CHAPTER FIVE:

Jack landed and rolled as the spike wall covered the hole above him. He lay where he was on the floor, waiting for the now familiar grinding noise. None came.

Then Lara's face came into view. "Are you all right?" she asked, concerned.

"No!" Jack replied. "Over the past hour, I've almost been sliced, squashed and skewered. So, no, I'm not all right!"

Lara chuckled. "Poor Jack. Welcome to my life. I did tell you I could take care of myself."

"I'm beginning to understand." Jack said wryly.

Lara offered Jack a hand and helped him to his feet. "This place is amazing!" she said.

Jack looked around. It was a familiar sight, with the gold coloured walls and Goa'uld-symbol covered pillars. A sarcophagus lay in the center of the room, and Lara began to carefully examine it. "Is this a Goa'uld sarcophagus?" she asked.

"Yeah," Jack nodded.

Apart from the sarcophagus, the room was empty. Jack frowned. The Goa'uld didn't go to that much trouble to hide just a sarcophagus.

He wandered around the room, looking for hidden doors. At the back wall of the room, Jack found a symbol sticking slightly out from the wall. He pressed it, and the center section slid away to reveal shelves filled with Goa'uld technology.

At the faint grinding sound, Lara's head jerked up and she looked at Jack. "What was that?"

"The wall." Jack said, nodding at the open section of the wall.

Lara raised an eyebrow. "Goa'uld?" she asked.

Jack rolled his eyes. "No, it's from the little green men that live on Mars."

Lara glared at him.

Jack gathered up a hand device, two zat guns and a healing device, before walking back over to Lara.

Lara frowned. "Not much of a prize." She muttered.

'Not much of a prize?" Jack thought, incredulously. 'The SGC loves any and all alien technology we can get!'

"Well, what were you expecting?" Jack asked. "A pile of gold doubloons?"

Lara's frown deepened. "Something bigger." She retorted. Then she spotted the circle pattern on Jack's left. "What's that?" she asked.

"Our ticket out of here." Jack replied.

"How?" Lara began, but Jack cut her off.

"Stand in the circle and I'll show you." He took out his radio and pressed the button on its side. "Carter?" he asked.

A loud burst of static was followed by Sam's faint voice. "Yes, sir?"

"Take the others and make your way back to the gate." He ordered.

"Yes sir." Carter replied. Then, hesitantly, she added, "Are you all right, sir?"

"I'll tell you about it later." Jack said.

He walked carefully over to the nearest pillar to the ring on the floor, and pushed a button he found there. "Hold on!" he called, as he joined Lara in the ring.

Then the pair disappeared as they were transported out of the room.

* * *

The rings sank back into the ground as Jack looked around, gun in hand. Lara was behind him and facing the other way. He heard her holster her gun, and turn around. "Where are we?" she asked.

Jack didn't answer, but punched the button on his radio. "Carter?"

But all Jack got in reply was a burst of static. "Colonel?" Lara asked, coming to stand in front of him.

She was frowning, and had her hands on her hips. "Where are we?" she repeated.

"Somewhere on the planet's surface, I believe." Jack said in an indulging tone, as if she was a young child.

Lara glared at him. "Any idea where?"

"None." Jack sighed.

Shaking her head, Lara dug out her compass. "Where's the stargate? To the north?"

Jack shrugged. "Sorry, forgot to check."

Lara rolled her eyes at his comment, but stayed silent. "I think it was, because the sun was to our right. And from what I know of this planet, the orbits its sun the same way ours does."

So Lara set off towards the north, Jack reluctantly following behind her. "Carter?" he asked again, trying to raise anyone on the other end of his radio. "Teal'c? Daniel?"

No one answered. Jack growled in frustration. "Where are they!"

Lara shook her head. "We won't know until we get there." She said.

Jack glared daggers into her back. "Obviously."

The pair hiked for about an hour, through a dense wood. "What's that?" Lara asked, pointing to a dark shape she could see through the trees.

"What's what?" Jack asked.

"That." Jack followed her arm, and saw the blurry black shape.

"A blurry black shape?" he said.

Lara frowned. "I think its he temple. Come on."

Lara was right; the shape turned out to be the back of the temple. They skirted around, and soon found themselves back at the entrance. "The Stargate's up there." Lara nodded.

"I know." Jack said dryly.

Jack shrugged his shoulders, and headed back towards the Stargate. Lara followed. Halfway there, Jack heard the familiar sound of staff-weapons and gunfire. He took off running towards the sound. Lara was close on his heels.

The scene that confronted Jack made him stop and duck behind a tree. He barely noticed Lara doing the same, as his mind whirled.

In the clearing in front of the Stargate, a group of Jaffa were engaged in a battle with the other members of SG-1. Daniel was holding his right arm stiffly by his side, and Teal'c was trying to draw the Jaffa's fire away, but with no affect.

"Oh, For Crying Out Loud!" he muttered. "Can't I just get home without anymore problems?!"

Jack peered around the tree to watch the battle again, and felt someone sit down beside him. He whirled back around. "Sorry." Lara whispered apologetically.

Then she nodded towards the battle. "What are we going to do?" she asked.

"We?" Jack questioned. "You're going to stay here, while I - " "While you what? Get yourself killed?" Lara interrupted.

"You have a better idea?" Jack snapped.

"Yeah." She grinned, rather mercilessly. "I'll distract them, and you grab the others."

"Croft - " Jack began.

But she was gone with an arch of her eyebrow. Jack swore. "Archaeologists!" He muttered.