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Wish Upon a Star
Chapter 2
"Oh, shit!" Casey muttered. Just when it seemed that they were to be crushed to death, the wall began to turn, opening into yet another tunnel. And if she wasn't totally confused, it ran directly under the tunnel they had been in, and in the direction from which they had just fled.
Daniel took her hand, squeezed her fingers again to comfort her, and began to lead the way. "This is similar to the tunnels we found in the pyramids on P4X 762. It's like a labyrinth."
"Now why don't I like the sound of that?" Jack groused.
Casey cocked her head slightly. Sam was the first to notice.
"Casey? What's wrong?" the blonde colonel asked.
"I'm not sure, but I think they know we're down here," she said quietly.
Four hands tightened around P90's. One large hand brought a staff weapon up, ready to fire.
"Well, we don’t have a choice, we have to keep moving," Jack said.
Like the tunnel above them, this one was full of dust. Moving slowly was the only way to keep from creating a dust cloud through which they couldn't see. But moving slowly also meant more time in the tunnel, and more time meant that the air became thinner with each passing moment.
"The air is worse here," Casey said, panting slightly.
"I noticed," Daniel replied.
The team trudged on, nearly panting for breath.
He stopped suddenly. "Did anybody else feel that?"
"Feel what?" Sam asked.
"A breeze," Daniel said.
"Indeed, Daniel Jackson. I believe I felt it as well," Teal'c replied.
Daniel opened a pocket of his tac vest, found a book of matches, carefully lit one and held it up. The tiny flame began to flutter, and then suddenly went out.
"Well, that's good news," Jack grinned.
The group sped up, not worried about the cloud of dust they were creating now. The tunnel ended abruptly, a large closed door barring the way. Again there were round, colored stones, and glyphs nearby. Daniel translated, it was another way of saying 'wish on a star'. They could hear a lock mechanism on the door, and then Teal'c slowly opened it.
They stepped into a chamber with impressive dimensions. The ceiling was at least thirty feet above them. The length had to be one hundred feet, the width half that. And it was filled with every type of artifact that had ever been found in the burial chambers of the pharaohs. Chests of jewels and gold…furniture of teak and cedar and oak, polished and decorated carefully…chariots…statues, from no bigger than Casey's little finger to twenty feet in height. Baskets of food, or at least, that's what they assumed was in them, and jars of wine…yards of brightly colored linen and silk.
"King Tut, eat your heart out," Casey said softly as she peered around the room. Everywhere that her flashlight pointed, more gold and jewels shimmered.
Teal'c located several tall sconces on the walls. He managed to get them lit…they threw out enough light that the flashlights could be turned off, and the batteries saved.
Daniel moved around the room, noting what was present, and what was not. "No sarcophagus. No burial crypt. I would say that this is Geb's burial chamber. And he's not dead yet."
When the door through which they had come swung shut and locked, none of them were surprised. All of them were worried, however. They had yet to locate another exit. Daniel was convinced that the presence of the slight breeze, which they could still feel, indicated that there was indeed an opening to the outside…somewhere. The question was, would it be large enough for them to get through?
"Well, campers, let's take a break, eat something, maybe get a little rest. We'll all think better if we're not hungry and exhausted," Jack said.
Among the piles of furniture were chairs, and several large beds. Sam and Casey opened chests and cabinets, found cushions and pillows, and took several lengths of linen. The men pulled the beds and chairs into a circle. A large, brass fire bowl was located as well, although they had nothing to burn, unless they chopped up a chair or a table. Two small, seemingly plain chairs were located, and Teal'c carefully broke them into pieces.
With a small fire burning, sitting on a comfortable bed next to her husband, Casey relaxed slightly.
"Any feelings, Case?" Jack asked.
She took a bite of her MRE, and closed her eyes. She was learning to control her gift more everyday. She 'looked' up, tried to see into the palace. There! He was a bald man, medium build, with large, flat features on his face. She listened carefully to the Jaffa who stood in front of him. She pulled back carefully, aware that there could be a 'seer' among his entourage who might sense her 'presence'. Perhaps the one who had kept her from sensing their return. She smiled when she opened her eyes.
"Well?" Daniel asked, smiling down at her.
"The Jaffa think there were one or two thieves in the palace. They're telling Geb that those thieves have become trapped in the tunnels, and will die there as the others have.
"So nobody is actively looking for us," Sam said. "That's good."
"So it would seem," Casey agreed. She took a drink of water from the canteen that Daniel offered to her. She got to her feet, found a low table, and dragged it to where they were all sitting, placed it so that all of them could reach it. She reached into her pocket and pulled out the deck of cards she always carried. "Okay, Texas Hold 'Em, one-eyed Jacks and deuces are wild, and no looking in my eyes."
The group around her laughed, and they settled down to play a few hands of poker. Sam had gone to one of the chests and brought back several handfuls of gold coins, which were divided equally. Four hands later, she was holding most of them.
Casey yawned. Rested her head against Daniel's shoulder.
He playfully shrugged her away. "Quit cheating, woman!" he teased.
"Oh, quit complaining. All you have is a baby straight, and no way are you going to get that five."
Jack, Sam, and Teal'c laughed at the look of frustration on the young archaeologist's face.
"First decent hand I get, and you have to blab," he complained. He tossed his cards onto the table.
Teal'c, who was dealing, turned over the next card. It was a five. All of them folded immediately.
"Sorry, Sweetheart," Casey giggled.
"You are not."
"Really I am."
"Prove it."
She giggled again, then wrapped her hands around his face, pulled him close for a kiss. She sighed against him, forgot that anyone else was in the room as he moved his lips over hers, pushed his tongue into her mouth. She stroked his tongue with hers, he did the same. When he finally moved away from her, she was breathing heavily. 'That is so mean!'
He grinned at her. 'Have a problem, Angel?'
'You know I do! You just set me on fire, and we can't do anything!'
'Payback, babe.'
She glanced at his crotch. 'You're not completely unaffected, yourself.'
'Never said I wasn't.'
"Ahem," Jack said, a grin on his face. "If you guys are going to talk, let us in on it."
Daniel grinned again. "Sorry, Jack."
Casey picked up the deck of cards. "Another hand, or sleep?"
"Let's get some rest, then we'll try and find a way out of here," Jack decided.
Sentry duty was divided up, Sam drew first watch. The rest of the team settled down to sleep.
She snuggled next to him, her head on his shoulder, his arm around her tightly. As long as he was with her, near her, she had no fear.
A A A A A A
Four hours later, rested and ready to go, SG-1 began searching the chamber carefully. Teal'c discovered the source for the soft breeze. It was a hole, about the size of a quarter, in what they hoped was an outer wall. Two staff blasts, and the hole was big enough to climb out of.
They took time to orient themselves, and look around. They were in a garden, lush and beautiful. It surrounded the palace, and was visible from the multitude of windows in the structure.
With their position fixed, knowing which way they had to go to get to the 'gate, Jack led them at a full run toward their only way home. They were almost to the steps of the Stargate when the alarm was raised. Casey dialed home while the rest of the team held the Jaffa at bay. The event horizon opened, and the team rushed through, rolling onto the ramp and yelling for Kyle to close the iris. Four loud thumps echoed in the 'gate room.
Duncan walked in, watched as they pulled themselves to their feet. They were absolutely filthy, and had broad smiles on their grimy faces. "I take it you left under less than hospitable circumstances?"
"You could say that," Jack grinned.
"We definitely found Geb," Daniel replied. "And I don't think he likes us. We didn't meet him personally, but we're mentioned in the glyphs on the walls. It won't take me long to translate what we were able to get on film."
"Good. Go clean up, get your post-check-up, and meet me for debrief in an hour," Duncan replied. "Casey, there's a message for you on Daniel's desk."
She nodded, followed her husband out of the room. She and Sam went to the left, the men to the right, into the locker rooms.
"Not bad," Sam said as she let the water flow over her tired body.
"No, not bad at all. A few tense moments, a couple of hair raising moments, but all in all, a pretty boring mission," Casey grinned. She was thrilled to wash the grime off of her body, out of her hair.
Sam chuckled. "Don't tell Jack this, but I’m as glad to be back on the roster as he is," she said.
Casey giggled as well. "I know exactly what you mean. It bothers me that I'm missing Nicholas' milestones, the same as I missed Emmie's, but the adrenaline starts flowing, and I couldn't take not being out there!"
A A A A A A
It was almost two hours later when she finally dropped down into the chair at Daniel's desk. She was re-reading the message when Daniel walked into the office.
He glanced at her face, grinned. She was excited. Her eyes were shining, and she had that amazing smile on her beautiful face. "Good news, babe?"
She looked up. "Kelley and Gretchen have asked permission to come visit me! Kelley sent a note, saying that they think of me everyday, they're very proud of me, and they want to meet the SGC hunk for themselves!"
His cheeks reddened slightly, as they always did when he was referred to in that manner. "I'd like to meet them, too. Kelley was your roommate in college, right?"
Casey nodded. "Yep. Best friend I ever had. I've emailed her, but not being able to tell her anything…they were pretty much, 'hi, how are you, I'm fine, talk to you later' sort of thing. I think now that everything is…out in the open, she understands. Is it all right if I have them come here?"
"Babe, it's totally up to you. But yeah, it's all right to have your friends come visit you," he said, smiling at her.
She stood up and wrapped her arms around him. "Just so you know, Gretchen is a gorgeous blonde, and if you so much as wink at her, I'll shoot you."
He wrapped his arms around her, pulled her close. "Angel, there isn't a woman in this universe as gorgeous as you. There isn't another woman in this universe that my eyes can see, there's only you. You're my Chosen, Casey. I don't want anyone else. Don't need anyone else. Only you."
She snuggled into his embrace. "I love you so much, Daniel. You're everything to me," she said softly.
"You're my world, babe," he replied. He kissed her forehead. "Ready to go home?"
"Let me drop this off for Duncan," she said, holding up the completed form.
"I'll meet you in the jeep."
She leaned up, kissed him gently. "I'll be right there." She hurried down the corridor. She couldn't help but smile. It had been a long time since she had seen her best friend. She started giggling when she thought about taking Kelley and Gretchen out with Sam and Tessa. Oh, they were going to have such fun!
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