CHAPTER ONE:
"Wow." Lara Croft said, in awe, as she looked at the metallic ring in front of her.
"It stuns you the first time, doesn't it?" Dr. Daniel Jackson said, smiling.
"This thing really transports you to other worlds?" Lara asked.
"Yep." Daniel said. "Although if you want a detailed explanation, you'll have to ask Sam."
Lara looked at him, and raised an eyebrow.
Daniel smiled sheepishly. "Major Samantha Carter. She's an astrophysicist."
Lara nodded thoughtfully.
Daniel looked at his watch. "Come on. You can meet them," he said, "We're due for a debriefing."
Lara followed Daniel out of the gate room, up a flight of metal stairs, and into a large room. In the middle of the room was a large table, with five people sitting around it. Daniel walked in, and sat down beside a pretty blond woman.
A bald man, wearing a short sleeved shirt, stood up from his seat at the head of the table. "Lara Croft?" he asked.
Lara nodded.
"My name is General Hammond, and I am the supervisor of the facility." He motioned to a man sitting on his right. "This is Colonel Jack O'Neill."
Piercing brown eyes met hers, staring out of a handsome face with close cropped silver hair.
".Teal'c."
Teal'c was a large, dark-skinned man, with a curious gold marking on his forehead. The marking looked strangely Egyptian. Which isn't that strange, Lara reminded herself, having read the brief report she had been given on the SGC.
".Dr. Jackson you know."
The General nodded in Daniel's direction before moving on.
".and Major Samantha Carter."
This time he nodded at the pretty blond woman sitting on his left.
"Ahh," Lara said. "The astrophysicist."
Major Carter smiled almost shyly. "Yes, that's right." She said.
Lara smiled back and took a seat on the other side of Daniel. General Hammond also sat down. "Dr. Jackson, why don't you begin." He said.
"Right." Daniel said, getting up.
He walked towards the end of the table nearest Lara, and the screen on the wall. Holding a small remote, he brought up a picture of an Egyptian style temple. "Recent explorations to P3-4X5, have shown an interesting temple- like structure." He zoomed in on the image. "From what we can tell from this image, the temple appears to have Egyptian hieroglyphs on it."
"I thought SG-5 was inspecting the temple?" Major Carter asked.
"They were." Daniel ran a hand through his hair. "But before the got close enough, they were all injured."
"Goa'uld?" the Colonel asked.
"No." Daniel smiled slightly. "Booby traps."
"Booby traps?" the Colonel asked incredulous, raising his eyebrow. "What kind of booby traps?"
"Of that, I'm not sure. SG-5 wasn't very specific."
"Where do we come in?" Major Carter asked.
"I want you to help Miss Croft." General Hammond said. "This will be her first trip off-world. And we're not sure the planet is inhabited."
"You mean I gotta baby-sit another archaeologist?" Jack moaned.
Lara looked at him. "I am quite capable of looking after myself." She said firmly.
"Really?" Jack asked. "How many Goa'uld have you met before?"
"None." Lara said. "But I have faced other things just as dangerous."
"Such as?" Jack asked.
"Colonel." General Hammond warned.
Jack frowned sulkily.
"I'm quite interested in the temples, myself." Daniel said, breaking the silence. "That is, if you don't mind me tagging along." He looked toward Lara.
"Not as long as you can keep up." Lara said, her eyes twinkling.
Daniel smiled at her. "I'll try my best."
Lara frowned thoughtfully. The temple had looked Egyptian, all right. Lara had also read the brief report the SGC had given her, so the thought of an Egyptian temple on another planet didn't surprise her very much. Although she was still in shock over the whole 'space travel' thing, so she couldn't be sure.
"Miss Croft?" a voice broke into her thoughts.
She turned towards the General. "Sorry." She said, returning her attention to the rest of the room.
"What do you think? Can you get inside?" the General repeated.
"Without any specific information about the booby traps, I can't be sure." Lara smiled. "But I haven't found a temple I can't get into yet."
"Good. SG-1, you have a go." Hammond said.
* * *
Half an hour later, Lara and the members of SG-1 assembled in the gateroom. Lara was dressed similarly to the others, in boots and green BDU's with her hair in its usual waist length plait. Her guns had been returned to her and were strapped to her thighs as usual. She had also been given a 'zat' gun. Apparently it could knock someone unconscious with one electrical zap. Lara was slightly suspicious, but had taken it anyway.
"Ready to go?" Daniel asked.
Lara nodded, still staring at the spinning 'stargate'.
"Chevron five locked." A voice said over the speakers.
The ring continued to spin as chevrons six and seven were also locked. A wave of what looked like water jumped out of the stargate, before settling into a rippling surface. Jack, Sam and Teal'c made there way up the metal ramp towards it.
"It's a little cold, but nothing to worry about, really." Daniel told Lara.
Lara smiled and turned to him. "I'll keep that in mind." She said, before walking up the ramp herself. Daniel followed. She stopped just before the 'water', and put her hand into it. Daniel was right, she thought. It is cold. Then she shrugged her shoulders and stepped through.
Lara was overcome by a feeling quite like being on a roller coaster. She felt as if she was being pulled in all directions at once, and it was bone chillingly cold. Then just as soon as it had begun, it stopped as Lara stepped out onto a stone platform. She heard Daniel arrive behind her, and then the stargate shutting down.
"P3-4X5." Lara muttered.
The planet was very like Earth, with trees surrounding the grass clearing around the stargate. In the distance, purple mountains rose up. As she looked around, she saw the colonel and Teal'c fanning out their weapons at the ready.
"Croft." Jack barked.
She walked over. "Yes?" she asked, her eyebrow raised.
"Stick close."
She looked straight at Jack. "Of course." She said.
He just frowned at her. "Let's go." He ordered.
The group made their way through the trees towards the temple. At the edge of the trees, down a steep incline, was a large stone Egyptian temple. It rose up above them, decorated columns supporting the roof, and an elaborate looking door inset in the wall. High cliff walls surrounded the temple, and a paved stone walkway led to the door.
"Well, Miss Croft." Jack said. "After you."
Lara didn't answer as she studied the incline before her. When she noticed the blood stained dirt at the bottom of the embankment, she smiled. This is where things get interesting, She thought.
"Wow." Lara Croft said, in awe, as she looked at the metallic ring in front of her.
"It stuns you the first time, doesn't it?" Dr. Daniel Jackson said, smiling.
"This thing really transports you to other worlds?" Lara asked.
"Yep." Daniel said. "Although if you want a detailed explanation, you'll have to ask Sam."
Lara looked at him, and raised an eyebrow.
Daniel smiled sheepishly. "Major Samantha Carter. She's an astrophysicist."
Lara nodded thoughtfully.
Daniel looked at his watch. "Come on. You can meet them," he said, "We're due for a debriefing."
Lara followed Daniel out of the gate room, up a flight of metal stairs, and into a large room. In the middle of the room was a large table, with five people sitting around it. Daniel walked in, and sat down beside a pretty blond woman.
A bald man, wearing a short sleeved shirt, stood up from his seat at the head of the table. "Lara Croft?" he asked.
Lara nodded.
"My name is General Hammond, and I am the supervisor of the facility." He motioned to a man sitting on his right. "This is Colonel Jack O'Neill."
Piercing brown eyes met hers, staring out of a handsome face with close cropped silver hair.
".Teal'c."
Teal'c was a large, dark-skinned man, with a curious gold marking on his forehead. The marking looked strangely Egyptian. Which isn't that strange, Lara reminded herself, having read the brief report she had been given on the SGC.
".Dr. Jackson you know."
The General nodded in Daniel's direction before moving on.
".and Major Samantha Carter."
This time he nodded at the pretty blond woman sitting on his left.
"Ahh," Lara said. "The astrophysicist."
Major Carter smiled almost shyly. "Yes, that's right." She said.
Lara smiled back and took a seat on the other side of Daniel. General Hammond also sat down. "Dr. Jackson, why don't you begin." He said.
"Right." Daniel said, getting up.
He walked towards the end of the table nearest Lara, and the screen on the wall. Holding a small remote, he brought up a picture of an Egyptian style temple. "Recent explorations to P3-4X5, have shown an interesting temple- like structure." He zoomed in on the image. "From what we can tell from this image, the temple appears to have Egyptian hieroglyphs on it."
"I thought SG-5 was inspecting the temple?" Major Carter asked.
"They were." Daniel ran a hand through his hair. "But before the got close enough, they were all injured."
"Goa'uld?" the Colonel asked.
"No." Daniel smiled slightly. "Booby traps."
"Booby traps?" the Colonel asked incredulous, raising his eyebrow. "What kind of booby traps?"
"Of that, I'm not sure. SG-5 wasn't very specific."
"Where do we come in?" Major Carter asked.
"I want you to help Miss Croft." General Hammond said. "This will be her first trip off-world. And we're not sure the planet is inhabited."
"You mean I gotta baby-sit another archaeologist?" Jack moaned.
Lara looked at him. "I am quite capable of looking after myself." She said firmly.
"Really?" Jack asked. "How many Goa'uld have you met before?"
"None." Lara said. "But I have faced other things just as dangerous."
"Such as?" Jack asked.
"Colonel." General Hammond warned.
Jack frowned sulkily.
"I'm quite interested in the temples, myself." Daniel said, breaking the silence. "That is, if you don't mind me tagging along." He looked toward Lara.
"Not as long as you can keep up." Lara said, her eyes twinkling.
Daniel smiled at her. "I'll try my best."
Lara frowned thoughtfully. The temple had looked Egyptian, all right. Lara had also read the brief report the SGC had given her, so the thought of an Egyptian temple on another planet didn't surprise her very much. Although she was still in shock over the whole 'space travel' thing, so she couldn't be sure.
"Miss Croft?" a voice broke into her thoughts.
She turned towards the General. "Sorry." She said, returning her attention to the rest of the room.
"What do you think? Can you get inside?" the General repeated.
"Without any specific information about the booby traps, I can't be sure." Lara smiled. "But I haven't found a temple I can't get into yet."
"Good. SG-1, you have a go." Hammond said.
* * *
Half an hour later, Lara and the members of SG-1 assembled in the gateroom. Lara was dressed similarly to the others, in boots and green BDU's with her hair in its usual waist length plait. Her guns had been returned to her and were strapped to her thighs as usual. She had also been given a 'zat' gun. Apparently it could knock someone unconscious with one electrical zap. Lara was slightly suspicious, but had taken it anyway.
"Ready to go?" Daniel asked.
Lara nodded, still staring at the spinning 'stargate'.
"Chevron five locked." A voice said over the speakers.
The ring continued to spin as chevrons six and seven were also locked. A wave of what looked like water jumped out of the stargate, before settling into a rippling surface. Jack, Sam and Teal'c made there way up the metal ramp towards it.
"It's a little cold, but nothing to worry about, really." Daniel told Lara.
Lara smiled and turned to him. "I'll keep that in mind." She said, before walking up the ramp herself. Daniel followed. She stopped just before the 'water', and put her hand into it. Daniel was right, she thought. It is cold. Then she shrugged her shoulders and stepped through.
Lara was overcome by a feeling quite like being on a roller coaster. She felt as if she was being pulled in all directions at once, and it was bone chillingly cold. Then just as soon as it had begun, it stopped as Lara stepped out onto a stone platform. She heard Daniel arrive behind her, and then the stargate shutting down.
"P3-4X5." Lara muttered.
The planet was very like Earth, with trees surrounding the grass clearing around the stargate. In the distance, purple mountains rose up. As she looked around, she saw the colonel and Teal'c fanning out their weapons at the ready.
"Croft." Jack barked.
She walked over. "Yes?" she asked, her eyebrow raised.
"Stick close."
She looked straight at Jack. "Of course." She said.
He just frowned at her. "Let's go." He ordered.
The group made their way through the trees towards the temple. At the edge of the trees, down a steep incline, was a large stone Egyptian temple. It rose up above them, decorated columns supporting the roof, and an elaborate looking door inset in the wall. High cliff walls surrounded the temple, and a paved stone walkway led to the door.
"Well, Miss Croft." Jack said. "After you."
Lara didn't answer as she studied the incline before her. When she noticed the blood stained dirt at the bottom of the embankment, she smiled. This is where things get interesting, She thought.