Chapter XIV: Paths that end in Trouble
Teal'c and Vala took the lead as they and Daniel left the ruined village. Each of them scanned the forest for any sign of Skaara's emergency pack, or of the girl herself. Daniel felt the knot in his stomach tighten the further away from the village they got. Long stretches of land were burnt where Ba'al's forces had struck.
A flash of anger loosened the knot as he thought about the Goa'uld. From what their contacts had told them once the gliders had left, Ba'al had taken to randomly attacking planets seeking SGC outposts. He hadn't even realized who was on Rhea, and somehow that made Daniel all the more furious.
He huffed a breath. Getting angry wasn't going to locate his only niece. Focusing on the land around him, he soon became lost in the methodical scanning of the plants and trees around them. Nothing glittered, and the color of the canvas sack did not catch his eyes among the green.
"Wait, just there!" Vala shouted, taking off through some damaged trees. Teal'c and Daniel shared concerned looks and immediately followed. When the had pushed aside a few fallen branches, they regained sight of Vala, kneeling down in front of something.
"Oh no...," Daniel said once she'd moved aside. It was Skaara's bag, of that there was no doubt. The robe Vala had given her earlier that day was on top of Skaara's most precious possessions. And beyond that...
"The Museum," Teal'c growled. Daniel felt the knot resume it's presence in his gut. Items he remembered cataloging were sticking out through the collapsed earth. They were things one of the dead SG teams had been assigned to transfer in the time leading up to Ba'al's invasion. Skaara would have taken refuge in the cavern. And there would be no way out.
So that was it. Daniel sank to his knees beside Vala. At the ruined village, they could say she escaped. But here...there was nowhere else she could have gone.
Vala slipped a supportive arm around his shoulders, her hand gently rubbing his opposite arm.
"We said we'd take care of her. I told Jack the day it happened..I promised,"he hissed. Vala merely leaned her head on his shoulder. Teal'c's expression he could not see, but when the man sat down beside him and offered a solid grip on his free shoulder, Daniel knew the discovery destroyed more than one washed-up archaeologist.
"Daniel, look at this. It is the entire epic, even the parts Uncle Danny told me were missing," Skaara breathed, eyes wide with the thrill of discovery. Daniel shifted over a few feet to look at her find, a series of long sections of temple wall in which the entire epic of Gilgamesh was indeed written.
"So we were right. This is incredible...thousands of years of history and here it is!"
"Fascinating, Danny-boy. Let Skaara take pictures. We have intel to gather," O'Neill groused.
Daniel looked sour for a moment, before handing Skaara the digital camera.
"And don't forget to-"
"Take the photos both vertically and horizontally, you told me when we got here," she shot back, letting a bit of affection into her tone. He was the Daniel she knew, after all, only far more excitable than her uncle. It was like watching a little boy on Christmas morning.
She waved him off to follow Jack and Sam, while Teal'c stationed himself in front of the temple entrance, where he could keep an eye on her and the others at the same time. Skaara turned the camera on and began the slow process of photographing the story of the long dead king.
It was one of the few stories she'd gotten to hear that she remembered, and one she loved for all it's talk of Gods and beasts.
"And the Serpent rose up from the water," Uncle Danny said, moving one hand around like it was the snake," and ate the flower of life!" His fingers clamped down on her nose, making her squeal with delight.
"And then Gilgamesh knew his chance to be immortal was gone.."
"...but the old man came to him and said 'Gilgamesh, King. Immortality belongs not to those who never change, but those who change the book of the world.'"
"Did you say something, Skaara Sha're?" Teal'c asked. Skaara blushed a little at being caught in her memory. But the Jaffa took no notice, a look of genuine interest on his face.
"I remembered being little and having my Uncle Danny tell me the story; hand gestures and everything."
"Ah, a pleasant recollection."
"Yes," she replied softly, inclining her head before returning to her work. Teal'c nodded as well, returning his eyes to his guard duty.
Suddenly something rumbled beneath them, which Skaara initially took as being a small earthquake. That was, until Daniel, Sam, and the Colonel ran yelling out of the temple doors. Daniel grabbed her by the arm, and Teal'c followed the others.
"Space Monkey!" O'Neill screamed angrily as they ran.
"How..was I..supposed..to know...the Bull of Heaven...was a Goa'uld weapon?" The archaeologist replied. Skaara turned her head for a moment, alarmed at what she saw coming after them. A giant mechanical bull, with the symbol of some lesser Goa'uld on it's forehead was rampaging after them. Skaara spared a moment to be amused in her Uncle Danny's honor before she picked up speed and raced behind her teammates for the gate.
"Bedtime stories, Daniel!," she huffed as the bull cried out behind them. Sam took off ahead and quickly dialed the gate. By the time O'Neill had pulled her up the steps, the wormhole had engaged and all five of them dove through the stargate. They landed in a heap on the other side, finding themselves inches away from General Hammond's feet.
Skaara looked up sheepishly at the exasperated look on the man's face.
"Sir, there's an explanation," hissed Sam, who was half under Skaara and half crushed by Daniel's chest," really."
Skaara found a smile sneaking onto her face despite herself as Hammond merely shook his head and ordered the lot of them to the briefing room in ten.