Chapter 11

Hep strode forward into the antechamber, lights flicking on automatically as he entered, letting his eyes rove over the opulent room. Delightful paintings, in vibrant colours, surrounded him. Scenes of worship - his followers making offerings to him as he sat in majesty. There should have been a priest in attendance at all times, someone to see to his every need, yet the room held an air of long disuse. He felt a chill run through him though the air was hot and uncomfortable. How long had he been asleep?

The energy that had filled him just minutes before seemed to drain away. He felt as he had the day he'd entered the sarcophagus: limbs leaden with tiredness, his host restless. They were both old, even by Goa'uld standards, though he looked as young as the day he had first taken this body. Sometimes it was hard to remember who and what he really was, so comfortable had he become in this form.

He had altered the programming of the sarcophagus to keep his body in suspension until someone came to remove him from this forsaken rock. Perhaps that had been a wrong move. It seemed that the restorative powers had not healed him as they should. Still, that was easily put right, he had only to reprogram the machine and let it work its magic on him, then he would be back to his full glory.

Ahead, the tunnel suddenly twisted right and down, a steep path that had Daniel doubled over in places. If his bearings were correct, he was now heading back toward the sanctuary and hopefully Sophia.

He took careful steps forward, torch swinging full circle in search of more booby traps. If he got caught between two rock falls he might never see the sun again. Desperate as he was to reach Sophia, he had to keep himself safe to achieve any rescue.

A few yards further in the tunnel turned again. Daniel took extra care as he stepped around the corner. Ahead of him was another seal, this one decorated with glyphs. It took only a moment to decipher that this was the resting place of the god Hapi and that his rest was not to be disturbed until he returned to them in triumph.

Daniel checked the edge of the seal. It crumbled under his touch. Turning out his pockets he searched for anything he could use to ease the seal from its resting place. Various coins seemed to be the only tools he could find – useless. Frustration swamped him as he stared at the barrier. Then he lashed out with his foot, sending a solid blow to the middle of the cartouche housing Hapi's name. To his amazement the seal crumbled further, chunks from the top fell to the floor sending dust into the already dense air. It was all the encouragement he needed. A few minutes later, coughing and wiping his streaming eyes, Daniel looked through into the room beyond.

The throne was gold, set on a dais of stone inset with transporter rings. It gleamed in the beam from his torch, reflecting back to the walls that were painted in beautiful detail. The millennia had been kind to the room, leaving it almost untouched. So, Daniel thought, a suitable god-like entrance would be made when Hapi ascended on his throne to the room above.

Then Daniel heard the soft pad of footsteps from his right. Quickly he turned off the beam and stepped back into the tunnel suddenly recalling his unarmed state and the probability that a Goa'uld might be alive and dangerous and on home turf.

In the next breath, lights suddenly flooded the room with a soft ambience. Into that glow stepped Hep, his bronzed figure almost glowing with the light reflecting from the gold around his neck and the metal strapped to his hand and forearm.

Daniel cursed mentally. Nothing fancy, just a good old fashion Anglo-Saxon epithet. What now? He peered around the tunnel's edge and watched as Hapi strolled around the room as though reacquainting himself with the designs painted there. Then the Goa'uld strode to the dais and ran his fingers along the back of the chair. Believing himself unobserved, the Goa'uld seemed to droop, his hands gripping the chair back until the bronzed knuckles turned white. Daniel's mind was working furiously. Apart from Lord Yu, he had yet to see a Goa'uld in less than their prime. Perhaps, just perhaps he could take him. Easy, he thought, just get rid of the parasite, rescue Sophia, figure out how to work the rings and ascend to the temple like Poseidon emerging from the sea's depths – not a problem.

The torch was heavy in his hand. If he could sneak up on the Goa'uld … Daniel was half way there when something alerted Hep to his presence. With a yell, he flung himself forward, dodging the suddenly raised hand and the beam lancing from the ribbon device that was now raised and aimed at him.

They went down in a tangle of flailing limbs. Daniel felt a searing pain as Hep's hand pressed the device to his side, the power searing through cloth to the flesh below. Yelling, he rolled away, coming to his feet next to the chair. Hep was up and moving toward him murder in his face, hand extended, power pulsing in the air around them. The Goa'uld was drawing energy from somewhere in the room, augmenting his natural ability to control the beam. Daniel ducked just in time as the jewel glowed into life again. The burst hit the chair, was absorbed by it and passed down to the dais below. Sparks flared briefly around the ring.

This wasn't going well. Daniel didn't want the rings damaged, how else were they to get out when he found Sophia? He stepped away, dragging Hep's attention with it and launched himself at his opponent again. It felt as though he were playing out a scene in some surreal movie, the only soundtrack that of their harsh breathing and the scuff of feet on stone. Suddenly he found himself flying through the air, being propelled back toward the dais. His hand caught the back and he twisted mid air to land on his feet before falling off the raised dais. From his crouched position on the floor, he watched the deadly device being raised again and dived for cover.

Sparks flew, sending glittering filaments into the air. A thrumming began under his feet and for the first time Hep spoke – "NO!"

Daniel ran for the passage that led to the room Hep had emerged from. Taking a quick look over his shoulder he saw the Goa'uld race to the chair, fingers reaching for the back and start to press a sequence of indents that had escaped Daniel's brief perusal. There was a rumble and the first ring rose then stopped in mid air. Unleashed power made the atmosphere sing, causing Daniel's head to pound, then light exploded from the centre of the dais, engulfing Hep, the chair and the rings. The force propelled Daniel a few more steps into the passage, then the rumbling sound of falling masonry rent the air.

The ceiling ahead of him began to fall and behind him the throne room was slowly disintegrating. Daniel fell to the floor, curled himself up into a ball and prayed.