SGSGSGSGSGSGSGSG

Daniel coughed into his sleeve and re-read the instructions on one of the pillars by the Gate. "I've never seen this sort of thing before guys …" He dragged in a stale breath of air and coughed again as he started re-reading the instructions. "This is … unbelievable. Maybe it's a mistake or a … ."

"Daniel," Jack coughed into his sleeve and wiped at the sheen of sweat coating his brow. Even though the underground cave was cold the air situation was making him sweat and feel slightly nauseous. "Daniel, the air situation is getting worse here, can you dial us out of here or not?"

Daniel straightened up using the Gate pillar for support. He staggered a little over to the DHD running his fingers over an extra blue globe shaped button near the bottom of the DHD. "The instructions are just a bit whacked, Jack. It says quite clearly that I need to dial thirteen symbols in all."

"Thirteen?" repeated Sam.

"The instructions say the first seven symbols will bring us through to a destination but we won't reintegrate, instead we get a boost through something called a KeyGate to the final destination which I'm assuming is the Annwyn Gate."

Teal'c coughed. "I have never heard of such a thing as a KeyGate."

Sam shook her head. "I don't think that could be right, Daniel …" she coughed and listed sideways a little before her knees gave out in a faint. Jack caught her and held her up.

"Dial it up, Daniel, before we all pass out," said Jack wrapping an arm around Sam and staggered back behind the DHD with her and Teal'c.

Daniel used a handkerchief to wipe the dust off of the DHD symbols and started dialling the first seven symbols. Then as per the instructions he pressed on a round blue button that Daniel had never seen set into a DHD before, but seemed to have the function of storing the first part of the address. The chevrons on the Gate dimmed and Daniel quickly dialled the last six glyphs. The room seemed to shudder around them as long stored power was brought on line. Dust and dirt began to rain down from the ceiling as Daniel leaned onto the activation key in the centre of the consol. The Gate wooshed open suddenly lighting up the entire cave and instantly cleaning away centuries worth of mould and tree roots.

"Go through," gasped Daniel gathering up his pack and blinking away the air deprivation black spots that danced through his vision. Jack and Teal'c staggered to the Gate supporting a whoozy, semi conscious Sam. Jack stepped through with Sam.

Teal'c waited until Daniel was close before following Jack and Sam through and a moment later Daniel stepped into the Gate after him. The Gate's watery light blinked out finally and the cave was once again dark and silent.

Jack knew that he wasn't supposed to feel anything when he stepped through a Gate. It was usually disintegration one end and reintegration at the other with the victim none the wiser. But – something about his level of disorientation and an odd taste in his mouth left him with the feeling that they had taken an extra long trip through the pipe. He'd only experienced that a few times in his life and this one was definitely long.

He reintegrated coming through the Gate at about forty miles an hour losing his grip on Sam as he flew through the air. He had enough time to register a dimly lit room with lumpy rocks all over it and a semi transparent wall that they were heading for. At speed!

Smack! Jack's body hit the wall side on and he was unconscious before his body slid to the bottom of the transparent wall beside Sam. He didn't hear Teal'c's body slam into the wall right beside him just moments later, and he didn't see Teal'c roll limply to the floor leaving a smear of blood behind on the transparent wall.

Daniel reintegrated and had a split second to realise that he was about to know what a bug hitting a windshield felt like and to register the unconscious forms of his friends. He slammed into the transparent wall with a loud thump and rebounded rolling several times before coming up short against one of the lumpy rocks Jack had spotted.

The open Gate behind them brightened and seemed to shudder. Then a large glowing circle shaped much like a Gate spun through the open Gate, decelerated and slowly hovered over each of the team members. It's spinning slowed further and it came to rest upon the floor beside Daniel.

Around the room the pale crystalline rocks began to glow a pale purplish blue colour that soon filled the room with an eerie glow. The glow separated into four concentrated masses over the bodies on the floor, each beginning to thrum in time to the heartbeats of the team. The rocks shivered and moved closer to each team member.

The Gate destabilised and shut down leaving four motionless bodies surrounded by the soft glow of the crystal rocks.

SGSGSGSGSGSGSGSGSG

OOOPS! Unedited version of this chapter dowloaded by accident, sorry. This chapter will need rereading.