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Sandstorms

Chapter 10

Jack dropped down to the dirt. They had been moving rocks for an hour, but there was still no sign of either Daniel or Casey.

Sam had climbed down, unwilling to be left alone in the tunnel, needing to help search for her friends as well.

The radio on his shoulder crackled to life. "Jack?"

The group looked at each other in surprise. "Daniel?"

"Yeah…uh…we aren't sure exactly where we are. We found a tunnel, we're going to follow it."

"Casey is with you?"

"Yeah."

Jack grinned from ear to ear, put his hand behind Sam's neck and pulled her close, putting his forehead against hers. "They're okay, and they're together!"

The men from 6 high-fived one another. Teal'c grinned, hugged Sam tightly when she turned to him.

"Danny, you do that. We found another 90-degree turn. We'll follow that and see where it leads us."

"Okay. I think you're still quite a ways above us. Case fell further than I did, but we managed to get her up to where I am. This tunnel looks as if it moves up, so I'm thinking it might intersect with one that you'll be following."

"Right. Go ahead and get started. We have to climb back up to that tunnel."

"Did you fall, too?"

Jack grinned. "No, Space Monkey, we climbed down here thinking we had to unbury you and Casey. It won't take us long to get back up."

"Okay. We're heading into the tunnel now."

 

A  A  A  A  A  A

 

Khusa had stopped running. He had bumped the walls several times, ripping the sleeves of his robe, bloodying his shoulders and arms. He slid down to the dirt floor. He was having trouble breathing, and his head hurt. Tears filled his eyes when he finally understood that the beautiful blonde woman, Ca'see, had fallen. She couldn't have survived such a fall, not with all of those heavy rocks. He was absolutely certain that she had been the key to his past. He was almost as certain that she had been important in his life. He could feel it. His heart told him so! He had only been near her twice, but each time her sweet scent had filled his nose, filled his head and his mind. He knew that scent! He knew her!

 

A  A  A  A  A  A

 

Teal'c was leading the way down the narrow tunnel, using his staff weapon to test the floor before taking each step. It was slow going, and the oppressive heat and stale air made it miserable, but no one was willing to risk another cave-in.

 

A  A  A  A  A  A

 

After putting the batteries from her CD player into his flashlight, Daniel held his hand out behind him, felt Casey's fingers close around his. He led her toward the opening they had found. The path seemed to be almost vertical. They would be climbing…crawling, rather than walking. "Okay, babe, it's going to get tight. Take your pack off, drag it behind you."

She let go of his hand, shrugged the pack off. She fastened her P90 to the top of the bag, then let it fall to the dirt. "Okay. I'm ready."

He could hear the slight quaver in her voice. "I'm right here, Angel. I won't let anything happen to you." He reached out, soothed the fear, the worry from her mind. Smiled when her gentle caress wrapped around him, her love surrounded him.

When he touched her, caressed her, she smiled, allowed him to push away her fears, her uneasiness. His love filled her entire being. As long as she was with Daniel, nothing was insurmountable. They would meet back up with the team, and they would find a way out of this maze of tunnels and caverns.

Daniel squeezed through the passage. His broad shoulders continued to scrape against the rock walls that surrounded them; his fatigue shirt did a fair job of keeping the scratches to a minimum. The flashlight seemed unable to penetrate the blackness for more than a few feet in front of him. He was beginning to worry that they would run into a dead end. If so, they would have to crawl out backwards, which would be hindered by the fact that they would have to push their packs in front of them. Think positive thoughts, he told himself. Only good, positive thoughts. He began to crawl. 'Are you okay, babe?'

'I'm okay. Are you?' She had seen two places where he had been cut, there was blood on the rock.

'I'm okay, too.'

'You're hurt. You're bleeding. I can see the blood.'

'Just a few scratches on my arms and shoulders. It's tight through here.'

She smiled. It wasn't tight for her. But she didn’t have shoulders as broad as he did. She loved those strong, broad shoulders. 'I'll kiss them and make them all better when we're out of here.'

He grinned. 'I like that idea.'

'I thought you might.'

With the lack of air in the small tunnel, both of them were breathing hard, gasping for each breath. He was sure it was harder for her, because of the dust he was raising as he moved. His pack was tied to his leg, as she had done with hers, making them easier to drag. But his only stirred up more dust. He was concerned that she might pass out from lack of oxygen. 'Breathing okay?'

'Would be better if there was more air in here, but I'm okay.' Thank goodness they could communicate without talking out loud! It would be very difficult to talk to each other under the circumstances, and not being able to talk to him would have left her frightened and frustrated.

The tunnel suddenly opened into another cavern. He pulled himself up into the chamber, tossed his pack to the side and untied it from his leg. He reached down and helped her up.

"Well, there's more air in here, at least," she said, dropping down beside him. She accepted his canteen, took a long, much needed drink.

He grabbed his radio. "Jack, how are you guys?"

"Moving slowly, Daniel. We want to make sure nobody else falls," Jack's voice replied, echoing slightly around them.

"I understand that. We've made it into another cavern. We're going to take a bit of a rest, then we'll look around and see where we're at."

"Sounds good. Contact again in fifteen."

Daniel smiled. "Okay."

 

A  A  A  A  A  A

 

Teal'c's flashlight danced across Khusa's face. The man stood to his feet, relieved to no longer be alone. "O'Neill, I have found the other guide," he said.

"Alive?"

"Yes. He looks pleased to see us."

"I'll bet. Okay, let's just keep going."

Khusa flattened himself against the wall of the tunnel, allowed the giant man to squeeze past him. He fell into step behind him. His mind was still filled with thoughts of Ca'see. She was the key to his past, the answer to his questions, his brain told himrepeating the words over and over again. His heart was filled with remorse to know that the beautiful woman was dead.

The tunnel was getting narrower. Teal'c's massive shoulders were in constant contact with the rock walls. He was forced to walk sideways. He stopped suddenly, causing a pile-up of bodies behind him that would have been humorous under less critical circumstances.

"Teal'c, buddy, what's wrong?" Jack asked.

"It appears that we can go no farther, O'Neill," was the calm reply.

"Why not?"

The Jaffa shined his light around him. "The opening has become quite small." He stuck his head and shoulders through the hole, the beam of his flashlight playing against the walls of a cavern.

Casey looked up and smiled. "Hi, Teal'c."

"Hello, Casey. It is good to see you unharmed." The giant man disappeared from the opening. "O'Neill. I have located Casey and Daniel. They are in the cavern below us."

"What's the problem?"

"There is no way to get into the cavern without injury."

"Well isn't that just peachy!" Jack groused.

Daniel and Casey had walked over to the opening, which was nearly twenty feet above them. "Teal'c, does anybody have a rope on them?" he called up.

"No, Daniel Jackson. We do not have a rope."

Casey heaved a sigh. "There has to be a way to get in here!" She shined her light on the wall. "Daniel, look!"

He looked in the direction she was pointing. Along the wall, to the left of the opening, was a narrow ledge that worked its way around the cavern, sloping slightly until it reached the dirt floor. He grabbed his radio. "Teal'c, look to the left…your right. There's a very narrow ledge. There look to be places where you can hang on. It won't be easy, but it will get you down here."

Once again the Jaffa stuck his head and shoulders through the small opening. "I see it." He disappeared one more time, then came through feet first, his boots searching for, then finding the ledge. His body followed, and he held to the rocks that jutted from the wall. He began to slowly maneuver his body down narrow projection of rock. Khusa stuck his head through, watched the man for a moment, then disappeared only to reappear feet first.

She watched as each of the team members and their guides slowly came through that small opening. When he was close enough to the floor, Teal'c jumped from the ledge. It took an hour before the teams were reunited. Casey hugged her friends tightly. She even patted Ishram's shoulder. She hesitated briefly before touching Khusa, patting his arm, pulling her hand back quickly.

He did not miss her reluctance to touch him. His skin tingled where her fingers had touched it. His eyes narrowed slightly. He had sensed her uneasiness around him. She knew him. Just as his heart insisted that he knew her! Khusa looked again at Dan'yel. This man had stolen Ca'see from him! He was sure of it! But why did she react to him in such a manner? Was it because Dan'yel would punish her? Would he beat her for trying to return to him?

"I don't like the way Zinder is looking at Casey and Daniel," Tony whispered to Texas.

The young redhead looked over at the tall, dark haired man. "Nope, not good at all," he agreed.

Tony made his way slowly to where Daniel, Teal'c, Jack, and Major Parker stood, discussing their predicament. He kept his eyes on the 'guide' the entire time. "Uh, Doc? I think Zinder is remembering something. He has a wicked look in his eyes."

The men glanced over, the words barely out of the SF's mouth before Zinder grabbed Casey. She screamed, tried to pull away from him.

"Do not fear, my love, I will not let him harm you," he whispered.

"Let go of my Wife," Daniel said, his voice cold, his eyes icy blue diamonds of anger.

"You have stolen Ca'see from me, this much I remember!" Zinder hissed.

"She was never yours. You took her from me. Tried to sell her to the highest bidder," Daniel replied. He had pulled his 9mm from his holster the instant she had screamed. He had it aimed at the man's head. "Let her go. I will kill you."

Casey continued to struggle against the man, her eyes wide with fear.

Zinder put his lips near her ear. "I do not believe him, my beautiful one. He lies, does he not? You belong to me."

She looked at Daniel. "What did he say?"

The young archaeologist shook his head. "I don't know, Angel, I couldn't hear him."

"Tell him to say it again, louder," she said, still trying to pull away from the Zinder's grasp.

"Casey wants to know what you said. Say it again, so that I can translate for her," Daniel said. His voice was cold, angry.

For a moment Zinder considered this. If Daniel had stolen her, why didn't she understand him? Why did she not speak the language of the Bedouin? He raised his chin defiantly. Perhaps this was her way of trying to protect herself from the stranger's wrath. "I do not believe you."

"Let go of my Wife." Daniel repeated.

"No!" Zinder shouted. "She is mine! She belongs to me!"

Casey had stopped fighting. She rolled her eyes. "This is so freaking ridiculous! Why does this crap always happen to me?"

Daniel, Teal'c, and Jack exchanged quick glances. Luckily, attention was focused on Zinder and Casey, who had started struggling again. "Because you're a gorgeous woman, Angel," Daniel said softly.

"Right," she muttered. "Let go of me!" She managed to get one arm free of his grasp. Every man in the cavern knew what was about to happen. Her fingers curled into a fist, and she hit Zinder's jaw with all the force she could call up.

Unprepared for the blow, Zinder fell backwards, hit his head on one of the large stones that littered the floor. Blood began to ooze from the wound.

Ishram had been watching and listening, his eyes wide. He raced to the side of his friend, carefully examined the cut on the back of his head.

"Oh, hell," Casey muttered. She grabbed her back, dug until she found the first aid kit, then went to sit beside the two men. Her fingers gently probed the thick, black hair. It was a cut, deep, but not deep enough to warrant stitches. She carefully cleaned it, applied a gauze bandage, then wrapped more gauze around his head to keep the dressing in place. She looked up at the faces who watched her. "What?" she demanded, slightly irritated.

"Just watching you be you," Daniel said, with a smile.

"And just what is that supposed to mean?"

"It means you have an amazing heart, Angel. You help people, even when they don't deserve your help."

She smiled. He had said the same thing when she had wanted to pay for some of her adoptive father's medical bills. "It's the right thing to do," she replied, just as she had then.

"You do remember that he's Immortal, right?"

"I remember. I just don't know if his friend here knows it. Better to pretend ignorance, don’t you think?"

"Good point."

"So what was he saying?"

Daniel knelt down beside her. "He thinks you belong to him. That I stole you from him. I told him that he took you from me, tried to sell you. He didn't believe it."

She shook her head. "Of all the mixed up things to believe…where would he get a crazy idea like that?"

He looked up at Jack and Teal'c. No doubt Zinder had been the recipient of a healthy dose of the pheromones that she gave off. He was remembering her sweet scent. And his mind had filled in the rest. "I have no idea, Angel."

Sam knelt down beside her. "If his memory was erased, chemically or by some other means, bits and pieces might remain, just enough to give him what he believes to be a full memory. He's just trying to fit together what he has. He doesn't realize that he's missing most of the puzzle pieces."

Daniel could almost feel sorry for the man. Not having one's memory was frustrating. "He's going to be out for awhile. And we still haven't found a way out of here."

"Should we tie him up?" Major Parker asked.

Jack looked down at the unconscious man. "Probably a good idea. Daniel, explain to Zinder's friend that we have to tie him up, we can't trust him not to hurt Casey."

The younger man nodded, then turned to Ishram. "My leader wishes Zin…Khusa to be restrained. He might try to harm my Wife again."

"I do not understand why he would do so, or why he would believe that your wife belongs to him," Ishram admitted. He reluctantly allowed Daniel to tie Khusa's hands behind him.

"I do not know either," Daniel lied. It wouldn't be a good idea to let any of the people in the settlement know that they knew who Khusa really was. If his memory came back, they would deal with it. If not, there would be no need to speak of any of his 'forgotten' past.

The teams began to search for a way out of the cavern. They were all weary, and after an hour, with no luck, Jack suggested that they all try to get some rest.

Casey snuggled close to Daniel's side. "Love you, My Heart," she whispered.

"Love you, My Star," he replied. "Sleep, Angel."

 

A  A  A  A  A  A

 

The crackling of the radios brought them all from their restless slumber.

"General O'Neill, this is Marine 2, do you read?"

"Turk, this is O'Neill, go ahead."

"We found your note. Are you guys okay?"

Jack looked around. "Yeah, we're all okay. Stuck in a cavern at the moment, but alive and well. What's the situation?"

"Sandstorm came through. When all of the camels came back rider-less, the old man insisted that we come and see if any of you had survived."

"Hope you brought those camels back with you," Jack said.

"Yep. Nasty sum-bitches are all tied down," Turk's replied. They could all hear the grin in his voice.

"Good. Stay put. See if you can dig out the tents and supplies. There was a canopy and a bunch of Daniel's stuff in front of the first of those pyramid things."

"Gotcha, General."

"We'll make contact again in thirty."

"Roger. Contact in thirty. Marine 2 out."

Casey yawned and rubbed her eyes. Her stomach rumbled loudly. She blushed furiously as her friends chuckled around her.

"We should eat something, and then we'll take another look around," Jack said, grinning at her.

She glanced over to where Ishram had been sitting with Zinder. That man was awake as well, staring at her, his eyes full of confusion, anger and pain. She turned and pushed her face against Daniel's shoulder.

'What's wrong, Angel?'

'He's staring at me.'

Daniel looked over at the man. Their eyes met, gray glaring at blue, blue glaring at gray. He stood up, deliberately put himself in front of his wife. 'Better?'

She nodded slightly. Her fingers were shaking when she took the MRE from him. She picked at it, putting very little of it to her mouth.

He sighed. "Casey, you have to eat," he said softly.

She glanced up at him, nodded, put a bite of food into her mouth.

"Problem?" Jack asked.

"Zinder," Daniel replied.

Every one of the men looked to where the dark haired man sat, glaring at Daniel's back. Tony, Texas and Trenton moved to sit beside the archaeologist, their backs to the man as well. Sam moved to sit at Casey's side.

Zinder grunted with frustration. The strangers were intentionally blocking the view of his woman. He knew that she was frightened. He could see it in her eyes. He was certain that she was afraid of them. "Ca'see! Ca'see! I am here, my love!" he called, wincing when the sound of his voice echoing in the chamber hit his ears, making the pain in his head worse. He struggled again with the ties that bound his wrists together, angry at being tied like an animal.

She jerked at the sound of her name. The tremors in her body became worse. She looked at Daniel, her eyes wide and haunted.

"Do not speak so, Khusa! She is not your woman! You will anger the strangers! We cannot escape this place alone!" Ishram whispered.

"She is my woman! I know this! I know it in my heart!" Zinder replied.

Ishram shook his head. "No, Khusa. You came to us alone, wounded. When we asked, you said you had no one. Our healer cleansed your wounds, tended you as you healed. You have no woman, Khusa."

He shook his dark head. "I was wrong! I was wounded, confused! They attacked me!" he said, nodding at the teams. "They took my woman! He took my woman!"

The younger man looked over his shoulder at the strangers. "No, Khusa. It cannot be."

His head throbbing, his emotions in turmoil, Zinder fell back against the robe that Ishram had folded and placed behind his head. "She belongs to me," he whispered. He closed his eyes, gave in to the darkness that pressed around his brain.

Daniel had listened to the conversation. "We might have a problem," he said quietly.

"How bad?" Jack asked.

"He just said that we attacked him. I don’t know if he really remembers that or not. He was wounded, I'm guessing he made it through the 'gate, though I don't know how. Unless the Bedouin from Alteria had taken him somewhere, and he got away from them. Anyway, their healer took care of him. He was alone, told them that he had no one. Apparently he couldn't remember his name, or else he was given the name when he was made a member of the clan. He's claiming that we…that I…stole Casey from him."

Casey shivered, and moved closer to Daniel. "If he gets his memory back, we could be in real trouble!"

"Maybe not," Daniel replied. "If we explain to Jarha who, and what he is, what he did, chances are he'll be banished from the village."

"If Jarha believes us," Sam said. "We're the strangers here. He might believe a man who has lived with them for a couple of years before he would believe us."

Daniel frowned. Jarha also believed that Casey was his bride, that they were newlyweds. That could work against them rather than for them.

"Let's figure a way out of here, then we'll decide how to deal with Zinder, if we have to deal with him," Jack said quietly.

Once again team members moved slowly around the cavern, looking for a way out. The only choice seemed to be to climb back up to the small opening and make their way back through the tunnel the way they had come in.

Frustrated, Casey dropped down onto a rather flat boulder. "This is ridiculous! Why would a tunnel lead here if there wasn't another way out?" She found several small rocks, and began tossing them at the far wall. Her flashlight illuminated an odd-shaped fissure. She began to toss the rocks at the 'L' shaped bend. The sound of rock grinding against rock filled the cavern. "Oh, shit!" she said, jumping to her feet.

Daniel ran to stand beside her, the beam from his flashlight pointed in the same direction as hers. He began to laugh. "I love you, Casey Renee Jackson!"

She smiled. "I love you, too, Daniel Melburn Jackson. So what did I do?"

"You found the secret exit, babe."

The teams gathered around them. When all of the flashlights were aimed at the wall, it was easy to see where the rock had slid back, exposing another tunnel. This one, however, seemed much larger than those they had encountered so far.

Zinder had passed out again; all attempts to wake him failed.  Sam theorized that his mental and emotional state had more to do with the fact that he was once again unconscious than his physical wound, which his Immortality would have already dealt with.  Lack of food and water, as he had refused to take anything from those he now considered his enemy, was also taking its toll. 

Teal'c lifted the man, carried him over his shoulder. Ishram again remained silent. He was at the mercy of these strangers. They had shared their food and water with him, and with Khusa, the lovely one who danced so well had tended his wound. That none of the men had killed him for touching her was a relief to young Bedouin. He still didn't understand what was happening to his friend. He was grateful that the strangers did not seem to hold it against either of them.

Daniel and Jack led the way, Teal'c just behind them, Casey and Sam next, followed by Ishram, and SG-6 once again brought up the rear. They hadn't gone far when they could hear what sounded like wind. When the tunnel opened into a cavern of mammoth proportions, they all stopped and gasped. The area was filled with statues, of every size conceivable. Chariots were lined up, as if waiting for teams of horses to be strapped to them. Chests, hundreds of them, in varying sizes, were scattered throughout. Furniture, baskets, piles of linen and silk and wool, all in every color imaginable. Daniel counted seven sarcophagi. He raced toward them. These were not Goa'uld. These were hewn stone, and each probably held the intricately carved coffin, and inside that, the mummy of a Pharaoh.

"Holy Hannah!" Sam breathed, her eyes wide, looking around her.

Casey laughed out loud. "King Tut's tomb has nothing on this place! Doctor Jackson, you're gonna be famous!"

He grinned. "I doubt it. I promised Jarha that we wouldn't take anything out of here. However, I want as much footage as we can get!"

SG-6 and Casey were already reaching for camcorders and digital cameras. Ishram watched as they carefully photographed everything. Daniel patiently explained what they were doing. The young man wasn't sure that taking pictures was allowed, but said nothing.

Teal'c had put the still unconscious Zinder down on the dirt floor, propping him into a sitting position, his back against one of the stone walls.

Jack contacted Turk, and let him know that another discovery had been made. While the others recorded the scene, he and Teal'c began to search for another entrance, or for them, an exit.

Daniel was taking tracings of each sarcophagus. He smiled when two arms wrapped around him from behind.

"Congratulations, Doctor Jackson."

"Thanks, babe."

"We have to go back the way we came, don't we?"

"I'm not sure. There is no way that they brought all of these things through those tunnels. But I would be surprised if they hadn't cover the entrance with fallen boulders."

 

A  A  A  A  A  A

 

Zinder was awake now, his eyes wide as he looked around him. Such riches! Such treasure! He would be wealthy beyond his wildest dreams! He could buy a new ship…ship? What did he know of ships? His head was beginning to pound again. He watched the beautiful blonde woman, his woman.

"You are pale, my dear friend. Are you ill?" Ishram asked quietly.

"My head gives me much pain," he replied.

The younger man looked toward Casey. She had brought out a box, tended the wound on Khusa's head. Perhaps she had a potion that would make him feel better. "I will ask if the lovely one can help you. She bound your wound, perhaps she has medicines that will ease your suffering."

"She tended me?" Zinder's eyes grew wide, the gray depths filled with happiness. "I was right, she does remember me! She knows that she is mine! That is why she would not let them kill me!"

Ishram shook his head. "That is not what happened, Khusa. You grabbed her, she struggled against you-"

"Only because it was expected of her!" Zinder insisted.

"When she freed one of her arms, she hit you, made you fall onto a stone and cut your head-"

"He would have beaten her if she had not! She did not hit me hard," Zinder said.

The young man shook his head. "Yes, Khusa, she did. She saw that you were bleeding. She tended the wound. Then sought comfort in the arms of her husband. I saw her eyes as he held her. They were full of love...happiness…"

"Because I am here! She knows that I will free her from him!"

Ishram grabbed his friend by the shoulders. "No! Khusa, she loves that man! He loves her! I have watched them! Theirs is a strong, powerful love! Do you not see it?"

"No, I do not! I see my woman desperately trying to make her captor happy!"

"Then you see nothing! She is not your woman, Khusa!" Ishram stood to his feet, went to where Casey and Daniel were now sitting, writing in their odd books. "I beg forgiveness for my intrusion," he said, lowering his eyes to the ground. "Khusa suffers great pain. You bandaged him, I thought perhaps your box of medicine would have a potion he could take?"

Daniel translated. Casey looked up into the warm brown eyes, so filled with concern over his friend. She smiled. "I think I can find something." She found her pack, dug through it for the first aid kit. She opened it, found a package of Tylenol. She tore open the packet. "Give him these, tell him to swallow them. A drink of water will help them to go down."

Once again Daniel translated. Ishram nodded, thanked them both profusely, and backed away, bowing slightly as he did so.

"You're an amazing woman, Casey," he said softly.

She looked over at him, shoved the kit back into her pack. "Why? Because I give a guy a couple of aspirin? Please! I'm the one who caused him to get hurt. The least I can do is to give him something for the headache!"

He smiled, shook his head. "If I remember correctly, he grabbed you. Who knows what he was going to do."

"Daniel, with you and Jack and T and 6 standing there, he wasn't going to do anything!"

"That's for damned sure!" His smile had faded, anger flashed in his blue eyes.

She sat back down beside him, took his hand in hers. "Daniel, you have a kind, beautiful, generous heart. You amaze me. I'm just trying to do what's right, the way you do. So that-" she broke off, turned her head to watch Sam and Trenton taking photos of the chariots.

"So that what, babe?" he prompted softly.

"So that you can be proud of me," she said, her voice low and soft.

He pulled her into his arms. "I'm always proud of you, Casey. You're an incredible woman. You have a heart that is full of love, and happiness, and kindness…you're full of light and sunshine and laughter. I'm in awe of you. And so damned glad that you love me!"

She wrapped her arms around his neck. "Oh, Daniel, I love you so very much!" She reached out, touched him, sent her love to him. Smiled when the caress was so gently returned, and his love wrapped around her.

"I love you, Case. My beautiful Angel," he whispered. He kissed her, then slowly released her. "Let's get this finished up. We're almost out of water. We have to get out of here."

She nodded. "Okay. I think we're just about out of discs too."

Jack and Teal'c hurried back into the cavern from the passageway that they had discovered. "We found a way out. The entrance is covered with boulders, but we figure a few blasts from Teal'c's staff weapon will open the door right up," Jack said, a grin on his face.

Daniel nodded. "We have everything we can get. We need to get out of here so we can get water. And food."

The older man nodded. "Okay, campers, let's wrap it up and move out," he called out.

Within five minutes the teams were ready to go. Ishram helped Zinder to his feet. The man had stopped struggling against his restraints. But he was clearly displeased at being tied.

"Turk, we've found a way out of here, haven't got a clue where we're going to come out. When we get out, I'll signal."

"We'll be waiting, general," the Marine replied.

 

A  A  A  A  A  A

 

The passageway was wide, and covered with hieroglyphs. Daniel and Casey meticulously recorded each section. Teal'c raised his staff weapon, and fired on the huge boulders that covered the large opening. The rocks exploded, and crumbled into smaller pieces. They climbed up and out. And looked down into the 'valley' where the 'pyramids' were scattered.

They could see Marine 2 and the half dozen or so villagers who were with them.

"Turk, on your six." Jack waved his arm slowly back and forth above his head.

"I see you, General."

"We should be there in fifteen. Everything dug out?"

"Yes, sir. Ready to be packed on the camels."

"Start packing. We're leaving as soon as we get to you."

"Roger that, General."


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