"How’re you doing, Dodger?" Ferretti asked softly so the surrounding guards couldn’t hear.

"Okay, sir." The captain’s face was pale. "I think the bleeding’s slowed." By fluke when he had been tossed into the three by three cage unconscious he’d landed on his wounded shoulder. His own body weight had applied the necessary pressure to stem some of the blood flow. Nyan had been the first to wake after Dodger, and had created a makeshift bandage with his BDU shirt, reaching through the bars to help tie it. Too weak to move after that small exertion, Dodger was leaning limply against the metal poles.

The major studied his teammate, confirming that the dark wetness that caked his black shirt hadn’t spread anymore. He didn’t like the glassiness of the young man’s eyes, nor the beads of sweat covering his skin. Infection was setting in, but at least he was conscious. "Hang in there."

"Of course, sir." He patted his empty side pocket that usually held his packet of cigarettes and half-heartedly grumbled, "Why is it they always take a man’s smokes?"

"Musta’ read Doc Fraiser’s pamphlets on the evils of tobacco." The team leader breathed a little easier. If Dodger was hanging for a drag, then that was a good thing. He ambled across his cell as though he were just stretching his legs. "Brooklyn, how’s that lock looking?"

The stocky man had been surreptitiously studying the metal lock whenever the guards turned away. "Old fashioned key lock." Brooklyn leant against the bars closest to his CO. "Could maybe pick it if I had the tools, but they cleaned us out pretty good."

Ferretti glanced at his watch. They’d only been conscious for the last half hour or so. That shockwave, or whatever the hell it was, had more kick than Skaara’s moonshine with even worse hangover effects. He pressed his palm against his forehead, trying to ease the dull throbbing ache that was pounding his skull. His headache wasn’t solely due to the stun device. He was trapped off-world, one of his men was seriously wounded and he had no fuckin’ idea how they were going to get out of this mess. The SGC would know by now that something was wrong, but all they would discover was that SG-2 were missing with no clues as to where they were. Shit, even I don’t know where we are. They’ll be searching for a tiny fuckin’ needle in a big mother of a haystack.

"Sir?"

Dodger tilted his head in question and Ferretti realized he must have said it out loud. "Just ignore me," he muttered.

"Needles glint you know." The bizarre comment came from Nyan. The three Earthmen wore matching confused looks.

"Even in haystacks, needles glint in the sun." He shrugged, "They’re not that hard to find."

Despite their dire circumstances, Ferretti’s lips twitched. "You just keep thinking like that, Nyan." The Bedrosian was turning out to be an eternal optimist, with a very dry sense of humor. Looking at the scholar reminded Ferretti of Rock Doc and the pounding in his head increased. Had Daniel and Annika managed to find a way out of that hidden room? If they hadn’t, then no one at the SGC would know to mount a separate search for them. They’d assume that the civilians were with him and his men. He tried not to think about the possible trouble they were in. He sighed. Nothing he could do about that now, and besides Rock Doc and Annika were resourceful, they would figure a way out somehow. He had to focus his thoughts on getting his team outta’ here. The way he saw it, without a way to pick one lock, let alone four locks simultaneously, their best bet was to wait until they were shipped out. It hadn’t been hard to work out that they were going to be sold to the highest bidder. They just had to wait for an opportunity to arise.

"Major."

Ferretti caught Brooklyn’s hiss before a series of whistles and cat calls erupted from the other cells. He turned to see what had caused the ruckus.

A beady eyed, hulk of a man had entered the room, dragging a woman behind him.

Ferretti had seen that body only once before so scantily clad. Though it had been transparent at the time, that image was something he would never forget. What in hell was she wearing? It reminded him of the fur skin number Raquel Welch wore in ‘100 Million Years BC’. His eyes took in the chain collared around her neck and the unsteady sway of her legs. Aw, fuck! He didn’t know how, but Annika had gone and gotten herself captured too. At least that answered one of his questions, he thought ruefully. Obviously the lovers had gotten out. He wondered what had happened to Daniel, refused to acknowledge the tightening of his stomach. Daniel wouldn’t have let his fiancée be taken without a fight.

"Bosh!" A deep voice boomed. "I didn’t expect to see you here again so soon."

Ferretti’s ears pricked. Wasn’t that the name of that loudmouthed bounty hunter?

"Kerrigon." Bosh nodded in greeting and tugged on the chain making Annika stumble forward. "I was going to trade her privately, but I figured I’d get a higher price with the crowds your Tau’ri bait are creating."

The auction dealer slapped him on the back. "That you will, my friend. The buyers are pouring in." His leering eyes perused Annika’s body, lingering on her shapely legs and the short hem of her skirt that barely covered her crotch. Moved up passed the bare stretch of her belly to the skimpy top, stretched tightly over her generous breasts. "She would fetch a small fortune at any time."

Ferretti had to force himself not to react when Kerrigon traced the outline of her neckline, his finger sliding to rest in the deep dip of cleavage. It wouldn’t help either Annika or his men if Kerrigon found out she was Tau’ri as well, let alone an SGC Tau’ri.

Annika, who didn’t seem to notice the pawing, was humming tunelessly.

Kerrigon’s hand reached up and he gripped her chin between his fingers, tilting her head up so he could study her eyes. "It’s unlike you to drug your merchandise."

Bosh shrugged. "She was more spirited than the usual cargo. I had to improvise."

Annika’s glazed eyes focused on the auctioneer and a drunken little giggle tumbled out. "Anyone ever tell you, you look like David Copperfield?" At the man’s eyebrow quirk she giggled again. "No? Different planet I guess. Well, you’d have to lose fifty pounds and shave off this piece of fluff," she tugged on the man’s beard. "And get rid of the ugly eye patch…other than that you could be his twin!" She gave his cheek a mocking pat.

Kerrigon raised a fist at the woman’s insolence, only to have Bosh’s hand wrap around his wrist like a vice.

"You mark that pretty little face and she loses value," he growled. "If I see one hair out of place when she’s up on the dock I will be seeking compensation from you." He pulled on the chain, yanking Annika out of the man’s reach.

The redhead pitched forward then regained her balance, starting up that mindless humming again.

The melody sounded familiar to Ferretti, but he couldn’t place it. The others of his team were also watching Annika and her ‘captor’. They had all heard the reference to the modern day illusionist, though only the three Earthmen knew who he was. It was too bizarre a comment for it to have just rolled off the psychic’s tongue, drug induced or not. The major heard Dodger quietly explain to Nyan that Copperfield was famous for making things disappear. Things were not as they appeared. Annika was passing them information and they waited for what her next snippet would be.

Bosh and Kerrigon were still talking, making it difficult for the soft humming to be heard.

"I’ll put her up directly after the Tau’ri," Kerrigon gestured to an empty cage on the other side of the room, opposite SG-2. "There will be a mighty lot of losers who will want to drown their sorrows by buying this sweet merchandise."

"Mighty nice of you." Bosh steered a placid Annika into the barred cell and shut the door.

"Nice has nothing to do with it. The higher she sells for, the bigger my cut." Kerrigon pulled a ring of keys from his belt and locked the door.

"Do you have any contracts that need my services?" Bosh asked. "Now that I’m rid of her," he nodded at Annika, "I have an empty holding cell."

"And an empty cell makes no profit." Kerrigon gave a hearty guffaw. "Come, I may just have the perfect job for you." The trader led the hunter to a partitioned off desk.

Annika was still humming, but this time a little louder.

Ferretti had figured out that Annika was going to use the Nox trick to hide them from sight, however he was still working on where in hell he’d heard that ditty when Brooklyn gave a low chuckle.

"We’re ringing out of here."

"We are?" the major frowned.

He softly began singing the lyrics. "Ring, a ring a rosy, a pocketful of posy…"

The four men grinned.

Ferretti shifted slightly making sure that he was in Annika’s line of sight, then he gave a slow thumbs up to across the room. The humming immediately cut off. "Okay, fellas, let’s keep sharp."

Making sure to never look directly at Annika, they all kept her in their periphery vision, waiting for her signal. They saw her quietly talking to the woman in the cell next to her. After a few minutes they saw her casually slide her hands through the bars of her cell, resting her elbows on the single horizontal support bar. When the guards weren’t looking she fingered the lock.

A  A  A  A  A  A

Annika had to force herself not to wipe away the residue of Kerrigon’s touch from her skin. She had to maintain her ‘drugged out’ demeanor. She opened her mouth slightly, to increase the pitch of her humming. Come on fellas, it’s a classic nursery rhyme… Waiting for them to catch on, she surveyed the room through hooded lids. The holding room was roughly square in shape, with over a hundred metal cages lining the perimeter. The middle of the room was kept clear. The cages were tall enough for a person to stand upright, but not wide enough to lie down. Every cage held at least one person, some had three or four. During their walk from the ship, Bosh had educated Annika on why certain prisoners were kept separated. To gain a ‘private’ cell, the merchandise was either expected to fetch a high price, or was a security risk if kept with others. SG-2 were both. Kerrigon always separated the women regardless of value, claiming that there had been too many bitch fights that resulted in his ‘stock’ being damaged, lowering their sale price. After a quick head count she estimated there were about two hundred people locked up. In contrast there were only ten guards, including the two at the door.

Pulling up the strap that annoyingly kept slipping from her shoulder, Annika studied the auras of the incarcerated. There were a few that were utterly dejected, accepting their fate, but for the most part she surmised that many of them had not been born into a slave’s life; the bright flashes of red and orange showed anger at their circumstances and a determination to taste freedom again. She inwardly grinned. She could work with that.

The other strap decided to copy its counterpart and Annika stifled a sigh. The furry bikini that revealed way more than it hid, had been her idea…sort of. After Daniel had finished outlining their plan, Bosh had been concerned that Annika would be recognized. The images of Annika that were circulating through the ‘bounty community’ didn’t include the pale lilac star on her forehead but her distinctive red hair and violet eyes were features that easily identified her to those on the hunt. Annika had suggested giving them something else to focus on. Bosh had rummaged around in one of the drawers, producing the scraps of animal skin and poof!, she’d been transformed into a Victoria Secret’s model from the Stone Age. It had amused her to feel the shot of desire that pulsed through their bond, when Daniel saw her in the skimpy outfit. Which was immediately squashed by jealously as he caught the open leer from Bosh.

"No one will notice your face with what else you’ve got on show," Bosh smirked.

Daniel had rounded on the bounty hunter. "If anyone lays a hand on her, you included, I will personally rip that hand off."

Bosh had been taken aback by his venomous tone. Though he knew Jackson was no slouch when it came to defending himself or his teammates, the threat was uncharacteristic of SG-1’s diplomat. "Don’t worry, Jackson. Your woman will be returned safe and sound," he assured out loud, while concluding that he had been lucky he hadn’t gotten the chance to hold Annika ‘hostage’ on the ship. The man had changed since their last encounter. The hard gleam in his blue eyes left no doubt in Bosh’s mind that if anyone threatened Annika they were living on borrowed time.

Daniel had been reluctant to let the bounty hunter be the one to deliver Annika to the auction. Originally they were going to disable an escape pod and lock Bosh inside while Daniel pretended to be the trader. Now that Bosh was helping them it made more sense to have him do it, for two reasons. First, Bosh was known to Kerrigon, so him turning up with another slave or bounty wouldn’t be unusual. Second, despite their bargain, neither trusted the man enough to be left in charge of the ship, while they were on the ground.

Annika saw the thumbs up signal from Ferretti, indicating that he had finally understood her clues. Cutting off her humming, she knew that SG-2 were now waiting for her signal. She was tempted to start up a round of ‘99 Bottles of Beer’ as a count down but vetoed the idea. Now all she had to do was wait for Daniel to position the alkesh above them. She tried to stem the flutter of anxiety that rippled through her, hating that at the moment she was effectively unarmed without either a physical weapon or her mental abilities. There had been no way to conceal a knife, let alone a zat’ on her person, and as Bosh pointed out, even if they could it was too risky for Annika to be caught with one if she were searched. Bosh had a zat’ hidden beneath his coat as back up should things not go according to plan, but Annika wished to have one of her own.

She felt eyes watching her, knew that the seasoned SG team wouldn’t put her or themselves at risk by blatantly staring. Annika casually searched the sea of faces behind bars and her sight fell to the cell beside her.

Brown eyes looked back at her. Annika recognized the woman as the one she and Daniel had seen sold. There was none of the fear that had been apparent less than an hour ago but rather a steely resignation. Beneath the impassive gaze, she sensed a curious intelligence.

"Interesting melody." The woman’s voice was raspy, like she hadn’t spoken in a while. "Did it convey the message you wanted?"

Annika masked her surprise at the perception. "Message?"

"Mmmm." Her eyes flickered across the room to SG-2. "Those men reacted differently when you were brought in. They were just as interested as the others, but in a different way…no lust."

Annika took a moment to study the aura of the woman. There was a wide range of emotions that kept changing, making it difficult for the psychic to determine her overall character. Can I trust her? "Maybe those men have just never seen a redhead before."

"Or maybe they saw a friend come to free them," she countered quietly.

"And what would you say to that?" Annika hedged.

"That I would do anything to have such a friend."

Annika saw a flash of longing in her chocolate depths, just as there was a double tug beneath her heart. Daniel was in place. She didn’t have time to verbally determine if the woman was trustworthy, so she thrust her hand between the bars. "My name is Annika."

She hesitated a moment then slowly reached out to touch her fingers. "Keelah."

As her fingers closed around the psychic’s, Annika saw a slew of images. A young Keelah at about five years old, happily playing with a couple of other children her age; preteen being snatched from a busy market place; awakening in a cell, not dissimilar to the one she was currently in; being sold to a plantation owner, learning the restrictions of her new life as a slave by the blow of a heavy hand or stick… The next image made Annika force down the bile that threatened to spit from her throat. The auctioneer had proclaimed that Keelah was a virgin or their money back. Technically he was true to his word. What she saw, repeatedly, was the brutal anal rape of a teenage girl. "If you want a friend, then you’ve got one," she said softly, squeezing the woman’s hand.

The slave’s eyes dared to hope.

"You just need to trust me." Annika drew her hand back and nonchalantly stepped up to the barred door. "Don’t move until I say so." At the woman’s nod of agreement, she turned her attention to the simple lock, focusing her mind on the inside mechanism. She loved these kinds of locks. They were much easier to manipulate than the more advanced technology they usually dealt with. Gathering her will, Annika created a single strand of air. Her eyes once again scanned the room, this time lingering on the cages. One by one she probed the keyholes, twisting the pins that held them shut, not just the ones on SG-2’s doors, but on every cage within the building. Gesturing to her teammates to hold position, she enlarged the weave. She sent it around the room, creating a gust of wind strong enough to blow open the barred doors.

Keelah started to step forward but Annika’s arm snaked between the bars stopping her. "Not yet." She was waiting for normal human reaction to kick in and she wasn’t disappointed.

The guards upon hearing the simultaneous clang of metal jumped to attention. Their mouths dropped open in astonishment at the flapping doors magically swinging on their hinges bouncing off each other. The prisoners, just as shocked, recovered much more quickly, taking advantage of this unexpected chance at freedom. With a roar, they surged out of their cells in a wild exodus to get to the building exit.

Kerrigon sprang out from behind the partition when he heard the commotion, taking in the scene in a glance and began barking orders to recapture the ‘merchandise’; yelling at them to wound the stock if necessary but not to kill, for even in the ensuing chaos, his mind was concerned with profit. A dead body fetched no naquadah.

The guards were hard pressed to obey their boss’s demands. Vastly outnumbered by the desperate people, it was all they could do to not be swamped by the stampeding bodies, let alone draw their weapons.

It was only after the rest of the cells were empty did Annika’s hand twist out the Nox trick to hide SG-2, Keelah and herself. With the melee of rampaging men and women, their disappearance went unnoticed. The guards who thought to focus their efforts at recapturing the ‘prize’ of the auction assumed they were part of the crowd.

Bosh put on a good show of trying to help Kerrigon, before Annika gave a sharp whistle of warning and brought the bounty hunter into the fold. He then moved aside out of the fray.

The newly freed prisoners were battling their way through the entrance. The door guards tried to stop them but the sheer number of people pouring from within had them falling back or risk being trampled.

The Earth people waited in the relative safety of their cells until the room had cleared out of prisoners and guards alike.

Keelah was looking at Annika with amazement. She had seen the four men shimmer from view before the psychic had extended the visual cloak around her as well. "Are you a witch?"

Annika gave a start. She’d thought ‘witch’ was purely an Earth term. "Only before my morning cup of coffee," she joked, motioning to the woman to follow her out.

Brooklyn and Ferretti helped support Dodger and they grouped up in the middle of the now bare room.

"Ready to go home, fellas?" Annika grinned at them.

Four smiling faces gave a definite affirmative.

She removed the button device from a convenient fold of fur on her hip and activated it. There was the familiar whoosh as the rings descended around them and in a flash of light they found themselves in Bosh’s alkesh.

Daniel, standing by the controls, did a quick head count, then after confirming everyone was aboard he set course out of the planet’s atmosphere. By the time he set the autopilot to the nearest planet with a Stargate, Ferretti was examining Dodger’s wound and Bosh produced his version of a medical kit.

"Here." He handed over a bottle of blue liquid. "Stings like a bitch but helps with any infection." The bounty hunter caught Annika’s surprised look at the gesture. "Just keeping up my end of the bargain."

"You’re not quite the bastard I thought you were," Annika conceded, as she saw a spark of true goodness in his aura. "You hide your compassion well."

"I’m rotten to the core," he denied. The psychic’s perception unnerved him. He’d spent decades building up his reputation, burying his conscience so deeply he quite often forgot he had one. "And don’t you ever forget it."

Reunited and safe, the mood within the alkesh lightened with every passing second. The tension of the last few hours was ‘addressed’ in typical SG manner, where nothing was taken seriously now that the danger was gone.

"Annika, that the costume you gonna wear Friday night?" Dodger gasped, trying to divert his attention from the burning sensation from the alien antiseptic.

"Oh, there’s not a chance in hell," Daniel mock growled, wrapping his arms around his lover from behind.

"That’s unfair, Doc," Ferretti complained. "Keeping that sort of eye candy to yourself."

"You telling me what I can and can’t wear?" Annika twisted in his arms, an eyebrow arched.

Brooklyn whistled the standoff tune from ‘Desperado’, handing his CO a bandage from the med kit. "Better watch how you answer that one, Doctor J."

"I would never do that." Blue eyes widened in angelic innocence. "But we’re wearing matching outfits and I don’t think that sexy little top is quite my style."

"Hmmmm. You do have a point," Annika giggled.

"Nice save," Nyan complimented.

Daniel grinned, then caught sight of Keelah standing off to the side watching them with a bemused expression. "I’m sorry. We’re not very good hosts, are we? I’m Daniel Jackson." He relinquished one arm from around Annika’s waist and held out his hand.

The woman hesitated for a moment then held out her own hand. "Keelah."

Her expression didn’t change when the others sounded off their names.

"Something wrong?" Annika asked.

"No." Keelah gave a slow shake of her head. The one called Bosh she had gauged at first glance, but the others were difficult to work out. A few minutes ago they had been in a dangerous situation; prisoners in a life or death predicament and now they were joking with each other as if their capture had been a mild inconvenience during an ordinary day. "It’s just…are you always so…um…irreverent?"

The SG personnel exchanged glances then as one shrugged.

"Whenever we can be, sister," Ferretti answered for all of them.

"We’re an acquired taste, but you’ll get used to us." Annika smiled reassuringly at her.

"Wait until you meet Jack," Daniel chuckled. "We’re amateurs compared to him."

"You’re offering me sanctuary on your planet?" Keelah’s eyes filled with tears. She hadn’t been expecting that. She’d thought they would drop her off at the nearest Chaapa’ai and be on their way. It amazed her to see the instant change in the demeanor of her rescuers, the jovialness replaced by serious sincerity.

"Yes, we are," Daniel confirmed. "If you have a family to go home to we’ll do our best to find them for you. If not you can stay on Earth or any other planet you decide. The choice is yours."

Choice. Keelah rolled the word around in her head. Having the freedom of choice was not something she was accustomed to. She needed time to think things through, to adjust. She said the first thing that popped into her head. "I shall reserve my decision until I meet this Jack."

A snort of laughter escaped from Bosh’s lips. "You’re gonna fit in just fine."

Annika gave Daniel a light kiss on the lips then reluctantly moved out of the circle of his arms. "I’m going to get changed." She made a shooing motion with her hands to the men. "Why don’t you give a girl some privacy?"

They refrained from the litany of smartass comments as they dutifully played gentlemen and moved out of the ring room.

Except for Dodger, who was feeling remarkably chipper now that his shoulder was blessedly numb. The blue concoction was already taking effect and though he was still pale from loss of blood he could feel his body fighting off the infection. "We woulda’ closed our eyes," he promised, accepting a helping hand to his feet.

"Sure you would have," Annika mocked, reaching for her military clothes with one hand and beckoning to Keelah with the other. She hadn’t missed the wary flicker of the woman’s aura at the idea of being alone with a half a dozen men. Knowing what the woman had been subjected to it wasn’t exactly a shocker. She tossed her BDU shirt towards her. "Why don’t you start with this and we’ll find something for your bottom half?"

"Thank you." The slave woman gratefully accepted the loose shirt and pulled it on over her revealing tunic. The constant sexual banter was a little unsettling for her.

Annika stripped off the furry scraps and replaced them with her own underwear before pulling on her trousers. "You’ll be safe with us. The fellas would never force themselves upon you like your Master did. We have strict rules within our society regarding that sort of thing."

"You don’t have rape on your planet?" Keelah hid her astonishment that the redhead knew what she had endured.

Annika grimaced. "We do. But where you’ll be staying, the people there are the best of the best. They’re good and true and have a deep sense of morality. Despite the joking, you’ll be treated with respect." She was rummaging around in the drawers and to her wonder she found a pair of pants that were an almost exact replicate of her BDUs. She handed them over to Keelah, thinking that the woman would appreciate being dressed similarly to the men, putting her on a visual equal footing. "Bosh, where in God’s name did you get BDUs?" she called out to the other room.

"There’s that Tau’ri arrogance shining through once again," he sniped back, though there was no real malice in his tone. "Like I told your lover, your little planet is not the center of the universe. Other worlds do have khaki in their color scheme."

Annika gave an eye roll making Keelah smile before both joined the men once again. The slave woman tried to remember the last time a genuine smile, not a pasted on expression to please her Master, had graced her lips and failed. She had the feeling that if she remained with these ‘Tau’ri’ then smiling would become a regular part of her life. On that basis alone she was already considering staying permanently on their world sight unseen.

Within an hour the alkesh was landing in front of a Stargate on a nearby planet and the Earthmen were more than eager to get home. While Ferretti and Brooklyn scouted the immediate vicinity for any signs of danger at the their unexpected landing, Nyan and Annika helped Dodger.

Once everyone disembarked Daniel handed the bounty hunter the small transport disc. "Well, Bosh, can’t say that it’s been a pleasure, but thank you for keeping your word."

"Hey, my word’s good on over two thousand planets. I have a rep to uphold." He cast a wry grin in Annika’s direction. "Besides I don’t fancy getting on her bad side. She’s a spitfire."

"That she is," he agreed. "Wouldn’t have her any other way." He turned to follow the others through the Stargate when Bosh called him back.

"Jackson, you should know that the bounty on your redhead is different from yours."

"If you’re talking price…"

"No," he interrupted. "The instructions. You and the others, the Goa’uld prefer alive to torture the shit out of you, but they will accept your corpses. Annika is wanted alive or not at all."

Daniel frowned. "Why the difference?"

"Some of the Goa’uld think her abilities are on par with Anubis…" He let the sentence taper off.

Blue eyes widened at the implication. "That’s ridiculous." The archaeologist shook his head in denial. "Annika doesn’t have the powers of the Ascended."

Bosh shrugged. "She’s closer than any of us lesser mortals."

Fear clenched Daniel’s gut. If Annika were taken as a host, then that Goa’uld would probably become more of a threat than Anubis. The half-Ascended being had to act within the rules the Ascended had set up or risk them stepping in to stop him. A Goa’uld in Annika’s body wouldn’t have to stick to any such boundaries. He would have free reign with not only her mental powers but her psychic abilities. The auras she saw would identify any infiltrators inside his ranks, astral projection would make him double the threat, the Nox trick invisible, and her premonitions would squash any sneak attacks planned against him. Daniel’s mind refused to acknowledge that as a Goa’uld they would have little choice but to kill Annika if they could. He only let himself go so far as to think that because of their bond, he would be permanently linked to a Goa’uld. He shuddered at the mere idea.

The bounty hunter saw the immediate worry on the man’s face and hesitantly added, "There are also those who think a pre-emptive strike would be in everybody’s best interest."

Daniel drew in a deep breath. "Kill her first so the Goa’uld don’t have the option of taking her as a host."

Bosh nodded.

"Thanks for the heads up." The archaeologist held out his hand, which Bosh shook. With a frown still creasing his brow, Daniel stepped through the wormhole.

Back in the familiar gray walls of the SGC, Dodger had already been whisked away by the medic team to prep him for surgery. However Janet was waiting alongside the rest of SG-1 and 2 and Hammond until the final member was safely down the ramp.

The doctor’s eyes gave him the once over, a trained cursory assessment of his physical condition. She smiled at Daniel as he strode towards them, though her main attention was on Keelah.

Annika had already introduced her to the general. "Keelah decided that life as a slave wasn’t her cup of tea," she said giving the suddenly nervous woman’s hand an encouraging squeeze.

Hammond smiled warmly, trying to put her at ease. He didn’t miss the skittish way the newcomer clung to Annika’s hand, trying to unobtrusively keep her distance from the surrounding men. "You are welcome here for as long as you need." He reiterated Daniel’s promise.

"I am in your debt." She cautiously accepted the CO’s handshake. "I will try not to be a burden."

"I’m sure you won’t be."

Keelah moved on to the others. Sam smiled kindly at her. The former slave liked the slightly impish twist to the major’s mouth.

Teal’c gave a slight bow. "It took great courage to escape from your enslavement. You do you and your family great honor." He knew better than anyone how hard it was to walk away from the security of one’s life, no matter how distasteful that life may be.

Keelah flushed at the formal compliment, her stomach giving an unnatural flip flop. "All I did was step out of my cell with Annika."

"Nevertheless that first step from your imprisonment shows fortitude of character."

The direct gaze of the Jaffa flustered her and she broke eye contact seeking a diversion. Her sight fell to the gray leader of SG-1. "You must be Jack."

"My reputation precedes me." The colonel gave a lopsided smirk. "Don’t believe anything you’ve heard," he declared. "I’m just misunderstood."

Keelah couldn’t stop her lips from twitching. "I think your colleagues have you pegged."

Jack’s eye’s widened at the quiet jibe while the others chuckled. "Oh, you can definitely stay." He turned to his best friend, masking the relief at seeing him in one piece. "The temple wasn’t enough for ya’, huh? You just had to find yourself a little bit of action."

Daniel saw the twinkle in Ferretti’s eye at the comment, knew that the colonel had unwittingly opened up the doorway for merciless teasing of Annika and himself. He had to divert the major’s attention, at least temporarily. "I was quite happy in the temple. It was those traders that interrupted us."

The major knew a diversion when he saw one and decided that he wouldn’t embarrass the Doc and Annika regarding their romp in the temple. They had saved SG-2’s asses so they deserved a smidgen of discretion, at least as far as the official report went. He wasn’t promising any such prudence after the briefing. Getting trapped in a room, because they were going for it like rabbits, was just too funny a story not to share with the civilians’ other teammates. "Sir, if you don’t mind, can we do the debrief now? I’d like to be there when they bring Dodger out of surgery."

Hammond nodded. "If everyone else is feeling up to it?" He cast a look at Annika. Jack and Sam had informed him of the psychic’s problems on the planet and he agreed that it shouldn’t be discussed publicly. Her abilities were a tactical advantage, that as far as anyone knew, were unstoppable, and he had no intention of making this newfound weakness common knowledge even within the base.

Annika gave a slight incline of her head indicating that she was okay and the group moved out into the corridor.

Janet fell into step with Keelah, lightly touching her arm. She noticed the small start from the woman. "Keelah, if you can come with me for a while. I’d like to take you to the infirmary for a medical check. Nothing invasive," she assured when the arm beneath her fingers tensed. "It’s standard procedure for all newcomers to the base."

"It’s okay." Annika had also felt her tension. "The rest of us will go through it after we’re debriefed. The nurses are all lovely ladies."

The doctor picked up on the psychic’s wording. She’d already had a suspicion her newest patient had been sexually abused and Annika had just confirmed it. She smiled encouragingly. Keelah’s emotions were schooled but Janet could see the fear in her dark eyes. Then her gaze focused on Teal’c walking ahead of them with SG-2. Curiously Janet saw the fear replaced with determination. She released her hand from Annika’s, drawing back her shoulders, nodding her acquiescence.

The two women veered of to the elevator and Annika paused to walk with Daniel who was bringing up the rear with Jack, quietly talking. She linked arms with both of them. "Now tell me what Bosh said that has upset two of my favorite men?"

"You got your hocus pocus back," Jack grumbled playfully.

"Yep, but I don’t need to be psychic. You’ve got that mother hen scowl." Though she directed her comment to Jack, she’d felt Daniel’s worry since stepping back home.

Daniel repeated the bounty hunter’s warning, not bothering to deny it.

"What difference does that make? You’ve got any number of people wanting you dead that aren’t Goa’uld." She looked from one to the other. "I should be the one worrying about you."

The two men frowned in confusion.

"As far as the bounty goes, if I’m caught by the Goa’uld they’re not going to kill me," she shrugged. "There’ll be time to escape or get rescued. With you guys, they’ll shoot first and ask questions later."

The two seasoned team members blinked at her.

"Well, now I’m depressed," Jack quipped. "How about you?"

Daniel chuckled. "My Angel, you perspective is priceless."

Jack, Sam and Teal’c were allowed to sit in on the debrief, considering that the mission involved their teammates. They helped themselves to coffee or bottled water, a ritual that had become tradition for most meetings and then settled down to recount the last twenty-four hours.

"Why don’t we start at the beginning?" Hammond suggested. "We managed to recover all of your equipment from PX5-447. Doctor Jackson, Annika, were you able to translate the temple?"

The couple nodded and Daniel fished out the holo-device from his pocket.

"The script itself wasn’t important. But we found this in a hidden chamber beneath the temple itself."

"We accidentally activated the…er…mechanism that lowered the altar, trapped ourselves in."

"Touching things were we?" Jack wisecracked then frowned when Ferretti almost choked on his coffee.

Sam was eagerly leaning forward to examine the device. "What is it?"

"We think it’s an instruction manual for the weapon from the Bassat’s planet." Daniel slid it across the table so the scientist could get a closer look.

"Was there any indication of where the final component of the weapon is located?" Teal’c asked.

Daniel shook his head. "None that we saw."

Hammond moved the briefing along before SG-1 got side tracked by the mysterious weapon. "How long where you trapped inside the chamber?"

"About three hours," Annika supplied.

Jack frowned. "Ferretti, you and your men couldn’t reactivate the doorway to the chamber?" The major and his kids were hiding something, he just couldn’t work out what.

Ferretti cleared his throat. "No, sir."

"Why not?" The colonel took note that Brooklyn and Nyan were astutely keeping their eyes lowered to their water bottles, trying very hard not to smile.

Daniel answered, though his voice was slightly strangled. "Let’s just say they didn’t have compatible…er…"

"Equipment?" Annika suggested, willing herself not to blush.

Somehow the three members of SG-2 managed not to laugh and Daniel continued on with the report without turning red. "Just before Annika and I figured the way out, the traders came through and knocked them out with the modified stun device." He recounted how Annika and he followed the kidnapping traders and after a questioning glance in Hammond’s direction for approval, he outlined the problems Annika had with her abilities.

The jaws of Ferretti, Brooklyn and Nyan dropped open.

"You mean you were totally unarmed?" The major considered all of Annika’s abilities as weapons.

"To begin with, yes," Annika nodded. "Until Daniel positioned the alkesh over the building."

"Who stages a rescue without any weapons?" Brooklyn demanded, still stunned at how vulnerable Annika had been from the time Bosh led her from the ship to being locked up in the cage.

The two civilians exchanged looks. "We do."

"Not a single shot was fired," Daniel added. He felt a pulse of pride through their bond, which he reciprocated. They’d mounted a rescue without killing anybody. It wasn’t often that a plan worked out so well.

The general cleared his throat drawing everyone’s attention. "The affects of the planet’s atmosphere on Annika’s abilities will be left out of the official report. Only the people in this room and Doctor Fraiser will know."

Everyone around the table nodded.

"So where did Bosh come into the picture?" Jack asked, moving the debrief onwards.

Daniel told up until Annika left with Bosh for the auction house, at which point Ferretti and his men took over. Annika explained what she had seen about Keelah.

"We’ll provide for her as best we can," Hammond concluded. "Counseling if she wants it. Try integrating her into the base. Contact any family if she has any. I’ll give her a few days to adjust before sounding out what she wants to do now that she’s free."

With the debrief finished, SG-2 headed for the infirmary, eager to get their medicals over and done with and to check on the condition of Dodger. Sam dropped off the holo-device at the labs for the standard battery of tests to be run before the archaeologist could work on deciphering the text in earnest. The general had informed Annika that Janet wanted to examine her personally to make sure there were no lingering effects from the planet, and the psychic was quite happy to delay the trip to the infirmary until later. She had a quick shower and then went in search of Keelah to make sure she wasn’t being overwhelmed by her new situation. She left Daniel in the locker room with Jack and Teal’c discussing some of the finer points of their rather interesting day.