Author's Note: Sorry it's taken so long for me to post this chapter. I hope youenjoy it! Thanks to everyone for all your support! Specialthanks to BalrogsBreathfor the kind guidance - I hope you like this chapter! Please continue to review and offer advice, it really helps!
Disclaimer: I don't own 'em, but I sure love 'em!
Caught, the three teammates slowly turned and as they did the speaker turned and strode purposefully down the hallway.
"Attend me!" he shouted over his shoulder.
Jack looked at Sam and Teal'c questioningly, they shrugged. The Colonel raised his eyebrows and nodded toward the speaker. Carter and Teal'c also nodded. Jack whispered to himself, "He thinks we're part of the priesthood. Might as well keep up the act and see where it gets us."
Wordlessly they fell into step behind the figure and followed him down the long passageway.
Jack, Sam and Teal'c marched through the corridor behind the figure. He was dressed in the same hooded robes they were but his hood was pulled back, revealing long dark hair and tanned skin. Soon they turned the corner and were ushered into a large hall. The room was crowded with many others dressed as they were who appeared busy at work.
"Assist the others in making preparations for your Lord!" The man barked without looking at them, then turned and strode away. He moved and spoke with an air of authority which suggested to O'Neill that he was 'the lord's' right hand man.
The team quickly picked their way through the throng of robed figures and moved off to a vacant corner of the room. Observing from the shadowy corner they could see that the people moving about the room were both men and women. They too had long dark hair and skin, reminiscent of the Indian culture Daniel had spoken about.
Some were helping to load tables with food obviously preparing for a huge feast. Others were busy filling large urns of water or wine and arranging decorations around the chamber. Another group, apparently the priests, were huddled near the back of an elevated platform arranging several items on a large table. Everyone was chattering excitedly as they worked.
"At least we know where everyone is, now. Ok, let's stick together and keep our heads low." O'Neill directed the other two as he snagged three pieces of fruit from a nearby table.
"Sir, these people strongly resemble the Native American Indians on Earth. Daniel was right about the temple we found." Carter deduced.
"Yeah, I guess that's why it looked kinda familiar. Definitely Aztec judging from the symbols on the temple."
"Sir? How do you know that?" Carter managed to choke out. Teal'c arched an eyebrow.
"What? Oh, from Daniel's books." Not getting any response from Sam or Teal'c he continued. "In his office? I flip through them sometimes. When I'm waiting for Daniel…and I'm bored, " he finished perfectly, maintaining an innocent expression. He could just see the wheels turning in Carter's head. He hadn't meant to let it slip that he actually paid attention when Daniel spoke.
"There is an open doorway on that far wall, O'Neill." Teal'c said finally breaking the shocked silence. "I have observed several persons coming and going through it carrying supplies. We should not be interfered with if we attempt to exit that way."
"Ok, let's move. Maybe those supplies are being brought here by ring transport."
Slowly so as not to arouse suspicion, the trio inched through the crowd toward the exit at the opposite wall. Just as O'Neill was about to step through the doorway, he abruptly swung around pulling a surprised Carter and Teal'c against the wall with him.
"Sir?" Carter hissed. She was interrupted by the sound of heavy Jaffa feet clanging through the corridor.
Just then a large entourage of servants and Jaffa and finally an elegantly cloaked figure marched past them into the room. As the observers moved aside to let the group pass, the team was able to view a throne and an altar emerge slowly from the floor below the elevated platform.
The cloaked figure, presumably their ruler, slowly climbed the stairs to the throne, his back toward the crowd. Quickly, two servants moved forward to remove the cloak from his shoulders. As he now turned and faced the crowded room his eyes glowed menacingly.
It hadn't taken long to revive those in the chamber Daniel was working on. Most of the newly awakened were sentinels under Roktan's command who quickly joined their brothers in defense of the compound. Several others were thankfully engineers who took over the job of trying to revive the others.
Not long after that Roktan disappeared, presumably to oversee the new battle strategy that was worked out now that they had extra men. He left, Daniel noted, without any further mention of confining him to quarters. At least that skirmish was over - for now.
Daniel felt drained but at the same time relieved that Huantar's people, the Nawata as he learned they called themselves, had a fighting chance against their enemy.
If only he could find Jack, Sam and Teal'c. But he was so tired, and the steady thumping in his ears kept growing louder and louder even though he tried to ignore it. Maybe he should get a little rest. He wouldn't be any good in the search for his team if he weren't one hundred percent, which apparently he wasn't. Slipping out of the room he headed for the quarters Taloc escorted him to earlier that day.
Huantar promised that as soon as the Nawata warriors prevailed over the Jaffa in the caverns they would help him find his friends. Daniel felt he could trust Huantar It was the others Taloc and Roktan that he wasn't so sure about. It was clear they both regarded him with some suspicion and he understood their position.
If their roles were reversed he might feel the same way. Of course, he didn't have a military mind-set. If it were General Hammond or Jack in those shoes, Daniel could easily see them confining him to quarters. As a matter of fact, General O'Neill had done that in the alternate universe he was accidentally sent to through the quantum mirror.
Arriving at the quarters assigned to him, Daniel stumbled through the door of the first adjoining room. Fresh fruit and water was laid out as if in expectation of his arrival. Ignoring it Daniel headed straight for the plush bed and collapsed into an exhausted heap.
His last thoughts were centered on the Nawata people and why the name sounded so familiar to him. Maybe with a few minutes sleep and a clear head he would figure it out. Unable to fight his body's need for rest any longer, he drifted off to sleep.
Sam flinched at the sight of the Goa'uld's glowing eyes. "I'll never get used to that," she thought as she willed herself not to turn away in disgust. Good thing that the hooded robes covered their faces pretty well. She noted that her teammates, one on either side of her, each protectively took a half step closer. Suppressing a shiver, she steeled herself for whatever would come next.
After making a deliberate show of scanning the crowd, the monarch began to speak. "Today is a glorious day for us. We have now hunted down the last of our enemies and soon they too will be destroyed. Even now they fight against us but they are powerless to stop us. We will prevail and at last the universe will be free of the hated Nawata forever!"
The monarch stepped back, a wicked smile on his face. Turning he ascended the throne and sat without another word. A hooded figure then separated itself from the entourage on the platform and motioned to the Jaffa.
Commotion could be heard as two young men, mid-twenties or so were propelled toward the altar by Jaffa. The hooded figure now moved to speak to the assembly. Jack recognized the voice. He could just make out the features under the hood. It was the "lord's" right hand man again.
"Witness how enemies of your lord are dealt with! All who try to oppose us will be punished! All Hail Zalcot! Your lord who brought you forth and delivered you from the Nawata of the Tau'ri. Long ago your ancestors fought and died at the hands of these evil ones. Soon the last of the Nawata will be no more and the Tau'ri will suffer the same fate! All Hail Zalcot, all hail Zalcot, all hail Zalcot!"
Suddenly Jack knew what was about to happen.
Teal'c moved swiftly to step in front of Major Carter, effectively blocking her view of what was about to be a human sacrifice.
Shouts of approval went up from the throng around them. The crowd was in a fervor repeating the mantra over and over again. The trio felt themselves being pushed forward as the manic group crowded in to get a closer view.
Carter let out a soft moan, "Oh no!", and began to sway.
Sam felt Jack's strong grip on her forearm. As she was propelled away from the horrifying scene, the edges of her vision start to gray out. Overwhelming nausea besieged her. Thankfully, the Colonel and Teal'c were on either side of her and guided her steadily toward the back of the room and out the exit without bringing any attention to themselves.
When they were safely down the corridor, and were hidden away around the corner, Jack took a moment to check over his 2IC. When she went limp back there he felt his heart drop.
Now, pulling the hood off her head to get a better look he thought his heart would pound right out of his chest! Bad choice of words. Those poor kids back there. Jack could still see the boy's heart in the priest's hand, still beating - No wonder Carter was in a state of shock.
He was grateful to Teal'c for trying to prevent her from seeing the sacrifices. O'Neill had been rooted to the spot, too astonished to do anything. But when the priest was done he had paraded around the stage
Propped up against the wall, Sam shivered. "Why is it so cold?" From far off she heard Jack's voice calling to her. She blinked trying unsuccessfully to focus him. "God, what's wrong with me, it's not like I haven't seen people die in battle before," Sam thought fuzzily and allowed her eyes to close.
"Teal'c, she's not responding. Probably in shock. Did you see any signs of ring controls around here?" The Colonel barked. He was extremely concerned by the state of his second in command.
"Indeed, O'Neill." Teal'c said as he bent forward to lift Sam with no effort. "Follow me." He intoned as he purposefully strode off with Sam cradled gently in his arms.
Jack stood from his crouched position and immediately had to put a hand out to steady himself. "Whoa there!" he muttered to himself, shaking his head to clear it. Bright spots sparked in his field of vision. After a moment, and a few deep breaths, they were gone and he quickly moved to catch up with his team.
Sam felt herself being lifted up and carried. Even with her eyes closed she could tell it was Teal'c who held her. Why couldn't she open her eyes? They were just too heavy. The feeling of weightlessness was unfamiliar to her. Usually she was the one that other people leaned on when they were injured.
Involuntarily her thoughts drifted to the few occasions in her life when she had to be carried. Her father, Jacob, had warned her and her brother not to play in the large oak tree at the edge of her grandfather's property. But being a tomboy, Sam immediately forgot the warning as soon as she saw the old, massive tree.
Half an hour later she had fallen out the tree and her brother was struggling to get her back to the old farmhouse. Everything was spinning, her head was bleeding and for some reason she couldn't get her legs to work right. She kept stumbling so he hauled her up and carried her halfway back.
Her father had seen them from a distance and ran out to meet them. That time it was a slight concussion and a badly sprained ankle that had her laid up for the rest of their vacation.
She'd never forgotten the look of horror on her father's face when he lifted her into his arms or the look of utter relief when he realized she would be okay. A chip off the old block he had called her. Apparently he'd had run-ins with the same tree and they both had hard heads, in more ways than one.
It was one of her favorite memories because every day her dad would carry her down the stairs to breakfast, and every night he carried her up to her room. Sometimes he would read with her, or play chess, but mostly they just talked until she fell asleep safe in his arms.
She had gotten a lot closer to her dad those few days. Everything had been perfect - until her dad had to go back to work and they left the farm. They weren't close again for a very long time after that. Her dad's work always seemed more important to him than she was.
Now that she was all grown up it seemed the Air Force was again getting in the way of her being close to someone . . .
From far away she could hear someone calling her name, probably the Colonel. But she couldn't quite make out what he was saying. Too far away. Too tired. Sorry, sir. She relinquished herself to the memories and dreamed.
The Colonel and Teal'c, still carrying Sam, stepped away from the ring platform on the planet and darted from the clearing into a nearby stand of trees.
Teal'c gently lay Carter against a nearby tree. "Major Carter requires medical attention," he observed. "She is delirious. She spoke to me as if she were addressing Jacob Carter."
Jack's head spun around. "That bad, huh?" He spoke to Teal'c but never took his eyes off Carter's pale face. "All we can do is keep her warm and as comfortable as possible until we can get her home. Any idea where we left the Stargate?"
"I believe it is just south of our present position. We can be there in twenty minutes. What of Daniel Jackson?"
At those words, Jack tore his eyes from Sam to regard the Jaffa with an unreadable expression. Ducking his head Jack sighed. Nobody gets left behind. But Carter was hurt, how bad he couldn't tell, but shock was nothing to play around with.
"You and Carter get to the gate. It won't be long before they realize we've escaped. Report to Hammond and tell him what happened here. I'm going after Daniel."
"O'Neill, would not the most prudent course…"
"Teal'c, I need you to make sure that Carter gets home. I'm depending on you big guy."
"You are not well." Teal'c observed.
"I've been better." Jack acknowledged, "Look, I'm his commanding officer. I can't leave one of my team members behind. I know you understand. Now, I'm betting that those 'enemies' that Goa'uld sacrificed today have a base somewhere in this area. And that they have something to do with Daniel's disappearance. "
"I concur. Go safely, O'Neill."
"You too." Jack watched as Teal'c gently scooped up Carter again, and froze.
"What, T?" The Colonel inquired. At the Jaffa's lack of response Jack said, "There's someone behind me, isn't there?"
As the Colonel turned to follow his friend's gaze he came face to face with an energy weapon held in the hands of a very large and very angry warrior.
"Aw, for cryin' out loud! What does it take to catch a break around here!" he griped, throwing his hands up. "You know what, I give up! Just take us to your leader, already!"
With that he pushed past the speechless warrior and led the way through the dense underbrush followed by Teal'c carrying Sam, and the remaining warriors.
Daniel woke to pain, waves and waves of it. Groaning he moved into somewhat of a sitting up position. This was worse than the frequent migraines he suffered from in college when he went too many days and nights without eating and sleeping properly. This was way different. God, his head felt like someone had driven a spike through it while he slept.
Back in the control room with Huantar the pain had been manageable, but now - it was barely tolerable! Pressing his hands against his head and rocking back and forth, Daniel wondered again why the machine repaired his shoulder but not his head injury. "Must have something to do with the malfunction that caused the sleep chamber controls to go offline," he reasoned.
Chancing a look at his watch through eyes squinted nearly shut against the light, he realized with a start that over two hours had passed while he slept. Taking a deep breath Daniel swung his legs slowly over the edge of the bed. Massaging his temples in small circles seemed to help ease the throbbing.
"There, that's much better," Daniel sighed after a moment, rubbing the back of his neck. Suddenly he remembered the Tylenol and morphine in his pack which lay against the wall near the cracked door.
"It would be a good idea to dose up now, just in case the pain gets worse", he thought.
As he shuffled toward the pack a sound outside the room startled him. Not really knowing why, Daniel peered quietly through the cracked doorway instead of walking out into the waiting area.
A dark figure was kneeling in front of what the archaeologist presumed was a small altar. In hushed tones the figure kept repeating the same thing over and over again in a language that was unknown to Daniel.
Unknown but not entirely unfamiliar. The linguist could just make out some of the words. God-Serpent-Sun and a couple of other word…Erase, Time and Nawata? But he couldn't be sure. Daniel thought for a moment, squeezing his eyes shut as he struggled to bring to the surface a forgotten memory.
Huantar said his people were the Nawata. Nawata. Nahuatl? It's a derivative of the Aztec word nahuall which means speech or tongue. Nahuatl.
But to his knowledge there was no Aztec word Nawata. He thought for a moment. Maybe it wasn't a derivative after all. Maybe it was the original base word nahuall was derived from. But that would mean that these people aren't the descendants of the ancient Aztecs, they are the ancient Aztecs!
"If the Nawata are an offshoot of the ancient Aztecs that would mean they existed hundreds of years before the Aztecs we know on earth. Problem is that usually the Goa'uld removed people from earth and resettled them on other planets not the other way around. And that still doesn't explain how they came to be on P3X-929. What is really going on here?"
Puzzled, his thoughts turned to the glyphs on the wall. They were slightly different in style and color but, yes, he could see it now. It was all suddenly clear as crystal. He could see in his minds eye the distinct patterns and their similarities to the ancient Aztec writing he briefly studied in college.
Taking into account how the styles might have changed over, say hundreds of years – okay, now he had a point of reference to work from. Even if he had to work backwards, he was now sure he could decipher the symbols on the wall. It would just take a little time.
As much as he liked Huantar, he knew the man was hiding something from him. Something that could be vital in helping him find his friends. If Huantar wouldn't tell him, he'd just have to read the writing on the wall.
He needed his field journal. Looking up through the open door, Daniel realized that the dark figure was gone and a small ornate box was left on top of the altar. As he moved to approach the box he heard his name called from the main doorway.
"Daniel Jackson" Huantar called moving to meet him halfway.
"Has there been any news about my friends?"
"Our men were able to drive my enemies from the caves and back to the surface. However, none of the patrols has reported seeing your friends. I am sorry." Huantar turned toward one of the other interior rooms. "If you will excuse me, I must meditate now."
"He meditates too?" Daniel thought in wonder.
"What about the Stargate?" the archaeologist inquired, as Huantar passed him to retire.
"Even now we are fighting for control of it. I'm afraid that I cannot spare any men to aid you in reaching it."
"Then I'll get there on my own."
"You will remain here!" a voice bellowed from the doorway. Roktan strode forward and regarded Daniel with a menacing scowl.
"Noooo, I'm going" Daniel said evenly and firmly. "It seems I've worn out my welcome here, anyway."
"I'm afraid I must agree with Roktan, Daniel. You would be far too much of a threat to us if you were somehow captured. You know too much about us and this base."
"Huantar, if I can get to the gate, I can send back reinforcements from my planet to not only help look for my friends, but to help your people fight the Goa'uld. We can both benefit from this."
"I'm sorry Daniel." Huantar shook his head. "Do not try to escape this base. My men have orders to stop you - by force if necessary."
Stunned at this turn of events, Daniel could only watch as Roktan escorted Huantar past Daniel to his private quarters. Suddenly Huantar hesitated and pointed to the small box on the altar. Moving to pick it up the leader wore a bewildered expression on his face as if the box were out of place.
Everything began to move in slow motion. At least it did to Daniel. Realization hit him just as surely as if it had reached out and punched him in the gut, leaving him breathless.
Huantar didn't recognize the box, the dark figure, the chant. What did it mean? "Translate Jackson, that's what they pay you for! God—Serpent--Sun—Erase—Time?…May the God of the Serpent Sun Erase the Nawata Time. No, no, no! That doesn't make sense. May the Serpent Sun God- not erase – Obliterate the Nawata- not time- Forever!"
"Oh my God, the saboteur," Daniel breathed out just as Huantar began to lift the top of the box.
"No!" the young linguist bellowed and with all his might he launched himself at Huantar.
To Be Continued?
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