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 Training With SG-1

Chapter 6

They were, it seemed, in a treasury. Or rather, a room filled with treasure. Open chests heaped with gold coins. Stacks of colorful silks. Statues and statuettes made of gold, silver, bronze, jade, and onyx lined the walls. Bowls, cups, chalices, platters…all gold and all decorated with diamonds, rubies, emeralds, sapphires, and pearls.

A table heaped with scrolls was surrounded by dozens of smaller chests, each over-flowing with gems and gold coins. The amount of treasure was overwhelming. The light from the chandeliers above made the gold and silver and gems sparkle and twinkle.

Daniel was already moving toward the table.

"Don’t touch anything," Jack warned.

The archaeologist continued to move forward.

"Daniel! No touching," Jack repeated.

"There could be something here about this castle," Daniel argued.

Jack studied the younger man. "No touching."

Casey laid her hand on Jack’s arm. "Boss, I think this is important. What we do here…" She tipped her head sideways. "Test…this room is a test."

"To learn what we value the most?" Daniel asked, his eyes on the scrolls.

"Or how honest we are?" Sam asked, reaching toward a heavy gold crown that was inlaid with diamonds. Realizing what she was doing, she snatched her hand back and shoved it into her front pocket.

Nyan moved toward the table as well. "Do you think it’s safe to look at these?"

Daniel was examining the table itself. "I don’t see anything that looks like a trap."

"This whole room could be a trap," Jack pointed out. At the same moment, a large sword caught his eye. The hilt was silver, inlaid with pearls and rubies. The blade had to be at least three feet long, and looked extremely sharp. He reached out…a slender hand slapped his fingers, making him instinctively jerk back.

"You stand there complaining about the room being a trap, and the first thing you do is reach for a sword?" Casey said incredulously. "Have you never seen ‘Aladdin’? Are you trying to get us into trouble?"

Jack merely grinned. And would never admit out loud that he was grateful for the seer’s quick reaction. Who knew what could have happened if he’d picked up that absolutely awesome, lavishly decorated sword? "Right. Traps."

Daniel was running his fingertips carefully over the edge of the table. Nothing moved, shifted, or changed. He gingerly reached for one of the scrolls. Nothing happened when he picked it up. At the end of the table was a large, polished piece of wood, shaped into a triangle. It was used to read scrolls, with one part rolled in the back, the rest of the scroll rolled in the front. The reader could adjust the scroll according to whatever section he or she was searching for. In a matter of minutes Daniel was carefully examining the contents. He heaved a sigh of defeat. "I have no idea what language this is."

Nyan, who had been peering over Daniel’s shoulder, shook his head. "I am only familiar with the languages of Bedrosia, both the modern and ancient versions. I can read English, and Goa’uld. This however…It’s a beautiful language," he added.

By now Jack, Sam, Casey, and Teal’c were standing near Daniel and Nyan.

"Teal’c," Daniel asked, "Any clues?" Everyone could hear the hope in his voice.

"I do not recognize this script," Teal’c replied.

"What about one of the others?" Casey asked.

Daniel gently re-rolled the scroll he’d been looking at. Reached for a second scroll. He found the same lovely, but totally incomprehensible language. The third and forth scrolls were no different. "Okay, I’m going to take video of these. Case, take some shots of the table, and then some of these two scrolls."

"Why those two?" Jack asked.

Glancing up, Daniel felt the warmth in his cheeks that alerted him that he was blushing. It happened every time he had to admit to using that little ‘feeling’ in the back of his skull. "I dunno…they just…feel…important."

Jack nodded. "Good enough."

When Daniel, Nyan, and Casey had recorded every bit of the scrolls that they could…half a dozen seemed too fragile to disturb, Daniel had announced…the team stood in the center of the room together.

"Okay, now what?" Casey asked.

"I don’t see anything that looks like a door," Sam replied.

"There are statues against the walls, there’s no place for a door," Jack pointed out.

"Then one of these statues is hiding the exit," Daniel said.

"And how do we decide which one is the right one?" Jack demanded to know.

"I guess we’ll just have to check them all," Daniel replied, fighting the grin that struggled to be free. Jack hated not being in control of any situation, particularly when they weren’t on Earth. This was about as crazy a situation as the team had ever found themselves in, and the team CO was feeling overwhelmed. "Relax, Jack. I’ve done this hundreds of times."

"I know. And most of those times you’ve managed to trigger traps, and we all get stuck…" His voice faded out. "Guess we can’t be any more trapped than we are, right?"

"Right," Casey said, stepping closer to the statue on her left. She tapped a finger against the cold stone. "Okay, Big Guy," she addressed the sculpted man, "Just point us to the nearest exit, if you please."

For his part, Teal’c had been silently examining each of the huge statues. His eyes moved around the room a second time…a third time, before he finally noticed the difference. "Daniel Jackson," he said. "Look carefully at each statue."

"They’re all soldiers…or knights of some sort," Daniel said.

"Indeed. But look at their posture," Teal’c suggested.

Daniel began to look around again; the others did as well. "All of them have their arms at their sides, or near their waists."

"Except for that one," Nyan said, nodding at a figure behind Jack. "He’s pointing!"

"So, if we take that as a sign, this guy is the key," Daniel nodded. "Thanks, Teal’c. You, too, Nyan.

The Bedrosian beamed with excitement. Teal’c inclined his head in acceptance of the praise.

"Now," Daniel continued, "we just have to determine whether he’s the key out of here, or if he’s pointing to the exit."

Jack walked toward the stone sculpture directly across from the pointing statue. The depiction was of a man guarding…something. "He looks like he’s hiding something."

"More like he’s protecting it,’ Daniel argued.

"Hiding, protecting. Whichever. Let’s just hope this is a way out of here," Jack replied. He reached out to touch the cold stone.

Daniel stepped up beside him. "Look at his hand," he said softly.

In one hand the statue held a long sword. In the other, what looked like a giant key. Jack looked at Daniel, then back at the stone. He carefully reached for the key. It came off in his hand. At the same time, the statue began to slide backwards. When it stopped, there was an opening wide enough to pass through.

Jack glanced into the now open corridor. "Okay, left or right?"

"If we go right, that should take us back the direction we came from," Sam said.

"If we go left, we can see what else is here," Casey offered.

"Teal’c, any words of wisdom?" Jack asked.

"While leaving would be preferable, not knowing what the remainder of this keep holds could be a liability in the future. It is possible that somewhere on the premises, Ba’al has engineered a fort of some sort. If so, we must destroy what he has built," the Jaffa replied.

"Good point," Jack admitted. "Okay, left it is."

The corridor was wide enough that they were able to walk in pairs. After passing through another doorway, it widened further. The walls were covered with portraits. Men, women, children, even animals…which Daniel presumed were family pets…were displayed. The clothing changed as they made their way along the gallery.

"These were painted over years…decades…possibly even centuries," Daniel mused. "They seemed to be grouped by family…father, mother, children, and then the children and their spouses and children."

"Why do they all look so much alike?" Sam asked.

"It’s possible that the spouses were chosen from close relatives. Cousins, even," Daniel responded.

Casey shook her head. "I dunno, Stud Muffin. If that were the case, we should be seeing some signs of genetic decay. None of these people seem to be suffering from any of the problems that arise from in-breeding."

"Good point," Daniel conceded.

"Hey, look at this!" Jack said, pointing to a man dressed in armor, the helmet beneath his arm. "A knight?"

"Looks like," Daniel agreed. "I wonder if the Goa’uld or the Asgard grabbed a few people during the Middle Ages."

"Probably the Asgard," Jack said. "What with the Black Plague, maybe they figured humankind was doomed for extinction on Earth."

"Makes sense." Daniel looked at several of the other paintings. "Here’s another one."

"And one here," Teal’c said, just a few feet from Daniel. In all of the paintings, the knights were posed the same…only the faces, hair and eye color differed. As the men examined the paintings, the other members of the team were making their way further down the hallway.

"Yo, Carter! Slow down," Jack called. He inclined his head toward his wife. "Let’s join them, shall we?"

Sam, Casey, and Nyan had discovered another arched doorway. On the other side, the hallway seemed to narrow.

"Okay, this is interesting," Jack said. "Why didn’t they see this?"

Teal’c and Daniel turned…to see a narrow archway in the wall between two life-sized paintings of knights. Beyond the arched entry were stairs that disappeared into the darkness.

"Let’s check it out." Jack reached for his radio to call Sam, Casey, and Nyan back to where he was standing with Daniel and Teal’c.

"Hey, where are you going?" Daniel called out, as the three turned to the right.

"Okay, let’s see what-" A flicker of light, not any brighter than a small candle, caught her eye. When Sam looked in the direction it had come from, she saw nothing. Casey was at her elbow, Nyan directly behind her. Sam glanced over her shoulder. The three men seemed to have vanished from the corridor. "Jack? Teal’c? Daniel?"

Casey whirled around as soon as her husband’s name hit the air. The hallway behind her was empty. She reached for her radio. "Stud Muffin?"

"Where the hell are you?" Daniel’s voice demanded.

"We were following the hallway, you guys were behind us," Casey replied. She paused for a moment, then frowned. "Right?"

"We were behind you, and then you turned a corner and disappeared," Daniel said. His displeasure at the situation came through loud and clear.

Sam, Nyan, and Casey exchanged surprised looks. "Stud Muffin," Casey said calmly, "we didn’t turn any corners."

"Yes, you did. We saw you."

"Mirrors," Sam muttered.

"What did Sam say?" Daniel asked.

"She said something about mirrors," Casey answered. She pushed a stray lock of hair behind her ear. "Where are you now?"

"Same corridor we’ve been in. Where are you?" Daniel asked accusingly.

"Same corridor."

Sam was shaking her head. "I can’t find any mirrors. If you were in the corridor, we’d see you."

Jack rolled his eyes, then grabbed his radio. "Carter, you are not in the same corridor we are."

"But we didn’t make any turns," Sam insisted. "Like I said, I can’t see any mirrors, but something has to be blocking our sight of one another. We can see that gallery and you’re not standing where you should be."

Jack looked at the stairs. "Okay, given that we’re not sure where those three are, let’s find out what’s up there."

"Are you kidding? We just head down the corridor," Daniel exploded.

He studied the younger man. Daniel had been forced to endure too much time without Casey for some reason or another, and always related to missions they’d been on. He could well understand the panic he saw in those blue eyes. "Carter, stay put. We’re on our way."

"Yes, sir," Sam’s voice replied.

The three hurried down the hallway. And ran smack dab into a wall. One that had been painted to look as if the corridor continued. There hadn’t been any indication that the wall had slid into place. Careful examination of the walls adjacent revealed nothing.

"Son of a bitch!" Daniel swore.

"Carter? There’s a wall here," Jack informed his wife. "We’re gonna head back…"

A grinding sound filled the air. A wall behind them began to swing forward until it blocked the long gallery.

"Looks as if the only way out of here are those stairs," Jack said quietly.

Three radios crackled at once. "Okay, Stud Muffin, where are you?"

"Stuck in this corridor."

"Well, we’re still where we were, there’s a corridor that seems to continue on," Casey’s voice informed the men.

"We just found some stairs, Jack wants to check them out."

The seer stared at the radio in her hand for a moment, as if it were the cause of her distress. "So you’re not joining us?"

"Apparently not," Daniel said. "Of course, since we don’t know where you are-"

"We’re still in the same hallway, just passed the second doorway."

"This stairway could lead to where you are. This place is crazy enough," Daniel complained.

"Jack just wants to know what’s at the end of those stairs," Casey said accusingly.

"Pretty much," Daniel admitted.

"Jack, I’m going to smack you when I find you," the seer growled, glowering at her radio as if the man to whom she spoke could see her ire.

"Right after I smack you for telling us this place was safe," Jack’s voice echoed from three radios.

"I didn’t sense danger, I said," Casey declared, rolling her eyes. "I do believe I mentioned ‘perplexing’. Yep, I said ‘perplexing’."

"This is definitely ‘perplexing’," Jack agreed. "Are the three of you okay?"

"We’re fine," Sam responded. "There are no doors in this hallway, so we’re going to turn around-" Before she could complete her thought, a wall behind them slid into place, cutting off their retreat. They had one option…go forward. "Or not," she sighed.

"What just happened?" Daniel asked, his voice filled with worry.

"Wall just slid across the hallway behind us," Casey said. "Next time we find a castle, let’s not investigate, okay?"

"No arguments from me," Daniel chuckled.

"Okay, since we have only one way to go, we’re moving on," Sam said.

"Be careful, Colonel." Jack’s voice ordered gruffly.

"You, too, General."

Nyan had been busy running his hands along the walls beside them. "Nothing," he reported. "I can’t find any openings, secret or otherwise."

"Well, let’s see what’s down there," Sam said, pointing toward the hall that disappeared into darkness in front of them. "Scope lights on."

"I hate this," Casey muttered.

"Me, too," Sam agreed enthusiastically.

"I’m not thrilled, either," Nyan said.

"So," Sam grinned, "it’s unanimous, we hate what’s going on. Let’s see if we can find a way out of here."

"Oh, there’s a way out," Casey complained. "We’ve proven that several times now. Where we wind up next is the only question."

"That’s not comforting," Nyan groused.

"No," Casey said softly. "It’s not."

Jack led his companions to the stairs. The fact that the stairs had started curving almost immediately let him know they were being led in a circle. Higher, but not necessarily in a different direction. He aimed his flashlight above them. The stairs continued into the darkness.

"Might end up in one of the towers," Daniel mused.

"Possibly," Jack agreed. "We have to be at least two levels higher now."

"I concur," Teal’c said quietly.

With no other choice, the three men continued to climb. The stairs ended suddenly in a large, round room. Other than the solid stone behind them, the walls were made of windows…wide, tall, curved windows.

Jack moved slowly toward one of the glass openings, peered down. He was looking at what had to be the ceilings of at least three different rooms. All three of the rooms were dark. "Wow."

Daniel tossed a nervous glance at Teal’c, and the two hurried to Jack’s side.

Jack looked over at his companions. "This is just creepy."

"Bizarre," Daniel said. They continued to stare.

Teal’c had moved to the far side of the room. "O’Neill! Daniel Jackson!"

"Now what?" Jack sighed. He and Daniel joined the Jaffa.

Without another word, Teal’c pointed to the scene below. A maze was spread out beneath them. Some areas were better lit than others. In one passage, flames swept across the width every few seconds. In another passage, large blades…which were at least six feet apart…swung back and forth. There didn’t seem to be a pattern to the movements. In yet another narrow passage, an opening to what looked like a deep pit yawned in the middle of the floor, directly in front of the only entrance…or perhaps it was exit. Either way, making it across that pit would be impossible.

"Holy shit!" Jack muttered.

Daniel shuddered as the flames lit up that corridor again. "Glad we didn’t stumble into that!"

"Indeed," Teal’c agreed.

They continued down the dimly lit hallway. A single door lay in front of them. Exchanging nervous glances, Sam took a deep breath. Grabbed the large handle…and twisted. The door opened easily. Not six feet in front of them was another wall. However, there was an opening almost immediately to their right.

"Oy," Sam said softly.

"Yeah," Casey breathed. "That is so not what I wanted to see!"

"We can’t go back. We have to go through the opening," Nyan pointed out.

"Yeah," Sam said. She remained firmly where she stood. "Casey, take a look. Has anything changed?"

The young seer frowned slightly. She preferred doing her searches while safely in the arms of her husband. She lowered her P90, the light dancing across the floor as it swung at her hip. "A little help?" she whispered.

Sam gave a small smile. "Anytime," she replied softly. "How?"

Casey stepped in front of her best friend, put her arms around the taller woman’s shoulders. She felt Sam’s immediate, comforting embrace. She closed her eyes.

She was thrilled to find herself in the sun-filled meadow where she met her Spirit Guide. Given the way her day had been going, she hadn’t been sure where she’d end up. She looked around. "Miss Eloise?" The elderly seer seemed to materialize in cloud beside her. "Cool entrance," Casey grinned.

Miss Eloise patted the young seer’s cheek, then began to walk away. She had fully disappeared before she’d taken half a dozen steps.

Nyan frowned slightly as he watched. Casey’s eyes were closed, but were moving rapidly beneath her eyelids. Sam was hugging the young woman tightly, a worried frown on her own face. Just what was the colonel ‘helping’ the seer do?

Casey took a deep breath, and opened her eyes. She gave her best friend a squeeze, then stepped away. "Okay, we’re not in any life threatening danger. We can get hurt if we’re not careful…and whatever is happening, there’s a reason."

"Good to know," Sam nodded. "Okay, let’s keep moving. We’re not going to find a way out of this just standing here."

Nyan held up a hand. "I’m curious…what just happened?"

Sam smiled. "Casey can ‘search’ for clues, or information."

"When I do, I need a little help. Usually Daniel holds me when I do my searches. He’s not here, so," Casey waved her hand toward Sam. "Anyone on the team can help me, because of our…connection…to one another."

"It’s…complicated," Sam admitted.

"I’ve heard about ‘SG-1 magic’," Nyan said. "I suppose there is a logical explanation."

Casey giggled. "Oh, there are explanations. How logical they are depends on your definition of ‘logical’."

Sam snorted, then laughed. "So, true." She turned to the Bedrosian. "There are things that have happened to us that are…well, the events strain logical belief. Nevertheless, those things are real, and true. Let’s just say that Casey’s physic abilities have probably protected SG-1 even more often than she’s protected the SGC. And she protects the SGC on a daily basis."

"I’ve read the reports," Nyan nodded. "Although…" He broke off, blushed slightly.

"It’s okay, Nyan," Casey said softly. "There are days it’s difficult for us to believe, too."

"Okay…onward we go." Sam led the way through the opening. There was a wall to her immediate left, another opening six feet from her position, and a narrow passage to her right. It was too dark to see anything in the passage. Shining her scope light down what seemed to be a narrow corridor didn’t reveal any doors or openings.

"Should we see what’s down there first, before just jumping through that opening?" Casey asked.

"We could risk being cut off again," Sam said.

"True."

"But I don’t like the odds of an opening that close to another being somewhere I want to be," Sam continued.

"I agree," Nyan said.

"Okay, let’s see what’s down here."

The three moved slowly toward the opening, watching the walls around them carefully, trying to discern what might be hidden in the shadows.

"Oh, hell," Daniel breathed. He grabbed Jack’s arm. "Look!"

Jack’s eyes followed Daniel’s arm. What he saw through the window, below them, turned his blood to ice. "Oh, hell!" He grabbed his radio. "Carter!"

Static filled the air.

Daniel frantically keyed his radio. "Casey? Casey!"

Static.

Teal’c tried his radio…again, nothing but static.

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