A Series of Hijackings by Dinkydow

Chapter Three

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.

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