Chapter 9

"I've got the extra key!" Daniel said, jumping down from the chair he had used to reach the place behind a picture, where they had hid the spare key they had 'borrowed' at some point.

"Great! Let's see if the way is clear, then!" Sam went to the door and pressed her ear against it.

"Let me. I have better hearing," Lantash pointed out, matter of factly.

Sam looked rebellious for a moment, then gave in to what she knew to be a fact. "Okay."

Lantash took her place by the door, and listened for some moments. "I don't hear anyone out there - I think we can leave safely."

"Wait! How are we going to do this?" Anise said. "We cannot capture the Goa'uld if everyone else here obeys her."

"Isn't there some sort of... anti-dote for that drug she has?" Sam asked.

"Yes, but it's individual for each queen, so we need a sample of her shri'tah'ista - and a la-bo-ratory to make the anti-dote," Lantash explained.

"So that's out." Daniel looked unhappy.

"Maybe we could contact the Tok'ra?" Sam suggested.

"How? The chaapa'ai is surely under guard, and we do not have any sort of long range communi-cation device," Lantash said.

"Okay - what's your plan, then?" Sam asked.

"If Heqet - and the soldiers - think we're harmless, we can walk around the base. Maybe say we were hungry or something. Perhaps we'll find a way to in-capa-citate Heqet," Lantash speculated.

"That sounds dangerous - and unplanned." Anise snorted.

"Okay." Lantash shrugged. "Then... why don't we see if we can get to the infirmary, steal some sleep gas or something, and drug the soldiers on the base?"

"We'll drug ourselves too, duh!" Daniel exclaimed.

"Perhaps." Lantash looked uncertain. "No, not all of us. Maybe. Anise and me will be more resistant. We won't get drugged."

"In that case Heqet also won't - and what can just you and Anise do?" Sam asked.

"She thinks we are harmless. We'll steal a zat'nik'tel and stun her, then grab a sample of her shri'tah'ista, then go to the Tok'ra, and have an anti-dote made. If we're quick, we can be back before everyone wakes up," Lantash said, with confidence.

"It still doesn't sound like it will work." Sam sounded sceptical.

"Do you have a better plan, perhaps?" Lantash asked, a mixture of confidence and irritation on his face.

"Some drug we have an anti-dote to, so you can wake up Daniel and me, maybe." Sam said. "And the adult women - let them out and give them an anti-dote to the sleep gas, then they can help us lock up everyone else... maybe."

"Okay, sounds like a good idea," Lantash admitted.


The children had made it to the elevator and stepped out on level 21 - where the infirmary was located - before anyone could see them, and order that they stop.

"What are you doing on this level?" an airman suddenly demanded.

"We were going to the mess," Sam said, looking around. "I think we got off on the wrong level."

"We're hungry," Martouf explained.

"Very," Daniel added.

One of the other soldiers shrugged. "Let them go - what can they do?"

"Okay - off you go, then. To the mess hall. This floor is off limits. Understood?"

"Crap," Daniel said, when they were back in the elevator and the doors had closed.

"You're not supposed to say 'crap'," Sam reminded him.

Daniel rolled his eyes at her. "Neither are you."

"Are we going to level 22, then?" Anise asked.

"Yeah, and we better pretend we're getting food. Besides, I really am hungry," Martouf said.

After a stop off at the mess hall - and after eating some food - the children were back in the elevator.


"We can't go to the infirmary, they'll just stop us. What do we do then?" Daniel asked.

"Maybe there's some stuff we can use in some of the science labs on level 18 or 19," Sam suggested. "But we need ac-cess cards."

"Most of the people seem too out of it to notice much of anything, unless it's a threat to Heqet. Maybe we can steal an ac-cess card?" Daniel suggested.

"We still need a code." Sam wrinkled her brow as she thought it over. "We'll get Hailey's card and ask for the code. We just need an excuse to visit her."

"Oh, nothing else! That'll be easy!" Daniel snorted.

"I think it will!" Sam grinned. "Hailey's the closest thing to a guar-dian for us on this base right now. You know, since everyone is away, and General O'Neill hasn't arrived yet. I think. If I fall and hurt myself and cry loudly enough, maybe they'll agree to let me go to her for comfort. Don't you think?"

Martouf shrugged. "Might work."

"We do not know where she is locked up," Anise reminded them.

"Holding cells are on level 16," Sam said. "Are you coming?"


Surprisingly enough, their plan worked. Sam pretended to have hurt her foot, and the other children supported her as she limped towards the nearest guard, crying loudly and wanting to see Hailey.

The guard had hesitated for a while, before giving in. Either he felt sorry for Sam, or he just wanted her to stop wailing. Regardless, Hailey was allowed out for a short time, and she took Sam aside, to talk to her.

The other children distracted the guards while Sam talked to Hailey, and after a little while, Sam allowed herself to be soothed, and Hailey was returned to the prison cell.

"You got the access card and the code?" Martouf asked, when they were safely back in the elevator.

"Yes. She didn't wanna give it to me first. She thinks we should just hide and let the adults handle things - and that it's too dangerous for us." Sam scoffed. "She finally realized we're their only hope!"

"Good. What now?" Daniel wondered.

"Now we go to the lab and try to find something to use to drug people with!" Sam said.

"Don't you think they'll suspect us?" Anise looked worried.

"Possibly." Sam wrinkled her nose as she thought about it.

"I have an idea!" Martouf exclaimed.

"What is it?" Sam said.

"We dress up and pretend we're playing!"

"Yes! That's an awesome idea! We'll put on those costumes we got from Jack! You know, the superhero costumes?" Daniel said, eagerly.

"Of course! And that will make it all so much cooler since we're saving the base!" Sam grinned happily.

"To the batcave!" Daniel said, importantly.


A short time later, the children were dressed in their superhero costumes - Daniel as Batman, Sam as Superman, Martouf/Lantash as Spiderman, and Freya/Anise as Batgirl.

Pretending they were playing a game, running around and having fun, they made their way to Hailey's laboratory without anyone stopping them or paying much attention to them.

It was to their advantage that most people on the base were used to seeing the children regularly, even if not in secure or potentially dangerous areas such as the laboratories.

However, the soldiers were sufficiently drugged, that they did not find it strange the children were in areas where they were not usually allowed - as long as it was not somewhere that seemed to pose a threat to Heqet.


"There's nothing in here we can use!" Sam said, with despair.

"Pretty metal balls you've got here!" Lantash said, picking up a handful from a box.

"Marbles - to play with!" Daniel exclaimed, happily, as he saw them. "I'll teach you how!"

"That's ball-bearings!" Sam scoffed. "They're used to, uh, reduce ro-tational friction." She looked important. "It's probably okay if you grab some to play with," she decided.

"Thanks!" Lantash took a couple handfuls of the small metal spheres and stuffed them into a bag he was carrying.

Daniel grabbed some as well, as did Freya - and then, eventually, so did Sam.

Lantash gave Martouf control.

"I've got an idea... aren't there any storage rooms or something with drugs and stuff?" Martouf asked. "Or maybe other la-boratories - that the card can open?"

"Maybe." Sam looked thoughtful. "There's a few that I would have had access to, and Hailey's got my job. There's also some storage closets with stuff."

"Then let's see what we can find?" Daniel suggested.





Chapter 10