"Now I know how Dr. Lee's mice feel."
Sam gave a sideways glance at Abbie's whispered comment. "What?"
"You know," Abbie waved her hand around. "Last month he and another doctor, Beckett, I think, were conducting experiments with mice that were given the Ancient gene therapy Bill's been developing. Something about trying to explain why they were glowing under UV light."
Sam stifled a laugh. "At least it's just these button things and not us that are glowing."
Abbie gave a noncommittal shrug. She and Sam were currently being led through a series of tunnels by an oddly silent Lalida. She assumed they were under the city, if the constant popping of her ears were anything to go by. It was pitch black, save for the blue glowing objects Abbie had seen on the search party that had met her and Daniel at the DHD. Lalida had insisted they wear them.
"They're probably for tracking our movements," Sam continued speculating. "Make sure we don't get lost." She picked at the spot where hers had been attached to her vest.
"Yeah, wouldn't want that to happen," Abbie muttered. She checked her watch for what felt like the twelfth time. It had been ten minutes since she and Sam had left the boys in the library and followed Lalida to find out more about the Power of the Gods. So far, all she's learned was that she liked the dark about as much as she liked desert planets.
"It is not much farther," Lalida's voice was slightly muffled as she followed a path through the twisting corridors. "I apologize for the long walk, but it was necessary to store the substance you refer to as the Power of the Gods in a safe place, so as to ensure not only that it remained in the hands of those who understand it, but also to prevent accidents from occurring."
"Have those happened in the past?" Abbie asked. "Accidents involving your people and this substance?"
Lalida opened her mouth to answer, but was stopped by a violent shudder that coursed through the corridor, causing all three women to be thrown to the dirt covered ground. By the time Sam was on her feet and helping Abbie and Lalida regain their balance, Abbie was red faced and down one hair tie.
Sam tightened her bulletproof vest and did a quick visual check of herself and Abbie for any injuries. Finding none, she turned to Lalida, intent on asking a few pointed questions about the obvious seismic activity they had just experienced.
Abbie beat her to it. "Ok, that was an earthquake."
"It was just a tremor, we experience them occasionally." Lalida's shaky tone gave voice to the fact that she was not telling the entire truth, a fact Sam pointed out.
"It was more than a tremor - it was a pretty significant shift of a land mass." She turned towards Abbie. "It was a 5, at least."
Lalida raised an eyebrow in question. "Five?"
"Yes, on Earth we use a scale to rate and compare how much damage an earthquake has caused - we call it a Richter scale magnitude," Sam explained. "The closer the number is to 10, the more serious the quake is considered."
"I see," Lalida adjusted her cloak and tried to avoid their eyes. "I can assure you, we are in no danger. But as a precaution, let us hurry into our research facility, we will be safe there." Lalida ushered the two women through the door that stood before them.
"Safe?" Abbie cried incredulously as she was pushed over the threshold and into a room that looked almost identical to the many science labs scattered around the SGC. She watched as Lalida closed and secured the door behind them, looking more annoyed than concerned for their safety.
"Lalida, is there something more about that tremor that I need to know?"
Sam watched as Lalida ignored Abbie's question and instead walked over to what she guessed was a refrigerated storage unit on the other side of the lab. She opened the door, pulled out a small blue container and placed it on the table in front of Abbie.
"This is what you know as the Power of the Gods. I hope this sample is large enough for your analysis," Lalida directed her words at Sam. "We've found it problematic to keep quantities any larger than this."
Sam nodded as she picked up the small container and unscrewed the lid, talking a quick peek at the yellowish substance.
Abbie couldn't shake the feeling that something was off. It was as if all of the hair on the back of her neck was standing up in a defensive reaction, but she couldn't put her finger on why. Major Torres had nicknamed it her Super Geek Sense - since it always seemed to attack her nervous system whenever something academically fascinating turned into something life threatening, especially when the goa'uld were around. But in this case, she had a feeling it was more a case of missing information than a potentially deadly historical record.
"This is more than enough, Lalida, thank you," Sam as she placed the small container in her vest pocket. "Once we complete our analysis I can have someone bring a copy of the report for you."
"That won't be necessary, Major Carter," Lalida assured her. "Our level of technology is far superior to yours, thanks to the Ancients - I doubt your report would have anything new to offer to our scientists."
"Speaking of offer, what did your council decide would be on our side of the exchange?" Abbie had provided Lalida with a list of items and technology the SGC was willing to provide in trade for the substance currently sitting in Sam's pocket.
Lalida gave her a patronizing smile. "Sadly, none of the items were of much value to our people. Although, a member of the city staff, a young man named Marcus brought some information to the council-s attention. He had an interesting conversation with Doctor Jackson - they spoke about a world called Madrona."
Sam nodded in recognition. "Yes, we initially called it PX7-941. The people of Madrona had a weather system that was controlled by-"
"Sam, don't say another word," Abbie interrupted.
Lalida made a dismissive gesture. "It does not matter, Doctor Webber, we already have the information about the Touchstone, as well as the gate address for their planet." A smirk graced her lips. "The laptop Major Carter provided us proved to be quite useful."
Sam frowned. The laptop was standard as part of the initial flow of information between Earth and a new potential trade partner, and didn't hold anything as specific as gate addresses. She looked from Lalida to Abbie, concerned and a little confused at the glare her friend was now directing at the diplomatic representative. "I'm sorry, I think I missed something here."
"I know I missed something," Abbie echoed as she continued her staring contest with Lalida. "I've never seen any government of any kind act so trustingly to a group from off world in the span of a few hours √ not even the time Jack discovered that the inhabitants on P9C-894 played a game identical to hockey."
Sam suppressed a snort of laughter. It had been hell trying to get the Colonel off of 894 - especially after he won their version of a Stanley Cup and had to be forcefully removed from the trophy's handle before stepping back through the gate. But something told her Abbie was heading somewhere with this. After all, she had seen Daniel make conclusions, usually crucial ones, out of what looked like thin air more times than she could count.
"But neither have I ever seen anyone gain access to what is considered a planet's most precious resource based only on the fact that one of the off-worlders," Abbie made an face that clearly indicated she was talking about herself, "happens to bear a striking resemblance to a statue of the woman who is apparently the foundation of your entire society. Never. And that makes me uneasy. Why?"
Lalida eyes gave way to a brief glimpse of doubt, but she refused to back down.
"Because you're not telling us something," Abbie answered her own question, her voice thick with a quiet challenge. "I asked for information on your planet. Historical, sociological, political, all of it. What I got was volumes and volumes on how nice the weather was and how great all of the Ancients made this planet. One mention of a second society that shared this land with you. One mention out of a hundred. Want to tell me why?"
"Our history is just that, Doctor Webber - in the past. It was deemed not to be relevant to our current talks with your Earth government's request to establish diplomatic relations with my people." Lalida voice resonated with an air of finality.
"I think controlled earthquakes being used as a destructive weapon are 'relevant'!" Abbie spat out.
". . . Carter, Dr. Webber, now . . . very . . . respond."
Jack's voice, barely audible over the static of the radio, snapped Sam into action. She grabbed her handset to respond, but froze when she felt the unmistakable point of an arrow at the back of her neck. Careful not to move too quickly, she slowly craned her face to the side, confirming her fear that Abbie was in the same situation. Deciding the time had most definitely passed for casual conversation, Sam turned to Lalida and switched into tactical mode. "What is going on?"
Lalida simply gestured to the two extra guards who had entered the lab, ignoring Sam's question. They quickly responded to her unspoken commands, and moved to stand directly in front of Sam and Abbie, holding their own weapons pointed directly at the two teammates.
Lalida moved so that she was standing directly behind the guards now preventing Sam or Abbie from moving an inch. "I am sorry, Doctor Webber, that this couldn't have worked out differently."
"No you're not!" Abbie spat out.
"No, perhaps not." A small smile twisted at the corner of Lalida's lips. "But I can say that, for all the brilliance you and your team seem to possess, you are easily fooled."
"Fooled?" Sam was staring to get tired of this little back and forth game and was mentally counting how many grenades she had brought with her.
"There was no real reason for us to continue our negotiations once we were in possession of the laptop and confirmed its information with our own," Lalida explained. "The database of planets the Ancients left behind was most thorough, and provided us with the gate address of Madrona. As we speak, a small contingent is preparing for travel through the Stargate."
"And then what? Ask nicely and they'll hand over the Touchstone?"
Sam glared at Abbie, knowing that her sarcastic outburst wasn't going to help. The last thing they needed was Lalida to get angry and decide that the two of them were better off no longer breathing. "But what makes you think the Touchstone will be helpful at all? I've had the chance to study the technology, and it's beyond the comprehension of even our most noted seismologists - and certainly no match for the monitoring equipment left by the Ancients."
"Our scientists have assured me we'll be able to adapt the technology to be compatable with our own systems."
Sam started to get a sinking feeling in her stomach. "For what purpose? The weather here is perfect."
"Because they're starting to lose control of the earthquakes." Abbie risked another one of Sam's death glares. "That's why you've been concealing the existence of the other society. You've been using the Ancients' technology against them and causing earthquakes in their regions of the planet."
"And you think the Touchstone will allow you to regain that control." The truth hit Sam's mind like a staff blast to the gut.
"Enough!" Lalida stalked over to the door of the laboratory and threw it open in a clear display of anger. "I will not tolerate any more of your questions. You will remain here until it is decided what is to become of you and the rest of your team."
Abbie stared at the door as it slammed closed. "Wow. Somebody's been taking system lord lessons."
"No kidding." Sam agreed.
"Well," Abbie gave the man currently pointing a weapon at her a once over, "this is not good, is it?"
Sam sighed. "Nope. But know what?"
Abbie cranked her neck to face her friend. "What?"
"We've been through worse."
"True. On three, then?"
Sam gave a shrug. "Works for me."
"THREE!" Both women shouted at the same time, using the split second of distraction it provided to execute a few well placed punches that sent the guards crashing to the ground, out cold.
Sam looked slightly surprised as Abbie quickly disarmed the guard who had been covering her, checking the weapon and making sure it was ready for use.
"What?" Abbie asked.
"Well, you know, it's just that . . . to go off-world, all civilians go through the required self defense training, weapons and everything, I know that. But, other than Daniel, I"ve never seen a civilian move so fast," Sam admitted.
"The first rule of being an anthropologist is you've gotta be fast to protect what's yours." Abbie gave a quick smile. "Especially in the doughnut department - you should see Nyan going for the last frosted sprinkle. Fingers have been sacrificed."
Sam laughed, then straighten her vest and motioned for Abbie to follow her to the door. "I think it's about time we got out of here, or at least get back up to the surface. The guys will start to wonder were we are since I can't seem to get the radio to work down here, and I'm under strict orders not to get you killed."
Abbie stopped in her tracks. "You too? That's it -Torres is dead when I get home."
Sam just smiled and pulled the mechanism that released the lock on the door. Pulling her zat from the holster on her thigh and crouching down into a defensive position, she gave Abbie the signal that she could open the door. Almost immediately, she fired off two shots, bringing down the guards on either side of the door. Making a quick sweep of the corridor, she pronounced it free of any threats and motioned Abbie to join her.
The two walked through the maze of hallways, retracing their own footprints from their earlier walk to the lab. "Well, that was fairly easy," Abbie said as they approached the elevator contraption that had delivered them below the surface of the planet. "What are the chances this thing will be the same?"
Sam took a moment to examine the control panel. "Well, my best guess is that it's a system built by the Ancients, but that Lalida's people modified it so they could control how the technology worked. Probably in an attempt to keep it safe from exactly what I'll need to do to it."
"How long?"
Sam slid the zat back into its place, then knelt to get a better look at the panel. "Don't know. Could take a bit, but I'm thinking that if I just override the main control crystal, I should be able to reverse-"
Her explanation was interrupted by the sound of the elevator starting up. Standing up quickly, Sam motioned for Abbie to take up position on the other side of the doors, knowing that this could be their only change at getting out of there. Deciding the situation called for something a little more serious then a zat, Sam shouldered her P90 and aimed at the elevator, just as the doors began to slide open.
A/N: Cliffhanger ending? Who me? Never. :) The good news is that the final few chapters are written and awaiting a spin through the awesome brain of my beta, Desert Blossom-by-the-Sea. So once she's finished ripping it to shreds (mostly kidding), I will post the chapters! That's how it works, kids! Thanks so much to everyone for reading and leaving reviews - always makes my day.