From: Dee Tervo
Part One
Jack's mind was reeling. Jackson was shot, hell his whole stomach was blown away! He knew it was wrong, it was all wrong, bringing a scientist into battle. But this was more than a battle; it was survival against something believed to be a god. He felt himself being dragged off by one of the masked creatures. Why did he feel so goddamn guilty? This was war! Who the hell was Jackson trying to protect anyway? Jumping in front of that blast! He dimly heard a metal clang, and felt himself falling... falling. God! The coldness of the water shocked him into awareness.
Jumping up suddenly, and gasping for breath, Jack nearly toppled the field gear neatly piled by the tent entrance. He was shaking, disoriented. "I need a drink," he muttered, as he found his way outside into the chill of the desert night.
"You awake too? It's hard to sleep here, with so much to learn. It'll be morning soon," Daniel was sitting by the fire, studying notes hastily scribbled earlier in the day. As he looked more closely at Jack, he realized the man wasn't up for a leisurely stroll. His eyes looked vacant, haunted. Putting down the notebook, Daniel motioned for Jack to join him, "S'matter? Sand man bring you some bad dreams?"
"You don't know the half of it!" O'Neill gruffly responded, as he reluctantly joined Daniel by the fire. There was something about this place that seemed all too familiar, it looked similar to Abydos - that first mission, yet there was something else... something more. It *felt* like Abydos, no - not exactly - it felt more like Ra! "This place makes me think of when... oh, never mind."
"Sam's certainly happy to be here. She's discovered a reference to some new technology, a device that from the writings seems to be called a 'linking device' or 'bridging device' - who knows. I also found drawings that seem to represent two 'great circles'. They could mean there are two Stargates on this world. It'll be some time before we sort it all out." Daniel looked again at Jack, staring absently into the flames, "You all right? It reminds me of Abydos too, kinda gave me the chills actually. Jack?"
"Hmmm? What were you saying?" Jack snapped out of his reflection at the sound of his name.
"Hey, if you don't want to talk, I'll just..." Daniel began.
Jack spoke quietly, with extreme seriousness "Sometimes, when we're alone out here like this, I remember what it was like to come face to face with Ra. What it felt like to see you... you know, when you were..." he stopped himself, "Makes me think all over again how important it is that we're here, doing all this. At least I'll never see Ra again - except in those damnable dreams."
Daniel knew what Jack meant about the dreams. Dr. Frasier said the dreaming was a symptom of post traumatic stress, only problem is, the team kept going from one stressful situation to another. There was never any time to recover, to let down their guard. And this place, why did it seem so close to Ra? Why indeed? He began to leaf through his notes excitedly, "There's something here, Jack. The Goa'uld were working on something very important here. Somehow, there's a connection to Ra. I just can't work it out."
He was interrupted by a distant rumbling sound, beginning low and increasing in intensity. Everything around them began to shake and vibrate. "P4Xwhatever quake?" Jack asked. It ended almost as soon as it had begun.
"Maybe," Jackson replied, "or maybe someone's using the other Gate?"
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From: Suzie Bagley
Part Two
Daniel sighed, and began sorting through his notes to find the picture of the two circles. If only people would listen to him the first time he said something instead of drifting off while he was talking to them. "Like I said before, I found some notes that indicated that there might be two Stargates on the planet. And besides, that quake felt exactly like the time you and Sam tried to contact Earth through the...."
"Yeah, yeah, I remember that time," Jack cut him off, not wanting to remember the incident. He looked up as Carter emerged from her tent, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.
"Anybody else feel that?" she asked as she joined the two men by the fire.
"That earthquake? Yup. Daniel seems to think it came from a second Stargate on the planet."
"A second Stargate? What makes you think there's another Stargate here?" she asked, inadvertently asking the question Daniel was still in the process of answering for Jack.
"I'm getting to that." He continued flipping through his notes and stopped when he found the page he was looking for. He held it up triumphantly. "Aha! Here we go! Take a look at this picture. Does that look like a Stargate to you?"
Carter took the sheet from him and leaned closer to the fire to get a better look, O'Neill glancing at it over her shoulder. On the page were two circles surrounded by various hieroglyphic shapes. A large pool of water sat directly between the two circles. To the north and the south of the pool were two buildings, neither of which was labeled. The two buildings and the two circles formed a cross like the directions on a compass.
"Hmm... a map of some kind?" Jack suggested.
"If only it were lighter out we could see if there's a lake somewhere near this Stargate," Daniel replied, motioning at the Stargate which was still in view behind their tent. "If this picture is a map and these circles do represent Stargates, then the other one is probably pretty close. Which would explain the quake."
"What do these writings say on the top of the sheet?" Sam asked.
"Nothing important. Just something like 'This is the holy place of....'"
"The holy place of who?" O'Neill asked suspiciously.
"I don't know. The rest of the writing is pretty smeared. I can't make any more out."
Carter nodded. "Ok. So, we wait until morning then take a better look around. What were you guys doing up at this hour in the first place?"
"Can't sleep," both men responded at the same moment. O'Neill rolled his eyes, his earlier nightmare and concerns about Ra forgotten for the time being.
"I found too much great information here. It looks like there's an Egyptian-type civilization here. From the writings we found in the temple, I'm guessing that they're probably of an origin similar to the Abydonians. What about that 'linking' device you found, Sam?"
"It looks amazing, but unfortunately I haven't gotten anywhere with it. It looks like it might attach to a Stargate, but I'm not sure how to do it or what it would do even do once we got it attached. But I've got some ideas. We'll just have to...."
"Wait until morning. Right," O'Neill yawned, just wanting to get back to sleep again.
Silence fell over them as Carter and Daniel stared at the map. Suddenly, Teal'c, who had been keeping watch a few yards away, hurried toward them. "O'Neill!"
"What it is, Teal'c?" he answered and sat up straighter, alarmed by the Jaffa's tone.
"There are lights in the distance. They appear to be approaching this location. We must hide at once."
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From: Dee Tervo
Part Three
'No time to pull up the tents,' thought Jack. "Daniel" he whispered through his teeth, "Douse the fire! Everyone, grab what gear you can and head for the other side of that rise. Now!"
The team scrambled to load up with whatever they could, looking regretfully back at what they were forced to leave behind. Daniel, juggling scrolls, notebooks, his pack, some important artifacts, a camcorder and other hastily grabbed items, was having a particularly hard time. "Slow down, will ya?" he called to the others as they disappeared behind a hill up ahead. "Damn! My notes and the drawings about the two circles! I must have left them next to the fire." He dumped what he was carrying on the ground and set back to retrieve the lost notes, he knew they were irreplaceable, much too important to just leave behind. Besides, Jack sure was jumpy tonight. He didn't even know if the lights Teal'c saw were from friendly inhabitants of this world.
Through the early morning twilight, he could make out forms of men searching about their campsite, looking in the tent, talking among themselves. He strained to hear what language they were speaking, but the sounds were too muffled - he needed to get a little closer, but there was little cover.
"C'mon Daniel!" Sam called back over her shoulder. Not getting any response, she looked back and couldn't see him anywhere. Alarmed, she ran ahead to catch up with the others, "Colonel? I just checked and it seems, well, it seems Daniel isn't with us, sir." She waited for some sort of explosive reaction, but surprisingly she saw a 'well just it figures doesn't it' look come over the Colonel's face.
"Daniel showed me what I think amounts to a map of this place. He thinks there might be another Stargate on the other side of that oasis down there. Possibly, that's where the lights came from, at any rate, it would be a good idea to check it out. Teal'c, you and Carter go on ahead and see what you find, wait there for Daniel and I'll go back and see what's keeping him." Jack's last words were barely audible to Sam and Teal'c as he vanished back into the predawn night in search of Daniel.
A soft click of metal behind him told Daniel he had misjudged just how close to get to the unknown group. The halting voice of a Jaffa guard, made him certain the mistake would be costly. He rose on command and lifted his arms out by his sides, "Don't shoot, I was just leaving." Daniel's attempt at humor was lost on the guard, as he was prodded toward the others at the campsite. 'Oh, somehow I think Jack's not going to be too happy about this!' Daniel said to himself. The men, some dressed in clothing unidentifiable to Daniel, began to question him asking whom he was, where he came from, and why he had come to the Place of Eternity. Daniel hesitantly responded, "Ummm, Daniel Jackson, Earth and, what did you say? Place of Eternity?" They made no more moves toward him, but instructed him to remove his sidearm and any other equipment he was carrying and hand them over.
Jack tried to calm himself down as he passed the pile of discarded gear dropped by Daniel. 'This is going to be the last, the very last time I do something like this, because I'm going to make certain this is the last time Jackson pulls a stupid stunt like...' He stopped fuming to himself when he saw Daniel in the distance, encircled by a group of men. If he caught them by surprise, he might just be able to get Daniel out and dial the Gate before anyone challenged his gun. Nervously, he noted the group began to move Daniel toward the DHD.
Sam let out a low whistle as she saw the second Stargate appear over the top of yet another sand dune. "Teal'c, Daniel was right. There is a second Gate. And look, it has one of those strange devices attached to it. Maybe it links the two Gates together, but why? What would that do?"
"Captain Carter, watch out for the wire at your feet!" Teal'c yelled in warning, but it was too late. Sam had tripped over a wire, carefully hidden in the sand. A loud siren blared into the dim light.
"A kind of burglar alarm?" Sam wondered aloud. She didn't have much time to consider, as a large group of armed men began advancing on their position. "Where'd they come from?"
"This we can talk of later" Teal'c answered. "Now, we must go through the Stargate. It is no longer possible to wait for O'Neill."
"How do we know this Gate works the same as the one we just came through?" Sam quickly asked, eyeing the alien device attached to it.
Teal'c didn't answer. He aimed his staff weapon at the advancing men and waited for Sam to dial the coordinates. The Gate responded and Sam instantly used her remote transmitter to send the signal through to SGC. "Here goes," she breathed, as they ran to the welcoming gatelight.
Jack tossed a grenade over the sand dunes, and watched as the group holding Daniel reacted, and began moving away from the DHD. Daniel sensed it was SG-1 coming to his aid, and began to dial home. As the captors turned to react to Daniel's furious dialing, Jack moved into view and waved them away with his gun. "Jack! Boy am I glad."
"Don't! Don't talk to me now!" Jack shouted as he glared at Daniel.
The Gate responded, but the surface of the event horizon seemed different somehow, less even; darker in some areas lighter in others. Daniel noticed this and was about to comment to Jack as he was sending the remote code, but thought better of it, having just been ordered not to speak. "Here goes," Daniel commented, as they stepped together into oblivion.
"Yes, I said incoming travelers, SG-1 signal, sir. Now, I'm receiving a second signal, couldn't be more than a second behind the first, also SG-1, sir!" the gate tech announced, greatly perplexed.
"What the devil could that mean?" demanded General Hammond, certain he'd seen all the quirky things the Gate was capable of doing. He watched with anticipation as two forms appeared through the shimmering light, "Captain Carter! Teal'c! Are Colonel O'Neill and Dr. Jackson with you?"
Jack and Daniel exited the Gate to a brilliant sunlit desert. "OK, Daniel, I know you know the symbols for Earth, now where did you dial?" Jack questioned, now barely civil in his tone of voice.
Daniel needed only to take in the scene for one minute and he knew where he was. Shocked, he simply sat down and stared at the activity around him "Earth" was his only answer to Jack.
Jack wasn't comprehending, "Yah, I said you know the symbols for Earth, then I asked where we are. Recognize the language? Anything?"
Daniel wasn't sure now if he was dreaming. The people weren't speaking some derivation of ancient Egyptian, they were speaking in the ancient tongue itself, as near as he could figure - having only heard an approximation of it on Abydos. And the scene that played out before him was an alive and bustling Giza plateau, looking just like he'd imagined it would have, so long ago.
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From: Yuma
Part 4
"Daniel?" Jack's voice brought Daniel back to reality. "Are you going to figure this out or do I have to click my heels together and start chanting 'there's no place like home'?"
"Start chanting." Daniel mumbled as he stared at the impossible scene before him. Everything was rushing over him at once. The sand was warm even underneath his boots. The wind that blew over the two men was as hot as the winds were in Abydos. It caressed his face like a hovering breath from god. The people! The people were dressed in cloths rather than clothing, wrapped around their waists and below. Some of them had wraps around their heads. They were dark from the days long spent under the sun and they were still underneath the unforgiving heat as they labored to move the huge stones across the sands.
"Daniel?"
"The... This- this isn't possible, Jack." Daniel whispered. He didn't dare speak up, irrationally fearing that his loud voice would shatter this illusion before him and set him back to his own reality. To his own time.
"Th-this is an exact replica of ancient Egypt." Daniel said in a stunned voice. "I've never seen ancient Egypt of course, way before my time or anyone's time, but the scrolls and writings of the times and recounts by the Greeks and Nephatis a-and Heraphetus had described this scene perfectly, but it's not possible, is it, Jack? This shouldn't be here because this is before but we're from now and -"
"Whoa, whoa!" Jack put his hands together to a sign of time out. "Back up a bit, Daniel."
Daniel blinked owlishly at the colonel. "To where?"
"From the word 'the'!" Jack grinned crookedly. "You're talking way too fast with way too many syllables.
Daniel had the decency to look sheepish. "Sorry, Jack."
Nodding, Jack indicated the scene before him with a swoop of his hand. Mentally, he was hoping that gesture would wipe the illusion away, but it didn't. 'Well, shit.', Jack thought as he continued. "You're saying this is an exact replica of ancient Egypt? So it may not be actually ancient Egypt, right?"
Daniel numbly nodded, his eyes glued to the scene before him. Jack sighed as he continued. "Abydos was like a city out of the past, too, remember Daniel? This could be the same thing."
"B-but-"
"No buts. No jumping on some time traveling theory here." Jack frowned at Daniel. "And I want you to stay close to me. If you start running off again for some god damn scroll, writing on some dead leaf or an ancient rock, I'm chaining you to my side permanently."
Daniel, eyes still glued to the scene before him, only nodded. Suddenly, he realized someone was pointing at them from a distance. Before he could say anything to Jack, a crowd flocked over to the hill where they and the Stargate stood. With an ancient cry so loud that it made Daniel jump, the people stood there staring at them then went down on their knees and bowed. Like dominoes, the people before them and surging to all the way behind, the people went down on their knees before the two men.
"You ever get the feeling that you've been here before?" Jack muttered.
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From: Dee Tervo
Part Five
An unimagined feeling of excitement was building inside Daniel as he continued to gaze awestruck. This was it. It was really it! He wasn't dreaming, fantasizing, recreating, simulating. He was really there, it had to be. As much as he was reminded of Abydos, there were distinct differences - first of all, only one sun. The sand too seemed finer in texture, more like... Earth. Everything seemed just like Earth, and at the same time, nothing like the Earth he knew. "Jack, listen to me, carefully. If this is" and he hesitated, not believing he what he was about to say, "If this is ancient Egypt, and we've just arrived through the Stargate, we don't know who..."
Jack was also struck by how familiar things seemed, so similar to his memories of Abydos. This had to be some other god-forsaken planet taken over by the Goa'ulds. Maybe Daniel misread the symbols. They had to Gate back to Earth now, then check this place out later. "Daniel," Jack interrupted without realizing Daniel had spoken to him at all, "get to the DHD and dial home. I know this place looks fascinating, but we really should..."
"Jack!" Daniel shouted now to get the Colonel's attention. "Let me do a little reality check for you, OK?" he was speaking faster now, sensing the need to get Jack to comprehend. "I don't see a DHD anywhere, do you? Even if we find one, and dial home, it won't work. We *are* home, Jack! This *is* Earth, and I don't have a clue how we got here, back to now I mean."
The two men stared at each other not knowing what to do next. Jack was sure Daniel had really lost it this time, yet he seemed so damn certain. He found himself wishing it were nighttime, just one good look at the sky would show them they were nowhere near Earth. "All right, if I go along with this H. G. Wells idea for now, what do you suggest we do?"
"I was about to say, we don't know who is in power here, if the Goa'ulds are around, and if Ra is around... The people are calling out to us 'Naturu', that means 'gods', so I guess it's safe to assume that there's not been any sort of rebellion, and they're used to 'gods' coming through the Stargate. If I had to guess, I'd place us around the time of the Pharaoh Cheops..." his voice trailed off as he noticed a group of people beginning to approach the Gate. "Jack, no matter what, I don't think you should talk."
"Did you say I should stop talking?" Jack asked incredulously.
"Yes, I did. I hope I can speak the language well enough, but we don't want to have to start explaining what English is all about, now do we? I'll tell them you are 'Natur' who does not speak."
"Terrific," was Jack's less than enthusiastic response.
The people approached cautiously, offering them gifts. Jack wondered if Daniel was enjoying their predicament, at least for the moment. He watched the archeologist converse freely with the ghosts of the past he'd studied so well. Obediently, Jack remained silent, nodding occasionally to those who spoke to him, although he noted that no one dared to make eye contact. He reluctantly followed the group as they made their way into what seemed to be a marketplace. Daniel stopped to stare at various items of pottery, statues. Following Daniel's cue, Jack walked up a flight of stairs, entered a darkened room, and waited in frustration for Daniel to finish talking. When their escorts had finally departed, Jack anxiously asked "What did you find out?"
"More than I could ever have imagined," Daniel dreamily replied. Then, realizing the Colonel wasn't talking about ancient cultures, he cleared his throat and continued "Not too much that's really helpful I'm afraid. I've convinced them that we are new 'gods' and we'd like to go to the temple. They mentioned a temple guard, a 'Ghaffir', maybe their way of saying Jaffa, would come to escort us tomorrow. For now, they want to feed and 'pleasure' us!"
As he finished saying this, two young women, Jack guessed they couldn't be more than fourteen, carried in baskets of bread and fruit and skins filled with drink. Remembering he was 'the god who did not speak', Jack silently allowed one of them to break off pieces of bread for him and pour the strong wine into his mouth. He didn't realize just how thirsty he was, and began to drink deeply.
The girl who approached Daniel would not lift up her head, and blushed immediately as he tried to speak to her. She would not allow Daniel to feed himself, although he began to protest. She knew her place, her duty, and she trembled visibly as she thought of sharing a bed with this god tonight. Her father instructed her that she must do this, for the good of her family and her village. 'The gods do take', her father had reminded her, 'but they also give in abundance'. This god spoke gently to her, how unusual. She boldly dared to look into his eyes, sensing no threat there, and gasped at what she saw! Eyes more blue than the sky! She quickly looked down. This god was different. His way of speaking was different. What could it mean? No matter, she went back to her work of giving him food and drink, he would take his pleasure and be gone - as she had learned from her sisters.
Having served all the food and wine, the girls left the room. Jack felt a warm tingling and a buzz in his head as he realized this was his first meal of the day. "Drinking before noon, can't be good for us, huh?" He looked over to see Daniel sprawled lazily on a sleeping mat. "And you! Who can't drink more than two beers. You OK?" He was beginning to feel seriously drunk now, and could only imagine how it might be affecting his teammate.
"I don't think I can sit up right now, Jaacckk." Daniel's words were slurred and his thoughts jumbled. "Guess I'll have to get used to this kind of food."
"Not too used to it." Jack sternly ordered. "We're gonna find a way home."
"Ya, sure! Anything you say, Jack! Know what I think?" Daniel was rambling now in a half-shocked, half-drunk haze "I think we were born for this moment! Now everything... everything that's happened to us in our lives makes sense. It all has a reason."
"What the hell are you mumbling about?" Jack asked crossly.
"If you'd listen for once, you might just find out. Why were my folks arche... arc... Ancient things people? Why did they have to die? So I could sstudy my life away and learn all about this." He gestured around the room. "And you! If you weren't in the air force, if Charlie hadn't died," he wagged his finger at Jack, "no Abydos for you, no Stargate project - you wouldn't be here either. So it all comes down to here and now." He got up and staggered to Jack's side, placing an arm around him and staring directly into his face "We were destined to be here. That's all. Whatever we're supposed to do, and
I think it's impor... imp... Really big. We don't have to worry about getting back home. I don't think we ever will."
The room became deathly quiet, as the impact of those words sunk in to both men. Then, with a big sigh, Daniel lay down and passed out cold. "Daniel?" Jack asked, slapping him lightly on the cheek - no response. "C'mon Daniel, for cryin out loud, it wasn't *that* much wine!" Jack looked hesitantly at the doorway, as the two young women had returned. Without emotion, they dropped their cloaks revealing their naked bodies, and then they dropped to their knees - bowing before him.
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Time was dragging by for Sam and the rest of SGC. It had been three hours since she and Teal'c had returned from P4X357. Repeated attempts at dialing back to the planet had failed. Something had gone wrong with the Stargates there. She was determined to figure it out. Sam looked at Teal'c, whose ever-calm exterior gave no clue to whatever worries he was having over his missing comrades. "General Hammond said the SG-1 remote signal came through twice, but we only sent it once. All I can figure is that Jack and Daniel must have activated the other Gate, at roughly the same time."
"Perhaps this action would have overloaded the Stargate and sent them elsewhere. This we have seen happen before," Teal'c observed.
"But where? Our only hope of finding out is back on P4X357, let's try to dial up again." Sam moved to the doorway, hoping they could locate the rest of the team. Hoping, in fact, that the diverted wormhole did lead somewhere, and not off into an interstellar dead end. No. She wouldn't allow herself to dwell on that possibility, she determined that they were still alive and out there some place, and that she would find them.
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In this part, all text in [brackets] is meant to signify ancient egyptian. Poor Jack. Definitely not having one of his better days.
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From: Jennifer Goll
Part 6
Jack couldn't believe that this was happening. The two girls were now kneeling naked before him and a passed out Daniel. He was still buzzed from whatever drink they had given him. Remembering that he wasn't supposed to speak, he gestured for them to get up. They refused to look up, steadfastly awaiting their fate. Now, the edges of Jack's vision began to turn gray. His head was spinning. He felt like he had been on one of his weekend long benders. The girls looked at one another then one of them, the older of the two shot him a quick glance out of the corner of her eyes. Jack again gestured for them to rise, to put their clothes back on.
They were baffled. Were not the gods pleased with their appearance. Were they not desirable enough for them. Fear swept through them. If the gods took a dislike to them, what would happen to them, to their families? Maeti, the eldest of the two took a deep breath, gathered her courage and raised her head to gaze directly at the one who did not speak. He swayed where he sat, his eyes out of focus. He was very handsome, penetrating brown eyes, hair that held the briefest glint of sun. His clothes were very strange, unlike
anything she had ever seen. He gestured to her again. He did not seem displeased with her and Bekhat. Again he gestured. Then he leaned over and shook his friend. His friend did not stir.
"For crying out loud, Daniel. You are an unbelievably cheap drunk." Jack shook Daniel again. No response. He sighed, then looked back at the girls. They were now looking at him, wide-eyed. "Ah damn." Jack cursed. His hazy mind had forgotten to keep his mouth shut. Rising unsteadily to his feet, he staggered past the girls and picked up one of their robes. He held it out to them. The oldest hesitatingly took it from him, unsure of what he wanted. He gestured to her to put it on. She hesitated then slid it on. He passed the rest of the clothes to the other girl. She kept her head down, trembling slightly at his presence. As he stepped back, he gestured once more for them to stand up.
Maeti looked at Bekhat in confusion. Then she looked at the god who had just sat down again. His brief words to his friend were foreign, alien. He didn't want either of them but he also did not seem angry with them. Who was this strange god? Strangely, he did not seem a threat to her. Taking hold of Bekhat's hand she rose to her feet. He nodded in approval. Bekhat was still shivering. She moved slightly behind Maeti. Her eyes glanced quickly at the golden hair, blue eyed god who was still passed out. A god that got drunk on their ceremonial wine? Were they even gods at all, even though they had come
through the chappa-ai like all the other gods.
[My lord, do we not please you? Do you not find us desirable?] Maeti spoke to the brown eyed man. He tilted his head, a look of confusion on his face.
[My lord, tell us what you would like us to do.] She gestured to Bekhat. [My friend, Bekhat, is an excellent dancer. I am told I am an accomplished singer. We are being trained to join the Temple of the goddess. Perhaps you would like us to perform for you?]
"Bekhat?" Jack looked at the other girl. He didn't understand a single word she was saying to him. God, he wished Daniel was awake. He pointed to the younger girl. "Bekhat?" The girl nodded, a puzzled expression on her face. He moved his finger to the other girl. She just looked at him. "Bekhat" He pointed to the other girl, Bekhat, again, then at her. Her eyes widened in understanding. [Maeti] She said, gesturing to herself. "Maeti" Jack parroted. Maeti nodded. Jack pointed to himself. "O'Neill"
[O-neay] The words felt strange in Maeti's mouth. He shook his head. "O-Neill" He drew the word out, enunciating the syllables. [O-neal] Maeti tried again. Jack nodded.
A god that wanted to know their names and wanted them to know his name. Maeti was beyond confused. To know the real name of a god was to have power over him or her. Why would this god, this O-neal, tell them his real name. The other one had said he was the god that did not speak. Why would he give them this power over him. She looked at Bekhat. Bekhat only shrugged.
The gray areas of his vision were increasing and the roaring in his ears was growing louder. Jack shook his head, trying to clear it. What the hell was in that wine? A wave of dizziness hit him hard. He decided to stretch out beside the still unconscious Daniel. As his head hit the ground he blacked out.
[Perhaps they are not gods.] Maeti whispered to Bekhat, keeping a watchful eye on the now sleeping O-neal.
[Then, what are they? They came through the chappa-ai as our gods do. But they wear such strange clothes.] Bekhat replied, equally softly.
Maeti contemplated the sleeping men. Then she came to a decision.
[Summon the Mistress here. She will know what to do with them. She will speak to their slumbering minds to understand if they truly are gods or something else.]
Bekhat nodded and hurried out of the room. Maeti sat down cross-legged in a darkened corner of the room. She watched them sleep. Both so handsome in their own way. And O-neal's brief words to his friend, unlike anything she had ever heard.
[Maeti?]
Maeti quickly rose from where she was sitting.
[Mistress] She bowed from the waist to the woman standing in the doorway. Bekhat hovered behind her.
The woman was very beautiful. Olive skin, long shining black hair. Her black eyes seemed into read Maeti's soul. Her white linen dress and gold armbands and headband only emphasized her beauty. She looked at the two men still sleeping.
[So these are the two gods who have arrived through the chappa-ai.] She smiled gently at Maeti and Bekhat. Then she moved to the men's side. Standing over O-neal she extended her open palm over his forehead. A red jewel glowed from her palm, lighting up his face. She closed her eyes in concentration.
Suddenly she gasped, her eyes flying open. Stepping back from him she looked at him in renewed amazement.
[Mistress, what is it?] Bekhat asked.
She turned to look at the girls. [You did very well in telling me about these men. Now, you must swear to me that you will tell no one else that I was here. Not even the other Gods. And, you must always stay near them.]
Her eyes bore into the girls' eyes. They trembled under the strength of her gaze. To not tell even the other Gods? What, who were these men?
[Do not worry. I will protect you and your families as I have always done.] She looked beyond their heads to the men sleeping. Jack O'Neill and Daniel Jackson. Yes, they would be very helpful to her.
As she gazed at them, her eyes glowed.
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From: Dee Tervo
Part 7
Daniel woke slowly. The air was still, silent. He lay there, on his side, thinking - not wanting to open his eyes. When he finally did look around, the room was dark, but through the doorway he could see the first hints of sunrise lightening the sky. 'Whoa, I've been asleep 16 or more hours!' He glanced about the room and noted Jack was not there. Across from him, on a sleeping mat, was one of the young women from yesterday. Then he felt something move behind him, and rolling over, saw the girl who had tended to him -laying by his side, smiling contentedly in her sleep. As he began to sit up, she awakened. A momentary fear flashed through her eyes, then she relaxed, remembering the words of her Mistress - these gods, or men - whoever they were - were important, and she was to stay by this one's side at all times.
[Good morning. I must have been more tired than I thought.] Daniel spoke to her.
A mischievous smile came over her face, 'he doesn't remember yesterday'. He was drunk from the wine. [Last night was wonderful, you were wonderful,] she offered in a shy voice.
Daniel was flustered now. What happened last night? [Oh. Ummmm. I was? Well... ummm...]
Bekhat boldly continued. [Now I am proud to be pledged to you, as your servant, for the rest of your stay here!]
Daniel rose to his feet, he had to find Jack. [Yes! Ummm... that's great! You were wonderful too!] he sputtered, patting her on the head. He noticed Jack, standing outside their room, looking out onto the market square and up at the predawn sky, and he went to join him.
"Hi. How are you doing?" Daniel asked.
"Expected to be more hung over, really I'm doing OK, considering" Jack answered. "Daniel, I was sure we weren't on Earth - then moonlight woke me up. I came out. It's our moon all right - and look - Venus - good ole morning star, right where she's supposed to be. This just doesn't make sense. Maybe we aren't back in time. Maybe it's an alternate reality thing we've got going here? An Earth where the Goa'ulds never left?"
"Yes", Daniel responded, "I've thought about that too. I need more information to figure things out. Jack? What exactly do you remember from yesterday? After we got here, I mean."
"I remember watching you pass out, then. Oh, I think I talked with the village women. They came back to, well, give us some presents or something like that."
"You talked with them?" Daniel raised his brow "I thought we agreed you shouldn't."
"Well, they thought we wanted to... you know... it was awkward, and I was more than a little drunk. Then I think I passed out too - and woke up about an hour or so ago."
Daniel's fingers were nervously drumming as he leaned against the wall, "I'm afraid we might have woken up much earlier than that, but we don't remember. I also think we may not have behaved in a... gentlemanly manor!"
"Huh? Maeti and Bekhat told you that?" Jack asked, amused but also concerned - not knowing how much he could trust the women.
Uncomfortable with the entire conversation, and somewhat surprised that Jack knew the women's names and he did not, Daniel continued "Well, yes, also they are determined to be our slaves, as long as we are here."
Jack gave him a sly look, "Guess we'll just have to play along. What do we do next?"
Not liking the ease with which Jack accepted the events of last night, but also not willing to debate things, Daniel changed the subject. "The Ghaffir, that's Jaffa I guess, will come for us in the morning. I didn't have a chance to tell you some of the things I learned yesterday. I think they're actually going to bring us to Per-Ra!" Daniel waited for an astounded reaction from Jack, but soon realized there would be none, and continued "That's the city of the sun, Heliopolis in Greek. On the plateau, I saw the Great Pyramid, and thought we were in Khufu, umm Cheops' time, but now I know it must be later, maybe 2,500 to 2,200 B.C."
"Daniel?" Jack tried to get his attention.
"Clearly the king, well, they come to be called pharaohs in later times, is proclaiming himself a god, that he's from Ra" Daniel continued, oblivious to Jack's interruption.
"Hey, Daniel, let's..." Jack sensed he was going to have to hear the rest of what Daniel was burning to let out.
"Jack, I think we've traveled to the time of Ra's golden age, when he was worshipped as the most important of all gods, and also when he was beginning to abuse the people who served him." Daniel finally finished and allowed himself to take a breath.
"Does any of this help us figure out how to get out of here?" Jack asked directly.
"I told you, that's not possible" came Daniel's matter of fact response. "Per-Ra is about 6 miles northeast of the Giza plateau. We should be there by this afternoon." Even as Daniel had said the words, he couldn't believe the reality of it. To be just hours away from something that had always been unreachable. This was beyond incredible!
Jack did not like the sense of joy and peace that flowed from Daniel. He needed to shock his team mate, archeologist or not, back into an awareness of their situation, and he grew more frustrated and angry "I REFUSE to believe there is no way back, and I am ORDERING you to change your view and get back to planning a way out!"
"Ordering me?" was Daniel's somewhat hurt response. The men became aware of the women at the doorway now, motioning for them to come back in. A breakfast was laid out for them - more bread, fruit, and this time, beer.
Jack smelled the beverage, and turned up his nose "A bit too early for me! Ask them what else they've got to drink!"
Daniel was about to remind Jack that he shouldn't be speaking, but thought better of it "I'm afraid this is it. The staple Egyptian diet. They couldn't trust the purity of the water. Guess we'll just have a bit of a buzz on until we get used to it!" He could now observe his 'servant' more closely. Had Sha're looked that young? Should he tell her last night was a mistake? Certainly he wouldn't repeat it. Best not to mention it at all. [Thank you for the meal. Will you join us?] Daniel offered.
Maeti and Bekhat sat down to eat with their god-men. If only the Mistress could open their ears to understand the wondrous words these strangers spoke. At least the golden one could make himself understood when he wished.
++++
It had been a full 24 hours now since the team had separated. Sam had succeeded in opening the Gate and sending the MALP through. It was the Gate near their campsite, and the surrounding area appeared deserted. Sam was grateful for that. She had held her breath, hoping the MALP would not send images of her teammates' bodies. Unfortunately, it did not send any indication of what might have happened to them either. A return mission with SG-3 had been authorized, but for now she had been ordered to a six-hour rest period. Rest? Impossible. Instead she lay on her bunk, pouring over her notes on the linking device. They had been there such a short time. Frustration grew as she realized there simply wasn't enough information to draw any conclusions. Where are you? Somehow you've got to get word to me, some kind of sign that you're alive - something to direct me to you.
+++
The Ghaffir arrived, looking curiously at O'Neill and Jackson. Daniel whispered "I think they can sense we're not Goa'ulds." Without speaking, they lead the men past the caravan waiting to bring them to Per-Ra and into a large stone hall. Drawings of the sun's rays and people in worship, caught Daniel's attention. He reacted to Jack's elbow in his side, as a Horus guard entered and began to speak. The Ghaffir blocked the exit to the hall, only the women had been let inside. "I think he's talking to you, Jack" Daniel again whispered, as the Horus guard motioned for Jack to approach him.
Daniel could only catch bits of the conversation. The Horus guard was asking Jack to answer one of the riddles from the Book of the Dead. Unable to comply or even comprehend, Jack stood silently. 'He's going to take Jack's silence as disobedience or lack of knowledge. Either way, he's gonna figure out quickly we aren't from the gods' Daniel worried.
Maeti was not worried. O'Neal was being sentenced for not pleasing the gods, not answering the magical questions. She knew the sentence would cause him discomfort, but there was no place this servant guard of Ra could place O'Neal that the Mistress could not go to him and sustain him. Yes! He was sentenced to hunger and thirst as punishment, most likely in the prison pit. She would tell the Mistress and all would be well.
Jack knew something was being asked of him, but he didn't have a clue what. He decided not to draw his weapon. Now wasn't the time or place to give that away. He didn't resist as the Ghaffir lead him away, and noted that Maeti was smiling reassuringly to him. How bad could this be? Daniel, however, looked very nervous. Jack hoped his impulsive friend wouldn't get himself into worse trouble when he was questioned.
Now, Jack was gone. 'To a place of eternal hunger and thirst? Damn, why hadn't they asked me first'. Daniel didn't have much time to reflect on this, as it was now his turn.
"You will answer the holy questions and if you are pleasing to Neturu, you will be spared!" the guard commanded to Daniel.
"I must see the most holy one," Daniel bravely demanded.
"You will not speak unless asked a question, fellahin!" the guard haughtily commanded.
"Fellahin? Peasant? I have come through the Chappa'ai, and I know of things only Neturu know. You must allow me..." Daniel's words were cut off by a sharp blow to the back of his head and shoulders. The Ghaffir were expert in wielding their staffs and obedient to the Horus commands. Daniel crumpled onto the ground, groaning.
Bekhat became very afraid. The golden one is asking to see Ra? That is one place he must never go! No one can help him there. If he does not enter Per- Ra as a priest or god, then he will never return - and not even the Mistress can help him!
"You just might amuse the Supreme Lord. He will want to hear you talk of all you know of the Chappa'ai. You are a strangely dressed and disrespectful fellahin. You will pay a price for speaking so boldly out of turn!" The Horus guard next issued a series of commands to the Ghaffir.
Daniel regretted having spoken out. Perhaps he had been too insistent, this wasn't going as he had planned. First, a blindfold was applied to Daniel's eyes, next he tried to spit out the cloth gag as he felt sandy rags being forced into his mouth. Ropes bound his arms tightly behind his back, and another set was placed around his ankles, giving him only a stride's length to walk. Some sort of amulet, tied to a necklace, was placed around his neck, perhaps a sign of ownership? Finally, a rope was tied to his neck and he was dragged out to the caravan. He tried to listen for any sign of Jack still being with him. Nothing. A few people were laughing, ridiculing him for pretending to be a god. He sensed that he was being tied behind the animals in the caravan, not exactly how he imagined entering Per-Ra. He tried to swallow, but his mouth was bone dry. The combination of the sun's heat and the beer for breakfast made him dizzy. He struggled to keep himself upright and walking, knowing that if he stumbled he'd be dragged by the neck. The last words of the Horus guard came back to him, giving him a chill even in the desert heat - I am going to Heliopolis, ...for the amusement of Ra!
July, 2001 © The characters mentioned in this story are the property of Showtime and Gekko Film Corp. The Stargate, SG-I, the Goa'uld and all other characters who have appeared in the series STARGATE SG-1 together with the names, titles and backstory are the sole copyright property of MGM-UA Worldwide Television, Gekko Film Corp, Glassner/Wright Double Secret Productions and Stargate SG-I Prod. Ltd. Partnership. This fanfic is not intended as an infringement upon those rights and solely meant for entertainment. All other characters, the story idea and the story itself are the sole property of the author.