Prologue

Doctor Daniel Jackson bent down to grab his hat as the breeze lifted it off his head and deposited it on the ground. He'd taken it off to brush some dirt off the rim and had forgotten to fasten the draw cord securely when he had put it back on.

He looked around him and sighed. This planet, PX251, reminded him of what the garden of Eden must have looked like. Green grass, as far as the eye could see, the hills crowded with a canopy of trees, and blue sky without a cloud in the sky. In the distance he could hear running water, a sure sign that there must be a stream or a river nearby.

If he ignored the giant stone circle of the Stargate behind him, he could well imagine he was on Earth somewhere. He and the rest of SG1 had come to check out the planet after they had been informed by the Tok'ra that the Goa'uld named Apophis had been using this planet as a base for some of his more recent activities.

Obviously the information had been out of date, for as they soon realised whoever had been here was long gone. Daniel had volunteered to search the area near the Stargate, while the rest of the team, Colonel Jack O'Neill, Major Sam Carter, and Teal'c, went on a short scouting mission to check out the rest of the terrain.

The radio crackled, making him jump. "You still there, Daniel?" asked O'Neill. "Just making sure you're not having a rest while the rest of us are slogging away out here."

Daniel grinned and straightened his glasses before he replied. He could well imagine the expression on the older man's face, and the twinkle in his eye as he asked the question. Jack O'Neill was well known through Stargate Command for his off the wall sense of humour. "Just going to have a look at the river, Jack. Maybe I might find some Goa'uld remains in there or something."

"Yeah, right. Just be careful, okay. This place might look like Eden but remember every garden has its snakes."

"I'll try and keep that in mind. Jackson out." O'Neill's remark had brought him back down to Earth, or PX251, as the case was. He'd almost forgotten what they were there for, forgotten about the enemy they were fighting. The Goa'uld were aliens that looked like serpents, a parasitic race who inhabited other creatures whom they used as hosts. Once the host was taken over, the Goa'uld personality became dominant, the host themselves only able to take back control of their body when the alien became incapacitated. Daniel's own wife, Sha're, had been taken as a host. He felt his emotions rising to the surface as he remembered. Daniel struggled to deal with those feelings of anger and loss every time he thought of her.

He walked along, heading toward the sound of running water, his mind deep in thought. Before he knew it, he was standing on the bank of a small river. The water itself looked very inviting, so inviting that he decided to sit on the grass along side for a while. It would give himself a chance to collect his thoughts, and pull himself together before he met up with the rest of SG1.

The radio crackled again. This time it was Samantha Carter. "We're finished here, Daniel. Have you found anything at the river?"

"No, nothing here, as far as I can see anyway. Give me a couple of minutes and I'll meet you at the Stargate."

Daniel rose to his feet, and collected his gear. As he moved out, he didn't see the half buried object by the side of the river. His foot connected with it, and before he knew what was happening, he was flying through the air. There was a loud splash as he landed in the water. At least the rest of the team isn't here to see this, he thought to himself. It was times like this that he was all too aware that he was the only non-military person on the team.

"That's a good look for you, Daniel," said a familiar voice. O'Neill. Damm, he'd spoken too soon.

"We were heading back to the Stargate and decided to take the scenic, river route," explained Carter. Her blue eyes were twinkling; she looked as though she was trying hard not to laugh. She reached out her hand to help him out of the water.

Teal'c was bending over, looking at the something at the edge of the riverbank. At least he wasn't laughing like the others, thought Daniel to himself, but then Teal'c very rarely showed sign of emotion, of any kind. The big, dark Jaffa turned to O'Neill. "O'Neill, there appears to be something buried here. I surmise that this is what caused Daniel Jackson to fall into the river. His foot must have made contact with the object, thus causing him to loose his balance."

"You mean, he tripped over it?"

"I believe that is what I just said, O'Neill."

"Yeah, whatever. Can you dig it out so that we can have a look at it?"

It was a box, a small dark coloured box with a hinged lid. The main body of the box was covered in some sort of hieroglyphs. O'Neill opened it and peered inside. Carter opened her mouth to remind him that they didn't know what they were dealing with, and shut it again. Whatever it was, it was too late now; the damage had been done. The story of Pandora's Box came into her mind. She hoped that thought wasn't an omen of some sort.

Inside the box were a small stone and a manuscript. The stone itself didn't look as though it was anything unusual, but the manuscript was written in hieroglyphs, though they looked to be slightly different than those covering the box itself.

O'Neill looked at Daniel, who shook his head. "It's not a language I'm familiar with. It could be some sort of Egyptian dialect, but not one I've come across before. We'd better get it back to the base and try and decipher it."

Carter frowned. "I'd like to run some tests on the box as well, Colonel. It looks like some form of lead, but I wouldn't be surprised if there's something more alien in its make up."

"Do you think it could be naquadah, the stuff that's in the Stargate?" asked O'Neill.

"Not sure, Colonel. As I said, I really need to run some tests."

"Okay, kids, time to head back to Earth, then." O'Neill sniffed, then commented to Daniel. "I think you'd better have a shower before we debrief. That river might look clean..." He paused, and grinned. "There's definitely something rotten in the state of Denmark."

Part One

"A warning to the oldest of those who cannot die..."

Dr Daniel Jackson looked up in annoyance at the tall slim man standing behind him. He had just spent three days trying to decipher the message in front of him. The message written in an obscure Egypt dialect, so obscure that even he, familiar as he was with Ancient Egyptian, was really having to work hard to make sense of.

The fact that he was having difficultly reading the archaic language had annoyed him so much that he had left the Cheyenne Mountain complex and come to this bar, which was quiet at this time of the day, to try and find some peace so that he could work.

He leaned back in his seat, and turned his head to get a closer look at the person speaking to him. He looked to be about the same age as Daniel himself, and was dressed in jeans and a heavy jersey. He had dark hair, and spoke with an English accent. A grad student, thought the archaeologist to himself. Or maybe someone who liked to give that impression, he amended, after all, if he was able to read the language on the manuscript, he must have a bit more experience with languages than his initial appearance let on.

"Are you trying to tell me that you can read this?" he asked.

The other man looked rather apologetic as he replied. "I'm a bit out of practice but I used to be rather fluent a long time ago. A very long time ago..." He paused as though he was deep in thought, remembering something.

"Sorry, maybe I should introduce myself. I'm Daniel Jackson, and you are?"

"Adam Pierson," came the reply.

"So, Adam, how come you can read an obscure Egyptian dialogue?"

"I, er, studied it in my younger days. Part of a paper I was working on.Cultures of Ancient Egypt etc etc. Where did you get this anyway? It looks almost like a prophecy of some kind."

"I'm afraid I can't tell you that. But would you be able to help me decipher the same language if I had any more?"

"You have more of it then?" The reply was quite sharp and took Daniel by surprise. Adam seemed very interested in the prophecy, if that was what it was, and seemed keen to see more. Daniel wondered if he should risk showing him the rest of the manuscript, which he had left back at the base. It was classified though, and he couldn't very well tell the other man that it came from another planet, one that until recently had been known to be one of the bases used by the Goa'uld Apophis. Maybe he should talk it over with Jack O'Neill and the other members of SG1.

He chose his words carefully. "There is more, but it's classified. I'll have to talk to my superiors and get back to you. Where can I reach you?"

"Talk to Joe Dawson, the guy behind the bar. He's running the place for Charlie, while he's out of town. He knows where to find me."

Daniel looked over at the bar and saw an older man with a beard, washing glasses. The man nodded at him, obviously he had heard his name mentioned. He had a bit of a twinkle in his eye, Daniel thought he looked almost amused, obviously sharing some private joke with Adam.

Adam slid into the seat next to him, his cream jersey blending in with the colour of the booth they were now sharing. "You're not Daniel Jackson, the archaeologist, are you, by the way? I've read some of your work, very interesting ideas. Bit way out this idea of aliens building the pyramids though, don't you think?" His tone sounded quite sarcastic, though his look was one of pure innocence.

Daniel felt a bit annoyed at Adam's attitude. He knew his ideas had been proven correct. It was a pity he couldn't share it with any of his archaeology colleagues though. It sounded as though Adam could be quite useful to SG1 if he knew as much about ancient Egypt as he made out. Maybe he should get someone to check the man out -- he did seem to have an awful lot of information. He had the feeling Adam Pierson knew a lot more than he was making out.

He decided the best approach was to change the subject. "So what's a expert on dead languages such as yourself doing in Colorado Springs?"

Adam shrugged. "Just helping out a friend," he replied. "Joe was coming down here to take over for Charlie for a bit, so I thought I'd come with him. I haven't been to this part of the country for a while, so I'm reaquainting myself with the local sights. It's changed a bit since I was last here, though."

Daniel was about to ask how long ago, when he noticed the time on the big wooden clock over the bar. He looked at his watch again and shook it. It must have been damaged when he took the dive into the river on PX251. He was supposed to be meeting the rest of SG1 in about five minutes. He was definitely going to be very late.

He rose to his feet, grabbed the pile of papers he had been writing on and shoved them into his case. "Sorry, got to go," he mumbled. "I've just realised I'm running very late for a meeting. Thanks for your help. I'll leave a message with your friend Joe and catch you later."

"It's not like you to be so helpful, especially to someone you've only just met." commented Joe Dawson, as he watched Daniel leave. He had an amused expression on his face. "What's the matter Methos? Is MacLeod rubbing off on you at last?"

Adam Pierson a.k.a. Methos grimaced. "Of course not. I'm only looking after my own interests. Daniel had a portion of a manuscript, one that had a reference to me in it, so I just want to see what else it says."

"Okay, so what's a reference to you doing on a manuscript that this guy Daniel has? Something in your younger days catching up with you at last?"

"That's what I'm curious to find out. There's memories of Ancient Egypt that I'd rather forget. I'm hoping that this isn't one of them" the five thousand year old man replied.

Joe realised that there was a lot he didn't know about Methos still, and if the other got his way, probably never would. "Just be careful, okay."

"Joe, I didn't know you cared."

"Well, if something happened to you, who would pay your bar tab?"

Part Two

"So what exactly do you know about this guy, Daniel?" asked Colonel Jack O'Neill. "Apart from the fact that he knows more about your favourite subject than you do?"

SG1 were sitting around the conference table in the debriefing room, listening to Daniel enthusiastically sing the praises of his new friend. Daniel had all his papers strewn over the oval table, and was showing them the translation that Adam had given him.

"I didn't say he knew more than I did. I just said he could translate the manuscript and I think we should give him a chance to try. I'm not inviting him to see the Stargate or anything like that, just look at the manuscript."

"But what if he wants to know where you got it from? Are you going to say, well, I just popped through this device called a Stargate that we use to travel to other planets, and there it was buried at the side of a river. Oh and by the way there's this nasty alien involved, and he probably put it there," came the sarcastic reply. O'Neill poured himself a cup of coffee, leaned back in his chair, and waited to see how the younger man would respond to his question. It was going to be hard to talk Daniel out of this one. When he got an idea in his head, he could be quite determined.

"I think Daniel's got a point," interrupted Major Samantha Carter, ignoring the glare that O'Neill gave her. "Maybe this guy Adam can help decipher the prophecy or whatever it is. We need to find out if this manuscript and the strange stone that seems to have come with it are worth worrying about or not."

"You don't actually believe in prophecies, do you?" O'Neill snorted in disgust. Academics, he thought, and now they were thinking of asking another one to join them. He could just imagine Daniel and this Pierson guy spending hours discussing the real meaning behind the manuscript. He was more interested in the stone itself. Surely they must be connected somehow? He had been hoping it was some kind of weapon that they could use in their fight with the Goa'uld and that the manuscript was the instruction manual. It seemed a bit strange to keep a piece of stone in a lead lined box -- must be something special about it. Daniel seemed to be sure that it was a prophecy of some sort. He blamed Pierson for that and hoped he wasn't being lead off on a wild goose chase.

"O'Neill," Teal'c the fourth member of SG1 interrupted his train of thought. "My people, the Jaffa, have found some of these prophecies, as you call them, to be quite correct in the past. In fact some people that have ignored them, as you are trying to do, have not lived to regret their actions."

O'Neill knew when he was outvoted. "Okay, I suppose it wouldn't do any harm for your new friend to see the rest of the manuscript. But no mention of where it came from and I want to run a complete check on the guy first. Also I want to come with you when you meet him again."

O'Neill checked the time on his watch for the fifth time in the same number of minutes. The bar seemed quite empty. Obviously most of the patrons did their drinking in the evening. He looked around the place, and made a note to come and try it out the next time he was off duty. As well as the usual jukebox in the corner, there was also a piano and a small stage. His eye caught a poster lying on the bar, a live band played in the evenings, a jazz ensemble, he noticed, reading a bit further. Yes, he'd definitely come and check it out. Maybe it was time to introduce Teal'c to yet another new concept.

He looked at his watch again. "I thought you said Adam would be here at 2pm?" asked O'Neill. "It's ten past now. Doesn't say much for his reliability."

"He must have got held up. I'll go and ask Joe Dawson if he's heard anything." Daniel wandered over to the bar, and started talking to Dawson.

The bartender shook his head. He seemed to be surprised that Pierson hadn't shown yet, surprised and maybe a bit worried. "Haven't heard anything, sorry. He should be here soon. I can check his cell phone if you like. Adam's usually on time." Unless he's deliberately running late, he thought to himself. I wouldn't put it past the old guy. Ah, speak of the devil.

"I got held up. Phone rang at the last minute." Methos shot Joe a look. He slid onto a barstool and gratefully took the beer that his friend put in front of him. "MacLeod seems to think I'm a walking fountain of information when he needs it. I thought that was your job description."

MacLeod... That was one of Pierson's friends. O'Neill remembered the research he had run on the guy. He supposed it made sense for an historical researcher to hook up with a former antique dealer. He stepped forward. "Hi, I'm Jack O'Neill. You must be the Adam Pierson that Daniel's been talking about" And talking about and talking about, he added to himself.

"Didn't know you were bringing a friend?" Methos directed the question at Daniel suspiciously.

"Jack's okay. We work together, so he wanted to see what you thought of our manuscript."

"Are you an archaeologist as well?" Methos was sure he saw the other man shudder at the thought.

"Definitely not," Came the reply." You might say I work in the field, finding artefacts and suchlike" Daniel shot him a peculiar look. More going on here than meets the eye thought Methos. Whatever O'Neill was, he certainly didn't strike the immortal as an archaeologist, well not the usual stereotype of one, anyway.

"What about the manuscript then. Have you got it with you?"

[I should have never have let you talk me into this] telepathed Megabyte Damon to his friend Adam Newman. He was bored, very bored and his expression was beginning to give his feelings away. There was just so much of looking at diagrams and photos that he could take. Listening to lectures wasn't high on the list of things he enjoyed doing either, in fact they usually sent him to sleep. Now if he could get a quick look at their computer system, then he could find out what really went on in this place.

The Australian turned to his friend. [Well, it doesn't hurt you to help your father out once in a while and play the dutiful son.] Adam realised that wasn't exactly the right comment to make as soon as he had 'said' it, and was quite relieved when he saw a familiar face approaching them.

"Enjoying the tour?" General William Damon asked his son.

"Yeah, sure. I bet all the really interesting stuff is well hidden somewhere else though." Megabyte didn't even try to keep the bored tone out of his voice as he replied.

Bill Damon smiled to himself. He knew Megabyte well enough to know that the boy wasn't really interested in seeing the official tour of the Cheyenne Mountain complex. The invitation had said he could bring his son and so he had offered, not thinking for a moment that he would actually come. He had a feeling that the change of mind had come from Adam, not Megabyte, especially when his son had asked if the elder Tomorrow Person could come as well. Adam seemed curious to see what resources the military had when it came to 'watching the skies' even if it was just the official version.

"So what do you think, Adam?"

"I agree with Megabyte. I think the unofficial equipment is probably more interesting."

Damon groaned inwardly. He hoped the two boys weren't going to try and go on an 'unofficial tour' "I hope you're not getting ideas. It wouldn't be a good idea for the two of you to get involved with the Military you know."

"Don't worry Dad," the redhead grinned. "We wouldn't dream of it" He glanced around the series of corridors leading off from the main lecture room, and wondered what was behind all those doors. The ones marked restricted access looked very interesting. Maybe he should have a look around later. A burst of telekinesis would soon solve the problem of any locks. Megabyte looked at his father again, this time with an expression of pure innocence.

Adam looked at his friend suspiciously, he knew that look. Much as he wanted to know what went on in this place himself, he'd have to remind Megabyte what would happen if the military ever found out about their abilities. The world, and especially the military weren't ready to find out about the existence of the Tomorrow People yet. They'd already come across people wanting to force them to use their powers against others. He didn't want to tun the risk of it happening again. They might not be so lucky next time.

His train of thought was interrupted by the approach of a dark-haired well-built man in a military uniform. He'd wondered how long it would take the corporal to notice that they'd lagged behind the main group.

"Come on," called the tour guide. "Wouldn't want to leave you behind, would we?"

Part Three

"Well, are you going to share, or keep the good news all to yourself?" asked O'Neill impatiently. Pierson had been reading for a good few minutes now and so far hadn't said a word. He had the distinct impression that the other man was just as interested, if not more so, in the contents of the manuscript as they were.

"Just about finished.."

Daniel shot O'Neill an 'I told you so look'. He looked like a kid in a candy store thought O'Neill. What if it is instructions for the stone? How do I explain that to a civilian? Make that two civilians. He noticed Dawson seemed to be hanging around waiting for the translation as well. I don't remember giving him an invitation to the party.

"A warning to the oldest of those who cannot die... This is my legacy to you and those who helped destroy the one who served me. The tendrils of the medusa will reach out and destroy those who 'mind speak' and you will be unable to ..."

"Unable to what?" asked Daniel. Pierson had come to a halt and was looking a bit pale. He repeated himself. "Unable to what?"

"I don't know. That's as far as its goes. The rest of the writing has been destroyed. Age, I suppose." Methos cursed to himself. He had hoped he had seen the last of the mad Egyptian, Ramiis. He'd been enough trouble while he was alive, now it looked like he was going to cause trouble in the afterlife as well.

"Pierson, do you know what this is about?" asked O'Neill. He'd seen the other man's reaction and knew damm well he did.

Methos chose his words carefully. He knew that he would have to give some sort of explanation, or they would keep asking until he gave one.

"When I was working on my paper on Ancient Egypt I came across a strange story. An Egyptian priest named Ramiis thought that he had a direct line to the god Apophis. This guy was as mad as a hatter of course. He got it into his mind to rid the planet of all of the god's enemies, all those who could be a threat to him, all those who apposed him. Actually there weren't too many, as most of the natives were scared witless, as I remember," He added hastily "the story went. Ramiis got it into his mind, or what was left of it, that the boy king Tutankhamun and some of his friends were a threat to Apophis. He had the crazy idea that they were telepathic or something similar, they called it mind speaking in those days."

"So what happened to Ramiis?" asked Joe

"The kids had some help. Someone else who didn't agree with Ramiis' activities. There was a fight and according to the legend the priest lost his head. Literally. Just before he died Ramiis said that his god Apophis would seek revenge on the kids, if not on them, then on those like them."

Daniel was curious. "How come I haven't heard of this legend before? I thought I'd heard most of them."

"It's not that well known. Legend has it that Apophis wasn't very happy at the loss of his faithful follower and threatened death to those who repeated the story. I found it in a very obscure set of chronicles. "

O'Neill snorted. "Sounds a bit suspect to me. Telepathy and the like! Next you're be telling me that they could disappear into thin air and move objects with the power of their mind as well."

"It's called teleportation and telekinesis, Jack" observed Daniel. "Not as far fetched as you would think. There was a fair bit of documented evidence of it in the 70's. A guy named Professor Cawston came up with quite a lot of evidence to support that it wasn't as unlikely as you would think."

"Okay then but if this story is true, what's this rubbish about the tendrils of a Medusa then?" This last question was pointed at Methos.

"Pass." He seemed lost in thought as though trying to remember something. "Was anything else found with the manuscript?"

Daniel and O'Neill looked at each other. Pierson definitely knew a lot more than he was letting on. "Well actually there was"

"Daniel, this is classified. Need to know only."

"Well, Jack, I need to know." Daniel ignored the look that the colonel was giving him. "It's not going to hurt to show him the stone. There might be some more information he can give us from seeing it. Remember that there were hieroglyphics on the box the stone came in, as well, they were different again to those written on the manuscript. I couldn't translate them at all. It sounds like he could."

"Why do I feel like I've been ambushed again?" groused Jack. "I'd better contact General Hammond and okay it with him first though"

"Did you say general? Are you people military?" Pierson didn't look too happy with that thought, and neither did Joe Dawson, O'Neill noticed.

"Jack's military, but I'm a civilian doing research for them," explained Daniel. 'They're quite a decent bunch of people once you get to know them. Don't panic, they won't try and shoot you or anything."

"Adam, can I have a word please?" asked Joe. He was beginning to worry about what exactly Methos had got himself into. "Excuse us, Daniel. This won't take long"

As soon as they were out of earshot Joe turned to the immortal. "What the hell do you think you're doing? An immortal getting mixed up with the military? You must be out of your mind. What if they find out about you? What happens then?"

"A bit louder, Joe. I don't think they quite heard you." Came the reply. "I have to look into this. I owe my life to Tutankhamun and his friends. I sort of promised I'd return the favour if needed. Besides I'm just a historian, remember. I can look after myself if I need to. I have to make sure that there isn't a threat to any of their kind, if they exist, in the present day."

"Okay but watch your head." Dawson leaned on his cane as he spoke, Methos' words hadn't reassured him in the least. Being ex military himself, he knew full well what could happen if the miliary found out the truth about his friend. "I also want the full story about what really happened with that priest Ramiis. That was you that took his head, I take it?"

Methos noticed that O'Neill was beckoning them over." We'll discuss this later, Joe. I think he wants us." Dawson wondered if he would ever get the full story of Ramiis and Apophis out of Methos. He wasn't usually very forthcoming with these sorts of details. It must be one hell of a story, he thought to himself, especially if Methos felt he owed something to someone. That was one scenario he never thought he'd see.

"I've cleared it with the general. You can come and look at the stone but there will have to be someone with you at all times. We don't want you wandering off. Got it? Daniel, I'm making you responsible for this, seeing you're the one with the bright idea. Okay?" O'Neill still had his reservations, but General Hammond thought it was important to find out all the information they could. He thought about the rest of the translation. "Tendrils of the Medusa. Maybe its some kind of energy weapon?"

"Oh, I don't think its anything as simple as that." Pierson replied almost absentmindedly.

The three men sat in O'Neill's car in relative silence during the drive to Cheyenne Mountain. Daniel was scribbling furiously, noting down the Ramiis legend that Pierson had told them. He went through the whole story again in his mind, storing up the thousands of questions he wanted to ask the historian. Obviously he had made the right decision asking the other man to join them, Adam Pierson knew far more about the manuscript than Daniel originally thought.

As they approached the entrance to the Cheyenne Mountain complex, Methos reflected again on how much the area had changed since he had been here last. Mind you, he thought, one hundred years is a long time. At least this time he wouldn't have a posse chasing him, that was one consolation.

He had heard there was a military base inside the mountain itself, NORAD wasn't it? Didn't they watch the stars or something similar from here? He remembered reading an article about it once; seeing it in the flesh, though, was quite different. It was certainly very impressive, at least from what he could see, from the entrance. He wondered how far underground they would be going -- the further underground, the less places to run, he reminded himself. He was pleased he'd bought his sword. At least he still had a weapon with him, if he needed to leave in a hurry. He'd thought about leaving it behind, but after all these years, he felt quite naked without it. The wording of the prophecy, if that's what it was, worried him as well, and he wanted to be prepared for any eventuality

As they got out of the car, Methos turned to O'Neill. Speaking of weapons, it was probably a good idea to mention his Ivanhoe before the sentry on duty noticed it, or the metal detection alarms went off.

Making up an excuse for why he carried it, that would be the fun part. He could hardly say "actually I'm an immortal and I need the sword in case I need to take someone's head."

"Jack," he hesitated before continuing. "I think I'd better tell you about something before we go any further."

"Is something the matter, Adam?" asked Daniel. "I told you, the military types on this base are quite friendly, nothing to worry about." Apart from the aliens that come through the Stargate he added to himself.

"Maybe I'd better show you," came the reply. "I'm, er, carrying a sword in my travel bag. Silly really, it's my lucky sword. I found it at a dig a few years back and when I'm working on something a bit tricky, it brings me good luck." He put on his best Adam Pierson look, and hoped for the best.

Daniel gazed at the bronze sword in unveiled admiration. He lifted it, using both hands, and was surprised at how heavy it was. "Whoa, that's a beauty. It's an Ivanhoe, isn't it? I remember seeing one like that a few years ago in an antique shop, haven't seen one like it since. Remember Jack, I told you about it once."

"Yeah, that was the sword you insisted in taking me to see, only to find that once we got there the guy had shut up shop. What was the name of the place again, Russell Nash Antiques or something similar."

Methos stifled a laugh. What was it about MacLeods and antique shops? He remembered reading on the watcher database that Connor had used that alias for a time. No one had seen much of him since, hopefully the elder Highlander was still around and hadn't lost his head yet.

"I can't see that being a problem, can you Jack?" asked Daniel. "I mean it's not as though he really knows how to use it or anything."

"I'll check with the general. A lucky sword. Now I've heard everything." O'Neill turned to Daniel.

"Hey, maybe if ask nicely he'll let you have a play with it."

Part Four

"Daniel, go and get Adam his visitors pass and meet us in the debriefing room. I just want to check something out with the general. I'll meet you there." O'Neill was still wondering how he was going to tell Hammond about Pierson's sword as he left the reception area.

Methos looked around the Cheyenne Mountain complex with interest. As far as he could see, it looked like your typical military base, well what he could remember of the little he had seen of them during the last World War, anyway. He tended to avoid the military as much as he could, usually. This manuscript had better be worth the risks he was taking.

He wondered what the chances were of actually running into any others like Tutankhamun; after all, he hadn't seen any since the days of ancient Egypt. There had been rumours of the existence of powerful telepaths about twenty years ago, but never any solid proof. He wondered what Joe and Mac would think if they knew that he tried to keep up to date with all the research done in the field of physic powers. A Professor Galt had tried to publish a paper about some new proof he had discovered about seven years ago, but the man had been dismissed as a bit of a nutcase.

As they approached reception he noticed a boy arguing with one of the security guards. The boy, he looked as though he was in his late teens, maybe a fraction older, was trying his best to sound indignant.

"Hey, last time I looked it wasn't a crime to try and find the bathroom..."

"It is when you're trying to find it through a door marked restricted access." The guard didn't seem to be buying the story. "Don't worry, young man. Your father is coming to get you. You can try and explain it to him"

"What's going on here?"

"Oh, good morning Doctor Jackson. It's all under control, sir. This kid wandered away from the main tour group. We found him heading for the restricted area."

"I told you, I was looking for the bathroom."

Methos moved in a bit closer. This sounded like it was going to be fun. He wanted to see what would happen when the boy's father showed up. He was probably some bigwig or something, the kid would get really chewed out.

Megabyte stopped his train of thought suddenly. He felt the presence of someone else in the room. Someone who's psychic aura felt different, very different. As a Tomorrow Person he was aware of the faint mental auras of the other people in the room. He was used to that. He and the others referred to it as "background noise". This aura was decidedly different, stronger, almost overpowering. He noticed a man watching the conversation. He seemed almost amused by it.

Megabyte moved closer to the man and was surprised at the strong mental images that assailed his mind. Images of men on horseback he could handle, but when one of them swung a sword and Megabyte saw that he was going to behead the other, he started to feel ill. He involuntarily took a step back. This was weird, way too weird.

"Don't worry, I don't bite." The other man was looking at him curiously. Megabyte wondered if he'd noticed his reaction.

[Adam, where are you?] he 'pathed.

[Just coming round the corner with your dad. He's not very impressed. He thinks... ] Adam stopped suddenly

Megabyte could feel the confusion coming from his friend. So Adam could feel it as well. He saw General Damon and Adam approaching. Adam looked a bit pale.

[It's this guy here. I got really strange mental images from him when I got close. His aura feels strong too, unnaturally strong.]

"Are you feeling okay?" asked Daniel. The red headed boy had suddenly turned a shade paler. He noticed a dark haired man approaching with another boy, about the same age as the red head, in tow. Must be the boy's father, he surmised. I'd feel like that too if I'd been caught doing something I shouldn't, he thought.

"Megabyte, can't I take my eyes off you for one minute without you getting into trouble? What did I tell you about leaving the tour group?"

"I was only going to find the bathroom."

"And I'm the toothfairy," came the reply. "Are you all right, Adam?" The last question was directed to the dark haired boy next to him who had suddenly come over with a fit of coughing.

"Sorry, General. Just lost my breath for a minute" Methos noticed he spoke with an Australian accent. This was getting more fun by the minute.

"Megabyte... Never mind. I'd better go and have a word with General Hammond and apologise for your behaviour." Damon looked at the two boys suspiciously. He had the feeling he was missing something. He'd talk to them later, in private. "Wait here."

The man at reception spoke up. "Doctor Jackson, Colonel O'Neill says to come down. They're waiting for you and Mr Pierson, sir."

Methos lent over to the redheaded boy on his way past. "Hope you find the bathroom Megabyte." Both boys looked at him. He felt a shiver go down his spine. Something about them was familiar, some look about them. He couldn't put his finger on it. They weren't pre immortal, he would have known if they were. There was something though.

"Come on, Adam"

The sound of Daniel's voice broke his train of thought. Right, he thought. Concentrate on the business at hand. Let's see what this stone is about.

The two Tomorrow People watched the two men enter the lift. Megabyte turned to Adam. [That was weird] he 'pathed. [Did you see those images too? Men on horseback, villages burning. Looked liked something out of the Middle Ages. I thought I was going to loose my lunch when I saw the sword cutting someone's head off.]

[Major weird,] agreed Adam. [I think we'd better find out some more about this guy. He was looking at us strangely as well. I don't think he knows about the Tomorrow People. At least I hope not.] He thought for a minute and added, [And next time your dad says something, don't send me a mental picture of it, okay?]

"Adam Pierson, this is General Hammond, the man in command of this base. General Hammond, this is Adam Pierson, the man who has been helping Daniel with the manuscript."

"Pleased to meet you, Mr Pierson. Colonel O'Neill has told me a lot about you. I wanted to thank you for offering to help us out with this matter." Hammond held out his hand to the historian.

"My pleasure, General. I'm wondering why the military is interested in an old manuscript though. It's not as though it would be vital for national defence or anything."

If only you knew, Hammond thought to himself. "I'm sorry, Mr Pierson, but that information is classified. We can tell you what you need to know to decipher the manuscript, but I'm afraid that's all."

"General Hammond," interrupted Corporal Young. "Sorry to disturb you, sir but there's a man to see you. He says he is an old friend. His name is Damon. General William Damon."

"Sorry, Mr Pierson. I'll have to talk to you later. Colonel O'Neill will fill you in on what you need to know."

Curiouser and curiouser thought Methos. Hammond knows Megabyte's father. Maybe Joe was right. Maybe I should leave while I still can. Oh, well at least on the bright side, the general hasn't mentioned the sword. They probably think it's still in my travel bag. He mentally shrugged. What they don't know won't hurt them.

O'Neill opened the door to his right and ushered him into a room. Daniel had gone on ahead while they had been talking to Hammond, and was already spreading his papers out over the oval table in the middle of the room. Obviously it was some type of conference room, Methos guessed correctly. There were two other people in the room besides Daniel: a woman and a tall, dark, well built man.

"I'll just introduce the rest of the team. This is Major Carter," O'Neill nodded towards the very pretty blond woman. "Daniel, you already know of course, and this is Teal'c."

Teal'c inclined his head, his way of a greeting, Methos surmised. He noticed the strange symbol on the other man's forehead. I've seen that somewhere before, he thought to himself. Now where was it?

"I believe you can help us with our investigation, Mr Pierson. We are very grateful for your help."

"Hope, I can help, Major. Call me Adam if you like. Seeing that we're going to be working together."

"My name's Sam. Short for Samantha."

O'Neill groaned to himself. The guy was trying to hit on Carter. He'd noticed the way he had looked at her when they had been introduced. "Okay, kids. Let's get down to business shall we. You can make friends later."

Daniel put a small box on the table. "This is what was found with the manuscript. We don't know what it's for, that's what we're hoping you can help us with. There's hieroglyphs on the box as well as the manuscript, but they're quite different to those you deciphered earlier."

Methos picked up the box for a closer look. "It feels quite heavy," he commented. "Have you had a look at what's inside yet?"

Sam Carter answered him. "It seems to be lined with some sort of material, similar in make up to lead. The box itself seems to be a combination of several elements, we're not sure exactly what yet, I've still got some more tests to run to be certain. Something that acts like a shield maybe, but we're not sure why. All that was in the box when we found it was the manuscript, and a stone. Open it and have a look if you like."

Methos opened the box, and saw to his surprise a small smooth stone inside. "Why would anyone need to put shielding on a box because of a stone?" he asked. As he bent down to examine the stone, it began to pulsate, emitting a strange green glow as it did so.

"That's odd," O'Neill noticed. "It didn't do that last time we looked at it." Okay, the stone wasn't as ordinary as they had first thought. Maybe it was some sort of weapon after all, but if so, what had activated it?

"Maybe it has found some sort of power source, O'Neill. A power source that wasn't available to it last time the box was opened." Teal'c looked at Methos, who shrugged.

"Don't look at me. I don't know. I'm just an historian, remember."

Part Five

"I told the boys to wait in reception," Damon told Hammond as they came out of the lift. "It's really good to see you again after all these years, George. How long has it been? Ten years, maybe."

"At least," came the reply. "Not since you were my aide on that last big hush hush project in the late eighties. Speaking of hush, my sources tell me that some of the stuff WorldEx is involved in is very classified, as well." Hammond had heard quite a few strange stories about some of the projects his friend had been working on. When he had tried to find out, he had found it hard to access the details, in fact some of those details almost didn't seem to make sense. It was almost as though the most important facts had been deliberately left out of the reports. Then there was the fact that Damon had quit the Scientific Intelligence Agency almost overnight, several years ago, citing personal reasons. There were rumours about a cover up within the organisation, but again, the details were impossible to find or verify.

Damon changed the subject. "So, George, what exactly is it that you are working on here?"

Hammond laughed. It sounded as though he wasn't going to get any answers, at least not today. "Okay, Bill, I won't ask about your work if you don't ask about mine."

"I wonder if there's a drinks machine or something around here?" asked Megabyte. He and Adam were sitting in the reception area waiting for his father and General Hammond to put in an appearance. The receptionist looked up from his work and smiled when he heard the remark. To Megabyte's disappointment though, he didn't answer his question.

Adam looked around. The place looked like a typical military installation, as much as he knew from the movies, anyway. Although the reception area was quite spartan, the chairs were comfortable enough, and there was a small pile of magazines on the small coffee table. "Don't you ever think about anything else but your stomach?" he asked his friend.

"Hey," said Megabyte. "Not my fault if snooping around makes me thirsty, is it?" He had decided it might be a good idea to change the subject, especially with the receptionist obviously listening. They could always continue what they had been discussing telepathically, but surely the soldier would be starting to get suspicious at the seeming lack of conversation soon. Much as he wanted to talk about the strange feelings they had picked up from Adam Pierson, it wouldn't do to have anyone wondering how exactly they had picked up on those vibes, especially seeing that someone was attached to the military.

"So, Adam, you never did tell me what you thought of the Star Wars film that Kevin and I dragged you along to." Even though Kevin Wilson was a lot younger, he and Megabyte had been friends even before they had both ' broken out' and become Tomorrow People. To celebrate Kevin's return to England, the three boys had decided to go to the new Star Wars film together. Adam and Megabyte had both missed the younger boy while he had been away in New Zealand with his family.

"I must admit, it was a lot better than the type of movie than you usually end up watching," admitted Adam. A distinct improvement on the 'Attack of the Killer Cucumber' series of films that Megabyte usually made him sit through, he thought to himself.

"It's a shame the kid grows up to be Darth Vader, though," replied the American.

"I thought that concept was quite interesting, actually. You know, the whole idea behind Star Wars is really good versus evil. The Force and the Jedi knights represent good and the other side represents evil. Obviously somewhere along the way in the next couple of films, Anakin is going to be tempted to use his powers for evil and will turn into Vader."

Megabyte stared at his friend. He and Kevin had enjoyed the awesome special effects and the space battles. He hadn't thought past that, and certainly hadn't looked for any hidden meanings and concepts. Mind you, it wasn't him taking the philosophy papers either. The advanced computer course he was taking didn't exactly cover philosophy 101. Trust Adam to come up with that comment. There were times when he felt that the Australian came from another planet, not just another country.

Adam seemed to suddenly notice the look Megabyte was giving him. "Sorry, must be the papers I'm taking at Sydney University. The philosophy course is starting to rub off on me a bit. You must admit it's interesting though." Okay, time to change the subject, obviously his fellow Tomorrow Person wasn't as interested in the whole philosophy thing as he was.

Megabyte noticed his dad approaching, talking with another, older man. The other man wore general's stripes on his shirt. The face seemed vaguely familiar, though he was sure he remembered him with more hair. Mind you, it must have been a while since they had met.

"That must be General Hammond. He and your dad seem to know each other quite well."

"Yeah. Apparently they worked together quite a few years ago. I remember meeting him once when I was a little kid." Megabyte winced and turned to Adam. [Can you hear that noise? It's giving me a headache.]

[Do you mean that high pitched whine? I noticed it too. Wonder where it's coming from? Maybe their speaker system is on the blink. Hey, maybe you should offer to fix it for them, Megabyte.]

"General Hammond, you remember my son Marmaduke." Damon wondered what the two boys had been talking about. He had seen that familiar glazed look in their eyes as he had approached and knew that he was interrupting a telepathic conversation. He hoped Hammond hadn't noticed, but then he hadn't had the years of experience of these things that Damon, himself, had.

"Megabyte," the young man corrected. Gee, he hated his given name, he still wasn't sure what had possessed his parents to come up with it. "Pleased to meet you. This is my friend Adam."

"Pleased to meet you General." Adam stood up to shake hands with Hammond and found he had to lean back against the wall to steady himself, as he suddenly felt very dizzy.

He noticed Megabyte had put his hands over his ears, and seemed a bit unsteady on his feet as well. "That whine, Adam, it's getting louder."

Damon was looking very concerned. "What whine? I can't hear anything."

Adam and Megabyte looked at each other. If the two men couldn't hear the whine and only they could, they must be picking it up telepathically. Who or what could be sending out a signal that only affected Tomorrow People? Adam hoped no one had seen Megabyte using his powers during his unauthorised tour, he'd warned him to be careful. He'd realised a long time ago that once his friend set his mind on something there was nothing he could say to talk him out of it. But surely the military hadn't developed any weapons that could be used against their kind? After all, why would they? As far as he knew, they still didn't know of their existence.

[Adam, Megabyte. Are you okay?] Ami's telepathic voice sounded very concerned. Obviously she'd picked up on some of the panic they were feeling.

[Ami, there's something here. I think it's affecting us somehow. Stay away. Tell Jade and Kevin to as well. We'll contact you when we're clear.]

The last thing they needed was for the other Tomorrow People to walk into whatever it was as well. Adam could hear Jade arguing with him telepathically. [No, Jade. I mean it. Stay away.]

He turned to Damon. It was becoming an effort to think straight. "I think we'll head home. Must be some kind of bug or something." He could tell from the look on Hammond's face that the general wasn't buying his excuse, mind you he wouldn't if the situation were reversed either.

"A bug that suddenly affects both of you, at the same time?" Hammond turned to Damon. "Bill, I can get our doctor to have a look at them if you like."

Adam stood up, ready to argue and found that his legs wouldn't hold him. He could also sense an echo of the same pain he was feeling, coming from Megabyte, who was leaning on the wall for support, next to him.

The American was groaning, holding his head in his hands. "Adam, we need to get out of here, now."

"You're not going anywhere, young man. No arguments. I 'm going to get Dr Fraiser." Whatever was wrong with these boys, Hammond thought, they needed medical attention. They looked more as though they were some kind of pain, rather than just feeling off colour as they were claiming. He headed for the reception desk to contact the infirmary.

Damon leaned over and whispered to the two boys. "No one's looking. Can you teleport? I'll cover for you." He didn't like the idea of them being looked at by a military doctor any more than he imagined they did themselves.

Adam concentrated and tried to gather up enough energy to teleport. The whine in his head was getting worse. He could feel himself fighting to stay conscious. He shook his head and immediately wished that he hadn't. He turned to Damon. "There's... something... here... affecting ... us." It was an effort just to get the words out. "It ... hurts... I can't..." He closed his eyes and let the blackness engulf him.

Megabyte turned to his father. "Dad, I can't sense Adam, and I can't teleport. You've got to find whatever this thing is and stop it." Damon noticed he was gritting his teeth, and there was a sense of panic in his voice as he spoke. He still had his hands over his ears, as though he was trying to shut out a loud noise.

"Hang in there, Megabyte." Damon noticed that Adam was unconscious, and that Megabyte was looking like he wasn't too far behind. He lent over his son, who was now on his knees on the floor, feeling very worried. What on earth was George working on here?

He looked around. It looked as though they were running out of choices. He'd just have to worry about George finding out about the Tomorrow People when, and if, it happened. "Hurry up, where's that doctor?"

"Bill, are you sure you've told me everything?" asked Hammond. "Like why only your son and his friend have collapsed and no one else? Look you can trust me. I'm only trying to help."

Damon glanced over at the two boys hooked up to life support. He was becoming more and more worried as he saw how pale they looked, whatever had caused them to collapse, it obviously only affected Tomorrow People. He wondered again how his son and his friends always seemed to manage to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Doctor Fraiser had said that they were getting weaker, their energy levels were just draining away. She couldn't find any reason for it and she didn't know how to stop it either. Damon didn't think telling her why, whatever it was, was only affecting Adam and Megabyte would exactly help her...

Damon's train of thought was interrupted by his cellphone ringing. "Excuse me George." He walked out into the corridor as he answered the call, and didn't notice that Hammond was still close enough to hear what he was saying.

"Hello, Ami. How did you know..? "

"Of course, Megabyte... Yes I'm very concerned as well. They're hooked up to life support at the moment. The doctor doesn't know what to do."

"No. I haven't told her everything. I was just thinking whether I should or not. I know Adam wouldn't want to, but if I don't, she won't know what she's dealing with. Mind you, I'm not sure she will know what to do anyway."

There was a long pause. Hammond correctly surmised that the person on the other end of the phone had handed it to someone else. He felt guilty listening in to a private conversation, but hell; he had to find out what was wrong with these kids so that Fraiser could help them. Damon was obviously hiding something, but for the life of him, he couldn't imagine what could be so important that he would risk his own son's life for it.

"Jade, Ami tells me that Megabyte sent you something before he passed out." Another pause. "What kind of images?" Damon thought for a moment "What was the man's name? Okay, I'll look into it. Don't worry, I'll let you know if there is any change at this end. Contact me if you get anything from either of them, anything at all."

He turned to Hammond, his face grim. "George, we need to talk. In private. Is there somewhere we can go?" He poked his head in the door of the infirmary and glanced again at the still forms lying there. He gestured to Dr Fraiser, at the same time hoping he was about to do the right thing. At least the other Tomorrow People agreed with him that it was the only course of action left open. "Could you let me know if there's any change, any change at all?"

Part Six

O'Neill looked up as Hammond and another man came entered the conference room. The man with Hammond looked about the same age as O'Neill himself, and whoever he was, he didn't look very happy.

"SG1, this is General William Damon. We need to know what exactly you've found out about this stone you've been working with." Hammond noticed O'Neill glance towards the other man, wondering how much he had been told, if anything, about the Stargate project. "Don't worry, Colonel. He's got clearance."

Damon recognised the man he had seen in the reception area earlier and took a step towards him. "You must be Pierson. You've got some explaining to do. My son and his friend are lying in the infirmary hooked up to life support and I suspect you may have something to do with it."

Carter spoke up. "What's going on, General? Adam has been here with us the whole time. He couldn't possibly have done anything to anybody."

Methos put two and two together." Of course," he said to himself. "I should have realised. Must be losing it in my old age." He noticed everyone else in the room was looking at him. He turned to Damon. "The red headed kid, Megabyte, has something happened to him and his friend?"

"They collapsed a short time ago. Very suddenly, with no warning. We can't find a reason for it." Apart from the fact that they received some very strange mental images from you, he continued to himself.

"Would that be about half an hour ago?"

"But that would be the same time that we took the stone out of the box," interjected Daniel, beginning to follow where Methos was going. He quoted. "The tendrils of the Medusa will reach out and..." He stopped suddenly, realising what he had just said.

"I knew I had seen that look before. Tutankamen had it." Methos turned to Damon. "Megabyte and his friend, they're," he hunted for the word the boy king had used so long along, "Tomorrow People, aren't they?"

"You do know," breathed Damon, finding it hard to keep himself under control. "If I find out that you're responsible for this..."

"Hold it, could someone explain to those of us that haven't seen the movie yet? I'm feeling really lost here. What are Tomorrow People?" O'Neill turned to Methos "And what do you mean the same look that Tutankamen had? How would you know that?"

Methos reached out for the stone, put it back in the box, and closed the lid. "Don't you think we should put this away, first, just in case it is what's caused the kids to collapse? We'll worry about explanations later." Or maybe not, he thought to himself. He wondered how he was going to explain without telling them exactly who and what he really was.

"Okay," said O'Neill, "Let's see if I've got this right." He'd seen a lot of strange things since he'd started journeying through the Stargate but he wasn't sure he was quite ready to believe the stories that Damon had told them. He noticed that the general looked a lot happier since Doctor Fraiser had contacted him to let him know that Megabyte and Adam were improving. She had promised to let him know the moment either one of them regained consciousness.

"Your son and his friend call themselves The Tomorrow People, and are the next stage in human evolution. They have telepathic powers and can teleport anywhere by just thinking about it. Apart from the fact that it all seems like something out of a science fiction program, what's to stop this new species wiping us all off the face of the planet?"

Damon had hoped not to have to bring this part up. He felt uncomfortable enough that these people had learnt about the Tomorrow People, he didn't want to give away all their secrets. He noticed everyone in the room was looking at him expectantly, waiting for an answer. George had said that they could be trusted to keep secrets. It sounded as though he would have to believe that, after all, what choice did he have?

"They can't kill. It's something in the genetic makeup. We don't know what exactly."

"What about to protect themselves?" This question came from Teal'c. The Jaffa couldn't understand how a race that couldn't kill would be able to survive for long.

"Not even to do that." Damon remembered when Colonel Masters had threatened him when Megabyte had first 'broken out' and become a Tomorrow Person. His son had turned the gun on their enemy, tried to use it, and couldn't.

Damon noticed Pierson sitting quietly, conspicuous by his lack of questions or look of surprise. "What I'd like to know, is how come you seem to know so much about what's going on? You seem to know about the Tomorrow People and talk about Tutankhamun almost as thought you've actually met him. I think it's time you gave us some sort of explanation."

"Are you a time traveller or something?" Daniel turned to O'Neill. "We know that sort of thing is possible. Remember that time we went through the Stargate and ended up in 1969?"

"Shut up, Daniel."

"You have a functioning Stargate? I thought that thing was a myth"

O'Neill and Methos spoke simultaneously. I'm really going to have to have a word to Daniel about security thought O'Neill to himself. The younger man's enthusiasm tended to run away with him at times. He noticed Pierson was continuing with his questions and that they didn't seem to be getting the answers they needed out of him. He interrupted the historian.

"Information here is a two way street, in case you hadn't noticed. I think you should be giving us some information before you find out anything else. How about it? Spill..."

They were interrupted by a knock at the door. Corporal Young tried his best to look apologetic. "Sorry to disturb you General Hammond, but you're needed in the control room. There's a message coming through from someone calling himself Ramiis."

"That's impossible, Ramiis is dead." Methos added to himself, I took his head and felt his quickening, it must be some sort of trick. I don't like the sound of it at all. First the stone and running into Megabyte and Adam, and now this.

O'Neill glared at Pierson. "I suppose you'd better come as well, seeing that you are the resident Ramiis expert, but after this I want an explanation, the full chapter and verse." He wasn't too worried about the historian, if that's what he really was, saw the Stargate; after all, he'd obviously heard of it. He was beginning to suspect that Pierson knew full well most of what was going on at the base anyway.

Methos didn't feel surprised when he saw all the high-tech equipment in the room that Hammond ushered them into. When he had realised O'Neill and his team had a Stargate in their possession and that the Tomorrow People were involved as well, he had decided he wouldn't even be surprised to see a white rabbit consulting its pocket watch. At this point even that would be preferable to running into his old enemy again.

When he saw the figure on the screen, Methos stopped in his tracks. This had been the one thing he had hoped wouldn't be true. "It can't be. You're dead!" he exclaimed. Ramiis looked exactly the same as he had the last time they had met, same dark hair and eyes, same narrow mouth, probably still had the same unpleasant nature as well, he thought to himself.

"That's not a very nice way to greet an old friend," came the reply. "How long has it been, two, or three thousand years? Mind you, I'm not surprised to see you, Methos, you always were a survivor."

O'Neill was definitely beginning to feel like he'd lost the plot somewhere. "You two know each other? Who's Methos? How many thousand years?" Pierson's explanation had better be good.

Methos sighed. This wasn't exactly the way that he had planned to explain the concept of immortality; actually he hadn't planned to explain it at all. Now it looked as though he no longer had a choice.

Ramiis seemed to be enjoying his discomfort. "Come on, your friend wants some answers."

Methos retorted,"he's not the only one. Last time I looked, when you lose your head you're supposed to stay dead. Not pop up out of the woodwork a few thousand years later to annoy people."

"I think I might be able to explain that one," interjected Daniel. "You used an sarcophagus, didn't you?"

Ramiis stared at the young man for a moment and then laughed. "Very good, you must be the illustrious Dr Jackson. My lord Apophis has mentioned you, and the rest of your team."

"Yeah," said O'Neill, "I'm sure he did. We're not exactly top of his Christmas list at the moment."

"You mean Apophis is real? I always thought Ramiis used him as an excuse to justify his actions, I never thought he really existed." Something else clicked into place in Methos's mind. He turned to Teal'c. "Now I remember where I've seen that symbol. Ramiis' bodyguard, he had the same thing on his forehead. He called himself a Jaffa. I remember Ramiis calling for him when I took his head..."

Part Seven

Egypt 1353 BC

Methos stood in front of the small window, looking out across the Nile Valley. From where he was he could see what he presumed, from this distance, were hippos swimming in the river. He strained his eyes to read the symbols on the many boats sailing past, but he was too far away to make out any details.

One thing you could certainly rely on in Egypt, he thought to himself, was the heat. Even though painting the house white was supposed to reflect the sun, it was still just as uncomfortably hot inside as it was out. He let his mind drift back to the last time he had been here, as he reached for his cup to take another sip of wine.

Suddenly there was a loud popping noise and a flash of bright light. Methos jumped and automatically reached for his sword, as the young girl materialised in front of him "I will never get used to that, it doesn't matter how long I live," he exclaimed.

"Sorry, Methos," apologised Neret. She was a young girl, in her mid to late teens, very attractive with long, dark hair, and softly spoken. Her job in the royal household was that of companion to the Queen, though there were rumours that she was also very close, in more ways than one, to the boy king himself. "I didn't mean to startle you. Can I help you clean up the mess?"

Methos shook his head, and bent over to wipe up the spilled wine. "Don't worry, Neret," he said. "I suppose it makes up for the feeling you and Tutankhamun get when I approach you without being noticed." The feeling the two Tomorrow People, as they called themselves, had described reminded him of the feeling he got from the approach of another immortal. After much discussion they had decided it must have something to do with the storehouse of energy from all the quickenings he had received over his long lifespan.

Neret laughed, and Methos noticed again how animated her face was when she did so. He felt sorry for her, surely she was aware of all the gossip that surrounded Tutankhamun and herself. It was a situation that was unlikely to change as well, as the two of them could hardly tell the general population the real reason why they spent so much time together. When Neret had become a Tomorrow Person, the king had recognised her as one of his own kind, and had installed her in the royal household.

Neret started to say something to the immortal and paused. Her eyes glazed over and Methos could tell that she was mindspeaking to the young Pharaoh. After a few minutes, she turned to him, looking very worried.

"The high priest, Ramiis, has Tutankhamun's wife. He says we have offended his god Apophis and must die. Quick, Methos, you must help them. Here, take my hand and I will take you there."

Methos reached out his hand hesitantly, and closed his eyes. The only thing worse than being surprised by people who disappear and reappear out of thin air, is when they take you along for the journey, he thought to himself. Teleportation, as they called it, was another thing he was finding it hard to get used to. The two Tomorrow People had told him that to them it came as naturally as breathing.

Methos still wondered why they trusted him so much. He supposed it was because they knew his secret, as he knew theirs. He remembered the day they had met. He had been standing in the crowd watching Tutankhamun pass by with his royal entourage. Someone had tried to kill the young ruler and Methos, without thinking, he still wasn't sure why, had thrown himself in front of the shower of arrows and saved the boy king's life.

He had come back to life in the Pharaoh's own chamber, and was surprised to find that young Tutankhamun and his friend Neret didn't seem at all surprised. They had told him that they could sense he was different and were sure he had come to fulfil the prophecy. As he listened to them, he noticed there was some look in their eyes that told him that there was something different about them, but he hadn't realised how different until they explained to him what they were.

Apparently a wise woman had come to the Pharaoh in a dream not long after he had developed his powers and told him that a man with an old soul would come and be protector to him and his kind. Methos had been very sceptical about this, until the two youngsters had demonstrated their powers to them. They seemed to trust him and were convinced that he was their protector. Now, a few months later, he counted them as good friends and was enjoying his stay in the royal court. Tutankhamun had also covered up the fact that he had died while saving him and told his people that Methos' injuries had not been as severe as they had first looked.

Tutankhamun hoped that Neret would bring their protector, Methos, soon. He had thought of trying to get close enough to his wife to teleport her away, but so far had not had the opportunity. Ramiis had accused them of acting against his lord, Apophis, and didn't want to listen to anything the boy king said in his own defence. He kept saying that Apophis would take revenge on him and his kind. Obviously he knew then, about the existence of the Tomorrow People, Tutankhamun hoped he hadn't shared the information with others. As he listened to the ravings of the priest he wondered again what sort of a god would give him powers that he could not use to kill others in order to defend himself and his loved ones.

Ramiis fell silent as he felt the telltale buzz that warned him that another immortal was close by. He pulled Ankhesenpaaten closer towards him, pressing the blade of his sword against her throat, and turned to her young husband. "Tell whoever is out there to come out, or I will kill your wife. I know she cannot disappear into thin air as you can, and I am sure you cannot move fast enough to save her. Any tricks and her death will be very slow and very painful."

A tall slim man moved out of the shadow of the pyramids, before Tutankhamun had a chance to speak. Methos shivered in the hot sunlight in spite of himself. The pyramids themselves made him feel very uneasy. He wasn't sure why; it was as though there was something almost unearthly about them. Surely he was above believing the local superstitions, he chided himself. After all he had seen many such beliefs come and go over the years.

"I am Methos," he said. "Let her go, she is young and not one of us. Are you hiding behind children now? "

Ramiis pushed the young girl towards her husband. He motioned to the large man who always seemed to follow a short distance behind. Methos noticed the strange gold symbol on the man's forehead. The man bowed his head towards the priest.

"Jaffa," said Ramiis. "Watch these children. Soon we will take them to our god, Apophis, and offer them to him as hosts. When I have defeated their so called protector and taken his head, I will join you."

The Jaffa drew his weapon, a strange looking metal staff, and herded the two young people towards the pyramid. Neret watched from her hiding place, behind a date palm, and waited to see what would happen next. She noticed that the Jaffa was making sure that Ankhesenpaaten had no physical contact with her husband. Obviously he was aware of their teleportation capabilities.

Methos drew his own sword. This man is crazy, all this talk about gods. He seems to think that Apophis really exists.

"You're still a child yourself," he goaded as he lunged at the other immortal, his sword gleaming in the bright sunlight.

Ramiis roared in anger, as his sword swung up to block Methos' attack. "You will die, for your actions against my lord Apophis."

Methos was surprised at the strength of the other man's sword arm. He lunged again, noting with satisfaction that he had drawn blood. Not as good as you think you are, priest, he thought to himself.

Suddenly Ramiis threw dirt in Methos' eyes, temporarily blinding his vision. He involuntarily took a step backwards, and lost his footing. The other man's shadow loomed over him, momentarily blocking out the sun from his limited vision. Obviously the other immortal wasn't going to fight fair, thought Methos. He should have expected something like this. Two can play at that game he thought to himself.

As Ramiis swung his sword, ready to deliver the final blow, he drew a small dagger and plunged it into the other mans chest. Ramiis gave him a look of utter surprise and dropped his sword in the dirt. Edging closer, Neret used her telekinetic powers to shift it out of his reach. "Jaffa," he yelled, "Save me!"

"Goodbye, Ramiis. It doesn't look like your god, or anyone else, is going to save you after all." Methos brought his sword down, slicing off his opponent's head with one clean swoop, and waited.

He dropped onto his knees as he felt the full force of the quickening. As bolt after bolt of lightening hit him he was dimly aware of someone moving in behind him, but he was in no position to do anything about it. When it had finished, he got shakily to his feet, just in time to be hit by a blast of what felt like lightening. He heard Tutankhamun yell "No!" and then the blackness engulfed him.

Methos came to, feeling the sudden intake of breath that usually accompanied his return to life. He could hear the sound of the river Nile close by, and could hear the splash of what sounded like some animal playing in the water. He leaned back in the long grass and opened his eyes. To his surprise the moon was high in the sky, and it was night. Tutankhamun, his wife Ankhesenpaaten, and Neret were standing over him.

"What happened?" he asked.

"Ramiis' bodyguard shot you with a strange weapon while you were recovering from the," the boy king stumbled over the strange word, "quickening. I managed to teleport you away before he was able to take your head. It is not safe for you here now, Methos. You have protected us and fulfilled the prophecy. It is time for you to move on." He looked at the immortal with what seemed like sadness in his eyes.

Methos opened his mouth to argue and then shut it again. He could see the point the young Pharaoh was making. If he stayed his life would be in danger. He would leave for now, and maybe return in a few months when it became safe for him to do so. After all, he would not be able to protect them if he were dead.

"I owe you my life." Methos bowed his head toward the young Pharaoh. "I will leave for a time, but will return when I am able. If there is ever any way I can be of service to you or your kind, I will be there for you."

Part Eight

"You took his head?" O'Neill could see Daniel's mind ticking over. "But that was thousands of years ago. Who are you?"

Carter put two and two together. "Adam, are you this Methos?"

Ramiis laughed. "You are calling yourself, Adam, now are you? That is good, the first immortal using the name of the first man."

Methos cursed in ancient Sumerian. He noticed Daniel's face turning red; obviously he knew what he had just said. He decided to change the subject.

"Okay, you're obviously not as dead as I thought you were. I'll worry about the how later. For now, what do you want?" "I thought that was obvious, Methos. Apophis notified me that the Medusa Stone had been activated. I want the telepaths, to make them suffer for what their kind did to me. I doubt you can protect them any better than you did the boy king. He died under your protection, remember. Rameses Ak'Hara, now that is a person to learn from, a great man..."

General Damon, who had been silent up to this point, interjected. "I hate to point this out, but your great Rameses Ak'Hara is dead. My son and his friends defeated him four years ago."

"Your son? Your son is one of the telepaths? I hope you have made your peace with him, because he and his kind will not be around much longer."

"We'll see about that. Your Medusa Stone hasn't worked. We found out about it in time."

"A good strategist always has a contingency plan. I am not finished with them, yet." Ramiis turned to Methos. "And I am not finished with you either. I remember all too well what you did to me. I am challenging you to finish it, now. I am sending the coordinates of this planet to the Stargate computer. If you step through the gate when the wormhole opens, we can finish what we started. If you do not come to me, I will come to you. The choice is yours."

"General Hammond, chevron one is encoding." The technician added, "and General, the iris is opening!" All eyes in the control room looked through the big glass window, towards the Stargate, the outer circle of which was moving.

Methos and Damon saw a large stone circle sitting in the middle of a otherwise fairly empty room, with a ramp leading up to it. There was a thick, what appeared to be metal shielding across the inner circle of the device. They both noticed the iris appeared to be opening, as though of its own accord.

"Get it closed again, quickly. How is this Ramiis getting access to our computer?"

Carter by this stage was typing frantically at the computer keyboard. She turned to Hammond. "Sir, whatever is happening, we're locked out of the system. We can't stop it!"

Daniel noticed Methos moving behind him. "Sorry, Daniel," he heard the other man say," I have to do this. There's no other way." He felt cold metal pressed against his throat.

"Hey, where the hell did that come from?" Oh crap, thought O'Neill. He realised he'd been had. Right, Jack, let the man bring the sword onto the base, it wouldn't hurt anyone... besides it was supposed to be under lock and key with the rest of Pierson's gear.

Methos backed out of the room, heading for the Gateroom itself. He kept Daniel close to him, giving the archaeologist no chance of escape. He paused at the bottom of the ramp leading up the Stargate, and looked up towards the control room.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I have to finish this, if I don't accept his challenge, too many people may die." He nodded towards Damon. "I owe their kind, I can't let him finish what he started." Daniel heard him say, almost to himself, "I am definitely spending too much time with MacLeod, I'm even beginning to sound like him.

"Leave Daniel, you don't need him," began O'Neill.

"And you'll just let me go through the Stargate without him? I'm afraid I don't believe that for a minute. I've known too many military people over the centuries. Don't worry, I'll send him back as soon as I get through the other side."

"Wormhole activated."

Methos looked at the Stargate, feeling a bit hesitant as he saw the white light erupt out of it towards him. As he watched, the matter stream settled into the shape of the circle itself, looking for all intents and purposes like the entrance to a glistening blue waterfall. Okay, maybe he was wrong, there were things out there that he hadn't seen yet. Oh well, he thought, into the valley of death... With that thought he backed up the ramp leading to the gate and disappeared through, with Daniel in front of him as a shield.

"O'Neill, Ramiis' image is gone from the monitor," Teal'c observed.

"Maybe he's busy playing with his long lost friend," came the sarcastic reply. O'Neill turned to Hammond. "We need to get after them, I don't see Daniel coming back, do you?"

"That could be a bit difficult," interrupted Carter. "The wormhole is closing. We'll have to wait for the computer to dial up again."

"Have we got the Gate address, Major?"

"Yes, General." Carter double-checked the symbols showing on her computer screen to be sure. "It's the same planet we found the manuscript and the stone on, sir."

The first thing that Megabyte saw when he opened his eyes was the concerned face of his father looking down at him. He struggled to sit up and immediately wished he hadn't. He sank back down on the pillow again.

"How are you feeling?"

"Fine, Dad, how do you think I'm feeling?" Megabyte saw the look on his father's face and regretted his sarcastic answer. "Sorry," he apologised. "I've got a splitting headache and I feel really tired." He looked over and saw Adam lying on the bed next to him. The Australian was still out cold. He sent a telepathic probe out to try and reach him.

"Megabyte, what's wrong?" Damon noticed that his son had winced as though in pain.

"I think I'll wait a while before I try that again," came the reply. "Obviously telepathy isn't a good idea for the time being. I tried to reach out to Adam and all I got for my trouble was an even bigger headache." He noticed a woman in a doctor's coat hovering around and hoped she hadn't heard what he had just said.

He looked around; they seemed to be in some sort of infirmary. The room they were in had about half a dozen beds in it, and there was medical equipment close to his bed and Adam's. He wondered to himself if they had been hooked up to it. He still felt very hazy about what exactly had happened to them. Judging by the surroundings they were probably still on the military base, he guessed.

Damon saw the look his son had given Dr Fraiser and hoped he and Adam would understand why he had let on about their 'secret'. "Don't worry, Dr Fraiser knows about you and Adam, and about the Tomorrow People."

Megabyte pulled himself up into a sitting position again and the doctor adjusted his pillow for him. She had a nice smile, he decided, wondering how much his dad had told her about himself and Adam.

"Here, Megabyte, isn't it, this will help your headache." Megabyte looked at the small pill in the doctor's hand suspiciously. "Don't worry it's just a painkiller."

He took the medicine and the glass of water she offered. "Thanks, Doctor." He nodded towards his friend. "How's Adam doing?"

Fraiser looked at the redhead curiously. She was still finding it hard to believe what she had been told about these youngsters, yet she knew from experience that appearances could be deceiving. "He should be coming around soon. Your father tells me that you can talk to each other telepathically. Can you sense anything from him at all?"

"At the moment, the only sense I'm getting is a pounding headache. I can feel Adam, but only faintly. I don't think my powers are fully back on line yet." Megabyte turned to his father. "What happened? The last thing I remember is a loud whining noise. It got louder and louder and then everything went black. It was like the feeling we got from those sonic flowerpots that Dr Culex had, but about a million times worse. I could feel the pain coming from Adam as well, and it ... Well, I hope I never feel it again."

"As far as we can tell, it seemed to come from an alien artefact. When Pierson, if that's what his name is, put it back in its protective case, you seemed to get better," his father explained.

"Adam Pierson, that's the guy we met in the reception area. Dad, we got some really strange images off him. I don't think he's what he appears to be. Where is he now? I think you'd better keep an eye on him."

"You don't say," came the reply. "I think I'd better fill you in with what's been happening while you've been catching up on your beauty sleep."

"If you wait a minute, you can tell both of us. Hi, Adam, you look like I feel." He noticed the other boy holding his head in his hands. "Sorry, I should have warned you not to try using telepathy for a bit. Doesn't do much for the headache."

"Thanks, Megabyte, for the warning. Better late than never, I suppose." Adam shook his head and grimaced. "What happened, by the way? I feel like I've been hit by a truck."

Part Nine

The first things that O'Neill saw as he stepped through the Stargate were two bodies. Daniel's hand was reaching for the DHD device. He'd obviously been about to dial out when he'd been attacked. Pierson was sprawled on the ground, sword in hand, unmoving. There was a nasty hole in his chest, probably the result of a Goa'uld staff weapon, he thought. Poor guy, no one could survive that. It didn't look as though the battle with Ramiis had gone well at all.

O'Neill looked around. The ideal weather they had experienced the last time they were here seemed to be changing. He could swear he could see storm clouds gathering on the horizon. "Teal'c, go scout around and make sure that whoever did this isn't still in the area. Carter, how's Daniel?"

"Still alive, sir. It just looks as though he's unconscious. The odd thing is that there's no mark on him." Carter looked around. "Colonel, there's a sword on the ground next to him. I wonder what that's doing here." Carter picked it up and examined it closely. There appeared to be patches of dried blood on the blade, she wondered if it belonged to Adam Pierson or to Ramiis.

"Maybe the other guy left it behind. Something must have scared him off. Come on, let's head back through the gate before whatever it is decides to come back again." He turned to Teal'c. "Did you find anything?"

The Jaffa's face was totally impassive, as always. "No, O'Neill, I did not. Whoever or whatever was here, has moved on."

"Carter, dial home, then give me a hand with Daniel. Teal'c you'd better bring Pierson's body back. All this talk about thousands of years ago. Sounds like these guys have been watching too much science fiction. We'd better get Doc Fraiser to check it out, all the same." What had Ramiis called the historian? Methos? He shook his head. It looked like they weren't going to get the explanation they wanted from the man after all.

Damon led the way to the conference room where Hammond had taken him earlier to meet Pierson. It was a shame the two boys weren't going to meet the man. He sounded as though he knew an awful lot about them and their kind. He knocked on the door; O'Neill rose to his feet to meet them as they entered the room.

"Adam, Megabyte, this is Colonel Jack O'Neill. Jack, this is my son Megabyte and his friend Adam Newman." Damon had explained to the two boys what had happened while they were unconscious, and was relieved that they seemed to understand that he had had no choice in sharing their secret with General Hammond and his team. In fact they seemed quite keen to meet O'Neill and the rest of SG1.

O'Neill looked at the two boys in front of him. They looked awfully young to have the responsibilities resulting from the powers that Damon said they had. Seeing them brought back memories of his own son. He wondered again what Charlie would be doing now if he hadn't been killed so tragically, killed with Jack's own service revolver. No, he wasn't going to think about that now. He'd dealt with the grief and the guilt surrounding his son's death.

He shifted his thoughts back to Adam and Megabyte. They were still looking a bit pale, he thought -- obviously they were not as fully recovered from their experience as they were trying to make out. Whatever the stone had done to them, it had not been a very pleasant experience. In fact, in the light of what Doctor Fraiser had told him, they were lucky to have survived. He found it hard to believe that one small stone could cause so much trouble for the -- what had Pierson called them? -- Tomorrow People, and yet had seemingly not affected anyone else on the base. It sounded as though the far-fetched story of telepathic powers and the like must be true after all.

"Pleased to meet you." O'Neill paused. He was feeling a bit uncomfortable about asking, but there was one thing about the telepathy idea that was bothering him quite a bit. "General Damon says that you are," he stumbled over the word, "telepathic. Can you read my mind, do you know what I'm thinking right now?"

Megabyte answered grinning, "What do you think, Colonel?" He winced as his father glared at him and Adam nudged him in the ribs.

"Don't mind Megabyte," said Adam. "That's what passes for his sense of humour, or lack of it."

"Hey," protested his friend.

Adam ignored him and continued. "Our telepathic abilities are limited to between ourselves. We can pick up on what we call background noise, surface thoughts, that sort of thing, but no, we can't read your mind."

"So, how did you pick up images from Adam Pierson?" asked Carter.

"Sorry, guys. Carter's jumping the gun a bit, introductions first, eh. This is Major Sam Carter, as you've probably gathered she's the scientist on the team." O'Neill gestured towards the Jaffa, "and this is Teal'c."

Teal'c bowed his head in way of greeting towards the two boys. They both involuntarily took a step back. O'Neill noticed them looking at each other for a few minutes, he wondered if they were 'talking'. He hoped they weren't going to make a habit of that; it was worse than when Daniel went 'native' and communicated with the other beings they encountered on some of the planets they'd visited through the Stargate. Mind you, at least in that situation he could hear something, even if it was in a language he couldn't understand.

Adam spoke first, very hesitantly. He didn't want to rock the boat but decided they had better be up front about what they were feeling. After all these people seemed to be very aware of what he and Megabyte were. He wanted to be sure of what and whom they were dealing with.

"Pleased to meet you. Er, I don't know how to say this but we're getting some very funny vibes off you. A sense of another, not very friendly mind as well as your own." He didn't tell them that the vibes were also making the two of them feel a bit ill, as well. Even though he wanted to be honest, he was still a bit wary as to how far that honesty should go.

"Oh, great," commented O'Neill. "They can sense 'Junior'." Junior was the nickname he had given Teal'c's symbiot.

Carter seemed quite excited by the idea. "Don't you see what this means, Colonel. They can sense the Goa'uld. Think of how useful that could be in our fight against Apophis and the system lords."

Megabyte interrupted, "You mean he's got one of those snake things my Dad told us about inside him? Gross."

"That is indeed correct, Megabyte Damon," confirmed Teal'c. "However this is not a full grown Goa'uld. The larva and I share a symbiotic relationship. There is nothing to fear from it. It is only when it reaches maturity that it takes a host."

"Sorry, Teal'c," apologised Adam. "It's just that the vibes we're picking up from your symbiote are making us feel a bit uncomfortable. I suppose we'll get used to them in time, won't we Megabyte?"

"Yeah, right."

O'Neill noticed that Megabyte, how did the kid end up with a name like that anyway, didn't look too convinced. It looked as though Adam was the unofficial leader of the two, he guessed.

Damon looked around, realising someone was missing. "Where's Daniel? Is he okay?"

"Yeah, he's fine. A bit shook up though by the whole thing, though -- he's gone to lie down for a bit. Doesn't seem to remember much of what happened once he went through the Gate either." O'Neill gave the two boys a grin. "Wait till Daniel feels better and starts asking questions. The Spanish Inquisition has nothing on him." He turned to the man who had just appeared at his shoulder. "Yes, Corporal, what is it?"

"General Hammond wants you to meet him in the infirmary, Colonel."

"Did he say why?"

"No, sir. He said to bring the rest of your team and your guests as well."

"Okay, tell him we'll be there in a minute." Maybe Fraiser has found something out about Pierson from his body, thought O'Neill. This should be interesting. It's a shame I can't ask the man himself, the guy was a real mystery.

Part Ten

"I suppose you wouldn't believe that the rumours of my death were greatly exaggerated, would you?" Methos saw the look on O'Neill's face and decided he wouldn't. "You can pick your mouth off the floor now, Jack. The look doesn't really suit you." It looked like the cat was out of the proverbial bag, he thought. Oh well, at least he wouldn't have to keep the Adam Pierson act up any longer.

The historian was sitting up on one of the beds in the infirmary. Fraiser had obviously just finished giving him a thorough examination. She was shaking her head in amazement. "He's very healthy for someone who was for all intents and purposes, dead." She was still feeling a bit shaken from the experience of seeing a man she was about to perform an autopsy on come back to life before her eyes. She had checked his life signs only a moment before she had been about to make the first incision, and there definitely hadn't been any.

Methos did his best to look modest. "Don't worry, I've heard that comment a lot over the last few millennia."

Carter turned to O'Neill. "Colonel, the hole in his chest, it's gone." In fact there was no sign it had even existed. Where the gaping hole had been, was now smooth skin. She knew she hadn't imagined it, but holes in people's chests didn't just disappear on their own, did they?

"I can see that, Carter. Right, Pierson, if that's really your name. Who and what are you? I want an explanation this time, not the crap you've given us before. Yeah, and what's this sword thing? I notice the other guy had one at well."

Hammond decided to reassure the man. "Don't worry son, you have nothing to fear from us."

Methos laughed. "No one has called me that for a long time. Most of my friends refer to me as the old man."

"Exactly how old are you Adam?" asked Carter. "Ramiis called you Methos. Is that your name? He also said that you were the first of the immortals, what are immortals?"

"Whoa, slow down Carter," said O'Neill. "I want the answers in his own words, lots of his own words, if you catch my drift." There's no way he's getting out of giving me a full explanation this time around. Maybe if I'd had all the facts before, he would have never got through the Stargate with Daniel. He felt a responsibility towards the archaeologist -- after all he was the soldier, Daniel wasn't. He also still felt annoyed at being taken for a fool over the sword.

"Okay. Firstly my name isn't Adam Pierson, it's Methos. But I'd prefer if you'd keep calling me Adam. I'm a bit of myth among my own kind and I'd like to keep it that way. I'd like to last another five thousand years, if you don't mind. I've grown rather attached to life after all these years." He noted with satisfaction the look on the faces of the others in the room and continued, "Yes, I am five thousand years old, well that's as far back as I can remember anyway."

"What about this immortality bit?"

"I am immortal, that is I don't stay dead when I die..."

"Unless someone takes your head off with a sword," interrupted Adam. The vision that he and Megabyte had seen was now starting to make sense.

O'Neill looked at him suspiciously. "I thought you said you couldn't read minds."

"We can't. When we first met 'Adam', Megabyte and I got some mental flashes from him."

"That's right," confirmed Megabyte. "It looked like the Middle Ages. People on horseback burning villages. I saw a sword cutting someone's head off." He still felt quite sickened at the thought of what he had seen.

The Horsemen always seemed to come back to haunt him, thought Methos to himself. Of all the things to pick up on, it would be that. He hadn't been going to mention that immortals could die when you separated their head from their shoulders. He'd have to have a quiet word with the current group of Tomorrow People he decided. It didn't pay to tell everyone all your secrets. It was always a good idea to keep some bits of information tucked away for a rainy day.

He continued Adam's sentence, they already knew about the beheading, it wouldn't hurt to give them the whole story on that front. "And with it takes our quickening." He continued, seeing the puzzled looks, "our power, you'd call it our life force."

"That is why you would not want anyone to know who you really are," surmised Teal'c. "If you are the oldest, your power would be truly great."

"That's the theory, and I'm not about to test it out. I've become rather attached to my head staying where it is, thank you. Anyway, I try and avoid the Game whenever I can. It's easier to keep your head when you don't fight."

"This taking heads, it's a game? Sick sort of game if you ask me."

"Don't blame me, Jack, I didn't make up the rules. I just try to survive." Methos decided to try and change the subject. He wasn't about to give them a list of the other immortals he knew or tell them about the Watchers, the secret society of mortals that had recorded information about his kind through the centuries. He definitely didn't want MacLeod or any of his other immortal friends involved in this. He would have enough explaining to do to Joe later without adding anyone else into the loop. Maybe this would be a good time to shift the focus of the discussion onto something else.

"So, Megabyte and Adam, how are you feeling? I haven't come across any Tomorrow People for a long time, not since Tutankhamun." That reminded him of something else. "How's Daniel?"

"Fine, no thanks to you. What happened anyway? I take it that your long lost friend is an immortal as well?" I wonder how many of these so called immortals there are, thought O'Neill to himself. Maybe there's another threat on the domestic front, one that's been here for thousands of years already, one that we didn't know anything about. At the moment he didn't feel as though he could trust Methos as far as he could throw him. He'd lied about who he was. How could he be certain that he could trust him now? He noticed Carter seemed absolutely fascinated with the guy; must be scientific curiosity he told himself.

Methos nodded. "We went through the Stargate, "he explained. "Ramiis was waiting on the other side. I told Daniel to re engage the wormhole so that he could go back. He started dialling in, I think you call it, with one eye on the fight. Ramiis hasn't changed much since the last time we fought, in the fact that he still doesn't follow the rules. He blasted me with some kind of weapon. The same kind his Jaffa blasted me with three thousand years ago when I was recovering from his quickening." He paused and looked suspiciously at Teal'c. These people said they could be trusted but he was finding it hard to ignore the niggling doubts that were still in his mind. He didn't usually tell people so much detail about immortals, much less about himself. He hoped he wasn't going to regret it later.

"Don't worry about Teal'c, he may be a Jaffa but he's on our side. One of the good guys," O'Neill reassured him.

"He lent over me with his sword, ready to take my head and then I heard the Stargate opening. It must have been you people coming through. Ramiis wasn't very impressed. The last thing I remembered before I lost consciousness was Daniel screaming. Then when I came to, I was here."

"I don't understand," queried Damon. "Why didn't he take your head, you said he was just about to when the Stargate opened?"

"My guess is that the quickening would have left him in no position to escape." Methos saw the puzzled look on the faces of the others in the room. "A quickening, especially a powerful one, takes a lot out of you. He obviously couldn't take that chance, luckily for me. I suppose I owe you my head. Thanks."

Carter realised what it was that was bugging her. "Obviously the sarcophagus brought Ramiis back to life, as Daniel suggested. If you separated his head from his shoulders and took his quickening, how come he is still immortal? I know the sarcophagus can bring people back to life, we've had experience with that before, but reattaching a head, that seems a bit much."

Methos agreed with her. "Something else has been bugging me as well. When I met Ramiis I didn't feel the buzz that we usually feel from the approach of another immortal. It's like an early warning system, a defence mechanism." He'd noticed the quizzical look on the faces of the others in the room. At this rate, he thought, I might as well just give them the watcher's handbook on immortals to read.

"What does this buzz feel like?" asked Adam. "I'm wondering if that's what Megabyte and I felt when we first met you."

"From what Tutankhamun and Neret said, it probably is, or at least something fairly similar. We decided it had something to do with my age as well, the accumulation of life energy. As an immortal gets older the storehouse of his or her, let's call it, quickening would become quite strong. It used to really annoy them when I sneaked up behind them. Mind you, they used to make me jump when they appeared out of thin air."

"I can relate to that one," confirmed Damon. "I've lost count of the number of cups of coffee I've spilled over the last few years."

"Neret, was she another Tomorrow Person?" asked Megabyte. "We've met the Pharaoh before, we thought he was on his own."

Methos nodded, remembering the last conversation he and Neret had had before her death. Part of him wanted to remember that conversation, yet part of him tried to forget. He wasn't quite ready to share those memories with anyone else; in fact he wasn't sure if he ever would be. "One day, I'll tell you the whole story," he promised.

Yeah right, thought O'Neill. He was sure the old guy was still only telling them as much as he thought he needed to. He noticed that since he'd stopped pretending to be Pierson, the immortal was less the quiet historian, and more what he would term 'a sarcastic smart ass'. He wasn't sure which one he preferred.

Part Eleven

"So, are you are the only so called telepaths there are, or are there more of you?"

"Daniel, how are you feeling? I didn't see you come in."

Daniel stood framed in the doorway. His eyes looked unnaturally bright, he was looking around the room as though he wasn't sure exactly where he was. He pushed his glasses further up his nose before replying.

"Fine, Jack. Shouldn't you have Pierson under lock and key, after what he's done? I'm not very happy about having him running around the base after he pulled his sword on me."

Hammond noticed that the archaeologist didn't seem to be very pleased to see the immortal. In fact he seemed very angry. He stepped in to defuse the situation. "Methos, or Mr Pierson, as he prefers to be called, is our guest for the moment, Doctor Jackson. I don't think there will be a repeat performance of what happened before, will there, Mr Pierson?"

"No, General. I'm sorry Daniel, I couldn't take the chance of Ramiis coming through the Stargate." That reminded Methos of something. "I don't suppose there's any chance of having my sword back. I don't like being without it."

O'Neill laughed." You mean your lucky sword. Don't push it, old timer, one thing at a time, okay. I still can't believe I fell for that crap you fed me before."

Methos pretended to look hurt. "If it makes you feel any better, I've had years of practice. Byron always appreciated my penchant for crap, as you so nicely put it."

Great, thought O'Neill, now he's going to start dropping names from history. He was beginning to think that the Adam Pierson persona was gone for good. This Methos was just far too sure of himself. Something suddenly occurred to him. "Daniel, are you feeling okay? I thought you'd be bombarding Pierson with questions by now."

Daniel certainly didn't look like his usual self. This whole thing must have shook him up a lot more than they had originally thought. He looked very pale and tired and the look he was giving Methos wasn't very pleasant. You would almost think that he hated the guy. Come on, Jack, pull yourself together, this is Daniel we're talking about here.

"Sorry, I'm just feeling a bit tired. I've also still got a bit of a headache. Anyway," he turned to Adam," you still haven't answered my question. Are there more of you?"

"Ami and Jade, is that right?" asked Hammond. "Sorry, Bill, I overheard you talking on the phone."

Adam sighed. He had hoped to keep the existence of the other Tomorrow People a secret. No point putting their lives in danger as well. Well at least they don't know about Kevin, he thought. "Yes, that's right," he replied. "I've told them to stay where they are until we make sure that the Medusa Stone or whatever you call it, is no longer a threat to us." He also wanted to make sure that this Ramiis was safely out of the picture. If he were anything like the other Egyptian they'd encountered he wouldn't give up too easily. The idea of the existence of something like the Medusa Stone gave him the creeps as well. He hoped it was the only one of its kind.

[I hope so too,] telepathed Megabyte. [Sorry Adam, I couldn't help but overhear, must be the effects of that stone, your mental shields aren't working as well as usual. You're broadcasting your thoughts quite loudly.]

"So when do we get to meet them?" asked Daniel.

"Daniel, are you sure you're feeling okay?" asked Carter. She was beginning to worry. Even Daniel usually had a bit more diplomacy than this. He's definitely not acting like himself at all.

Daniel shot her a murderous glance. "Of course, I'm okay. I feel fine, considering all that's happened." He suddenly put his hands over his head, and bent over as though he was in pain.

Fraiser moved in quickly. "Doctor Jackson, what's wrong?"

"I..." He suddenly straightened up. "I've got a bad headache, that's all." His tone seemed colder, more distant.

"Hey, Daniel, lighten up. The Doc is just trying to help that's all." Something else was bugging O'Neill. "Something must be causing these headaches. Are you sure you don't remember what happened on PX251?"

"What?" Daniel seemed to become aware that everyone in the room was watching him. He shook his head." No, I don't remember a thing. This Ramiis guy is freaking me out a bit. I think I'll go and have another look at the manuscript."

"Methos, sorry, Pierson, maybe you should go and help him?" asked O'Neill. A thought occurred to him. "I suppose you learnt the language when it was still being used? Come to think of it, you did tell Daniel it had been a while since you had spoken it."

Methos shrugged. "Quite often people just don't take what I say the way I mean it. Mind you, it depends on your point of reference, I suppose." He turned to Daniel, "Look I'm sorry for what happened. You're just going to have to forget it and move on. I learnt that a long time ago, and the fact that you can't always feel guilty about past regrets as well."

Adam noticed the way the man looked at himself and Megabyte. He had the distinct impression it was more do as I say rather than do as I do. There was something about his relationship with Tutankhamun and his friends that he wasn't telling. He felt a sense of regret or maybe even guilt coming from him.

Daniel looked uncomfortable. "Let's leave it at that then, shall we? Just don't give me any reason to distrust you, okay? I get a bit nervous when people pull a sword on me." He seemed to think for a minute. "General Hammond, is it possible to have a look at the sword that you found next to me?"

"It's in the same place that we have the stone and manuscript. Mr Pierson's sword is there as well. By the way, Mr Pierson, how did you manage to get your sword out of the secured area in the first place? That place is locked up tighter than a drum."

Methos coughed modestly. "I have a friend who has taught me a thing or two about breaking and entering."

Oh well, thought O'Neill. I suppose I should be relieved that he didn't say he'd learnt it riding with Butch and Sundance. He opened his mouth to say something smart and shut it again. No, I'd rather not know, he decided. Five thousand years is a long time, I wonder what other things he's done that he's not telling. When Daniel is feeling more like himself, I'll get him to find out. The old guy will wonder what's hit him...

O'Neill noticed Adam was looking at him, he seemed as though he wanted to say something. The boy opened his mouth and then shut it again.

[Do you want me to talk to him?] 'pathed Megabyte. He was sitting on one of the beds, his legs dangling over the side. Adam was pretending to look at the medical equipment they had been hooked up to, trying to decide what exactly to say to O'Neill.

[No, I'll do it.] Megabyte wasn't exactly known for his sense of tact. Adam still remembered when they had first met Ami during the Culex affair. His friend had started talking about the spaceship before Ami had even got used to the idea of being a Tomorrow Person. All his comments had done was convinced her that that were both mad.

O'Neill and the two Tomorrow People were alone in the infirmary. Daniel and Methos had gone to look over the hieroglyphs on the box housing the Medusa Stone. Carter had gone with them. She was going to run some more tests on the box, hoping to find out more about what it was made up of.

Hammond had suggested that Damon might like a tour of the base. Teal'c had volunteered. O'Neill suspected that the Jaffa was very curious about Adam and Megabyte and wanted to ask Damon some more questions about them.

"What is it, Adam?" asked O'Neill. "I don't need to be telepathic to know you want to talk to me about something." He noticed the Australian boy had stopped what he had been doing and was running his hands through his dark hair, trying to hide his apparent nervousness. He wondered what Adam wanted to talk to him about -- obviously he wasn't sure what sort of reaction he was going to get, whatever it was.

Adam decided the best approach was just to get straight to the point. He liked O'Neill, but didn't want to upset him by saying something that the other might construe as out of line.

"It's about Methos. I can sense that you don't trust him very much. I just wondered if you had thought about the whole situation from his point of view."

"His point of view? I don't know what his point of view is, that's the trouble. He's not particularly forthcoming when it comes to sharing information. I still think he's only shared as little as he thinks he can get away with."

"I understand what you're saying, Colonel..."

"Call me Jack, Adam."

"Jack," Adam continued. "I know that Megabyte and I, as Tomorrow People, live with a fear of what would happen if the military got their hands on us. Imagine the potential for experimentation. A lot of people would fear what we can do, what we are. It's really hard going through every day pretending to be something you're not because you can't take any chances. We don't even tell our friends, because our lives and theirs may depend on their not knowing the truth. Not everyone reacts to our secret the same way that you have."

"Then there's the people that would want to use us as a weapon against others," interrupted Megabyte. "We've already run into people like that and I wouldn't like to try a repeat performance." He was now standing beside Adam, ready to give him some moral support, if needed.

"Okay", said O'Neill. "I see your point." "Now imagine how those same people would react to someone who couldn't die. Imagine the potential weapon in that. If the military got their hands on an immortal, they could kill him over and over again while they tried to find out what made him tick. The perfect lab rat." Adam shuddered. "It would be a living hell."

O'Neill agreed. "Yes, that does put quite a different spin on things. Maybe I owe the guy an apology." Another thought struck him. "You know that you people are quite safe here, with us, don't you?"

Megabyte nodded. "Yes, we trust my Dad's judgement and his friendship with General Hammond. Methos hasn't got someone looking out for him though, remember and it sounds as though he's been watching his back, or should that be head, for a very long time. Five thousand years, wow. Imagine all the things the guy has seen over the years."

Part Twelve

O'Neill poked his head around the door of Carter's lab. Equipment was strewn all over the small table in the middle of the room. Carter was looking at something under a microscope, shaking her head as though she didn't believe what she was seeing.

On the other side of the room Daniel and Methos were arguing about what the writing on the box actually meant. O'Neill wondered again how Daniel was really feeling. He had thought that the archaeologist would have got on really well with the ancient immortal. Imagine all the questions he could be asking him about what he'd seen and who he had met over the years. Instead he seemed to have almost embarked on a hate campaign against the man.

"Sorry to interrupt the fun, people, but could I have a word please, Methos, sorry, Adam."

Methos looked over in surprise. This was the first time that O'Neill had called him Adam instead of Pierson since he'd found out about the whole immortal thing. Maybe things were looking up. He was getting a bit tired of arguing with Daniel anyway. Nothing he said seemed to please the other man. Obviously he hadn't coped too well with being dragged through the Stargate with a sword at his throat.

O'Neill cleared his throat. "In private, please. Sorry Daniel, I'll send him back in a minute." Daniel shot him a look. "No rush. I'm sure I can survive without his company for a bit. Take as long as you like."

"Actually Colonel, I'd like a word as well, when you've finished, sir." Carter was becoming quite worried about Daniel. Working in the same room as the two men, she noticed the way he kept looking at Methos, when he thought no one was looking. There was definitely something wrong with Daniel, but she couldn't put her finger on it. He was normally quite easy to get along with and certainly didn't usually bear grudges. He seemed quite unable to forgive the other man for what he had done to him.

"Okay, Carter, give us a couple of minutes and then we'll meet you in the infirmary. Corporal Young can stay here with Daniel and keep an eye on the box." He looked at Daniel. "Just in case someone tries to open it. We don't want a repeat performance of what happened before, do we?"

Megabyte looked at the sign on the door. Yes, this looked like the right room. All the corridors and rooms in this place looked the same. The military certainly believed in sticking to basics when it came to decor. Miles and miles of grey; a person could get bored with that colour really fast.

O'Neill had asked if he would go and tell Daniel to meet them in the infirmary. He'd thought about teleporting there but Adam had reminded him that the fewer people that saw them disappearing into thin air the better. It had been a good excuse to nose around anyway -- maybe he and Adam should ask for a tour of the place as well. His dad had seemed impressed with what he had seen. He would like to get a good look at this Stargate at any rate. It sounded like something straight out of a science fiction film.

He looked into the room. There was equiptment still strewn over the small table in the centre of the room. Obviously whoever had been here last hadn't had time to clean up after themselves. There were also a couple of coffee cups sitting on a bench at the side. The smell of coffee still permeated the room. Strange, Daniel didn't seem to be anywhere in sight. He must have left in a hurry, judging by the state of the room, and fairly recently, too, thought Megabyte, the leftover coffee was still quite warm.

[Adam, he doesn't seem to be here.]

[Are you sure you've got the right room, Megabyte?]

[Of course I'm sure,] he 'pathed indignantly. He noticed something in the corner of the room. [Hang on, there's someone lying on the floor. I'll just go and have a look.]

[Be careful.]

[Aren't I always?] Megabyte decided to ignore the reply Adam sent him and approached the body on the floor. It was Corporal Young. He was dead, very dead with a sword sticking out of his back. There was blood everywhere, and Megabyte felt the bile rising up in his throat.

[Megabyte, what's wrong?]

[It's Corporal Young, he's dead.] Megabyte dropped to his knees. He felt as though he wanted to throw up. As a Tomorrow Person he had a hard enough time coping with the thought that a person could do something like that to another, let alone seeing it in the flesh, up close. It wasn't only the fact that he couldn't kill, the whole concept of violence and killing made him feel physically ill. One of the joys of being a Tomorrow Person he thought to himself.

He heard a sound behind him and turned to see who it was.

[Adam!] he 'pathed frantically.

Adam suddenly swooned and leaned on the bed for support. He was dimly aware of the concerned faces around him.

"What's wrong, Adam?" Damon looked very worried. "Is it Megabyte? Are you okay?"

The young Australian's dark hair stood out sharply against his pale face. He pulled himself up. "I heard Megabyte call my name and then I felt very dizzy for a moment. I'm feeling fine now, whatever it was, it's gone now. I'll just contact him and see if he's okay." He eyes glazed over as he tried to contact his friend.

"It's no good, I can't even sense him. It's like he's dropped off the face of the planet. Even if he were unconscious, I'd know. There's not even that."

"You can even sense if one of you is unconscious?" asked Carter.

Adam nodded. "But at the moment, there's nothing. I'm really worried. I should still be able to get something from him. He was going to take a closer look at the body, he called my name, and then nothing."

"Body? What body? When were you going to tell me about the body?" O'Neill saw the look on Adam's face and decided to leave the third degree until later. "Do you know where Megabyte was when he called you?"

"He was in Major Carter's lab, looking for Daniel. Daniel wasn't there, but Corporal Young, or rather his body, was."

"Come on, Carter, Teal'c." He put a hand on Adam's shoulder. "No, kid. You're staying here, at least until we find out what's going on. Pierson, you and Bill stay here with him. One missing Tomorrow Person is enough at the moment. Don't worry, I'll let you know as soon as we find anything."

O'Neill approached Carter's lab very cautiously. He motioned to Carter and Teal'c to cover him and burst through the door. Whoever had been there was long gone. Corporal Young was lying on the floor covered in blood, with a sword sticking out of his back. A sword, what else, he thought to himself. There was also a pool of blood lying underneath the body. There was no sign of a struggle. Whoever had killed Young, had been very fast and very efficient. The Corporal had obviously never even seen it coming. From behind, too, O'Neill noticed. Someone liked to play dirty, he thought. Neither Daniel nor Megabyte was anywhere in sight.

"Sir," Carter interrupted. "The box with the Medusa Stone is gone. Whoever killed Young and took Daniel and Megabyte has the stone as well."

O'Neill jumped as Adam suddenly appeared in a flash of light in front of him.

"Sorry," he apologised. "I couldn't sit there and do nothing. Any clue as to what's happened to Megabyte?"

O'Neill supposed he'd better not mince words. He had an idea that Adam knew what was coming anyway, judging from the expression on his face. "Whoever took Daniel and Megabyte took the stone as well." He repeated Carter's earlier statement.

"They have used Methos' sword to kill Corporal Young," observed Teal'c, leaning over the body. "I would presume that you will find the other sword is missing as well. We are dealing with someone very proficient in the art of killing. I would say he has plans for the Tomorrow People, if he has taken the stone as well. Things do not bode well for either Daniel Jackson or Megabyte Damon."

Part Thirteen

Megabyte opened his eyes and looked around. He appeared to be in a storeroom of some kind judging by the rows and rows of grey shelving. It looked like the grey decor spread to shelving as well. He shook his head, trying to clear the cotton wool feeling from it. He had a pounding headache; it felt all too similar to the one he had experienced in the infirmary earlier. He tried to put his hands to his head and found that they were tied securely behind him. Tied with thick rope by the feel of it, he surmised.

Great, he thought to himself. He concentrated, thinking that he would loosen his bonds with telekinesis. To his surprise nothing happened. He closed his eyes ready to teleport when a voice interrupted him.

"I would not waste my time, if I were you. Your powers are gone, all of them."

"Daniel? Hey, what's going on? This isn't very funny you know. I thought you were supposed to be on our side, one of the good guys." Megabyte didn't like the look that Daniel was giving him. It was a look of pure hate. Whatever the archaeologist's problem was it certainly seemed to involve the Tomorrow People.

"You mean you have not concluded the obvious yet? For the so-called next stage of human evolution, you and your companion are not very bright. Jackson is here, but he is not exactly in control at the moment, I am."

It suddenly dawned on Megabyte what the man was talking about. That explained a lot, an awful lot. "Ramiis..."

"Bright boy. I am surprised you telepaths did not work out that something was different about Jackson. Mind you, his so called friends did not notice anything either."

Megabyte realised he was in a lot of trouble. This Ramiis had a real vendetta against Tomorrow People. He had to find some way to warn Adam. Maybe he could find some way to loosen Ramiis' control over Daniel. He noticed Ramiis had his head in his hands and wondered if Daniel trying to break free was the cause of all the headaches that the archaeologist seemed to be suffering from since he returned through the Stargate.

"Daniel, listen to me. I know you're in there somewhere. You've got to try and break free. Use your will power, fight him!"

Daniel/Ramiis let out a cry of pain. He looked up at Megabyte. He spoke slowly as though each word was an effort.

"I'm trying but it's so hard. He's very strong. I'm not sure how much longer I can stay in control. You have to stop him or he will destroy..."

"Come on Daniel, you can do it." Megabyte wished he had his powers, he felt so helpless without them. He was sure he and Adam together could help the man to break free.

He gasped. Ramiis/Daniel had slapped him across the face, hard. He could taste blood in his mouth. Obviously Ramiis was back in control again.

"Nice try, telepath." The man almost spat the word out. "Jackson is not going to able to break free so easily with the power source so close."

"You mean the stone?"

"You really do not know, do you? Have you not ever heard of barlumin?"

Megabyte shook his head. Maybe if he kept Ramiis talking he could find out something that would help him, and Daniel, to escape. One thing he'd learnt in all his years of watching B grade movies is that the bad guys always like to show off. Hopefully he could use it to his advantage. He knew this wasn't a movie, it was real life, but in the situation he was in, he was running out of options, fast.

Ramiis laughed. "I thought all telepaths in the galaxy had heard of it. Barlumin is deadly to your kind. It negates your powers, leaves you in a weakened state, and with long exposure, can kill. One of the components of the Medusa Stone is barlumin, that is why it affects you."

Great, thought Megabyte. Kryptonite for telepaths, just what we need. "So that's why my powers are gone. He looked around and noticed the box sitting on one of the shelves nearby. The lid was closed. That explained why he was conscious.

"Adam?" Too late he realised he'd thought out loud. He didn't want to give Ramiis any ideas. He had plenty of those without helping him out with any more.

"Do not worry about the other telepath. He is all right, for now. A short burst of barlumin only affects those at close range. He probably felt a momentary weakness, nothing more."

Megabyte breathed a sigh of relief. As long as Adam still had his powers they stood a chance a