Chapter 37

The planet was exactly as the probe had indicated. Large trees grew all around them, and a dense canopy of green leaves blocked out most of the sunlight, leaving them in a semblance of dusk. The canopy far above their heads was alive with what sounded like the shrill chirps of wild birds. The cloying smell of honey seemed to drift down from the heights of the trees, and the forest floor itself was covered in creeping vines and vibrant orchid-like flowers ranging in color from red to purple. Teal'c knelt on the ground and wiped away some dirt.

"There is a stone path here, but it has not been used in many ages," he said and stood up.

Daniel walked around the small clearing in which the Stargate sat, looking for a marker, a ruin, anything. "Well, that looks like our best bet. I'm not finding anything."

"You got anything, Jolinar?" Carter asked, staring into the deeper woods where the canopy was even thicker and almost total darkness prevailed.

Jolinar nodded and started down the stone path. "There is an energy signature in this direction."

"Teal'c, take point," Carter ordered.

Teal'c nodded and moved up in front of Jolinar.

"I do not detect the presence of any Trien in the vicinity or Goa'Uld," Jolinar said.

"Well, that's good," Daniel said then looked around curiously. "Hmm."

"What's wrong, Daniel?" Carter asked.

"Umm, nothing, I just noticed with all the flowers and stuff… no allergies," he said and smiled.

Jolinar chuckled. "The nanites work quickly, Daniel."

Teal'c began down the path, Jolinar and Carter followed side by side and Daniel took up the rear. Carter and Daniel kept their eyes on the dark woods around them. Every once in a while they heard vicious guttural growls echoing from some distant place. As they drew away from the Stargate it grew darker, the canopy becoming impossibly thick.

After they had walked for half an hour Carter stopped them. She glanced at her watch and was forced to hit the button to light up its face. She groaned. "We've only got about an hour before we have to get back."

"Then let's not waste time," Jolinar suggested and started walking again. "The energy signature is not far now."

After another fifteen minutes they could see sunlight ahead. As they came closer they could see a large clearing, several hundred feet across, where there were no trees at all, allowing the sunlight to strike the ground unmolested. Getting nearer they could see in the center of the clearing a large rock and nothing else of consequence. They stopped just before the path entered the clearing, crouching in the darkness of the woods.

"There are fresh footprints in the clearing," Jolinar whispered.

Carter frowned. "I can't see anything."

"I can," Jolinar replied confidently. "That rock is emanating the energy I detected. I still don't detect any life signs."

"Ok, let's check it out," Carter ordered. "Teal'c, once we hit the clearing you and Jolinar go left along the edge. Daniel and I will go right. Stay out of sight till I give the signal."

"As you wish," Teal'c assented.

They entered the clearing and split up. Teal'c and Jolinar kept in the shadows of the trees, working their way around the clearing's edge. The heat in the clearing was intense compared to the relative coolness beneath the canopy.

Sam and Daniel moved slowly, weapons ready.

"So, any instincts coming to you?" Daniel whispered.

Carter glanced over her shoulder at him and smirked. "Not a damn thing. So, I heard you watched a movie last night."

Daniel blushed and suddenly jumped when a particularly loud bird's screeching cut through the humid air. "Umm, yeah, I did. Well, we started out watching a movie anyway. We feel asleep. It was relaxing though… no weird animal noises. Just a giant ape, poorly rendered even for 1933, throwing people around like rag dolls. He lived in a forest something like this actually."

Carter snickered. "I don't see a thing, Daniel, certainly no apes. Let's make for the rock."

Carter gave one last check around her and then headed for the rock, Daniel following on her heels. They were moving at a decent pace and a thought struck Daniel. "Sam?"

"Yeah, Daniel?" she asked without stopping.

"Umm, the air is quite humid, it's hot, and we're almost running," he said thoughtfully, as if he were going over the list in his mind.

"Ok?"

"Umm, but I don't feel hot. I mean I know it's hot in this clearing, but I don't feel it. Nor am I out of breath. I feel great."

"Me too. Those damn things do work fast," she said with a shake of her head. She waved in Teal'c direction, and he and Jolinar quickly emerged from the shadows and headed for the rock.

Daniel and Sam reached the rock first. There was nothing particularly amazing about it. It was about fifteen feet high and twenty feet in diameter. Sam saw the footprints around the rock. They were the only ones she had come across. How the hell had Jolinar seen them from so far away? They were fresh, relatively, but were at least a day old. They appeared to be normal human footprints. They were searching the rock's surface for any clues when Teal'c and Jolinar joined them.

Jolinar walked immediately to an area of the rock and placed her hand on it. A small area of the rock shimmered, and they all were taken aback when part of the rock vanished to reveal a door covered with hieroglyphs.

Daniel walked to the door and looked over the writing. He ran his fingers over the glyphs as he read, using his hand as a bookmark. "Well, this is rather anti-climactic I must admit. I did expect something a little grander for the resting place Amun-Re. The hype is never fulfilled," he lamented.

"How did you know that door was there?" Sam asked, locking her gaze on Jolinar.

"The technology is quite old. It was not difficult to detect. So, this is the chamber of Amun-Re?" Jolinar asked expectantly.

Daniel scratched his head and turned to Jolinar. "Well, that's what it says anyway. It also speaks of doom, death, and eternal torment for any who disturbs the sleep of the 'Sovereign of the Gods.'"

Sam gave a slight grunt. "Sovereign huh? Guess 'Father of the Gods' wasn't good enough anymore. Can you open it, Daniel?"

"I can," Jolinar stated. She pushed Daniel aside and pointed her hand at the door. A bolt of energy was emitted from a small glass circle set in the palm of her armor. The bolt struck the door and blasted it open.

"Hmmm, yeah… that door was older than the pyramids," he said, staring at the rubble sadly.

Teal'c gave Daniel a quick amused glance before his face returned to its normalcy of statuesque stoicism.

"Sorry, Daniel," Jolinar said. "We don't have time."

"Lead the way, Teal'c," Carter ordered, motioning her gun towards the door.

Teal'c nodded and entered the resting place of Amun-Re.