Following up on that train of thought, I made a mental list of things 
that would scare a Snake. The number one thing that every Snake feared 
was the threat from someone or something that was more powerful than it 
was. The only thing or person's I knew that fit that description were the 
Asgard. Thor? Strengthened by this knowledge, the darkness of my prison 
seemed easier to bear. Now, all I had to do was wait. And hope. 

                         *******************

Part III

The black void slowly dissipated around me. Just like all the previous 
times, sound penetrated my dark prison first. Running through a rapid 
check of my other senses, I realized I could feel myself breathing. 
Additional inspection, revealed that the surface I was lying on was 
smooth and soft. Upon further scrutiny, I discovered that the air against 
my skin felt warm. So far, things were looking promising. The next sense 
up for inspection was my eyesight. With considerable effort, I was able 
to discern a faint light through my closed eyelids. Cautiously, I sent 
the order for them to open and knew an indescribable moment of delight 
and relief when they obeyed my instructions.

Initially, I did nothing more than just lie there, enjoying the fact that 
my eyes opened and closed in response to my commands. Open...close. 
Open...close. They were obeying MY orders sent by MY brain, instead of 
being controlled by a snake in my head. Could this mean that I had my 
body back? I decided not to get my hopes up too much...just in case. 

Next time I opened my eyes, I could see the fuzzy image of a little gray 
alien. Blinking rapidly in an effort to clear my vision, the fuzzy blob 
resolved itself into the bug-eyed face of one of my Asgard friends, Thor. 
When I sent the order to my facial muscles to smile, I was rewarded when 
I felt my mouth curve into a grin. Sweet.

"Greetings, General O'Neill. I am pleased to discover that you have 
awakened at last. My colleagues and I have been extremely concerned for 
your welfare. I offer my most sincerest apologies that your rescue was 
delayed for so long." Thor's big eyes continued to look down on my face 
as he blinked slowly. If I'd had the strength to do it, I would've kissed 
him!

"'S OK, Thor," I croaked in a rasping voice.

"Howdy, Jack O'Neill! Am I glad to see you!" A smaller, but more vibrant 
face joined Thor's. It could only be my Asgard Doc, Ernie. I did my best 
to give him my biggest smile.

"Hey, Ernie," I whispered. I would've liked to say more, but my voice 
just wasn't up to it yet. My friends seemed to realize this, because a 
glass of water suddenly appeared in Ernie's hand.

"Care to take a sip, Jack O'Neill?" he asked while gently raising my head 
so I could get the straw in my mouth. Thirstily, I sucked at it and 
savored the delicious feeling of cool water saturating and soothing the 
dried out tissues of my mouth and throat. After a couple of sips, he 
gently withdrew the cup and laid my head back on the bed.

"Thanks a bunch, Ernie. I owe ya, pal," I told him. Since that was the 
longest sentence I'd spoken with my own mouth in quite awhile, I felt a 
sense of triumph. Maybe, just maybe, this nightmare was finally over. My 
inner elation was tempered by a vague sense of anger and dissatisfaction, 
but I couldn't quite pin-down its source, so I ignored it.

"O'Neill, your friends from SG-1 have been waiting to see you. Do you 
feel recovered enough to grant them a visit? They have been most anxious 
to speak with you," asked Thor.

"Sure, Thor. Send them in," I agreed nervously. Because my friends had 
seen me as Ba'al's host, I was more than a little nervous about how they 
would react toward me. The sound of an opening door announced their 
presence. From the looks of relief on their faces, I needn't have worried 
that their feelings toward me might have changed. The smiling faces of 
Carter, Daniel, and yes, even Teal'c, surrounded me as I gazed up at 
them.

"Hey, kids. Long time, no see." As if my greeting gave them permission to 
speak, they all began talking at once. The clamor of so many voices 
proved to be too much for my tired brain to handle, so I winced and shut 
my eyes in an effort to block out some of the sounds assaulting my ears. 
They took the hint and stopped talking. 

"Sorry 'bout that, kids. Guess I'm just not used to being around people 
yet."

"No need to apologize, Sir. We're just so glad to have a chance to see 
you that we kind of forgot what your Doctor warned us about," admitted 
Major Carter with an apologetic look on her face. Then, she gave me a 
half-smile, and I immediately forgave her.

"Jack, it's great to see you again. We've all been worried sick about 
you," added Daniel.

"I am exceedingly pleased to see that you have been restored to us once 
again, General O'Neill," added Teal'c gravely. Since he ended his little 
speech by raising both eyebrows, I knew he was doing the Jaffa equivalent 
of jumping up and down and hugging everyone in sight. Giving them all 
another smile, I felt my eyes sliding reluctantly shut again.

"Sir, we know you're still pretty worn out, but you can't go back to 
sleep yet. Not until we've discussed something with you first," explained 
Carter apologetically. Opening my eyes again and glancing upward revealed 
several very concerned faces. Crap.

"Ba'al?" I whispered.

"Yes, Jack, it's about Ba'al," added Daniel. I sighed wearily.

"He's not gone. Is he?" I murmured, even though I already knew the 
answer.

"No, Sir, he's not. That's what we have to talk to you about." Carter 
paused as if to give me a chance to talk, vent, or just get pissed off. 
Only I just didn't have the energy to do anything that demonstrative or 
extravagant. 

"I had a feeling he was still in there." 

"The symbiote's control over your body has been temporarily neutralized 
using Asgard medical technology, Sir. But, the effect isn't permanent," 
explained Major Carter.

"Of course, is isn't, Carter. So, what's the plan, campers?" I muttered 
tiredly.

"Sir, the Asgard intend to utilize the same concept they used to create 
Thor's Hammer on Cimmaria," she explained.

"That's great, Carter. But will it work here?" I murmured.

"We believe it will, Sir."

"So, what're we waiting for?" I asked. Once again, I had the feeling that 
there was something they weren't telling me.

"Jack, there is a risk that the extraction process might kill you," 
Daniel clarified.

"And your point is...?" I asked disbelievingly. "Listen up, folks. This 
is the way it is. I don't care if it kills me. To be quite honest, I 
would much rather be dead than spend another day sharing my head with 
that Snake. So, if it's all the same to you, let's just get this show on 
the road. As far as I'm concerned, the sooner this is all over...one way 
or the other...the better."

"We thought you'd feel that way, Sir. All the necessary equipment has 
already been prepared for the procedure."

"Thanks, Carter. I appreciate your understanding on this. Believe me, I 
do. So, what do I have to do, Ernie?" I asked warily.

"You will be placed inside a chamber in which the anti-Goa'uld technology 
from Thor's Hammer has already been installed. The procedure should last 
approximately thirty of your minutes."

"It'll hurt, won't it?" I asked dully, remembering the agony that Unas 
had suffered all those years ago when he'd been forced into Thor's 
Hammer.

"Yes, Jack O'Neill. It will be extremely painful. Because the actions of 
the Goa'uld could become aggressive and unpredictable, your body will be 
placed within restraints inside the chamber. However, if you wish, you 
can be anesthetized in order to avoid suffering through the full effect 
of this procedure," Ernie stated gravely.

"No, I want to be wide awake and aware through all this, Ernie. There is 
no way in hell that I want to sleep through this, no matter how it turns 
out."

"Because of the risk involved, no one will be allowed to accompany you 
inside the extraction chamber, Jack O'Neill," Ernie warned.

"Hey, I understand, guys. Could we just get on with it already?" I 
complained tiredly.

"As you wish, Jack O'Neill," agreed Ernie.

"Teal'c. If this doesn't work out...you know what to do. Right?" I 
demanded as I looked him squarely in the eyes.

"Indeed, O'Neill, I shall comply with your wishes," the Jaffa warrior 
said with a slight bow of his head.

"Then, let's cut out the chitchat and get on with it. OK? See ya later, 
kids." I smiled and then closed my eyes to prevent any long good-byes 
from my friends. They must've understood how I was feeling, because no 
one else said anything, not even Daniel. The next thing I saw was bright 
light leaking through my closed eyelids.

When I opened my eyes again, I realized I was strapped down and lying 
face-up on a table inside a transparent chamber. Through the glass, I 
could make out Ernie at the control console looking back at me. Taking a 
deep breath in preparation for the coming ordeal, I gave him a smile of 
encouragement and nodded.

A glowing white light emanating from the ceiling of the chamber 
immediately speared my body. Simultaneously, my body arched away from the 
table as I moaned in agony. Inside my head, I could hear my reptilian 
tormentor raging at me, threatening to kill me rather than leave. 
Suddenly, Ba'al's deep, echoing voice issued from my mouth.

"Foolish Asgard, Lord Ba'al commands you to discontinue the process, or I 
will kill the host!"

"Then kill me you snaky-assed bastard, because I would rather be dead 
than spend another minute with you inside my head." I growled back. The 
pain he shot through my nervous system intensified and I felt my body 
begin to spasm. As I began to scream, a humming sound now filled the 
chamber and the light seemed to intensify.

"Get...out!" I hissed as I tried my best to remain conscious. The potency 
of both the pain and the machine's light increased until my entire body 
was jerking and convulsing uncontrollably. 

Just when I was afraid I couldn't cope with any more, I felt a painful, 
choking feeling in my throat and mouth. Gagging and spitting blood, I 
coughed weakly and was rewarded by the sensation of the symbiote sliding 
out of my mouth and onto my chest. Almost immediately, it disappeared as 
the Asgard transported it away from me and out of the chamber.

Still spitting and coughing blood, I struggled to catch my breath. 
Briefly, I entertained the fear that I might drown in my own blood. I 
must've promptly passed out, because, when I awoke, I discovered I was no 
longer in the chamber. Instead, I was lying inside the medical pod and 
the translucent covering was retracting out of sight. Ernie must've been 
busy, because I realized that even though my throat felt raw, I could 
breathe easily again.

Although I still felt too drained to lift up my head, I attempted to 
check out my surroundings by just moving my eyes. All of a sudden, the 
familiar faces of SG-1 appeared in my field of vision. My Asgard friends, 
Thor and Ernie, joined the relieved faces of my team. Just watching 
Ernie's excited bouncing made me tired, so I gave them a wan smile before 
allowing my eyes to drift shut again. 

I knew that it was safe to sleep now, because my body was my own once 
more. Under the strict care of my Asgard friends and my team, I knew that 
they would ensure my safety. This time, I did not fear the darkness and 
welcomed it like a long-lost friend.

                         *******************

When I reawakened, I realized I felt different this time. For one thing, 
my throat didn't feel like I'd been gargling with razor blades. Another 
dissimilarity was that I didn't feel 'down-to-the-bone' exhausted. 
However, the most important change, at least in my opinion, was that I 
couldn't detect Ba'al's presence and was alone inside my head. 

The fact that I was wearing pants was also a big plus in my book. Lately, 
I'd spent far too much time being paraded around in my birthday suit and 
ogled by Snakes and Jaffa. And that was so not my idea of a good time. 
Ernie must've noticed that I was awake, because his excited face popped 
into my field of vision almost immediately.

"Howdy, Ernie. Give me five, pal!" I grinned and was thrilled when I 
could actually follow through and raise my hand to meet his.

"Right back atcha, Jack O'Neill," Ernie affirmed with a small bounce.

"Hey, and thanks for the pants, buddy."

"No problemo, pal. I did not want you walking around naked as a jaybird," 
he assured me. Damn, that guy was getting those lines down pretty good. 
By the time I completed Ernie's education on human customs and 
expressions, the Asgard High Council was going to hate me. Either that, 
or they would all be talking just like him. I tried to imagine all the 
members of the High Council giving each other high-fives and shivered. 
Now that was a strange picture to imagine. Nope, that would be just too 
weird.

"So, how long was I out this time?" I asked my friend.

"You have been sedated for approximately forty-eight of your hours, Jack 
O'Neill. You sustained a laceration in the back of your throat when the 
symbiote exited your body. Furthermore, you suffered several strained and 
torn muscles during the extraction procedure. In addition, you appeared 
to be extremely exhausted as well as being slightly undernourished and 
dehydrated. Jack O'Neill, you looked like you had been rode hard and put 
up wet. Other than that, you are in great shape," added Ernie with a 
verbal flourish.

"Ernie, that's like saying the operation was successful but the patient 
died." From the _expression on his face, I could see that he was making a 
mental note to remember that one. Yep, the Asgard High Council would 
never know what hit 'em.

"Where's the rest of my team, Ernie? I hope you didn't ship them all home 
without me." 

"Nope, I most certainly did not. They would not have left your side if I 
had thrown them out like a bucket of water anyway. They appear to be 
quite devoted to you, Jack O'Neill. I too, can understand that 
sentiment," the little Asgard added. Crap. Now he was getting all mushy 
on me. Next thing you know, he'd want to send me flowers, or something 
like that.

"So, if they're still around, where the hell are they?"

"We're right here, Sir," Carter stated as they all walked up to my bed. 
Daniel and Teal'c pulled up chairs while Carter parked her lovely 
backside on the one that was already sitting there. From the presence of 
the chairs, I surmised that they'd been taking turns watching over me. 
That was something we did for each other whenever one of us was laid up 
in the Infirmary. Or least that's what we used to do, back when I was 
still a Colonel and head of our team. Make that, their team. Since I'd 
gotten promoted, I wasn't on SG-1 anymore. 

"Took you long enough to get here, kids" I grumbled. 

It was good to see them again. Especially since it had looked like I 
wouldn't make it out of that last little escapade alive, or at least as 
Jack O'Neill. The idea of having to spend the rest of eternity as a 
snakehead wasn't something I even wanted to think about. 

I couldn't stop the shudder that ran through my body; just the memory of 
it still gave me chills. From the looks on their faces, my friends hadn't 
missed my reaction, either. Face it Jack, this was one for the books, and 
the memories of what had happened weren't going to fade away overnight. I 
had the sinking feeling that they were going to haunt my dreams for a 
long time to come. Crap.

"Ernie and Thor have been keeping us away from you, Jack. They insisted 
that you needed your rest and were not to be disturbed under any 
conditions. Since we didn't want to walk back home, we found other things 
to keep us busy," commented Daniel. 

Knowing him, his nose had been buried in some musty manuscript he'd 
managed to cram inside his backpack at the last minute prior to getting 
beamed on board 'The O'Neill II'. He'd probably been so engrossed in it 
that he hadn't even been aware of the passage of time. As for Carter, 
she'd probably been up to her cute little elbows inside some Asgard 
reactor thingy trying to backwards engineer it so she could make one for 
her lab back home. And Teal'c, well, even though he didn't need to Kel-
no-reem to keep Junior happy anymore, he still enjoyed doing it when he 
wasn't working out in the gym and intimidating the new recruits.

"So, you kids mind bringing me up to date? You can start by telling me 
what finally happened to that Snake. I can vaguely remember Ernie telling 
me about how it was going to hurt to evict his ass, but don't remember 
much after that. So, where is he? I can tell he's not in my head anymore, 
but... Come on kids, I really, really need to know."

"Ba'al is dead, O'Neill. I, myself, killed him," assured Teal'c.

"Dead, as in, totally and completely dead? You know what I mean, T. 
There's no chance he could get revived in a sarcophagus, is there?"

"Indeed, there is not, O'Neill. I disintegrated the symbiote with a 
zat'n'ktel. He cannot return to cause more distress to you," he promised 
solemnly. Blowing a long breath of air from a suddenly tight chest, I 
gave him a grateful smile.

"Thanks for doing the honors, big guy. I owe ya one. A huge honkin' one, 
as a matter of fact. I have the feeling that you know just how much this 
means to me. Don't ya?"

"Indeed," he replied with a regal nod of his head. 

Now that I knew that slime ball was really dead, maybe the nightmares 
would stop. Not that I'd been plagued by any so far, but I had a hunch 
that Ernie had been up to his usual tricks and had slipped me a mickey to 
knock my butt out. Didn't hold it against the little guy though, because 
I knew he'd just been doing his job.

"Sir? General Hammond has been apprised of your condition and said to 
tell you that he's glad you made it out OK. After Thor transported us 
back here, he contacted the SGC to let them know our status. They're 
expecting our return in a couple of days."

"That's cool. By the way, Carter, how did Thor do the snatch-and-grab 
thing? The last things I remember were listening to the Snake brag about 
the plans he had for all of you and watching Ba'al's goons herding the 
three of you away."

"Before we left his ship, Thor installed a miniaturized subcutaneous 
locator device in each one of us and was able to use it to track our 
movements within the ship. We knew that Ba'al couldn't ring down to his 
planet without letting down his shields. Once those were down, Thor was 
able to use his transporter device to beam all of us out of there. You 
shouldn't have worried so much about us, Sir. We had it all under 
control."

"Well, it didn't look like it from where I was standing, Carter. Be 
honest with me kids. You really didn't know ahead of time that I'd been 
snaked. Did you?"

"No, Jack, we didn't. We did know that it was a possibility, but we had 
no way of knowing for certain until we got onboard his ship," admitted 
Daniel with a frown. 

"I'll bet that you never dreamed that Ba'al would be doing the honors. 
Did you?"

"No we didn't expect that. By the way, Jack, why did he make you his 
host, anyway?"

"Since I refused to tell him anything about the Ancients, he said that he 
would have to go get the info himself. Guess he figured he could take his 
time rummaging through my head once he took me over."

"That is indeed a sound strategy, O'Neill. He would also have to consider 
the threat that you would pose to him if you were host to another 
Goa'uld," commented Teal'c.

"Yeah, T, he mentioned that." All three of my kids exchanged glances and 
looked everyplace else but at me. Oops. I so hate it when they do that.

"Whatcha doin', kids?" When they all jumped, I had my confirmation that 
something was rotten in the state of Denmark, and it wasn't the fish.

"Come on, guys. Spill," I ordered.

"Sir, General Hammond and the President need to know how much Ba'al found 
out from you. What I mean is...Did Ba'al get the location of The Lost 
City from you, Sir?"

"Is that all?"

"Sir?"

"Carter, of course they need to know. That's SOP whenever something like 
this happens. And you can tell them that I don't think so."

"By that, do you mean that you don't know? Or do you mean that he 
definitely didn't find out?" asked Daniel.

"I mean that I don't know for sure. I don't think he was able to get to 
it, but can't be absolutely certain, one way of the other. What about all 
the other Intel and codes I had inside my head. They did change those. 
Didn't they?"

"Yes Sir, they were all rendered obsolete as soon as we knew you were 
missing," Carter assured me. That was a relief. While Thor had been able 
to safeguard the stuff from the Ancients behind his barrier, all that 
other Intel hadn't been quite so well protected.

"I don't get it, Sir. How can you be sure that Ba'al didn't find out 
about The Lost City? From my own experience with Jolinar, I know that the 
symbiote has access to everything that the host knows. Granted, she was a 
little more discrete when it came to sharing what I had inside my head. 
That's because she was Tok'ra, but Ba'al wasn't, Sir."

"Ya think?"

"Sir? I don't understand. If he was able to get to all the other 
information after you became his host, why couldn't he do the same with 
the data from the Ancients?"

"Thor." 

"Sir?"

"Thor protected all that stuff from tampering by erecting some kind of 
barrier around it. He installed it to prevent that stuff from killing me 
when he rescued me from that stasis chamber in the Antarctic. One side 
effect of this barrier thing is that no one, including me, can get to 
that info without help from the Asgard. That's why neither Ba'al nor 
Kinsey could get me to spill my guts about that stuff. I couldn't tell 
them anything, even if I'd wanted to, because I didn't have the right key 
to get at it," I explained patiently.

"By the way, did they ever catch up with Kinsey?" I asked. I had a whole 
honkin' bunch of unfinished business with that asshole.

"According to the latest reports, they haven't caught up him yet, Sir," 
apologized Carter.

"Too bad he'd already flown the coop by the time you guys got there," I 
commented. From the sudden silence in the room, I knew something was 
wrong.

"What?"

"Jack?"

"Yes, Daniel?"

"How did you know that?"

"Know what, Daniel?" 

"How did you know that Kinsey had taken off just before we got there? I 
know we didn't tell you. And if we didn't...well, who did?" Oops. Open 
mouth, insert foot.

"Umm, let's just say that I had an 'inside source' and leave it at that. 
OK?" 

Yeah, that was one way of putting it. Sure, I had an 'inside source' for 
the other info but there was no way in hell that I would explain to them 
that my informants were dead friends of ours. Nor I could I explain to my 
team that I'd been brought up to date while we were camped out on the 
roof of my house. Not to mention the small detail that this all took 
place inside the head of Jack O'Neill...right after he got snaked. 

And as for trying to explain that stuff to anyone else, it just wasn't 
gonna happen. As in nope, no way, Jose, and ain't gonna happen. For that 
matter, who would believe me if I did? Not to mention the fact that if I 
did tell anyone, it would mean getting a quick referral to the nearest 
shrink. I knew that my dead friends had helped me out, but there was no 
way I could prove it and I didn't plan on getting myself into the 
position where I would have to try.

"Jack..." warned Daniel. Crap, they weren't buying it.

"Listen, just drop it. OK?" I draped my arm over my eyes, wondering when 
my head had started pounding. When I peeked out from under my arm, they 
were all still staring at me. Luckily for me, Ernie came bouncing up 
behind them.

"Jack O'Neill, you appear to be in pain."

"You could say that, Ernie. Just a bit of a headache is all." I tried 
pinching the bridge of my nose to ease the pain, but if anything, it just 
got worse. Crap.

"All of you should leave as I must attend to my friend's needs. All this 
excitement has been a strain on his system and he needs additional 
treatment. Shoo, before I have you kicked out," threatened my Asgard 
Doctor. His little speech seemed to shock my human friends. 

"Sir?"

"Yes, Carter?"

"I think we're being thrown out again," she admitted with a sheepish 
grin.

"Ya think?" asked Ernie.

"Jack? Just what have you been teaching this guy?" asked Daniel with a 
frown.

"Nothing," I answered in my best innocent tone. None of my friends were 
buying that one either.

"I believe the Asgard have been unduly influenced by their long 
association with O'Neill, Daniel Jackson," Teal'c commented. He added a 
raised eyebrow to emphasize that he thought it was hilarious. 

"Will you leave on your own, or will I have to throw you out?" asked 
Ernie.

"Sir, why don't I update General Hammond so you can get some rest? I'll 
need Daniel and Teal'c's help too. Won't I guys?"

"Indeed, we shall endeavor to provide all necessary assistance to you, 
Major Carter," agreed my Jaffa friend.

"See ya later, kids." As they walked out, I gave them a warm smile, and 
then winced. That headache wasn't getting any better. Ernie must've been 
watching me like a hawk, because he immediately moved over to the console 
and started moving around some shells and checking readings. Suddenly, I 
realized I was having trouble keeping my eyes open again. 

"Ernie? Did you slip me a mickey again?"

"Define a mickey, Jack O'Neill."

"You know...what...I..." Then everything went dark. Damn Asgard quack 
Doctors!

                         *******************

My eyes snapped open. There didn't seem to be anyone else in the room 
with me, but at least, the lid on my med pod was retracted. The headache 
was gone and I still had my pants. Those were both very good things to 
wake up to. However, the most important thing of all was the fact that I 
was still alone inside my head. Sweet!

"Ernie!" I yelled. The sound of an Asgard door swishing open heralded the 
appearance of my Asgard Doctor.

"You knocked my ass out! Don't bother lying about it, because I know you 
did. You Doc's are all alike," I grumbled.

"Damn straight, Skippy. I did indeed knock your sorry ass out. You were 
in pain and needed additional treatment."

"Haven't you guys ever heard of aspirin? It was only a headache. A couple 
of them would've taken care of it just fine," I protested.

"I do not think so, Jack O'Neill. You were suffering from more than just 
a headache."

"Was not."

"Were too, pal."

"Was not. It was only a teensy little headache. So...when can I get the 
hell out of this place? It's boring just lying here," I complained. To 
prove just how great I was feeling, I tried sitting up on the bed. Made 
it too! So what if it took longer to do than usual and left my arms 
trembling?

"See Ernie? I'm fine! Great, as a matter of fact. Now move your little 
gray butt and find me some more clothes so I can get out the hell out of 
here. I've got important things to do ya know."

"The only thing you have to do right now, is to continue to recover from 
your ordeal. When I am satisfied that you are ready, I will kick you out 
of here myself. But, until then, you are stuck with me."

"Napoleonic power-monger," I muttered, as I slouched back down onto the 
bed. "If I can't leave, then could you at least prop this bed thing up a 
little? It's hard to talk to my friends when I'm lying flat on my ass 
like this."

"Of course, Jack O'Neill. You only had to ask," he answered me. After 
fiddling with some shells, the head of my bed started rising, leaving me 
comfortably propped up. Suddenly, I had a whole new outlook on life. 
Literally and figuratively.

"Thanks, pal. So, what's been happening while I was drugged out of my 
gourd?" I asked innocently.

"Your Major Carter has been in contact with Hammond and is awaiting my 
permission to update you with her latest report. And, for your 
information, Jack O'Neill. You were not drugged out of your gourd." I 
decided against continuing my argument with the little guy.

"So, what are you waiting for, Ernie? Send her in."

"Thor wishes to speak with you first," he explained. Crap, he wasn't 
bouncing anymore.

"Hey, Ernie. I hope I didn't hurt your feelings earlier. You do know that 
I was just teasing you. Don't ya?"

"I realize that, Jack O'Neill."

"OK. So what's wrong?"

"Thor will explain it to you," he replied stubbornly. Damn, but this 
didn't sound good at all. Ernie was upset about something, and I had the 
feeling Thor wasn't bringing me good news. The door swished open again to 
admit Thor, Supreme Commander of the Asgard fleet. Together, they both 
walked over to stand next to my bed.

"Ernie said you needed to tell me something, Thor. What's up?" Figured I 
might as well get the bad news right away.

"Yes, O'Neill. I have been in contact with the Asgard High Council. They 
have given me disturbing news."

"And this news is...?" I coaxed.

"I have been informed that Loki has escaped his imprisonment and his 
whereabouts are presently unknown," Thor stated with an emotionless 
voice.

"What? Loki's escaped? When did this happen?"

"We believe he escaped approximately a week ago. Unfortunately, he was 
able to deceive our surveillance monitors and his disappearance was not 
discovered until just recently."

"Do they know how he managed to get out? Because it sounds like he had a 
little inside help, if you know what I mean."

"We have detained several individuals in an effort to determine the 
method of his escape. We too believe he had assistance from someone 
assigned to ensure his imprisonment."

"Crap, I knew I should've capped his ass when I had the chance. Any ideas 
where he might go, Thor?"

"We are currently checking all possible destinations. However, because of 
Loki's illegal experiments on you, we believed his disappearance might be 
connected to you and your clone, John."

"Has anyone let Hammond know about this yet? John may need someone to 
keep an eye on him for a few days. Or at least until you catch Loki's ass 
and throw him back into the pokey."

"I wished to inform you of this news first, before I relayed it on to 
Hammond," stated Thor.

"Well, I appreciate the courtesy, Thor. Why don't you show my team in? I 
have the feeling that they'll want to know about this." 

"I agree, O'Neill, and took the liberty of requesting that they wait 
outside this room until I informed you of Loki's escape," commented Thor. 
Ernie did his bouncy-thing over to the door and let my friends into the 
room.

"Sir? I've received some disturbing news from General Hammond," blurted 
Major Carter.

"Loki showed up there already?" I asked incredulously.

"Loki? No, Sir. General Hammond said my Dad gave him some disturbing news 
about the Goa'uld. According to the Tok'ra, one of their undercover 
operatives reported that Ba'al is still alive and planning to attend the 
upcoming Summit of the System Lords."

It's a good thing that I was already lying propped up on the bed, because 
if I'd been sitting up without help, I would've fallen over. As in, 
'help, I've fallen over and I can't get up.' Crap, this was just getting 
better and better all the time.

"Carter, could you repeat that again, because I could've sworn I just 
heard you tell me that Ba'al is alive. And there is just no way that 
could be true, because Teal'c assured me that he'd zatted him out of 
existence." I argued anxiously.

"You didn't hear me wrong, Sir. The Tok'ra operative was pretty adamant 
about his report. I don't know how, but he's still alive. Sorry, Sir."

"Well, ain't that just a kick in the shorts? You'd better get back with 
George, Carter, because Thor has some more bad news to share with us. 
Loki made a jailbreak and has disappeared. As of yet, the Asgard don't 
have a clue as to where he ran off to. Until they catch up with him, 
Hammond will need to bring my mini-me in so someone can keep a close eye 
on him." The only satisfaction I got from the speech was the chance to 
see the surprise clearly written over my friends' faces. It isn't often 
that I can pull a fast one over on those guys, but the little bombshell 
I'd just handed them had done the trick. Pity that it was such crappy 
news.

"I'll get right on it, Sir." She turned and almost ran out of the room. I 
just hoped that John was all right, because I wouldn't put it past Loki 
to take off with him.

"In the meantime, I'd like to hear what else Hammond had to tell you in 
his last contact. Daniel, Teal'c, can you fill me in?"

"Sure can, Jack. General Hammond wants you to report back to him and the 
President as soon as we get back home. To save time, he suggested that 
Thor beam you right to the Oval Office." Daniel was in his lecture mode 
now, but I could tell that the news about Loki had rattled his cage too.

"Major Carter reported to General Hammond that you had not divulged any 
information to Ba'al concerning the Lost City and the Ancients while you 
were under his control. He asked me to relay his message that all the 
other codes and passwords had already been altered. General Hammond also 
requested I inform you that he still holds you in the highest esteem and 
plans for you to resume your command of the SGC upon your return. I 
believe his exact words were 'Tell Jack that it's time for him to get 
back into the saddle again'." I swear Teal'c had a smile on has face by 
the time he finished that long speech. 

I'll admit to feeling relieved that George hadn't lost confidence in my 
ability to resume command of the SGC. Considering the fact that I'd been 
compromised and leaked classified information to the enemy, he would've 
been well within his rights to reprimand or court martial me.

"Anybody have any ideas to explain Ba'al showing up again?" Even though I 
would've liked to pretend that I hadn't heard about his mysterious 
resurrection, I knew I had to deal with that sucky fact sooner or later.

"Circumstances lead me to believe that the symbiote I destroyed was not 
Ba'al," stated Teal'c.

"Did somebody switch snakes on us? Would that be possible, Thor?" I 
asked. Ernie jumped in before Thor could answer.

"When the symbiote exited Jack O'Neill, it was transported to a separate 
enclosed container. While there, I took tissue samples to determine its 
identity. A tissue sample was also taken of Jack O'Neill's throat injury 
before it was treated. A comparison can be made of those two samples. If 
they match, then it would appear that Ba'al was indeed destroyed."

Sounds like a plan to me, Ernie. How long will it take to get the results 
back?"

"It will be ready in a jiffy, Jack O'Neill," he assured me as he headed 
back to his console and began moving shells around.

"I shall return to the bridge in order to address the High Council. They 
too will be dismayed to learn of Ba'al's return. Eir, you have my 
permission to inform our guests of any pertinent results while I am 
occupied elsewhere." Wow, Thor had just given Ernie the green-light to 
tell us the test results before he told them to Thor. Talk about trusting 
your allies. For once we weren't being kept out of the loop with the 
'You're far too primitive to understand' excuse.

"Thanks, Thor. Your trust means a lot to me," I assured him solemnly. 
Thor just blinked his big eyes before shuffling out the door. Reporting 
the reappearance of a dangerous Snake like Ba'al to the High Council 
wasn't going to be a fun experience. Especially since he'd probably 
already assured them that Ba'al had been neutralized. Daniel and Teal'c 
had both pulled up chairs and were seated beside my bed. As for me, my 
headache was back. In spades. Couldn't be caused by stress. Could it? 
Nah! No stress in my life. Nope. None at all. Yeah, right.

"I have completed the DNA comparison of the cells removed from the 
laceration in your throat tissues with those taken later from the 
symbiote in the isolation chamber. According to my results, the DNA does 
not match. Which leads me to believe that the symbiote in the chamber was 
not the same one that left your body, Jack O'Neill," Ernie informed us.

"If they don't match, then somebody must've swapped Ba'al for another 
snake. Is that possible Ernie?"

"I did not believe that this was a possibility. However, as the DNA from 
the two samples does not match, the event must have occurred. Perhaps 
someone exchanged one symbiote for the other before I took the tissue 
sample from the one in the isolation chamber. If you would pardon me, I 
must speak with Commander Thor on this matter." Then Ernie bounced 
hurriedly out the door. I'd never seen him or Thor move that fast before. 
Watching them go, a sudden thought occurred to me, and I could only hope 
that Daniel or Teal'c could give me an answer.

"Teal'c, in that report about Ba'al. I was wondering, did it say what 
Ba'al looked like?"

"I do not understand to what you are referring to, O'Neill," he replied.

"I'm talking about Ba'al's host. Did the Tok'ra report say anything about 
his new host? I have the feeling that this is important. Don't know why 
yet. I just know that it is," I muttered. The initial surge of energizing 
adrenaline that had given me the strength to deal with this fiasco was 
ebbing fast. 

"It did not, O'Neill."

"Could you get a message to Carter for me, guys? Tell her that we need to 
find out more about Ba'al's new host and what it looks like. If my hunch 
is correct, we could all be in very deep shit."

"I shall inform Major Carter of your request." My Jaffa friend got out of 
his chair and with the grace of a wild cat, stalked out the door. Damn, 
how could a guy that big walk so softly? I'd never been able to figure 
that one out.

"Jack, what's going on? I can tell you're worried about something. You 
know you can always tell me about it. Don't you?"

"Not now, Daniel. Later maybe, but not now. I can't talk to anyone right 
now. At least not until I get some answers to my questions." As if that 
were a signal, Thor and Ernie came walking back into the room.

"O'Neill, I have spoken to the Asgard High Council. Their investigation 
has revealed the culprit responsible for allowing Loki to escape. 
However, while he was being questioned, he committed suicide utilizing a 
hidden poison. Before he died, we were able to determine that he was in 
the employ of a Goa'uld System Lord. In addition, it appears that Loki is 
now in the custody of this same Goa'uld."

"Does this Goa'uld have a name, Thor?"

"The prisoner expired before this information could be obtained, 
O'Neill."

"Well ain't that just peachy," I grumbled. The niggling suspicion in my 
mind just kept getting bigger and bigger with each new nugget of 
information I learned.

"I have conducted an investigation of my own, O'Neill. According to the 
records of 'The O'Neill II', a cloaked Asgard vessel was in our immediate 
vicinity while the extraction procedure was taking place. In addition, 
records show that this same ship used its transportation device to 
transfer a living creature from our medical facility to its cargo area. I 
believe that this was the moment when Ba'al's symbiote was taken from our 
isolation chamber and another one was substituted." All the pieces 
clicked into place. Crap. My head was pounding and I suddenly felt very 
tired. And worried. Very, very worried.

"Ba'al," I whispered.

"To what are you referring, O'Neill?"

"It's Ba'al, Thor. Ba'al has Loki. He broke him out and now he has an 
Asgard scientist whose area of expertise is cloning." With a weary sigh, 
I rubbed my eyes with both hands and then let one arm flop across my 
face.

"I don't understand, Jack. Why would Ba'al want Loki?" asked Daniel. I 
turned over onto my side so I could talk to all of them easier. For some 
reason, I needed to be able to see their faces, as if watching their 
reactions would make them more real to me.

"Ba'al was bragging to me about how he'd taken over all of the technology 
and assets from Anubis. That would probably include his super soldiers 
too. Only, since the Goa'uld Queen that Anubis was using to produce those 
guys got blown to smithereens by the dynamic Carter duo, he has a very 
limited supply of them. And no way to make new ones. If Ba'al could clone 
even one of those goons of doom, he'd be unstoppable."

"Oh, that wouldn't be good," commented Daniel.

"Ba'al must've found out about Loki's little hobby when I got snaked. His 
plan to bust that little, flat-assed, gray weasel out of jail must've 
already been underway when Thor rescued me. It would be my bet that 
Renek, his First Prime, continued with the plan after I got de-snaked. I 
guess he figured that since he'd already pissed off the Asgard by 
breaking Loki out of jail, he might as well go whole hog and snatch his 
Master back. He probably even got Loki to do it for him."

"But, do you really think that his First Prime would go to such great 
lengths to bring back his dead Master? They don't usually do that, do 
they?" asked Daniel.

"Renek seemed pretty loyal to Ba'al while I was around. Plus, according 
to their old tradition, all the property and Jaffa of a defeated Snake is 
given to the new Head Snake. I doubt that Renek would've liked starting 
out on the bottom again. He looked like he enjoyed the perks of his job 
too much to want to give it up." I was just waiting for the other shoe to 
drop and had the feeling that Carter would be the one to bring me the 
news. Right on schedule, Carter and Teal'c came walking through the door. 
They didn't look like happy campers.

"Sir, we just finished talking with General Hammond. I told him about 
Loki and your fears that John might be in danger. He said he's sending 
someone over to pick him up right away."

"And...?" I asked. From the nervous _expression on her face, it was at 
least as bad as I thought it would be. If not worse.

"Sir, according to the Tok'ra, no one has gotten a good look at Ba'al's 
new host. He only seems to be communicating through his First Prime, 
Renek. They all seem to be holed up on his home planet for right now. 
According to the Tok'ra, Ba'al has been stockpiling a variety of medical 
and scientific equipment inside his fortress, but no one can get anywhere 
near that either." So far, she hadn't told me anything I hadn't already 
figured out for myself.

"There's something else, Sir. Ba'al has offered a reward for your 
capture. He's offering triple the usual amount to anyone who can bring 
you in alive. Sorry, Sir," she said miserably.

"And my old man always said that I wouldn't amount to squat. Well, I 
guess Mr. Bocce Ba'al just showed him, huh," I commented with a smirk. 
Funny, but no one was laughing. That was fine with me, because I wasn't 
laughing either.

"Sir, under the circumstances, General Hammond thought it would be a good 
idea if you canceled your plans to come home. He said he couldn't 
guarantee your safety and figured you'd be safer with the Asgard. He's 
instructed us to stay put with you. In the mean time, he's sent word to 
the Tok'ra to concentrate their efforts on discovering the identity of 
Ba'al's new host and infiltrating the stronghold on his planet."

"Tell George not to bother about finding out who the new host is, 
Carter," I ordered in a flat monotone.

"Sir?"

"Tell the Tok'ra not to bother, because I already know who it is."

"You do?" asked Daniel excitedly.

"Yep, I do," I confirmed as I looked away and studied the ceiling.

"Well...?"

"He doesn't have one, Daniel. Or at least, not yet. He wants me to be his 
host. Why else do you suppose he offered such a huge honkin' reward to 
drag my ass back? Did you think it was because he wanted to exchange 
recipes with me? Renek is the guy running the show right now. Tell the 
Tok'ra that he's the one they need to eliminate. Get rid of him, and I'll 
betcha Ba'al's whole house of cards will collapse. Now, if you don't 
mind, I have the headache from hell. Ernie? I could really use something 
for my head. Now would be a good time." 

"Of course, Jack O'Neill. I must insist that everyone else leave the room 
as my patient needs his rest."

                         *******************

I was back on that black stone altar again. Just like before, I was naked 
as the day I was born and the manacles around my wrists and ankles kept 
me from jumping off that damned thing and getting the hell out of Dodge. 
Ba'al was standing by my head, taunting me with his plans.

"I have often wondered, General O'Neill, just what the result would be if 
you were made into a host. However, I also had to consider the 
possibility that, as a Goa'uld, you could become a serious threat to me."

"You're damned right, you scum-sucking, snaky-assed, son of a bitch. The 
first thing I'd do is take you out!" I snarled between clenched teeth. By 
now, sweat was pouring down my face and my heart felt like it would 
hammer it's way out of my chest.

"Yes, I thought as much," he continued smoothly. "So, you see, I had a 
problem without an apparent solution. After much consideration, I reached 
a very satisfying...conclusion. Actually, you, yourself were my 
inspiration. When you refused to tell me about the Ancients, I realized 
that if you wouldn't give the information to me, then I would have to 
go...get...it...myself." His eyes flashed as he smiled at me again.

"Don't do this, please!" 

"O'Neill with two L's, meet your God, Ba'al with two A's," he announced 
with a triumphant smile as his eyes glowed once again. 

"Nooo!"

I screamed and bucked wildly in a last ditch effort to get off that damn 
stone block, but it was no use. The restraints were too tight. As I 
watched with growing horror, Ba'al walked to a waiting chair and seated 
himself and his priest knelt in front of him, holding the urn. With an 
unholy screech, the symbiote slashed its way out the front of his host's 
neck and was guided into the jar. Without the symbiote to keep it alive, 
the body of Ba'al's former host collapsed in upon itself, leaving behind 
nothing but a crumpled and bloodstained heap of clothing. At this point, 
a paralyzing fear held me motionless in its grip, kind of like the deer 
that freezes in the lights of an approaching car and gets turned into 
road-kill.

Renek had moved over beside my head in order to allow the priest to stand 
next to my chest. Then the priest reverently lowered the jar and tipped 
it, allowing it's deadly contents to spill onto my bare chest. The 
hissing symbiote slowly slithered up my torso, taking its time. It looked 
huge. My eyes were fixed on its progress until I felt Renek grab my head, 
forcing it to turn to the side. With a final shriek, the Snake struck and 
sliced open the skin on the back of my neck, forcing it's way into my 
body. I screamed, long and hard until my voice gave out. 

Opening my mouth, I tried to scream again, but nothing came out. Gasping 
in terror, I tried again, with similar results. Crap, he must've grabbed 
control of the nerves to my vocal cords as soon as he wrapped his snaky 
self around my spine. When I'd been snaked by Hathor, the symbiote had 
been relatively young and inexperienced, which gave me a fighting chance 
against it. Ba'al however, was very experienced, and knew exactly what he 
had to do to take me over quickly.

As if from a distance, I realized that the restraints were gone and my 
wrists had been crossed on top of my chest. There was no need for them 
anymore as my enemy was inside my body and I had nowhere to go. A silky 
black sheet had been draped over my lower body. I could feel that demon 
wearing snakeskin wriggling around in my neck and back. 

When I lost all sensation in my body, I knew he must've sunk his teeth 
into the base of my brain. My entire world had narrowed to my frantic 
thoughts and an inner image of myself. In my mind's eye, I saw myself 
running through doors and barricading them from the rampaging monster 
that sought to possess me. His shrieks echoed in my mind and filled me 
with terror.

"Surrender yourself to your God, impudent host. I promised you in the 
past that you would serve only me. Your pathetic attempts to escape my 
power are useless for I, Lord Ba'al, reclaim your mind, body, and soul!" 
His taunts hammered away at the barricades I'd erected, battering them to 
shreds, until they were gone. As I watched, he moved slowly toward me in 
the body of his previous host. His white teeth glittered in the light as 
he laughed low in his throat. I found myself unable to move as he stopped 
in front of me and reached out his hand to gently caress my cheek. My 
skin shivered in reaction, which only caused him to chuckle evilly once 
more. 

I wanted to move, to run away from this monster as quickly as I possibly 
could, but I seemed frozen in place. With my eyes riveted on his, he 
grabbed each side of my face with his hands. Slowly, he brought my face 
toward his. Unexpectedly, his face morphed into my own. Once again, he 
laughed low and deep in his throat. Only this time, it was my voice that 
echoed from his mouth. As I watched in horror, his, no, my eyes flashed 
white and I screamed. Those flashing eyes sucked me inside, and engulfed 
my body in flame.

                         *******************

"Dad! Wake up! You've got to wake up!" I was back on my rooftop 
observatory with my son, Charlie.

"Charlie?"

"Of course it's me, Dad. You were having a bad dream again."

"It wasn't real?"

"No, Dad, it wasn't real."

"Thank you, God!"

"You can go back to sleep now, Dad. I'll watch over you," my son assured 
me solemnly.

"Thanks, son." 

Once again, I descended into darkness.

                         *******************

Part IV

When I my eyes opened once more, I knew with a grim certainty that I 
needed to do something to end it all, one way or the other. I'd admitted 
to myself that I couldn't keep up this deadly game of 'hide-and-go-seek' 
with Ba'al indefinitely. For one thing, if I hoped to ever catch some 
halfway decent zees, I had to discover some means of keeping that snake 
out of my head, literally as well as figuratively. A good nights sleep 
had always been a powerful motivator in my book, maybe it was because it 
didn't happen to me very often. So, on the few occasions when I awoke 
feeling rested and refreshed, it was a welcome surprise. My other motive 
to terminate that Snake centered around my mini-me, John. As long as 
Ba'al was still out there and a threat, there was nowhere on Earth, or 
anywhere else for that matter, that he would be safe from harm. 

Hammond's suggestion that I hang out with the Asgard for a while didn't 
sit well with me at all. I've always been an action sort of guy, and the 
idea of me cowering in fear behind my little gray friends was repugnant 
to me. My friends, Carter, Daniel, and Teal'c were there to greet me.

"Hey, kids, whatcha doin'?" I smiled as I levered myself up in bed. If I 
were to convince my friends of my ability to knock off Ba'al, I'd have to 
look the part first. That meant I had to prove that I was healthy enough 
to get out of bed. They seemed surprised to see that I was so obviously 
alert and on the ball. All except Teal'c, that is. Hell, he'd probably 
already figured out what I was up to.

"Hi, Sir. You just took us by surprise, that's all. Ernie didn't think 
you'd be awake for some time, yet," she explained apologetically.

"Well, I guess he was wrong about that. Wasn't he?" I commented dryly.

"Sir?"

"Forget it, Carter," I advised softly.

"Jack, is there something wrong?" asked Daniel with a worried frown.

"Nope. Should there be?"

"Well, I was kind of hoping you could tell me. You seem to have something 
on your mind, that's all," he said defensively. I kept the sarcastic 
remark that was on the tip of my tongue to myself. These guys were my 
friends, after all, and didn't deserve to be yelled at, especially since 
they weren't the ones I was pissed off at in the first place.

"Hey, Ernie!" I yelled into the air. Sure enough, it got his attention. 
The little gray alien came bouncing through the door.

"I need the rest of my clothes, buddy. A pair of pants is nice for a 
start, but I really need a shirt and some shoes too." Then I switched 
gears and looked at my team. "Hey kids, did you by any chance bring along 
a change of clothes for me?" 

All the orders and questions I was firing at them gave me the results I'd 
hoped for. Everyone hopped to it and got me what I wanted with no arguing 
and no questions asked. Tactics of Diversion 101. Sweet.

"Sir, we brought along a couple sets of BDU's for you to change into. 
Daniel, you remember where they are, don't you?" asked Major Carter.

"Sure, Sam. Why don't I go get them while you update Jack on the latest 
news from Hammond?" Giving me a tentative smile and farewell wave, he was 
out the door.

"Jack O'Neill, Are you truly as healthy as a horse or are you just 
pulling my leg? I must warn you that I will not put up with you passing 
out on our vessel someplace. I do not wish to have to drag your sorry ass 
back in here. Do you have a handle on what I am trying to tell you?" 
demanded Ernie.

"Yep. Now scoot and tell Thor that I'm calling a meeting in the Briefing 
Room. I'll meet you all there as soon as I'm decent, pal," I advised with 
a smile. Damn, but Ernie was getting to sound more and more like Janet 
Fraiser every day. 

"Very well, Jack O'Neill, I will inform Thor of the meeting, but I meant 
what I said," he warned as he bounced out of the room.

"Carter? What did Hammond have to say?"

"Sir, General Hammond told me to tell you that John is safe. In fact..."

"Ack! Stop! Don't tell me where he is, because I can't know that. If 
Ba'al should get his hands on me, I'd end up spilling the beans about 
that too, so just don't say anything more about him. Do you understand 
what I'm saying?"

"Yes, Sir, I understand, but I don't like it."

"Well, that makes two of us, but what does that have to do with anything? 
I'd really like to know where John is, but until the threat of Ba'al is 
neutralized, I'm one huge honkin' security risk," I advised firmly. "Ahh, 
Daniel, just in time. Carter, if you don't mind, we can continue this 
conversation later, because I need some privacy to get decent. Unless you 
were planning on getting a free show?" I suggested playfully with a 
waggle of my eyebrows.

"Yes, Sir. I mean...no, Sir... I'll be going now, Sir" she stuttered as 
she backed out the door. Daniel and Teal'c were still in the room with 
me. Crap. Couldn't these guys take a hint?

"Guys, don't ya think you're carrying this buddy thing a little too far? 
I've been doing this since I was two and I prefer to get dressed without 
an audience. So if you don't mind..."

"I shall remain with you, General O'Neill," advised Teal'c stubbornly. 
What the...? Daniel was backing out of the room and looked nervous. At 
least he was leaving, though.

"Umm, I'll just leave you two so you can get this settled and meet you 
both in the Briefing Room later." Then he tucked his tail between his 
legs and all but ran out the door. Teal'c had stationed himself at the 
closed door in the parade-rest position. From his stance and the 
_expression on his face, he looked as immovable as the Rock of Gibraltar. 

"Get what settled, Teal'c?"

"Because of your present vulnerability to attack, General Hammond issued 
orders that a bodyguard accompany you at all times. I believe I am best 
suited to carry out these duties, as did your General Hammond of Texas."

"Oh, for crying out loud! You're my bodyguard? Well, Teal'c, you can 
forget it! I don't' need no damned bodyguard, so I am rescinding those 
orders. As of NOW!" Teal'c didn't move a muscle.

"Teal'c? I am ORDERING you to get the hell out of here so I can get 
dressed. I'll meet you later in the Briefing Room." He didn't even blink 
and obviously wasn't going to leave. Crap.

"Oh, for crying out loud. Here I am a Brigadier General in the United 
States damned Air Force and I've got a fricking babysitter," I muttered. 
Even though I could understand the rationale behind the orders Hammond 
had issued, that didn't mean I had to like them. 

With a sigh of frustration, I continued to get my clothes on and sneaked 
a peek at Teal'c when I thought he wasn't looking. Didn't catch him 
though. Not looking, that is. Damn, but he was good, which was in all 
probability the precise reason why Hammond had chosen him for the 
thankless job of playing nursemaid to a cantankerous old fart like me. My 
former CO had known precisely how I'd react to his orders too, as had the 
rest of my team. No wonder Daniel had been in such a hurry to get out of 
the room. The wimp. With a flourish, I put the final knot in my laces and 
bloused my pants. Then I was striding toward the door, and heaven help 
the poor slob who got in my way.

"Ya coming, Teal'c?" I snarled as I stomped past him and out into the 
hallway. The effect was spoiled though, when I turned the wrong way and 
had to be given directions by my babysitter.

"For crying out loud," I grumbled. "Who designed these ships anyway? A 
man could get lost just going to the can." 

Fortunately, for both of us, it didn't take long to reach the Briefing 
Room. When we both walked in, the eyes of Carter and Daniel could be 
observed scrutinizing us. They were probably checking us both for gaping 
wounds and broken bones...the cowards. Thor and Ernie were already there. 
I took one of the chairs that remained empty, while Teal'c took up his 
guard position behind me. I could almost hear him snapping back into the 
parade-rest position. Crap, but this bodyguard stuff was getting old 
fast.

"Glad you all could make it, guys. I thought it was time to quit dicking 
around and do something about a certain reptile by the name of Ba'al. So, 
I'm calling a council of war to work out a strategy for neutralizing that 
scum-sucking, slimy-assed Snake," I began. Looking around the faces of my 
friends, I could see that no one looked surprised by my announcement. 
Guess they all knew me better than I thought.

"Now, I don't know about you, but this Ba'al character is beginning to 
piss me off. And the idea of hiding out on Thor's spaceship for the rest 
of my life just doesn't appeal to me. So, I'm thinking that we need to 
figure out a way to take this bastard out in such a fashion as to ensure 
that he stays dead this time. Any ideas, folks?" Carter spoke right up.

"According to our contacts with the Tok'ra, Ba'al has strengthened the 
area around both the fortress and the Stargate on his home world. In 
addition, he has concentrated the bulk of his fleet of Ha'taks around his 
planet. These ships contain some of the super weapons he inherited from 
Anubis. The Tok'ra also report that Loki has been spotted but is under 
heavy guard by those super soldiers. So your theories about the 
connection between Loki's disappearance and Ba'al were correct, General." 
Yep, my theories turned out to be right on the money. Hip, hip, hooray 
for me.

"Well, Carter, pardon me if I don't jump up and down for joy, right now. 
This is one of those times when I would've liked to be wrong. So it 
sounds like a direct assault on Ba'al's home world is out of the 
question."

"I agree, O'Neill. Ba'al appears to be invulnerable while he remains on 
his planet because of the strength of his fleet and his fortifications. 
However, should he leave the safety of his home world, he may prove to be 
more susceptible to attack. The Asgard High Council have informed me that 
the System Lords plan to meet for their Summit in two weeks time. 
Perhaps, Ba'al could be attacked at that time," suggested Thor.

"Two weeks is a long time to wait, Thor. If at all possible, I'd like to 
get something underway before that time. Carter, has anyone been able to 
catch a glimpse of Ba'al's new host?"

"No, Sir. No one has seen him, and his First Prime, Renek, seems to be 
the one in charge of everything. In fact, when the arrangements for the 
Summit were being made, it was Renek who made all the contacts."

"Isn't that a bit unusual?" I asked.

"Yes, it is, Jack," answered Daniel. "The System Lord's always 
communicate person-to -person when coordinating those meetings. Since 
they don't trust each other, they make it a habit of making all the 
arrangements themselves. Historically, they don't even trust their First 
Primes and Lotars when it comes to their dealings with the other System 
Lords."

"I agree with Daniel Jackson's statement. Although I was the First Prime 
of Apophis, he never entrusted me with organizing a summit between the 
System Lords."

"Sir, according to the Tok'ra operative, Bastet was extremely insulted 
that Renek was making the arrangements," added Samantha Carter.

"Carter, what does General Hammond have to say about this?"

"Sir, the General advised that you have a bodyguard with you at all times 
and stay away from Earth for the time being. He's been temporarily 
reassigned as the CO of Stargate Command until you can return. And Sir?"

"Yes, Carter?"

"The reward for your capture has gone up again. According to our sources, 
every bounty hunter in the galaxy is out looking for you. In addition, 
Ba'al specifies that you be brought back alive, Sir."

"Well, I guess that confirms my other theory. Doesn't it guys?" No one 
looked like they wanted to argue with me. Probably because they knew I 
was right. Crap. I so hate it when that happens.

"I don't know about you, but the idea of hiding out with the Asgard just 
isn't my cup of tea. Especially when Renek seems to have the technology 
to beam my ass off this ship anyway. If he did it with Ba'al's symbiote, 
what's to stop him from doing it with me?" Once again, no one said 
anything.

"So that leaves me with just two choices. Either I continue to hole up 
with the Asgard and hope that Ba'al's pals will eventually get sick of 
looking for me and run off to annoy somebody else. Or, I give him what he 
wants." There, my beliefs were out in the open. Now, let's see what they 
all thought of them.

"That would be most unwise, O'Neill. Therefore, I will not allow you to 
act upon this foolhardy venture," advised Teal'c. That was one opinion. 
Only four more to go. 

"Are you nuts, Jack? I thought the idea was NOT to give the information 
from the download to the Goa'uld. Wasn't that the reason why you stuck 
your head into that Ancients' device a second time?" demanded Daniel 
disbelievingly. Two...

"Are you finished, Daniel?" I asked.

"No, I'm not, Jack. And I agree with Teal'c. If you try surrendering 
yourself to Ba'al, I'll do everything in my power to stop you. I won't 
let you make that kind of sacrifice, Jack. Not when it would hand over so 
much power to the Goa'uld. Nothing is worth that," he retorted adamantly.

"Anybody else have anything to say? Speak up, guys. Don't be shy," I 
urged.

"O'Neill, I fail to see any advantage resulting from your capitulation to 
Ba'al's forces. However, I can envision great harm arising from such a 
rash act," commented Thor. Well, at least he hadn't asked me if I was 
nuts. Three...

"Sir, what are you saying?" asked Carter. Finally someone was asking me 
the right question.

"According to our intelligence, Ba'al is strengthening his forces. But, 
for what reason? Why is he doing it now and what's his objective? Anybody 
have any explanations?"

"With the death of Anubis, a power vacuum was created among the System 
Lords. Ba'al has long coveted the power associated with becoming the 
dominant figure of this faction. "Because he was in the position to 
assume command of the resources that Anubis controlled, his goal is 
within reach now," explained Thor.

"That's right, Thor. The reason we were able to take out Anubis was 
because of the weapon we found at the Antarctic. By now, it's probably 
common knowledge that I was the one that got downloaded and operated the 
super-space-cannon thingy that blew 'Mr. Prepare To Meet Your Doom' and 
his fleet to hell and back. While I was Ba'al's guest, the main thing he 
wanted was the stuff I learned from the Ancients. He didn't even bother 
asking me about anything else. And once I got snaked, he continued his 
demands for the info I'd gotten from the download. Don't you see? Since 
I'm the only one who can operate the space cannon, he figures that if he 
has me, then he doesn't have to worry about getting shot out of the sky 
That's why he's willing to do just about anything to get his mitts on me 
again. He doesn't want to end up dead, like Anubis."

"And how does this help us, Sir?" asked Sam.

"Once he finally gets hold of me, he'll lay off everyone else and just 
concentrate on convincing me to spill my guts. Unfortunately, he believes 
that the only way to do that is by taking up residence inside my head 
again, so I'm depending on you guys to figure out how to neutralize his 
ass once he snakes me."

"Although the Asgard are able to suppress the symbiote's subjugation of 
the host with medication, this measure is only temporary. Only through 
the extraction process can the host be truly free of the dominating 
nature of the Goa'uld symbiote," clarified Ernie.

"OK, Ernie. That's a start. Do you know of any medication that would 
knock out or kill the snake once it's crawled inside the host? Maybe I 
could take some kind of drug just before I got snaked. If you could come 
up with one, it would take care of the threat from Ba'al," I explained.

"I need to research this problem before I give you a definitive answer, 
Jack O'Neill. However, the idea has piqued my interest," commented Ernie. 
He did seem excited as he was literally bouncing in his seat.

"Carter, do you have any ideas about this one?" I asked. If anybody could 
pull this rabbit out of the hat, she could.

"Perhaps the Asgard drug that temporarily suppresses the symbiote could 
be modified in some way to prevent your takeover, Sir. However, as this 
is only a temporary effect, we're working with a time constraint," she 
admitted. Yep, her mind was already working overtime to come up with an 
answer. From past experience, I was confident that her brilliant mind 
would come up with something. 

"I'll get right on it, Sir," she stated with an encouraging smile. Then 
she and Ernie bounced out the door. That's right, both of them bounced. 
Yep, that was a sight to see.

"Now that we've gotten that part out of the way, we can hammer out the 
rest of our strategy. Thor, while I was with Ba'al, I was told that your 
transportation device wouldn't work while his ship was in hyperspace and 
cloaked. Does the same thing apply to 'The O'Neill II'?"

"Yes. While our vessel is in hyperspace, no current transportation device 
can penetrate our shields. However, once we drop out of hyperspace, we 
are vulnerable to this sort of attack. Are you suggesting that we allow 
you to be transported off our vessel?"

"Once Carter and Ernie come up with some way to neutralize Ba'al power 
over me, then you can permit me to get beamed off. I'm pretty sure that 
our ship is being tracked somehow, so it won't take too long for them to 
do the snatch-and-grab thing with me. It'll just be a matter of timing." 
Thor was following along with my proposal, and so far, he wasn't 
objecting to it.

"Thor, can you fix it so that no one else goes along with me when they 
beam me out?" I could see that Teal'c didn't like what I was saying and 
knew I had to convince him to go along with my idea. The last thing I 
needed was for Ba'al to have a hostage to use to ensure my good behavior.

"Now wait a minute, Teal'c, hear me out. One of Ba'al's favorite methods 
of 'persuasion' involves threatening to hurt the people I care about. The 
last time he had me, he threatened to make Carter his Queen's new host. 
He also planned to turn Daniel into one of his slaves and make you serve 
him in his Jaffa Army. I realize you take your duties as my bodyguard 
seriously, but the last thing I need is for Ba'al to be able to use you 
as a hostage to guarantee my good behavior. It's going to be hard enough 
to face that Snake again without having to worry about what he can do to 
hurt my friends. Do you understand what I'm saying, friend?"

"Yes, I do, O'Neill. It pains me to admit that your reasoning has merit. 
I would indeed regret if my presence were to cause you to divulge 
valuable information. Therefore, I will accede to your wishes, my 
friend."

"Thanks, T. That means a lot to me."

"In the meanwhile, undomesticated equines could not remove me from your 
side, O'Neill," he promised.

"Now we wait for Carter and Ernie to pull another miracle out of their 
butts," I smiled and rubbed my hands together. Thor was looking at me 
like I'd finally lost it, but Teal'c and Daniel just smiled.

"I'm hungry," I announced. "What's for lunch? And Thor. Could we please 
have something besides those yellow squares and pink triangles of yours? 
The last time I ate one of those, I had the shits for days afterwards," I 
pleaded. 

Daniel came to my rescue this time. It seems he'd insisted on a supply of 
human-type food before leaving with Thor. While still in orbit around 
Earth, Thor had raided the pantry at SGC and beamed up a whole shit-load 
of provisions. Fortunately, Daniel had sent a hologram message back to 
the SGC to explain why all those groceries suddenly went missing. The 
supply chief back at the base was probably going nuts trying to get the 
incoming and outgoing requisition forms to match up.

While Carter and Ernie were doing their research, Daniel, Teal'c, and I 
were working our way through a very satisfying meal of fruit, sandwiches, 
chips, and lots and lots of pie. There wasn't any ice cream this time, 
though. No pizza and beer either, but we had all the sodas we could 
drink. However, I was really going to have to talk to Thor about 
installing a refrigeration unit in his pantry, because warm soda pop 
really sucks. Evidently, the Asgard had never heard of ice cubes. Hey, if 
I had to meet my doom, (as Anubis used to say), at least I would do it on 
a full stomach. In any case, we did save some pie for Carter.

When she finally showed up, Carter attempted to fill me in on the 
progress they'd made, but I firmly squelched that. I informed her in no 
uncertain terms, that her news would probably just give me a bad case of 
indigestion. There was a time and place for stuff like that, and it most 
certainly was not while I was eating. She seemed disappointed at first, 
but when I broke the news that a big carton of her favorite chocolates 
had been included in our special food shipment, she quickly lost all 
interest in talking shop. After she sampled her chocolate, we all took 
off for the Briefing Room. Thor, Ernie, Daniel, and Carter were already 
seated by the time Teal'c and I walked in. 

Teal'c and I had been delayed due to a brief disagreement about whether 
or not his bodyguard duties extended to accompanying me to the john. He 
seemed to feel that he had every right to watch me pee. I didn't...He 
won. Maybe if my bladder hadn't been so full, I would've taken the time 
and effort to argue with him. Let me tell you, the knowledge that you are 
a second away from pissing all over yourself can be a powerful motivator. 
Besides, what was I going to do? Throw him out? I don't think so.

I quickly sat down, and Teal'c took up his post right behind me. From 
their excited body language, I could tell that Carter and Ernie must have 
made significant progress in the snake knockout drug. Yep, Ernie was 
bouncing in his seat again. Carter wasn't. Pity.

"Why don't we start off with an update from Carter and Ernie? I have the 
feeling they've found something that might help get us out of this mess," 
I suggested hopefully. Carter and Ernie exchanged glances and the Asgard 
Doc bowed his head to indicate that she should speak first.

"Sir, we were able to synthesize a variation of the medicine the Asgard 
used on you prior to the extraction procedure. This drug has an extended 
sedative effect on the symbiote, but still is only a temporary solution. 
In addition, this drug does not kill the symbiote; it only prevents it 
from taking over the host. We're still working on a method of dispersing 
the drug into the body of the host."

"Sounds good, Carter. Ernie, do you have anything else for us?"

You betcha, Jack O'Neill. We wish to assure you that this drug does not 
harm the host in any fashion. We are considering several alternate 
methods for introducing the drug into the body of the host. Since the 
effects of this drug only last about four hours, we are considering the 
possibility that the drug will need to remain dormant until the symbiote 
has entered the body of the host. Some of our options might include a 
subcutaneous skin implant placed at the most likely site of entrance, an 
oral capsule to be taken by the host just prior to implantation, or a 
capsule of the drug concealed inside the mouth."

"I think we can rule out your first two suggestions, guys. Neither Ba'al 
nor that Redneck guy are stupid. They will know that I expect to get 
snaked once they get their hands on me and I can't count on him 
slithering in though the back of my neck again. As for me popping a 
capsule into my mouth, I'd be willing to bet that I'll be strip-searched 
as soon as they get me down to their planet, if not before. Plus, I can't 
count on having my hands free to take the capsule. Last time, they 
restrained me with manacles and I seriously doubt they will do it any 
different this next time."

"I agree, Sir. Ernie and I are preparing a small transparent capsule that 
will be inserted in your mouth. We ruled out placing on your teeth 
because of the risk that you might bite down on it inadvertently. 
Instead, it will be stuck to the underside of your tongue with an 
adhesive. You'll know it's there, but no one else will be able to see it. 
When you need it, all you'll have to do is scrape it off onto your teeth 
and bite down on it."

"Sounds good to me, guys. Anyone else have any comments about this?" I 
asked. No one said anything, so I assumed they thought it was a viable 
plan. Now we had to figure out the next part of this little fiasco.

"Next we've got to come up with a plan of how I'm supposed to get the 
hell out of Dodge once I've been snaked. Based on what Carter and Ernie 
just told us about the drug, I'll have a time limit of about three and a 
half hours to get it done. Any ideas, folks?" I asked. 

"Once O'Neill has been transported off my ship, he will in all 
probability be taken to Ba'al's fortress on his home planet. My 
transportation device cannot penetrate the shields he has in place around 
his stronghold. Therefore, a method will need to be devised to extract 
him from inside his garrison. Perhaps, a small team could be transported 
to the planet surface for that purpose," stated Thor.

"Nope, that won't work for several reasons, Thor. Number one is because 
the place is just too damn well defended. Number two is there is there is 
a chance that the drug won't work and if it doesn't Ba'al will 
immediately know everything that I do. If my team were to beam down, they 
would be walking into a trap," I reasoned firmly.

"I regret to say that I concur with O'Neill," stated Teal'c. "He must 
rely on his own guile and resources to escape the fortress. After he has 
accomplished this task, 'The O'Neill II' can utilize the Asgard 
transporter device to beam him up to the ship. In addition, I suggest 
that O'Neill not be a party to any discussion about the details of his 
rescue."

"Thanks, T. I don't like it either, but we have to face the fact that 
Ba'al might find a way to counteract the drug or prevent me from taking 
it. Once he grabs hold of my mind, he'll be familiar with everything 
we've been discussing. The last time he snaked me, I was able to hold out 
for awhile by retreating behind Thor's barrier. He eventually figured out 
a way to drag me out of there though, so we can't count on that either. 
Thor, is there any way that Ba'al can get to that stuff from the 
Ancients?"

"No, O'Neill, when I created this barrier, I constructed it in such a way 
that it can only be opened with the aid of a key. This key is of Asgard 
construction and cannot be duplicated in any fashion," he assured me. 
Whew, that was a relief. Come to think of it, if that barrier could be 
penetrated, it was better if I didn't know. Just in case. Based on Thor's 
vague answer, I had the feeling he felt the same way. Well, at least we 
were both operating on the same wave-length. 

"In that case, let's keep it that way, Thor. No sense in messing with 
something that works. Is there?" Since that issue had been taken care of, 
I had to bring up a topic that I was certain that no one would like. Well 
hell, I didn't like it either, but since it was me that was taking all 
the chances, I felt I had every right to what I was about to say.

"Kids, I'm about to bring up something that Thor and I already touched 
on. Despite all the precautions we can take, there's always the chance 
that we'll get a visit from the 'Oh-Shit Fairy'. If for some reason, 
Ba'al is able to take me over, I need you to come up with some sort of 
strategy to have me neutralized." The expressions on Daniel and Carter's 
faces were a sight. Just like I'd figured, they didn't even want to 
consider the fact that I might not be coming back from this little 
adventure. 

"Carter, I think that now would be a good time for you and Ernie to do 
more research on that knockout drug of yours. As for you, Daniel, I'd 
like you to stay, but if you can't handle it, I'll understand."

"If it's all right with you, I'd like to stay, Jack. I just have a hard 
time even thinking about you dying, that's all," he admitted with a 
frown. Well, duh. How did he think I felt about it? Carter and Ernie left 
the room in a much more somber mood than when they started the meeting. 
In fact, Ernie wasn't bouncing and Carter looked like she wanted to cry. 
Crap. Once they'd left the room, I turned to address Thor and Daniel. 

"This part of the meeting should take place without me in order to ensure 
that there is no chance of Ba'al finding out about our backup plan. But, 
I do ask that you take my feelings on this subject into consideration. I 
know what it's like to have Ba'al running things from inside my head. 
He's a pretty smart Snake all on his own. The combination of his 
ruthlessness and the stuff in my head could tip the scales against us in 
the battle to eliminate the threat posed by the Goa'uld. If, by some 
chance, our plan goes to hell in a hand basket, you must be willing to 
eliminate me. To tell you the truth, I wouldn't want to live that way 
anyway. I've had a taste of what my life would be like, and believe me; I 
wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy. Not even Kinsey. Please guys, don't 
let me down. Will you promise me that you'll do whatever you have to?"

"I do promise this to you, O'Neill," answered Teal'c. I turned to gaze at 
my other two friends sitting at the table.

"I will act in accordance with your wishes, General O'Neill," promised 
Thor.

"Sure, Jack, I promise," Daniel answered reluctantly. I let out a sigh of 
relief.

"Thanks, guys, this takes a load off my mind," I assured them with one of 
my cocky grins. "Well, T. it looks like it's time for me to blow this 
place. If it's OK with you, I'd like Daniel to take over as my babysitter 
for a bit so that you and Thor can come up with something."

"I will allow Daniel to take over my duties temporarily, O'Neill," agreed 
Teal'c.

"Daniel, are you hungry for some more desert?" I asked. 

"Sure, Jack. Why don't we raid my stash of coffee and munchies?" asked 
Daniel. With a last glance at my two friends, I arose from the table and 
walked out the door with Daniel. Thor and Teal'c were left in the room to 
plan out the details of my potential assassination, and I was secure in 
the knowledge that my friends wouldn't let me down.

The next several hours were spent pigging out on munchies and drinking 
Daniel's coffee. Carter had rigged his coffeemaker to run off a nacquada-
powered battery. I'll have to admit that he had excellent taste when it 
came to coffee blends. He'd also included some potato chips and gummi 
candy. Evidently he'd noticed my latest food craving. John and Cassie had 
introduced me to it, and once I'd tried it, I was hooked. I think it had 
to do with the contrast of the salty potato chips and the sweetness from 
the gummi candy. Whatever the reason, I couldn't get enough of them and 
had stockpiled my own secret stash in my desk at work.

Later, Carter and Ernie joined us and I got him to try the chip and gummi 
combination while the Major dug into her chocolates. He liked them so 
well, that he got into a discussion with Carter about how he could 
produce his own supply. Yep, my plan to corrupt the Asgard race was well 
underway.

All of us deliberately kept the conversation light and avoided talking 
shop. Even though I was aware of what they were doing and why they were 
doing it, I couldn't help but feel thankful that my friends were 
thoughtful enough to show me that much consideration. Yeah, I knew that 
this stuff was hard on all of us, but to my way of thinking, there was no 
sense in boo-hooing about it. Not when we all knew that the mission had 
to go down this way.

When Thor and Teal'c joined us, the tension in the room went up 
dramatically. It was as if everyone there knew that the fun and games 
were over. Thor informed everyone that he'd spotted the spaceship that 
was shadowing us. In addition, he'd come up with a way to allow the bad 
guys to yank me off the ship without anyone else getting snatched too. 
When he explained his plan, I agreed with it. Since it involved me going 
to the can by myself, I just hoped the bad guys would do the snatch-and-
grab thing too soon. The last thing I wanted was to show up at Ba'al's 
place with my pants around my ankles. Talk about making an entrance.

Ernie informed me the drug capsule was ready to be installed. Both he and 
Carter insisted that it could only be done while I was under total 
anesthesia. I had my own suspicions about that one, but let it slide. If 
they had to sneak in some other stuff while I was unconscious and fine-
tune my defenses, that was OK with me. It was simply another case of me 
not needing to know. 

                         *******************

A couple hours later, I woke up in the medical pod. The knockout drug 
they'd used on me must've been pretty strong, as I still felt pretty 
woozy. The first thing I saw was Ernie's head. He didn't say anything, 
just kept watching me. Experimentally, I tried clearing my throat. The 
inside of my mouth felt all furry and tasted nasty. Carter showed up 
beside him and was holding a cup of water for me. Because I was still 
feeling pretty shaky, she held my head up to let me sip at the straw. The 
water tasted great, got rid of the nasty taste in my mouth, and I was 
actually starting to feel human again. What a concept.

I still could remember why I'd been put under, and from the solemn looks 
on the faces of my friends, my time with them was growing short. I'd 
already instructed Thor not to tell me when it was going to happen. Hey, 
it was going to be hard enough to do this as it was. No sense in making 
it worse on everyone else. 

"Hey," I whispered.

"Hey, Jack," Carter whispered back. Ooh, she'd called me by my first 
name. That couldn't be good. She put the straw back in my mouth and I 
sipped some more water. God, that stuff tasted good going down. 

"Thanks, Sam," I answered. That felt weird. 

Knowing I couldn't afford any emotional ties to anyone right now, I 
ruthlessly pushed the feelings it evoked away. For one thing, it wouldn't 
be fair to either one of us. The most important reason, though, was the 
realization that Ba'al would use it against me. If he knew that I had 
those kinds of feelings for anyone, then he would do everything in his 
power to get his hands on them. When it came down to it, I didn't want 
Sam, or anyone else, to become his next target. Nope, that was so not 
going to happen. Not if I had anything to do about it.

Gradually, the fog was lifting from my brain and I was starting to feel a 
little more in control of my muscles again. Experimentally, I tried 
shifting my legs to a more comfortable position and grinned when I was 
able to accomplish that mission. Ernie showed up again at Carter's side. 

"The capsule was placed on the underside of your tongue, Jack O'Neill. It 
is not visible to the naked eye and merges so well with the skin surface, 
that it is completely undetectable. As the anesthesia wears off, you will 
gradually regain the use of your muscles. However, until that time, you 
are restricted to this bed. If I catch you trying to sneak off, I will 
stick a big needle in your butt, Jack O'Neill," Ernie informed me with a 
bounce for emphasis. Ooh, was this guy channeling Doc Fraiser, or what? 

"Aww, Ernie, I feel fine. When can I get out of this place?" I whined. 
Might as well play the game for all it was worth. Carter was enjoying it 
too, and had a big grin on her face.

"You will only leave my care when I decide that you are ready, and not a 
minute sooner. So stop your whining and shut up for a while," instructed 
Ernie sternly. Then he bounced out of my sight. Fortunately, he must've 
gone over to the console, because the head of my bed started rising, 
propping me up in a more comfortable position. Now I could see more of 
the room. Daniel was standing behind Carter hugging himself with his 
arms. Teal'c was standing at parade-rest at the foot of my bed. Thor was 
nowhere to be seen.

"Good morning, campers," I stated with a grin. Ooh, I had to do something 
to jerk Daniel out of the doldrums.

"How ya doin', Danny-Boy? Found any more rocks to study lately?" My jab 
had the desired effect.

"Artifacts, Jack, they're artifacts. How many times do I have to tell you 
that?"

"You didn't tell me that, Daniel," I replied innocently, getting into the 
spirit of the game.

"Yes, I did, Jack. I've told you several times about this."

"No, you didn't."

"Yes, I did."

"Didn't."

"Did."

"Feeling better, Space Monkey?" I asked, waggling my eyebrows. He looked 
a little more relaxed and wasn't hugging himself anymore, which was an 
improvement. The use of my nickname for him really did the trick and 
brought him out of the funky mood he was in.

"Sure, Jack, I'm doing better now. Thanks."

"No problemo, Danny-Boy. Glad I could be of service," I replied with 
another smile.

"So, Teal'c. You gonna help me bust out of here?" I asked with a smirk.

"I do not believe that would be wise, O'Neill. Ernie has threatened to 
employ the use of sharp objects against my posterior if I aid you in that 
endeavor."

"Hey, T. That's a good one, you're really getting the hang of this Tau'ri 
humor," I praised.

"O'Neill, I was not speaking in jest," he objected. Ooh, he was really 
good. The way I knew he was still joking was by the way his eyebrows were 
doing a dance on his forehead.

"All, right, all right," I grumbled. "I know when I'm beat."

"Damn straight, Skippy," agreed Ernie. Now, that was really good. The 
Asgard High Council was in trouble because Ernie was going to corrupt 
their whole way of communicating. With my expert help, of course.

"So, Ernie, when can I blow this Popsicle stand?"

"Providing that there are no unforeseen complications, you should be able 
to leave in a couple of your hours. Give or take a few," he added. 

"That sounds good. So what's on the agenda for now, kids?" I was already 
bored and desperate to keep myself occupied. When nobody spoke up, I 
added my own suggestion. Not that I was ever pushy about my ideas. Right?

"Hey Daniel, do ya think you could sneak in a cup of your special brew 
for me?" I asked plaintively.

"I heard that, Jack O'Neill. And the answer is no. You may not have any 
coffee yet. It would interact with the sedative already in your system 
and could really screw with your body chemistry." Dammit. That Ernie had 
the hearing of a bat.

"But, I'm bored, kids," I complained again.

"O'Neill, I must insist that you obey Doctor's orders and remain in bed. 
I do not wish to pick your wretched posterior up off the floor again," 
Teal'c admonished. Crap. 

So, I settled back down on the bed and tried closing my eyes again. After 
all, it couldn't hurt to rest my eyes for just a moment. Could it? The 
'moment' must've turned into a couple of hours, because when I opened 
them again, Carter and Daniel had left, leaving Teal'c to carry out his 
guard duties.

"It is indeed gratifying to see that you are awake once again, O'Neill. 
Ernie has given permission for you to leave your bed. He has also left 
appropriate clothing for your use. If you are in need of any assistance, 
I am willing to aid you in whatever way I can," he assured me with a bow. 
My clothes were laid out on the bed beside me. It was my usual field 
uniform consisting of a black t-shirt, and olive drab shirt and pants. 
Even my lucky 'Marvin the Martian' boxer shorts had been included. Cool.

"No thanks, T. I've been getting myself dressed since I was knee-high to 
a grasshopper. I think I can mange," I grinned as I grabbed my clothes 
and put them on. 

When I looked around for my boots, I discovered that they were on the 
floor beside the bed. Gingerly, I swung my legs over the side and tried 
standing up. When I didn't feel dizzy and my knees didn't buckle, I knew 
I was good to go. So I grabbed a chair and slipped into my boots.

"Hey Teal'c. What now?"

"I believe that Daniel Jackson has arranged for a pot of his special 
coffee to be prepared for your consumption."

"Sounds great, T. Let's go." So we both walked out into the hallway and 
headed for the Daniel's coffeemaker. He was set up in the food storage 
area and was waiting for us. Carter and Ernie were there too. Ernie was 
munching on potato chips and gummi candy so he must've figured out how to 
make his own. Now, if I could only convince Thor to try some...

"Hey Ernie, save some for me," I asked. 

"Sure thing, Jack O'Neill," he replied. Daniel was already pouring me a 
cup of coffee and Carter was handing me some gummies. Teal'c and I both 
copped a squat and settled down for some good food and great company. 
Underlying the lighthearted chitchat was a common thread of dread. I knew 
that we all were feeling it, but wanted to disregard it for now. We 
passed a couple of hours in this way, stuffing out faces and swilling 
good java. 

Thor eventually joined us too, and wonders of wonders, he tried one of 
the gummies. He didn't turn down a second helping either. Inside, I was 
hollering 'YES!' and doing my own special victory dance. On the outside, 
I just smiled. Eventually, the coffee had the usual effect, and my 
bladder was begging for relief.

"Hey, T. I've gotta use the can. You coming with...?" I asked as I rose 
from my chair and laid down my coffee cup.

"No, O'Neill. The facilities are nearby and convenient for your access. I 
have not yet consumed all of my coffee and will join you later," he 
replied stoically. Crap, this was it. Jack O'Neill was about to be 
'placed in a deep state of oh-shit' again.

"OK... See ya later, kids," I replied with a smile and headed out the 
door. 

I got about halfway down the hall before the transporter beam snatched me 
away. The bright light blinded me at first and I couldn't see anything 
except gray and purple blotches in front of my eyes.

"Oh, for crying out loud," I muttered as I rubbed my eyes in an effort to 
clear my vision. Suddenly, I felt a sharp poke in my lower back and heard 
the unmistakable sound of a staff weapon charging. Crap. When I opened my 
eyes again, I was looking into the face of a Jaffa who looked like he'd 
like an excuse to stomp all over my face. So I did my best to oblige him.

My elbow jabbed backwards to get rid of the guy with the staff weapon. A 
startled yelp behind me was proof enough that I hadn't lost my touch. My 
legs were already moving to take out the guy in front of me. However, my 
plan of attack was brought to a screeching halt when I felt the familiar 
tingle of a zat gun discharging. With a groan, I crumpled to the floor on 
my side as the electrical charge ran it's blue pattern over my body.

"Crap, I so hate it when that happens," I muttered between clenched 
teeth. 

While I was still recovering, my arms were jerked in front of me, 
handcuffs clicked into place around my wrists, and shackles were attached 
to my ankles. Then rough hands pulled me up and I was thrown over some 
big goon's shoulder and carried off like a sack of flour. From my upside 
down position, I could see that I was on a Goa'uld ship of some sort as 
the walls were covered with the usual god-awful, over-the-top, gold 
wallpaper. 

The goon and his buddies toted me into another room and where he dumped 
me onto the floor. After I was jerked to my feet, the short chain 
connecting my handcuffs was attached to a bolt on the wall at about chest 
height. Then, they left the room and a force field snapped into place in 
the doorway. No one said a word to me as they left. 

By moving around a little, I tested the limits of the chain that bound me 
to the wall. My tether was pretty short, so I couldn't move around the 
cell much. About all I could do was stand, lean against the wall, or sit 
on the floor next to the wall with my arms over my head. I could see that 
a guard was posted beside the door. Guess they didn't want to take the 
chance that I might try to escape. 

In the meantime, my bladder was yelling to get my attention and my 
eyeballs felt like they were floating. I was regretting that I'd drank so 
much coffee. Looking around the room, I spotted the slop bucket, but it 
looked like it was out of my reach. Crap. Literally. Well, no. Actually, 
it was pee...and lots of it.

"Hey!" I shouted. The guard kept ignoring me.

"Hey, I'm talking to you. I need to pee. Could you help me out, here?" 
Still no response.

"Listen, I don't know about you, but I don't think that your boss would 
like me to show up smelling of piss. Do you?" That got a response. He 
turned his face toward me, but didn't deactivate the force field. God, 
but he looked ugly.

"Silence, Tau'ri!" Yep, same old, same old. The guard turned his back on 
me again. Couldn't these guys ever come up with better lines?

"Give me a break. It's not as if I can run off. Just cut me loose from 
this wall so I can pee in your bucket. That way I'll get some relief, and 
Ba'al's present won't stink of piss. What do ya say?" I implored. Still 
no response from Mr. Tall, dumb, and ugly. Crap.

Thinking I might be able to arc the stream and 'pee for distance', I 
tried standing and twisting my hands around so I could undo the fly of my 
pants, but didn't have any luck. My fingers just couldn't reach far 
enough. So, I spent the rest of my time trying my best not to piss all 
over myself. Let me tell you, it is not on my top ten list of fun things 
to do. Every so often, the guard would turn around and sneer at me, 
especially if he heard me grunting with the effort of keeping my 
sphincter closed. 

Eventually, I couldn't hold it any longer, and let loose. The guard just 
kept smirking at me as I glared daggers at him. Now, my pants were soggy 
and I stank. Crap. Talk about being the 'soggy bottom boy' poster child.

Several more hours passed with nothing exciting happening, other than the 
fact that my pants were slowly drying and my legs itched. I still stank, 
though. So did my pants...and my boxers...and the floor. I managed to sit 
on the floor next to the wall and rest my head against my elevated arms. 
After a while, I drifted off into a restless sleep. Thankfully, I didn't 
dream, because I probably would've had nightmares. The last thing I 
wanted to was for that sadistic guard to hear me screaming in my sleep.

I awoke when someone jabbed me in the ribs. My guard and his pals were 
back and were unhooking me from the wall. With brute force, they yanked 
me to my feet and shoved me forward. Since the chain between my ankles 
was short, I stumbled and ended up flat on my face. No surprise there as 
that was probably their whole point. Two goons grabbed me under the arms 
and jerked me to my feet again. Slowly, I shuffled along between them, as 
I didn't see any other options. They still weren't taking any chances and 
had guards totally encircling me. I was escorted to a set of rings and 
made to stand in the center. Three guards remained with me as the rings 
whined all of us out of the ship.

When the light from the rings died away, I was jostled forward again by 
my guards. I could tell from the feel of the floor under my feet that 
wherever I was, it was on solid ground. It looked like I was inside a 
fortress, probably Ba'al's. Well, what did I expect? Disney World? My 
guards led me out of the room and into the hallway. Some of the 
surroundings were looking familiar, so I guessed I was able to access 
some of Ba'al's memories of the place. Yep. Judging from his 
recollections, it most definitely was NOT Disney World.

My guards were having fun shoving me from behind, so I retaliated by 
jabbing one of them with an elbow. That really pissed them off so they 
used me as a punching bag for a while. By the time they were finished, I 
couldn't stand without help, so they dragged me the rest of the way to 
what looked like Ba'al's throne room. From the way my ribs hurt, I 
suspected they'd cracked a few, so I was trying to breathe in short, 
shallow puffs. It helped a little, but not much. Now, not only did I 
stink of piss, my chest hurt too. This was so not my day. Note to self: 
never, ever piss off big, ugly Jaffa-types. They will hurt you. Badly.

They dumped me facedown on the floor at the base of the throne thing. 
Using my bound hands, I managed to push myself up onto my knees so I 
could get a good look at whoever was sitting there. Just as I'd 
suspected, it was Renek, and he had an exultant smile on his face.

"Hey, Redneck. Long time, no see," I wheezed painfully. I had the feeling 
that this particular First Prime still hadn't developed a sense of humor, 
but figured I didn't have much to lose. What were they going to do? Kill 
me? Oops. They'd already done that. Several times, as a matter of fact.

"Tau'ri O'Neill, my Lord Ba'al has granted a special audience for you. He 
has ordered that you be prepared so that you may meet him in his 
chambers." He didn't move from the throne and I had a gut feeling that he 
liked sitting in it. 

"Yeah? Well, that's sweet of him to think of me that way, but if it's all 
the same to you, I'll have to pass on that one. My schedule book is full 
clear up till next... Oof!" Damn, my Jaffa guards didn't hold anything 
back. I'd really been on a roll there, and they'd interrupted me. I was 
bent over resting my forehead on the floor, trying to get my breath back. 
As for those cracked ribs, well they were broken now.

"Didn't...your...Mom...teach...?" I couldn't finish that one either. 
Mainly, because I couldn't get enough air into my lungs to breathe, let 
alone talk. Crap, it hurt. Slowly, I toppled over onto my side and curled 
up in an attempt to ease the pain from my ribs.

"Jaffa, kree! Prepare him to meet the Lord Ba'al," Renek bellowed. 

Then, my guards had grabbed me under my armpits again and were dragging 
me out of the room. I didn't bother lifting up my head, because I knew 
what was next on the agenda. I was meeting Ba'al all right. Snake to 
host, that is. So far, everything was going according to plan. Yep, 
everything was just peachy.

Guess the Jaffa didn't like the smell of piss either because, the next 
thing I knew, I'd been thrown face-up onto some kind of table and my 
clothes were being cut off with a sharp knife. Even my lucky boxers went 
bye-bye. Oh well, I suppose they'd lost the distinction of being lucky 
when I pissed in them. Hey, I'd tried to tell the guard that Ba'al 
wouldn't like it if I stank of piss, but would he listen? Nooo. Pretty 
soon, I was completely butt-naked, except for the manacles confining my 
wrists and ankles. However, those can't be counted as clothing because 
they don't cover a whole hell of a lot.

The cleaning crew showed up next and scrubbed me down. Weren't very 
gentle about it either. I wanted to threaten them with complaining to the 
manager, but was too busy moaning whenever they washed my chest or rolled 
me over onto my face so they could scrub my funky ass. When the cleanup 
crew finished drying me off, they took a hike, leaving me lying there in 
my birthday suit, wheezing and gasping for breath. Crap, it hurt. Did I 
mention that it hurt? At least I didn't stink to high heaven anymore.

Based on my past experience, I knew it was getting close to the time when 
I would need to bite myself, so to speak, and release the snake knockout 
drug into my system. However, if I did it too soon, I took the chance 
that it would already be dissipated by the time I got snaked. Because of 
that risk, I was planning to wait until the very last minute to release 
it.

When I started coughing up blood, I knew I was running out of time. 
Fortunately for me, the next shift of the preparation crew showed up with 
some clothes. Last time, they'd put me in a caftan-type of robe that 
they'd pulled over my head. Since I was wearing manacles around my 
wrists, that obviously wasn't going to work this time. They seemed to be 
prepared for everything, though. While a couple of them dragged me off 
the table and propped me up, the other ones pulled a black poncho-type 
affair over my head and let it hang loosely down my front and back. Since 
it had no side seams or sleeves, the handcuffs didn't matter. They just 
draped it over me and used a sash of the same silky black material to 
cinch it closed at my waist.

By now, I was gasping for breath again and let the people dressing me 
take all my weight as I sagged between them. My weakening condition 
seemed to make their supervisor nervous, so a couple of Jaffa goons took 
over and started hauling me down the hallway as quickly as they could. 
The taste of blood was stronger in my mouth now, and I could feel it 
trickle out the corner of my mouth whenever I coughed. Gray and black 
spots were dancing in front of my eyes. And I knew from previous 
experience, that I was going to pass out soon. 

Resolutely, I rolled my tongue around in my mouth, grasped it between my 
back teeth, and bit down hard. Crap that hurt. Now, on top of everything 
else, my tongue was bleeding too. Given that blood was already dripping 
out of my mouth from a punctured lung, the additional blood didn't seem 
to cause any undue concern to my guards. I just hoped that I'd actually 
bitten through the capsule, because, if I'd missed it somehow... 

Moving my already swollen and shredded tongue around once more, I stuck 
the other side of it against the opposite set of molars, and bit it 
again. There, if I hadn't crushed the capsule by now, then it wasn't 
there in the first place. Nope, don't go there, Jack. Those are very, 
very bad thoughts. Just concentrate on breathing, Jack. That and staying 
alive.

By now, I'd been dragged through the throne room and into another room 
with a black stone altar sitting in the middle of it. It looked just like 
the previous one where I'd been snaked. Gee, Ba'al must buy those black 
altar things in bulk from 'Evil Villain's Costumes & Props Inc.' 

The priest guy was back with his clay jar. Both him and Renek were 
standing next to some kind of aquarium-type tank. They seemed shocked to 
see the blood dribbling down my chin, because Renek turned a little pale. 
He hurriedly ordered the guards dragging me to throw me face-up onto the 
table. This time they didn't bother with the restraints. Considering how 
I could hardly breathe, and the fact that I was already wearing those 
manacles, it was no wonder. Renek leaned over and grabbed the front of my 
robe. From the sound of ripping cloth, I realized he had torn away the 
front of my robe, leaving my chest bare and my manacled hands resting on 
my stomach. Unfortunately, lying like that on my back made it even harder 
for me to breathe as I could feel blood pooling in my mouth and throat, 
further obstructing my airway.

Vaguely, I heard the sound of screeching and water splashing, and then 
the priest was standing beside me. As he'd done before, he tipped the urn 
over and the wriggling symbiote slid with a high-pitched shriek onto my 
chest. Since it landed near my bound hands, I tried grabbing at that 
slimy reptile, hoping to strangle the damn thing. Didn't get it done, 
though. Probably because I just couldn't move them fast enough. Renek 
spotted my attempt immediately, and had a couple of Jaffa restrain my 
hands. Crap.

I could feel the 'Snake who would be Jack' moving against my skin, and it 
caused shivers of fear to ripple over my entire body. It was just as huge 
as I remembered as it started slithering and shrieking its snaky way up 
toward my neck. Then I felt Renek jerk my head to the side and hold it 
firmly in his hands. 

Out of the corner of my eye, I could see that the Snake seemed to have 
other ideas. He coiled up on my chest and screeched imperiously until 
Renek moved my head to the front again With my head held rigidly in 
position, the Snake struck and slashed through the skin at the base of my 
throat. The pain was excruciating as the symbiote forced its way through 
the gash to burrow its way through my neck to my spine. My body arched 
away from the altar in agony, but this time, I could only groan and cough 
feebly. It takes lungpower to scream, and breathing was virtually 
impossible to do. 

I tried to detect any difference from the last time, but so far I 
couldn't detect any. I opened my mouth to moan again, but no sound came 
out, only dribbles of blood. I twisted my head around frantically and 
tried screaming. My mouth opened, but just like before, no sound came 
out. Coughing painfully, I sputtered and blood sprayed those around me. 
Crap, this was so not looking good.

Spots were dancing in front of my eyes and I couldn't seem to get any air 
into my lungs. Both Renek and the priest looked very worried. In the 
background, I could hear the First Prime shouting something about the 
sarcophagus. Crap, if they put me in there, I'd lose out on any safety 
margin I had with the snake knockout drug. That is, if it was even 
working. As darkness closed in, I felt arms lifting me...

                         *******************

Part V

"Dad!"

"Huh...?"

"Wake up, Dad! You've got to get going before it's too late," the voice 
continued insistently. I tried opening my eyes, but they didn't seem to 
want to work right.

"Please, Dad, you've got to wake up!" Dammit, couldn't a man get a decent 
night's rest around here?

"Charlie?"

"Yeah it's me, Dad. Wake up for me. Please?" he begged. I tried again, 
and my eyes listened to me, this time. When they focused, I saw that my 
son, Charlie, was standing in front of me. 

"Whatcha doin', Charlie?" I asked. He gave me a relieved smile and 
grabbed hold of my hand.

"You're almost out of time. If you don't move now, you won't have time to 
make it to the Stargate," he explained reasonably. Yeah, as if that 
explained everything. My mind still felt fuzzy and thinking was 
difficult. 

"Where are we, Charlie?" I asked as I looked around. From what I could 
see, we were standing on the roof of my house. Huh? How'd I get there?

"You're inside Ba'al's fortress, Dad. Remember? That Redneck guy put a 
Snake in your head again."

"Oh yeah...now I remember. Wait a minute, son. How long have I been out?" 

"That's what I've been trying to tell you, Dad. You've been out for over 
two hours and you're running out of time." Crap, he was right. According 
to Carter, the snake knockout drug was only supposed to last about four 
hours. That left me just under two hours to make it out of Ba'al's House 
of Fun.

"Where am I, Charlie? I mean...where did those goons put me after I was 
snaked?"

"They dumped you in the sarcophagus," he replied soberly. "Dad? You have 
even less time than you think, because some of the drug was neutralized 
when it revived you." Double crap. This was so not a good thing. Guess 
I'd better get moving then. With that thought, Charlie and my immediate 
surroundings evaporated, leaving me in darkness.

I forced my eyes open again and found myself stretched out on a soft bed. 
Fortunately, someone had gone to the trouble of dressing me, so that was 
one less thing I had to worry about. I really hadn't wanted to traipse 
around Ba'al's place in my birthday suit again. When I tried pushing 
myself up into a sitting position, my arms seemed sluggish in responding 
to my commands, but I blamed it on the after-effects of the sarcophagus. 
That is, until a whispering voice inside my head told me different.

"Why do you persist in your feeble attempts to oppose your God, foolish 
host? Your pathetic efforts to defy me shall not go unpunished. Yield to 
me immediately, and perhaps I shall spare your body from my wrath," Ba'al 
taunted. 

Now, I understood why I was having such trouble moving around. Fear of 
the consequences of failure gave me the extra spurt of adrenaline I 
needed to get me sliding off the bed. A momentary look around led me to 
the conclusion that I was in Ba'al's bedroom. Frantically, I searched for 
some shoes and slipped my feet into a pair of slippers that were beside 
the bed. 

As I stumbled out the door of his chamber, I tried to figure out the most 
expeditious way out of the building. A quick search of our shared 
memories revealed the proper path to follow, and I headed down a long 
hallway at a shuffling pace as the Snake's voice continued to rant and 
rave inside my head. Pounding my fist on my thigh brought some relief 
because the resulting ache distracted me from his threats. As I turned 
another corner, I saw Renek jogging toward me. Crap.

"Jaffa, kree!" I grunted. "Attend your God, Renek," I ordered. He looked 
surprised to see me, but bowed and followed along behind me. So far, so 
good, I thought.

"My Lord Ba'al, what are your wishes," he asked.

"I need not explain myself to you, Renek! For I am your GOD," I growled, 
hoping he wouldn't notice that my voice didn't have the usual deep 
echoing effect of a Goa'uld. 

"Yes, my Lord," he replied. Nevertheless, I could tell by his attitude 
that he was suspicious.

"Follow me, Jaffa. Kree!" I snarled in an attempt to imitate the voice of 
a Snake. However, the voice of Ba'al that resonated inside my head was 
back, and it sounded louder this time.

"Submit to your God, for you are much too weak and pitiable to withstand 
my absolute authority." Hitting my thigh again didn't drown out his voice 
this time. Resolutely, I forced myself to keep moving because I knew that 
I was running out of time. 

Up ahead, I could see a dark courtyard lit by flickering torches. 
Doggedly, I continued to struggle toward my goal and freedom. My 
footsteps faltered when I was hit by a tendril of fire that raced through 
my body. Damn, the knockout drug was definitely wearing off. Renek 
must've noticed me stumble, because he was suddenly at my side, 
preventing me from falling to my knees.

"My Lord, your host is weak and is not yet fully recovered from the 
implantation. Allow me to assist you to your chambers," he implored.

"Silence, Jaffa! Your God must return to the Stargate," I insisted 
stubbornly. "Assist me. Kree!" The effect was ruined when I collapsed 
into his arms and moaned in pain as another sheet of fire rippled through 
my body. Crap. The Snake inside my head was doing his best to keep me 
from escaping. 

The courtyard seemed so close now, only a couple of yards away. With the 
spirit of grim determination, I pushed away from the Jaffa and staggered 
toward the beckoning exit. Just a bit further, I chanted to myself. When 
my body was engulfed in yet another sheet of pain, I bit my lip to keep 
the moan from escaping my lips and using the wall as a support, lurched 
on in the direction of my goal. Just a few steps more, I recited to 
myself. When, I finally stumbled out into the nighttime air, I realized 
that Renek was still at my side. He reached out to steady me once more 
when I nearly fell to my knees. 

"My Lord, you are in need of the sarcophagus," he argued firmly.

"No, must...get...to...the...Stargate," I insisted again. I desperately 
tried to break away from his strong grasp, but his muscles were like 
iron. Yet another flood of sizzling pain erupted through my body, and 
this time, I couldn't keep the groan from leaving my lips. My knees 
buckled underneath me, leaving Renek carrying my entire weight.

"My Lord, the sarcophagus awaits you," he ordered firmly as he lowered me 
gently to the ground.

"No...please," I whispered. Then, I felt my eyes flash white, and I 
realized that I had run out of time. Without my willing it, my mouth 
opened and spoke in a deep resonating tone.

"Jaffa, kree! Attend your God," Ba'al commanded. The sound of running 
feet was the last thing I heard before everything went black.

                         *******************

I was adrift in a black prison of sensory deprivation. Nothing could 
penetrate the abyss. Alone with my thoughts, I struggled to remember how 
I'd gotten there. After some effort, the memory returned of the Goa'uld 
entering my body a second time and my desperate, but futile attempt to 
escape. Ba'al. Crap.

I fought to envision Charlie and my rooftop observatory and knew I was 
succeeding when his face swam into view in front of me. By concentrating 
harder, I could hear his voice urging me to follow him.

"Come on, Dad. You can do it," He smiled encouragingly and held out his 
hand to me. In my mind's eye, I pictured my hand reaching toward him. 
When I could feel his small hand cupped inside mine, I breathed a sigh of 
relief.

"Charlie, you're back."

"Of course I am, Dad. We've got to move fast because you have to sneak 
off to your rooftop hideout while he's not paying any attention to you." 

Using my son as a guide, I struggled to visualize my rooftop sanctuary. 
Slowly, I created it, piece by piece, until it was complete. With an 
almost audible snap, I found myself holding my son's hand and standing 
beside the ladder leading from the ground up to my rooftop. I'd made it! 
No one else was there with us, and I took a moment to admire the view. In 
the distance, I could see the snow-capped summit of Pike's Peak 
surrounded by wispy clouds. The sun shone down upon us and felt warm upon 
my skin. It felt like heaven and I didn't ever want to leave.

"It's good to see you again, Charlie," I acknowledged as I knelt down to 
embrace him in a tight hug.

"I'm just keeping my promise, Dad. You know, the one where I said I would 
always watch over you?"

"I remember, son. I just hate the fact that you have to keep bailing your 
old man out of trouble, that's all," I admitted sheepishly.

"No problem, Dad," he admonished with a grin.

"How long will I be able to stay here, Charlie?"

"I don't know." We both moved over to sit cross-legged on the floor. The 
memory of how I'd been dragged out of my sanctuary the last time made me 
shiver.

"Don't think about him, Dad," he warned. "Whenever you do that, he 
notices you." 

"OK... Can you update me on what my friends are doing? I remember you 
told me before about your rules." The images of my dead friends, Charlie 
Kawalski and Janet Fraiser, abruptly appeared on the roof. It looked like 
the SGC Guardian Angel Squadron was on duty again. Sweet. I could use all 
the help I could get. Later, I would have to talk to them about their 
acronym. Somehow, the 'SGC GAS' just didn't cut it. 

"Hey Jack. Fancy meeting you here," Kawalski smirked.

"Back atcha," I answered with a mock salute.

"What's up, Doc?" I grinned. Evidently, Janet had heard that one a few 
times before, and shot me a dirty look.

"Still the smart ass, aren't you, Jack?" she retorted.

"Hey, not in front of the kid," I objected as I covered my son's ears 
with my hands. He shrugged my hands away from his head and shot me a 
dirty look. After all, he'd heard more than his fair share of cuss words 
come out of his own Dad's mouth while he was still alive. I think it's a 
male testosterone thing, either that, or a product of being around the 
military too long.

"Can any of you fill me in on how my friends are doing?" I asked 
plaintively. Yeah, I admit it. I missed them.

"Of course, Jack. When you stumbled outside Ba'al's fortress, Thor was 
able to get a fix on your location, but couldn't beam you out because of 
the interference of the shields. Sorry, buddy. You almost made it," 
Kawalski reported.

"Sure, but 'almost' only counts with horseshoes and grenades. So what 
else can you tell me?"

"General Hammond has been informed of all recent developments. He's still 
back at the base running things until you get back, Jack," reported Janet 
supportively. "So that's one less thing for you to worry about." By 
common assent, we avoided talking about certain subjects. They knew as 
well as I did that I couldn't be told about the location of my friends. 
Nor could they advise me of any of my teams' plans as my respite from the 
Snake inside my head could be interrupted at anytime.

"So now what? Do I just wait around until I get hauled kicking and 
screaming out of here, or what?"

"As much as I hate to admit it, that's about the size of it, Jack," 
acknowledged Fraiser. "It would help if you could keep yourself occupied 
with something."

"How 'bout a barbecue? I know it's a cliché and a tad crazy having the 
grill on my roof and all, but what are they going to do? Sic the Fire 
Marshall on me?" With my words, my gas grill appeared beside me, complete 
with glowing coals, utensils, and marinating steaks and burgers. Since 
the coals were already hot, I grabbed the spatula and deposited a couple 
of the hamburger patties and a steak on the grill above the hot coals. 
They sizzled and crackled realistically as they began to turn brown. Now 
all I needed was some sodas to drink.

As quickly as the idea was formed, a cooler full of sodas and ice 
appeared beside the barbecue grill. Cool. Grinning, I reached down to 
snag a couple of cans, handing them out to my friends. Smiling in 
remembrance, I placed a can of root beer in my son's open hand. That had 
always been his favorite. I chose a coke and popped the tab. My friends 
were all drinking their sodas and seemed to be enjoying themselves. 
Lifting my can in the air, I made a toast.

"To old friends."

"To old friends," they agreed as they all raised their cans in response 
to my toast.

Popping sounds recalled my attention to the cooking meat. I expertly 
flipped them all over so they could finish cooking. Janet was bustling 
around, getting the rest of the food and the plates ready. 

Before long, the steaks and burgers were char-grilled to perfection and 
we were all sitting on the floor munching away on the goodies. Charlie 
had gotten into my stash of chips and gummies and was stuffing them into 
his mouth like they would be outlawed at midnight. I just sat there, 
enjoying the peacefulness of it all. An odd whisper in the wind suddenly 
caught my attention. As I cocked my head to listen, I noticed my friends 
shaking their heads at me. The attack against my refuge had begun.

"Don't listen, Dad," my son implored with a sad look on his face. The 
sound came again, only this time it was louder. I shook my head violently 
and scooted over to hold my son in my arms.

"Hold onto me, Charlie," I begged. "Don't let go." His arms wrapped 
around my waist and he snuggled up onto my lap.

"Submit to your God, impudent host," Ba'al ordered contemptuously. I 
shook my head and squeezed my eyes shut to better concentrate on feeling 
my son's comforting presence in my lap.

"Focus on me, Dad," he urged.

The first wave of pain hit me like a jolt of electricity, sending my body 
into spasms. I bit my lip, and curled around my son, in an attempt to 
retain the feel of him in my arms. For a while, it worked, and I was able 
to uncurl my body and open my eyes. I sighed in relief when I realized I 
was still on the roof.

Then I was hit by another surge of pain, but it was more intense this 
time. Grimly holding onto my vision of Charlie, I did my best to ride it 
out. It hurt, though...bad. I struggled to bring my breathing back under 
control.

"You are incapable of withstanding your God's superior might. Submit to 
me and I may be merciful to you. Tell me about the weapon," Ba'al 
demanded.

"No," I whispered. 

Charlie was gone. I could no longer feel him in my arms. Once again, that 
Snake had hauled me out of my refuge. His image stood towering over me. 
As before, he was wearing my body and speaking with my voice. His eyes 
flashed in anger, and I was overwhelmed with another sheet of fiery pain 
that caused me to cry out.

"If you tell me what I what to know, I will stop the pain," he said 
reasonably.

"I...can't," I panted.

"I don't believe you," he argued. He smiled in a perverted parody of my 
cocky grin.

"Thor... locked it...away," I insisted.

"I have searched your mind, and I know that you can provide me with what 
I desire." Another wave of fire consumed my senses and left me gasping 
for breath.

"I just told you...I can't get to it," I answered between clenched teeth.

"I do not believe you. With time, and the right incentives, you will give 
me the information. Think on this, my foolish host, you belong to me and 
I have all the time in the world to wear down your resistance. Your 
pitiful efforts cannot prevent me from seizing whatever I wish," he 
assured me confidently. Then his, no, my eyes flashed white again and my 
world went black.

After enduring such intense torment, the nothingness of sensory 
deprivation was almost welcome. Tentatively, I tried imagining Charlie 
again, but gave up after my efforts weren't rewarded. With the awareness 
that he wouldn't exile me to the darkness forever, I settled down to wait 
it out.

Some time later, the Snake inside my head permitted me to watch the world 
through his, no, my eyes. To tell you the truth, I'm not sure if he was 
doing me any favors by allowing me to view his actions. The knowledge 
that I couldn't influence him to change his brutal behavior and could 
only look on helplessly while he strengthened his power base made me 
seethe in frustration.

Ba'al kept Loki busy producing clones of the super soldiers. The little 
Asgard scientist was guarded constantly and didn't look like he was being 
treated very well. When he saw the body of 'Jack O'Neill' ordering people 
around, he looked shocked. But, he caught on real fast when he heard the 
echoing resonance of my voice and Ba'al made my eyes flash white. The 
Snake appeared to be getting a kick out of Loki's reaction to his new 
host and communicated his delight to me at every opportunity. When he 
felt my chagrin, he laughed even louder. His efforts to demoralize me 
were working and we both knew it. Crap.

Periodically, he would banish me to my black hole for a while. Even 
though I knew this was part of his brainwashing technique, I began to 
look forward to the times when he let me out to view his world. He'd 
stopped interrogating me about the Ancients, but he really didn't have to 
question me anymore. He knew I couldn't hold out against him 
indefinitely, and was waiting for the passage of time to erode my 
defenses. And time was on his side.

The next several times he let me out to see his world, I recognized that 
Ba'al was reasserting his authority over his Army of Jaffa. He was 
accomplishing this by ordering his super soldiers to execute entire 
squads of them for the smallest of infractions. Renek didn't look happy 
with the way that things were going. In contrast, Ba'al seemed to exult 
in the pain and destruction he was causing and totally disregarded the 
disapproving looks of his First Prime.

During another one of my outings, Ba'al permitted me to eavesdrop while 
he communicated with the System Lords about the upcoming Summit. When 
they discovered the identity of his new host, they all seemed shocked, 
which pleased the Snake in my head to no end. In fact, I had to endure 
his gloating boasts for days afterwards. With the use of my caustic wit, 
I attempted deflect his comments, but he easily repelled my mental jabs 
at his ego.

As the day of the Summit's commencement neared, Ba'al let me out more 
often. Renek could be seen preparing the fleet for the coming journey to 
the meeting place. As usual, it was taking place at the space station in 
the Hasara System. Ba'al was planning to take the bulk of his fleet to 
the meeting, along with his army of super soldiers. Loki was coming along 
with us too. I guess Ba'al wanted to keep his pet Asgard scientist close 
to him. Knowing him, he probably planned to use him to further intimidate 
the other System Lords. Most of his Jaffa Army was being left behind on 
his planet, though.

Ba'al constantly bragged about his plans to take over as the Grand Poobah 
of the Snakehead Social Club while I did my best to ignore him. It 
worried me that I was becoming used to being totally controlled by him. 
Not surprisingly, he thought it was quite amusing. His endless taunts of 
how he had broken 'his mighty Tau'ri host' got on my nerves, big time. I 
refused to call him my Lord, though, and he didn't like that. Not one 
bit. Oh well, if that was the only way I could hang on to my identity as 
Jack O'Neill, then I would take it and run with it. On the other hand, he 
refused to address me by anything other than 'my host'.

Another component of his plan of demoralization was unveiled in the days 
preceding the Summit. Somehow, he'd managed to collect several blonde-
haired, blue-eyed, female slaves. When he revealed his harem of Carter 
look-alikes, I was so stunned that I was unable to mask the dismay and 
revulsion I felt. 

Unlike before, I began to dread being summoned from my dark prison by 
Ba'al because I knew what he had planned. It usually consisted of forcing 
me to watch him raping, torturing, and/or killing one of those women. 
When he ordered his victims to beg 'Jack' for mercy, I raged against him 
and his depravity. Of course, my anger and threats did nothing more than 
provide him with more entertainment. Even though I kept telling myself 
that those poor unfortunates were not Carter and that I wasn't to blame, 
their cries of agony and terror followed me back down into my dark 
solitary confinement where I was consumed with fury and shame.

During this time, I noticed Renek examining me closely, and couldn't help 
but wonder what was going through his head. It was obvious that his days 
as First Prime were numbered, and he knew it. I could only speculate how 
that might turn out. By now, I was very careful to guard my thoughts, 
because I knew that my Snake roommate had access to them. Worst of all 
though, I'd reluctantly concluded that it would be too demoralizing to 
even dream of rescue. I could only hope that my friends would keep their 
promise and free me from this living death.

I'd been exiled to my dark hole once again, when I suddenly experienced 
unexplained pain. To my astonishment, I realized that I'd regained 
control over my body and senses. When I opened my eyes, I saw Renek 
standing over me holding a zat. Well, that explained the pain as well as 
the silence of my Snake roommate. Grabbing at my chance, I sat up and 
looked Renek in the eye. He looked nervous and was speaking to me.

"We must hurry, Tau'ri O'Neill. The effects of the zat'n'ktel will 
paralyze Ba'al for only a short time."

"Where are we going, Renek?"

"Outside, O'Neill. The Asgard are awaiting us," he assured me. He helped 
me to my feet and we both took off at a run. Strangely, the hallways were 
empty as we hurried toward the exit. The floor shook under our feet and I 
could hear the sounds of explosions.

"What's going on? I asked my companion.

"The combined forces of the System Lords are attacking Ba'al's Outpost." 
Sweet. I guess Renek had finally gotten sick of Ba'al's power games and 
turned on him. The floor shook again and the overhead lights flickered as 
detonations continued to boom all around us. The exit was coming up and I 
began hoping that we might actually break out this time. With a feeling 
of dread, I felt the first stirrings of the Snake inside my mind.

"It's wearing off, Renek," I warned. "If I don't escape, promise that 
you'll disintegrate me with your zat. Please?"

"I promise, O'Neill," he replied solemnly. We exited into the night air 
and continued running through the courtyard. However, I began 
experiencing difficulty coordinating my muscles and realized that it 
wouldn't be long before Ba'al regained control. Already, I could hear him 
raging at me.

"Renek," I gasped. "He's coming. Just zat me and go." He dropped my arm 
and turned to face me with his weapon raised. At that same moment, we 
were both surrounded by white light. Then my world went dark and I knew 
that Ba'al had me again. The sound of his mocking laughter followed me 
into oblivion.

                         *******************

Slowly, I swam through a heavy fog until I finally perceived a light 
ahead of me. Cautiously, I reached for it, and realized I could hear the 
sounds of an Asgard medical pod in my ears. Fearing a trick, I attempted 
to locate the presence of my Snake companion and was shocked when it 
wasn't there. Deciding to take a risk, I warily opened my eyes. Above my 
head was the familiar translucent lid of the medical pod.

Could it be possible that I'd escaped? I tried closing my eyes and 
opening them again. The scene before me hadn't changed and my eyes still 
obeyed my commands. As I watched, the lid retracted into the sides of the 
pod. Turning my head, I was able to confirm that I was in an Asgard 
medical pod. Experimentally, I tried moving my arms, and really wasn't 
surprised when I felt the restraints. A familiar face appeared in my 
field of vision. Ernie.

"Welcome back, Jack O'Neill. Long time, no see," he commented with a 
bounce.

"Ernie?" I whispered hoarsely.

"Ya think?" he replied.

"How?" Interpreting my question accurately, he continued.

"Thor used the transporter device to beam you and Renek aboard 'The 
O'Neill II'. Once the shield generator was blown to smithereens, Thor was 
also able to beam up Loki. The Asgard renegade is now in the pokey, Jack 
O'Neill." Serves him right, the little flat-assed, meddling Dr. Moreau 
wannabe. Hope he rots in jail.

"Oh... Is Renek OK?"

"Yes, Jack O'Neill, he is in good health and has been bugging me about 
you." Gee, Renek had turned out to be an all-right type of guy after all.

"My team?"

"They are aboard and have been pestering me to allow them see you ever 
since we beamed you back," Ernie explained.

"Sounds great, Ernie. When can I see them?"

"You can visit with them later, after you have rested, Jack O'Neill." I 
nodded slowly in agreement, realizing I still felt exhausted. I still 
needed to know one more thing, but was almost afraid to ask it. I felt 
skeptical that I might be free of Ba'al's domination, but hesitant to 
concede defeat, just in case it might actually be true. Taking a deep 
breath, I went for broke. 

"Ba'al?" There, I'd said it. I could only trust I wasn't in for the 
letdown of a lifetime.

"Utilizing the extraction procedure, he was removed from your body soon 
after you were transported to our vessel. After we confirmed that it was 
indeed Ba'al, the symbiote was disintegrated. I believed it would be best 
if you were knocked out for the procedure, so I slipped you a mickey," he 
assured me solemnly. Ba'al was dead? 

"Dead?" I asked again.

"Yes, he is dead, Jack O'Neill. As in totally and completely tango 
uniform and tits up. He is an ex-snake."

"Sweet," I whispered. It was true. I was free! Despite my best efforts to 
remain awake and savor my freedom, I could feel my eyes sliding shut. 
Resolutely, I opened them again. 

"Ernie? Thanks," I whispered. I was losing the battle to keep them open.

"No problemo, buddy," Ernie assured me with a bounce for emphasis. I 
smiled and let sleep take me.

                         *******************

When I opened my eyes again, I quickly realized that I had company from 
the faint buzz of conversation in the background. By concentrating, I 
could discern the voices of Carter, Daniel, and Teal'c. However, the 
sound of her voice brought back very unpleasant memories, and for a 
moment, I wondered if I hadn't escaped after all. A quick, but thorough 
inventory of my mind revealed no trace of the Snake's presence. Whew! I 
decided to let them know that I was finally awake. 

"Hey guys." It worked because I heard the sound of approaching footsteps. 
Soon, the faces of my friends were gazing down upon me as I lay on the 
bed. They looked pleased to see me and had grins on their faces. Even 
Teal'c. Wow! When I saw Carter's face, though, I winced involuntarily and 
had to close my eyes. Crap. Seeing her face just reminded me of all those 
poor Carter look-alikes that Snake had tortured.

"That you, Carter?" I asked fearfully. From the puzzled look on her face, 
I knew she must've thought I'd finally lost it.

"Of course, it's me, Sir. Who else would it be?" God, if she only knew!

"It's nothing, Carter. You just reminded me of someone else for a minute. 
Guess I'm still kind of groggy," I replied warily with the hope that she 
would let the subject drop. Time for one of Jack O'Neill's famous tactics 
in diversion. 

"Whatcha doin' kids? I asked with a smile.

"Ernie most graciously granted us permission to maintain a vigil by your 
bedside, O'Neill. We have been awaiting your awakening for several 
hours," Teal'c stated with a small bow.

"Cool," I replied. I didn't feel nearly as worn-out and sore as I'd felt 
before. Hopefully, that improvement meant that I could get on with my 
life. Jack O'Neill with a life? What a concept! 

"Anybody care to bring me up to date?" I asked. Carter responded first. 
At least she didn't sound exactly like those other women's voices.

"When we were unable to transport you off the surface of Ba'al's planet, 
we set our contingency plan into motion. Fortunately, Renek contacted us 
and offered to supply us with the information we needed to extract you," 
she explained. Then Teal'c took over.

"After the super soldiers began systematically executing Jaffa loyal to 
Ba'al, Renek realized he needed to halt the senseless slaughter of his 
soldiers. With this in mind, he was able to successfully sabotage the 
shield generators protecting Ba'al's fortress. Jaffa loyal to him also 
disabled the shields of his Ha'taks in orbit around the planet. 
Therefore, when the combined fleet of the other System Lord's attacked, 
Ba'al's forces were taken by surprise and easily defeated." Then Daniel 
took over from Teal'c.

"As soon as the shield generators were disabled, Thor was able to beam 
Loki up to the ship along with you and Renek. Once you were all safely 
onboard, Loki's laboratory was destroyed. According to Thor, the renegade 
scientist will be incarcerated for a long, long time. And I have the 
feeling that the security guarding him will be much more stringent than 
the previous time."

"How long was I gone?" I asked curiously. While I was that snake's host, 
I'd lost all track of time and couldn't help but wonder just how long I'd 
been imprisoned in that living death.

"A period of three weeks has elapsed since the time you were abducted 
from the hallway of 'The O'Neill II'," Teal'c advised. Crap, in some ways 
it had seemed much longer. More like an eternity.

"Three weeks, huh?"

"Yes, Sir," Major Carter confirmed. "General Hammond has been briefed on 
your status and asked me to pass along his good wishes. He said to tell 
you that your job as CO of Stargate Command is still waiting for you." 

"Wow. You mean they still want me back even after being snaked a second 
time? What about the huge honkin' security risk I pose?" I asked 
incredulously. 

"According to General Hammond, the President himself, made that decision, 
Sir," she assured me with a smile. Sure, I wanted my command back, but 
because of all the crap I'd been through, I'd been convinced that dream 
was totally out of my reach. The news that I was returning to the SGC 
infused my body with sudden energy and hope.

"So kids. What's next on the agenda? When do we get back home?" A 
swishing door announced the arrival of my two Asgard friends, Ernie and 
Thor.

"We will be orbiting your planet in about eight of your hours O'Neill. We 
have timed our arrival to coincide with your full recovery. Because of 
our advanced medical technology, Eir deemed it would be wise to supervise 
your complete medical treatment," Thor advised me solemnly.

"That's cool, Thor. By the way buddy, thanks for yanking my ass out of 
there. You know that I'll never be able to repay you for that. You too, 
kids. Thanks for sticking by me and not giving up."

"It was, as you say, no big deal, O'Neill. Rather it is we who owe you a 
great debt, as you were instrumental in causing the downfall of a very 
powerful and dangerous System Lord. Thanks to your efforts, the status 
quo has been restored to the Goa'uld hierarchy," answered Thor. I just 
shrugged my shoulders in answer to the Asgard Supreme Commander. By 
turning my head, I could see that Ernie was busy moving shells around on 
the surface of the control-console.

"Upsy daisy, Jack O'Neill. It is time that you were allowed to sit up for 
a bit. Perhaps this will help," he commented as the head of my bed began 
to rise, propping me up in a semi-upright position. I liked the fact that 
it allowed me to look around the room and take in the wonderful sight of 
my friends surrounding me. I realized I was dressed in some kind of gown 
and that several tubes were attached to my chest. Guess I wasn't ready 
for pants, yet. To my surprise, this discovery didn't bother me. I guess, 
deep down inside, I knew I wasn't up to par yet. Both my mind and body 
would need more time to heal.

"Thanks a bunch, Ernie. It's good to see your face again too. Have you 
eaten all of my stash of gummies yet?" I asked with a frown.

"That is for me to know and you to find out, Jack O'Neill," retorted my 
Asgard Doctor. Yep, his education on Tau'ri customs was coming right 
along. All my friends were grinning now and even Thor managed to look 
guilty. Guess I'd gotten him hooked on them too. I couldn't wait to hear 
the effect that those gummi candies would have on the Asgard population.

"Renek has expressed the wish to speak with you, O'Neill. Shall I allow 
him to approach you?" asked Teal'c. "He seems quite enthusiastic about 
his newfound freedom and has been actively recruiting others to the cause 
of the Free Jaffa."

"Sure, Teal'c. Tell him to come on in," I replied. To tell you the truth, 
I was curious to hear what he had to say. I also felt that I owed him big 
time. If he hadn't helped me out back there...

"Why don't we all leave so they can have some privacy, guys?" suggested 
Daniel. "I have the feeling that they have a lot of things to talk 
about." 

I watched as they all went out the door. Renek must have been waiting 
just outside, because as soon as they left, he walked in. He looked at me 
uncertainly and then marched up to my bedside. I was shocked when he fell 
to one knee in front of me and bowed his head.

"Tau'ri O'Neill, I have come before you today to beg your forgiveness," 
he stated humbly. Huh?

"Oh, for crying out loud, Renek. Get up off your knees so I can look at 
you," I ordered. When he complied with my request, I continued.

"Why don't you pull up a chair so we can have a little chat. It sounds 
like you have a lot to get off your chest." I waited until he was seated.

"What's this crap about begging me for forgiveness, Renek? I should be 
the one thanking you for hauling my ass out of there. If it wasn't for 
your help, I'd still have a snake in my head." He still wouldn't look me 
in the eyes. Guess it was time to try something different. 

"By the way, doesn't Renek translate as 'honor'?" I asked. When he gave 
me a surprised look, I knew I had his attention.

"That is correct, O'Neill. However, I believe it should be altered to 
Tok'Renek because of the dishonorable way I have behaved toward you and 
my Jaffa brethren." His eyes were fixed on the floor again. How could I 
convince him that we all make mistakes?

"Look at me, Renek," I ordered firmly. "If it makes you feel better, then 
I forgive you. But first, you need to understand something. As soldiers, 
you and I both have had to do some damn distasteful things in our time. 
Yes, that includes me too. I don't like to think about those things, but 
can't escape the fact that I did them."

"You and I differ, in that you are indeed an honorable warrior, O'Neill," 
he objected.

"Would you cut the crap and listen?" At his nod, I continued. "Sure, I 
don't like the fact that you grabbed my ass and turned me into a 
Snakehead again. It hurt like hell, and I sincerely hope that I never 
have to go through that again," I admitted. 

Because of his position as former First Prime to one mean and sicko 
Snake, he'd been party to some pretty nasty stuff. And I knew that he 
couldn't be ignorant of how such torture affected its victims. Hell, he'd 
probably watched as they slowly went insane and died from the agony 
inflicted on them. I glanced back to the seated Jaffa. The look on his 
face was one of confusion and fear. 

"Listen, Renek. I'm not sure that I can grant you absolution for your 
crimes. What I mean, is..." As I struggled for the right words, he raised 
his eyes to meet mine.

"Have you tried talking about this to anyone else, Renek?" 

"Indeed, I have, O'Neill. I have spoken at length with your friend, 
Teal'c. It was he who recommended I discuss this with you," he admitted.

"That's a good start, Renek. If anyone can understand where you're coming 
from, it would be him. Tell me, do you consider Teal'c to be an honorable 
man?" I asked.

"Of course, O'Neill. Why would I not believe such a thing? His act of 
defiance against his former Master, Apophis, took great courage. His 
achievement has inspired many Jaffa to seek their freedom from the 
Goa'uld oppressors."

"Yet, as the First Prime of Apophis, didn't he commit many crimes of 
brutality? After all that he's done, how can you trust someone like 
that?" I asked in an effort to drive my point home.

"I do not honor the misdeeds of his past, rather, I admire him for the 
valor and integrity he has since demonstrated. Ever since I made his 
acquaintance, he has shown me nothing but respect, despite the fact that 
I caused great harm to a dear friend of his," he explained.

"Why can't you give yourself the same break that you've given to Teal'c? 
Or aren't you as deserving of a second chance to start over with a clean 
slate?" I could see that my words had got him thinking.

"Listen, Renek. I'm certainly no angel myself. Sometimes the only way I 
can sleep at night is if I tell myself to get on with living my life in 
as honorable way as possible. Since none of us can change the past, all 
we can do is try to make amends. If we spend our time wallowing in guilt 
and regret, the bad guys win. I don't know about you, but I so do not 
want that to happen. So what do you say, Renek? Will you forgive yourself 
and try to make things right? It sounds like you've already made a good 
start by joining the Free Jaffa." My words seemed to take the former 
First Prime by surprise, but I could tell that he had listened to what I 
had to say.

"Thank you for your words of wisdom, Tau'ri O'Neill. You are indeed a 
wise and extraordinary leader of your people," he stated. Then he gave a 
small bow of his head. Hopefully he would think on my words because his 
addition to Teal'c's cause would be a big boast in Jaffa morale.

"That's cool, buddy. Why don't you get the rest of our friends in here so 
we can make some plans," I suggested. He got up and gave me another 
slight bow.

"As you wish," he assented before heading for the door. When he returned, 
all my friends were smiling and talking amongst themselves. Things were 
definitely looking up for the time being. Since I would be heading back 
to the SGC soon, I had some plans to make.

"So, Thor. What's the plan? Will you beam us straight back to the SGC?"

"No, O'Neill. General Hammond and President Hayes have requested that you 
and your team be transported directly to the Oval Office in the White 
House. Eir and I will be accompanying you." The White House, huh? Well, I 
don't blame the President for wanting to check me out. After all, I'd 
been snaked twice and I'm sure he had a whole honkin' bunch of questions 
for me.

"That sounds just peachy, Thor. Anybody hungry? I could go for a cup of 
Daniel's coffee and some potato chips and gummies right about now," I 
added plaintively. 

"I do not think so, Jack O'Neill," contradicted Ernie. "You still look 
like something the cat dragged in. Perhaps after you have received 
additional rest and medical treatment, your belly will be ready for such 
food."

"Aw, for crying out loud, Ernie. I feel fine," I groused. To tell you the 
truth all this company was getting to me. In fact, my body was feeling 
numb and my mind felt like it was going to blow a circuit at any second. 
After all, this was the most people I'd talked to since I'd been snaked 
the last time. Ernie seemed to realize my brain was starting to overload.

"Everyone must leave now, as Jack O'Neill is in need of additional 
treatment. Will you leave willingly, or do I have to throw you out?" I 
gave them all a wan smile. No one seemed in a hurry to argue with Ernie. 
Wise choice.

"We shall all take our leave at this time, Ernie. However, we wish to be 
notified when O'Neill can once again receive visitors," intoned Teal'c as 
he shepherded everyone out the door.

"Thanks, Ernie," I murmured. "All this company was kind of overwhelming. 
Guess I'm still not used to being around people yet."

"Ya think?" he asked with a bounce. Then he began moving shells around 
again and I started feeling sleepy.

"Nighty night, Jack O'Neill," he stated. "I am ensuring your rest by 
slipping you another mickey." Then, it was lights out for Jack O'Neill.

                         *******************

The well-known feeling of helplessness and despair filled me as I 
realized that I was standing in front of Ba'al's throne. A familiar-
looking woman with short blonde hair and blue eyes knelt in on the floor 
in front of me. She gave me a terrified look and pleaded for her life yet 
again.

"Please, Jack! Don't hurt me. I love you. How can you do this?" 

I watched in horror as my hand with the ribbon device rose once more. 
Vainly, I tried to stop my hand from moving. When my arm faltered, I knew 
a flash of triumph. However, it was extremely short-lived. After just a 
brief pause, my arm completed its upward journey and I felt a surge of 
power run through my body and exit my hand through the ribbon device. A 
golden beam of killing energy flashed from it to end at the forehead of 
the kneeling woman. Her wide-eyed gaze was riveted to my face as blood 
trickled out of her nose and ears. The beam only stopped when her eyes 
glazed over and lost all sign of life. Her body slumped bonelessly to the 
floor and I was forced to watch helplessly as she was dragged off to join 
the others who had died before her. But, Ba'al wasn't finished with me 
yet.

"Foolish host, why to do continue to oppose my dominance over you. I am 
your Master now, and you are mine for eternity. You must be punished for 
your impudence."

I was immediately consumed in a river of fire that rippled endlessly 
through my body. Screaming in agony, I awoke to find myself back in the 
Asgard medical pod with the sound of my outcry still echoing in the room. 
I heard a gasp and saw that Carter was standing about a foot away from my 
bed. Seeing that I was awake, she apprehensively took a step toward me.

"Sir? Are you all right? You seemed to be having a nightmare."

"Yeah, you could say that," I muttered shakily. Lifting my hand to my 
face, I discovered it was drenched in sweat. Carter had heard me scream 
and knowing her, she wouldn't leave until I gave her an explanation. 
Crap.

"Sir? Do you want to talk about it? Whatever it was about, it must have 
been a doozy. I was afraid to get anywhere near you in case you tried to 
deck me in your sleep."

"Sorry to scare you like that, Carter. You don't need to worry about it 
because I'll get over it with time. Just like all the other crap I've 
been through."

"You know that you really should talk about it. If you don't it'll just 
eat you up inside. Sir, you can trust me with this. Does it have anything 
to do with the funny looks you've been giving me since you've been back?" 
I did a quick double take at her words. Guess I hadn't been hiding my 
reactions as well as I'd thought. She'd sat down in the chair next to my 
bed as if to illustrate the fact that she wasn't leaving until she 
received a satisfactory answer. 

"Yeah, it does, Carter. That Ba'al character was a real piece of work. I 
swear he'd lay awake at night just thinking up ways to make my existence 
miserable. Most of the time, he kept me penned up in a dark hole with no 
access to my senses. A new twist on the old 'sensory deprivation torture' 
I guess. That's not the half of it, though. Don't ask me how he did it, 
but he managed to create a personal harem of women with blonde hair and 
blue eyes that looked just like you. He even ordered them to call him 
'Jack'." By now I was sweating and shaking again and I had to take a deep 
breath before I could continue. God, how I hated talking about this crap.

"Take your time, Sir. I'll be here as long as it takes for you to get 
through this," she said with a reassuring smile.

"Anyway, that bastard's favorite game was to make me watch while he 
tortured and raped them. All the while he was doing this, those poor 
women were begging him to stop. If they slipped up and didn't call him 
Jack, he got real pissed and was even rougher on them. Then, when he got 
tired of the pain-game, he'd kill them and drag in another one to take 
her place. Whenever I tried to stop what he was doing, he would punish me 
by shooting pain along the nerves in my body. And I was never able to 
stop him, Carter. He always won, no matter how hard I tried." Resolutely, 
I turned away knowing I couldn't look her in the eyes anymore. God only 
knew what she thought of me and what I'd done. Feeling a gentle touch on 
my shoulder, I about jumped out of my skin. Surprised, I realized it was 
Carter.

"Sir? Why won't you look at me?" she asked tremulously.

"Don't you get it, Carter? I raped and killed all those women. Me, as in 
Jack O'Neill, tortured all those poor girls to death. And the last thing 
they saw was my face smiling down at them. They took that image with them 
when they died, Carter," I admitted miserably. To keep from looking at 
her, I fixed my eyes on the ceiling above my head. 

"Jack, it wasn't you that did all those horrible things. It was Ba'al. He 
had total control over your entire body. You said yourself that you tried 
to stop him. Didn't you?"

"I should've tried harder, Carter. Maybe if I had, those women would be 
alive today. Instead, they're dead and it's my fault. I killed them." 
Keep your eyes to the front, Jack. Don't you dare look at her, Jack. 
Without warning, the ceiling was replaced by Carter's face and she looked 
pissed. There was nowhere to hide now. Crap.

"That's where you're wrong, Jack. You weren't in control, Ba'al was. If 
you want to blame anyone for those deaths, blame him. This is one burden 
that you shouldn't take on, Jack, because it doesn't belong to you. 
Please believe me," she pleaded angrily. Flinging my arm across my eyes, 
I shook my head in violent negation of her words.

"Jack, do you remember when Skaara was taken as a host?" she asked. 
Taking my nod as her answer, she continued.

"He tried to kill you several times. Didn't he?"

"Yeah, I remember," I answered warily from behind the arm shielding my 
face and my shame from her eyes.

"You forgave him for all that. Didn't you?"

"You know I did, Carter. It was Klorel, doing that stuff, not him. He 
tried to stop him from doing those things, but the Snake in his head was 
just too strong."

"If that's the case, then what makes you so different from him, Jack? 
Huh?" she asked reasonably. Damn the woman and her logic. Without taking 
my arm from my eyes, I just shook my head in misery. A myriad of evil 
memories were racing through my head to the point that I couldn't think 
clearly anymore. Curiously enough, she seemed to understand my confusion.

"Jack, you've just been through a horrific experience and it's going to 
take you some time to recover your sense of self again. You're not just 
healing from physical trauma, you know. Why don't I let you get some 
rest? You look like you could use it," she added. At the mention of 
sleep, I panicked and slipped my arm down to look pleadingly at her.

"No! I mustn't sleep, Carter. Help me stay awake. As soon as I close my 
eyes, he's waiting for me. Don't let me go to sleep."

"Would you like me to get Ernie, Sir?" 

"Do you mind?" In answer to my question, she just smiled and nodded her 
head.

"Hey, Ernie. Jack needs you," she called. As usual, it worked and he came 
bouncing into the room. That little guy must do nothing but hang around 
in the hallway just waiting for us to need something. 

"Ernie, Jack's having some trouble sleeping and just had a doozy of a 
nightmare. Do you think you could help him out?"

"Yeah, sure ya betcha. I'll slip him a mickey," he replied. He adjusted 
some shells on the console. The last thing I saw was Ernie and Carter 
exchanging triumphant high fives. They'd known about this shit all along. 
Crap.

                         *******************

When I opened my eyes again, I could see that I was still lying propped 
up in bed. However, the gown was gone and had been replaced by pants. The 
tubes were gone from my chest too. Guess that meant I'd be getting sprung 
from Ernie's Infirmary and going home soon. This time, the thought of 
returning to my responsibilities didn't fill me with such doubt as it had 
before. 

"It is good to see that you are once again alert and aware of your 
surroundings, O'Neill," commented Teal'c. I hadn't noticed him sitting 
cross-legged on the floor and I started.

"For crying out loud, T. Don't sneak up on me like that. You about gave 
me a heart attack."

"There was no attempt on my part at subterfuge, O'Neill. I had no wish to 
draw the fleece of a sheep over your optical receptors," he remarked as 
he gracefully rose from the floor. Obviously, his knees were still in 
excellent shape, unlike mine.

"That's 'pull the wool over my eyes', T," I said with a grin. "How long 
before we go home, Teal'c?"

"Thor has advised me that we are now in orbit around the Tau'ri home 
planet. Arrangements are currently being made for appropriate clothing to 
be brought for our use," he informed me as he walked toward my bed.

"Does that mean I have to wear my Class A's," I asked with a resigned 
sigh.

"Indeed. As does Major Carter."

"Crap. I hate those things. Hey Teal'c, buddy. Is there any way I could 
get out of wearing that monkey suit?"

"There is not, O'Neill. I believe that you will have to smile and 
endeavor to endure the experience. General Hammond himself dispatched 
Daniel on the errand to deliver the clothing to you. The General seemed 
most insistent on the choice of your apparel, O'Neill." By this time, 
Daniel had appeared at the door and was carrying a garment bag over his 
shoulder. He was dressed up in a suit too.

"Hey, Danny-Boy. Who died?" I asked with a smirk.

"Huh? Oh, nobody died, Jack. The General insisted we get all dressed up 
for our visit to the Oval Office. We have just enough time for you to put 
these on."

"What about that cup of coffee you promised me, Daniel? Do you have any 
idea how long it's been since I had a decent cup of vanilla roast?" I 
whined plaintively. Hey, I can grovel...if it's for the right reasons.

"Oh, all right, Jack. I'll get my coffeemaker brewing up some of the good 
stuff. The President of the United States will just have to wait," he 
answered with a grin.

"You're my kind of man, Danny-Boy. Hey T, tell Thor that we'll be 
slightly delayed. OK?"

"I shall comply with your wishes, O'Neill," replied my Jaffa friend as he 
inclined his head regally and departed the room.

"Hey, Ernie! Get in here!" I shouted. The little Asgard Doctor must've 
been loitering in the hallway, because he came bouncing right in.

"Danny-Boy promised me a cup of his best coffee, and I'm not leaving here 
until I get some. Is that clear, Doc?"

"Coming right up, Skippy. I'll beam the coffee and munchies right over," 
agreed Ernie. Yes, life was definitely looking better, I thought with a 
satisfied smile. 

                         *******************

Epilogue: In a subterranean cavern far below the surface of a deserted 
Outpost, a strange and unholy tableau was unfolding. Tu'at, the High 
Priest of the Lord Ba'al, gazed with fascination at the creature swimming 
languidly in the tank. Soon it would be time for it to take a host. He 
mentally congratulated himself for having the foresight to coerce the 
weak Asgard slave to create several copies of his God prior to the last 
implantation. Tu'at himself had ensured that the cloned symbiotes had 
been spirited away to this secret location. Just in case. Although all 
aspects of this undertaking had been initiated without the knowledge of 
his Master, in retrospect, he believed his God would thank him for his 
foresight.

Unfortunately, his God's former host had succeeded in escaping to rejoin 
his Tau'ri brethren. Mentally, he damned the blasphemous Tau'ri for his 
Master's destruction and vowed retribution for the sacrilege. Although 
the Asgard slave had created many copies, only this one remained. It had 
proved its worthiness by ruthlessly eliminating its opponents. 

The Goa'uld symbiote continued to swim gracefully in the tank as it 
awaited a vessel worthy for it to inhabit. Abruptly, it began to thrash 
angrily, raising ripples on the water's surface. My Lord Ba'al is angry, 
the Priest thought worriedly. 

"Soon, My Lord. A host worthy of your supreme powers will be presented to 
you soon," he promised.

The End. Send feedback to dinkydow20032002@yahoo.com