Fic, Stargate SG-1, Time and Space, 6/7
Meanwhile, down on the planet.
"You can leave, Tok'ra - consider yourself fortunate I have more important things to take care of!" Apophis says. "See that you are out of the way before I change my mind!"
He and his guard leaves a surprised Martouf/Lantash behind and hurries on.
~That was...unexpected,~ Martouf offers.
~Very.~ Lantash is silent for a while, as they hurry out. He stop as they are walking towards the Stargate. ~I have a suspicion. We need to go back.~
What? Go back? We'll be captured and killed - or made into zatarcs and killed later.~
~I realize it is a risk, but I think it is not major. Apophis has something else on his mind. I believe he wishes to return the ship that arrived from the future, and use it's advanced technology to expand his empire. Or even to timetravel and learn what he should do to maximize his power and the size of his empire. We cannot let him do that!~
Martouf hesitates. ~You're right. We can't. All right - what do you suggest we do?~
~Return to his palace and keep an eye on him. Stop him from transporting aboard the ship, at all costs.~
~I don't like the 'at all costs' part, but I do agree.~ Martouf sighs. ~Okay, lead the way.~
~He is about to transport aboard the ship. We must stop him!~
Lantash jump out from their hiding place and grabbed Apophis just as the rings came down. ~Uh, oh...~
Momens later, they materialized onboard the ha'tak, and fell to the ground together with Apophis.
"Tok'ra sholvah!" Apophis hisses. "What are you doing here?"
"Stopping you!" Lantash tells him.
"Never!"
They fight on the floor, violently, trying to kill or at least incapacitate the other.
Jack, Teal'c, and Daniel are walking back to the bridge from the holding cells where Teal'c has been shortly before.
Jack answers his radio. "Yes, O'Neill here."
"Everything is ready. We will timetravel in about five minutes. It may get a bit bumpy, so hang on!" Sam says.
"Okay, will do." He stops and listens. "I need to check on something. O'Neill out."
"It sounds as if someone is fighting," Teal'c observes.
"Yeah, I wonder who?" Jack starts running, and the others follows.
They enter the room with the transportation rings to see Martouf - or Lantash - knock out Apophis.
"Martouf?" Daniel exclaims.
Lantash picks himself up from the floor, looking a bit winded. He smiles. "We discovered Apophis had plans to return to the ship in order to take it over. We decided to stop him."
"Great!" Jack grins. He looks at Apophis on the floor. "What do we do about him?"
"Send him back down there?" Daniel suggests.
"That would be my suggestion as well - unless you wish to kill him. No, don't worry, I realize you cannot make that decision, being from the future, but I can!"
"Sounds good to me!" Jack says.
"Uh, the time..." Daniel says.
"Oh. Yeah." Jack looks at the clock. "Less than one minute to go before we jump! Listen, Marty, uh, Lanny. I'd love to chat, but the ship is set to go in, well, 40 seconds."
"I understand." Lantash grabs Apophis and goes to stand with him in the middle of the rings. "Activate the rings."
Teal'c goes to do so, after a moments hesitation. Just as he does, Apophis wakes up and starts to struggle.
Lantash tries to hold him, but is pushed aside. Just as the ring makes a sound. Lantash and Jack together give Apophis a push and the Goa'uld staggers back to the middle of the rings and disappears down to the planet.
"Phew. Your turn, Lanny," Jack says, when the rings return.
However, before they can reactivate the rings, the ship is caught in the solar flare and thrown through time.
Jack's radio beeps. Groggy, he grabs for it and activates it. "Uh, O'Neill here."
"You guys okay?" Sam asks.
"Yeah, we're okay. Just... a bit roughed up. It wasn't exactly a smooth ride."
"Well, I did warn you, sir."
"Right. We'll be up there in a moment. O'Neill out."
"It would seem I travelled with you," Lantash says.
"Yes. Well, if we're going to try and fix the timeline as Carter says, then I doubt it matters. In fact, I think she'll be pleased." He rolls his eyes. "Come on, guys."
"It looks like we arrived within a day of when we ourselves will arrive from the future." Sam smiles as she turns towards them. "The first time we arrived, I mean."
"Yeah, we got that," Jack says.
Sam spots Martouf/Lantash and looks at him in disbelief. "Martouf! Lantash!"
"Hello, Samantha. We... accidentally travelled to the future as well."
"Apophis tried to board the ship - not the Apophis already on the ship, but the other one." Jack groaned. "Oy! Anyway, Marty here - Lanny, I mean - he followed in order to stop him. Stuff happened, and he didn't get off in time, so he hitched a ride." He shrugs.
"Is Apophis here too?" Sam asks.
"Nope. We managed to drop off him!" Jack smiles.
"Good." Sam sighs, then smiles at Martouf/Lantash. "I'm really happy you're here. I guess, it won't make any difference, when we've changed the timeline so we never interfered in the first place."
"Does that mean I will disappear?" Martouf asks, after having been given control.
Sam hesitates. "To be honest, I don't know what will happen. To any of us. I hope you'll still be here with us, but I can't say for sure until we've undone the changes."
Martouf nods. "Understood."
"Do you think we'll just be returned to our own time, with no memories of ever going here, if we succeed in stopping Apophis from meeting himself, etc.?" Daniel asks.
Sam shakes her head. "No, because that happened before - well, relatively to this ship and us, at least. We still have to find our way home, but hopefully with an intact timeline."
"So, where do we go?" Jack asks.
"We hurry to the planet Rolek, where we know Apophis will go, hoping to stop you guys from blowing up his improved mothership," Jacob says. "We know he'll be there, so it's our best bet to capture him."
"Yes, or blow up our own ha'tak from that time," Sam adds.
"What?" Jack exclaims.
"If we can't capture Apophis, we have to make sure in another way that he doesn't go talk to himself - and that includes blowing up our past selves."
"Won't that kill us too?" Daniel asks.
"Maybe," Sam says. "Maybe not. To be honest, this ship will possibly be destroyed too, since they are evenly matched."
"I really don't like where this is heading," Jack says flatly. "Also, am I the only one who is concerned at the fact that we now have three Apophis's?"
"No, I don't like that either," Jacob says.
"It does seem like we are gaining more and more copies," Daniel says.
"Not copies. They are all equally the real, original one," Sam reminds him.
"Whatever. In any case, there's also three versions of us alive right now. What a mess! I hope this will eventually be cleared up, Carter," Jack says.
"It should, sir. When we have stopped Apophis from contacting himself, and helped ourselves take control of the other ship and return to the future - or possibly blown up both ships - all will return to normal," Sam says.
"Hm. Okay, let's hope so," Jack says.
"Where's Teal'c?" Martouf suddenly asks.
"I...no idea. He was here a moment ago," Jack says. "Or was he? I think he came with us up here."
"I am here," Teal'c says, stepping back on the bridge. "I has to...use the facilities."
"Okay, well, let's see if we can make a plan to capture Apophis - sounds like our best option," Jack says.