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After Midnight

Daniel groaned and opened his eyes. His arms were free, Jack and Teal'c had managed to untie one another after they'd been tossed into a pen like enclosure. The Jaffa had been foolish enough to put the pens side by side. The team members took advantage of that, and working clandestinely, were able to free themselves. For appearance's sake, they continued to hold their arms behind their backs.

"Don't move, Danny," Jack said softly. "Let 'em think you're still out."

He grunted softly, letting his friend know that he had heard.

"He's got Casey. A couple of older women took her toward the barracks about thirty minutes ago."

Goddamned bastard! 'Angel?'

'Daniel? Oh, thank god!'

He could feel her panic. 'Easy babe, take it easy. Tell me what's happening.'

'He's making me translate the notes the Jaffa found. Most of them are personal diary type stuff. But there are references to the work they were doing.'

'Okay. Has he…has he…hurt you?'

'Slapped me around a bit. Pissed him off when I listed all the Goa'uld I've helped kill…I told him he was next.'

He grunted again, trying to cover the chuckle that overtook him. And Jack called him a snake baiter! 'Anything he can use?'

'Not so far.'

'Okay, that's good. We're in cages, but not tied. Jaffa don't know that yet.'

'We're leaving?'

'Hang on.' He rolled to his side. "Jack, ready to leave?"

"Hell, yes! We stick around much longer we might not get the chance. Teal'c overheard a couple of the guards talking. Most of the Jaffa are out scouting the area. More Jaffa expected. As well as a couple of his ships."

"Why?"

"Beats me. Teal'c thinks he's going to use this planet as a jump off point to hit the next sector."

"Damned ambitious!"

"Yep."

"Okay, let me tell Case."

Jack nodded. Leaned toward Teal'c. "Let Sam know it's almost time."

The tall Jaffa nodded. He leaned toward Sam. "Prepare yourself."

Sam grinned. She always enjoyed watching Daniel throw around those cool blue fireballs.

'Case?'

'Yeah?'

'We're leaving now.'

'Good.'

'Anyway for you to get out here?'

'Give me a minute.' Casey looked up at Penatil. Crossed her arms over her chest. "I'm not reading another word until I see him. When I know he's all right, I'll translate every page on this table."

Penatil frowned. He needed to know just how far Hemsut and her Tau'ri allies had gotten in their…experiments. He had the data crystals, but until his ship arrived, he had no way of reading the information stored on them. The hard drives meant nothing to him. He didn't know what they were. Only that they belonged to the Tau'ri. It was possible that this beautiful witch would lie to him. He hadn't sensed any deception so far. But she was just stubborn enough… he sighed. "Very well."

'On my way, Stud Muffin.'

Daniel grinned. "Case will be here in a few minutes."

Jack nodded. "Okay, we need to take this place out. Think you can do it?"

"If you can keep the Jaffa off my back," was the calm reply.

"O'Neill!" Teal'c hissed.

Jack turned to face his friend. "What?"

The dark man nodded toward the far side of camp.

Barely visible among the leaves of one of the bushes, near the edge of the camp, was one familiar face. Haberman. Turk and the Marines were standing by. Jack grinned, nodded slowly, then motioned with his head toward Daniel. Haberman nodded slowly in return. "We have back up," Jack said softly.

The missed communication had been enough to concern Turk. When the Jaffa didn't seem to be following him and his men, they'd circled back toward the camp. The men understood enough Goa'uld to know that SG-1 was being pursued. Had seen the team taken into the barracks, and then brought back out and put into the cages…sans Casey Jackson. They also knew that with the Jackson's abilities, an attempt to break free would happen. They only needed to wait until their help was required.

Haberman slipped back to where his comrades waited. "They're getting ready to make a break for it," he whispered.

Turk nodded. "Get as close to that first hut as you can. I want that thing taken out. Don't worry about the barracks, there isn't anything there they can use."

His men nodded, moved slowly, silently toward the metal building. They had to find a way to hide nearby, so that they could use the few grenades that they had to destroy it.

He saw them approaching. Daniel felt the Fire flare in his veins at the sight of her…the white linen nearly translucent in the light of the setting sun. He could make out her rosy nipples, that vee of dark blonde curls at the apex of her legs. He was certain he could smell her, even from the distance.

Penatil led Casey toward the cages, his hand firmly around her upper arm. He grinned at her when she gasped.

"They aren't animals!" she hissed.

"They are less than that to me," he replied, his eyes flashing with impatience.

Daniel frowned. There was no way that he could aim at the Goa'uld, not with Casey that close. There was too great a chance of her being hurt as well. 'Move away from him, Angel.'

'I can't! He's holding me too tightly.'

The Goa'uld watched the eyes of the one known as Daniel Jackson…The Chosen. Glanced at the woman beside him. He was well aware that something was going on between the two of them. He jerked the slender woman against his body, held her in front of him like a shield. "You can do nothing, Tau'ri," he taunted.

"Kill him Daniel! Do it! Now!" Casey screamed.

The sound of a single P90 filled the air. Penatil stiffened, then fell forward, his weight pushing Casey to the ground as well.

"Let 'er rip, Danny!" Jack yelled.

The Jaffa had turned to look in the direction of the single gunshot. Daniel took out the two nearest guards with the blue balls of flame that flew from his fingertips. More of the flames served to destroy the lock on the cage he was confined in.

Gunfire from multiple P90's was heard, keeping the Jaffa confused as to what was happening where. The Marines had located SG-1's packs, and their empty weapons. When all attention was focused on Penatil and his prisoners, the men had slipped in and…liberated…the gear. Extra magazines slammed into SG-1's weapons gave each of the men two of the automatics to fire, and they were doing so, trying to make it appear that there were more Tau'ri than there actually were. The explosions caused by the grenades launched through the windows of the first hut added to the commotion. 

Daniel freed the rest of the team, each of them reaching for staff weapons. He pushed the dead Goa'uld off of his Wife, helped her to her feet.

"'Gate, Danny!" Jack shouted, aiming the staff weapon and firing upon the Jaffa who had headed in the direction of the escaping prisoners. When the ha'tak flew low over head, he moaned. "Let's go campers, we gotta leave, now!"

Daniel continued to toss fireballs at any Jaffa who wandered into his path. His ability to call up fire from his bare hands had spooked most of them - they had never witnessed such a thing. That this Tau'ri could do so without a ribbon device made them wary of crossing him, many of them dropping to their knees in the presence of this powerful god. He managed to get to the DHD, and began to dial for Gamma. "GDO!" he shouted into the chaos of staff weapons and P90 fire. Sergeant Cory Baker ran toward him, firing both P90's at the Jaffa who stood between him and the archaeologist. He tossed his pack toward Daniel, hit the dirt, rolled, and continued to fire, offering cover as the sandy-blond haired man continued to dial.

Casey frantically searched the pack, found the small, cell-phone sized device. She was sending the signal as soon as the event horizon was established.

"Move out!" Jack called. The Marines and SG-1 fought their way to the 'gate. Teal'c dove in front of Turk to prevent him from being hit with a staff blast, taking the impact fully in the chest. Haberman, Baker and Franklin were already running through the 'gate…SG-1 were Immortals…they weren't. Turk followed, dragging the now dead Jaffa with him. Jack grabbed Teal'c's arm, helped the Marine pull the heavy man toward the 'gate. Sam covered them as they moved up the steps, firing the staff weapon at any of the Jaffa that dared to move.

"Go, Casey!" Daniel ordered, calling up the fire, holding it for as long as possible. When he raised his hands, several of the Jaffa fell back immediately, knowing what was about to happen. He let loose of the flames, watching them dance from his fingertips. Five Jaffa fell from the impact of those ribbons of fire. He turned and raced through the 'gate.

A  A  A  A  A  A

The teams lay in a crumpled heap on the ramp. Duncan ran into the room, watched and listened as the group gasped for breath. "I take it things didn't go exactly as planned?"

Jack looked up at the Highlander. "Not exactly."

"We have a big problem now," Casey gasped.

"What?" Duncan asked.

"Penatil has all of the notes. He has the data crystals-"

"Notes, yes, data crystals and hard drives, we got," Turk grinned wearily, holding up Sam's pack. He'd taken the time to grab the crystals from the note-covered desk. Notes he didn't have time for.

Jack grinned. "Damned good work, Marine!"

"Thank you, sir!" Turk grinned in return.

Sam shook her head. "If he has the notes, he'll be able to figure them out eventually."

Casey nodded. "I have the feeling that he's going to be staying there for awhile. Those smaller labs are still mostly intact."

Daniel dropped onto his back, let his arm fall over his face. "So we send in the Phoenix or the Persephone to bomb the hell out of the place."

"Not exactly," Duncan said quietly.

Eight weary, dirt streaked faces looked up at him. Recognized the drawn look, the tension in the lines around the Scot's eyes. "What happened?" Jack asked quietly.

"Five of Penatil's ships are in orbit above Gamma. The Phoenix and the Persephone have been able to keep them busy, but we're gonna run out of luck eventually. So far we've lost seven satellites."

Sam groaned. "They're gonna land!"

"Looks like," Duncan agreed. "We're going to get as many people through the 'gate as we can. Evacuations started about an hour ago. You're lucky you managed to catch us at the end of a thirty-eight minute run."

Daniel's eyes blazed. "Oh, I don't think so! Get me onto one of those ships!" He looked over at Casey. "Ready, Angel?"

"Oh, yeah," she grinned.

Duncan smiled, the worry lines that had creased his face softening. "Damned glad you're back, team," he said softly. He turned to look up into the control room. "Have Colonel Bailey ring up SG-1, now!"

Within minutes a very pissed off Daniel Jackson was striding toward the bridge of the Phoenix. He was tired. He was filthy. He was hungry. And he was horny as hell. Not necessarily in that order. He was going to take these bastards out. He was going to go home, take a shower and then screw his Wife senseless. He'd sleep, then worry about eating. At least, that was his plan.

Kerry Bailey grinned when she watched the young archaeologist stand in front of the window that opened onto space. "Give 'em hell, Doctor," she said softly.

Daniel glanced over his shoulder, grinned, and then raised his hands. "Send me the Fire, babe," he said quietly.

Casey put her hands on his back. Opened herself and sent every ounce of her strength to The Chosen.

He held back, waiting until the heat, the pain, was nearly unbearable. Sent out a ball of flames nearly two feet in diameter. It impacted near the center of one of the motherships; Kerry had ordered all batteries to fire at will. A second mothership moved in to protect the fatally damaged ha'tak, but Daniel sent more fire into it, forcing it to retreat. The Persephone gave chase, and destroyed the burning craft.

Another ship appeared on the screens. "May we offer assistance?" Rak'nor asked, grinning broadly from the pel'tak of the Hak'tyl.

"Oh, hell yes!" Kerry replied. "Much obliged!"

The Hak'tyl began to fire on the three remaining ha'tak.

"Let's get in there," the redhead ordered. "It's our fight, they're just here to help out."

The two ships that Daniel had attacked were history. The three remaining ships weren't taking much damage from the newly arrived enemy. The fact that the Tau'ri ship that had been unable to damage them was suddenly able to destroy their sister ships, and was moving closer, sent them scurrying in the opposite direction. A few minutes later all three ships disappeared into hyperspace.

Jack dropped his chin onto his chest with relief. "How long?"

"They showed up yesterday, sir," Kerry replied. "Sure am glad you folks made it back okay. We were starting to fear the worst."

"Yeah, so were we," Jack admitted. "Open communications."

Kerry nodded, the com-tech obeyed.

"Rak'nor! Great timing!"

The dark skinned man grinned. "I believe we arrived in what you call a cut in time."

"Nick of time," Jack corrected, his own grin wide. "We owe you."

The Jaffa shook his head. "Are we not allies? Time and again you have come to the aid of the Shakka. If it were not for SG-1, there would be no free Jaffa nation."

"You're welcome," Jack said quietly. "And thanks for the assist."

"Any time," Rak'nor grinned. He nodded, then cut communications.

"Let's go home, team. I'm beat," the general said, his voice raspy with exhaustion. With nods of acknowledgement to Colonel Bailey and the command crew, SG-1 returned to the rings. They were standing in the 'gate room three minutes later.

Duncan met them, a wide smile on his face. "We're bringing folks home," he announced.

Casey shook her head. "We've won this battle. We haven't won the war. As soon as that snake bastard crawls out of his sarcophagus, he'll head straight here. We need to get ready."

The smile faded. "How long?"

"Three, maybe four days," she replied. "I could be wrong. Ask me again tomorrow, when I've had some sleep."

He nodded. "Eight o'clock," he said.

Wearily the team members nodded, headed for the elevator, and topside. "At least the kids are safe," Sam said quietly.

"That's a good thing," Casey agreed.

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