A/N: Hi all. Here's 11. It's longer than the others.. to make up for the
fact that I'm gonna be a bit slack over the next couple of days cos RL is
being a pig - school is loading it cos I've got exams in.. 6 weeks. Sigh
I'll write more though soon!
sharim
Chapter Eleven
Cal'ma entered the room silently, and her eyes fell upon the Tau'ri woman.
"What do you want?" the woman muttered, not turning to face Cal'ma.
Cal'ma remained silent, studying the woman who was curled up on the bed, cradling her knees against her chest. The woman was afraid, and that gave Cal'ma the courage to allow her curiosity to grow.
"My Queen does not wish for you to remain alone," Cal'ma admitted, somewhat confused by Nut's strange ideas.
The woman raised clear blue eyes towards Cal'ma, and Cal'ma was surprised to see the paleness of the woman's face.
"Are you not well?" she questioned hesitantly.
The woman frowned, the pale skin scrunched up delicately on her forehead as she contemplated the question. "I'm fine," she replied eventually. But Cal'ma knew the woman was lying. Whether it was pride or fear that caused the woman to lie, Cal'ma did not know and she did not ask.
The silence between them was thick and awkward. They were two strangers, enemies perhaps, forced together by the one thing that made them different: their loyalties. Cal'ma shifted her weight awkwardly, feeling uneasy as she stood observing the Tau'ri who was silent and distant from her.
"Where do you come from?" Cal'ma asked eventually, the silence slowly strangling her.
The woman's eyes snapped towards her, narrowed with suspicion. "Why?" she demanded, letting her eyes rest momentarily on the Jaffa that escorted Cal'ma around the Tau'ri.
Cal'ma hesitated, torn between fear and curiosity. She wanted to know more about this strange woman with the pale skin, golden hair and strange manners of a warrior, yet she felt fear at being alone with the woman and talking to her, learning about her. But Cal'ma was not one who could not decide; such a nature would never have allowed her rise to First Priestess of Nut. Turning towards the Jaffa, she barked a sharp command. Hel'ta looked at her strangely, but she stared at him firmly. Nodding his head, he relented and the small troupe of Jaffa left the room.
The woman was still studying her, her blue eyes thoughtful and oddly accepting as she stared at Cal'ma. "Why did you do that?"
Cal'ma hesitated. Why? Why had she just ordered her defence to leave her alone with her enemy?
"Tell me about your world," Cal'ma ordered instead, the curiousity like a fire inside her that demanded fuel.
"Why do you want to know?" the woman demanded suspiciously, her eyes untrusting and mocking as she gazed defiantly up at Cal'ma.
Cal'ma frowned. Why? Why did she want to know about the Tau'ri?
"How do you live without serving the gods?" Cal'ma did not know whether the questions surprised her or the Tau'ri more.
"Well. we do have a God," the woman admitted, her voice reluctant at best. "But it's not the same. He doesn't kill us when He's annoyed, and He definitely doesn't enslave people."
Cal'ma stared at the Tau'ri, amusement on her features. "You say you do not serve a God, and yet you admit you do."
The Tau'ri woman fell silent, once again resting her head on her knees.
"You have not told me anything yet," Cal'ma reminded her, feeling much like a small child in the presence of a wondrous storyteller.
The Tau'ri did not look up at her. "Does Nut know everything?" she questioned hesitantly.
Cal'ma nearly smiled in surprise. "Concerning her people? Yes."
A sigh was her only response.
"Why will you not tell me?" Cal'ma demanded, feeling angry suddenly with the woman who questioned her and yet did nothing to answer Cal'ma's questions.
"I don't trust you."
Cal'ma's mouth opened slightly. The Tau'ri did not trust her? She narrowed her eyes as she looked at the woman. "I don't trust you either," she admitted.
The blue eyes were laughing as they turned to her again. "But you sent your guards out."
Cal'ma blinked, and then shrugged. "They would not be interested, and you are only one woman who is-"
The words had barely passed over her lips before the warrior woman had her lying on her back, a pale, slender hand pressed tightly against the dark ebony skin of her throat.
"Do you trust me now?" the woman hissed, gazing down at her with anger in her eyes. "You have the nerve to... Why are you here?"
Cal'ma swallowed awkwardly, trying hard to get breath into her deprived lungs. "Nut commanded it!" she managed, marks of blackness swimming over her vision.
The hand around her throat relaxed, and Cal'ma pulled herself upright, gazing at the Tau'ri with distrust in her eyes.
"You could have killed me," she whispered, rubbing at her throat.
The woman said nothing, merely sat on the bed again with her back towards Cal'ma.
"Nut does not want you alone. She fears you may become ill."
"Why would I get sick?" the woman demanded, turning to face Cal'ma with concern on her features.
"Your mate has gone," Cal'ma explained, her neck aching. She knew that rich bruises would be forming beneath her dark skin, and that they would be tender for days. The woman could have killed Cal'ma, and yet she had not. Cal'ma gazed at the woman with new respect and a strange sense of trust.
"He'll be back," the woman stated confidently.
Cal'ma watched her carefully. She was so certain that he would come back, that he would not betray her. What gave her that confidence? Had it been Cal'ma in the Tau'ri's position, she would have left as soon as her feet touched the hot sands of Abydos. She would have travelled by gate to another planet.
"You will get ill if you are separated for too long," Cal'ma cautioned, timidly seating herself down on the bed beside the woman.
The woman gazed at her. "What's your name?"
Cal'ma stared at her, surprised by the question. "Cal'ma."
The woman nodded. "Sam."
"Sam?"
"Yeah, that's my name. Sam."
"I thought it was Carter," Cal'ma admitted.
A sorrowful smile touched the pink lips. "It is."
Cal'ma frowned in confusion. "How can they both be your name?"
The blue eyes smiled at her. "My full name is Samantha Carter, and my title is Major or Doctor, depending. So people either call me Sam for short, or if they're military, like the Colonel, they call me Carter or Major."
The words made no sense to Cal'ma, and she stared blankly at Sam Carter. "You have many names where you come from."
The woman laughed, and the sound bounced loudly off the walls. "That's what Teal'c said."
Teal'c. The Shol'va. Cal'ma gazed at the woman coldly; this woman was the enemy, someone out to destroy her goddess.
"What?" The woman frowned, confused.
Cal'ma shook her head, a strained smile contorting her lips. "Do you require nourishment?"
The woman hesitated.
"I will bring you some. And some for myself," Cal'ma decided. This woman, this Tau'ri, was strange and dangerous. But Nut had told Cal'ma to watch her at all times, and Cal'ma would do so.
~o0o~
Reverently his fingers played along the aged stone, tracing patterns that his eyes could now make out in the bright sunlight. Anhur let his eyes travel over the faded lettering, and his heart soared.
He would find Geb.
With a last, thankful brush of his fingers against the cold stone, he stepped away from the tablet and left the broken temple.
Shu's Might.
Anhur appreciated the ingenuity of the prison placement. Shu's Might. To imprison Geb within Shu's Might, the very Might he had sought to destroy. Anhur chuckled with amusement.
Nut would never think to look in Shu's Might. Never.
Shu's Might had been destroyed. Abandoned. Defeated.
No one would go there.
No one would find Geb hidden on a deserted planet that he conquered not long before his downfall.
And when Anhur found Geb, he would send for Nut.
And then he would capture Nut.
Anhur's fingers tingled with anticipation. He remembered the smoothness, the softness of Nut's host. The delicate network of veins running beneath porcelain skin. The large eyes set in an exquisite face.
Eyes that would be wide with pain and fear.
Fear of Anhur.
Fear of Ra.
Mostly, fear of Anhur.
Anhur laughed as his hands caressed the symbols that made the Chappa'ai spin and open the doorway to Shu's Might.
Without a backward glance he stepped through the ring.
Eyes that would be wide with fear dancing across his vision.
He smiled.
~o0o~
Daniel watched as Jack opened his eyes slowly and moved awkwardly as he lay on the cloth pallet.
"Carter?" he whispered, confused.
"She's not here, Jack," Daniel reminded the man, his eyes thoughtful as he looked down at his friend.
Jack blinked hard and sat up slowly, groaning at the movement.
"Are you okay, Jack?"
"Yeah, fine. I think the heat got to me," the Colonel admitted.
Daniel nodded his head sceptically and sat back on his haunches, surveying Jack.
"Have you heard of Geb, Daniel?"
Daniel nodded his head. "Nut's mate, imprisoned by Ra for mutiny and rebellion. Imprisoned in Shu's Might."
Jack frowned. "Shu's Might? What the hell is that?"
"I don't know," Daniel admitted, standing up and offering Jack a hand to pull him to his feet. "Are you sure you're okay?"
Jack glanced at Daniel. "Daniel, did you know that Nut's a host?"
Again, Daniel nodded his head.
"Is there anything you don't know?" Jack demanded, a half smile pulling at his lips.
"Where Geb is and why the hell you left Sam behind," Jacob's voice answered before Daniel had a chance to answer.
"It's complicated, Sir," Jack rubbed at his temple.
"Try me," Jacob's voice held ice, and Daniel flinched at the expression on the Tok'ra's face.
"She died," Jack started out.
Shock and grief flared within Daniel.
"She what?" Jacob gaped, his face drained of colour.
"But Nut healed her," Jack continued hastily, his glance apologetic for giving them a shock.
"With a sarcophagus," Daniel nodded his head, accepting the possibility.
"No," Jack shook his head. "She did the Nox thing and healed Carter herself."
Daniel frowned. "I thought they needed more than one person to do that?" he questioned hesitantly.
"They do."
"So how did she.?"
"I helped. Sort of," Jack fidgeted awkwardly with the impractical robes that were coated with a film of dry sand.
"How?" Jacob asked slowly.
"I don't know. She used my. my 'life force'," Jack's face pulled oddly as the worse crossed over his lips. "I don't know what she did, but."
"But what?" Daniel questioned, concerned about the hesitant, even fearful look on the Colonel's face.
"Would you believe me if I said Carter and I were linked?"
"Linked?" Jacob echoed, sounding as confused as Daniel felt.
"Yeah. Like. Like she was still hurt badly, and I could feel her hurt. I also felt sick when she was sick, but that usually happens when I see someone being sick so I don't know if it counts."
Daniel gazed at Jack doubtfully.
"Linked?"
Jack sighed, rubbing at his hair in frustration. "I knew Carter should have been the one to come!" he exclaimed.
"So why are you here?" Jacob demanded.
"Nut ordered it. She'd let one of us go while she held the other hostage. And we have to help her find Geb and then she'll apparently let us both go, but I doubt that."
"So why are you looking for Geb?"
"I'm not. Not really anyway. I was going to get Kasuf to send his GDO through the gate and then I was going to head back to the SGC, but obviously you guys are here now," Jack pointed out.
Daniel ran a hand through his hair.
"Isn't there maybe some way you could escape?"
"She's a Nox, Daniel, she can read our minds. Sort of."
Jacob nodded in agreement. "The only way to get them is either by using brute force, or Nut releasing them freely."
"Like that's gonna happen. And I'd like to see you take on a Goa'uld mothership with a Nox that can read minds," Jack replied pessimistically. "She told me straight out that any attempts to enlist you guys for help on rescuing us would be found out, so don't even think about it."
"Did she give you anything to go on?"
Jack shook his head in frustration. "No. Nothing. Just that Ra imprisoned Geb."
"What about Anhur?" Jacob questioned suddenly.
"An-who?"
"Anhur. Another Goa'uld," Daniel explained.
"Don't we already have our hands full with Nut and Geb?"
Daniel rolled his eyes. "This is an Ashrak, Jack. He's after Nut."
Jack's mouth formed a perfect 'o' symbol.
"If we could find Anhur then he should be able to lead us to Geb. Either that or we find another Goa'uld that knows where Geb is hidden," Jacob suggested, his eyes brightening with him.
Daniel nodded his head in agreement. "And then when we have Geb we can barter for Sam and Jack."
"Excuse me," Jack waved his hands in frustration, "you want to ask a Goa'uld for help?"
Daniel's smile fell from his face.
"Jacob, what's Shu's Might?" Jack asked, his face creased in thought.
"We don't know," Daniel answered for Jacob. "We think it might be something like Thor's Hall of Might, but we have no idea which planet it would be on."
"Wouldn't it be on Shu's planet?" Jack asked logically.
Daniel stared at Jack blankly. Shu's planet. Of course.
Jack smirked smugly, gazing at Jacob who looked equally stunned.
"So now what?"
"I don't know-" Jack frowned as something against his chest vibrated. "Hang on."
Daniel watched as Jack pulled a small round ball from his pocket.
"Hide!" Jacob hissed, throwing himself onto the ground.
Daniel followed suit, watching as Jack stared into the ball with concentration.
"Hey Nut," he greeted cheerfully, but Daniel could see dislike and rebellion clearly within Jack's brown eyes.
"You must return, Tau'ri," Nut ordered.
"Not yet, I haven't found anything," Jack protested.
"You have until the sun sets," Nut agreed, and the ball died abruptly within Jack's grasp.
Jack looked down at them. "How long do I have?"
"A while still. It's only late morning. A few more hours."
"Enough time to nip to the SGC and pick up some real clothes, food and a pack of cards?" Jack asked hopefully.
Daniel grinned. "Shouldn't be a problem."
~o0o~
Nut gazed stonily at the walls of her throne room.
He was taking too long. Much too long.
Her brow furrowed in concern. Should he venture to another planet there was a strong possibility that both he and the woman would die before the day was over. Nut sighed angrily, rising to her feet in agitation. He would leave the planet. He would return to his home planet, she had felt his anticipation at the return home.
Sunset. It was near sunset now, and still he had not returned. That was too long. He had to return before then. If he did not then her plans would go to waste. The life force would be stretched between the distance for too long, and they would both die.
"Cal'ma!" Nut barked, spinning on her heel and marching out of her throne room. The guards dipped their heads respectfully at her approach. "Fetch me Cal'ma!" Nut ordered, sweeping back into the throne room without a backward glance.
They had to watch the woman carefully. They had to be prepared to use the sarcophagus.
Not that it would be necessary, but it never hurt to be prepared.
Nut hoped Cal'ma was watching the woman carefully; otherwise her plans would be worthless.
Nut felt uncertain with her plan for the first time. Everything was at risk because of the Tau'ri's foolish desires. And he was not aware of it.
Sighing, Nut threw herself down onto her throne, her spine aching in protest at her harsh movements.
Patience.
Patience and perseverance.
Nut would save them both. And they would have to repay her for that also.
A smile touched her lips.
Patience.
And a sarcophagus.
~o0o~
Sam fell back onto the bed with relief as Cal'ma left the room to answer Nut's summons.
She felt like shit, to be honest. Her skin was cold and clammy, but she felt strangely warm. And delirious. Maybe she was coming down with a fever.
She felt stretched, as though something was taking hold of her and pulling her taut.
A frown creased her forehead. Could Nut possibly have been telling the truth when she told them that they shared the same life force? Was there any truth in her claims that they would die if they were separated over too great a distance for too long a period in time?
She hoped not. She couldn't possibly spend every waking second of the rest of her life in the Colonel's company. Not that she wouldn't mind, but he did tend to be a bit. much. She needed personal space, and to live with him-
Live with him? Oh yeah, she was definitely delirious.
Her eyes closed as she lay back on the bed, feeling oddly light headed.
Actually, living with the Colonel probably wouldn't be that bad. He was funny, and meticulously neat, and he liked steak which suited her just fine.
Sam gasped as her head exploded in pain and a blurred image of Janet's concerned face swam into view.
"Janet?" she whispered, trying not to throw up as Janet's face rolled over the bucking walls around her.
"Colonel? Are you okay? Sir?" the words were distant and whispered, Janet's voice like the hint of birdsong on a gentle breeze.
"Janet?" Sam called again, lurching to her feet and staggering forwards, her head drumming in her hands. "Janet? Colonel?"
"Are you okay?" the words mocked her. "Are you okay?"
"Colonel!" she cried out desperately, falling against the wall and sliding to the ground as she cradled her head. It hurt. Damn but it hurt.
And her breathing. it felt like her chest was being torn apart.
Hands. There were hands touching her face, rolling her over onto her back. Sam batted at them lethargically. No, it hurt on her back. Where was the Colonel? And Janet?
Someone said something, but the words were blurred and fuzzy, her eyes feeling like cotton wool was being scraped along them and her stomach feeling as though she was on a wild ride.
It hurt.
It hurt so bad.
~o0o~
"Colonel? Are you okay? Sir?" Janet held his cold face firmly between her hands. His eyes were rolling, and he moaned as she moved his face.
"Carter," he whispered, clumsy hands reaching up to grasp at his head. "Hurts. It's tearing!" he gasped, jerking away from her and curling up on the floor.
"Are you okay?"
O'Neill was moaning on the floor, his breathing laboured and harsh.
"What's going on?" Daniel demanded as he was pushed out the way.
"I don't know. His blood pressure is dropping and his pulse is through the roof."
"He's got to go back!" Daniel yelled suddenly, grabbing hold of Janet.
"He can't, he'll die! I need to get him on-"
"You don't understand, Janet!" Daniel interrupted her, his eyes wide with determination. "On Abydos he said something about him and Sam being linked, something to do with a healing process the Goa'uld used on him. If they're separated-"
Janet hesitated, her hands resting on O'Neill's erratic pulse.
"Okay, load him up on a gurney. Tell the General to get Abydos dialled up Stat!" she ordered.
Daniel helped tug Jack onto a stretcher, fear racing through his blood as his hands brushed over Jack's ice-cold hand.
"He's gone into cardiac arrest!" a nurse yelled.
Daniel jumped back hurried, numb with fear.
"Charge it at 200!" Janet yelled, snipping quickly down the front of his black shirt.
The defibrillator whined as it charged up, and Daniel flinched as Janet raised the paddles.
"Wait!"
Janet glanced sharply at the nurse at Jack's head.
"He's breathing again."
"Let's go people!" Janet ordered, not moving from her position on Jack's legs. Daniel hadn't even noticed her get up on the gurney.
Seconds later they entered the gate room in time to see the gate lock and open.
"Dr. Fraiser?" Hammond questioned.
"He's got to go, Sir!" Janet yelled, scrambling off the gurney as they pushed it up the ramp. "I'll be back soon, Sir!"
The gate swallowed them easily.
"There! Put him there!" Daniel pointed to where the transport rings worked. The medics worked quickly and efficiently, placing Jack carefully on the floor where he indicated. Daniel suddenly realised he was still holding the small bag Jack had packed not that long ago to take back with him. Thrusting it on Jack's chest, Daniel jumped back in time as the rings descended and Jack disappeared in the flash of gold.
They stood around the empty room, gazing at the spot where Jack had lain.
"Now what?" Janet asked softly.
"We find Shu's planet before Nut does," Daniel stated. "Jacob's already gone to the Tok'ra council to ask them what they know. He should let us know any time soon."
Janet nodded, her eyes fixed on the empty floor.
The building started to rumbled, indicating the ship taking off. "I guess we'd better go tell Hammond what happened," she said softly.
Silently Daniel dialled Earth, and the medics stepped through the gate wordlessly. ~o0o~
Hope that was okay! Let me know! sharim
sharim
Chapter Eleven
Cal'ma entered the room silently, and her eyes fell upon the Tau'ri woman.
"What do you want?" the woman muttered, not turning to face Cal'ma.
Cal'ma remained silent, studying the woman who was curled up on the bed, cradling her knees against her chest. The woman was afraid, and that gave Cal'ma the courage to allow her curiosity to grow.
"My Queen does not wish for you to remain alone," Cal'ma admitted, somewhat confused by Nut's strange ideas.
The woman raised clear blue eyes towards Cal'ma, and Cal'ma was surprised to see the paleness of the woman's face.
"Are you not well?" she questioned hesitantly.
The woman frowned, the pale skin scrunched up delicately on her forehead as she contemplated the question. "I'm fine," she replied eventually. But Cal'ma knew the woman was lying. Whether it was pride or fear that caused the woman to lie, Cal'ma did not know and she did not ask.
The silence between them was thick and awkward. They were two strangers, enemies perhaps, forced together by the one thing that made them different: their loyalties. Cal'ma shifted her weight awkwardly, feeling uneasy as she stood observing the Tau'ri who was silent and distant from her.
"Where do you come from?" Cal'ma asked eventually, the silence slowly strangling her.
The woman's eyes snapped towards her, narrowed with suspicion. "Why?" she demanded, letting her eyes rest momentarily on the Jaffa that escorted Cal'ma around the Tau'ri.
Cal'ma hesitated, torn between fear and curiosity. She wanted to know more about this strange woman with the pale skin, golden hair and strange manners of a warrior, yet she felt fear at being alone with the woman and talking to her, learning about her. But Cal'ma was not one who could not decide; such a nature would never have allowed her rise to First Priestess of Nut. Turning towards the Jaffa, she barked a sharp command. Hel'ta looked at her strangely, but she stared at him firmly. Nodding his head, he relented and the small troupe of Jaffa left the room.
The woman was still studying her, her blue eyes thoughtful and oddly accepting as she stared at Cal'ma. "Why did you do that?"
Cal'ma hesitated. Why? Why had she just ordered her defence to leave her alone with her enemy?
"Tell me about your world," Cal'ma ordered instead, the curiousity like a fire inside her that demanded fuel.
"Why do you want to know?" the woman demanded suspiciously, her eyes untrusting and mocking as she gazed defiantly up at Cal'ma.
Cal'ma frowned. Why? Why did she want to know about the Tau'ri?
"How do you live without serving the gods?" Cal'ma did not know whether the questions surprised her or the Tau'ri more.
"Well. we do have a God," the woman admitted, her voice reluctant at best. "But it's not the same. He doesn't kill us when He's annoyed, and He definitely doesn't enslave people."
Cal'ma stared at the Tau'ri, amusement on her features. "You say you do not serve a God, and yet you admit you do."
The Tau'ri woman fell silent, once again resting her head on her knees.
"You have not told me anything yet," Cal'ma reminded her, feeling much like a small child in the presence of a wondrous storyteller.
The Tau'ri did not look up at her. "Does Nut know everything?" she questioned hesitantly.
Cal'ma nearly smiled in surprise. "Concerning her people? Yes."
A sigh was her only response.
"Why will you not tell me?" Cal'ma demanded, feeling angry suddenly with the woman who questioned her and yet did nothing to answer Cal'ma's questions.
"I don't trust you."
Cal'ma's mouth opened slightly. The Tau'ri did not trust her? She narrowed her eyes as she looked at the woman. "I don't trust you either," she admitted.
The blue eyes were laughing as they turned to her again. "But you sent your guards out."
Cal'ma blinked, and then shrugged. "They would not be interested, and you are only one woman who is-"
The words had barely passed over her lips before the warrior woman had her lying on her back, a pale, slender hand pressed tightly against the dark ebony skin of her throat.
"Do you trust me now?" the woman hissed, gazing down at her with anger in her eyes. "You have the nerve to... Why are you here?"
Cal'ma swallowed awkwardly, trying hard to get breath into her deprived lungs. "Nut commanded it!" she managed, marks of blackness swimming over her vision.
The hand around her throat relaxed, and Cal'ma pulled herself upright, gazing at the Tau'ri with distrust in her eyes.
"You could have killed me," she whispered, rubbing at her throat.
The woman said nothing, merely sat on the bed again with her back towards Cal'ma.
"Nut does not want you alone. She fears you may become ill."
"Why would I get sick?" the woman demanded, turning to face Cal'ma with concern on her features.
"Your mate has gone," Cal'ma explained, her neck aching. She knew that rich bruises would be forming beneath her dark skin, and that they would be tender for days. The woman could have killed Cal'ma, and yet she had not. Cal'ma gazed at the woman with new respect and a strange sense of trust.
"He'll be back," the woman stated confidently.
Cal'ma watched her carefully. She was so certain that he would come back, that he would not betray her. What gave her that confidence? Had it been Cal'ma in the Tau'ri's position, she would have left as soon as her feet touched the hot sands of Abydos. She would have travelled by gate to another planet.
"You will get ill if you are separated for too long," Cal'ma cautioned, timidly seating herself down on the bed beside the woman.
The woman gazed at her. "What's your name?"
Cal'ma stared at her, surprised by the question. "Cal'ma."
The woman nodded. "Sam."
"Sam?"
"Yeah, that's my name. Sam."
"I thought it was Carter," Cal'ma admitted.
A sorrowful smile touched the pink lips. "It is."
Cal'ma frowned in confusion. "How can they both be your name?"
The blue eyes smiled at her. "My full name is Samantha Carter, and my title is Major or Doctor, depending. So people either call me Sam for short, or if they're military, like the Colonel, they call me Carter or Major."
The words made no sense to Cal'ma, and she stared blankly at Sam Carter. "You have many names where you come from."
The woman laughed, and the sound bounced loudly off the walls. "That's what Teal'c said."
Teal'c. The Shol'va. Cal'ma gazed at the woman coldly; this woman was the enemy, someone out to destroy her goddess.
"What?" The woman frowned, confused.
Cal'ma shook her head, a strained smile contorting her lips. "Do you require nourishment?"
The woman hesitated.
"I will bring you some. And some for myself," Cal'ma decided. This woman, this Tau'ri, was strange and dangerous. But Nut had told Cal'ma to watch her at all times, and Cal'ma would do so.
~o0o~
Reverently his fingers played along the aged stone, tracing patterns that his eyes could now make out in the bright sunlight. Anhur let his eyes travel over the faded lettering, and his heart soared.
He would find Geb.
With a last, thankful brush of his fingers against the cold stone, he stepped away from the tablet and left the broken temple.
Shu's Might.
Anhur appreciated the ingenuity of the prison placement. Shu's Might. To imprison Geb within Shu's Might, the very Might he had sought to destroy. Anhur chuckled with amusement.
Nut would never think to look in Shu's Might. Never.
Shu's Might had been destroyed. Abandoned. Defeated.
No one would go there.
No one would find Geb hidden on a deserted planet that he conquered not long before his downfall.
And when Anhur found Geb, he would send for Nut.
And then he would capture Nut.
Anhur's fingers tingled with anticipation. He remembered the smoothness, the softness of Nut's host. The delicate network of veins running beneath porcelain skin. The large eyes set in an exquisite face.
Eyes that would be wide with pain and fear.
Fear of Anhur.
Fear of Ra.
Mostly, fear of Anhur.
Anhur laughed as his hands caressed the symbols that made the Chappa'ai spin and open the doorway to Shu's Might.
Without a backward glance he stepped through the ring.
Eyes that would be wide with fear dancing across his vision.
He smiled.
~o0o~
Daniel watched as Jack opened his eyes slowly and moved awkwardly as he lay on the cloth pallet.
"Carter?" he whispered, confused.
"She's not here, Jack," Daniel reminded the man, his eyes thoughtful as he looked down at his friend.
Jack blinked hard and sat up slowly, groaning at the movement.
"Are you okay, Jack?"
"Yeah, fine. I think the heat got to me," the Colonel admitted.
Daniel nodded his head sceptically and sat back on his haunches, surveying Jack.
"Have you heard of Geb, Daniel?"
Daniel nodded his head. "Nut's mate, imprisoned by Ra for mutiny and rebellion. Imprisoned in Shu's Might."
Jack frowned. "Shu's Might? What the hell is that?"
"I don't know," Daniel admitted, standing up and offering Jack a hand to pull him to his feet. "Are you sure you're okay?"
Jack glanced at Daniel. "Daniel, did you know that Nut's a host?"
Again, Daniel nodded his head.
"Is there anything you don't know?" Jack demanded, a half smile pulling at his lips.
"Where Geb is and why the hell you left Sam behind," Jacob's voice answered before Daniel had a chance to answer.
"It's complicated, Sir," Jack rubbed at his temple.
"Try me," Jacob's voice held ice, and Daniel flinched at the expression on the Tok'ra's face.
"She died," Jack started out.
Shock and grief flared within Daniel.
"She what?" Jacob gaped, his face drained of colour.
"But Nut healed her," Jack continued hastily, his glance apologetic for giving them a shock.
"With a sarcophagus," Daniel nodded his head, accepting the possibility.
"No," Jack shook his head. "She did the Nox thing and healed Carter herself."
Daniel frowned. "I thought they needed more than one person to do that?" he questioned hesitantly.
"They do."
"So how did she.?"
"I helped. Sort of," Jack fidgeted awkwardly with the impractical robes that were coated with a film of dry sand.
"How?" Jacob asked slowly.
"I don't know. She used my. my 'life force'," Jack's face pulled oddly as the worse crossed over his lips. "I don't know what she did, but."
"But what?" Daniel questioned, concerned about the hesitant, even fearful look on the Colonel's face.
"Would you believe me if I said Carter and I were linked?"
"Linked?" Jacob echoed, sounding as confused as Daniel felt.
"Yeah. Like. Like she was still hurt badly, and I could feel her hurt. I also felt sick when she was sick, but that usually happens when I see someone being sick so I don't know if it counts."
Daniel gazed at Jack doubtfully.
"Linked?"
Jack sighed, rubbing at his hair in frustration. "I knew Carter should have been the one to come!" he exclaimed.
"So why are you here?" Jacob demanded.
"Nut ordered it. She'd let one of us go while she held the other hostage. And we have to help her find Geb and then she'll apparently let us both go, but I doubt that."
"So why are you looking for Geb?"
"I'm not. Not really anyway. I was going to get Kasuf to send his GDO through the gate and then I was going to head back to the SGC, but obviously you guys are here now," Jack pointed out.
Daniel ran a hand through his hair.
"Isn't there maybe some way you could escape?"
"She's a Nox, Daniel, she can read our minds. Sort of."
Jacob nodded in agreement. "The only way to get them is either by using brute force, or Nut releasing them freely."
"Like that's gonna happen. And I'd like to see you take on a Goa'uld mothership with a Nox that can read minds," Jack replied pessimistically. "She told me straight out that any attempts to enlist you guys for help on rescuing us would be found out, so don't even think about it."
"Did she give you anything to go on?"
Jack shook his head in frustration. "No. Nothing. Just that Ra imprisoned Geb."
"What about Anhur?" Jacob questioned suddenly.
"An-who?"
"Anhur. Another Goa'uld," Daniel explained.
"Don't we already have our hands full with Nut and Geb?"
Daniel rolled his eyes. "This is an Ashrak, Jack. He's after Nut."
Jack's mouth formed a perfect 'o' symbol.
"If we could find Anhur then he should be able to lead us to Geb. Either that or we find another Goa'uld that knows where Geb is hidden," Jacob suggested, his eyes brightening with him.
Daniel nodded his head in agreement. "And then when we have Geb we can barter for Sam and Jack."
"Excuse me," Jack waved his hands in frustration, "you want to ask a Goa'uld for help?"
Daniel's smile fell from his face.
"Jacob, what's Shu's Might?" Jack asked, his face creased in thought.
"We don't know," Daniel answered for Jacob. "We think it might be something like Thor's Hall of Might, but we have no idea which planet it would be on."
"Wouldn't it be on Shu's planet?" Jack asked logically.
Daniel stared at Jack blankly. Shu's planet. Of course.
Jack smirked smugly, gazing at Jacob who looked equally stunned.
"So now what?"
"I don't know-" Jack frowned as something against his chest vibrated. "Hang on."
Daniel watched as Jack pulled a small round ball from his pocket.
"Hide!" Jacob hissed, throwing himself onto the ground.
Daniel followed suit, watching as Jack stared into the ball with concentration.
"Hey Nut," he greeted cheerfully, but Daniel could see dislike and rebellion clearly within Jack's brown eyes.
"You must return, Tau'ri," Nut ordered.
"Not yet, I haven't found anything," Jack protested.
"You have until the sun sets," Nut agreed, and the ball died abruptly within Jack's grasp.
Jack looked down at them. "How long do I have?"
"A while still. It's only late morning. A few more hours."
"Enough time to nip to the SGC and pick up some real clothes, food and a pack of cards?" Jack asked hopefully.
Daniel grinned. "Shouldn't be a problem."
~o0o~
Nut gazed stonily at the walls of her throne room.
He was taking too long. Much too long.
Her brow furrowed in concern. Should he venture to another planet there was a strong possibility that both he and the woman would die before the day was over. Nut sighed angrily, rising to her feet in agitation. He would leave the planet. He would return to his home planet, she had felt his anticipation at the return home.
Sunset. It was near sunset now, and still he had not returned. That was too long. He had to return before then. If he did not then her plans would go to waste. The life force would be stretched between the distance for too long, and they would both die.
"Cal'ma!" Nut barked, spinning on her heel and marching out of her throne room. The guards dipped their heads respectfully at her approach. "Fetch me Cal'ma!" Nut ordered, sweeping back into the throne room without a backward glance.
They had to watch the woman carefully. They had to be prepared to use the sarcophagus.
Not that it would be necessary, but it never hurt to be prepared.
Nut hoped Cal'ma was watching the woman carefully; otherwise her plans would be worthless.
Nut felt uncertain with her plan for the first time. Everything was at risk because of the Tau'ri's foolish desires. And he was not aware of it.
Sighing, Nut threw herself down onto her throne, her spine aching in protest at her harsh movements.
Patience.
Patience and perseverance.
Nut would save them both. And they would have to repay her for that also.
A smile touched her lips.
Patience.
And a sarcophagus.
~o0o~
Sam fell back onto the bed with relief as Cal'ma left the room to answer Nut's summons.
She felt like shit, to be honest. Her skin was cold and clammy, but she felt strangely warm. And delirious. Maybe she was coming down with a fever.
She felt stretched, as though something was taking hold of her and pulling her taut.
A frown creased her forehead. Could Nut possibly have been telling the truth when she told them that they shared the same life force? Was there any truth in her claims that they would die if they were separated over too great a distance for too long a period in time?
She hoped not. She couldn't possibly spend every waking second of the rest of her life in the Colonel's company. Not that she wouldn't mind, but he did tend to be a bit. much. She needed personal space, and to live with him-
Live with him? Oh yeah, she was definitely delirious.
Her eyes closed as she lay back on the bed, feeling oddly light headed.
Actually, living with the Colonel probably wouldn't be that bad. He was funny, and meticulously neat, and he liked steak which suited her just fine.
Sam gasped as her head exploded in pain and a blurred image of Janet's concerned face swam into view.
"Janet?" she whispered, trying not to throw up as Janet's face rolled over the bucking walls around her.
"Colonel? Are you okay? Sir?" the words were distant and whispered, Janet's voice like the hint of birdsong on a gentle breeze.
"Janet?" Sam called again, lurching to her feet and staggering forwards, her head drumming in her hands. "Janet? Colonel?"
"Are you okay?" the words mocked her. "Are you okay?"
"Colonel!" she cried out desperately, falling against the wall and sliding to the ground as she cradled her head. It hurt. Damn but it hurt.
And her breathing. it felt like her chest was being torn apart.
Hands. There were hands touching her face, rolling her over onto her back. Sam batted at them lethargically. No, it hurt on her back. Where was the Colonel? And Janet?
Someone said something, but the words were blurred and fuzzy, her eyes feeling like cotton wool was being scraped along them and her stomach feeling as though she was on a wild ride.
It hurt.
It hurt so bad.
~o0o~
"Colonel? Are you okay? Sir?" Janet held his cold face firmly between her hands. His eyes were rolling, and he moaned as she moved his face.
"Carter," he whispered, clumsy hands reaching up to grasp at his head. "Hurts. It's tearing!" he gasped, jerking away from her and curling up on the floor.
"Are you okay?"
O'Neill was moaning on the floor, his breathing laboured and harsh.
"What's going on?" Daniel demanded as he was pushed out the way.
"I don't know. His blood pressure is dropping and his pulse is through the roof."
"He's got to go back!" Daniel yelled suddenly, grabbing hold of Janet.
"He can't, he'll die! I need to get him on-"
"You don't understand, Janet!" Daniel interrupted her, his eyes wide with determination. "On Abydos he said something about him and Sam being linked, something to do with a healing process the Goa'uld used on him. If they're separated-"
Janet hesitated, her hands resting on O'Neill's erratic pulse.
"Okay, load him up on a gurney. Tell the General to get Abydos dialled up Stat!" she ordered.
Daniel helped tug Jack onto a stretcher, fear racing through his blood as his hands brushed over Jack's ice-cold hand.
"He's gone into cardiac arrest!" a nurse yelled.
Daniel jumped back hurried, numb with fear.
"Charge it at 200!" Janet yelled, snipping quickly down the front of his black shirt.
The defibrillator whined as it charged up, and Daniel flinched as Janet raised the paddles.
"Wait!"
Janet glanced sharply at the nurse at Jack's head.
"He's breathing again."
"Let's go people!" Janet ordered, not moving from her position on Jack's legs. Daniel hadn't even noticed her get up on the gurney.
Seconds later they entered the gate room in time to see the gate lock and open.
"Dr. Fraiser?" Hammond questioned.
"He's got to go, Sir!" Janet yelled, scrambling off the gurney as they pushed it up the ramp. "I'll be back soon, Sir!"
The gate swallowed them easily.
"There! Put him there!" Daniel pointed to where the transport rings worked. The medics worked quickly and efficiently, placing Jack carefully on the floor where he indicated. Daniel suddenly realised he was still holding the small bag Jack had packed not that long ago to take back with him. Thrusting it on Jack's chest, Daniel jumped back in time as the rings descended and Jack disappeared in the flash of gold.
They stood around the empty room, gazing at the spot where Jack had lain.
"Now what?" Janet asked softly.
"We find Shu's planet before Nut does," Daniel stated. "Jacob's already gone to the Tok'ra council to ask them what they know. He should let us know any time soon."
Janet nodded, her eyes fixed on the empty floor.
The building started to rumbled, indicating the ship taking off. "I guess we'd better go tell Hammond what happened," she said softly.
Silently Daniel dialled Earth, and the medics stepped through the gate wordlessly. ~o0o~
Hope that was okay! Let me know! sharim