"It is clear that this is the greatest threat of our brief existence. I won't lie to you. The next few days may be the hardest in the history of humanity. The Goa'uld will advance until our last city falls, but we will not fall. We will fight against the Goa'uld tyranny, and we will prevail. I ask that you stay calm, don't panic, and hold together the best you can. To the brave men and women in uniform around the globe- I wish you the best of luck. Thank you."


Stargate Command

"So this is the gate address that would lead us to the Lost City?"

Daniel held the notepad in front of Weir and pointed out the symbols. "Proclarush Taonas At. It has to be."

Carter shook her head, then turned away from the computer console to face them. "We dialed this same address over two years ago, but we couldn't establish a wormhole."

"The gate must be buried," Daniel surmised. "Lost in fire."

"So the Lost City is really lost?"

"What we're looking for could still be there," Carter assured her. "I could use the address to calculate the planet's location in space, but we'll need a ship to get there."

"Prometheus," Daniel suggested.

"Unfortunately, that's not an option," Weir told him. "With Anubis on his way, Prometheus may be our last line of defence."

"But this is important! This is the key to a successful defence of Earth!"

"I'm sorry, Doctor Jackson."

"Maybe Teal'c has something we can use," Carter suggested.

"Contact him," Weir ordered before she asked offhand, "Where's Colonel O'Neill?"

Daniel sighed before replying. "Packing."


Chulak

The tent flap opened, and a young Jaffa bearing the marking of Apophis stepped inside. He bowed. "I am Ronan."

"I knew your father," Bra'tac told him. "He was a true warrior."

He nodded slightly. "It is an honour." Bra'tac motioned for him to come forward, and he did, adding, "I have a ship at my disposal."

"So we have heard," Teal'c said neutrally from beside Bra'tac.

"Forgive me, but as brave as you are, you cannot possibly hope to defeat the whole of Anubis' forces with just one ship. I have seen the extent of his forces."

"We only wish to use your ship to help us find something much more powerful," Bra'tac assured him.

Teal'c elaborated, "Something that we believe would defeat Anubis once and for all."

"If that is true then I will join you." Ronan paused. "That is my only condition… I am a fine pilot."

Smiling very slightly, Teal'c replied, "So we have heard."


Stargate Command

Elizabeth Weir surveyed the messy embarkation room. Cases and bins containing various items of miscellaneous equipment were stacked around the room, with the MALP already loaded up and several airmen standing by to carry things through the gate.

One of the blast doors slid open and the four members of SG-1 arrived, each carrying a huge backpack in addition to their usual combat load and wheeling a large container in front of them. In front of them, the stargate began to dial.

"Well, have you got everything you need? I think there's still a sink left in the kitchen," Weir quipped.

"Was that a joke?" O'Neill asked in mock surprise- or was it real surprise?

"A bad one, perhaps." The stargate was on the fifth chevron, which Walter quickly announced.

"Yes, very bad. But I sense hope for you."

She turned serious. "Well, I hope for all of us that you find what you're looking for, Colonel."

"Thank you," O'Neill replied, before turning and leading his team through the now-open wormhole.


Kremlin

Like its counterpart halfway across the globe, the Kremlin also had a secure bunker for its senior staff. Unlike its counterpart, this one was built in case of nuclear war, the latest in a long line of contingency planning originally conceived by Stalin before the first atom bomb was even dropped. The President of Russia occupied the bunker, along with his senior command staff. Underground cables allowed them to communicate with their armies, missile sites, and the White House on the other side of the world.

The news was not good. One of the technicians, a lieutenant in the Russian Air Force, told the President, "Sir, we have just picked up three unidentified contacts on space-based radar. They are currently passing the moon and decelerating."

"Goa'uld motherships," a large, greying man sitting beside the President told him. He wore the three stars of a Colonel and a uniform of the Russian Air Force. He was Colonel Chekov, the closest thing Russia had to an expert on Stargate operations. "They call them Ha'tak."

"Motherships? Are those like carriers?"

"In a way, sir. They are more like our own than the American ones- heavily armed in addition to carrying fighters. Do not underestimate the threat- the fighters are poorly armed but fast and manoeuvrable and the motherships are heavily armed and shielded. We know they can withstand nuclear weapons fire."

"Alert all military forces," the Russian President ordered. "Inform that that we are about to be invaded. Colonel, what is that status of the Oniks system?"

"Unarmed but ready, sir."

"Activate it and prepare for orbital interception."


White House

"Mister President, we managed to contact the Captain of the Arleigh Burke, a destroyer in the Nimitz battlegroup," General Maynard announced. "I think you should hear this, sir."

He activated a loudspeaker, piping through the transmission. "-repeat, some sort of beam just came out of the sky, there wasn't any warning but the entire carrier just went up in one big fireball."

There was a pause, during which they could hear frenzied shouts and explosions. "Holy- another cruiser just blew up! Where's that coming from- what the-"

The transmission faded to garbled static, but they didn't have time to dwell on it. A Senior Airman on one of the consoles turned around and shouted, "Sir, we are picking up nuclear detonations!"

"See if you can raise that destroyer!" the President ordered. "Where are those nukes coming from?"

"In orbit, sir, in orbit! Confirm at least five high-yield nuclear detonations in geosynchronous orbit. We've lost most of our satellite-based communications, reconnaissance satellites are not responding."

"What the fuck was that?" Maynard questioned.

"It's got to be the Russians," General Jumper told them. "They're the only nation we know of with that kind of capability."

"Did it work?" Hayes asked. "Were the motherships destroyed?"

"We're working on that, sir!"

"Sir, I've re-established contact with the Arleigh Burke! Captain Thornhill is on the line."

"Put him back on!"

President Hayes picked up the phone. "Captain, what is your status?"

"It just stopped, Mister President! There was this massive flash in the sky, a nuke, probably, and the attack stopped. It looks like the sky's on fire but we seem to be in clear, sir."

"Sir, telemetry just confirmed two Ha'tak obliterated beyond recognition, one more heavily damaged and disabled."

"Thank you, Captain."

"I think we won, sir."

"The battle, maybe, but not the war," Hayes said, exhaling. "The damn Russians tipped our hand for us. We've only put off the inevitable. Anubis knows we don't have that weapon now. He's going to crush us flat."

He turned to Jumper. "Any word from SG-1?"

"No, sir."

"Prepare all of our own orbital interception systems for immediate deployment. Let's hope they get that weapon before we have to use them."


Cargo Ship

Carter went to check on O'Neill about half an hour after he made a cryptic comment about needing to go faster and disappeared into the rear compartment. She found all the access panels open with O'Neill shoving a purple-coloured crystal into one of the racks. He stood up. "Give me your zat."

She removed the Goa'uld sidearm from a holster affixed to her armoured thigh. The Colonel took it and shot the collection of crystals once. The hum of the engines increased in tone and volume, and there was a noticeable jerk as the ship accelerated.

He handed the zat back. "There you go."

Quietly, Carter told him, "Sir, I think you should know that General Hammond authorized me to take command of the team if I determined it-"

"Do it now," O'Neill ordered.

"Sir, I don't think that's necessary-"

"I trust you," the Colonel assured. "I'll make it easy for you. I resign. You're in charge."

"Okay," Sam replied. She paused. "Sir, at your house before Daniel and Teal'c showed up, what I was gonna say was..."

She took a deep breath. "I- I just- I wish things could have been different. Between us. I still-"

"I know," Jack replied quietly, gently interrupting her. "Me too."


White House

"Sir, a Goa'uld fleet just dropped out of hyperspace," General Jumper reported, holding a phone receiver in one hand. "Our observation assets are limited at this time, but current estimates put the strength of the force at several dozen capital ships."

"What are our options, John?" the President asked, rubbing his sweat-covered temples.

"We can deploy our Hydra and Minuteman-Four systems immediately, but they will likely not destroy-"

"Mister President, a hologram just appeared in the Oval Office!"

"What- give me a security camera feed!" Hayes ordered. The technician complied, and moments later one of the large monitors was displaying a live feed from the Oval Office above. Standing in the centre of the room was a figure in dark hooded robes.

"I am Anubis," the figure proclaimed. "Where is the leader of this world?"

"Put me on speaker." The tech handed Hayes a phone, and he gingerly put it to his head. The room went quiet. "Henry Hayes, President of the United States of America. One nation among many."

"No more. Bow before your god."

Henry Hayes was terrified, not because of the hologram's presence but what it represented. But he wasn't going to let that show. He couldn't. Feigning amusement, he chuckled. "I don't think so. However, I am willing to discuss your surrender."

"If you possessed weapons matching mine you would have used them."

"We're just getting started. Don't let our appearance fool you, we're gonna fight."

"You bring destruction upon yourselves," Anubis insisted.

"Never going to happen."

The hologram faded away, and Hayes glanced around the room. "Too much?"

The room suddenly exploded in a renewed flurry of activity. "Sir, they're launching fighters- counting hundreds- thousands!"

"Reading high-energy discharges- they're beginning orbital bombardment! They're targeting major cities- New York, Tokyo-"

"Mister President!" General Jumper raised his voice over the din. "I recommend we return fire with all available orbital interception assets!"

"Do it! I give the order!" Hayes replied frantically. "Inform all our forces that the battle has begun!"

"And Prometheus, sir?"

"Launch it, launch it now!"

"Sir, what about the Chinese!" the National Security Advisor interrupted. "They could take this as an attack-"

"Their cities are being bombed, their country is being invaded!" Jumper retorted. "With all due respect, ma'am, if the Chinese launch on us, it might not matter anyway."

"He called our bluff, and we're throwing all our chips in." President Hayes said, struggling to regain his composure. "Let's just hope SG-1 gets that weapon while there's still an Earth left to save."


Goa'uld Flagship

"My lord, detecting multiple small craft approaching the fleet. They number in the hundreds."

"Order all Death Gliders to intercept," Anubis responded. The Tau'ri would not give up without a fight- but he already knew that. Some of his own forces would inevitably be lost, but he already knew that too.

The invasion fleet carried a significant number of the small fighters, and almost all of them turned and closed with the incoming craft. The incoming craft, however, were not Earth fighters but missiles. Some were simple ballistic missiles that didn't even have enough range to reach the fleet. Several of them, however, were recently developed systems designed specifically to intercept and destroy Goa'uld capital ships. They slowly inched ahead of their adapted cousins.

As soon as they were within range, the squadrons of Death Gliders opened fire. Though powerful, their staff cannons were ill-suited to downing fast-moving missiles. Even still, they were able to destroy a third of the missiles launched from the planet below. The fact that despite taking casualties, the Tau'ri force simply continued baffled the pilots until they realized that they were not up against fighters. For many of them, the realization came too late. The decoy missiles began to detonate, wiping out entire wings of Death Gliders.

Coming around, the remaining Gliders continued to engage the inbound missiles, though they were more hesitant and careful. With the missiles rapidly closing in on them, the Ha'tak motherships of Anubis' fleet opened fire with their primary energy cannons. They were not point-defence weapons but ship-to-ship ones, slow to fire, slow to track, and not accurate enough to pick off small targets at range. Even still, the fearsome volley of firepower destroyed all but twenty of the Earth-launched weapons in addition to collateral damage against Death Gliders.

A brilliant nuclear explosion appeared like a second sun in the sky for a brief moment, before it was joined by nineteen others. The massive detonations hammered hard against the shields of Anubis' fleet, with some of the energy leaking through to smash and melt hulls. The brilliant light quickly receded, revealing a crippled, but still capable fleet. Four ships had been destroyed and another five crippled, with the rest receiving various degrees of damage.

"My lord, I am receiving reports of damage to our fleet," the First Prime of Anubis reported. "We have lost seven ships in total. The Tau'ri do not appear to be preparing to fire the Ancient weapon again-"

"You fool," Anubis snorted. "This is a crude weapon built by the Tau'ri, not a weapon of the Ancients. If it were the weapon I seek then we would not be here any longer."


Cargo Ship

"Well, this doesn't look good."

They had dropped out of hyperspace above the planet, which was a deep crimson red. The system's star was the same colour. Sensor readouts showed that the planet was almost entirely covered by lava floes, its atmosphere was toxic and there was no plant or animal life present. It was, in a word, dead.

"How could there have ever been a civilization here?" Daniel asked.

"A star becomes a red giant like this near the end of its life," Carter explained. "A million years ago this planet may have looked very much like Earth."

"So we're a million years too late?"

"Probably more."

"What?" O'Neill asked from behind them. "Don't look at me. I don't even know why we're here."

"Colonel, sit down and take a look," Carter suggested. He looked perplexed, and she appended, "That's an order, sir."

Both O'Neill and Teal'c raised an eyebrow, and she gulped, astounded at what she did. Before anyone could say anything, Bra'tac stood up and allowed the Colonel to take his place. A holographic overlay appeared over the window, highlighting a certain region of the planet. "Taonas."

"Sir?" Carter asked.

"What?"

"You looked at the screen and said, Taonas," Daniel told him.

"If you say so."

Carter's trained eyes scanned the readout. "There's a small anomaly on the surface here. Like a bubble."

"Is it a cavern?" Bra'tac asked.

She shook her head. "No, it's too regular to be natural. It's a perfect half-sphere of molten rock."

"Perhaps a forcefield meant to protect a city was covered over," Ronan suggested.

"Too small to have a city in there. And we aren't getting any energy readings from it."

"Perhaps the shield has since failed," Teal'c mentioned.

"We should still check it out," Carter concluded. She pointed out a spot on the diagram. "It looks like the crust is thin enough here to penetrate with the rings. Bra'tac, bring us in close."

The old Jaffa nodded before switching with O'Neill and taking control again. Carter led SG-1 back into the cargo area as the ship began to accelerate.

Major Carter pulled on her tactical vest and zipped it up over her suit, quickly checking to make sure she hadn't lost anything. Her Mark 23 pistol was already strapped to her leg, as was her zat and combat knife. She slung her main weapon, an FN FAL. Last to go on was her helmet, which locked to the neck seals on her suit with a reassuring snap. As the other members did the same, she ordered, "Check your hardseal. The planet is a high radiation zone and the atmosphere is heavily contaminated with toxic chemicals."

"Sounds like a nice place to visit," Daniel commented wryly after putting on his own helmet.

"I am ready, Major Carter," Bra'tac announced from the front of the ship.

"Everyone ready?" Carter asked, and received nods from her teammates. "Ring us down, Bra'tac."


Proclarush Taonas

SG-1 materialized under the dome, on a rough, rocky ground. Debris and jutting pieces of rock lined the area, combining with the haze and red lighting to give the place an overall disconcerting appearance.

"Can you still hear us?" Ronan asked over their communications link.

"That's affirm," Carter replied.

"We will move a safe distance and return on your signal," Bra'tac announced.

"Acknowledged." With that, they moved out to explore the ruins.

"The radiation level is pretty high," Carter mentioned, scanning the readouts on her HUD. "The air is contaminated with sulfur compounds with elevated levels of carbon dioxide. Surface temperature is... forty-five degrees."

"I believe Ronan was correct," Teal'c commented. "It seems a shield once protected this structure."

"It's possible the rings compromised the dome's integrity," Carter added. "We shouldn't stay too long."

"Too bad," Daniel commented wryly. "Otherwise, it's very pleasant."

They followed O'Neill, who silently led them through the maze of rocky stalagmites towards a small but clearly Ancient structure. It was mostly buried, with little in the way of recognizable walls, and nothing protecting its entrance. In the centre was a slightly raised pedestal with a chair or throne mounted on it.

"Architecture definitely indicates this was built by the Ancients," Daniel confirmed as they entered the structure.

Teal'c added, "This facility does not appear operational."

"I don't know about you guys," Carter said, "But right now I'm kinda hoping this isn't the Lost City."

O'Neill paid them no heed, continuing to walk toward the throne in the centre of the room. She cautioned him, "Sir, be careful."

He sat down, and the device immediately lit up. Slowly, he lowered one of his gloved hands into a gel-like surface on one of the armrests. Seconds later, a half-spherical force-field rose up around them. He removed his helmet.

"The atmosphere is safe," Carter confirmed, but didn't remove her own. If she did, she wouldn't be able to view the readouts from her suit's sensors.

O'Neill continued to manipulate the surface, although the real commands were being relayed with his thoughts, not by physical controls. The chair reclined, and a holographic map of the galaxy appeared over their heads.

"It looks like every planet the Ancients ever colonized is indicated here," Daniel noted. He pointed at one of the dots. "This is where we are. Proclarush."

The projection changed to a simplified display of a star system. Carter immediately recognized it. "That's our solar system."

It zoomed into a specific planet. "Earth."

"That does not appear to be Earth," Teal'c said.

"It's because it doesn't take into account thirty million years of continental drift," Daniel explained.

"Sir, why are you showing us this?" Carter asked.

In a deep tone unusual for the man, he uttered slowly, "Terra... Atlantis."

"Terra is Earth, Atlantis is..." Daniel muttered. The projection slowly moved to pinpoint a specific part of the globe. He pointed to it. "Jack, are you saying the Lost City of the Ancients is here? Antarctica?"

"Subo glacias."

"Under the ice?" Daniel asked, semi-rhetorically. "The city we've been looking for is under the ice of Antarctica."

"It's been on Earth the whole time?" Carter questioned. "Sir, we were just there! Did we come all this way just to find out we have to go all the way back?"

"No," O'Neill snapped. He pressed into the gel again, and the chair snapped back to its upright position. He locked his helmet back down and stood up, moving toward the edge of the platform. A wave of his hand revealed a hidden compartment, with a brightly glowing crystal that slowly rose out of it. He grabbed it and pulled it out, severing power to the forcefield as soon as it was removed.

Carter took it from his hands and briefly examined the device before stowing it in her small backpack. She commented. "Power source."

The dome began to destabilize as soon as power was removed. The room began to shake ominously, and a loud rumbling sound could be heard from outside as dust filled the already hazy air. Carter immediately began leading them back to the ring site, conveniently marked by a directional indicator on her HUD. She keyed the comm system. "Bra'tac, we're on our way. We know the location of the Lost City. It's on Earth."

"Understood, Major Carter," was the curt response.

They hurried back to the landing site as the dome literally came down around them. A pile of crushed rock fell on Daniel, and Teal'c quickly pulled him back up. Carter keyed her comm system again. "Bra'tac, what's happening up there?"

More debris continued to rain down, and the rings were still nowhere to be seen. For what seemed like an eternity, but was less than a minute, they stood out in the open, relying on their armour and quick reflexes to protect them from falling debris. She frantically shouted, "Bra'tac, the dome is collapsing!"

Seconds before the dome collapsed completely, the rings finally dropped down and SG-1 disappeared in a flash of light.


Cargo Ship

As soon as they materialized, they realized something was wrong.

Both of the Jaffa were lying on the floor, with a pair of bloody knives dropped beside them. Ronan, the one who owned the ship, was dead- Carter confirmed it by checking his pulse. Bra'tac was still alive, but badly injured. He managed to whisper, "Ronan…was an agent of…Anubis."

Teal'c knelt beside his old master and grasped his hand. "Save your strength, old friend."

"You know that I am stubborn, Teal'c," Bra'tac said weakly, "But this battle I fear I cannot win."

Silently, O'Neill moved to the dying Jaffa's side. He gingerly placed a hand over the wound and shut his eyes tight in concentration. As the wound began to heal, Bra'tac muttered, "The pain is fading."

The act of healing took all the energy out of O'Neill, and Daniel caught him before he dropped to the floor. "Jack!"

Bra'tac shared a look with the equally astounded O'Neill. "Once more I am in your debt."

"But how?" Carter asked.

"Colonel O'Neill must possess the healing power of the Ancients," Teal'c replied.

"Guess your condition is a little more advanced than last time," Daniel mentioned, receiving a weak nod in reply.


White House

"Initial reports are sporadic and unreliable, but we're starting to put together what's going on."

"Let's hear it, John," President Hayes replied wearily.

"Parts of Anubis' fleet have detached and landed on Earth. We have confirmed one Goa'uld mothership near Los Angeles, one in Colorado, and one in New York State. We suspect there have been at least three landings in Europe, two in Russia, two in China, as well as one in Egypt and one more within North America. Those motherships are currently engaged in troop landing operations.

"Contact was made with our own troops just under an hour ago," General Maynard reported. "The 3rd Cavalry, 4th Infantry, and 1st Armoured, have made contract with the enemy and are currently keeping them away from the SGC and Area 51. All available Army and Marines units have been deployed around key areas. Reports are coming in of fighting in and outside of several major population centres, including LA and NY."

General Jumper continued, "The Air Force and naval aviation units have engaged Goa'uld fighters since they entered the atmosphere. Plane-for-plane, we're better once they get within range, but we're running out of missiles, planes, and pilots. Our capacity to maintain air superiority is severely depleted and will be gone in a matter of hours."

"Orbital bombardment?" the President asked.

Grimly, the Air Force General replied, "Yes, sir. They are bombarding our cities from orbit. That's the closest thing we have to good news."

"Good news? If that's the good news, I'm not sure if I want to know what the bad news is."

"Anubis is focusing on population centres. Our cities are being destroyed across the country, but most of our military infrastructure, as well as our strategic strike capability, is still intact. The Navy, apart from initial strikes on the Nimitz and John F. Kennedy battlegroups, has been left largely untouched and is providing-"

"How many?" Hayes asked quietly.

The two generals shared a look before General Jumper replied grimly, "Any estimate at this point would be a wild guess, sir, but we're looking at the millions."

"My god," the President breathed.

"It seems that Anubis is deliberately avoiding attacking world capitals," General Jumper added slowly. "Beijing, Ottawa, and London are confirmed to be under heavy attack, but Berlin, Paris, Moscow, and Washington appear to have left alone."

"That son of a bitch," the President swore. "You know what he's doing? He wants the leaders of Earth to watch as he destroys our planet city by city. The sadistic bastard doesn't want to exterminate us, or even enslave us. He wants to dominate us, fuck us over as hard as possible before he takes control."

He paused. "What about the rest of the world? How are they doing?"

"Intelligence is sporadic at best," General Maynard replied. "Our own units in Japan and Germany are fighting hard against invasions in both countries- we know there's at least one, maybe two, motherships in Europe, but we still do not know the scope of the invasion of Japan. Communications with London ceased about forty minutes ago and SOSUS has picked up their missile subs moving at high speed towards either Canada or the United States, so it can be assumed that they have opened their final orders and that the British chain of command is compromised. The Russian military has deployed and appears to be having at least some success against the invasion, and there is heavy fighting in China."

"World War Three," Hayes muttered. "Never thought it would be an alien invasion- hoped it would never happen. Thought that we could reach an agreement, or pull off something close to a win. At least we're going to put up a hell of a fight-"

"Yes, sir. I-"

"Sir, there's a call for you from the SGC," an aide interrupted. He handed the President a phone. "Doctor Weir is on the line."

He took the phone. "Doctor Weir, as of this moment Anubis' Jaffa are pushing toward the SGC, and our cities are being bombarded from orbit, so please make this as quick as possible."


Stargate Command

"Sorry, Mister President." Weir cut straight to the point. "We've received a message from SG-1. They've found the Lost City and are on their way with an Ancient weapon. We know Prometheus can't win against an entire Goa'uld fleet, but it might be able to buy SG-1 enough time to complete their mission."

As she was speaking, Kinsey entered her office. "Mr. President, that is downright insane. I am relieving Dr. Weir and taking command of-"

Weir ignored him. "Sir, from what I've looked at-"

"Would you shut the hell up!" President Hayes shouted.

Deflated, she apologized quietly, "I'm sorry, sir."

"Not you, Doctor," the President clarified. "Consider your resignation accepted, Bob."

"You can't do that!" Kinsey objected.

"Oh please. I've got enough on you to have you shot. We're at war. Now I'm not accusing you of anything, but some people are going to see what you're doing as treason."

"This is the biggest mistake you'll ever make. I promise you will only live to regret this!"

"Well, that's awfully optimistic of him," Hayes said darkly as Kinsey stormed out of the room. "Go ahead, Doctor Weir."

"I believe, sir, sending Prometheus to cover SG-1 is our best hope."


Cargo Ship

"Jack's modifying the matter stream transmitter on the rings," Daniel reported, stepping into the cockpit of the cargo ship. "I think we're going to use it to bore a hole through the ice."

"We must first defeat the forces of Anubis," Teal'c told him.

"Yeah, how are we gonna do that?"

"One must exit hyperspace as close to the Earth's atmosphere as possible," Bra'tac explained. "There will not be much time to decelerate."

Seconds later, they emerged from hyperspace, still at tremendous, if subluminal, velocity. The ship quickly passed through the fields of space junk and began entering the atmosphere.

"Teal'c?" Daniel called as the ship shuddered around them. "Teal'c, you're gonna pull up, right?"

They continued to descend, now through the outer layers of the atmosphere and passing the cloud layer. "I am attempting to do so."

Finally, barely a thousand feet from the ground, the ship lurched again, pulling out of its steep dive and entering a far more stable, level flight. Teal'c turned to O'Neill. "Where now?"

"It has to be near the coordinates where we found the second Stargate," Daniel said as the Colonel switched with Teal'c. The ship accelerated again, coming to rest just above a spot in the middle of a flat plain of ice. O'Neill activated the ring transporter, but instead of a set of rings, a brilliant blue beam came down and began melting away the ice.

"Sir, how long is this going to take?" Carter asked, but received no reply. O'Neill got up and silently left, moving into the rear compartment.

"Anubis cannot have missed our arrival," Teal'c stated.

"You are correct," Bra'tac confirmed. "Al'kesh and gliders approach. Many. They will be in firing range in thirty seconds."

He paused. "More ships approaching from the opposite direction."

"Jack, we're about to-"

"Wait!" Carter interrupted. She peered out the front window, squinting. "Those are ours!"

USAF Prometheus

"Open fire, all batteries, order all 302s to commence their attack," General Hammond ordered from the command chair. "Defend that ship at all costs."

The Earth-built starship came to rest above the cargo ship, using its shields to protect the smaller ship. Railgun fire streaked toward the incoming wave of Death Gliders and Al'kesh. Above them, the F-302s opened fire, launching a barrage of missiles. Several of the Goa'uld ships went down before the opposing fighters tangled, turning it into a high-speed, high-stakes dogfight.

Hammond keyed the communications system. "SG-1, this is Hammond, do you read?"

Cargo Ship

"Yes, sir, it's good to see you!" Carter replied happily. She turned to her team. "Let's go."

In the rear compartment, O'Neill finished removing the last trace of his ring transporter modifications. The rest of SG-1 quickly threw on their vests and grabbed their weapons before putting on their helmets. As she racked the charging handle on her weapon, she asked, "Colonel, how are we going to get down there?"

"The rings," Teal'c surmised.

"Makes sense," Daniel elaborated. "The Ancients built the Stargate so there must be a set of rings to get us down there somewhere."

"The transmission beams just couldn't penetrate a mile of ice," Carter finished. Beside her, O'Neill cleared the last pieces of junk from around the rings and moved inside them. SG-1 took positions beside him, and Carter shouted to Bra'tac, "We're ready."

"Good luck," the old Jaffa said before activating the rings.

USAF Prometheus

The starship shuddered as energy blasts began to rain down from orbit. Major Gant shouted, "Sir, the cargo ship has cleared the hole."

"Shields are failing!" Colonel Kirkland shouted. "All remaining F-302's have expended their ordnance."

"We can't take them back aboard," Hammond replied, "They'll have to divert to McMurdo."

"We need to break off and recharge the shields," Kirkland insisted.

"No! Set a course for Anubis' mothership," the General ordered. "Full military thrust."

"Bring main engines online, emergency thrust," Kirkland echoed, a hint of reluctance in his voice.

Ancient Outpost

The team emerged in an iced-over cavern, supported by pillars of clearly Ancient design. It was larger than the outpost on Proclarush, and in better condition. There were several alcoves cut into the walls, with partial walls separating the ring platform area from the chair on its pedestal.

"This looks vaguely familiar," Carter remarked.

Instead of heading straight for the chair, O'Neill headed for one of the wall alcoves. He leaned against it and muttered, "Dormata."

"Sleep," Daniel translated.

With its characteristic high-pitched whine, a hologram of Anubis appeared between them and the chair. They immediately trained their weapons at it. Smugly, the gravelly voice of the half-ascended Goa'uld told them, "You are too late. The power of the Ancients is mine."

O'Neill looked at the hologram for a moment before striding forward, then putting his arm through the hologram before stepping through. Before it disappeared, the Anubis hologram shouted, "Fools!"

He continued forward, kneeling down near the edge of the pedestal. He waved his hand over the surface, and just like on Proclarush, a large crystal, this one dark, slid upwards out of the whole. Carter hurried forward, unslinging her backpack and removing the device they had retrieved earlier. She handed it to O'Neill before the rings activated again.

As the Colonel inserted the device, Carter hurried to take a defensive position, switching on a Kull Disruptor unit mounted to the side of her M240. Teal'c and Daniel followed her lead, taking cover and readying their weapons.

Two Kull Warriors stepped off the ring platform and both sides immediately opened fire. Energy blasts slammed into the Ancient architecture SG-1 was taking cover behind while disruptor-charged bullets hammered the new arrivals. They quickly went down, but a larger group, mixed with Jaffa, arrived to take their place.

Carter unleashed a long burst from her machine gun, ripping into the Jaffa and the tougher supersoldiers. As a third wave ringed down behind them, she shouted, "Sir, whatever you're going to do, do it fast!"

Colonel O'Neill sat down in the chair, which immediately lit up and reclined backwards. With a thought that was as much instinct as conscious effort, he brought the Ancient weapon system online. The chair was bathed in bright light, and a hole tore open in the icy floor before a nearly-solid stream of small yellow projectiles streamed from it. A few of them enveloped the Kull Warriors and Jaffa, with the rest continuing out of the hole they drilled toward the Goa'uld fleet far above.

USAF Prometheus

The starship continued to shudder as it took the brunt of the continued bombardment. Explosions were visible on the hull where the energy blasts hit.

"Shields are down," Major Gant reported. "All weapons are expended."

"The next hit's gonna take us out," Kirkland stated.

"Hold your course," Hammond insisted. "Brace for collision. If we go, they go."

They continued on their suicidal course for a few seconds before Gant frantically reported, "Weapons fire coming from the surface, sir!"

Hammond was determined, but not completely insane. "Break off course! Get us clear!"

Anubis' Flagship

The golden streams split above Earth orbit, with some of the projectiles ripping through the Ha'tak vessels that made up the majority of Anubis' fleet. The rest continued straight toward his flagship. They shredded the outer hull and began tearing away at the structure and critical systems of the ship.

"Our shields are of no use!" the First Prime shouted as the defenceless vessel took heavy damage.

Anubis let out a colossal scream of pure rage before the starship was completely destroyed by the catastrophic detonation of its main reactor.


Ancient Outpost

The glow faded as the system shut down, but Colonel O'Neill did not move. His eyes were shut and his head was lolled to one side. Sam rushed to his side and gently removed his helmet. "Sir... sir!"

"His pulse is erratic," she told Daniel and Teal'c before turning back to the Colonel. "Don't you dare leave us now. We won."

Jack's eyes opened lazily, and his head moved slightly. Sam immediately grasped his chin. "Colonel!"

"Please, Jack," she begged desperately.

He managed a single quiet word in reply. "Dormata."

"That thing," Daniel whispered.

Gently, Sam lifted Jack out of the chair, supporting him on her shoulders. She carried him over to the device before placing him back-first into it, slowly letting go once he was leaned against its surface. As she stepped back, the alcove lit up.

"Now what?" she asked.

"Aveo... amacus," Jack whispered.

"Goodbye, my friends," Daniel quietly translated. Seconds later, the alcove lit up, and Jack was enveloped in a translucent solid. Slowly, the device went dark again.

"We can't just leave him like this! There has to be a way to reverse the process. The answer has to be here somewhere."

Daniel shook his head sadly. "I don't think this is it, Sam."

"What do you mean?"

"The dome is too small," Daniel stated. "It's like Taonas. This isn't a city, it's just an outpost of some kind."

"It's not Atlantis," Sam echoed, half-question, half-statement.

"No, I don't think so."

"If this is not the lost city, then where is it?" Teal'c asked.


White House

"Thousands of bright yellow…I don't know…They're coming from the surface. I don't know what they are," a voice crackled over the live feed. "They're cutting the enemy fleet to shreds. My god, it's beautiful!"

The feed switched to another one, this one from Los Angeles. "They're pulling back- they're on the defensive! We've got 'em on the run! Push forward!"

From Moscow, "Oni otkhodili ! Oni poteryalivolyu k borʹbe! Tolchok vpered, tovarishchi, ubitʹ vsekh zakhvatchikov!"

The news from Paris was much the same, "Ils ont cessé de se battre. Je pense qu'ils vont se rendre. Je ne peux pas y croire, nous avons gagné!"

As it was from Tokyo, "Karera wa kōfukudeari, tatakai wa owatta! Sorera no watashitachi no shūjin o kakunin shimasu."

Beijing, "Tāmen lāle huílái, fàngxià tāmen de wǔqì! Pāi tāmen! Shāle tāmen!"

And Jerusalem, "Sh lnv vtm vmnvsh tn lhm shvm hrv'vn, lngv vtm hdmh shlnv!"

"Reports are coming in from around the globe, sir," General Jumper summarized. "Orbital bombardment has ceased and reinforcements have stopped coming in. All Goa'uld motherships, including those that have landed, have been destroyed. Remaining Jaffa on the ground are either surrendering or fighting defensively and desperately."

"We won, Mister President," General Maynard said quietly. "It's over."

President Henry Hayes shook his head. "No. It's only begun."