Ancients Return

Mac made sure he was behind Sam when they re-materialised on-board the warship, without even blinking, he placed his hand on Sam's shoulder, and pressed gently through the skin of the HAZAMAT suit. "Sorry about this Sam." He whispered and held her gently as she fell into a gentle sleep. "I'll be back for you." Mac looked down on his niece kindly. He turned and headed up the way, he radioed to Cam that he was in position and on his signal alone, the drones would be detonated. Not forgetting the Marines, who by now must be bored out of their skulls, he called them and ordered Captain Hampton to take his men and make a sweep of the lower and hangar decks. Mac checked his trusty Browning 9mm, he'd had it for twenty years now and he could never quite get accustomed to the feel of the modern pistols. Just the same, Rebecca his daughter made him carry a Glock as back-up; it was shoved down inside his waist belt. Trouble was, the gloves of the protective suit would make it difficult to handle the weapon. 'Well I'll figure that out later.' He moved on.

Coming around the corner of the passage way, he saw the edges of the Ori's force field, it was further out than the other's had described now. Mac figured as much. The more power these beings drew, the larger the field became, especially if you hit with a nuke! Well he certainly wasn't prepared for that...yet.

Now Mac wondered, these fields were supposed to deflect weapons fire, but would it stop him from simply walking through it? Only one way to find out. He took a deep breath and stepped through the visible shimmering wall. Like liquid quicksand, he felt as if he was sucked through it and then he was standing a metre or so behind this Thalas character. The Ori turned about to face this new guest into his domain.

"Ah, another visitor...strange though, your mind is blocked from me. But I don't need to know who you are, suffice to say you think you can stop me." But there was something odd about this human, something familiar...what was it? Thalas said bluntly.

Mac shook his head as if remembering something, then words came from his mouth involuntarily. It was his own voice that spoke, but it was as if someone else was controlling him. "Hello Thalas. I knew it was you from the other name you used. One who studies death indeed."

The Ori's eyes grew wide, that voice he knew from millennia ago, but that was impossible. No perhaps not. Agathon was a student of Moros, he was of the warrior caste, reborn again and again as a fighter. To die mortal, but always coming back like a plague. "It is you Agathon isn't it. The face is different, the voice is not. No matter old friend, you cannot defeat me as you are...especially now. Look at you, old, you have no powers and I have retained all mine. The price you paid I suppose, for not choosing the path, even as your mentors Moros and Ganos Lal had done so. No, you and your kind were just assassins for hire weren't you?"

"Tsk, tsk. Thalas, you went the wrong direction. You and those that followed you. I chose my road wisely. To be there when needed, nothing more. Now most of your evil kind are gone, but I sense you're not alone. How many came with you Thalas?"

"Do you think I would simply tell you that. I should crush you now, another few hundred years for you to be reborn...ha! There'll be nothing left here then, you fool!" He spat the words violently. "But I'll let you linger, it amuses me."

Mac whispered into his coms. "Now Cam!" On the signal, the drones exploded all about the ship. The detonations had been subdued by removing the main drive core and replacing it with a small grenade charge. Not enough to do any real damage, but enough to set off the propulsion reactor for a small fraction of time, that was all that was needed for produce the EM spike they required. On board the Ori ship, all that was heard was a continuous string of small explosions and then the field surrounding Thalas collapsed.

Before Thalas could react, Mac was upon him. He knew now who he was, that unseen voice was his own, in an instant as he closed with his adversary, all the other lives flashed before his eyes, until he was somehow looking down upon his own birth fifty eight years ago. Every man different, yet somehow the same. William MacGregor was an ancient, but of a different kind. One who was allowed to intervene in the affairs of lowers, through a loophole that Merlin and Morgan le Fay had devised. Soldiers of good, who would be reborn again and again as mortals, to fight the evil of the Ori and any others , wherever they might arise.

Wil held the Ori Thalas in an iron grip. His left arm locked around the other's neck, he took the rubber glove of his right hand in his teeth and tore at it; ripping it fiercely until it came free, he pulled the Browning pistol out and held it firmly against Thalas's temple. "How many Thalas. I know you retook human form, I know you would not have come alone, how many!" He yelled loudly in the man's ear.

Thalas could barely speak. But he knew if he bided his time, he would overcome the effects of whatever had disconnected him from the power. Chokingly he replied. "You'll never know Agathon. Only when they hunt you down might you..." Mac tightened his grip.

"You will not ascend you swineherd, not here not ever, but you will tell me now." Mac moved his pistol aside, aimed and pulled the trigger. Bang! The bullet passing through the Ori's knee. Thalas screamed in pain.

Sam shook her head, what was that. One moment she was standing there, the next she's laying on her side. She checked the atmosphere monitor on her wrist, afraid her suit may have been leaking. Nope, everything normal there, suits ok. On the other gauge that measured outside of the suit, she saw the toxic levels were dropping, rapidly. Then she heard the single shot, the man screaming and remembered the Admiral. She called him on the radio. Nothing. She called Hampton. "Captain, this is Carter, I'm in the main passage leading to the bridge, can you join me now please. "Right away ma'am." Came the reply.

She waited a few moments for the marines to arrive, they took longer than she would have liked so she removed the HAZMAT suit before they got there. Hampton come running toward her and saw the Colonel standing there, the orange clothing around her feet. She nodded to them. "It's ok captain, air's clean. They followed her lead and removed their own cumbersome rubber suits. "I heard a gunshot toward the bridge, come on!" In a tight group they ran to the forward section...bang! Another gunshot, followed by another scream which urged them faster.

Thalas reeled in pain, he tried to extricate himself from Mac's grip, to no avail. He was in a vice. He could feel his own strength failing, he hoped that Agathon would finish it quickly, but that hope was gone. He would not ascend, the effort required at that moment of death was too great and in his present state, he could not reach it. He was going to die here. The second shot to his other knee felt a hundred times worse than the first. One thought only passed through his mind, the warrior caste should have been dealt with from the beginning, he knew they would hunt down every last one of his kind. Well, he would die with honour, at least to his brethren, Agathon would find out nothing.

In holding the Ori as he did, somehow a bond or link was formed with his mind. Mac walked in a sea of hatred black and red as in the horrors of endless wars. Finally though he found what he was looking for, a meeting in the fiery abyss of Celestas, a vote for six hundred and fifty Ori, to retake human form and enter the Ancient galaxy on the next wave of ships to pass through the super gate, names and faces, many that Agathon knew when the Ancients and Ori were as one. Mac released his hold on Thalas and he fell to the floor clutching at both his bleeding legs. Mac just looked at him impassively. "Got cha now you swine!" A single shot rang out as the bullet exploded through the Ori's head. Sam and the marines came skidding to a halt as the robed man slumped, lifeless.

Sam came running over. "Unc...sir? What happened here, how did you?"

Agathon fled back into Mac's subconscious, well not really fled. It was himself after all, just another side to him. At least now he knew who was pulling the strings when he had those damn premonitions, and who it was that put Sam to sleep. He's gonna be doing a lot of talking to himself in the next few days, that's for sure. "The shield went down Sam, this fellow here just started hollerin' and going crazy, so I had to subdue him a little." God he hated lying, he'll have to make it up to her later. "Anyway, in the end I had to finish it, he was just too dangerous." There was no lie there.

"My god!" She exclaimed as she looked down at the dead Ori. "You don't play around do you sir. Did you at least learn anything, is it over?"

"Yes, I learned a bit Sam and, no it's not over unfortunately." There was a lot to do. "But least we've got another ship...no crew though, but another ship anyway. Sam, have Cam dock the 401 in this ship's hangar and tell him and the others to meet me in the bridge. Captain Hampton, Anything to report?"

"Yes and no sir. We checked all levels, no other signs of life, but there appears to be some kind of weapon in the ring room. It wasn't there before, but on our way to meet the colonel here, one of the boys spotted it. Doesn't seem to be active though."

"I better check it out sir." Sam said.

"Do that Sam. Take two of the marines with you. The rest of you with me we'll secure the bridge until Colonel Mitchell arrives. Oh and Sam..."

"Yes?"

"We better get the shields active again, just in case ok."

"Of course, I'll get Jonas on to it as soon as Cam gets here." With that she walked away, glancing once over her shoulder at her uncle. There was something not right about him, she could sense it.