Author's note: I'm sorry this chapter took so long to post. All I can say is that it's entirely my fault. I finished this story a few weeks ago, but then forgot to send it to my beta! So, she waited, I waited (because somehow I was under the illusion that I had send it) and you waited. (G) But it's being edited by her now and I will post the remaining chapters when they're ready. Thank you for your patience and HUGS to all those who stuck with Tempus Fugit for this long.

To all Stargate fans: I don't think the sarcophagus (or the mirror) is running on crystals, but I changed that fact to suit my purposes.

Chapter 21

Starsky stood shivering in front of the sarcophagus. He had seen such things in museums and the like, but those were ancient, dust ridden coffins. This one… He let the beam of the flashlight drift over its surface. This one seemed almost alive.

The trip down into the basement was not one he cared to repeat. From past experience he'd already known the cellar floor was a long way down. But to be lowered into it by rope was nerve wracking. Not too mention the fact that the only one who could be counted on not to drop him was Helios.

Careful not to trip over the fallen debris of the collapsed stairwell, Starsky surveyed the room. It was surprisingly small, containing only the large sarcophagus.

"There should be a panel near the head end," Daniel's instructions sounded from above.

Starsky blinked. It was hard to keep his eyes open. He swallowed. In the small yellow beam of the flashlight, the room suddenly seemed out of focus and started spinning. He staggered against the wall.

"Starsky!" Daniel's worried voice called again.

"Yeah, just… give me a minute," he shot back. Pulling himself together, he worked his way toward the head end of the sarcophagus and pressed against a visible panel beneath the heavy lid. It slid neatly outward, revealing a bunch of crystals set inside. "I found them."

"Take the smallest blue and white crystals you can find," Daniel sounded again.

Exercising caution, Starsky pulled out the two small glass objects. He held them up and watched as the light of the torch created the most beautiful coloring inside. For a second he was in awe, then his face turned grim. "How long do I have?" he asked, eyeing the crystals.

"For what?" Daniel's puzzled question sounded.

Starsky wiped the sweat off his brow. "It doesn't take a genius to figure out I have whatever Hutch had. So, how come he beat it, and I… can't?" At first he thought he could fight the dizziness, the feeling of disconnection and the buzzing sound cottoning this massive headache, just as his partner had done. But in the last hour he realized it was in vain. He knew what it felt like to die. And this was it.

"That cursed dog healed him," Helios answered from above. "Now get back up here!"

The dog bite. Starsky's lip curled in a wry smile. Guess Kirby really was trying to help when he attacked me back in the library.

The library.

A thought suddenly dawned on him, and he shone the torch upon the wall.

He wasn't sure if he had the strength left to get back onto the landing. But he had to try. It was vitally important that he talked to Daniel. This could change everything.

"Something doesn't add up," Hutch muttered, anxiously watching the dark structure from the tree line. "What do you know about this hill?"

"It's a hill, with one house," Jack retorted. "Why?"

Hutch turned to face him, leaves crunching under his feet. "Back in the seventies, the land never got developed, and I'm guessing that's still the case." His voice drifted off in thought. "I wonder which one was here first: the hill or the cellar."

"Are you saying the two are connected?"

"It makes sense. If they are, Cerberus didn't tell us the whole truth."

Jack stiffened. "Where's that damn Hellhound? Kirby!" He whispered as loud as he could into the night. "Cerberus get your butt back over here!"

"Listen to me," Starsky whispered. He lay against the wall, unable to sit up, let alone do a thing as complicated as replace the broken crystals. Helios had just snorted at his incompetence and had ordered Daniel to do it.

Starsky was charged with holding up the light. Although, because of the condition he was in, that became a task onto itself. He tried to focus on Daniel, but it became harder and harder to withstand the intense feeling of wanting to sleep. Helios was not within hearing distance. The moment the alien had realized that this might take a while, he went to stand just outside the door, probably to make sure Cerberus wasn't around.

Daniel sat slouched in front of the mirror, barely able to keep upright. Whenever Starsky caught a glimpse of his face, he could tell the man stifled his pain and tried to concentrate on getting the job done. Daniel inserted the last of the crystals, and the symbols on the mirror's frame started to glow slightly. "There's not much power left." Jack's friend spoke hoarsely. "Barely enough for one trip."

"Daniel," Starsky whispered. "There's something you need to know."

The man kept working but nodded as a sign he'd heard him.

Starsky understood; if Helios were to walk in better not let him know they were talking. "Back at the library, I did some research on this house," he spoke softly. "And it's current owner." He waved the flashlight at the half open door. "Templeton."

"He owns this place?" Daniel whispered.

Starsky nodded. "My guess is the house never left the family. Helios here must have been posing as Templeton ever since he took his body as host. Now, I don't know much about all this alien stuff… but I do know one thing… That cellar down there… is way older than this house." The explanation drained him and it was all he could do to keep his eyes open.

"Cerberus told me… "Daniel said, his voice riddled in pain, "he imprisoned Helios here a long time ago. The house is probably sitting on a hill…" He took in a sharp breath before continuing. "That's been devoid of habitation for thousands of years."

"That's not all… the house's sitting on," Starsky hissed.

Daniel turned. In the dim light, his face looked ghostly white. "Hang in there, I'll try to get you out… of here, before I…" He turned back.

Starsky heard more than saw him fiddle with the mirror. It was so easy to just drift away. The sounds disappeared. It felt so peaceful. Someone shook him and attempted to pull him up.

"Come on… You have to leave now. It's your only chance." Daniel's voice shook with trauma and exhaustion.

"No," Starsky muttered. "N… not without, Hutch…" Shit, gotta stay awake, just long enough to… He grabbed Daniel's arm and looked straight into intelligent but clouded eyes. "No, no time. I gotta… tell you this. "This hill, the land…" Starsky clenched his teeth, forcing himself to stay part of this world just a little longer. "The reason no one ever developed it is because… it's a…" He closed his eyes, and gave in, breathing two final words. "Burial… ground."

Cerberus tiptoed through the dilapidated back yard of the mansion, then stood still to sniff the air. Something was wrong. He looked over his shoulder, contemplating going back.

This whole situation was getting wildly out of hand. Sure, he had located the two missing detectives, and the Goa'uld. But why did Helios return to this place? Cerberus doubted that, were Helios able to get to Stargate Command via the mirror, the military would let him use the gate. The SGC didn't negotiate with the Goa'uld. Not even for Jackson.

Then there were his other charges. He should make sure they were still in place, or this mistake he made, which had all ready cost him way too much time, was going to have worse consequences.

Then why did he feel so jittery? Perhaps he'd spent too much time around Jack. It always unnerved him when people carried the kind of barriers that the Colonel did. He could remove them, of course. But that would be highly unethical. Jack had to work out his issues for himself. Besides, despite their differences, he'd grown to like the man.

"Kirby!"

A shouted whisper startled him out of his thoughts. He could hear him! As clear as if Jack were to stand next to him. His voice breezed into his mind, even though Cerberus knew the Colonel was on the other side of the house all the way near the tree line.

"Cerberus get your butt back over here!"

Jack sounded irritated and… worried. Or was that for Jackson? Yes, it is… He savoured the care, bleeding through in his mind. Whatever Hutchinson did, it worked. His barriers are down and then some…It was rare to be able to feel and hear a person over such a distance. Actually, it was completely unheard off. Oh no. This means we're-"

With his subconscious feeling-antennae extended, Cerberus suddenly picked up something else. Startled, he eyed his surroundings. All around him, shadows started to move, dissolving into half a dozen familiar faces. With a sinking feeling, he tried to back away, realizing in a moment of terror that he'd fatally underestimated Helios.

Still connected to Jack he shouted a plea of help, then dropped his disguise, knowing that even in his original form… he didn't stand a chance.

"A burial ground?" Daniel put one hand on Starsky's shoulder. The detective had lost consciousness. If Starsky's right…Hissing in sudden pain, he clamped a hand over his side.

The door opened. He looked up to find Helios glaring at the brunet. "Is he dead?"

"No… not yet," Daniel replied. It was hard to concentrate, but the effort helped him to stay awake. Thinking about Starsky's words, he tried to put the pieces together. "This 'migrating' cellar… It isn't the only one in existence, isn't it?" He hissed. "Cerberus stashed a whole bunch of your kind in rooms like these beneath this hill, then hid them away in different dimensions."

Helios gave a thin smile.

Daniel barely spoke loud enough to be heard. Still, he valiantly continued, knowing he was on the right track. "You learned this was a burial ground from Templeton's mind when you took him as your host. After that it was easy to put two and two together." He didn't wait for confirmation. "That's why you returned here: you want to free your fellow Goa'uld. I suppose the mirror provides some sort of access point? Is that why you wanted me to fix it?"

"Doctor Jackson, as much as I would like to explain my plans to you, I don't have the time."

"Then again…" Daniel proceeded, oblivious to Helios' remarks. "You've been here for a while. Between the time you woke up and found Cerberus gone and now, years have past." The startling thought momentarily made him forget the pain he was in. He looked up at the Goa'uld and grimaced. "You've already freed them, haven't you?"

"Perhaps."

"So, what? You expect me to take them all to the Stargate?"

"Really, Doctor. You think that if I wanted to get off this planet, I would have waited years to do it? Templeton's eyes flashed a bright yellow and his voice lowered into that of Helios. "I was stuck down there," he pointed at the cellar, "for millennia! Years in which I could've ruled these pitiful people and taken control of this entire planet! Oh yes," he stated bitter. "I could've done all that. If it weren't for that cursed dog!"

The picture suddenly took shape. God, he should have seen that one coming. The first thing a violent prisoner usually did when escaping, was to kill the jailer. "This was never about the Stargate," Daniel spoke hoarsely. He felt the cold from the cellar beneath them, seeping through the floor and right into his bones. Daniel struggled against the pull of unconsciousness and fought to keep his line of thought. Freeing the other prisoners… lure Cerberus back here. "It's all one big trap. You want Cerberus."

Helios crouched in front of him. "And once the dog's safely out of the way, me and my friends will move on to the rest of this world and take what is ours."

"It's never going to work," Daniel replied softly.

The cold started to hurt.

"It already has."

Jack buckled over in intense pain as a roaring cry lanced through his head and seemed to set all of his nerve-endings on fire. "Oh God," he yelled, clasping his ears with his hands.

"What?" Hutch asked anxiously.

The pain subsided. Wary that it might come back again, Jack slowly straightened. He halted midway. "I think…" He righted himself fully. "No… I'm definitely sure I heard Cerberus talking."

"I thought you weren't able to hear-"

"Oh, trust me. I am now," he shook his head in an attempt to get rid of the residual headache.

"What did he say?"

Jack looked at the detective, still not believing he'd heard it right. "Help… I think."

Tbc