Sam began to worry that it would take much longer than she originally thought to summon help from the SGC. As she stood at the base of the red plateau, she doubted it would be possible to scale it by nightfall - if it were possible to free climb at all. She also recalled last night's storm, if those were a daily occurrence it would make climbing out of the question. Deciding it would be best to hike the 4 hours back to Col. O'Neill, she was about to call Teal'c to let him know and check on his progress. She paused and stiffened a bit. Had she heard a noise, she asked herself? It was faint, almost imperceptible, but she was certain it was the sound of loose gravel sliding down a slope. Could be wildlife, then again...she readied her sidearm and began to slowly circle the area. The base of the plateau had the river on one side and a small clearing encircling it, bordered by dense forest. Choosing what seemed to be a path through the undergrowth, Sam expanded her search into the edge of the wood.
The leader of the River people's fighting forces continued to watch her, much amused, from his perch in a tree. The Jaffa was no longer with her, he noted. She certainly did not behave like a god. She behaved much like his best fighters! Why had she come back to the plateau? He would need to be very careful of her lightning stick. Come nearer, he thought, just a bit nearer...now! He wound up and threw his rocks tied up in rope - bolo fashion. They wrapped around Sam's weapon arm with such a force; it knocked her to the ground and propelled the gun up into the air. In one continuous motion, Loni jumped down from the tree, caught the gun and pointed it at Sam. He had no idea how to make it work, but he reasoned that she would not know this.
"Ughh" was Sam's only comment as the wind was knocked out of her. Slowly she stood up to face her opponent. He was much taller than she was, very muscular and agile. His face was rough and weathered by the elements, but his eyes sparkled with vigor and curiosity. His long, jet-black hair flew wildly about his head, and it was then that she noticed he was smiling! "What are you smiling at?" she asked. Rubbing her arm, she continued "I'm gonna have some bruise on my arm thanks to you! Seems you have something that belongs to me," Sam pointed at the gun.
Loni liked the sound of her voice and the words she spoke were unlike anything he'd heard before - although she did not seem very pleased! He took a step toward Sam, and reached out to touch her golden hair. Kiryani would not like for him to look at another woman like this; after all, they were pledged to be joined. He found himself drawn to this golden woman. Sam backed away suspiciously; "Do you understand me? You really should give me the gun before someone gets hurt." Sam tried with pantomime to get this mountain man to return her gun. She noted with relief that she had not removed the safety, and he had made no move to do so.
The leader was again amused at her odd gesturing, knowing full well what she wanted. Loni shook his head and slipped the gun over his shoulder, motioning for her to follow him. If she was going to climb the plateau, she must know how to use the magic circle. He would find out how, also how to make this stick work, and what a Jaffa was doing there. A crackling noise and the voice of the Jaffa interrupted his thoughts, but the Jaffa was nowhere to be seen!
A little box held by the woman began to speak "Captain Carter! Captain Carter do you read me? Come in Captain Carter!" This magic made Loni very nervous, instinctively he grabbed Sam's radio and smashed it down on the ground. It sputtered and hissed, then the magic was no more. Did these strange ones send voices the same way the cave dwellers send thoughts, he wondered? He began to search about expecting the Jaffa to appear. Sam realized his attention was elsewhere and took the opportunity to escape. She ran downhill, toward the river- hoping to jump in and ride the current downstream before she was caught. Loni sensed where she was headed, and took a faster path to the water's edge. Once there, he fashioned a rope into a lasso and waited. Before Sam realized he was ahead of her, he had thrown the lasso over her arms and was pulling her close to him. The greater she resisted, the tighter the rope became. After much struggling, Sam found herself completely out of breath and face to face with her captor. He was no longer smiling.
**********************************************************
Jack had to admit he was feeling much better, as he looked down at the crude cast Kiryani had fashioned from a hardened mud paste and his ace wrap. He hoped it was just a bad sprain and he'd be walking again in a day or two. Lunch had been delightful, a mixture of succulent fruits, freshly grilled fish and warm bread. Kiryani had even managed to find him some clothing, which fit rather well. Seems it belonged to someone called 'Laani' or something like that, but near as Jack could figure, Kiryani didn't plan on this Laani coming back from where ever he'd gone off to. Jack wondered if he were a father or brother. In fact, there were very few men in the village at all. God, I must look beat, Jack continued to think, Kiryani had been motioning for Jack to go lie down in her hut all afternoon.
"No, Kiryani," Jack tried to explain, as she once again tried to lead him to her sleeping mat, "I'm really not tired! I need to get back to the river. There are people like me out looking for a missing friend, and he might be hurt..." Jack began to laugh at himself as he looked into Kiryani's confused eyes. She has no idea what I'm talking about!
I do not please this man, thought Kiryani. He seems to like the food, the clothes - I had worried that he would not want to wear any! But when I invite him to lay with me, he refuses! His speech is so strange...yet now he smiles at me! I will show him, she excitedly thought - encouraged by Jack's smile. Picking up a stick, she began to draw in the sand as Jack looked on. He was quick to realize exactly what Kiryani wanted as she drew two people locked in a passionate, loving embrace! To make her point even more clear, she said as she motioned to each figure, "O'Neeyal...Kiryani!"
Jack felt his face flush and his heart race a little, and without planning to, his imagination gave life to the drawings. He shook himself out of his dream. What the hell's going on? I need to cut this crap, get out of here and find Jackson. He reached over and erased the drawing with his hand, looking all the while into the woman's shimmering, and expectant eyes. "No!" was all he could say. He tried to replace the drawing with one of a man lying down, obviously hurt. "I need to find Daniel." He looked for signs of comprehension in her face.
Kiryani at last understood. O'Neeyal still did not feel well! The picture he drew of himself looked as if he felt terrible. She smiled encouragingly at him, 'dan-yer' maybe that meant sick or in pain? She must be rushing things, she would let him rest a bit more - we will wait until nightfall! "Dan-yer!" she said to Jack in a knowing way.
"Yes!" Jack answered her. "Daniel! I have to find Daniel!" Then he wondered what she was really thinking, as she patted him on the head and left him to sit under a tree while she went off to talk with the other women. Pulling himself up, he used the stick for support and began to hobble along the path toward the river, unaware that Nokrah was ready to make his move.
************************************************************
Meanwhile, Teal'c was faring no better. He had managed to right himself in the netting as he continued to swing back and forth, but he could find no means of escape. After a while, he saw a few of the small creatures he and Captain Carter had first seen outside of the caves where they found O'Neill, emerge from the undergrowth. They picked up his staff weapon and stood staring up at him. Teal'c did not speak to them, for he did not need to! He could 'hear' their thoughts and judging from what they were saying, they could 'hear' his as well. They called themselves 'the Others' and apparently they had mistaken Colonel O'Neill for a tribesman and now they knew this was wrong. They admitted they were also wrong to treat him so poorly. It seemed as if they now wanted help from him to rid their world of the tribesmen forever. As hard as Teal'c tried, he could not hide his thoughts from them. Very quickly, they knew who he was, all about the rest of SG-1, Earth and the SGC. They even learned how to operate what they called the 'Magic Circle' and the coordinates for Earth. It was the cruelest of tortures for Teal'c to be giving away all of this information, but it was completely out of his control. He began to think about destroying his remote transmitter. When the Others realized this, they fired his staff weapon at the netting, causing him to fall to the ground.
Greatly angered, Teal'c began to speak "You must allow me to continue on my mission to find Daniel Jackson. If you delay me any longer, he may not survive!"
One of the Others continued to point the staff weapon at Teal'c, while another removed his remote transmitter. After some discussion among themselves, they presented Teal'c with a question, he 'heard' them ask, "If we help you find this Daniel Jackson, do you swear to help us remove the tribesmen from our world?"
"I can not promise to do what you ask" replied Teal'c, "perhaps there is another way? A way for you all to live in peace!"
The Others did not like his answer, in fact, they decided they no longer needed Teal'c. The leader raised the staff weapon, aimed it at Teal'c and prepared to fire...
Teal'c reflexively spun to one side to avoid the blast of the staff weapon, but it caught him at his waist and seared a path up his back. He fell down, face first, into the litter on the forest floor, he grabbed handfuls of dirt writhing in pain. He could hear in his mind that the Others wanted to quickly end his agony, and as the world began to swim and spin before his eyes, he could hear the sound of the staff weapon being armed once again. Unable to focus his thoughts any longer, Teal'c could feel himself slipping away. He wondered if this is what it felt like to die, and he could only see images of his family as blackness overtook him.
Suddenly, the Others put down the weapon, without firing it again, and gathered about Teal'c. What was this voice that spoke to them from within the dying Jaffa? This Jaffa possesses two minds, asked the Others? 'Two minds, two beings in one body' the thoughts of the larval Goa'uld revealed to the Others. The Goa'uld continued to reveal many things to the Others and promised much help if they would allow it to survive - including a certain promise to rid their world of the tribesmen once and for all. The Goa'uld asked the Others if they could control thoughts as well as send them telepathically. The leader of the Others said it was forbidden to do so, but they had the power if they acted as a group. Becoming more insistent, the Goa'uld told them they must control the mind of this Jaffa, with his help they would be free and once again rule their world. In return, this Goa'uld only asked for the Jaffa to be commanded - when his work was done there - to return to Chulak, the Goa'uld place of birth.
The leader was suspicious, he knew of the old legends. It was Goa'uld after all who brought the tribe people to their world, why should they believe this one! There is much to consider, the leader announced. Perhaps we were hasty. We might need this Jaffa after all. They dragged Teal'c away, carefully covering their tracks, deep into the caves - to the very center of the mountain itself. The Goa'uld, unfamiliar with having a voice, began to plan how it would control these creatures.
*****************************************************
Loni knew it was time to get very serious - this was not a game, he was not playing with this woman. For his village to survive, he needed to win the war. He began to pull Sam along toward the camp of the fighters; he would attempt to question her there - where it was safe. Sam was not about to be led around at the end of a rope, and decided to plop down on the ground and dig in her heels. He pulled, she dug in deeper. They glared at each other, neither one speaking. Loni was quickly losing patience. He strode to her side, stood threateningly above her and raised his hand to strike her face. Sam did not pull away from him, she bravely leaned forward and continued to stare him down. Unexpectedly, Loni exploded in laughter! What defiance from a woman! She could teach his fighters a few things! Effortlessly, he reached down, hoisted Sam up over his shoulder and proceeded to carry her to the camp.
Sam tried to orient herself as the world pitched and swayed, her view of it -upside down and partly blocked by the large man's back. She wasn't afraid, she felt anger most of all. This dolt of a man was keeping her from her duty, and jeopardizing the rest of the team. He probably wanted to drag her off to a cave somewhere and ..., boy did *he* have a surprise coming! Just try it, buddy, Sam continued to fume. Still, there was something about the man. Obviously he was a skilled fighter and she noted many scars on his arms, but his manner was at the same time gentle, almost friendly...what was she saying? Sure, Sam, he attacks you, drags you off and you have a warm and fuzzy feeling about him? OK captain, either you hit your head or you've been out on field duty far too long!
"I can walk, you know!" Sam tried talking to the man. She brought her knee up sharply and caught him unprepared in the stomach, he grunted and dropped to his knees - letting go of her. She rolled away from him and sat up facing him, still tied in the rope. It was then that she noticed motion at the top of the next hill. Men dressed similarly to 'mountain man' were approaching.
This was the first she heard Loni speak, as he called out to his comrades "Heya wa te kra! Heya!"
Daniel would understand, Sam thought, if it were possible that Daniel is still alive! This did not seem like a simple gathering of villagers, there were no women, children. It was a hunting group or they were a band of fighters - each had a crude weapon, Sam noted. It did not take long for the men to reach them. Loni began a long speech showing them first Sam's gun, then gesturing toward her and the red plateau. Next he pointed in a down river direction, lifted his hand up high and held a stick in an upright position. He's telling them about Teal'c, Sam reasoned. Several of the more curious men began to approach her, stroke her hair, and touch her clothing. Loni angrily chased them off, was he protecting her or saving her for himself Sam wondered. At any rate, he seemed to be the one in charge and somehow she needed to explain to him that she must be allowed to go free.
Sam watched, ever on guard, as Loni approached her and hauled her to a standing position by pulling on the rope. Her arms ached and the rope burned as it tightened. As much as she hated showing any weakness, she flinched at the pain. Loni's hardened look softened at this and he gently loosened the rope, slipping it over her head. He smiled that mischievous smile at her and lifted her up once again, this time much as a groom would carry a bride, and made his way into the campground. Sam decided it was no use trying to fight him, with all the other men around, so she went along for the ride. She smiled as she imagined some sort of wisecrack the Colonel would have about this situation she'd gotten herself into. Her smile quickly faded as Loni carried her directly into a crude hut, dropped her on a pile of animal pelts, closed and bolted the door!
She tried to stand, but he placed his hands on her shoulders and forced her to lie back down. Her mind raced, she knew she would fight him. No man would simply take her by force, but deep inside she knew she was no match for him, physically.
Loni grabbed her wrists and held her arms out to the side. He stared at her for a long while.
Sam's heart was pounding now. She was pinned down, unable to move, as the large man pressed his body fully on top of her. She was wrong to trust him, let her guard down even for a moment. She tried to kick and scream, but he pressed down harder and covered her mouth with his, muffling her cries.
Loni knew this woman did not want him, he could tell by looking into her eyes - yet she would be at the mercy of the other men if he did not convince them that he had taken her for himself. They must believe that she had submitted to him, but how could he explain that to her? Give in, he thought to himself, give in woman! Lose that angry look and submit to me now, then I can protect you! As his mouth covered hers, he felt a passion rise within him. This woman is most beautiful, hair of golden sunlight!
Sam began to feel faint, between the weight of the man and the heat and smell of the animal skins she could barely breathe. She was vaguely aware of men milling about, outside the hut, trying to peek in through cracks in the walls, murmuring among themselves. As her mind cleared a little, she realized the man had not touched her clothing, or removed his own. What was going on? Perhaps if she pretended to pass out! Sam allowed herself to go completely limp, and trust her intuition.
Loni became fearful as he realized the woman was no longer moving. He sat up and brushed her hair from her face. She was still breathing, thank the gods! Now, if she would only stop fighting him when she woke up, the other men would believe that she was his and he could persuade her to teach him what he longed to know.
Capturing Jack had been very easy for Nokrah, but getting the man back to his hiding place proved very difficult. The man, despite having a broken leg, put up one hell of a fight, but Nokrah had managed it in the end. Jack now sat in the corner of the hut, bound and gagged, and glaring at Nokrah.
Nokrah stared right back, slowly eating his dinner. It was dark now, Ra was in the underworld, fighting his way back to Earth once more. Nokrah felt better about capturing just a man than a God. He also knew that it wouldn't matter now what he did to this stranger to get the information he wanted. He let his hand drift over to the lightning stick that was resting on the floor at his side.
******************************************
Sam kept her eyes shut tightly, waiting for Loni to make his move. Instead, he seemed concerned, and he felt her forehead and her pulse. He shook her shoulder gently, trying to wake her from her "faint". Sam stayed put. If he so much as lifted the edge of her jacket, she knew a nice little move that would catch him off-guard, but she only had one chance at this.
Loni was saying something, and Sam wished she could understand him. He stopped shaking her and she heard him move to the far side of the cabin. There was rustling, and he came back and sat beside her. Sam jumped despite herself when she felt a cool, wet compress on her forehead. She opened her eyes, knowing she couldn't feign unconsciousness anymore.
Loni smiled at the golden-haired woman, carefully wiping her face clean of dust. Perhaps this small kindness would show her that he was trying to help. Satisfied that her face was clean, he put the cloth back in the bowl, and offered the woman some fruit. She looked suspicious, but took the fruit anyway.
This had better not be poisonous, Sam thought to herself, but she was quite hungry, and it smelled so good. Like peaches and cream at the same time! She bit into it, and was delighted that it tasted even better than it had smelled. She let her eyes close briefly for a second, enjoying the juice as it trickled down her throat, but quickly opened her eyes again, alert. This brought an amused chuckle from her captor, and she glared at him, but ate the fruit anyway, right down to the core.
Suddenly, she remembered something Daniel had told her. It was the Abydan word for sweet! "Bani-we!" she said, pleased with herself, and the man's face lit up.
This woman could understand him? he wondered, amazed. But that didn't make any sense. He nodded. "Bani-we," he confirmed. He tried talking to her again, to explain the situation. She had to trust him, or she would be thrown to the men (more like dogs, he thought) of his army. As he spoke, her face went blank. She didn't understand. Loni sighed, and stood up, deciding to try something else.
He picked up a handful of sand and threw it against the wall of the hut. A man cried out, in pain. Loni showed his hand to Sam, sand still sticking to it, and pointed to his eye. The man had been spying on them through the cracks in the wall, he tried to show her. Sam understood, and repeated what Loni had just done, and she smiled with glee as she heard the cries of two men who'd got sand in their eyes.
"That'll teach them to be peeping toms!" she giggled to herself. Loni chuckled too, even though he didn't know what she had said. More light filtered through the walls as the men moved away from the walls, rather than get sore eyes. Loni and Sam smiled at each other triumphantly, but Sam's smile faded when Loni stepped towards her again.
He held up his hands to calm her, trying to show this woman that he didn't want to hurt her. Please, be calm, he prayed to himself. Sam stayed wary, but let the man approach her.
When he was close enough, he put his hands on her shoulders and smiled at her. She didn't smile back. Loni saw that her topmost button was undone, probably from her struggling on the way here, so he slowly reached for it, not wanting to startle the woman.
Sam was startled. She grabbed his hand and pushed it away, then retreated to the far side of the hut. Loni held his hands out and approached the woman again, shaking his head, speaking to her imploringly. She stood still and he reached for the button again, this time anticipating Sam's move and grabbing her as she turned to run again.
He pulled her towards him, her back to his front, and held her with his left arm. He pinned her arms to her sides with ease, but Sam kept fighting back. She would not go quietly! Loni had to work quickly. Firmly grasping the button with his right hand, he carefully put it into the button hole, smoothed the very top of the shirt, and released his prisoner. Sam spun around and looked at him, confusion in her eyes.
She was trembling with fear and disbelief. Loni admired her, and knew that if he'd wanted to do with her what she thought he did, that he'd have had a very difficult time doing it. Sam hated being weak, and she hated it even more when she mis-judged her opponent. Instead of removing her clothes, he'd fastened them more securely! Did this mean he wanted to help her? It must be, she thought. Taking a shuddering breath to calm herself, Sam decided to trust this man. She held out her hand, and, seeing that Loni didn't know what to do, she grasped his, and shook it, smiling. Loni smiled back, relieved.
They spent the next hour trying to communicate, and soon had a bit of an understanding of each other. Just as Sam's stomach grumbled for food, a man opened the door and said something to Loni. Loni stood and helped Sam to her feet. He led her out of the cabin, and Sam felt uncomfortable under the leering gazes of the other men. He walked to the campfire and sat down at what was clearly an important place around it, and he indicated that Sam sit next to him.
She did, and she saw the animal roasting over the fire. It must be dinner time, she thought to herself. The food was passed around, and Sam ate carefully, enjoying the poor but tasty portions. It had grown dark, and the sparks from the fire rose into the night air. Sam looked up, knowing that she wouldn't be able to recognize any of the constellations, but enjoying them all the same.
**************************************
When Daniel woke, it was night. Lin-ya came over and handed him a bowl of hot, nice-smelling soup. He sat up, feeling much stronger, and ate ravenously. He was starting to feel more hopeful for some reason, like everything would work out. As he ate, he gazed out the window, into the night.
**************************************
Teal'c couldn't sleep. He hated being trapped and unable to move. He had nothing to do, but, despite his tiredness, he wouldn't allow himself to sleep. He'd lost track of time, but he thought it must be getting late. It was a good thing that he wasn't trapped in whatever Jack had been in, he thought to himself. He was just stuck to the wall with what felt like cobwebs, and there was none of that yellow sticky stuff to be seen.
He listened for his captors, but they must have all gone outside. His stomach rumbled, and he felt his Goa'uld wiggle inside of him.
**************************************
The young man slowly regained consciousness. His eyes were leaden and puffy, and his head felt like it were being split in two. He remembered to breathe, and immediately wished he didn't have to. His throat felt like it was on fire, and his lungs were sore, like they were bruised. Come to think of it, his whole body ached, as he was just now becoming aware of the rest of his body.
His muscles were incredibly stiff, and he wasn't sure that he could move. He tried opening his eyes, but decided to wait a moment before doing that. Wriggling his toes made sharp pains shoot up his legs, and his fingers screamed as he tried to move them. What was wrong with him? He knew he had to move, he had to stand up, but it hurt so much. Clenching his teeth, he forced himself to sit up through the pain.
When he finally sat up, he managed to open his eyes. He licked his dry lips, and looked around himself, spine groaning as it twisted. He was panting with the effort, trying to overcome the pain, but his vision darkened as pain started to overwhelm him again. He was sure he'd have felt better if he'd been dragged behind a speeding chariot for an entire day.
Blinking fiercely, he forced himself to stand up. What had he been lying in? It looked like a large coffin! Concerned, he eased his way out of it and to the floor. What was he doing in a coffin? A better question would be, who was he?!
So this was amnesia. He couldn't remember anything, not even his name. Slowly, he walked over to a golden chair and sat down in it, panting with the effort. The coffin started to close on its own, and he watched it, regaining his strength. It seemed to be made of gold, or something similar. It was very beautiful.
The young man looked around the room, trying to clear his head. It was a fairly small room with no windows, but there was a doorway. The walls were covered with writing that looked familiar, but he couldn't quite place it. There were statues of rams and hawks in the room, all beautifully carved of the same material as the coffin. They had jewelled eyes that looked like they could light up, but the young man didn't know why he thought that.
He looked down at his own body. It was slender and golden- skinned. He was wearing rich robes and had golden jewelry. He had beautiful, if uncomfortable sandals on, and he decided it would be better to remove this finery until he knew what he was doing in it. He took off his sandals one by one, and rubbed his sore feet. The jewelry on his hands came off next, and clattered to the floor. His necklace and two layers of robes came off, and he let himself keep the simple inner one. Reaching tentatively to his hair, he found the clip holding it in place, and pulled it out as well. His dark shiny hair fell around his now bare shoulders as he stood up.
The young man decided to explore. He was feeling better, less like he'd just barely survived a hurricane from the inside. He walked, more quickly than before, to the door, pausing at the threshold, and looked outside.
The next room was vast, and lavishly decorated. There were tall columns, supporting the roof, and he could see stars through a hole in the centre. It must be night then. There was a dias near his doorway with what looked like a throne on it, and more statues around the room. Silks hung from the walls, and jewels glittered from everything in the moonlight. A warm breeze was blowing through the large doorway that seemed to lead to the outside of this place. Was it a temple?
The young man shrugged, and walked into the room, looking at everything. On a whim, he walked under the hole in the roof, and saw that the full moon was directly overhead. He smiled as the light bathed his face in a silver glow. He continued foreword, up the steps of the dias, and looked at the throne. How beautiful, he thought to himself, and sat down on it.
From the floor, a beam of golden light shot up and out of the top of the temple, like a beacon.
**********************************
Lin-ya ran in from outside, hair wild, eyes wide. She looked very shaken.
"Lin-ya, what is it?" Daniel asked, alarmed.
"Ra has awoken in his temple!" she cried.
"What?" Daniel exclaimed. He sat up in shock, but the pain that ran through him, scolded him for his unwise decision.
Seeing Daniel's face pale even further, seem to have calmed down Lin-ya a bit. She shook her head, leaned forward and helped him sit up more comfortably. Daniel nodded his thanks and continued.
"Ra is dead. Ha'pa Ra." Daniel tried to explain. He wondered how she would react to what he was going to say next. "He was on Abydos. We killed him in his ship. Ra is dead. He is no more."
Lin-ya looked at him with puzzlement. "What are you talking about, Dan-yer? I saw him, as young and powerful as he was before. He left our world many signs of the moon before. We were told that there was a great battle, but he survived. We were waiting for his arrival for so long. He was here, the whole time!" Lin-ya's face brightened at the thought. "My husband was correct. I had thought the gods had abandoned us, but it is not so. He has returned from his great battles and will help us in ridding ourselves of the warring and of the cave dwellers."
A shiver of fear coursed through Daniel as he thought of what Lin-ya was saying and what it meant. 'Ra not dead? Was that possible? Had he managed to escape and fled here to heal? What would happen if he knew the two responsible: Jack and himself, were on this very planet he had fled to heal? What would happen to Lin-ya if Ra knew that she was hiding him here?'
"Lin-ya,listen to me." Daniel winced, but leaned forward enough to clasp her forearms. His eyes were wide in the urgency of the words he needed to say. Lin-ya stilled, her eyes locked with his. "Ra is not a god. He is a..." Daniel thought how he was going to explain it. "An invader in that body."
"Someone has invaded Ra!" Lin-ya gasped out loud.
"No!" Daniel shook his head fervently. He paused as he wait for the spinning to subside. 'Why do I still feel so dizzy? The potions don't last as long as they did before.'
"No." Daniel started again. "The man, the boy, you see as Ra is a human like me. An invader took over his...mind, his heart and became Ra. The Ra you know is not a god!"
Lin-ya shook free from Daniel's grasp. "Lies." She breathed as she looked at Daniel with a feeling of betrayal. She knew Daniel did not believed in the gods. He had admitted it. Then again, Lin-ya didn't either. But this! This was sacrilege! "You're telling lies! Ra is a god! He must be! My mother went to join him when I was a child! How could she have gone to him if he was not a god?" Lin-ya began to shake.
"I'm sorry." Daniel murmured, understanding what she must be feeling right now. His wife Sha'uri was 'taken' to the gods. His heart still hurts over the memory. It was that memory that steeled him to keep going. It was that memory that kept him determined, despite the fact that he was afraid. He must make Lin-ya understand this memory. "Lin-ya, my wife...S-sha'uri. She was taken to the gods. But she wasn't! She was given one of those invaders and became one of them." Daniel swallowed back the sadness the memories brought up.
"Your wife is no more, Dan-yer?" Lin-ya didn't seem upset anymore. She was now looking at him with sympathy.
"I hope not." Daniel said. "I'm trying to find her now."
"You are so young to have a mate." Lin-ya smiled at Daniel's surprised look. "But perhaps, I think this because I am so old." Her smile faded as she thought of what Daniel was telling her. "I still do not believe you though. You make sound like Ra is an evil god."
"He is." Daniel desperately wanted her to believe him. "He-"
"Ra gave us our food, our land!" Lin-ya shouted. "He taught us how to live. He taught my mother how to heal! How could you say such horrible things, Daniel?" Her eyes soften at the hurt look on Daniel's face. "Perhaps, you are mistaken. Perhaps this is not the Ra you so thought."
Daniel wished that was true, but knew he was never lucky in such wishes. He knew Ra, had in the beginning of ancient Egypt, had been a benefactor to their civilization. He had educated the ancient Egyptians how to read and write and started the sciences for them. But Daniel also saw the power hungry side of Ra and Daniel knew that THIS Ra had not returned to help these people.
The room tilted once more and Daniel felt himself slid sideways until Lin-ya stopped him.
"Why do I still feel so sick?" Daniel asked Lin-ya, his momentary strength lost.
"You are hurt inside, Dan-yer." Lin-ya reminded him. "That does not go away with my potions, just the pain does."
"But the pain returns faster each time now." Daniel said. He also couldn't sleep with the aid of the potions anymore. He just felt like he was floating at times.
"Your body now needs more of the potion to do the same as before." Lin-ya said this, looking away, but Daniel caught the worried look in his eyes. She paused as she thought of an idea. She turned around smiling to Daniel. "I will take you to the Temple of Ra." She nodded to herself, not seeing the fear in Daniel's eyes. "Yes. Our god is very powerful. He has a golden sarcophagus of life that would heal you." Lin-ya was more convinced now that she thought of it. "Once he heals you, you will see. Ra is a good god."
Daniel shook his head again. "No, Lin-ya. You mustn't-" Suddenly he gasped as his abdomen spasmed into painful convulsions. Everything *hurt. "Shi-"
Lin-ya took a cup and filled it with her potion. She brought it to Daniel, who was too weak to argue and just drank it with hopes of the pain to leave. He slid down to the sleeping board, curled on his side and waited. The pain ebbed away to a dull throb. Daniel knew Lin-ya was right. The potions were taking longer to work now. But Daniel was now too exhausted to worry about it.
Seeing Daniel had calmed down, Lin-ya stroked his hair softly as she whispered what she thought were reassuring words.
"Do not fear, Dan-yer. I will fetch my husband from his hunting place and we will take you to Ra to be healed."
Daniel could only look numbly at her as she left.
**************************************
Nokrah jumped at the sudden arrival of his mate's voice. He glared at Jack, who was quietly sitting at the corner. He had not made a sound for quite some time. Nokrah grunted. Perhaps the man knew his situation. If he behaved, perhaps Nokrah would spare some scraps for him to eat later.
"Nokrah?" Lin-ya entered the hut, but she froze in her tracks as she saw the man on the ground. "Husband, what is this? I went to seek you out from the hunting place and I see you hunted not meat but a man?" The man on the ground made no sounds to her presence.
"Quiet, woman!" Nokrah snarled. "I didn't want to bring him to the main home because Dan-yer was resting there!"
Lin-ya thought she heard the man make a sound, but maybe she was mistaken. "Did you kill him, my husband?"
"No. He would be of no use to me dead."
Lin-ya turned sharply at those words. "Useful? What could be useful in tying a man up in here?"
Nokrah grimly patted the black stick by his side. Lin-ya recognized it as similiar to Daniel's.
"It is just like Dan-yer's stick!" Lin-ya exclaimed. She looked at the man on the ground once more. "Perhaps he is Dan-yer's friend. He must be Jak."
Nokrah narrowed his eyes at the man. He thought he heard him move. Seeing nothing, Nokrah shrugged. "Perhaps. He might be Jac."
"Then release him. We could use his help for Dan-yer!"
"Help?" Nokrah looked at Lin-ya dubiously. He doubted his mate was referring to the black sticks. "What kind of help?"
"To bring Dan-yer to the Temple of Ra." Lin-ya said.
Nokrah snorted in disbelief. "I thought you said the gods had abandoned us. I am surprised you would want to go praying there and bring Dan-yer along."
"Ra has returned." Lin-ya said quietly. She thought of what Daniel had said. She didn't believe him, but his words had stilled any excitement she might have had in the news.
Jumping up to his feet, Nokrah's eyes gleamed. "Our god? Ra? He has returned?"
"Ra was always sleeping in the Temple. Someone had saw the light of our god shine above the temple. It could only be Ra." Lin-ya took a step towards the man. "Dan-yer is getting worst. He feels no pain from my potions, but they will soon no longer work like they are suppose to. I want to take him to Ra and have him healed." 'Then', Lin-ya thought, 'Dan-yer will see that he is wrong. Perhaps my mother still lives and I will see her.'
The news about Daniel didn't faze Nokrah, but the prospect of the god he so loyally worshipped had returned, got him to his feet and towards the door. "I must see for myself." Nokrah announced. He paused as he looked at Lin-ya. He took the black stick and glared at his mate. "Do not untie this man. He would prove useful to us later."
"But what about Dan-yer?"
'He could die for all I care.' Nokrah thought sourly but knew better than to say this out loud to his wife, who appeared to have a soft heart towards the young man. "Wait until I return. We will bring him to Ra together." Nokrah gave his mate what he hoped was a reassuring smile and left with the black stick.
Lin-ya stared at her husband's back. She wondered why her husband needed the black sticks to bring to Ra. She feared her husband may not be thinking in his right mind. She looked at the man on the ground and nearly cried out in startlement when she realized the man was awake. He was looking at her with cold brown eyes.
***********************************
Jack was waiting for a good moment to jump Nokrah. He didn't dare take a chance with Nokrah. So he watched with slitted eyes at the man, who was constantly diverting his attention back to Jack's gun. He thought of when he saw Nokrah by the river with Daniel's gun. Jack wondered if Nokrah had done something to Daniel to gain hism
The thought made his chest burn with rage.
Trying once more, Jack felt one more strand of his binds snap. Nokrah had saw Jack as injured and didn't take extra care in tying him. So Jack had sat there, slumped uncomfortably while pretending to be asleep. While he was playing possum, Jack was working on his binds with the rough surface of a rock he had secretly pocketed during his failed struggles against Nokrah.
The female voice that entered the room surprised Jack. He almost dropped his rock. He didn't think Nokrah had an accompliance.
The two were talking in the lilting words Jack heard the other natives spoke before. He nearly sat up when he heard something that sounded like Daniel's name. It was repeated many times. Through half closed eyes, Jack watched the graying hair woman wave her hands anxiously. She was saying Daniel's name with a tone of worry that Jack could understand in any language. Then he heard the name Ra mentioned a few times. Ra? Jack felt a chill run down his back. He couldn't understand what was being said, but it didn't sound good. Then he heard his name being said. He pretended to be still asleep. He could feel the occasional pair of eyes looking at him.
Finally, Nokrah left with Jack's gun, much to the colonel's dismay. Jack then felt the last of the strands snapped. He waited until Nokrah sounded far away. The woman was looking out the doorway apprehensively. Jack didn't like the idea of tackling the woman, but this was the better chance he had in escaping. Plus, he had to find out what they were saying about Daniel. He looked at her, guaging what to do when suddenly the woman turned around and made contact with his eyes.
'Shit.'
The woman made no sound. Her eyes widen in surprise and Jack wondered if she was going to scream out for Nokrah to return. Jack was prepared to jump at her when she suddenly put a finger to her lips, signaling him to remain quiet.
Surprised, Jack just nodded as the woman left momentarily. 'What the heck?' Jack wondered what he was doing just sitting here. This was his chance! But there was something about the way she casted a concerned look at him before she left that made him stay and take the chance. The way she had said Daniel's name in concern was enough to convince him that she might help him.
The woman returned with a sharp blade. She took another look outside. Then she motioned with her hands circling, for Jack to turn around. Realizing she was here to cut his binds, Jack grinned and shook his head. The woman looked puzzled. Jack slowly pulled out his hands from behind, revealing the torn remains of the binds.
"Thanks, but it's okay." Jack drawled, knowing she probably didn't understand anyway.
The woman, at first afraid, seemed to relax at Jack's grin. She set the knife on the table and helped Jack up, noting Jack's limp at the same time. She looked anxiously at him and asked him, "Theka yu Jak?"
Jack nodded, guessing if she was asking who he was. He pointed to himself as he had seen Daniel do in situations like this and repeated. "Jack. Me. Jack." 'You tarzan, me Jane.' Jack thought amused as he saw the woman nodded.
"Lin-ya." The woman pointed to herself with a smile. That faded however as she grasped his arm. "Dan-yer neet gah-ka. Jak kitt^me Dan-yer?"
Jack had no idea what she was saying, but he nodded at his and Daniel's name. The woman looked relieved and slowly guided him out of the hut....
"I have to get out of here," he murmured to himself. But how? He still felt awful, but if Ra was back, they were all in big trouble.
"Ok Danny, time to go for a walk," he said under his breath as he eased his way out of bed. Carefully, he put first one, then the other foot onto the dirt floor. He stood, and walked over to where the rest of his clothes were. He hadn't needed many with a fever.
The clothes felt strange as he put them on after so many days nearly naked. He much preferred the shapeless clothes he'd worn on Abydos, but these were much more practical in this environment. His boots were stiff from dis-use, and he laced them up slowly, not wanting to hunch over to reach the laces because of the pain in his abdomen. After a little while, he was dressed, and ready to go.
Taking one last look around the hut, he left, and walked into the night without looking back. It was easy to know where to go. The shaft of light lit up the night, pure white light illuminating the forest around him. It seemed to shimmer, like there were tiny sparkles dancing in it. The light cast eerie shadows on the trees, and Daniel felt very uneasy.
He had to confirm that this was Ra. Lin-ya could have been mistaken, or it could be an impostor. There were many explanations, and the least likely was that it was indeed Ra. Daniel mulled over the possibilities as he walked, careful to be as quiet as possible, and to stay well hidden.
The temple wasn't very far away, and Daniel's breath caught in his throat as he stepped into the clearing. It was designed like any other Egyptian temple: two obelisks on either side, an avenue of sphinxes lining the road to the entrance, and many pillars, but it was much, much richer. The walls were carved with scenes of battle and conquest, and Daniel could see the glint of gold that was on the relief, glinting in the soft light. This was by far the most magnificent temple Daniel had ever seen.
There were people lined up in front of the temple, waiting to get in. The line moved very slowly; it seemed only one person was allowed in at a time. Daniel could just see their faces, and they were all awed. Some had fear in their faces, and yet others had tears streaming down their cheeks.
'I have to get inside,' Daniel thought. 'But how?' He decided on the spur of the moment to join the line of people, and quickly did so, before common sense allowed him to change his mind. He had to know for sure what was going on! 'I'll look for Jack the moment I'm finished here,' Daniel swore to himself. He didn't think Jack would appreciate loosing priority to this, but Daniel was an Egyptologist, first and foremost, and this was too much for his curiosity to resist.
After a time, Daniel was at the head of the line. He couldn't see far into the temple because it was so huge, but he could see that the shaft of light originated from the centre, and also obscured what was at the far end. The man who had gone in before Daniel was now on his way out, awe shining in his eyes and tears streaking his cheeks and reflecting the light. He walked right past Daniel, not seeing him, and went on his way. It was Daniel's turn.
Taking a deep, calming breath, Daniel stepped into the temple. Everything inside was lit up, and Daniel was amazed at the details of this place. 'So much writing to translate, so little time,' he thought wryly to himself. He took his time, walking slowly down the centre of the temple, looking at the statues and carvings on his way. Strangely, there didn't seem to be any guards or priests in the temple. He was apparently alone.
He was close enough to the walls to read some of the hieroglyphs. They confirmed that this was the temple of Ra, and that he slept here after his great battles. Did that mean there was a sarcophagus here? 'What is this?' Daniel stepped closer to the wall. It seemed to show Ra several times, coming out of his sarcophagus. 'Why was there more than one?' Daniel pondered. 'Is there more than one Ra?' He suppressed a giggle at the comparison of spare Ra's to spare tires. He kept walking, and stepped around the column of light and in front of the throne at the end of the room.
It was Ra. He was sitting regally (as usual) with no expression on his face. He was wearing plain clothes, but his bearing emanated power and grace. Daniel remembered to kneel, and wondered if this was merely a very good statue. That idea was proven wrong a moment later as Ra gestured for Daniel to rise.
"You are not like the others," he said, and his voice was normal. Daniel's heart skipped a beat, but he maintained his composure.
"No, my lord," he said as he rose. He paused a moment before asking, "Don't you recognise me my lord?" Ra looked puzzled for a moment before he answered.
"No, but then again, nothing looks familiar," he said, and sighed. "I don't know why, but I do feel like I can trust you, so I will ask you for your help. I need you to tell me who I am."
"What?" Daniel squeaked, not believing his ears.
Jack was wishing at this point, that he could run or at least walk faster. His ankle was starting to give him problems again and it was getting annoying to see Lin-ya stop every so often to wait for him to catch up. She pointed to a small home down a gentle slope. Jack figured it would had normally taken him fifteen minutes to reach there. Now? Well, Jack might as well be making sleeping arrangements along its path because he sure as hell wasn't going to get there before nightfall again.
At least, that was what his ankle was telling him. Lin-ya stopped yet again, not at all upset with the delay. She just puckered her lips in concern when she saw Jack straggling along. 'The only good thing about this', Jack thought as he made his way painfully down the slope, 'is that if Daniel is with her, at least I know SHE wouldn't hurt him.' He wasn't sure about the man she was talking to before. He didn't know what was Lin-ya's relation with Nokrah, but at this point, Jack didn't care. He just wanted to get to Daniel and see with his own eyes that the Egyptologist was okay. Jack kept hearing Daniel scream in pain as they had fell from that damn bridge.
"Treka Daniel?" Lin-ya asked again, then she stopped as she realized Jack didn't understand her.
"Yeah," Jack quipped as he finally reached to where she was. "I think Daniel's a geek, too!" He shook his head at Lin-ya's blank look. "Where's a linguist when you need him?"
Lin-ya, thinking Jack's head shake meant he was tired, gathered up her courage to come closer and took him by the elbow. The assistance seemed to irk the man, but he relaxed a bit and leaned a bit into her. Lin-ya tried not to smile as she felt the man trying to walk on his own every so often.
'It is just like a man to be too proud.' Lin-ya thought as they finally reached her home. Once they're inside, Lin-ya decided, she would have to help this man's injuries. Proud or not.
Jack tried not to make a face at the strange herbal smells that were coming out of the home. He eyed the small dwelling, noted the lack of windows and decided nobody was going to pounce on him. Jack hobbled in with Lin-ya, one wary eye ahead of him. Lin-ya, sensing Jack's suspicion, sighed exasperated as if the suspicion was ridiculous. 'Then again', Jack thought back to Nokrah, 'can she really blame me?'
"Dan-yer! I bring back your friend Jak!" Lin-ya called out in her language as she motioned Jack to sit down. Jack tried to follow her, but she gave him a motherly frown and none too gently pushed him down onto the chair again. "Dan-yer?" Lin-ya called out again as she entered the other room.
Jack wasn't too happy that Lin-ya was able to order him around. The look she gave him made him feel like ten years old again when he accidently burned little Janey's braids, their neighbor at that time. Jack felt like any minute, Lin-ya was going to put him in a corner. So Jack sat there with a scowl, all the while itching to see if his friend was okay.
Just then, Lin-ya came out of the room, her face white with shock. She opened her mouth to say something, but Jack didn't wait. At the first look of her expression, Jack had gotten up and went past her to the room he saw her enter.
The room was small. It had only a sleeping mat with animal skins on top of it. Next to it was a small table with strange colored herbs and even stranger smelling liquids by them. Jack saw Daniel's backpack that was the SGC standard lying in a corner. Jack saw Daniel's jacket with the SGC insignia on it, folded on the table.
What Jack didn't see was Daniel himself.
"Ina gute Dan-yer." Lin-ya started helplessly.
Jack knew what Lin-ya was probably saying, even if he didn't know what it was exactly. He stared at the empty mat where Daniel should have been and felt like as if someone was enjoying this sick joke at his expense.
"I thought you said Daniel was here." Jack said, his voice dangerously thin. He knew it was probably not Lin-ya's fault. Judging the strange herbs, she was probably helping Daniel with his injuries. But Lin-ya was the one who went to get Jack, not Daniel. From how Lin-ya was reacting, Daniel SHOULD have been still bed ridden, therefore he was badly hurt. Daniel wouldn't be wandering around somewhere. He should be right here, annoying Jack with his usual cultural babble. Jack was not happy with the way things seem to be coming unraveled before him and Lin-ya suddenly seemed a very convenient person to vent to right now.
"I thought you said Daniel was here." Jack repeated. Lin-ya took a step back nervously as she tried to say something. Frustration was written all over her face as she realized yet again that communication was not possible.
"What the hell did you do with my geek?" Jack yelled.
Nokrah hurried down the path he knew by heart. The path that led to the Temple. The trees that cluttered his view, gradually cleared away to a clearing and to the magnificant temple he knew well enough to walk around in with close eyes. People were leaving the Temple, tears down their faces and their hands clasped in joy. Nokrah's heart soared as he realized that what his mate said was probably true then. Ra has returned! Nokrah must greet his worship and tell him all that loyal Nokrah has done for him. Then he will volunteer his assistance once more to Ra. He wanted to help Ra in the great battles that made him leave his people so long ago. He wanted to help vanquish the hated cave dwellers and the Village of the River with Ra. Nokrah didn't doubt for a moment that Ra would accept him. Was not his mate's mother one of Ra's people since she had left? Did not Nokrah prayed every night for Ra? Did Nokrah not stone the accursed sister of Lin-ya for her blasphemy, accusing the gods to be demons and false?
Nokrah approached the Temple to climb the steps he knew so well. Then he froze. A small figure in a distance was climbing the steps with painful slowness. Nokrah narrowed his eyes for a better look and realized it was the young man Dan-yer. 'Had my Lin-ya brought him here to be healed against my wishes?' Nokrah had a fearful thought come to his head.
Nokrah had wanted to show Ra the black stick to gain favoritism. What if Dan-yer was going to trade it to be healed? Nokrah shook his head and quickened his approach. No matter what, Nokrah had to gain the good of Ra before Dan-yer ruined everything...
As Sam sat by the fire, unfamiliar smells began to waft through the campsite. Bitter yet heady smoke. She noticed many of the men had rolled up large leaves, set the ends on fire -and were inhaling the vapors. She tried to find out what they were doing from Loni, he explained best he could that they wanted to bring the spirits - to help strengthen them for fighting the enemy the next day. Sam clearly understood his signs for fighting, and when he added a gesture for sunrise, she knew a battle was planned for the next day. With whom, she wondered.
Loni was pleased that they were finally 'talking' about what he wanted to know. He retrieved the woman's gun "Sam...eh? BOOM!...eh?" He shook the gun at her and waited for her to instruct him.
So, he wants to know how to use the gun..."No, Loni." Sam raised her hands in a gesture of refusal and shook her head, "I can't give you such a powerful weapon and I can't join in your fight." She reached for his hand and looked into his face, seeing the disappointment there, and simply repeated "No!"
Loni grunted his frustration, picked up the gun with one hand and grabbed hold of Sam with the other, and strode back to his hut. When she goes into battle with us, she will use this stick to fight - tomorrow we will see. He pushed her roughly inside and lay down to sleep.
Planning to get her gun back and make her escape once the camp was asleep, Sam lay down cautiously and closed her eyes. It had been nearly two days since she'd last seen Daniel. She mouthed a silent prayer, and allowed herself to drift off to sleep.
A short time passed, when Sam woke to a gentle tapping on the hut door. She retreated to the shadows and waited, hoping it wasn't one of Loni's men, drunk on leaf vapor and come to make trouble. As the tapping grew more insistent, Loni awoke. Instinctively, he grabbed his knife and moved to the door, motioning for Sam to stay back. Sam couldn't see around him, but he was whispering excitedly to whoever was at the door. The voice sounded female and Sam was sure she'd heard the name 'O'Neill'! Certain the woman had brought news about Jack, Sam stepped forward - immediately wishing she had not!
The woman reacted to Sam's presence with angry shouts and accusing looks at Loni. He returned the angry sounding words and grabbed Sam by the hair, forcing her to kneel beside him.
"Kiryani, she is a captive here - a stranger who can show us how to use powerful weapons - help us win the war!" Loni shouted.
"Emek tells me you have taken her...well?" Kiryani questioned.
Loni angrily answered "What does Emek ever know? She means nothing like that to me!"
Kiryani was not convinced "You keep her in your hut. Why? If she means nothing to you, bring her to Emek, give her to any of the other men!"
Loni cleverly turned the argument "Wait...you came here asking my help to find a stranger. To save a stranger from the People of Ra...this O'Neyal - a man or woman?"
Kiryani hesitated "A man...why does that matter?"
Loni pressed his point "And how did you meet this man? Come to know about him?"
Kiryani knew what would convince Loni to help her "He has a weapon - much like that woman's. She is of no use to us! Come with me now, we can find O'Neyal- he is a great warrior and he will join us! He will show us the great power of the weapons!"
Loni became very excited "He told you this?"
Kiryani lied "Yes! Well, I believe so...it is so hard to understand them. He was injured...'Dan'yer' he kept saying." Returning her attention to Sam, Kiryani grabbed her chin to look better at her. Sam twisted away, certain she had heard both Jack and Daniel's names. "Why did you take this woman?"
Loni grew defensive "I told you...Emek doesn't know..."
"Emek! Emek! I am asking you!" Kiryani yelled.
"Quiet! You will wake the whole camp! If we go to find O'Neyal - this woman comes too!" Loni commanded.
Sam watched as the two stood face to face glaring at each other. She knew they were arguing over her, and she wished desperately to be able to communicate with them. All she could do was wait, something she was not at all comfortable doing.
Kiryani offered her final ultimatum to Loni, knowing full well if he refused, she could tell the rest of the camp that the strange woman was theirs for the taking, "You will give her to the other men and then leave with me alone!"
*****************************************************
Teal'c drifted in and out of consciousness, vaguely aware of the Others removing him from his sticky prison and bringing him through a long tunnel to what seemed to be the underground entrance way to a temple. He could tell they were no longer reading his thoughts. They were communicating with the Goa'uld within him. Until now, he had always felt completely in control of the larva, although he depended on it for his survival, it had become another part of his own body indistinguishable from his heart or any other organ. It frightened him to realize it could think, feel, communicate and have a mind totally independent from his. There was something very familiar about the temple...yes, it was definitely Goa'uld...but what symbols? Teal'c realized with great relief that it had to be Ra, and since he was killed, the temple must be empty. Overcoming his exhaustion and hunger, Teal'c appealed to his captors "You must not be fooled by the false promises of the Goa'uld! Many who have believed what they were told have been destroyed!"
The Others began to talk among themselves. They halted their journey briefly to consider what the Jaffa was saying. "Your thoughts show you believe you are telling the truth. We also distrust the Goa'uld, but this one within you promises to make things right here. It promises to restore our world to the time before. The Goa'uld has much knowledge - of the workings of this temple, of the Chappa'Ai deep within the temple, and many powerful weapons to eliminate the invaders to our world!"
Teal'c continued to warn them about the danger of believing the Goa'uld, but their thoughts interrupted him. "Teal'c, the Goa'uld within you has sensed a great presence in the temple. It knows that one called Ra has returned, and it will gain Ra's help for us."
Teal'c was greatly confused. If Ra was alive, had O'Neill and Daniel Jackson lied to him? Why would they? Perhaps to convince him not to believe in the gods? His mind was swimming and for the first time in his life he felt weak, alone, unsure. All of the teachings about the gods, and how he must be loyal to them even sacrificing himself for them, came flooding back to him.
The Others read these thoughts and understood "Teal'c, perhaps those of Earth have used you to fight their battles much in the same way the Goa'uld did. Now you must decide for yourself whether to work as one with the Goa'uld within you or continue to fight what promises to be a battle you can not win. Soon you will meet Ra. The Others will work with you to help you understand that you must pledge yourself to Ra - you must serve him, protect him, and do whatever he commands!"
The Others surrounded Teal'c, who sat on the floor, in a trance like state. They held hands and focused their mental energy as they attempted to control the Jaffa's thoughts. It would not be easy, for the man was as strong of mind as he was of body - but they acted when he was in a moment of weakness, and they were certain of success.
*************************************************************
Loni looked down at Sam "O'Neyal?" he asked her, looking for signs of recognition in her face.
Sam excitedly shook her head "Yes! O'Neill - a fighter and friend I was traveling with - does she know where he is? Is he in trouble?" As Sam rose to her feet, Kiryani moved to force her to kneel once again. Sam reflexively flipped her over, and she landed with a hard thud on the hut floor.
Loni had had enough of the squabbling that was getting them nowhere. He pulled the two women apart and called out a wake up signal to the rest of the camp. The attack on the People of Ra would begin now. If they were holding this O'Neyal, he would become an ally to the River people. Hopefully, the People of Ra did not know how to use his lightning stick. As much as he did not want Kiryani to go into battle with him, he also knew he could not hold her back..."I've had my fill of strong willed women" he muttered to himself.
Sam watched the camp ready itself for battle. One of the men came to her and placed red pigment on her forehead and hands, as was being done to the other warriors. It was then that she realized she was expected to fight, whether she wanted to or not.
As a final act of preparation, Loni tied a strong rope tightly about Sam's waist and the other end he tied around himself. He then took up position in the front of the army and they began their march to the village of the People of Ra. The lighting stick he entrusted to Kiryani, with orders to give it to the golden haired woman when the fighting began. Kiryani knew the seriousness of this battle, put her dislike of the woman aside for the time being, and marched along obediently. In the last two battles, the River people had suffered losses and retreated, now she was told it would be different. They would fight on, no matter what the cost. It was to be the last battle and they must win!
Daniel began to stagger and hear a buzzing in his ears. Lin-ya's potions were wearing off now, and the deep, searing pain in his belly roared back. Ra was speaking to him again, but he couldn't hear him clearly. The pain overwhelmed his senses and caused him to sink down to the floor, curled up, not daring to move. He called out for Ra to help him in a final act of desperation. It was just then that Nokrah stormed into the temple.
"Oh Great One! Ra, god of my people! You have returned, and now Nokrah will serve you!" He saw Daniel lying on the ground. "This one is evil my lord. He is an unbeliever - he tells my wife not to believe in you, that you would not return...that you were dead! Allow Nokrah to take him from your temple and stone him as..." Nokrah stopped speaking when he saw Teal'c approach. 'Ra has returned with one of the servants of old as well', he thought. 'This is good'!
"My lord" Teal'c said as he bowed before Ra, waiting for his orders.
Daniel slowly lifted himself up on one elbow, greatly relieved to see Teal'c "Thank God, Teal'c! Is everyone else here?"
Teal'c slowly turned to look at Daniel, and the hatred that poured out of his eyes caused Daniel to shiver. "Why are you here Daniel Jackson? If you intend to attempt the destruction of this god once again, I will do all within my power to prevent it."
Daniel, finding himself energized by Teal'c's presence, rose unsteadily to his feet and headed toward his teammate. "Teal'c, what are you saying? I'm not hearing things too well...I guess it's all those potions and the fall...where's Sam, Jack?" Teal'c remained motionless, not answering - simply staring, and gripping his staff weapon tightly. Daniel turned once again to Ra "You felt as if you could trust me...I need your help, then we can talk about..."
Before Daniel could finish, Teal'c swung the staff weapon in a wide arc and hit him across the stomach. "You will not approach your god unless he summons you!"
He collapsed onto the floor once again. The pain was too much for Daniel to bear, there was certainly internal bleeding now. Why was Teal'c doing this? Did Ra have some sort of power over him? But Ra didn't seem to know who, or what he was. Nothing made sense, everything hurt - hurt so intensely.
Teal'c and Nokrah looked to Ra for an indication of what to do. Ra asked "I have the means to heal this man?"
"Yes, my lord" answered Teal'c, "your healing sarcophagus."
"Take him to be healed, I will speak with him after" Ra commanded.
Teal'c lifted Daniel effortlessly and carried him to the golden sarcophagus. Nokrah followed at a safe distance. He did not want to see Daniel healed. This was not going as he had planned.
Daniel tried to prepare himself for what was to follow. He knew there was no other choice, it was likely his spleen had ruptured, and he knew he'd be dead within hours. For a minute, the thought crossed his mind that death might be a better alternative, then he pulled his thoughts together and made a plan. He would try to remain as alert as possible and exit the sarcophagus the instant he felt better. He vowed that he would not stay a moment longer. As Teal'c placed him in the box, he felt like a recovering alcoholic must feel if given an open bottle of whiskey and told he must drink. Only a few minutes, he kept telling himself. The covering stones slid slowly into place, and the all-to-familiar darkness surrounded him. He steeled himself for the first shock of energy. He remembered it felt like a large electric shock, much like a zat gun blast, at first - then...oh...then. The machine began ministering to him, the painful shock, followed by a soft tingling - starting in his toes and working its way up his body. He became unaware of the pain, of his surroundings. He felt an immediate high, much more quickly than any other times it seemed. It felt wondrous, how he'd missed it! He tried to concentrate...'just a little bit longer, Daniel...hold on just a little bit longer'. His body felt stronger, the healing would be complete soon. He tried not to think about how else it might be changing him, how long it took him to recover before...'hold on.'
Teal'c left the chamber and Nokrah stood waiting impatiently for Dan'yer to come out. He heard a familiar voice in the outer hallway. It was Lin-ya! Why was she here? Nokrah did not want her to find Dan'yer, so he pulled the lever to move the sarcophagus back into the wall, and went to find his disobedient wife.
'No!' Daniel thought. He could feel the motion of the sarcophagus, the same way Shyla had made it move when she locked him inside for hours at a time. He desperately needed to get out, now! He tried pushing and pounding on the ungiving walls and ceiling of the box. It all seemed to close in on him, it was stifling, he felt buried alive. "Help me out! Please! Open up the sarcophagus!" Daniel began to shout, but to no avail. There was no one there to hear. Daniel felt an incredible rush of excitement and it seemed as if he were floating away. He lost all conscious thought and was forced to yield to the complete control of the addiction.
Nokrah was never good at lying to his wife, but he would try his best, "What are you doing in the temple? You were to stay with the man!"
Lin-ya, at once frightened by Nokrah's presence and urged on by her worry over Dan'yer, bravely responded "I left the man in your hut and returned to find Dan'yer gone! He is too sick to be walking around. Is he here? Has Ra really returned?"
Nokrah hastily answered, moving her toward the doorway, "Dan'yer is not here, but Ra is come back! You go find Dan'yer, he needs your help!"
She suspected something was wrong. Why was he making her leave so quickly? No matter, she needed to find Dan'yer - so she left. Once outside the temple, she found Jack waiting in the bushes. She shook her head to tell him his friend was not inside.
"Oh, Danny, do we ever have problems!" Jack mumbled. If Daniel was out wandering around somewhere, probably hurt, he's gonna find himself in the middle of a firefight in just a few minutes, Jack continued to think. Jack had heard the warning cries of sentries outside the village and saw a large group of very unfriendlys approaching.
Nokrah also heard the cries and knew the signal meant an attack from the River people. He must go to Ra, ask for his help to defend his people. No one was likely to come for Dan'yer for a long while, so he could wait. Nokrah took one last look at the wall holding Daniel prisoner. He wondered what it must be like inside the sarcophagus of wonder. What it must be like to feel like a god! For a brief moment, he envied the man he would soon kill.
All of Jack's instincts kicked in now. He had to find high ground, defensible high ground and some weapons - any kind of weapons! Lin-ya was already ahead of him; she'd brought him a spear, bow and several arrows - but no gun. 'Her gorilla friend must still have my gun, and Daniel's,' Jack thought. He was moving now, faster than he thought his ankle would allow, and he noted with some concern, that the cast was beginning to crumble. Settling down at the top of a hill, he took out his field glasses - about the only thing he had left in equipment - and looked at the advancing army. 'No advanced weaponry that's good... but they look mad as hell!' he continued to analyze. He tried to focus in on their leader, but he kept disappearing behind trees. There were two people walking close to the man in the lead...they were..."Oh shit! Would ya look at that!" Jack exclaimed out loud.
Lin-ya did look ahead, it was River people, and they would fight to the death this time. She prayed this stranger could help her and her people, and she clung to Jack for fear of her life.
Loni had spotted Jack moving up to the hill - something about him was familiar. When he figured it out, he took Kiryani aside, pointing to Jack's position; he asked her, "See the People of Ra there? The old woman and a man- her son maybe? What do you see Kiryani?"
She strained to see what Loni easily deciphered through the trees, "Oneyal!" she gasped.
"This is your new friend? Our ally? Fighting with the People of Ra?" Loni angrily questioned.
Kiryani could not explain, "I told you he was hurt, maybe they are forcing him..."
"Oh yes! An old woman forces him to fight!" Loni shouted. "Look closer, Kiryani, he is not dressed as the People of Ra, he is not dressed as the woman stranger - Sam - HE WEARS CLOTHES OF THE RIVER PEOPLE! Is it that he wears my clothes? Those I was to wear to our promising? Is it you who dressed him, Kiryani? What else did you do with him?"
There was no explaining this to Loni, and no time to explain. Somehow she had to convince Loni not to attack Oneyal. She knew he would be a friend, "Let the golden haired one talk to him! He will not fight her!"
"I will not let anyone fight my battles, or take my woman! This Oneyal will be the first of the People of Ra to die!" he began to move quickly, dragging Sam behind him. She could barely keep up, still tethered to him with strong rope. They keep talking about O'Neill, she thought. We're coming Jack, just be sure to hold your fire!
At Loni's approach, Jack drew an arrow and aimed it with expert precision. He could see that Sam was some sort of prisoner, tied somehow to this leader. The woman who rescued him from the river seemed reluctant to follow. Jack began to stand up from his hiding place, but Lin-ya pulled him down. "Look, you don't understand!" he began to tell her, "I know the women in that group...women..." He held his hands up to his chest in the position of breasts "Women?"
Lin-ya stared blankly at him.
Jack stood anyway and called to the attackers "Sam, I know you're there. Sam! Answer me!" He kept the bow drawn, and soon saw Loni approach out in the open, his bow drawn as well. Sam, still tied, tried to step between them, but Loni pushed her to the ground with a bloodthirsty look that told her to freeze where she was. Loni then commanded Kiryani to cut Sam loose from him and watch that she didn't move. He continued to face O'Neill - warriors both - weapons at the ready.
'Wish I had my gun' was Jack's first thought, knowing he was most likely not a match with the bow.
'Only to know the secrets of the lightning stick' Loni was thinking, still measuring up his opponent. Then he noticed Jack's ankle, and that was all it took. Throwing down the bow and lifting his bolo weapon off his shoulder in one swift motion, he threw it at Jack's foot. Concentrating on shooting the arrow, Jack left his feet planted. He managed to get one shot off, before the bolo made contact and knocked him solidly to the ground. He rolled in pain away from his attacker.
Jack's aim was good, and made contact with Loni's shoulder. Uttering only a low grunt, he pulled out the arrow and motioned for Kiryani to bind a rag around the open wound. Seeing her chance, Sam jumped up, grabbed her gun, and ran to Jack's side. She stood now, pointing the weapon, safety removed at this leader of the River people. She could see the rest of Loni's army making a large circle around the village below. Sounds of hand to hand combat rang in her ears.
"Good job, Captain!" she heard O'Neill say behind her. "Give me the gun, and we'll..."
"With all respect, sir, you don't look like you can even stand up!" Sam replied, not taking her gaze off of Loni, who was fingering his lasso nervously.
Lin-ya stared in amazement at this fair haired warrior woman. These people were strange indeed! She felt safer now, and slipped away, unnoticed, into the forest to continue looking for Danyer.
"Carter! I'll tell you when I think I can't do something, understand!" Jack had lost what little patience he had left, and struggled to his feet. "Give me the gun, we'll take care of them, and then..."
"And then, sir?" Sam asked. "We have to stop these people from fighting before they kill each other off, and us in the process! This leader seems very wise, I think he only wants to fight if it's the only way."
"Well, I'm still your commanding officer, and I'm not going on anyone's hunches but mine, and I'd say just a few seconds ago he'd have killed me in a heart beat!" Jack retorted, moving closer to Sam.
"Loni believes you took his woman, near as I can figure!" Sam whispered, gesturing to Kiryani - who seemed very torn on what to do herself.
At the mention of Loni's name, it all clicked for Jack. So, he wasn't wearing a brother or a father's clothes, Loni was her husband? "You got to spend some time with this guy, Carter? Find out something maybe we can use?"
"No, sir, just that he treated me well. If only there were some way to communicate with them..." Sam stood her ground, gun aimed, unsure how to proceed.
Kiryani could stand still no longer, she moved to Loni's side fussing over his wound all the while explaining to him that she hadn't led them into a trap. Oneyal was a prisoner of the People of Ra - she had seen it with her own eyes. And that if it angered him so much to lose her to the stranger...she loved him even more! Maybe these strangers take no side in the war! Kiryani wisely hoped. She grabbed Loni's arm and walked him past Sam to O'Neill's side, pleading with him to make peace.
Loni remembered how Sam had taught him to shake hands, and reached out for O'Neill. Jack tentatively responded and with a firm shake of hands a truce was called. Loni smiled and slapped Jack soundly on the back. "OK! OK! Now that we don't have to worry about killing each other, what about your army down there?" Jack motioned to the fighting going on below them. The People of Ra were losing badly. They were unprepared and in the midst of celebrating Ra's return. It would be a clear victory for the River people. Loni's men awaited final orders from their leader, as they rounded up the last survivors in the village.
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Daniel could barely stand the exhilaration, the complete stimulation of his mind and body; he knew what it was like to feel like a god. He wished it would never stop, his mind raced, thoughts coming in bursts...new discoveries...wondrous feelings...plans...inexplicable happiness...power...liberation. God he felt so good, so much a feeling of having come home. The world about him had long ago slipped away, replaced by visions of the universe...ultimate power and knowledge... simple existence seemed intolerable now. Did he detect a slight movement? Yes, the coffin was sliding again, being brought out of its hiding place. No! Not yet! It's too soon! Daniel cried out in his thoughts.
The Others gathered around the sarcophagus as it moved slowly to a stop. They had been drawn to Daniel by the power of his thoughts, and watched him warily as the covering stones parted and he cautiously sat up. Daniel smiled excitedly as he realized these beings could talk to him with thoughts, although they could barely keep up with the speed of his mind now. In a matter of minutes, they explained to him what had happened with Teal'c and how they planned to influence Ra, to persuade him to eliminate the tribesmen from their world. Daniel, in return, told them much about the Goa'uld and the extreme danger in what they were planning. He convinced them, that as he had defeated Ra once before, he could easily do so again, and as far as the tribesmen being a problem - he would eliminate that as well. The power and sureness with which he spoke convinced them all...he would be the tool they would use to regain their world!
Next, they asked him what they should do about the Jaffa? What of the mind control? Daniel appeared confused, he sat down briefly to think...'Teal'c...the rest of them too...they'll need my help...' Figuring he had his plan set now, Daniel determined he would first take care of Ra, then find sg-1...then...his thoughts were jumbled. 'Why am I having trouble concentrating?' he wondered, as he ran his fingers lovingly over the top of the sarcophagus. The Others questioned his garbled thoughts. He responded with an order, for them to release the Jaffa from their mind control...immediately! He then instructed them to remain where they were, and he went in search of Ra.
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Ra had learned much from the Jaffa who loyally guarded him. It all began to make sense, as memories of other lifetimes came to him. He was Goa'uld and he was being called forth to replace the great one lost in battle. He was the great one. There could never be a death of Ra. It was something that could never be. The gods had determined this. He smiled as his eyes glowed with an eerie fire. Now, his people called out to him from yet another battle. There were powerful weapons in his temple; he would use them to win the war for his people. Also, there were those who attempted to destroy him, who were unbelievers, in this world. To think, he almost trusted the fair-haired one. He placed his fingers carefully within a golden, jeweled glove provided by the Jaffa. "Jaffa! Position the energy cannon outside the temple, and fire upon the invaders of my village. All will know my power! I go to find the one you call Daniel Jackson, the defiler of what should be worshipped! He will feel the anger of a god who can not be destroyed!"
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Teal'c obediently set the cannon, and began firing wide bursts of energy at the army of the River people. He could hear agonized screams. Suddenly, he began to feel tired, his head throbbing. In the weapon sight appeared the enemies of his god, no...his friends...enemies... One turn of the firing mechanism, and they would exist no more. Teal'c tightened his grip, then loosened it again to hold his head. The pounding was intense.
Jack and Sam dove for cover, dragging Loni and Kiryani with them. "They've got blast weapons and Jaffa up there! Where'd they come from!" Jack shouted.
Sam was checking with her field glasses and reported "That Jaffa is Teal'c! He seems to be in some kind of trouble!"
They began to work their way closer to the temple, keeping under cover, as they saw Teal'c sit on the ground in a trance-like state. The Others were attempting to reverse the effects of their mind control, but the process was not going smoothly.
Jack wasn't about to risk everyone getting caught or killed and instructed them to remain hidden while he went up for a closer look. His sight was drawn beyond Teal'c to the entrance way to the temple. He swallowed hard when he realized Daniel was there, struggling to free himself from the grip of someone who was holding him from behind. Then Jack saw something that terrified him, so much so that he couldn't move...he could barely think. He was certain it was Ra, and he was equally certain that Daniel's life was soon over.
Creeping now, Jack knew he must stay low as to not be seen, he passed Teal'c in his urgency to come to Daniel's aide. He noted that something seemed very wrong with the Jaffa, and he'd have to return to assist him as well. His ankle, further damaged in his scuffle with Loni, wouldn't hold him much longer, yet he had to prepare for another fight. He wouldn't let Daniel down. Daniel continued to struggle, shouting angrily at his captor - who now Jack recognized as the beast of a man who had also held him captive. 'No way Jackson's gonna win a fight with that guy' Jack reflected. 'OK O'Neill, you've got one arrow, a rather dull spear, one good foot, and...not a chance of winning a fight with gorilla man and Ra. Can't be Ra...yet... At least Daniel seems to be OK, wonder why that woman was so worried about him...' Jack was now close enough to hear what was going on inside the temple.
Nokrah had a tight grip on Daniel's arms, pinning them behind his back. Daniel continued to writhe and kick and try to pull away, "Ignorant! I said you were ignorant! Let go of me now! You don't know who you are dealing with here, and what will happen to you if..."
Daniel stopped shouting as he became aware of Ra's approach. He wasn't afraid, he was angry, confrontational and the high he continued to feel after the sarcophagus was propelling him to speak his mind to this self-fashioned 'god.' "And you!" Daniel spat at Ra. "You say you want to trust me? Want my help? I would say you need my help more than you realize!"
O'Neill couldn't believe his ears, what the hell was Daniel doing THIS time? There was something about his voice, the speed with which he spoke, the edge to it...no... Jack guessed that Daniel had been hurt, perhaps near death, and now he was feeling the after-effects of the sarcophagus. 'Oh, what does that thing do to your head? You were gonna take on the entire SGC last time, now Ra must seem like a minor problem!' Jack moved as close as he dared while still remaining hidden.
Ra was not pleased with Daniel's tone of voice, and gestured to Nokrah to force Daniel into a kneeling position. Daniel knelt quickly, but equally fast, he reached back and hit at the back of Nokrah's knees, knocking the large man to the floor. His head hit with a loud thud, he groaned once, and lay very still. "You still don't understand, do you?" Daniel asked Ra in a very condescending tone. He began to rise to his feet, when Ra opened his gloved hand - revealing the glowing jewel Daniel knew very well. Daniel remained kneeling, but did not stop talking, "You want to be worshipped? You want followers? Loyal, obedient subjects? Then you must truly care for these people, all of these people of this world! You owe them that much...and the original beings who lived here before you came... you must be benevolent to them as well!"
Ra hesitated, flexing his gloved hand over Daniel's head. The words of this man seemed very wise, but his way of speaking them was impudent, not the way a god must be treated. "I know what YOU must do, Daniel Jackson, you must worship me...now...on your knees bend, until you are prone on the floor before me, and worship me loudly for all to hear!" Ra commanded.
"You want me to do WHAT?" Daniel asked, as he let out an amazed laugh. "You have a planet whose people are killing themselves off around you, something you have the power to stop. You have subjects so willing to follow you, do all that you command. You could build a great world here once again, and all you want is for me to worship you as my god? What good would that do? I can't believe you could be so stupid!"
As those words left his lips, Ra lost all patience with this subject. He sent a blast of energy directly behind Daniel, causing him to dive forward. His resulting position, lying face down on the ground at Ra's feet. Nokrah was beginning to stand up, and Jack knew he could not wait any longer. He hurled himself through the temple entrance, once again knocking Nokrah down, then he turned to face Ra, trying to keep his balance on his lone good foot.
Daniel yelled "Jack, what are you trying to do? Get yourself killed?" Jack didn't respond, he kept looking at Ra.
"So," Ra calmly began "This is one of the people of my world who will gladly worship me?"
"Not exactly," Jack answered "You don't know who I am?"
"There's a lot he doesn't know!" came Daniel's sarcastic response.
Ra lifted his foot and placed the heel of his shoe squarely over the back of Daniel's neck, all the while keeping his gloved hand pointed at O'Neill, "I can break your neck with one step, or I can spare you... you make the choice for me!" Ra urged Daniel. "My decision to trust you was not wrong. You must agree to worship me, devote yourself to me, and I will learn from you the things you know about my past. You will stay at my side and assist your god to lead this world, or you will choose death."
Daniel felt suddenly exhausted, he didn't know how to respond. He wasn't about to worship this being, yet he knew Ra could be a good leader of the people. He had done so much for the people of ancient Egypt. Another thought came to Daniel's clouded mind...if he stayed, if he worshipped, did whatever Ra commanded, he would have use of the sarcophagus for hundreds of years!
Jack sensed Daniel's indecision, and spoke up "He's not about to grovel on the ground and worship some guy who pretends to be..."
"My lord" Daniel whispered.
Ra eased up on his foot a little, "What?"
"My lord, and my god" Daniel choked out. "I will stay with you, do all you command. I ask in return that you let those who came to this world with me go free, and you stop the fighting among all those living here."
Ra was surprised and pleased to have Daniel's resistance broken so easily. "I will do as you ask." He bent over and tenderly lifted Daniel to a standing position. "You are weak, tired. I will allow you to sleep in the golden box, and when you awaken this world will be at peace."
"Oh no! It's not gonna go down like this!" Jack insisted. "Jackson! Try to concentrate, think! Can you remember how you felt even a few days ago? Sam and I..."
"Jack, I'm really tired. Go find Sam, Teal'c; go back to the Gate. Everything's fine now. Just go!"
O'Neill tried to move to Daniel's side to physically drag him out of the temple, but Ra stood between them, motioning for Jack to leave the temple. "I'm not going to leave, now what are *you* going to do?" Jack directed this question at Daniel, who simply stared at him...not responding.
© 1998 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 authors.
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