Author's Note: Bp() you are very correct about who wrote the message and there will be more about that in a later chapter and I hope you enjoy this next one. Thanks for reading.
ckarisny (): Sorry I don't do techno babble very well so I just don't try. I hope you enjoy this chapter.
Lost and Found
Jack left the tunnel and headed out in the blazing sun of the desert, hoping that he would be able to lead his men back to the pyramid. The only problem was as he looked out over the horizon, all he saw was sand, sand, and more sand.
Sam stood right beside him. "Sir, I think we should head that way." She pointed in the direction of the setting sun. "But, I'm not sure."
"Well, we'll head out then. We walked for an hour, and we lost sight of the pyramid after twenty-five minutes. So, we'll go that way for thirty-five minutes, and hope for the best."
There was the sound of footsteps behind them. Jack turned to find Skaa'ra coming closer with a small group of boys. "O-Nee-el, I will show you the way back to the chappa'ai." He motioned with his hands. "Follow." Jack looked at Sam and followed Skaa'ra in the direction Sam had suggested.
They arrived at the pyramid in the time that Jack had estimated. His group had just entered the interior, when a rumbling began.
Ferretti's voice came over the radio. "Sir, something is happening!"
"I know, we've just arrived and can hear it. Two minutes and we'll be at your position. Get ready to dial the Gate. Jackson has the address to get us home."
"We're ready, sir-" The sound of gunfire interrupted his call. Without being told, Jack and his group broke into a run. As they entered the main hall, they saw the remaining men firing at soldiers who were dressed in shiny suits with huge jackal heads. Jack's first thought was that he was in a Star Trek episode.
Lifting their weapons, Sam and Jack began to fire as they advanced. A strange noise was heard; all of a sudden, a set of rings descended from the roof. Jack managed to get out to the way, but Daniel and Sam were caught in the rings and disappeared.
Immediately, they were replaced by more men with strange weapons. Jack and his men continued to fire, unsure just what was going on. Daniel and Sam were gone, and he was the only one who knew the address home. The boy might, but Jack thought that Skaa'ra wouldn't tell them. Besides, he wasn't leaving without Sam and Daniel. The guards fell one by one. No one was moving right away; everyone waited to see if there would be anymore reinforcements arriving.
Skaa'ra tried to move, but Jack grabbed him. "Just wait and see if they send more of those guys. It hasn't been long enough. Hang back just a sec."
"Jaffa." Jack looked at him strangely. "Those men are not human, they are Jaffa." Skaa'ra waved his hands at the bodies.
Jack looked back at the men and then at the boy. "Huh? What do you mean they are not human? They look as human as you or me."
"They are Jaffa. They carry the larval Goa'uld, and they are their soldiers, but the Jaffa are prisoners as much as we are. I hate to kill them, but it is us or them."
"Why do you say that?" Jack looked once more at the bodies lying there.
"They cannot exist without the Goa'uld. In exchange for carrying the larvae, they acquire long life and good health. But without them, the Jaffa will get sick and die." Skaa'ra ducked under Jack's hand. "If Ra was going to send more men, he would have done so already." He grabbed one of the bodies and began to pull it into one of the ante-chambers.
Jack looked down at the spot where both Sam and Daniel had vanished. "I need to get my people back. How do I get on that ship?"
Skaa'ra shook his head. "You do not. There is no way. Your people are lost to you, or they soon to be. If Ra finds them worthy, they will become Goa'ulds.
Rounding on the boy, Jack pinned him with a glare. "Sam isn't gone. I don't believe that for one moment. I didn't come through that last war and find Sam again, only to lose her to some alien thing. Now, you find a way to get me up there, or else I will blow up this place. So, until I see their bodies, my wife and Jackson are alive."
He let go of Skaa'ra, who smiled. "You really are a hero, O'Neill. I will help you. What do you want me to do?"
Jack motioned to the dead. "Search them and see what you can find. They must have had some way to summon those ring things. One of them must have it on him."
Skaa'ra blocked his way to the chamber where they had temporarily stored the dead. "You will help us?"
Jack shook his head. "No, I'm not making any promises. I'm getting my people back, and that's it for now. The rest I'll think about." was all Jack would say, as he pushed the boy out of the way.
Sam immediately moved in front of Daniel as the rings vanished into the floor once more, and she scanned their new location. They were in an elaborate chamber that centered around a huge gold throne. A young man got to his feet as the noise of the rings died away. "Who are you, and how dare you enter my presence? I shall have you killed!"
Daniel got to his feet and trying to push past Sam. "We're from Earth, and we've come here to explore and learn about those who live on other worlds through the Stargate. We-"
Sam shoved him back down to the ground, hissing, "Daniel, shut up! We have no idea who he is."
The boy seemed to take exception from being bowed down to as not being recognized. "I am Ra! Kneel before your God!" And he pointed his finger at the two of them.
Standing her ground, Sam said, "We have no quarrel with you. If you would return us to where we came from, we'll go home and leave you in peace."
The boy's smile was more of a sneer. "Bow to me of your own will, or I will break you, and you will bow just before you die. Now, kneel."
"No, I bow to no one," Sam said, as she ignored Daniel's pleas to be let up.
The boy descended the stairs and raised his hand, "Then so be it." An amber beam shot of his palm, striking Sam in the middle of her forehead. Instantaneous agony was all she could feel as it probed her brain. Sam fought the invasion into her mind, but it was too strong and there was no escape.
The more she resisted, the stronger Ra pushed, until Sam collapsed to her knees, passing out. Ra stepped closer and rolled Sam over with his foot. He studied her for a moment, and then turned to Daniel. "Will you bow before your God?"
Trying not to look at Sam, Daniel got to his knees, and was about to bow, when the Eye of Ra fell out of his shirt as he reached for Sam's side arm. Lifting his arm he fired, missing Ra totally.
Ra knocked him over as he wrenched the necklace from around Daniel's neck, laughing. "This has been lost for many millennia. You truly are of the Tau'ri. It was left behind when I abandoned your pathetic world." He picked up Sam's weapon. "How did you come to be here? Have you truly advanced so much since I left your world? I am impressed, but projectile? That is the best you can do?" He bent the weapon's muzzle and tossed it aside. "You are still children and no threat to me. You will tell me what I need to know."
Daniel shook his head in denial.
"Then you will follow the fate of your friend." The amber beam appeared once more and began to probe Daniel's mind, as it had done to Sam's, until the darkness surrounded him as well.
Jack and Kawalsky searched the dead bodies, hoping to find some sort of control device for the rings. In the end, it was Charlie who found it and handed it to Jack
"If we are going to get on that ship, we'll need some more help. Let's have Skaa'ra take us back to the cave and get some reinforcements."
Jack looked up at Charlie. "I'm not leaving anyone behind. You know why."
"Yes, Sir, I do." He nodded.
Skaa'ra came over. "Let us go. It is a long walk back to the cave. We will have to wait until tomorrow to return; the sun is setting and the desert will be cold. We will come back in the morning and try to save your people, but only if you will help mine."
Jack stared at the boy and relented. "I'll do what I can. Now, let's move out."
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