<<Previous  | Story Intro | Return to Stories | Next >>

Janet hurried into the conference room. "Daniel, can you sit her down?"

"I can try," he replied. Sam dragged a chair to where he stood, his arms locked around his wife. When he tried to maneuver her into the chair however, her body remained stiff.

"Perhaps if you were to hold her, Daniel Jackson," Teal'c suggested quietly.

With a nod, Daniel scooped the slender blonde into his arms, sat down on the chair. For a few seconds, it seemed that she wouldn't relax. He sighed audibly when her body went slack, then seemed to cuddle against him.

With the ease earned of practice, Janet had an oxygen mask on Casey's face, and was starting an I.V. in just a matter of seconds. The young woman was still breathing hard, as if she were running...or fighting.

General Hammond crossed his arms over his chest as he watched. He had no doubt that Jack would try to prevent Casey from ever doing a search like this again. He did doubt, however, that she'd listen to any of them, including Dr. Jackson. She was every bit as stubborn, as determined, as her teammates. These thoughts did nothing to calm the worried hammering of his own heart.

Daniel couldn't help but chuckle at the annoyance in her voice. She sounded just fine. Pissed off, but fine. His own heart began to beat normally again; her scream of fright had terrified him...left him feeling so damned helpless.

"Find out what's going on," Jack said quietly. Firmly.

"Casey, what's happening?" Daniel whispered against her ear.

General Hammond was chuckling. Jack was chortling as well. "Major, do we have that recorded?"

Sam grinned. "Yes, sir. Should we get a playback?"

Daniel hugged her close. Didn't know if she could feel it, but it sure as hell made him feel better!

Janet shook her head slightly. "Does she do that every time?"

"Yep," Jack grinned proudly. "I'll bet she could recite the Air Force regs regarding the care and maintenance of aircraft in one breath."

"Of this I have no doubt," Teal'c said, his dark cheek twitching.

The heartbeat that had finally reverted to normal began to rise again. He could feel the grip of panic around his chest. "Please, Angel, be careful," he begged.

Glances were exchanged around the room. Casey was all right. But that could now change in less than the blink of an eye. The tension began to build once more.

Her eyes flew open. "We have to keep Ba'al from finding them! There aren't hundreds of them, there are thousands of them! And the ship that Anubis had...has...to transport them would probably fit nicely over the state of Colorado. No doubt it has other...upgrades...that make it a particularly nasty piece of technology."

Several groans filled the air. "Can we get there and take this thing out?" Jack asked.

She searched her memory, knew that somewhere she'd find the...there! She grabbed a pen and the nearest yellow legal pad. Wrote down the numbers that continued to 'flash' in her mind.

Sam smiled. "These are the coordinates. I'll have the computer designation in a minute."

She cocked her head sideways. "We have to destroy that lab, before any of the...equipment, and...the thing...in the giant aquarium...damned ugly..."

"A Queen...a breeding Goa'uld," Daniel supplied.

"Before she can be moved," she finished quietly, giving a slight nod, acknowledging that he was correct. "Ba'al won't risk keeping the...operation...where it is. If he found it, he knows that other Goa'uld can as well. He'll move everything. The Super Warriors that I saw were being loaded onto that ship. I don't know who's running the show, but I don't think he...no...she... definitely she... She doesn't know that Anubis is dead. And I don't know if she's any match for Ba'al."

"How long?" General Hammond asked.

"A few hours."

"Oy!" Jack frowned. "We'd better take back-up, sir."

"I agree."

"Not too many," Casey warned. "More chance of being caught with too many."

General Hammond nodded his understanding. "Take SG-3. Ready to debrief in thirty. Through the gate in an hour."

"Yes, sir," Jack replied. He waited until the general was in his office, behind the closed door. "Damned Tok'ra cut it close!"

"If they just learned about this..." Sam began

"You really think they just found out, and beat feet to get the info to us?" Jack asked incredulously.

The major lowered her eyes. Shook her head slowly.

"We don't have time to worry about when the Tok'ra knew," Daniel said quietly. "We have to get a move on."

"The man's right. Let's go campers."

Casey caught up with Sam in the corridor on the way to supply. "Sam?"

The other woman turned slightly, but didn't stop walking.

"We can't carry enough C-4 to take that place out."

Sam frowned. "Can you give me a layout?"

The slender blonde shook her head. "I went down one corridor, found the mother of all hangers. I have no clue where the lab is. I only know that it's...nearby."

The frown deepened. "Then the best we can hope for is to take out the lab, and any of the Super Warriors that already exist."

"Pretty much. There's no way we can take that ship out. At least, I don't think there is."

"The colonel isn't going to want to hear this."

"I know."

"Do you have any suggestions?"

Casey shook her head. "I wish I did."

A  A  A  A  A  A

He paused just after he passed through the security check point. He pulled his carry-on from the conveyor belt...and could have sworn he'd seen a familiar face. One that he never wanted to see in such a...public...place. He frowned slightly. Muttered a half-hearted apology when he realized he was holding up the line of people waiting to move past him.

A glance at his watch told him there was plenty of time for a drink before his flight. He was barely able to keep his surprise from registering on his face when he stepped into the airport lounge. With a quick glance around, he moved toward a table, sat down. Waited until the waitress had taken his drink order before speaking to the man who sat with his back toward him. "Cold enough for you?" he asked casually.

"It has been very cold, yes," the man replied. His English, while accented, was perfect.

"What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same thing, Colonel. Where are you going in such a hurry?"

Simmons jerked slightly. He had made the plane reservations less than three hours earlier. If this man knew...they'd had him under surveillance...probably had his computer and phone tapped! How in the hell had they managed that? His office was in the Pentagon! He forced himself to remain calm. Considering the circumstances, he really should have expected as much. It seemed that his time as Director of the National Intelligence Division had made him a bit careless. Something he'd have to rectify as quickly as possible. "None of your business."

"Everything you do is my business," the man said calmly. Coldly. "The nature of our...relationship...demands vigilance on my part. It is my duty."

"What I'm doing has nothing to do with our...arrangement."

"I see."

"Tell your...our...friends in Beijing that having me followed, listening in on my phone conversations, monitoring my computer is not conducive to our...relationship."

"I will forward your message. I will remind you, however, Colonel, that you approached us. We did not seek you out. For this reason alone we have cause to be wary."

"I have fulfilled my part of the bargain. My...trip...today has nothing to do with that deal, or our friends. You can tell them that. When I have something for them, you'll be the first to know."

"And when will you next have 'something' for us?"

"I don't know. I've recently stumbled into a few...unforeseen...problems." For the past several weeks, it seemed that no matter how many ways he tried to get into the computer system of the SGC, he was foiled within seconds. Never before had he been unable to hack into the system, find the information he needed. As far as he was aware, no one was the wiser that several items that had been brought to Earth by SG teams had never made it to the secure lockers and laboratories of Area 51. He'd been especially careful to cover his tracks, to make certain that all of the paperwork was altered to match what actually did arrive at the secret base.

"I suggest that you solve these...problems. Our friends grow...anxious."

"I'm doing the best that I can. When I have something for you, I'll call you." Without waiting for the drink he'd ordered, Simmons tossed a ten-dollar bill on the table, stood and left. He headed straight for the nearest men's room. Entered one of the stalls. And began to shake. If his Chinese 'handler' was willing to risk being seen in public in the same vicinity as he, his life could be in danger. It had been nearly three months since he'd passed on any of the Goa'uld artifacts that were so popular with his 'benefactors'. He was certain they were trying to reverse engineer the damned things, and if anyone could do it, the Chinese would. The thought that these same people could, and probably would use that technology against his own country never settled into his mind. The hefty 'retirement' account that continued to grow in Geneva prevented him from worrying about what the Chinese were actually doing with the artifacts. On some level, he'd persuaded himself that nothing he'd given them had any military value at all. It was a comfortable lie within which to hide from the bare, black truth of what he was doing. Just as his mentor before him, personal ambition...personal greed...had taken over. He was not a man easily capable of withstanding such agreeable temptation.

A  A  A  A  A  A

General Hammond looked around at the faces that stared at him expectantly. "The information we have is sketchy. But it's more than enough to let us know we have no choice. I'd like to see that ship destroyed, if at all possible."

"Yes, sir," Jack replied.

"Your primary mission is to destroy that lab. I want as much intel on these 'Super Warriors' that we can get."

"Yes, sir."

The general smiled at Casey. "Any last minute 'feelings' you need to share?"

With a smile of her own, the young seer shook her blonde head. "No, sir. Sorry."

"As usual, if you 'pick up' anything, let Colonel O'Neill know immediately." He paused. Hated what he was about to say. What the situation required him to say. "This mission is highest priority. Take that lab out. No matter what."

Heads moved up and down, solemn faces acknowledging the order. They were to take Anubis' lab out, or die trying.

The usual teasing banter that filled the 'gate room as the team stood waiting for the event horizon to open was missing. Each of them shifted nervously from one foot to the other. Anxious to leave. Dreading to walk up that ramp. Knowing that this was their only chance to save the Earth, and probably the galaxy, from the threat of Anubis's Super Warriors. Failure now put every human alive in grave danger. Failure now could mean that the Goa'uld would win. And that just wasn't an acceptable outcome.

Casey heard the whisper. Turned to face the general. "Sir, you might want to let General Carter know where we're going. Tell him there's a honkin' big ship there that they might want to consider taking out...just in case we can't."

General Hammond smiled. Jack O'Neill had definitely been an influence on her. "I'll do that right now," he promised quietly.

With a nod, she turned to follow her teammates up the ramp. Could feel the men of SG-3 closing in behind her. She bit back a smile. She'd never felt safer walking through the Stargate than she did in that moment.

The Stargate put them on the far side of the river she'd followed. With a glance around to get her bearings, she recognized several of the larger trees. "That way," she said softly, pointing across the river and deeper into the forest that surrounded them.

"Figures," Jack muttered. He studied the fast moving water. It was deep, but not so deep that they couldn't wade across. However, they'd be wet from the chest down if they were to do so. A glance at the sky told him that the sun above them wouldn't remain so for long. Well wasn't this just peachy! "Don't suppose you noticed any bridges, did you?"

"Sorry," Casey shrugged.

There were plenty of trees. Lots of trees. A forest of trees. They could, technically, cut one down and use it as a makeshift bridge. Of course, they'd have to go back through the 'gate for a chainsaw or two. Lots of noise. And it would take two or three hours to down even the smallest of these giants!

There was one other choice. He glanced at the two women in the group. Hated like hell to give the order. But they couldn't risk tromping around in wet clothes. "Okay, campers. Strip down. You can dry off and redress on the other side. Keep your weapons and packs dry!"

"We'll go first, Colonel," Major Ferretti said quietly. "Me and the boys can make sure nobody comes sneaking around."

Jack couldn't help but smile. "Good thinking, Lou."

Sam and Casey busied themselves with removing their boots and socks, pulling their bath towels from the recesses of their packs and placing them on top, within ready reach when they managed to get to the other side of the river.

The men of SG-3 stripped down, put their clothes inside their packs. Which they then carried on top of their heads, holding the pack with one hand, their P90's with the other. They splashed into the water. Found it to be much colder than they'd anticipated.

"Holy shit!" Willy wheezed. "Fucking cold!"

"Quiet down, Marine!" Ferretti barked in low growl. He glanced back at the members of SG-1 God bless 'em, the ladies were still keeping their eyes down. As much as he might be tempted to take a peek, and lord knew he was!...he wouldn't do so. Now, if he thought for one minute that a pair of sapphire blue eyes and a pair of emerald green eyes had been watching him and the boys heading into the water, well sir, he'd just have that little peek. But Major Carter and Casey Jackson had earned his respect. Several times over. This just added to that list.

Jack waited until the Marines were dressed before ordering his own team to strip. After their experience in that subterranean temple, he had no problem undressing in front of Sam and Casey. For one thing, both women were busy undressing as well, tucking their clothes into the dry safety of their packs. "Let's go kids," he said quietly, leading the way.

Teal'c continued to keep an eye on their six, depending on Daniel Jackson to 'guide' him across the river.

Casey gasped as the cold water covered her feet, numbing them within seconds. Being the shortest person on the team, the water came almost to the top of her shoulders. Her teeth were chattering before the water was near her waist, and it was becoming more difficult to move, each step took more effort than the one before.

"Faster, Angel," Daniel said softly from just behind her.

She nodded, holding tightly to her pack with both hands, the P90 clasped against one side, keeping both above the swirling water. By the time they reached the middle of the river she couldn't feel her feet at all, and even her lower legs felt numb from the cold. It was like trying to walk on stumps. Breathing was becoming problematic as well.

When she slowed down again, Daniel moved forward, put his arm around her. The water was higher on her slender frame, she was fighting more than any of the rest of the team. He glanced at the bank. "Just a few more feet, Angel."

Ferretti and his men turned their backs the moment Jack crawled onto the bank. "Keep an eye out boys, we don't want any unexpected company," he said softly.

It only took a matter of minutes to be dried and dressed once again. Casey's teeth continued to chatter loudly. She was shivering so violently that she required Daniel's help pull her clothes on.

"Radar?" Jack asked, concern etched on his face.

"I-I-I'm o-o-k-k-kay," she stuttered.

"You'll warm up as soon as we start moving," he told her.

"P-p-pro-ro-m-m-mise?"

"I promise," he grinned. He glanced around. Hoped like hell they weren't on the run when they had to cross the river coming back. "Let's go. We have a nightmare to stop."

The forest was thick, the branches of the trees so high that it was difficult to even see the uppermost limbs. The canopy of green prevented sufficient sunlight to filter to the ground. Low bushes, ivy vines, moss...all plants that could survive on the forest floor...filled in between the huge tree trunks. And all made the path they had to traverse a difficult one.

Traveling the astral plane was so much easier, Casey thought, following Sam carefully; trying to keep from tripping over the multitude of vines that crawled like enormous green snakes over the ground. Most of the bushes were thick, and many had thorns as large as a man's finger, which made passing through them all the more difficult. Ferretti was on point, his large Bowie knife hacking at limbs in an attempt to make their advance a bit easier.

Jack fretted as they continued to move forward. Their progress was slow, and according to Radar, they didn't have long to take this place out. And if the Goa'uld of the day was already loading those Super Warriors onto that monster ship...he shook his head mentally. They'd faced a lot of uphill battles before. This was the first one of which he truly doubted their success. "Give me some good news, Radar."

"I'm not picking up anything," was the soft reply. True to his word, Jack had been right. She was warming up quickly as they continued to trudge along. But they were going so slowly! She understood that there was nothing to be done about the situation...this was the only way to get to facility she'd discovered. It didn't make the fact any easier to accept. Certainly didn't make her like it!

Tension filled the air around them, rolled off of them in waves of frustration. All were aware that they were working under a tight time constraint. There were only a few hours available to stop whoever was emptying out Anubis' laboratory and 'warehouse'. Ba'al was on his way. They didn't have time to waste...yet here they were, fighting their way through the heavy undergrowth of a forest so old that it was impossible to estimate when humans had last passed through. Obviously the Ancients had been on this planet, the Stargate was proof of that. But had there been any cities here? Or was this merely a planet used for food...or perhaps one or more of the plants had medicinal properties? Or maybe the Ancients harvested timber here?

Lovely questions to contemplate, Casey grumped silently. And it seemed that they had the time! Even though they didn't have the time!

Daniel was frowning, his expression mirroring those of his companions. The longer it took to get to that 'doorway' that Casey had discovered, the less time they had to do what needed to be done. Something about what she'd seen continued to nag at him. "Casey, could you see that ship before you went through the doorway?"

The question startled her...breaking the near silence that the teams had been traveling in. She thought for a moment. "Now that you mention it, no."

"So this ship has to be hidden underground, like Tem did with his," Daniel theorized.

"I guess so," his wife acknowledged.

"The Tok'ra wouldn't have been afraid of him building another ship if they didn't have some proof. They said they couldn't find any kind of trail to know for certain that he was, right?" Daniel continued.

"That's what Selmak said," Sam replied.

"Wouldn't Osiris know if Anubis was working closely with someone else, another Goa'uld?"

"I'd think so," Sam said. "Although, it's quite possible that Osiris wasn't his only 'second-in-command'."

"Or else Karinda is..." Casey let her thought trail off.

"Talk to me, Case," Jack said, catching sight of the way she tilted her head.

"Karinda isn't a traitor. She really doesn't know about any of this," Casey said. If the Tok'ra had been, she'd have picked it up immediately. Would have 'recognized' her around the ship and those Super Warriors she'd glimpsed.

"Seems to me that Freaky Face liked having women around," Jack mused.

"He saw them as less of a threat," Daniel replied.

"Hmmph!" Sam snorted.

"Crazy fool," Jack grinned.

"Did Anubis have a female counterpart?" Casey asked. "It seems that most of the gods...Goa'uld, seemed to work together way back in the day."

Daniel stopped abruptly, which caused Jack to run directly into him. He began to sort through the impressive amount of information that his mind contained.

"Damn it, Daniel!" Jack snapped, forced to regain his footing after colliding with the archaeologist.

"Sorry," Daniel mumbled. He began moving again when Jack pushed him forward.

He continued to sort through all that he knew about the Egyptian pantheon. "Ammit!"

"What?" Casey asked.

"Not what. Who. Ammit. She was known as the Gobbler, devourer of souls. In Egyptian mythology, Ammit was the personification of divine retribution for all the wrongs one had committed in life. She was said to live near the scales of justice, in the underworld, Duat, where the hearts of the dead were weighed by Anubis against Ma'at, the principle of truth and justice. The hearts of those who failed the test were given to her to devour, and their souls were not permitted to enter Aaru, having to be restless forever - dying a second time."

"So she and Anubis were close," Sam observed.

Daniel shrugged, although only Jack was aware of that fact. "I suppose. They're linked in mythology, so it would make sense that they had at least...cooperated...while they were on Earth."

"Was Ammit the equivalent of Anubis' wife?" Casey pushed another limb from in front of her, held it so that it wouldn't snap back on her husband.

"Not exactly," Daniel replied. "They were partners, I don't remember any references to them being lovers."

"I think we just figured out who the mystery lady is," Casey drawled.

"Why would Anubis have Osiris as his second-in-command, and not Ammit?" Sam inquired.

"I have no idea," Daniel said softly.

"I wonder if Osiris...er...Karinda, knows about Ammit," Casey mused. "We never asked about Anubis' other...associates."

"And the Tok'ra sure as hell don't offer information," Jack groused.

"If she did, don't you think she'd have mentioned it during the briefing for the last mission?" Sam countered.

"No," Jack replied. "If it wasn't directly connected to the mission, they weren't going to give us any useful intel."

"Anubis was thought to be dead," Daniel said. "He was missing for at least a thousand years. If Ammit was with him, the other Goa'uld, and the Tok'ra, may not know she's back."

"Selmak said that Anubis's return was a surprise," Sam added.

"I wondered about that," Daniel said. "From the intel we've picked up, the Goa'uld are surprised that Tem showed back up, but there isn't the...panic...that Anubis' return caused."

"Maybe they knew what he was doing...attempting to do," Casey said.

"Which was what?" Jack asked.

"Trying to become Ascended. If he succeeded, he'd have been the most powerful Goa'uld in existence. Of course, if he could do it, I'm sure the others would've figured it out as well. For all we know, maybe he planned to gather his buddies, make them Ascended as well."

Daniel's face paled. "And those Goa'uld would have had no qualms about breaking the 'do not get involved' rule!" The implications were terrifying...Goa'uld with the power, the abilities of the Ascended! They would have actually become the 'gods' they had always claimed to be! Stopping them would have been impossible for anyone on the mortal plane of existence. Talk about a war of the gods! He shuddered at the implications.

"Holy Hannah!" Sam breathed.

"That's why they wanted you to take him out," Casey said, her eyes wide as the realization of what they'd prevented sank in.

"I guess," Daniel replied. Definitely preferred to not think about that right now.

"Back to this buried ship," Jack said. "Do you think she's going to clean out that lab, and try to move operations elsewhere?"

"It makes sense, doesn't it?" Daniel asked.

"Strategically, yes," Jack admitted. "Especially if any of the other snakes had even an idea that this place existed."

"If we know Ba'al is looking for this place, it's a safe bet that she does as well. And if Ba'al is on the move, the others will be watching," Daniel said.

"Which puts us right back where we started," Casey said. "We have to stop that ship, and destroy that lab."

Destroying the lab would be a piece of cake, Jack thought. A few carefully placed bricks of C-4 and it was gone. That ship, on the other hand...he shook his head. If it was only half as big as Casey claimed, it was going to be damned impossible to bring it down...

"The engines!" Sam said excitedly.

"What?" Casey asked.

"There's no doubt that the ship has hyperdrive capabilities. If we can cause a feedback loop that will occur as soon as the drive is engaged, it will explode!"

It was an option, Jack agreed. However, there was one giant problem with the plan. "Just how in the hell are we supposed to get onto the damned thing?"

Silence fell over the group as they contemplated the problem.

"If these things are...created...and then they're put into that armor..." Daniel started.

"There should be armor just laying around somewhere," Sam finished.

"And if we can just appropriate a few pieces," Casey tossed in.

"We can pretend to be snake clones!" Jack grinned. "Okay, somebody tell me this plan can work."

"It is indeed possible," Teal'c said firmly.

"That's all I needed to hear," Jack said, his grin going wider.

Ferretti was grinning as well. Leave it to SG-1 to come up with the damnedest ideas. Now, if they could just get to this freaking place, they might have half a chance of pulling this mission off successfully!

<<Previous  | Story Intro | Return to Stories | Next >>