Part 12
Disclaimers can be found in Part 0
***
The Jaffa advanced slowly into the center of the village. As they did, one would break off and enter one of the tipis to check that no one was inside. Satisfied, the Jaffa would then exit and join the rest. Jack counted at least 30 of them. All armed with the usual Staff Weapon. As he watched from his hiding place, he saw three more pairs of two approach. Each pair was carrying a body between them. The bodies of the warriors O'Neill had left on guard at the Gate.
As these six came into view, Jack heard the sudden intake of breathe by one of Tatapesaah's men. Cursing because he knew what was going to happen next, he racked his MP-9.
***
The Ghost Dancers continued on chanting and dancing in a circle seemingly unaware of what was happening around them. Witashaun, whose movements appeared jerky to Carter and Daniel, made slow progress towards the center of the maze. Impatience was bearing down on the astrophysicist and she had to hold herself in check to keep from running after Witashaun and pushing her forward.
As they both watched, something new began to happen. At first they hadn't noticed it because the half-walls of the maze were in the way, but the further Witashaun moved a black shape began to appear in the center. Carter drew in a deep breathe recognizing the obelisk from her vision. It was rising up out of the floor and was now a couple of inches taller than the maze walls.
"Daniel?"
"I see it, Sam. Is it the same thing?"
"It appears to be," she answered. She looked at her watch again. Ten minutes had passed since she had last communicated with O'Neill. Keying her mike open again she whispered, "Sir, another ten minutes." When there was no immediate response to her call, she looked to Daniel in alarm.
Daniel looked back and then opened his mic, "Jack! Teal'c! Are you there? Did you hear?"
Both Daniel and Carter waited, seconds seemed like minutes before they heard the sound of rifle fire and the sound of Staff Weapon blasts. "Ten minutes we won't be here any longer."
"Sir, I'm coming out," yelled Carter turning to run down the tunnel.
"Negative, Carter. Stay where you're at," Jack's voice yelled back at her. "Just get that damned thing working a little faster, will ya?"
Carter halted and turned back to Daniel. The connection between them and the Colonel closed.
"Sam, we have to do something," pleaded Daniel.
"We are," she said. "And we follow the Colonel's orders. We stay."
"Sam."
She slowly walked back to where Daniel was standing. "Daniel you know as well as I that if the Colonel and Teal'c don't hold them off out there, it's going to be up to us to hold them off in here until ..." She let her statement trail off.
"Until we're dead too, or this thing starts working."
"Yes."
Carter racked her MP-9 and Daniel cocked his .45. Then they turned back towards the dance and Witashaun. She was about three quarters of the way in and both Carter and Daniel again prayed that she'd complete her journey before any Jaffa arrived heralding the death of Colonel O'Neill and Teal'c.
***
Jack ducked as another staff blast tore into the tree behind which he was hiding. Chunks of a tree branch rained down on his head and he wished he had a helmet. Rising up, he released a burst of shells at two of the Jaffa that were slowly working their way towards his position. His eyes, alert to everything around him, saw that Teal'c was still alive as two Jaffa fell to the ground, burning holes smoking in the chests. He was amazed that they had been able to hold out this long against a vastly superior number. Luck must be with them, or someone was answering his prayers.
Jack heard a scream laced with pain. One of the Lacotia warriors must have been hit. He had lost track of them when the skirmish began after someone had chucked an arrow into the neck of a Jaffa who was carrying the body of one of the men set to warn the tribe of anyone coming through the Gate. Although he cursed the stupidity of the action, he could find no fault in their courage or the ability they had shown thus far in fighting as arrows continued to rain down in the midst of the Jaffa hitting their targets with uncanny accuracy.
Another blast from a staff weapon at Jack's tree and he decided that it was time to move to another one. Raking the air with a burst from his rifle, he quickly ran to another tree - this one larger and surrounded by several smaller ones that would work as a shield he hoped. Several staff weapon blasts followed his track, but none hit of which he was extremely grateful. Reaching cover, he ejected the now spent cartridge in his rifle, pulled another one and knocked it against the tree in front of him before inserting it into his rifle. Risking a glance to see where the Jaffa were, he poked his head around the tree trunk. What he saw didn't give him any joy as he saw that the Jaffa were fighting to get to the tree line so that they could use the trees for cover while searching out and killing those that fighting them.
Jack pulled a hand grenade, his last, and hoped that it would work as well as his others had done. Pulling the pin, he stood and threw it towards a group of three Jaffa who were advancing toward what Jack knew to be Teal'c's position. Not waiting to see if it was successful, he ducked back down. Seconds after hearing the explosion, Jack popped up again saw that all three Jaffa were on the ground while at the same time firing his rifle at one who had gotten a little to close to his position. That Jaffa went down also, but not before getting off a blast with his staff weapon.
Jack felt the blast hit the tree next to his head. Tree bark flew in all directions and Jack was caught in the head and face by several large chunks. Jack fell to the ground fighting to remain conscious.
***
The humming noise that Carter and Daniel had noticed had grown so loud that they were almost forced to cover their ears to block it out. The Ghost Dancers didn't seem to notice as they continued on with their dance around the outside of the maze. Witashaun was only a few steps from the exact center and from the black obelisk that now towered over her. Carter and Daniel both watched intently as she finally took her final steps.
Raising both hands high above her head, Witashaun began chanting - different than the chant that the Ghost Dancers were doing and even though there were close to 100 voices joined together, hers was heard above theirs. Slowly she lowered he hands and placed them on the obelisk itself.
"Sam," Daniel began when it appeared as if nothing was going to happen. He was interrupted before he could continue by huge arcs of light coming from each of the globes hanging from the ceiling that pulsed down into and around the obelisk making it impossible to see Witashaun.
As Carter and Daniel watched, the arcing suddenly stopped as did the humming noise. All of the Ghost Dancers fell to the ground as though they were falling through molasses, the chanting and drumming stopped. The sudden lack of sound and bright light was like an assault on Carter and Daniel's nervous system and they stood in shock for several seconds.
Sam regained her senses first. "Daniel, where is Witashaun?"
Daniel shook his head to clear it and then followed Carter's gaze. The obelisk was still standing in the center of the maze, but Witashaun had vanished from sight.
"Maybe she passed out, like everyone else?" he suggested. "We wouldn't see her over those walls."
"You go check, if you can. I'm going to ..."
Before either could move, a brilliant flash of light erupted from the obelisk moving like lightning towards them followed closely by an almost ear-shattering boom of thunder. The lightning tore through them and passed out and down the tunnel to the cavern.
***
Jack won his battle. The dizziness he pushed to the back of his mind and he lifted himself up off of the ground. As he did he felt something approaching. The same something he had felt in his nightmare. Taking a quick look around the trunk of the tree, he noticed that the Jaffa had paused in their attack. Quick looks thrown between those left in the village indicated to him that they also felt something. Taking advantage of the lull this created, he opened fire on them noticing that Teal'c was doing the same thing. He bullets tore into them and several fell knocked over by his barrage and by Teal'c's Staff Weapon. He continued to fire until the magazine in his rifle was empty. Ejecting it, he reached to get another one but the sight that confronted him made him pause.
As he watched, a brilliant bolt of lightning coming from the direction of the cavern lit up the darkness. Jaffa scattered like dead leaves in the wind as it entered the village. They jumped for whatever cover they could find whether it be the bodies of those Jaffa already fallen or the tipis still left standing. Jack stood stunned by what he was seeing as the lightning seemed to shatter upon itself, sending arcs of light towards those Jaffa still alive. As an arc would hit a living body it would encircle it, much the same as he had seen a Zat gun do. In a few seconds, the man would fall to the ground and the lightning would rise up, almost as a living thing, and arc back to the main bolt.
Stumbling backwards, he realized that one of the arcs of light was reaching out towards him and he tripped, falling to the ground. He laid stunned as the light moved around him and he felt a warm, almost gentle feeling as if a hundred pairs of hands were touching him, caressing him. Then the light was gone, back to be absorbed within the larger. Jack sat up, running his hands up and down himself as if to check that he wasn't injured. Finding himself no worse, he stood.
The lightning bolt, seemingly finding no more victims in the village, continued on its path in the direction of the Stargate. Jack put a fresh magazine into his rifle and cautiously stepped out from behind his cover. Teal'c also came into view, Staff Weapon ready. Jack saw two Lacotia warriors move from the cover of the trees as well. Thankful that they were still alive, he slowly walked to the closest of the Jaffa who had been hit with the lightning storm. Using a foot, he prodded the body and when he got no response he knelt. Checking for a pulse and not finding one he stood.
"He's dead."
"As are these, O'Neill," said Teal'c.
Jack's hand raised to his comm unit where he keyed open his mic. "Carter? Daniel?"
"It worked!" exclaimed Carter's voice.
"Apparently," said Jack. "It looks like all the Goa'uld here are dead. Teal'c and I are going to check around the perimeter just to make sure. That lightning bolt took off in the direction of the Stargate after it finished up here."
"What happened, Sir?"
"Well, it kind of just reached out and electrocuted everyone. Everyone except the Lacotia and Teal'c and I anyway. How is everyone in the cavern?"
"They're all unconscious, Sir, but they have a strong pulse and they're breathing okay," answered Carter. "Sir, Witashaun is missing."
"No she's not," said Jack who had seen movement out of the corner of his eye. He watched as the stunned, young woman walked into the center of the village. "She's right here."
"She's there, Sir?"
"Yes Carter, she's here. She just walked in from the direction of the Stargate."
"How is she?" asked Daniel.
"Looks stunned, but otherwise alright. The Lacotia here are with her, talking. I think we all have a lot to talk about, but we'll clean things up first. There are a lot of dead bodies lying around out here."
"Yes, Sir. As soon as the Lacotia in here start to wake up, we'll join you."
"Sounds like a plan, Carter."
Jack closed the connection and then turned in a slow circle gazing around him. Teal'c was checking bodies to make sure that they were either dead or harmless. The two Lacotia warriors who had survived with them in the skirmish were kneeling on the ground next to Witashaun who was speaking to them in a voice so low, Jack couldn't make out everything she was saying. However, he could hear enough to know that she was dazed and very confused by what had transpired. "She's not the only one," he thought. "Not by a long shot."
***
Continued in Part 13
Disclaimers can be found in Part 0
***
The Jaffa advanced slowly into the center of the village. As they did, one would break off and enter one of the tipis to check that no one was inside. Satisfied, the Jaffa would then exit and join the rest. Jack counted at least 30 of them. All armed with the usual Staff Weapon. As he watched from his hiding place, he saw three more pairs of two approach. Each pair was carrying a body between them. The bodies of the warriors O'Neill had left on guard at the Gate.
As these six came into view, Jack heard the sudden intake of breathe by one of Tatapesaah's men. Cursing because he knew what was going to happen next, he racked his MP-9.
***
The Ghost Dancers continued on chanting and dancing in a circle seemingly unaware of what was happening around them. Witashaun, whose movements appeared jerky to Carter and Daniel, made slow progress towards the center of the maze. Impatience was bearing down on the astrophysicist and she had to hold herself in check to keep from running after Witashaun and pushing her forward.
As they both watched, something new began to happen. At first they hadn't noticed it because the half-walls of the maze were in the way, but the further Witashaun moved a black shape began to appear in the center. Carter drew in a deep breathe recognizing the obelisk from her vision. It was rising up out of the floor and was now a couple of inches taller than the maze walls.
"Daniel?"
"I see it, Sam. Is it the same thing?"
"It appears to be," she answered. She looked at her watch again. Ten minutes had passed since she had last communicated with O'Neill. Keying her mike open again she whispered, "Sir, another ten minutes." When there was no immediate response to her call, she looked to Daniel in alarm.
Daniel looked back and then opened his mic, "Jack! Teal'c! Are you there? Did you hear?"
Both Daniel and Carter waited, seconds seemed like minutes before they heard the sound of rifle fire and the sound of Staff Weapon blasts. "Ten minutes we won't be here any longer."
"Sir, I'm coming out," yelled Carter turning to run down the tunnel.
"Negative, Carter. Stay where you're at," Jack's voice yelled back at her. "Just get that damned thing working a little faster, will ya?"
Carter halted and turned back to Daniel. The connection between them and the Colonel closed.
"Sam, we have to do something," pleaded Daniel.
"We are," she said. "And we follow the Colonel's orders. We stay."
"Sam."
She slowly walked back to where Daniel was standing. "Daniel you know as well as I that if the Colonel and Teal'c don't hold them off out there, it's going to be up to us to hold them off in here until ..." She let her statement trail off.
"Until we're dead too, or this thing starts working."
"Yes."
Carter racked her MP-9 and Daniel cocked his .45. Then they turned back towards the dance and Witashaun. She was about three quarters of the way in and both Carter and Daniel again prayed that she'd complete her journey before any Jaffa arrived heralding the death of Colonel O'Neill and Teal'c.
***
Jack ducked as another staff blast tore into the tree behind which he was hiding. Chunks of a tree branch rained down on his head and he wished he had a helmet. Rising up, he released a burst of shells at two of the Jaffa that were slowly working their way towards his position. His eyes, alert to everything around him, saw that Teal'c was still alive as two Jaffa fell to the ground, burning holes smoking in the chests. He was amazed that they had been able to hold out this long against a vastly superior number. Luck must be with them, or someone was answering his prayers.
Jack heard a scream laced with pain. One of the Lacotia warriors must have been hit. He had lost track of them when the skirmish began after someone had chucked an arrow into the neck of a Jaffa who was carrying the body of one of the men set to warn the tribe of anyone coming through the Gate. Although he cursed the stupidity of the action, he could find no fault in their courage or the ability they had shown thus far in fighting as arrows continued to rain down in the midst of the Jaffa hitting their targets with uncanny accuracy.
Another blast from a staff weapon at Jack's tree and he decided that it was time to move to another one. Raking the air with a burst from his rifle, he quickly ran to another tree - this one larger and surrounded by several smaller ones that would work as a shield he hoped. Several staff weapon blasts followed his track, but none hit of which he was extremely grateful. Reaching cover, he ejected the now spent cartridge in his rifle, pulled another one and knocked it against the tree in front of him before inserting it into his rifle. Risking a glance to see where the Jaffa were, he poked his head around the tree trunk. What he saw didn't give him any joy as he saw that the Jaffa were fighting to get to the tree line so that they could use the trees for cover while searching out and killing those that fighting them.
Jack pulled a hand grenade, his last, and hoped that it would work as well as his others had done. Pulling the pin, he stood and threw it towards a group of three Jaffa who were advancing toward what Jack knew to be Teal'c's position. Not waiting to see if it was successful, he ducked back down. Seconds after hearing the explosion, Jack popped up again saw that all three Jaffa were on the ground while at the same time firing his rifle at one who had gotten a little to close to his position. That Jaffa went down also, but not before getting off a blast with his staff weapon.
Jack felt the blast hit the tree next to his head. Tree bark flew in all directions and Jack was caught in the head and face by several large chunks. Jack fell to the ground fighting to remain conscious.
***
The humming noise that Carter and Daniel had noticed had grown so loud that they were almost forced to cover their ears to block it out. The Ghost Dancers didn't seem to notice as they continued on with their dance around the outside of the maze. Witashaun was only a few steps from the exact center and from the black obelisk that now towered over her. Carter and Daniel both watched intently as she finally took her final steps.
Raising both hands high above her head, Witashaun began chanting - different than the chant that the Ghost Dancers were doing and even though there were close to 100 voices joined together, hers was heard above theirs. Slowly she lowered he hands and placed them on the obelisk itself.
"Sam," Daniel began when it appeared as if nothing was going to happen. He was interrupted before he could continue by huge arcs of light coming from each of the globes hanging from the ceiling that pulsed down into and around the obelisk making it impossible to see Witashaun.
As Carter and Daniel watched, the arcing suddenly stopped as did the humming noise. All of the Ghost Dancers fell to the ground as though they were falling through molasses, the chanting and drumming stopped. The sudden lack of sound and bright light was like an assault on Carter and Daniel's nervous system and they stood in shock for several seconds.
Sam regained her senses first. "Daniel, where is Witashaun?"
Daniel shook his head to clear it and then followed Carter's gaze. The obelisk was still standing in the center of the maze, but Witashaun had vanished from sight.
"Maybe she passed out, like everyone else?" he suggested. "We wouldn't see her over those walls."
"You go check, if you can. I'm going to ..."
Before either could move, a brilliant flash of light erupted from the obelisk moving like lightning towards them followed closely by an almost ear-shattering boom of thunder. The lightning tore through them and passed out and down the tunnel to the cavern.
***
Jack won his battle. The dizziness he pushed to the back of his mind and he lifted himself up off of the ground. As he did he felt something approaching. The same something he had felt in his nightmare. Taking a quick look around the trunk of the tree, he noticed that the Jaffa had paused in their attack. Quick looks thrown between those left in the village indicated to him that they also felt something. Taking advantage of the lull this created, he opened fire on them noticing that Teal'c was doing the same thing. He bullets tore into them and several fell knocked over by his barrage and by Teal'c's Staff Weapon. He continued to fire until the magazine in his rifle was empty. Ejecting it, he reached to get another one but the sight that confronted him made him pause.
As he watched, a brilliant bolt of lightning coming from the direction of the cavern lit up the darkness. Jaffa scattered like dead leaves in the wind as it entered the village. They jumped for whatever cover they could find whether it be the bodies of those Jaffa already fallen or the tipis still left standing. Jack stood stunned by what he was seeing as the lightning seemed to shatter upon itself, sending arcs of light towards those Jaffa still alive. As an arc would hit a living body it would encircle it, much the same as he had seen a Zat gun do. In a few seconds, the man would fall to the ground and the lightning would rise up, almost as a living thing, and arc back to the main bolt.
Stumbling backwards, he realized that one of the arcs of light was reaching out towards him and he tripped, falling to the ground. He laid stunned as the light moved around him and he felt a warm, almost gentle feeling as if a hundred pairs of hands were touching him, caressing him. Then the light was gone, back to be absorbed within the larger. Jack sat up, running his hands up and down himself as if to check that he wasn't injured. Finding himself no worse, he stood.
The lightning bolt, seemingly finding no more victims in the village, continued on its path in the direction of the Stargate. Jack put a fresh magazine into his rifle and cautiously stepped out from behind his cover. Teal'c also came into view, Staff Weapon ready. Jack saw two Lacotia warriors move from the cover of the trees as well. Thankful that they were still alive, he slowly walked to the closest of the Jaffa who had been hit with the lightning storm. Using a foot, he prodded the body and when he got no response he knelt. Checking for a pulse and not finding one he stood.
"He's dead."
"As are these, O'Neill," said Teal'c.
Jack's hand raised to his comm unit where he keyed open his mic. "Carter? Daniel?"
"It worked!" exclaimed Carter's voice.
"Apparently," said Jack. "It looks like all the Goa'uld here are dead. Teal'c and I are going to check around the perimeter just to make sure. That lightning bolt took off in the direction of the Stargate after it finished up here."
"What happened, Sir?"
"Well, it kind of just reached out and electrocuted everyone. Everyone except the Lacotia and Teal'c and I anyway. How is everyone in the cavern?"
"They're all unconscious, Sir, but they have a strong pulse and they're breathing okay," answered Carter. "Sir, Witashaun is missing."
"No she's not," said Jack who had seen movement out of the corner of his eye. He watched as the stunned, young woman walked into the center of the village. "She's right here."
"She's there, Sir?"
"Yes Carter, she's here. She just walked in from the direction of the Stargate."
"How is she?" asked Daniel.
"Looks stunned, but otherwise alright. The Lacotia here are with her, talking. I think we all have a lot to talk about, but we'll clean things up first. There are a lot of dead bodies lying around out here."
"Yes, Sir. As soon as the Lacotia in here start to wake up, we'll join you."
"Sounds like a plan, Carter."
Jack closed the connection and then turned in a slow circle gazing around him. Teal'c was checking bodies to make sure that they were either dead or harmless. The two Lacotia warriors who had survived with them in the skirmish were kneeling on the ground next to Witashaun who was speaking to them in a voice so low, Jack couldn't make out everything she was saying. However, he could hear enough to know that she was dazed and very confused by what had transpired. "She's not the only one," he thought. "Not by a long shot."
***
Continued in Part 13