Finding Atlantis

by Aaunty Pasta

This was originally called simply Atlantis. See Author's note for details. When SG1 finds a tablet made of Naaquada that Daniel can't read, they enlist the help of an expert on Atlantis to find the lost continent.

Title: Finding Atlantis

Author: Pammie, Pasta
Email: Pammie918@aol.com
Content Warnings: None
Pairings: Daniel/Other, Sam/Jack
Spoilers:
Season: Six
Rating: G
Summary: When SG-1 finds a tablet made of Naaquada that Daniel can't read, they enlist the help of an expert on Atlantis to find the lost continent.
Author's notes: This is the original version of my story. I have renamed both in order to keep them from getting confused with each other.
Disclaimer: I do not own the characters or Stargate. I am not making money off of this story nor do I intend to make money from it. Thanks to TPTB (the powers that be) for creating the show for me to practice my writing skills on.

#######################################################

Dust penetrated Daniel's nose, aggravating his allergies and making him sneeze. With a swipe to his nose, he stifled a second sneeze before continuing his work on the ruin. "How's it goin'," Colonel Jack O'Neill asked as he came up beside the hole where his friend worked.

"Near or far," Daniel began. "My allergies are the only constant."

Jack tried not to laugh as he wiped his nose with a tissue from his pocket. "I wasn't trying to be funny," Daniel said as he put the tissue back in his pocket. He turned back to his work, brushing at a crack in the wall that might lead to something important. Suddenly, the area crumbled, bringing more sneezes from Daniel.

"Why you decided that sneezing your way through an archeological career would be fun...," Jack began. He stopped to peer in the hole that Daniel had just created. "What is that?"

Daniel wiped his nose once again and peered in the hole. "Looks like a stone tablet." He reached out and brushed the remaining dust from it, stifling yet another sneeze. As his fingers brushed against it, he realized that it was not a stone tablet, but one made from another kind of material, possibly Naaquada. "This isn't stone," Daniel said. He turned and called to the woman across the room, "Hey, Sam!"

Major Samantha Carter stepped around the crumbling statue in the middle of the room to join them next to the hole in the wall. "What is it?

Carefully, Daniel removed the artifact from the home it had known for thousands of years and handed it to her. "Not stone," he told her.

Sam seemed surprised as she examined the object. "This is made of Naaquada!"

"I thought that might be the case," Daniel said, handing Sam a soft brush to clean the face of the artifact with.

"What kind of message would be important enough to write on Naaquada?" Jack asked.

Both Sam and Daniel shrugged. Soon, Sam had the symbols cleared enough to be read. She handed it back to Daniel to look over.

"Some of the writing is familiar," he said. "Sumerian, Greek, Egyptian. I recognize most of it in fact." He paused. "This is Mayan," he said, pointing. His finger moved to another symbol. "But I don't recognize this word."

"Do you know anyone that might?" Sam asked.

"Possibly," Daniel replied. "I may be able to find it in one of my books at home."

"Then let's get moving," Jack said. He turned to the other end of the room. "Teal'c! Pack it up! We're leaving!"

#########################################

Rika Mayu added a final flourish to the notes she had been writing on the board. Every inch of space on the white dry-erase board was filled with writing. She turned to her class. "This is what you will need to know for next week's exam," she told the students. "Class is dismissed, but don't forget to read chapters 16 through 27 for Tuesday's discussion."

She watched as the room began to clear then turned to clean the board.

"Still torturing your students, Rika?"

Rika turned to smile at the man behind her. "If I didn't torture them," she said as her brown eyes twinkled. "They'd never learn to have their own ideas." She paused. "Like a certain student who had this crazy idea that the pyramids were built by aliens. Whatever happened to that young man anyway?"

Daniel smiled at the old professor's twinkling brown eyes. "He gave up that dream for another one." He turned to gesture at Sam as she stood behind him. "This is my friend, Samantha Carter."

Rika nodded to Sam and ran a hand through her dark hair. "What can I do for you?"

Daniel pulled a rubbing from his pocket. "We found this carving at a dig we were working on and hoped you could give us some insight on the translation."

Rika examined the rubbing and shook her head. "Sorry you came all this way for nothing, Daniel. I recognize the symbols but I don't know what they mean." She looked thoughtful for a minute. "But I know someone who might..."

##########################################

As Daniel approached the beachside hut he glanced at Sam beside him. They passed a hammock hanging between two palm trees and gently swaying in the Caribbean breeze. Everything seemed quieter than it should have been and that worried Daniel. What if she was out on some expedition?

A crash from the hut startled the two outsiders and they hurried their pace to the door. Faint cursing could be heard through the closed door. Daniel knocked loudly. There was another, smaller crash before the door swung open. "What?" asked the disheveled woman who stood before them.

Daniel was taken aback. "I'm Dr. Daniel Jackson and this is Dr. Samantha Carter," Daniel began.

"What... do... you... want?" she asked angrily.

"Dr. Mayu said that you might be able to help us," Daniel went on. "That is if you're Atlantis Gregory."

"You have two minutes," she said. When Daniel didn't move, she tapped her empty wrist. "Clock's tickin'. One fifty two."

Daniel jumped and pulled the rubbing out of his pocket before he hurriedly handed it to her.

She looked at it with disgust then her face softened. "Where did you get this?"

"In some ruins we were studying," Daniel replied.

"Where?!" Atlantis demanded.

Sam shook her head. "That's classified."

"Classified?" Atlantis said incredulously. "What, now the United States Government is trying to get their hands on it!"

"On what?" Daniel asked.

"Atlantis!" the woman replied. She pointed to the sheet in her hand. Reciting some of the writing in the language it was written in, she then translated it. "::Now as the destruction of our world is imminent, we find we must tell the tale for the future of our children and our children's children and those who will make up the world taken from the Gods. The Chaapa'ai will be used one last time to escape Atlantis.::"

Daniel raised his eyebrows and looked at Sam. "You've got to be joking," Sam said.

Atlantis shook her head and pointed out the word that Daniel had spent weeks trying to translate. "That word is Atlantis."

"That's the only word I couldn't translate," Daniel said.

"You mean this could be the first tangible proof of the existence of the lost continent of Atlantis?" Sam asked.

"The only thing is," Atlantis began. "I have seen reference to the Chaapa'ai in many writings about the lost continent but have been unable to translate the word. Do you have any idea what it might be?"

"Probably a ship of some kind," Sam commented, knowing full well what the script was referring to.

The woman Atlantis paced the floor passing several pans in a pile. Daniel guessed that the forgotten containers were probably the noise they had heard as they approached the hut. "You're probably right," she said. "I just get the feeling that there is more to it."

At that moment, Sam's satellite phone rang and she turned away to answer it. Daniel took the moment to study Atlantis. She didn't look much like the serious scholar that Rika had made her out to be. Her shoulder length red hair was a mess and she was dressed for her role as beach bum in knee length Bermuda shorts and a faded old Tee shirt with a hole in the shoulder. He cleared his throat. "Thanks for your help," he said.

Atlantis stopped. "No, thank YOU," she said. "This is very tangible..."

"Yet classified," Daniel interrupted.

Atlantis rolled her eyes. "...proof of the existence of the lost continent of Atlantis." She shook her head. "What did you say your name is?"

"Daniel Jackson," he replied.

She looked thoughtful. "The Daniel Jackson who, several years ago, presented the possibility that the pyramids were built by aliens?"

Daniel shrugged and nodded. "I guess that means I know a bit how you feel."

"But you never found proof of your allegations," she began then took a second look at him. He was well dressed and groomed, then there was the 'classified' artifact that he had found who knew where. "Or did you?" Sam joined them before Atlantis could voice her thought.

"General Hammond has given me permission to bring you with us when we return to base," Sam told the other woman. "If you want to pack some things, we'll wait."

"Where are we going?" Atlantis asked.

"Colorado," Sam replied.

#####################################

As she went through the last checkpoint into the SGC, the guard handed her an ID tag to clip on her shirt. She clipped the tag to the pocket of the blotchy red Hawaiian shirt and straightened her leggings. She had run a brush through her disheveled locks and pulled them back into a ponytail. Atlantis felt very out of place at the top-secret facility and walked nervously behind Daniel, a suitcase in one hand and a tattered backpack full of books slung over the same shoulder. "What is this place?"

"Until General Hammond gets back the results of the background check on you," Daniel began. "I'm afraid I can't tell you."

Atlantis blew a raspberry at that and followed Daniel to an office filled with books and artifacts. "Whoa!" she exclaimed. Dropping her pack on the floor, she set her case next to it and stepped forward to look at the artifacts. "These are incredible!"

"One of a kind," Daniel said. He gestured to the desk where the tablet lay. "Take a look."

Surprised at the condition of the tablet, Atlantis ran her hand over its surface. It was about twenty inches wide by thirty inches long and a little over and inch thick. "This isn't stone," she said. "But it's not any other kind of material I've ever seen before."

"The material and process used to write on the tablet are classified." Atlantis looked up at him. "For now."

Atlantis made a face. "For now," she said mockingly. "If you knew how long I have been searching for this kind of proof..." she trailed of as she read from the tablet.

Daniel leaned down next to her. "I have a partial translation if you want to take a look."

Atlantis nodded and stood. Daniel handed her a notebook filled with his scrawled translation, first figured on the nearby board with a dry-erase board on one side and a blackboard on the other. Atlantis quickly became enthralled in the translation then, with a pencil, began to make corrections.

Daniel didn't mind the correcting. He was obviously not as knowledgeable about a lot of the language and hieroglyphs as she was.

"It's a history of Atlantis," she said. "You did incredible on this translation."

"Thanks," Daniel said. He gestured to some text near the bottom of the tablet. "This is what I was having the most trouble with."

Atlantis studied the text for several minutes then pulled a book out of her pack. "Let me see..." Flipping through several pages, she found what she was looking for and looked back at the tablet. "It's not words," she said. "It's numbers."

"Numbers?"

Atlantis smiled slightly. "Coordinates."

Daniel raised his eyebrows and smiled back.

########################################

"That's quite interesting," General Hammond said when Daniel and Atlantis finished.

"The problem is...," Atlantis said as she touched a button on the remote she held. A map of the Atlantic Ocean appeared on the screen. "The coordinates lead us to a deep trench in the south Atlantic."

"The real question is how did it get where we found it?" Jack said.

"That I can't answer," Daniel replied.

"Where, exactly, did you find it, anyway," Atlantis asked.

Everyone looked at General Hammond who nodded almost imperceptibly.

"It was found on P3X-267," Sam said.

"Where?"

Daniel touched a button and the dry erase board lifted to reveal a window looking over another room. There stood the large circular Stargate. "What is it?" Atlantis asked.

"It's a Stargate," Daniel said. "An artificial wormhole can be established between this gate and several others like it throughout the galaxy."

"So you can travel through space just by stepping through the circle?"

"Pretty much, yeah," Colonel Jack O'Neill said.

Suddenly, Sam spoke up. "General, I've been thinking." The group turned its attention back to the major. "If we reinforce the hull of an ordinary submarine with Trinium, it should be strong enough to withstand the pressure that deep."

"Trinium?" Atlantis asked.

"It's a mineral not found on Earth," Sam explained. "We have treaties that can bring us enough to do what I was speaking of."

Atlantis snapped her fingers. "That's what the tablet is made of right?"

"Not exactly." Sam replied. "The tablet is made of Naaquada, another mineral not found on Earth." Atlantis nodded in understanding.

"How long would it take to carry out this plan?" Teal'c asked.

Several weeks at least," Sam replied. "And the scientists at Area 51 would have to do it."

"In the meantime," Atlantis began. "I would like to see the place where you found the tablet... if that's OK."

Hammond nodded. "That can be arranged," he said. "If there is nothing else, then lets get going."

######################################

Atlantis stepped out of the Stargate just behind Daniel. "Wow!" she exclaimed. "What a rush!"

Daniel could only smile and shake his head. "The ruins are over there," he pointed.

Atlantis looked intently at the fallen columns and walls. "Definitely Greek influences," she commented.

"But look there," Daniel said as he pointed. "That's Mayan."

"Right," Atlantis said. "How long have you been doing this?"

"About four and a half years," Daniel said. "For a year before that I lived on Abydos with my wife."

Atlantis was almost afraid to ask, but she did anyway. "What happened to your wife?"

"She was taken by the Goa'uld," Daniel replied. "They made her a host and she was killed by Teal'c about a year ago."

"Must be hard," Atlantis said.

"Not as hard as it could have been," Daniel said. He gestured to the hole where he had found the tablet. "We found it here."

Atlantis nodded and gazed into the hole. Daniel sneezed as she stirred up the fine dust. She mumbled an apology and moved a piece of stone. Brushing away the dust, she sneezed herself. There, under inches of dust and rocks, was another tablet.

"Look," Atlantis said. "Another tablet."

"How could I have missed that?" Daniel said.

"I had to dig a good inch down," Atlantis replied. She brushed the dirt away with her fingertips. The tablet was smaller and broken but it had the same writing the other one had had but it was not a story like the other had been.

"Look at this," Atlantis said. She handed the tablet to Daniel.

The surface had an intricate drawing of the Stargate with writing to the side. Daniel ran a finger along the broken side.

"The other half of this wasn't there?"

Atlantis turned to the hole and dug around for several minutes. "Nope, nothing else." She examined the tablet again. "If I didn't know better, I'd say this was an instruction manual."

"For what?" Daniel said. "The Stargate?"

"Yep," Atlantis replied. "But part of it is missing."

"Where do you think the other half is?"

"Twenty thousand leagues under the sea," Atlantis said.

"In Atlantis?"

"Yep," was the reply.

#######################################################

Six weeks later

A small eight-man craft sat on the deck of a large military vessel. The ship was armed, but the armaments were not very obvious. To anyone's knowledge, the ship was a simple research vessel, out to study a so-called 'pollution plume' in the center of the Atlantic. The ship was manned entirely by Stargate Command personnel and members of the design team from Area 51.

Atlantis stood at the bow of the boat, the wind wafting through her hair as she breathed in the salty sea air.

"Excited?" came a voice from behind her.

"You've got to be kidding," Atlantis said as she turned to look at Sam. "This is the biggest moment of my life."

"I know how it feels," Sam said as she leaned against the railing next to Atlantis. "My epiphany came the first time I stepped through the Stargate."

Atlantis smiled. "I'm just glad the general decided to allow me to be included in this."

"He figured that you would be handy to have along," Sam said as Jack approached. Jack looked slightly green and ready to vomit.

"We're there," he said. "Thank God!"

Sam and Atlantis laughed and moved to join Daniel—who also looked slightly green—so they could watch as the Area 51 crew move the submarine from the deck to the water. An hour later, it was off the ship and ready to go.

Inside, Atlantis, being the most experienced with submersibles, took the pilot's seat and Sam took the seat next to her while the rest of the crew, consisting of Jack, Daniel and Teal'c took seats in the back of the small craft. Teal'c sealed the hatch.

"Here goes nothing," Sam muttered as Atlantis turned a knob, which slowly took them into the briny deep.

Going slowly and carefully, the submarine sank into the depths. Creaks and groans from the pressure caused Jack to jump uneasily. Daniel didn't seem much more comfortable either, remembering a recent mission with the Russians involving a similar submersible, a watery planet on the other side of the Stargate and some water-based life forms.

"That's normal guys," Atlantis said. "We're getting down towards collapse depth, but we're keeping an eye on the gauges." She looked over her shoulder at them. "Just let me know if we spring a leak, OK."

Sam threw her a concerned look. "By the time we see any leak," she said softly. "It will already be too late."

"I know," Atlantis said. "Just don't tell them that."

A few hundred feet more and Atlantis flipped a switch that turned a deep sea light on. It illuminated the water and small organisms in it, but they still couldn't see the bottom. As they reached collapse depth, Atlantis slowed their descent even more.

"I'm slowing us down as we approach collapse depth," Atlantis announced. "Any change in the gauges?"

Sam looked at the two different gauges. One told what the pressure was outside while the other showed the effect on the Trinium reinforced walls of the submersible. "The pressure gauge is in the red." She tapped the other gauge. "The wall stability gauge has gone up but not by much."

Atlantis let out a breath and sped up their progress. "Any change?" At Sam's negative response, the ship fell silent again. A few hundred feet later, a crash outside and darkness signaled the loss of the light. "So far, so good," Atlantis told a nervous crew. "We're breaking more than a deep sea light."

"Too bad they can't mention it in the record book," Sam commented.

After a few more minutes, they lost power inside. Now even Atlantis was nervous. After trying for several minutes to route power to the ballast so they could ascend, Atlantis began breathing harshly. She turned to find that Sam was clinging to conscious and the rest of the crew, including Teal'c had already passed out. Atlantis lost her own battle seconds later when she slumped over the controls.

Sam clung to consciousness, trying to regain control of the situation but the sub sank deeper and deeper into the blackness. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed the pressure on the glow-in-the-dark pressure gauge slowly falling. She looked at it straight on and blinked. Maybe she had succeeded in blowing the ballast. Sam finally began to succumb to unconsciousness, believing that they were going up. Just as she closed her eyes, a bright flash outside lit the cabin. Sam tried to return to full consciousness, but slumped forward onto the controls.

##########################################

A killer headache pounded in Sam's head as she regained consciousness. Around her, she could hear voices speaking in the hushed tones of an unfamiliar language. With the return of her hearing came the realization that she was not on the submarine anymore. She felt whatever was under her and realized that it was some kind of hard platform. A second later came the realization that she was naked. Strangely, she didn't feel cold. She could not move, yet her body was not numb and she could feel the platform and the warm air around her. Even her eyes would not cooperate, however the pain was beginning to subside. She tried to open her mouth and speak, but only a grunt came out.

Voices called to others and she felt hands on her body, checking vitals, she guessed. Suddenly, she was able to open her eyes. Although she still couldn't move, she looked at the ceiling of the room she was in, trying to remember how she had gotten there. Slowly, it came back and she found herself wondering where the others were.

Nearby, just out of her sight, the others lay in a row on similar platforms and in various states of consciousness. Sam could see their blurry images from the corner of her eye, enough to realize that they were in the same state as she was. After a quick head count, she realized that one of them was missing.

"Where's at... alt... ant...?" she was having trouble talking. "Where's my friend?" she finally got out.

"Safe," came a crisp and simple answer.

"Where...?"

"Atlantis," the voice replied. "Welcome to the underwater city of Atlantis."

###############################################

Atlantis, herself, woke the same way as Sam had, only she was alone in a room that seemed to go on forever. She soon regained her feeling, including the realization that she was naked. She felt rather than saw a slimy creature similar to a Goa'uld on her bare chest between her breasts. It lifted one end into her line of sight. It was probably the head, Atlantis mused, although the head and tail were indistinguishable from one another. The beak at the upward end began to open and close as if trying to speak but no sound came out so Atlantis attempted speech.

"What... what...," Atlantis stammered. "Are... you... Goa'uld?"

The creature seemed to smile then slowly shook its head. "Do you want to hurt me?" It shook again. "Wha.. where are my friends?"

The creature opened its mouth again and this time it did speak. "Safe," the creature said. The creature's small head turned slightly giving Atlantis the impression that it was cocking its head. "I am called Keras."

"My... my name is Atlantis."

Keras smiled again. "It is only fitting."

"What do you want from me?"

"I have been waiting for a proper host," it said.

"You said you weren't a Goa'uld," Atlantis said.

"I am not," Keras said. "Although I am like them."

"Why?"

"The Ancients changed my genetic disposition," Keras replied.

"Ancients?"

"They built the Chaapa'ai," Keras said. "You must know of the Chaapa'ai if you know of the Goa'uld."

Atlantis squinted. "Do you mean the Stargate?"

"Stargate," Keras said. "Yes, Stargate."

Keras slid a bit across the soft flesh of her chest as Atlantis took a deep breath. "I have a million questions."

"Ask."

"Why me?"

"The Ancients placed a genetic tag in those who left the migration," Keras explained. "My ancestors had this tag as well. Only an Atlantisian descendant could be a host without killing us both. And of those who stayed behind, only a few held the tag. It did not take long for it to be bred out."

"I have the tag."

Keras nodded. "I am not evil like the Goa'uld although I have many of the same traits. Yet I am also very different in many ways."

"Like being able to communicate directly with me," Atlantis said. Another deep breath moved Keras slightly once again. "Then this is really Atlantis."

Keras smiled weakly and nodded. "Other questions will wait. I need a decision."

"Now?"

"I am the last of my kind," Keras explained as she laid her head on Atlantis' breast. "I have been in a stasis jar for many centuries. Others have died waiting. If you do not hurry with your decision, I will be unable to return to the jar and I will die."

"One more question," Atlantis said. "Can you help defend against the Goa'uld?"

"No," Keras said weakly. "The Tok'ra were created for that purpose."

Atlantis took another deep breath, this time without moving the creature. "Yes," she said in return. "I will. What do I need to do?"

"Open your mouth," Keras ordered.

With a deep breath, Atlantis opened her mouth. Keras slowly crawled to rest on Atlantis's chin then quickly, with a sudden surge of strength, plunged into her throat. Pain erupted in Atlantis' head and she screamed then fell silent as Keras settled herself on the other side of her palette. Atlantis began to cry as Keras's voice soothed her from the inside of her head.

####################################

Sam woke a second time to find herself dressed in a soft green dress with a white sash and lying in a large warm bed in a small dark room. A warm blanket was pulled to her chin. Sam flipped it aside and, as she did so, a dim light winked on, lighting the room. Startled, Sam placed her bare feet on the warm stone floor to push herself off the bed. The door swung open and a shadow stood blocking a brighter light from outside.

The person gestured to Sam to follow so she did. On the other side of the door, Sam found herself in a brightly lit hallway. "Where are we?" she asked.

The person, a woman Sam could see now, led her into a room with a square table. The rest of the members of SG-1 waited in chairs at each side of the table. All wore tunics and pants made from the same kind of material as Sam's dress.

Sam turned to the woman. "There's one of us missing."

The woman did not speak, only pointed to the table.

"I think she wants you to join us," Jack said.

"Do you know what's going on?" Sam asked as she sat.

Daniel spoke up first. "We were just comparing notes," he said. "I remember going unconscious on the sub then woke up here. I couldn't talk and wasn't wearing anything."

"My memory is the same," Teal'c said.

"Mine too," Jack said. "You too?"

"I remember the pressure on the pressure gauge going down," Sam said. "I thought we were going up but then there was a light outside and everything went black."

"Do you know what happened to Atlantis?" Daniel asked.

"They wouldn't tell me," Sam said.

"Welcome to Atlantis," Teal'c said, remembering. The group looked at him. "Before I went back to sleep, they told me 'Welcome to Atlantis'."

Sam looked around the table to find that they had all been told this. "Do you think it's possible?"

"No more or less possible than anything else that has happened over the last few years," Daniel commented. "I just wish someone would speak to us."

Jack's stomach growled. "Or bring something to..." he was interrupted by the doors opening. Two people with plates full of food and two with glasses of drink entered and set the food in front of them. "...eat," Jack finished. He shrugged. "Ask and ye shall receive."

After poking at the strange looking seafood, Daniel tasted a piece that looked like shrimp. "Taste's like chicken."

"You said that once before and it didn't," Jack said as Daniel bit off the rest of the piece.

"OK, so it tastes like shrimp," Daniel said. "So shoot me."

"I might just do that," Jack said then held out his hands. "If I had a weapon."

Idle chitchat on how they had come to be here permeated the conversation until they finished eating and the same four people who had brought the food cleared away the dishes.

"Thanks," Jack said the turned back to the others. "Talkative, aren't they," he said sarcastically.

"Now what?" Daniel began when the door came open again and Atlantis was led in.

She was dressed from head to toe in layers of green garments, a heavy green shawl draped over her head. She was pale, causing a concerned Sam to step forward and touch her face. Her cold skin and shallow breathing made Sam curse. "She's in shock," she announced.

Daniel came around behind her to rub her arms and get her circulation going. Atlantis shrugged him off. "What happened?" he asked gently. "Are you OK?"

Atlantis breathed lightly and pushed the shawl back. Her hair was braided in an intricate pattern, which made it look like some kind of cap. "It's a long story," she replied, ignoring the second question.

"Are you hungry?" Sam asked.

Atlantis shook her head and moved to the table to sit down, peeling layers of the clothing off as she went. Soon she was dressed only in a green dress similar to the one that Sam wore. Sam noticed that her face was starting to regain some of its color and her cheek seemed much warmer when she touched it.

"So, now that we've found the lost continent and Atlantis," Jack put in. "When do we get out of here?"

Atlantis licked her dry lips. "We don't," she said.

"What? Why?"

"Long story," Atlantis repeated.

"What happened to the sub?"

She looked up at Jack. "It was destroyed," she told him.

"Great!" Jack exclaimed. He walked angrily across the floor, his bare feet slapping gently against the smooth stone. "Then we're trapped here."

"Sir, I think we should let her speak," Sam interjected. Daniel nodded in agreement. "We may find another way home in her story."

Jack nodded and waved a hand at her. "Go on," he said.

##############################################

Thousands of years ago, before the Goa'uld discovered the Chaapa'ai and came to Earth to enslave the Tauri, Atlantis was a thriving city on a beautiful island in the Atlantic Ocean. Their patrons, the Fourth Race known as the Ancients, protected them. When the Goa'uld came through the Stargate and began taking the people of Earth as Slaves and Hosts, many fought to keep the children of Earth safe. The Asgard, the Ancients and many others who had stumbled upon this backwater planet decided that the Tauri were worth saving.

It was during this time that the Ancients captured some of the Goa'uld and began to breed the evil out. They used bits of their own DNA to rid the race of any evil it possessed without breeding out the majority of the genetic knowledge held within. In this way, the genetic knowledge and disposition away from evil of the Ancients was bred into the new species, called the Novae by the Asgard.

In any case, the Ancients hid this new race in Atlantis, placing a Trinium dome overhead and sinking the island. They placed a genetic tag in many people of Atlantis that would match the Novae. Only those who had been tagged would be able to be hosts.

Unfortunately for the Novae, something happened that the Ancients could not have predicted—most of the tagged Atlantisians decided to live on the surface when the Ancients made the decision to hide the Novae. The Atlantisians scatted to the four winds. Soon after, the Tauri defeated the Goa'uld and ejected them through the Chaapa'ai, burying it so they could not return.

In the time after, the people of Atlantis prospered and grew in the depths of the ocean as above the island, the Goa'uld and the ancients became legend. As they grew, their city grew as well, spreading out under the domed sky that they came to know so well.

Over time, the tag left by the ancients began to be bred out of the people who had stayed behind and the Novae began to die. In what seemed a vain effort to save them, they were placed in stasis and kept until such a time as the Atlantisians could reunite with their brethren above.

################################################

"Only one survived," Atlantis said.

"Oh my god," Sam breathed. "Open your mouth!"

Sam grabbed Atlantis' face a little more harshly then she meant to as she opened her mouth. Sam gently turned her head so the room's light could shine in the back of her throat. There was exactly what Sam had expected; an abrasion in the back of her throat—the same kind of abrasion that Sam had had in the back of her throat after Jolinar had entered her.

"They forced you to take the symbiote!" Sam exclaimed.

Atlantis hugged herself and shook her head. "No, Keras asked me to give her a home before she would die."

"Keras?"

"That's her name," Atlantis said. "Keras of Atlantis."

Suddenly her eyes rolled back then returned to center with a strange pink glow. "I am Keras," she said in the slightly echoey voice similar to that of the Goa'uld. "I will not hurt you, nor have I hurt your friend. She is my friend as well, willing to share her life to help save mine."

"What do you know of the tablets we found on P3X-267?" Daniel asked.

Keras smiled. "Some used the Chaapa'ai after the continent sank and lived there until a great cataclysm befell the colony."

"Wait a minute... after?" Daniel asked

"The explosion happened as they tried to return and it followed them through the Chaapa'ai, killing many and destroying the ice maze surrounding it," Keras said.

"Did the Chaapa'ai survive?" Sam asked.

Keras shook her head. "We do not know. We have not been there since."

"Can you lead us there?" Jack asked.

"No," Keras said. "I do not know how to get there. It happened before I was grown enough for a host." She nodded to Teal'c.

"Do you know how they were able to keep the Goa'uld from coming back through the Stargate?" Daniel asked.

"The Ancients built this Chaapa'ai so we could see the sun," Keras said. "The only planet we have the desire to dial to is Atalanta, the world where you found the tablet. Atalanta can only dial Earth."

"How did they do that?" Sam asked.

"They disengaged the dialing mechanisms in the dialing machine. The only buttons that would respond were the ones to here," she replied. She closed her eyes and shivered as if from cold and opened them again. They had returned to normal.

"Questions answered?" Atlantis asked, standing. She seemed more normal than she had when she had come in the room.

"Do you think we could find someone to take us to the Stargate?" Jack asked.

Atlantis shrugged. "With Daniel's help translating, we might find someone."

"Great," Jack said. "Let's go."

"Just how big is this city anyway?" Daniel asked as they followed her down a brightly lit corridor. At the end of the corridor was a light that was blinding.

"The island is quite large," Atlantis replied. "The city itself is fifty square miles. It's surrounded by the walls of the dome."

Jack whistled as she led the team to the open doorway. When their eyes finally adjusted to the bright light outside, they were awed at the sight.

The city shone in a rainbow of colors in the artificial light, the light bouncing off walls seemingly made of pearl. Soft green grass that had slightly florescent properties to it grew under their feet on the hill where they stood. The dome above was growing with tiny yellow plants that fluoresced, giving off light that lit the city bright as day.

"The vines clinging to the dome fluoresce for about fourteen hours then are dim for ten," Atlantis explained with a gesture above. "The Ancients designed them to make twenty-four hour days."

"That's incredible!" Sam said. "Which way do we go?"

Atlantis looked around. "This way, I think," she gestured to the right to a steep slope and a set of stairs.

"What's up there?" Jack asked.

"I can't be sure," Atlantis replied. "If the legends are true, it's the Acropolis."

"That would be where the Temple is," Daniel said. "Correct?"

"Plus the shrine to Clieto and the Royal Palace," Atlantis said. "That is where the king and princes would be."

Teal'c called to them, pointing out the trim on the stone building around the door. "I believe this is Naaquada," he said.

Sam took a closer look. "That it is," she said. "But if the ancients truly did build this place, then it's not surprising."

"It is called Orichalcum," said a small voice behind them.

With a jerk of surprise, the five turned to see a girl standing near the stairs.

"No one has said a word to us since we woke," Sam told her, gently. "Do you know why?"

"We did not know that any above had survived Goa'uld slavery," she said. "Since you have a Jaffa with you..." She pointed at Teal'c. "We thought you might be Goa'uld." She turned to gesture to Atlantis. "She had the tag for the Novae and agreed to take Keras. That made us believe the Jaffa was not a danger to us, even though he wears the symbol of Apophis."

"I have rebelled against my former master," Teal'c said. "I am allied with the Tauri."

"Good," the girl said. "My name is Aria. If you will follow me, I will take you to the king and princes. They have been waiting to speak to you." She smiled at Atlantis. "Especially the one who is bonded with the Novae we have taken care of for so long. Come."

Aria led the way up the stairs to the shining buildings above. Jack looked around at the others then shrugged and followed.

###########################################

Aria led the group onto the acropolis where they were met by four armored centurions. The centurions led them past the Temple of Poseidon and the Shrine of Clieto into the huge Royal Palace. The Columns outside the entrance seemed to go on forever and sparkled in the light emanating from the vegetation above. As Daniel looked up, he saw what looked to be spiders on the underside of the dome amongst the plants and vowed to ask someone about them later.

Inside was even more massive looking as outside if that were possible. They were led into a room where a row of nine lavishly decorated chairs sat in front of a raised dais where a tenth chair, slightly larger than the others sat. In the tenth chair sat a man. He was dressed in green robes that were decorated in Roman and Egyptian designs. A crown was perched on his head. With a smile he stood and joined them in front of the empty chairs.

"Keras!" he exclaimed. "I am glad to see you have been successfully blended!"

Atlantis' eyes rolled back momentarily then glowed pink. "I am glad as well, your highness," she replied. "May I present my friends?" She turned to Jack and introduced them. "My friends," she said, encompassing the whole group with her words. "This is King Postus." Keras pointed to herself, to her host. "And this," she said. "Is Atlantis." She blinked and her eyes returned to normal.

Postus shook her hand. "It is a great honor to meet those who have come from the home of our brethren." He waved them to a corner where there was a small podium. As they got closer, they could see the tablets that had been brought back from Atalanta. "The pieces have been returned to one another."

Daniel could see that the Stargate tablet had been mended, the faint crack still noticeable as it traveled at an angle through it. The other tablet, the one that chronicled the history of Atlantis, sat beside it.

"Of course," Postus went on. "It is not the correct history. Only the legendary history."

"Can you tell us the real story?" Daniel asked. "If you know it."

Postus smiled and led them to a nearby wall covered with the ancient writing. "It is kept here," he said. Pointing to the top of the wall, he began the story. "Just as the writing begins, so does my story. Long ago and far away."

"In a theatre near you," Jack sniped as he sat on a long bench by the wall with the rest of the team.

###################################################

The Ancients built the great city of Atlantis over ten thousand years ago. They loved the land and the beings of this planet, which they called the Tauri, and protected them well. Poseidon was the leader of these aliens. He loved one Tauri woman so much that he built the acropolis for her. She carried ten sons, five sets of twins for him, as she had loved him very much in return. The sons grew to become the rulers of the land of Atlantis and welcomed their allies, the Asgard, when they came to Earth. The Asgard were impressed by the Tauri as well and became protectors of the northern tribes.

After many years of peace, the Goa'uld came in their ships and took over the newer Chaapa'ai in the middle lands of Egypt. The Ancients tried to stop them, but it was too late. The Goa'uld had taken many Tauri to other places as slaves to mine the ore Naaquada. They kept their slaves in line by claiming to be gods and spread their rule throughout the Mediterranean.

The Ancients sent a great army of Tauri to defeat them but were met by Jaffa and Goa'uld sent from Athens. Hathor led the mighty army but was captured and sealed in the deepest chamber of a pyramid to the west. Others of the Goa'uld retreated through the Chaapa'ai, yet the remaining army still defeated the Tauri army, thus reinforcing their hold on the outside world.

It was then that the Ancients created the Tok'ra from the parasites that were the Goa'uld. Their success at breeding out the evil but not at the expense of the genetic knowledge meant a new weapon against the Goa'uld. The Tok'ra and their hosts were quickly able to defeat the remaining Goa'uld, driving most of them out and burying the Chaapa'ai stolen many years before.

Further breeding created the Novae, who would keep the knowledge of the ancients for future generations of the Tauri.

With the Asgard's approval, Poseidon made the decision to sink the powerful city. Twelve ships of Atlantisian Tauri sailed from the island to make their home in hundreds of locations around the Atlantic, teaching their ways and surviving by telling what soon became legends. In one day, Poseidon and the Ancients placed a dome over Atlantis' city and sank the island into the depths of the Atlantic Ocean, moving it so the Chaapa'ai would be nestled along the coast of Antarctica under layers of ice where the cold would keep the Goa'uld from surviving. Only those Atlantisians who traveled to Atalanta and back would know the way through the icy labyrinth to what had once been a channel through the Great Fertile Plain.

The Ancients created the springs of hot and cold fresh water throughout the city and lined the dome above with the genetically altered plants, as well as teaching them to grow hydroponic fruits and vegetables to supplement their diet. The Ancients gave them everything they needed but overlooked the fact that they had created a genetic tag in the Novae. Most with the tag had inadvertently left the city on the twelve ships.

The tag had been created in case the Goa'uld evil for some reason began to return to the new species. The new breed could not take a host without permission without killing not only the host, but themselves as well.

It was here that the king finished his story. "We are very glad you have come here," he said. "You have saved the last gift of the Ancients."

"We're glad about that as well, I suppose," Jack said. "But we'd like to go home. Is there any way we can go through the tunnel to the Shap, Chap... Damn it, what is it?"

"Chaapa'ai," Daniel said.

"Thank you," Jack said. "We found that one as well, and there is a team at the site studying it.

Postus stroked his chin thoughtfully. "It is possible the tunnel has been completely sealed by the disaster on Atalanta," he said. "None who have gone to check on the Chaapa'ai have ever returned."

"We'd like to at least try it," Jack replied.

Postus looked at the group. Finally, he nodded. "I will consult with my brothers and give you an answer in the morning," he said. "You may watch our tribute to Poseidon before we begin our meeting." He nodded to Aria. "Take them to be prepared for mid-day meal."

As Aria led them out of the cavernous room and into an equally large corridor, she talked to them eagerly. "You are lucky," she began. "Few are given the honor of witnessing the tribute."

"I am honored to have been invited then," Daniel replied.

"What's for lunch?" Jack broke in.

"Many fine seafood from the deep sea and vegetables from the hydroponics gardens," she replied as she came to five young women as they stood in the corridor. "These maidens will help you get ready. Traditional garments are waiting."

"Thank you for your patronage and please come again," Jack replied snidely as he was led away by one of the maidens.

#####################################################

Getting ready for lunch was a bigger undertaking that Sam had expected. She had expected a change of clothes, possibly a bath, but she got so much more. Indeed, she did have a bath; a hot one scented with some of the most relaxing scents she had ever inhaled. Then she received a seaweed wrap and another bath, this one tepid. After the tepid bath, she was given an exfoliating scrub with scented sea salts. She had a cold bath to rinse off the salt and then was given a luxurious massage with moisturizing oils that softened her skin and gave off an incredible aroma.

"I," Sam mumbled to herself. "Am in heaven."

Sitting in a robe as three young women gave her manicures, pedicures and curled her hair, two other brought a green dress for her to see. When she put it on, she found that it had a tight bodice—but not too tight—and a flowing skirt that fell in folds to just above her knee. An unusual silver trim decorated the hem.

The girls also brought a large selection of jewelry for Sam to choose from. She chose several pieces and put them on. As she was about to put on a lovely emerald pendant, one of the girls stopped her and placed a pendant around he neck. Upon inspection, Sam found that it was a flat oval of gold with a Stargate symbol etched into its surface. A diamond was set into a circle above a pyramid.

"It's the symbol for Earth from the Stargate," Sam said.

"It is also the symbol for Atlantis," the girl explained. "It will bring you luck."

"Thank you," Sam said softly.

Aria entered the room. "The men are waiting for you outside," she told Sam. "Atlantis will be joining you momentarily."

Sam nodded and left the room. The first teammate she saw was Daniel as he wrung his hands just outside the door. Jack leaned against the wall across the hall while Teal'c stood impassively in the center of the hall. All were dressed in the same clothes of the same green color, green slacks, tunics that hung open and down to mid-thigh which showed the physiques of all three men, and, as Sam had as well, bare feet. Besides the same trim that decorated Sam's dress on the clothes of all three men, Teal'c and Daniel had accessories with their outfits. Teal'c had a white sash wrapped around his waist, a practical accessory that hid his pouch. Daniel had two thin, narrow bands, carved with various Atlantisian symbols, wrapped around each arm near his shoulders.

"If this is what they wear for lunch," Sam said her arms folded across her chest. "I'd hate to see what they wear for dinner."

"You look great," Jack said with a smile that spoke volumes.

"I feel overdressed," she said.

"I don't blame you," Daniel said as he rubbed the bridge of his nose as if he missed his glasses.

"It is an interesting ensemble," Teal'c put in. "But you are quite attractive dressed that way, Major."

Sam blushed as Jack pushed away from the wall. "What's with all the green?" he asked. "And no shoes?"
"I asked them about the green," Daniel said. "The base for their fabric is seaweed, so everything is green. As for the bare feet, I'm just guessing that they don't need shoes here."

"The least they could do is let us wear our boots," Jack said.

Sam looked at him. "Combat boots? With these outfits?"

"Wouldn't go, huh?"

Sam shook her head.

"Uh, guys," Daniel said then pointed.

They turned their attention to where he had pointed. Atlantis stood in a dress of the same color and fabric as the others. It was loose but fell on her body in a manner that showed off her curves. Soft curls of red hair fell around her shoulders, framing her glowing face. Around her neck, she wore a pendant identical to Sam's, only in silver. She cleared her throat and opened her mouth to speak then changed her mind.

"Wow," Daniel breathed.

Atlantis smiled. "Am I the only one who feels overdressed?" The others laughed.

Aria joined them at that moment. "Meal is served," she told them. "Follow me."

The room where they were led was smaller than the throne room and had a great round table in the center. Eight chairs circled the table and Postus waited with a lovely woman at two of them. "My lovely wife, Cleto," Postus introduced when they were standing behind their own chairs. As one, they sat around the table.

The table setting was designed to encourage discussion with no decoration besides the Naaquada gilded plates and cutlery, and discuss they did. Postus told of life in Atlantis while SG-1 told stories of their many adventures through the Stargate. Atlantis sat and quietly listened. Soon the discussion turned to the Goa'uld.

"It sounds as though the Goa'uld have grown powerful in the centuries since they left Earth," Cleto commented.

Sam swallowed a bite of food. "Our allies have grown more powerful as well," she said.

"It seems our main ally, the Asgard have been busy with a war against the Replicators," Daniel put in. "With their attention elsewhere, the system lords have grown bold."

"The death of Apophis has caused them to fight among themselves," Teal'c stated.

"Which has kept their attention elsewhere as well," Jack said. "They're jockeying for control over Apophis' systems and Jaffa." He paused to clear his throat. "I just hope we're ready when they're done."

"Then we should be grateful that Keras has been bonded," Postus said with a slight nod to Atlantis.

"Keras is our best hope for victory over the Goa'uld," Aria said brightly.

"I wouldn't say that just yet, child," Keras said. Everyone looked to Atlantis, her glowing pink eyes and deep, echoey voice signaling that Keras had taken control. "The Goa'uld have had a chance to learn and grow over the centuries. I have not. I need the time during which the Goa'uld are preoccupied to learn and grow." She smiled. "I have a lot of catching up to do."

"Perhaps the Tok'ra will be of assistance," Teal'c suggested.

"Perhaps," Keras replied. "But only if we are able to make it through the ice maze to the place where the gate was."

"The labyrinth holds many dangers," Postus said. "None who have gone to explore the tunnels have ever returned. It is suggested that a Goa'uld lives there with many Jaffa. It was rumored that he was to attack the city but did not make it before the island sank. He is lost in the tunnels, murdering or making Jaffa of those who would try for the ice labyrinth."

"We've fought Goa'uld before," Jack stated. "I'm pretty confident we can reach the maze alive."

Postus nodded. "Tomorrow, you will join us for the tribute, then we will supply you with the equipment necessary for your journey."

"In the meantime," Aria put in. "I will give you a tour of the city so that you will never forget us."

#################################################

Aria led the group of visitors down the gentle slope of the south side of the Acropolis past a grove of trees that looked like weeping willows and past a cliff with water tumbling over it into a stream below. The path on which they walked curved along next to the stream then under the falls where Daniel stuck a hand under one of the falling streams of water and jerked back in surprise. "The water is warm," he pointed out.

"If you put your hand in the other stream, you'll find that it is cold," Aria replied. "This water is used for the hydroponic gardens." She pointed to the growing gardens in the first ring of water that surrounded the Acropolis. "It is brought in from the sea, desalinated, cleaned and purified for use for drinking, washing and the hydroponic gardens. "The used water is repurified and resalinated and returned to the ocean."
Aria led them across a bridge over the first circle of water. As they crossed, they looked over at the water below, watching as the workers paddled between the growing plants caring for them and harvesting ripe fruits and vegetables.

"How many people currently live in the city?" Sam asked.

"Over one-hundred thousand," Aria answered. "With the gardens and the fish from the laser net—which is how we caught you, by the way—we have more to eat than is needed." She stopped at a dock in the second ring of water where a large gondola complete with driver waited for them.

Aria boarded the boat, taking a seat next to Atlantis and Daniel. Sam, Teal'c and Jack sat on another bench across from the others. Aria gave instructions to the driver in a strange language then they set off.

She gestured to the dome. "I imagine the sky to be very beautiful," she said.

"It is," Sam replied. "The sunrises and sunsets can be spectacular, not to mention rainbows."

"I hope to someday be the first to see the sun in generations," Aria said.

"Maybe you could return with us to the surface," Daniel said.

Aria sighed. "I wish I could," she said wistfully. "But I have responsibilities here."

"Is it my imagination," Atlantis interrupted. "Or is it getting colder?"

Aria shook her head suddenly and pulled a small control from her pocket. She pressed a small button on its face and the cold disappeared.

"What was that?" Jack asked.

The trim on your clothing creates a field that sits on your skin," Aria replied. "It creates a pocket of warmth around you that the cold doesn't penetrate. Unfortunately, it doesn't work in the sub-zero temperatures outside the city."

"So we'll still need cold weather gear," Jack said.

"That is correct," Aria said.

"What about some kind of vehicle?" Jack continued.

Aria pointed to the dome high above where what looked like a spider could be seen crawling along in the vines. "We have crawlers that can carry you all," she said as they slid to a stop at a dock at the very end of the trench. "They are kept near here. I will show you."

"What about the plants covering the dome?" Daniel asked.

They trim them on a schedule," Aria replied. "They start at one end, trimming the old and dead away until they reach the other side. At that time, it is necessary the begin again." By this time, they had reached the area where the crawlers were parked. She waved her hand to the vehicles as they sat idle near the gate to the city. "Go ahead and take a look."

"Pretty good," Jack said as he looked inside. There were two seats wide enough for two people comfortably and a large cargo area in the back. The center of the front seat had a steering handle that could be used from either side and pedals much like those in a regular car. Jack pulled his head out of the car and looked over at the gated entrance. "So that's the way out," he said.

Aria nodded, watching warily as the group headed over to take a look.

"I take it this is Naaquada," Jack said as he fingered the bars of the metal gate.

"Yes," Aria replied. "The gate keeps out whatever is out there."

"You don't want us to try it, do you?" Atlantis asked.

"It's dangerous," Aria replied.

"We've been in danger before," Jack said. "I think we can handle what is waiting for us down that tunnel." He gestured to the darkness with two fingers. "We've saved the world more than once." He walked back to the crawler followed closely by Sam and Teal'c.

"I certainly hope that's true," Aria said quietly before following Jack.

Atlantis raised her eyebrows and followed.

#################################

"That tour was certainly a learning experience," Daniel told Atlantis as they made their way back to the bedchambers to which they had been assigned. "Dinner was exquisite, the music was interesting and the dancing was... different."

"Yes, but how did you like it?" Atlantis said with a smile. Daniel shook his head and walked on. Atlantis changed the subject. "Just imagine never having seen the sky. No sun, no stars, no moon. Just a dull gray dome with glowing vines growing from it."

"They seem to enjoy life here," Daniel said.

"I know," Atlantis replied. "I think I would trade the moon and sun for a simple life of peace such as they live here—if given the chance."

Daniel stopped at his door. "No war," he said quietly.

"No fear," Atlantis continued. She pushed open the door and stopped short. Hundreds of scented candles lit the room, filling the air with their essence. She stood in the middle of the room, breathing in the scent.

"What is this?" Daniel asked.

Atlantis shook her head. "I'm not sure," she said. "They smell..."

"Intoxicating," Daniel finished as he watched her.

Atlantis looked back at him and fell into his eyes. Without even knowing how, his lips were suddenly on hers. Drunk with the aroma of the candles and desire he didn't even know he had had, he lifted her from her feet and laid her on the bed. Time slowed to a crawl in the romantic spell the candles cast over them.

####################################

Outside in the hall, Sam and Jack passed by their room, discussing the plan for the next morning. Jack stopped just past Daniel's door. "You smell something funny?" he asked her.

Sam stopped as well, sniffing. "It's kind of pleasant," she said then tried to bring his attention back to their conversation. "They insist we wait until after their big tribute to Poseidon before we leave."

"Maybe they just want to put on a show," Jack replied. "I can't figure out what that smell could be."

Sam rolled her eyes before taking another deep breath, inhaling the aroma of the candles burning in Daniel's room. "Hmm," she breathed. "I think it's candles."

"They smell nice," Jack said.

Sam gave him a strange look. Jack's statement had not sounded a bit like the smart ass that the colonel usually was. "You OK?" she asked carefully. He nodded. "What happened to Teal'c?"

"He stayed behind to ask about the tribute and what it entails," Jack replied as he dreamily began strolling toward his room down the hall. Sam cautiously followed.

"Are you sure you're OK?" she asked when they reached his sleeping quarters.

Jack nodded as he hummed something from Rogers and Hammerstein.

Now he was really acting strange. "Do you want me to get you some water?" she asked as she opened the door. Inside, the scent was stronger and Sam could see that the room was lit with several dozen aromatic candles. Jack had started acting funny when he caught a whiff of the candle's scent, so Sam figured that the candles probably had something to do with the weird way he was acting. "I should probably go get some sleep," she said as Jack lumbered past her and into the room. She turned to leave only to be stopped by Jack's hand on her wrist.

"Not yet," he said and gently pulled her into the room, closing the door behind them.

Sam gasped slightly when he kissed her, but did not pull away. She breathed deeply, inhaling the scent of the candles around her. The effect was dizzying.

Jack pulled away slightly to run a trail of kisses down her throat to the neck of her dress, his hands exploring her body. "This probably isn't such a good idea," she said as she ran her hands through his graying brown hair, not moving to pull away. "It's extremely inappropriate."

Jack's lips found hers once more, his hands moving to tangle themselves in her hair. He paused to pull away and say, "I'm waaay past caring what is appropriate."

"You say that now," Sam breathed into his mouth as he began to rhythmically move against her. "But tomorrow you'll feel different." A deep passionate kiss made her pause. "After you get over the effect of the candles."

"The only thing affecting me is you," he whispered in her ear.

Sam found herself moaning quietly, then tried semi-successfully to shake it off. She pulled away from Jack by telling herself she'd hate them both in the morning if she let this get any farther. With a deep breath, she successfully removed Jack's hands from her face and body although her body screamed for her not to. "Blow the candles out," she said gently. "You'll feel much better." She straightened her dress and hair. "I'll see you in the morning."

"Stay," Jack practically begged. "I need you."

"Not enough to jeopardize both of our careers," she replied. Before her aroused body could make her decide otherwise, she opened the door and went through, closing it behind her. She put her head on the door and took several deep breaths, trying not to imagine what might have happened if she had stayed.

"Major Carter," came Teal'c's questioning voice from behind her. "Is there something wrong?"

Sam swallowed and lifted her head, turning to the Jaffa. "Nothing that a good night's sleep and a nice cold shower won't cure," she replied then swept past him and down the corridor to her sleeping quarters.

Teal'c's eyebrows went up. "Indeed," he said then continued on his way to his own sleeping chamber.

###########################

Sam took a deep breath and joined the rest of SG-1 in the corridor where Aria stood with a knowing smile. "I do hope you enjoyed the candles we lit for you," she said.

"Yeah, what exactly were they anyway?" Jack asked, back to his normal cocky self.

"A type of Aromatherapy that encourages the creation of certain endorphins," she replied. "It affects men more than women but the effect can be quite intoxicating and extremely pleasurable."

"I'll say," Jack said in his best smart-aleck tone as he tried not to look at Sam.

Sam didn't look at Jack, but noticed the closeness that Daniel and Atlantis were sharing. She sighed and looked away.

Knowing the way to the temple, Teal'c took point and led as Aria fell into step next to Sam as she straggled behind. "You did not enjoy your night with O'Neill?"

Sam breathed. "I did not spend the night with him."

"Even though you care very much for him?"
"He is my commanding officer," Sam explained. "For us to have a physical relationship would be extremely inappropriate."

"Ah," Aria said. "I'm not sure I understand this rule, but I will make sure we do not allow O'Neill to come into contact with the candles again."

"Thank you," Sam replied. "That would be easier." She walked in silence for moment. "Why did you put them out anyway?"

She said a phrase in the Atlantisean tongue.

"What?"

"A celebration of the ten sons that Clito birthed as sons for the Ancient one, Poseidon," Aria answered as they exited the palace. "We burn the candles in all bed chambers occupied by men. Tradition dictates the men take the women to their bed during the time when the candles burn."

"Tradition, huh," Sam commented. "What else does the tradition say?"

"If a baby is created during the night, it is a good omen. If twins are born, the parents are thought to be blessed," Aria explained. She glanced up to find that they had fallen way behind the others. "We had better catch up with the others."

They sprinted over the grass between the palace and the temple to catch up with the rest of their group. Today, the entire group wore green jumpsuits that were comfortable and warm although their feet were still bare. Sam had not gone without shoes for so long since the summers of her childhood.

The group filed into a small balcony overlooking the temple floor where Aria left them to examine their surroundings. The temple was as huge inside as it was out. At one end was a huge statue of the 'god' Poseidon—at least a human representation of him. At the base of the huge statue was a short altar with channels around the edge funneling to a small Naaquada container. Running back and forth in the giant vault were several bulls with sawed off horns.

Sam watched with interest as ten men in Greek clothing entered the room and began chasing the bulls with lassos. Once a bull was finally caught, the men dragged him to the altar and killed it using their bare hands. Sam gasped in horror as they put the carcass on the altar. They chanted in the language which Sam had come to realize was their native tongue. The whole group watched in horror as the king cut the animal's throat, allowing the beast's blood to trickle through the channels and into the container.

The king to the container and held it above his head, yelling a plea to the 'gods.' In one swift motion, he lowered it and drank from its contents.

Sam winced and looked away as Atlantis put her hand to her mouth in horror. Jack looked extremely uncomfortable as Teal'c watched the barbaric display with disgust across his chiseled features.

"Oh my God," Daniel swore quietly.

"I didn't think that they still did that," Atlantis said with her head down.

Aria rejoined them at that moment. She raised her eyebrows in bewilderment. "I take it you did not like our tribute," she said.

"Not exactly," Jack said. "Why do they do that?"

"It is a tradition that has been done for centuries," Aria said. "The ritual slaughter is from the days when we believed that the Ancients were gods."

"Well," Atlantis put in. "Maybe it is time to let go of that tradition."

Aria looked around at them. "Perhaps it is," she said. "If we are ever to rejoin our brothers above, we must be able to make changes." She gestured for them to follow. "Come. Postus would like to speak to you."

###########################

"I am truly sorry that you did not like the tribute," Postus said. "I am also welcome to the idea of doing away with that particular tradition."

They were in the center of the room where the horrific display had just taken place. Postus gestured to a boy who ran off quickly. "There is more to this room than meets the eye," Postus said as he strolled down the length of it toward the statue. "It holds secrets that even I have never known until you came with the tablet of the Stargate. The tablet revealed these secrets."

"Exactly what kind of secrets?" Daniel asked as they stopped dead center in the room.

Before Postus could elaborate, the boy returned with the Stargate instructions tablet. "Here," Postus said. Looking carefully, he chose a certain spot in the room and laid the tablet on the floor there. Then he stepped back and waited.

With a burst of blinding light, a pedestal grew from the floor beneath the tablet. A glowing red-orange dome appeared near the tablet and Daniel started. "It looks similar to the pedestal on Earnest's planet."

"Why don't you do the honors?" Postus said.

Looking at the others, Daniel stepped forward and touched the glowing dome. A flash of light blasted out of the top of the pedestal and to the ceiling where it turned into a holographic representation of some kind. It filled the room hanging like a huge mobile.

"Doesn't look like the hologram from Earnest's planet," Jack said.

Daniel was puzzled as well. "It sure doesn't."

Sam, however, walked amongst the floating dots in awe. "It's the entire Stargate system."

"Wow!" Atlantis breathed. "This is incredible!"

Suddenly, the scene began to change. Several pink dots started blinking then turned yellow and went dull, blending in with the rest of the stars around it. Sam frowned. "The changes taking place are familiar," she said pointing. "There's the black hole planet and the planet where Apophis launched his attack from." Another winked out near her head. "That is Earnest's planet."

"It's sensing which Stargates have been removed from the system somehow?" Atlantis asked.

"Yeah," Sam replied. "But there are thousands upon thousands here. We only have a few hundred thousand from the cartouche on Abydos and the repository of the ancients."

"You think there is some way to take this information home?" Jack asked.

"I can write them down, but I think it would take a lifetime to write them all down," Sam replied.

Postus signaled the boy once again and he handed over a small crystal. Postus took the crystal and slid it into a slot next to the tablet. The crystal glowed for several minutes then went dull. "The entire map is on this one crystal," Postus said as he wrapped the crystal in a soft cloth and slid it into a pouch. He handed it to Sam. "I'm hoping you can retrieve it."

"The Tok'ra may be able to retrieve it and transfer it to media we can use in our own computers," she said. "Thank you."

Postus bowed to his guests. "Thank you."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The city's gates stood open and waiting with heavily armed guards as the departing guests said goodbye to their hosts. Soon it was time to go and they piled into the transformed spider car. The long legs that took it to the heights of the dome had been replaced with wheels. The ride was smooth as they rode into the tunnel. Behind them, the gate closed with an ominous clunk.

The journey was slow going. Icy columns of ice blocked their path at several points, but the vehicle was nimble, even without the legs and they move past each obstruction as it came up. Heated blades in the front of the car shaved off chunks of ice when the path became too narrow to take the car through.

Inside the car, Jack and Sam made idle chitchat about several topics that would be appropriate at a dinner party between strangers but not friends. The passengers sitting in the back seat did not speak, but knew the two officers were just trying to keep the quiet from driving them crazy. After about an hour of travel, Atlantis suggested that they stop and stretch their legs. She took Sam to the front of the vehicle to clear off the snow there while the men checked how the cargo in the back was doing.

"What's going on?" Atlantis asked her as she cleared the ice that had been building up on the vents and light on the front of the car. "You and O'Neill are driving me crazy."

"It's better than complete silence, isn't it?" Sam replied as she checked the underside of the vehicle.

"I think I'd rather have silence than listen to you two pretending," Atlantis replied.

"Pretending?" Sam asked as she looked up at the other woman. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"There you go again," Atlantis said. "Pretending." She finished her clearing and turned to face Sam. "What happened last night?"

Sam stood. "Nothing," she said.

"Nothing at all?"

Sam looked unwilling to share. "He kissed me."

"Nothing to be ashamed of," Atlantis replied. "It could have gone farther."

"That's the point," Sam replied. "In this line of work romantic feelings for a commanding officer can kill people."

Atlantis nodded in understanding. "I understand," she said. "I won't..." She stopped suddenly to listen down the tunnel. Her brow scrunched up and she moved away from the light she had so recently cleared.

"What is it?" Sam asked as she followed her out of the light's beam.

"I thought I heard something," Atlantis replied peering into the dark at the end of the light's beam. She turned. "O'Neill!" she called to the rear of the vehicle.

"Yeah," he asked as he joined them.

"I heard something out there," she said.

Jack pulled a Zat'n'ktel from his jacket and looked at Teal'c. "Think this will work in this cold?"

"It will most certainly," Teal'c replied as he brought his staff weapon to bear. "As will my staff."

"Good, let's go take a look," he said as he took the lead. He grabbed a light and headed down the tunnel.

###############################

Jack slid between two of the columns of ice that had made their journey slow going. Out of the corner of his eye, he spied movement and shone his light where he had seen it. Finding nothing, he called out to Teal'c and they headed back to the car. They arrived to find the others gone.

"Daniel!" he called. "Carter! Atlantis!"

There was no answer. "Teal'c?" he asked as he turned to the Jaffa.

"Here," Teal'c pointed to tracks in the snow. They led back toward the city.

Jack jumped into the machine and pulled the switch to the 'off' position then pulled it from its handle so no one could start the machine except him. As the tunnel ahead went ominously dark, he reached into the back into their supplies and grabbed a second light. Tossing it to Teal'c, he climbed back out of the car and followed the Jaffa as he tracked the path made by seven sets of footprints, three for their friends and four for whoever had taken them.

#################################

Daniel and Sam had been demanding to know what was wanted of them since they had been taken. Atlantis only followed in silence, keeping an eye on where they were going so she could lead them back if she had to.

They backtracked several feet then were pushed through a crevice in the side of the tunnel. You couldn't see it unless you were almost on top of it.

Once past the narrow section, they came upon a wide room-like area where they were shoved to sit on their knees on the floor. Three of their captors stayed in the area to watch them as the fourth ventured farther into the crevice. Minutes later, the fourth returned with someone else.

He wore cold weather gear like that worn by the others except for the fact it was black and had dark green splotches sewn into it. The coat was obviously very old but he wore it with pride. He stopped in front of the three and smiled. Then his eyes flashed and began to glow.

#################################

O'Neill looked through the narrow crevice, watching the Goa'uld as he walked around the three on the floor. "It seems we have found the reason for the disappearances," he whispered.

"Indeed," Teal'c whispered back as he peered over O'Neill's shoulder.

"You are not Atlantean," the Goa'uld was saying to them. "How did you get in to the tunnels?!"

"We came from the city," Daniel replied. "And we are Atlantean."

"You do not look it," he growled back then pointed to Atlantis. "She is too dark to have come from the city. Lack of sun has made them pale. She is tanned as if from the sun."

"New lotion?" Atlantis commented.

The Goa'uld sneered. "I want the city," He said. "I want revenge for what the Ancients have done to me."

"O'Neill," Teal'c began.

"Shhh!" O'Neill hissed.

"I believe we are being invited to join them," Teal'c went on.

O'Neill turned to find that two men in snow gear similar to theirs were pointing weapons at them. They took Teal'c's and O'Neill's weapons and gestured for them to join their friends with the Goa'uld.

"More guests," the Goa'uld said. "Welcome. I am Shaarif. Sit. Sit. Tell me what I want to know and I will not kill you. You can become part of my rapidly growing army of Jaffa."

"I don't think so," O'Neill replied.

"I don't like you," Shaarif said. He gestured to his Jaffa. "Kill him."

In a flash, Sam was on her feet. She tackled Shaarif, knocking him to the floor. In her peripheral vision, she saw the others jump into action as well.

With his superior strength, Shaarif soon gained the upper hand and pinned Sam to the floor. He pulled a knife from his belt and held it to her throat.

"Well, well, well," he said. "You have fire I must admit." He paused for a grin. "I'm thinking that there is something about this man. He must be your mate."

"No," Sam said. "He's not my mate."

"Then you must wish it so," he said. "If you are willing to die for him."

The knife dug into Sam's neck. Shaarif smiled as he drew blood. "Perhaps torture. I would love to see your reaction to that."

"No," Sam growled and with a burst of strength, pushed Shaarif away.

They struggled over the knife for several seconds until Sam pulled it out of his grasp and plunged into his neck. He gurgled and his eyes glowed then he sighed and went limp. Sam closed her eyes and let out a relieved breath. When she looked up, she saw that the others were finishing up with the rest of the Jaffa.

"You OK?" O'Neill asked her.
She nodded.

"Let's get back to the car," he said.

################################

Silence filled the car as they continued their drive. Uncomfortable with the silence, Atlantis would strike up a conversation only to have it die seconds later. Finally, she gave up and snuggled into Daniel's shoulder. After another hour of travel, the car finally rolled to a stop.

"Everybody out," O'Neill said. "Let's go!"

Atlantis led them through the ice maze until they came to where someone had obviously been digging. There she stopped.

O'Neill went ahead, looking through the crevice where he looked out and saw the frozen blue Antarctic sky. "Here's the way out," he said over his shoulder. "Come on!"

"I can't," Atlantis said softly.

"Why not?" Daniel said.

She looked into his eyes. "The Ancients are returning."

"How can you know that?"

"Keras," she replied. "It's time for you to go."

"Atlantis," Sam interrupted. "You can't stay here."

"Someone has to return the car," she said.

"I don't understand," Sam said.

"You will," Atlantis replied. "But not quite now. It isn't time yet."

O'Neill hopped down from the step carved into the crevice and joined them. "We going?" he asked.

"Atlantis is staying," Sam said. "She's going to return to the city."
"Oh, yeah. Why?"

"It is not time just yet," she explained.

"Why not?"

Her head bowed for a second then she spoke in the voice that told them Keras was speaking. "The Tau'ri still have a great battle ahead. They must win if they are ever going to become the fifth race of the Alliance."

O'Neill jerked as if he had been slapped. "The Asgard told me that we were on our way to becoming the fifth race," he said.

Daniel took her hand. "Keras, do the ancients still exist?"

"Somewhere," she nodded. "They may have ascended, but they will never cease to exist."

"Ascended?" Daniel asked. "What does that mean?"

"They have evolved beyond the need for corporeal bodies," she replied. "You will learn in time, Daniel Jackson." She paused to remove a flat circular device from her pocket. "But for now..."

The device made a high-pitched noise. The four fell to the ground with their hands over their ears, squirming for several minutes. The noise stopped and all four lost consciousness.

Keras blinked and relinquished control of the body to her original owner. "I'm sorry," she whispered.

Turning, she went back the way she had come. Passing through the arch of ice where they had passed only moment before, she paused and turned to watch as two bright swirls of light peeled away from the wall. Atlantis resumed her walk, the lights following her.

###############################

Epilogue

When Daniel woke, he found himself wrapped in blankets staring at a beige ceiling. He blinked and turned his head to find one of his team members bundled up in the same sort of blankets he had been wrapped in.

"Doctor!" someone called. "Dr. Jackson is awake!"

Dr. Janet Frasier's familiar face came into his field of vision. "Daniel," she began. "How are you feeling?"

"Cold," he replied with a shiver. "What happened?"

"The submarine you were in crashed on the shores of Antarctica and you were found by the team from the research facility near where the second Stargate was found," she replied.

"Is everyone OK?"

"Teal'c and Jack have a bit of frostbite and Sam has a good sized cut on her hand, but they are all OK,"

"What about Atlantis?"

"They never found her," Janet replied. "You've been missing for almost a week. You should have all frozen to death. Do you remember what happened?"

Daniel shook his head. "The last thing I remember was something going wrong with the sub."

Janet touched his cheek and, finding it to her expectations, helped him sit up. She pulled some of the extra blankets away and handed them to someone else then pulled a small pouch from her pocket. She upturned the pouch and slid the crystal out of it. "Do you know what this is? We found it on Sam but she doesn't know where it came from."

"I don't know either," Daniel replied. "You think it may be important?"

"Sam said she had a feeling it might contain important information about the Stargate," Janet said. "She just doesn't remember what."

Daniel shook his head. "I don't remember."

Janet slid the crystal back into the pouch. "We can talk more about it when we get back to the SGC. For now, you just get some sleep."

Daniel nodded and lay back to stare at the beige ceiling.

The End