Chapter 4.
Holy Hanna!
"That's strange said Jonas" as he wiped the dark outer surface of the stone and smelled the dark deposit on his fingers. "Carbon!" he exclaimed. He looked around dubiously, "these stones have been exposed to intense heat, like the kind you'd find inside a kiln, but the scorching is on the outer surface." He removed one of the stones from the pile to reveal a hollow interior. "This isn't random, the stones haven't just fallen from the rock face and landed like this. They've actually been placed here for a reason?" Jonas added.
"Whatever the reason this means we have once again been misled by the Tok'ra," exclaimed Teal'c, looking around nervously.
"Teal'c! Give me a hand here!" Jonas struggled as he picked up one of the heavy stones and put it carefully to one side. Teal'c followed his actions and they began to remove them one by one. Suddenly one of the smaller rocks tilted inwards dropping into the hollow middle with a thud, there was a cracking sound followed by a loud slosh. Jonas and Teal'c stared at each other and hurriedly removed the rest of the stones until the contents within were clearly exposed. Jonas and Teal'c stared in awe.
"It seems to be a nest of sorts, do you not agree Jonas Quinn" said Teal'c noticing the squished deposit under the rock.
"I think you're right Teal'c" replied Jonas picking up a large portion of the shell and reeling at the size, while it's sticky contents dripped to the floor. "But what kind of creature makes its nests with boulders and lays an egg this size?" he added.
"Whatever it is we may have just destroyed one of its offspring, I do not think it wise to remain in this vicinity," added Teal'c, sounding very concerned.
Suddenly there was an eerie sound that seemed to come from the sky….like a whoosh, it stopped and all was quiet. Teal'c and Jonas exchanged worried glances.
"That sounded as though it came from directly above us" said Jonas looking back at Teal'c. He scoured the surrounding terrain looking for a place to hide. "Over there!" he cried pointing to their right. "We'd better head for cover in those trees."
"I agree," Teal'c acknowledged "We must contact Colonel O'Neill and inform him of our situation."
Teal'c followed Jonas to the large clearing and attempted to contact Jack when a loud screeching sound made them fall to the ground and take cover. They rolled over to see where the sound was coming from and lay there dumbfounded.
Jack was just about to answer his radio….."What the?" he thought allowed as he gazed towards the ledge from where he and Carter had descended less than an hour ago.
Holy Hanna!" exclaimed Sam as she caught sight of the winged creature.
"Colonel, are you seeing this, over?" asked Jonas through the crackle of the radio.
Jack could only stare helplessly as the beast headed straight for the Tel'tak.
…
Inside the vessel Kate had been rudely awakened by a shrill, piercing, screech. And like chalk dragging on chalkboard it dragged its talons over the ship causing it to rock violently which sent Kate reeling across the room. The ship was struck by another blow this time much more violently. Kate was thrown to the floor as the vessel lurched over. She reached out to grab something, anything, but there was nothing to cling on to and Kate slid across the floor and hit the bench hard.
There was more screeching and the ship was rocked again, Kate slid back towards the door and to her relief the door opened and she scrambled into the flight deck where she strapped herself into one of the chairs. Suddenly the ship was struck again and she felt it toppling, she was tossed like a ragdoll as it somersaulted off the ledge and slid down the steep slope.
The vessel came to rest on its side. Kate was dazed, her head throbbed and she was in a lot of pain but fortunately the chair had saved her from any serious injury. She unclasped the belt and fell to the floor then clambered through the doors to the cargo hold and to the exit where she had seen the others leave the ship. She opened the door and jumped out onto the ground where she rolled onto the stones below. There was another loud screech, which made Kate forget how much she was hurting, she looked up to see the magnificent creature that she recognised instantly. Its wings held aloft it triumphantly let out another deafening screech before lowering its head to within six inches of her, a steely yellow eye glared at her and its hot and rancid breath overwhelmed her. Kate flinched as the dragon's drool splashed onto her face and was momentarily relieved as the creature flapped its wings and rose effortlessly several inches above the ground but then screamed loudly as it descended, grabbed her and whisked her away.
…
Jack and Sam watched from the distance as the cargo ship toppled down the slope like a toy and landed on its side at the bottom of the mountain. Sam threw an alarmed glance at Jack who stood frozen, his gaze locked on the overturned ship with horror etched painfully on his face.
Their eyes turned upwards again as they heard the familiar wooshing of the creature's wings as it flapped fervently and came to land, then screeching victoriously it took something from the rocks before lifted itself effortlessly into the air and flying off toward the top of the mountain.
Teal'c and Jonas were the first to reach the spot where the ship had settled. Jack and Sam caught up with them at the bottom of the mountain side and Jack stopped several yards away noticing the open cargo bay doors. Jonas and Teal'c ran towards the ship and Jonas climbed up and stepped gingerly inside.
The ship appeared to be relatively undamaged, apart from a few odd items that lay scattered and broken on the floor. Jonas made his way through into the cargo hold and noticed the grey blanket on the floor but no sign of Kate. He stood reluctantly at the door to the flight deck.
Sam had come in quietly and startled him, she too noticed the blanket and picked it up. "We'll go in together" she said gripping his arm.
Jack stood at the main doorway and edged his way forward slowly, his chest tightening. He felt a strong arm on his shoulder and looked back at Teal'c whose expression conveyed both support and concern.
Sam and Jonas entered the flight deck and were relieved to find it empty. On her way out Sam caught Jack's eye. He glanced down at the blanket in her hand, his heart pounding.
"Sir!" Carter exclaimed, "She's not on board!"
Jack took a deep breath, he was glad Kate wasn't inside the Tel'tak, but he couldn't dispel even scarier thoughts.
"Teal'c! I want you and Jonas to stay here. Do what you need to do to get this ship upright and repaired if need be. I want it ready to fly out of here when we get back."
Jack reflected on the giant creature that had swooped down on the ship. "Correct me if I'm wrong but did we just see a dragon?" he asked.
"I remember Dr. Jackson mentioned dragons in his notes" said Jonas. "Apparently they are attracted to anything that is hard and shiny and that's probably why this one attacked the ship."
"Did it also say in his notes that dragons are mythological creatures that aren't supposed to exist?" asked Jack, lifting his rifle onto his shoulder.
"Well that one sure was real!" replied Carter.
"Carter, you're with me," ordered Jack.
…..
It wasn't long before the two had reached the top of the ledge.
Carter bent down by a large rock. "Sir, I think you should check this out!" She beckoned him over.
Jack reached out to grab a shred of material that was clinging to a nearby shrub, "animal hide!" he exclaimed as he scanned the surrounding area. "Stay sharp! We're not alone."
Sam suddenly let out a gasp of horror and turned her head away, Jack edged his way to where she was stood and looked down. There on the rocks just below them was a pool of fresh blood and what seemed to be human remains.
Jack cringed has he stepped down to examine the bloodstained remains.