So twice five miles of fertile ground

With walls and towers were girdled round;

And there were gardens bright with sinuous rills,

Where blossomed many an incense-bearing tree;

And here were forests ancient as the hills,

Enfolding sunny spots of greenery.

- From Kubla Khan by Samuel Taylor Coleridge

Bazaar

When he emerged from the wormhole, Jack instantly noticed several things at once. The first was that the Stargate was located at the top of a rather large hill, and from that vantage point, he could see a sprawling, fertile plain that sloped down to a sparkling, deep blue sea visible just on the horizon. The second thing he noticed was a blissful lack of trees – or at least trees of any size. Mostly, the plain before him was populated by low-growing scrub brush, accented here and there with an occasional copse of taller trees that looked like cypress. The place had a distinctly Mediterranean feel and was a refreshing change, Jack thought, from the other planets they usually visited.

The most outstanding feature of the vista, however, lay at the base of the hill on which he was standing. Below him, less than three klicks from the gate was a bustling open-air market that easily spanned a few hundred acres. Even from his spot atop the hill, Jack could hear a cacophony of music and laughter and the call of salespeople hawking their wares filtering up from below.

"Oh, wow," Daniel commented as he stepped out of the gate and joined Jack on the first step, with Sam and Teal'c close behind.

Jack could relate. If it weren't for the urgent nature of their mission, he might really enjoy his time there. Unfortunately, though, this wasn't a leisure trip. He took a deep breath of the temperate air and admired the relatively treeless view one last time before clapping his hands together and turning toward his team. "What say we do some shopping?"

Together, the four of them headed down the short path to the marketplace in the hope of finding someone who had seen the other teams or, more importantly, might have information on their whereabouts. But despite the sunny day and the festive mood of the bazaar, Jack was wary. Eight people had gone missing over the past several days, eight people who were both well trained and well armed. Whatever had happened to them, he was certain it wasn't anything good.

The moment they entered the maze of stalls at the base of the hill, the colorful vendors began calling out to them, offering everything from booze to weapons to robotics to clothing. As they walked, they saw exotic animals in cages and small groups of men smoking what looked like hookahs. They were repeatedly offered various substances that would open their minds, make them better looking, or improve their breath. And in some stalls, the vendors were selling machines that would reportedly do everything from clean their floors to cook their meals, as well as other, much more personal services.

As they wandered the twisting paths of the market, Jack couldn't help but notice how both Sam and Daniel were gaping at the wild mix of technology and cultures. He exchanged a knowing look with Teal'c - it would be up to them to keep the science geeks from getting distracted.

Jack fell into step with Sam, and as if on cue, Sam whispered with a voice filled with awe, "This is amazing, sir."

He was just about to remind her of their purpose, when a particularly assertive merchant, one who had undoubtedly overheard her comment, stepped away from his stall and began walking with her on the side opposite Jack.

"Surely such a beautiful lady deserves a fitting companion," said the man to Sam, his dark and sparkling eyes full of mischief.

"Hey!" Jack protested, but his Second had already stopped to look at what the man held toward her in his outstretched hand.

Peering over Sam's shoulder, Jack watched as the merchant placed what appeared to be a small, mechanical butterfly in her palm. It was a delicate piece of work, with wings that looked like stained glass and a body made of gears that turned upon one another, reminding Jack of a the inside of a watch.

"This is extraordinary!" Sam exclaimed as she examined it more closely, and Jack could have sworn she let out a faint squeal of delight when the machine flapped its wings and rose above her head before settling once again in her palm. "How does it work?" she asked the merchant, who was practically salivating.

Time to shut this down, thought Jack. "Alright, Carter, give the man his pet back."

"But, sir!" the merchant protested. "Can't you see she is taken with it? Surely you won't deprive the lady of such a prize."

He huffed. "I can assure you the lady has no need for any other 'companions.'"

Jack was, of course, referring to the team, the other members of which were questioning a woman across the way, but the merchant clearly misinterpreted his meaning. "So you say," he replied skeptically, giving Jack the once over before being struck with a sudden thought. He snapped his fingers. "Perhaps then, something to help your libido! I have several natural remedies-"

"My libido's just fine, thank you," Jack growled, before grabbing Sam by the arm and pulling her away.

He was thankful that Teal'c and Daniel hadn't been around to witness that particular exchange, but he inwardly cringed knowing a certain blond Major was. He risked a quick glance in her direction and saw that - not surprisingly - she was trying to repress a smile. What he didn't expect, though, was the full-blown blush on her cheeks.

It did funny things to his insides.

He sighed. Damn if he wasn't completely screwed. After their time spent as Jonah and Thera, he'd tried to put some distance between them, hoping that if he maintained a completely professional demeanor, he would get past his inappropriate infatuation with his Second. But ever since that bastard Adrian Conrad had taken her and he'd been on the verge of sheer panic until he found her, he'd realized the feelings that he'd been trying for more than a year to ignore weren't gone. Quite the opposite - they had magnified tenfold, to the point he now knew that he was hopelessly in love with her.

Apparently she had that effect on people, he thought, as a tiny girl, dressed in rags and no more than four years old, approached her to hand her a tattered wildflower. But no sooner had Sam knelt down to talk to the girl than Jack caught a movement behind him out of the corner of his eye. In a flash, he turned around and caught by the wrist the boy who was trying to unzip his pack.

"Don't hurt him!" cried the girl.

The boy was squirming so much, it was as if he had a tiger by the tail. Quickly he pinned both arms to his sides. "Enough!" Jack shouted, as the boy tried to kick him. "I'm not going to hurt you, but you have to calm down!" After a few more vain attempts to gain his freedom, the boy stilled, and Jack got his first good look at him. He was nothing but skin and bones, and not much older than the girl. Jack inclined his head in her direction. "That your sister?" The boy nodded reluctantly. "Where are your parents?" he asked in a somewhat softer tone, though he suspected he knew the answer.

"Don't got none," the boy replied with a shrug. Then, with more bravado than he clearly felt, he added, "If you're gonna beat me, you might as well get it over with."

Jack swallowed the lump in his throat and exchanged a look with Sam, who was trying to comfort the crying girl. He loosened his grip on the boy a little. "You hungry?"

The boy nodded slowly and Jack released his hold on him, half expecting him to bolt. But instead, he watched wide-eyed as Jack took off his pack, reached inside, and pulled out a power bar. He offered it to him and after a moment of hesitation, the boy snatched it then took off like a shot with his sister in tow.

Jack stood to find his Second beaming at him. "What?" he asked gruffly.

But she just kept smiling at him. "Nothing, sir."

And there went his insides again.

"Jack!" Daniel called from several feet down the narrow path. Jack turned toward him, thankful for the distraction. "This man has information." The archeologist indicated a portly man in ornate robes, who stood inside a stall strewn with silks.

As Jack and Sam approached, the merchant swung the tassel of his braided belt in an lazy arc while he leered appreciatively at Sam.

"What do you know?" Jack asked brusquely.

"Hmm," he mused before finally tearing his eyes away from Sam's chest to meet the military man's gaze. "Ah, yes. Your people were here a few days ago."

"This much we know already," Teal'c replied, standing tall. Jack was gratified to see the man cower a bit.

Jack pinned him with a pointed glare. "And where are they now?"

"Well, I can't be certain, of course, but I would guess they are still at the pleasure palace."

"Pleasure palace?" Daniel asked. "You mean Shangdu - the building by the sea?" He gestured in a circle with his hand. "The one with a big wall around it?"

"Yes, yes. That's it. So, you've heard of it, then."

"No," Jack responded before Daniel could answer. "Look, what is this palace exactly?"

The merchant's beady eyes lit up. "Oh, it's a wondrous place, a paradise! Delicious food, the finest wines, excellent gaming, beautiful women - or men, if you prefer," he added with a sly glance at Sam, "all willing to provide whatever pleasure you seek." His mood turned momentarily serious. "Assuming you are granted entrance, of course."

"I wonder why our people would go to a place like that?" Sam asked Jack in a low voice.

But it was the merchant who answered. "Oh, everyone wants to go to Shangdu. But your friends were following the others, I believe."

"Others?" Jack asked.

The merchant made a dismissive gesture at their attire. "Like you."

"Then SG-3 did indeed follow SG-11 to the palace," Teal'c surmised.

"Yeah, and never came back," Jack added. "Damn scientists," he muttered under his breath, with a shake of his head.

The merchant chuckled. "You can hardly blame them. If your friends were permitted inside, they were lucky indeed."

Somehow Jack doubted that. "Hey, what do you mean by 'if they were permitted inside?'"

"The proprietors are quite selective about whom they let inside the gates. Only those with certain...desirable attributes are invited to the palace."

"Such as wealth and beauty, I suppose," Daniel speculated.

"Hmm, just so," mused the merchant. "Frankly, I'm surprised your friends were granted entrance," he added haughtily. "Of course, if you would like to visit the palace, perhaps I could assist." He stroked one of the hanging silks. "It's well known at Shangdu that I make the finest robes..."

Jack adjusted his pack. Something about this whole situation didn't sit right with him, and it was more than just his gear. The sooner they found SG-3 and 11, the better. "Yeah, thanks for that, but I think we'll pass."

Jack left Daniel to wrap things up with the merchant, who clearly wasn't pleased that they hadn't taken him up on his offer, before the four of the them headed to the back of the market, where they were told they'd find the road to Shangdu.

It was only a matter of a few turns through the stalls before Jack realized they were being followed, and by whom. But it wasn't until they had exited the bazaar that their tail made himself known.

"Hey mister!" called the boy who had tried to pick-pocket him earlier.

All four members of SG-1stopped and turned to face the boy. "Yes?" Jack asked. He fully expected the boy to ask for more food, so he was surprised when he ran up to them, nervously checked once over his shoulder, and beckoned Jack to get down on his level.

Once Jack had complied, the boy said in a low voice, "You shouldn't go to that place. It's bad."

"What do you mean?" asked Sam, who had knelt beside him.

The boy shook his head. "The people who go there...they don't come back."

"How do you know?" Jack prodded.

The boy squirmed a bit and refused to meet their eyes. "My mother...She went, looking for work. She didn't come back."

Jack winced, then stood. Damn, he hated to see children suffer, especially since he knew he couldn't do much to help them. "Thanks, kid, but we need to find our friends." He ruffled the boy's hair. "But we'll look for your mom, too," he added in a softer voice. He reached into his pack and brought out his last two power bars and held them out. "For your sister."

The boy nodded once, then took the bars and disappeared back into the market. Jack turned and started down the long road toward the sea, ignoring the knowing looks from hit team. "You know, I'm getting a bad feeling about this place," he stated to no one in particular.

"Indeed," added Teal'c, who fell in line behind Jack, with Daniel and Sam bringing up the rear.

They made their way toward the coast mostly in silence. It was dusk when they finally came upon the stone wall surrounding the palace, at least twenty feet high looming much larger than it had looked in the ariel photos. Though Jack knew there was both a palace and a sea behind the structure, he couldn't see either. In fact, all he could see was a large, impenetrable, iron door straight ahead of them. It was the only break in the wall for miles.

He was just about to ask his team for suggestions, when the sound of voices drifted down from behind them. With a quick hand gesture, he indicated that they should take cover, and the four of them made for a nearby grouping of trees and settled down to watch.

They didn't have to wait long. Within minutes, two male travelers approached, both finely attired and, though it was difficult to hear what they were saying, clearly excited about what lay beyond. However, like SG-1, they seemed uncertain of how to proceed, since there was no latch or handle or any other means of opening the door.

The two travelers stood there for several minutes, presumably discussing their next course of action, before the taller one finally reached out and pounded on the door. When nothing happened, the other tried to knock as well, but again the door failed to open. Several more attempts to gain entrance were made but to no avail, and as the minutes passed the men became increasingly irritated. As did Jack.

"For crying out loud," he muttered under his breath, which drew a small smile from Sam at least.

Finally, after nearly an hour, the travelers gave up and returned to the path that lead back to the market, decidedly less enthusiastic than when they arrived. By then, it was nearly dark.

When they were sure the men had gone, SG-1 emerged from the cover of the trees, and Jack walked right up to the door to take a closer look, with Sam and Daniel and Teal'c doing the same. It didn't look any more inviting than when the other men had tried to open it.

Jack spun on his heel and faced his team. "So. Ideas?" he asked, only to watch as Sam's eyes grew wide as saucers.

"O'Neill," Teal'c said simply, indicating that Jack should turn around.

Behind him, the iron doors had begun opening soundlessly. Jack looked back at Teal'c. "Right," he said, without missing a beat. "Good job, then."

He started walking through the gate, when Daniel spoke. "Are you sure this is a good idea, Jack?"

"No, I'm pretty sure this is a terrible idea, Daniel," he said without stopping, "but unless you have any other suggestions for getting to the palace...?"

Daniel just shook his head, and with that, all four passed warily through the doors, which closed again without a sound immediately after they entered.

Jack paused and took a deep breath, waiting for the others to catch up. In truth, the whole thing was seriously creeping him out, but he didn't want to mention that to them. Still, he couldn't help sharing the one thought he couldn't shake. He turned to face his team with a smirk.

"Welcome to the Hotel California, kids."

TBC...