Disclaimer - NOT MINE!
Sorry the wait's been so long guys.
Thanks to CT for the bread and water shoved under the door of the candle lit office - please can I go out in the sunlight now!!!!
Anyway:-
Please allow me to introduce myself
I'm a man of wealth and taste
I've been around for a long, long year stolen many man's soul and faith
Sympathy For The Devil (Mick Jagger / Keith Richards)
================
The sword hit the ground to the left of O'Neill in a dusty statement of insurrection.
Jack felt the universe hold its breath and looked towards Jonas. The young man's eyes were cloudy and leaden like that of an approaching storm.
He held his hand out and helped O'Neill to his feet, "it's pay back time," Jonas said turning on his heels to meet Ragnarok's dark glare.
The host signalled for his two Jaffa to open fire but Jonas pitched them to the floor with an angry wave of his hand before they could launch a shot.
Ragnarok quickly took stock of his situation as a foreboding cracked through every vertebrae of his spine. He hastily pulled his fists, tightly, to his chest and then breathed out pushing a skein of effervescent energy from his palms. It hurtled, menacingly, through the air towards O'Neill and Jonas but the Kelownan stopped it in mid-flight with a diminutive gesture of his hand. Jonas smiled, his eyes not leaving the hooded face and gently blew on the electrified orb transforming the energy into a shower of melting snowflakes.
Ragnarok retreated leaving Anubis in control of his body, "you were meant to be devoid of light, without a soul," the parasite questioned.
"Guess again," Jonas snarled, his eyes a characterless silver, "remember I warned you that the universe would have its reckoning, well that day is here," he proclaimed, throwing a wave of energy that enveloped the Goa'uld and host in an impregnable bubble.
He then inhaled deeply and stretched his left arm up to touch the peaceful azure of the heavens. The sky stirred, waking from its slumber, blurring the sun with a sudden cloak of metallic cloud, which was drawn to where Jonas was stood. It twisted, revolving around the Kelwownan's outstretched arm into a compacted cyclone of cloud, sparking and hissing in fury with fractured fingers of light that snaked in and around Jonas's body.
He pulled his arm down, severing the connection with the elements of the air and pushed a great charge along Anubis's iridescent force field. This immense surge of power shorted the emitters in a gentle pyrotechnic display, knocking the Jaffa sentries out as it leapt to the metal of their armour. An acidic smell weaved its way around the compound creating a soft cotton haze that helped disguise the prisoners as they relieved the fallen guards of their staff weapons.
Jonas turned his attention to Anubis and released him from his confinement. The Goa'uld seemed dazed and rocked momentarily as he tried to get his body weight under control. Jonas watched him and hesitated for a minute, a frown clearly marking his thoughts as he tried to control the mixture of emotions, the storm of feelings, pumping in his heart. He took Bra'tac's dagger from the sleeve of the rough-cut tunic and used it to slice through his own palm. He then placed Daniel's pendant against the wound and closed his fist around it. Blood and light escaped from his tightly closed fingers until he uncurled them and let the decorated disk of gold fall to the floor. He looked down at his palm, Ra's symbol, the eye, was seared onto his flesh. He held out his hand toward Anubis and a bright light discharged from the open eye, piercing the Goa'uld's body through the chest and again through his neck.
Anubis grabbed at his throat and fell to his knees as the blistering light started to attack his whole body. It tore through him, splitting and dividing the two parts, until Ragnarok and Anubis lay separated on the dirt.
Jonas walked with purpose to where the symbiote lay and caught its tail under his heavy boot. He stretched out his arm to the side and the sword behind him twitched on the ground, and then flew into his waiting hand. Again he faltered as the conflict inside of him, the principled, the moral, the ethical side of his soul cluttered the rhythm of his actions.
Jack observed the Kelownan waiver in his intent and went to wrestle the weapon from the young man's grasp. Jonas turned to greet O'Neill's advancement and his face broke from its façade revealing the damaged human being beneath, "no," he whispered gently, "I must do this."
Jack stepped back as Jonas brought the sword up to his right shoulder, wiping the sweat from his top lip with his sleeve and looked down at the struggling symbiote, "the sky's above me, the grass is so sweet, this journey's circle, will now be complete. This is for all those you took in the night," he cried, closing his eyes and bringing the sword down to decapitate the snake-like creature.
The air fizzed for a moment with expectancy as a flow of heavy static tickled exposed skin trying to find a direction. Then as one life lay forfeit to the metal of a sword another jerked back into life. Bra'tac sat up and stretched back into his body, drinking in the soft breeze, filling his lungs. He stood up, pressing his hand to where the knife had torn his skin and found the wound completely healed. He looked toward Jonas and nodded, the Kelownan smiled back reassured, the universe had given the old man Anubis's life force in payment.
Jonas walked over to where the host lay motionless on the ground, the sword kicking up a cloud of dust as he dragged its tip in the dirt. He spread his free hand over Ragnarok's head as light flickered between his fingers and snapped towards the unconscious man's mind like stinging bands of elastic. They swarmed around his mask, feeding on his brain until its pathways collapsed.
He stepped back, exhausted, the vengeance in his heart burnt out as a small tear curled down his cheek. He did not move but shut his eyes letting the calmness of the moment wash over him, hoping it would purge the guilt from his soul. He let the sword drop and fell to his knees vomiting a black tar like substance that burned into the soil.
The Kelownan, again, wiped his sleeve across his mouth and attempted to stand with Jack's help. He looked down at the two still bodies and then to the Colonel for some sort of assurance.
O'Neill looked into his questioning face, "you did what had to be done," he said leading the young man away from the carnage towards Daniel. The two exchanged looks then Daniel asked, "Jonas what happen to you?"
The Kelownan pulled at the neck of the tunic, he was wearing, trying to hide the visible scars that were protruding above the material. He swallowed deeply and looked for an answer along the horizon, "it took the light from me," he said frowning in memory.
"Jonas," Jack began following the young man's gaze but was interrupted by Jacob who had joined them along with Bra'tac.
"Jack, Malek has taken Teal'c and few Jaffa into the woods, we have a cache of small arms hidden in a tunnel under the lake. Rak'nor and some men are guarding our perimeter and watching Anubis's Jaffa. As far as we can make out Herak, Anubis's first prime, is still on board the warship and may warn them when his master does not reappear," Jacob said his eyes not leaving Jonas.
"Ah, nice to see you people are prepared," Jack said.
"The Tok'ra are always prepared O'Neill," Selmak said from within Jacob, "but we will not be if Herak is able to use his master's energy weapon."
Jonas rubbed his forehead, wearily, and looked into Selmak's imperious eyes, "Sam and Ja'ra will make sure that does not happen," he said drinking slowly from the bottle of water Bra'tac had offered him.
"Ja'ra?" O'Neill echoed.
"The Jaffa who has accompanied Major Carter is not under the Goa'uld's command. I have given Sam Anubis's command code so she can initiate the warship's self-destruct programme."
Jack raised his eyebrows enquiringly.
"When, when I was in the place of darkness," he whispered, his hand trembling slightly grasping the bottle, "Ragnarok and Anubis's memories were given to me, to purge the light and fill its void with the sordid shadows of their souls," Jonas's face warped for a moment in recollection and his eyes blackened with an inky film.
Selmak's hand went to the staff weapon at his side but Bra'tac rested his hand onto the Tok'ra's shoulder in reassurance.
The young man's eyes then sparkled, dissipating the ink with light, "I was able to transfer the codes to Major Carter when I, when I," he blushed deeply and coughed.
"Oh," O'Neill replied, smiling slightly looking towards Sam's father who had taken control back from Selmak.
Jonas turned to face Jacob and touched the other man's temple with his fingertips generating a picture in his mind, "Sam?" The older man said, softly.
========
Major Carter held her hand up for Ja'ra to stop. They were working their way along the hive like corridors of Anubis's warship when a voice entered her thoughts.
Ja'ra narrowed his hazel eyes, questioning the Major's sudden halt, worried that they would be found, "we must continue, the private chamber is close," he said pulling his large shoulders back in authority.
"Wait, I thought I heard something," she replied putting her own fingertips to her temple.
"Sam," there it was again, spinning around her head, "dad?" She said softly, "dad are you okay?
"Yes, we all are, for now, Anubis is dead" came the reply with a sudden flash of her father's face, "but Herak is still on board and may be able to use the Eye of Ra."
She smiled, relieved, "understood," she said as the image buzzed and faded leaving her alone in her reflections.
Jacob watched Jonas's eyes change to green and saw the vibrancy of truth in their hue, he nodded, satisfied; the Kelownan smiled.
========
Jonas sat down on one of the rocks that cluttered the sand and opened his hand. The gold pendant that had lain forgotten on the floor flew into it; he watched it dance in the sunlight for a second before handing it back to Doctor Jackson.
Daniel took it gratefully catching a glimpse of its mirror image embossed on Jonas's palm.
Jack sat down next to the Kelownan and looked towards Bra'tac whose shadow fell across his knee, "glad to have you back old man."
"As I am glad to be back, human," the Jaffa replied, he then turned to Jonas feeling the young man's angst, "it was an honour to help you Jonas Quinn," he said with a slight bow of his head.
"I am sorry you suffered because of it," the Kelownan said softly watching the wind rouse the loose ground around his feet.
Bra'tac shook his head, "it was my choice."
"Okay, I'm confused," Jack said looking from one to the other and then to Daniel.
Jonas kept his head down observing the simplicity of an incandescent beetle shuffling across the sand, "Colonel, do, do you remember the last night we spent here, when Anubis invaded the planet of Urder to destroy the Asgard?" He said picking the creature up with gentle hands.
O'Neill nodded remembering how Daniel, Bra'tac and himself had watched the young man survive a series of near fatal convulsions while the room had filled with terrifying screams.
"Before, before the planet's anguish flowed through me," Jonas continued, "I had a feeling, a premonition, a warning if you like that, that something 'bad' was coming, something beyond Anubis and Ragnarok, something dark," he said, turning his hand so the beetle could amble over his knuckles.
"Okay," Jack said still no clearer.
"I knew this darkness needed Olmec's knowledge to turn the universe in its favour and that at some point it would come for me to, to take it," Jonas sighed putting the beetle back down on the ground away from harm.
"I would not be able to stop it," he continued in almost a whisper rubbing his temple to guard against some painful memory. "So with Bra'tac's permission I joined with him to pass on as much of Olmec 'power' as was safe for his body to carry. I was still weak from the run in with Anubis and the Lycaons and my body had not adjusted to holding Olmec's energy so it was easy to trick it into transferring part of the power to a stronger body. When the darkness finally took me it only extracted half of the light."
"But thought it had taken it all," Daniel said watching the beetle saunter off into a small crop of vegetation, "but why Bra'tac, why not Cassie?"
Jonas smiled and looked at the Jaffa apologetically, "because no one would think to look for it in such a lowly being. If I'd passed it on to Cassie, the power would have joined with her, because of her abilities, and the, the darkness would of felt this. Bra'tac does not possess any such powers or senses, so he could be safely used as a, a 'container' with no harm to himself."
"But you killed him!" Jack said looking at the bloody gash in the Jaffa's clothing.
Bra'tac raised his eyebrows at the Colonel, "the light can only be passed on when one is weak or close to death, O'Neill" he said, "Jonas Quinn told me of this, so I knew the risks involved. When he stabbed me the energy that I held was transferred back to him."
He then looked passed Jack into some distant memory; "I have served one false God, without question, for most of my life, human, this thing I choose to do as a free man."
O'Neill nodded in understanding.
Jonas held out his hands palms up. Two spheres appeared, hovering above them, one of white light, the other of dark matter. "Now we are both equally balanced, the darkness and myself," he said in a soft, ominous, voice.
Daniel watched the two floating orbs, his mind deep in thought as he massaged the bridge of his nose. He turned and walked over to the hooded figure of Ragnarok holding his arm against his body to combat the ache in his shoulder. He looked down at the host for a moment and then squatted beside him carefully removing the heavy mask that obscured his features. He placed it to one side and then looked on the disfigured face now revealed. It was as if all humanity had been burnt from it with spiteful malevolence, blistering and corrupting the skin with disease leaving ulcerous cankers and open lesions; it bore little resemblance to that of the Kelownan's.
"Dear God," Jacob exclaimed.
"He's still alive," Daniel said feeling the beat of Ragnarok's heart.
"Yes," Jonas replied, unable avert his eyes for the host, "only his body, his mind is dead."
"Why?" Daniel asked, frowning.
"If he dies, he will ascend."
"No, hang on, this, this thing's evil won't he descend?" O'Neill asked.
"No, Colonel," Jonas replied, "you forget, he is already halfway to ascension but he couldn't completely transform because Anubis was inside of him."
"Ah, that's why they were looking for a new, prettier, host for big A," Jack said kicking at the snake-like creature decaying on the ground.
Jonas nodded, he felt a coldness creep over him, "now Ragnarok's just an empty vessel waiting to be filled, again," he said almost in a whisper.
"Filled by what?" Jack asked not liking where this was going.
Jonas hesitated pressing his hands together and placing them under his nose as if in prayer, "the darkness is coming, Colonel" he said softly, "and it will need a host so it can play one last hand to win control of the universe. Once it takes on corporeal form, like Olmec, it can be defeated. We do not have much time, it will sense the shift in power, their loss, my return and it will come seeking vengeance."
Teal'c jogged across to where they were standing and handed them a Zat gun and an MP9, which Jonas declined.
"O'Neill," Teal'c said, "Rak'nor has scouted ahead to the complex, Anubis has left most of his Jaffa to fortify this base and guard the stargate. They have already erected several energy cannons."
"Oh, great and here we are with just a handful of weapons," Jack replied watching the advancing figure of General Hammond.
"We have faced greater odds, O'Neill," the dark Jaffa replied.
"Yeah, well it doesn't mean I gotta like them. Jonas any chance you could do your thing with the lightening stuff? " Jack asked but Jonas wasn't listening.
"It's coming," he said bracing himself against the sudden gust of wind that whipped the impoverished soil into their faces.
"Where the hell did that come from?" Asked Hammond shielding his eyes as the ground began to vibrate.
"I've got a bad feeling about this," Jack stated as he watched the earth swell and crack open in front of him.
A bloated tendril of blackness spiralled out from the bowels of the rupture, its movement resembling the semi-liquid flow of a soft metal as it coursed toward the 'sleeping' body of Ragnarok.
Jonas turned toward Bra'tac, "you must go," he said knowingly, "it has warned Anubis's Jaffa."
The old man nodded, leaving Rya'c with his father, he signalled to Malek and the others to move off.
General Hammond and the rest of SG1 stayed behind but moved back to take up defensive positions by the Kelownan as the host's body absorb the tar like entity.
Ragnarok immediately jumped to his feet and his eyed glowed blood red, "you tricked me," he hissed toward Jonas.
A storm gathered in the sky overhead ripping through its fabric with a golden hammer of thunder and lightening. The disfigured man gestured towards the ground which opened like a freshly dug grave as it vomited a sword of magma and death into his opened hand. He looked towards Teal'c who had trained his staff weapon on the former host, "your weapons cannot harm me, Shol'va," he spat turning back to the Kelwonan.
He raised the dark metal of the sword that dripped with fire and plague and slashed the air in front of Jonas, laughing, "this time you will stay dead."
The young man closed his eyes and pushed him back with a concentrated burst of energy, "do you think I would be this unprepared," he said whispering to the storm and holding his hand out.
A ribbon of soft air gathered in his palm drawing the fire and water from the sky and a handful of earth from the ground. The elements twisted in his grasp and transformed themselves into the sword with a crystal hilt.
Ragnarok's burning eyes narrowed, "the sword of Niflheim," he whispered between clenched teeth, "how did you forge it without killing the dragon for it is written that no man can do both."
Jonas smiled and looked towards Teal'c, "no one man can do both," he corrected turning back to his opponent. "I did not slay Nidhogg therefore the sword was mine to forge with the elements of the underworld."
Ragnarok laughed once more and fixed his eyes on Jonas who braced himself for the first attack.
"General," he said turning his head quickly towards Hammond, "this is not your battle only your victory will insure mine."
The General nodded and looked at Jack, "Jonas," O'Neill began, not wanting to leave the kid with this, this 'thing'.
"Colonel," the Kelownan said shaking his head, "I can only win 'this' battle, if you succeed in defeating the rest of Anubis's army," he smiled sadly, "it's a balance thing, remember."
"Yes, Colonel remember that," the creature inside Ragnarok hissed, "for when I've finished with your boy here, I'll come for you and dance on your broken corpse."
"Okay, okay, General, Teal'c, Daniel let's go kick some Jaffa arse," he said priming his weapon, "hey Jonas, make sure you save a small piece of laughing boy for me."
The Kelownan smiled.
=======
Still more to come..
:0)
Sorry the wait's been so long guys.
Thanks to CT for the bread and water shoved under the door of the candle lit office - please can I go out in the sunlight now!!!!
Anyway:-
Please allow me to introduce myself
I'm a man of wealth and taste
I've been around for a long, long year stolen many man's soul and faith
Sympathy For The Devil (Mick Jagger / Keith Richards)
================
The sword hit the ground to the left of O'Neill in a dusty statement of insurrection.
Jack felt the universe hold its breath and looked towards Jonas. The young man's eyes were cloudy and leaden like that of an approaching storm.
He held his hand out and helped O'Neill to his feet, "it's pay back time," Jonas said turning on his heels to meet Ragnarok's dark glare.
The host signalled for his two Jaffa to open fire but Jonas pitched them to the floor with an angry wave of his hand before they could launch a shot.
Ragnarok quickly took stock of his situation as a foreboding cracked through every vertebrae of his spine. He hastily pulled his fists, tightly, to his chest and then breathed out pushing a skein of effervescent energy from his palms. It hurtled, menacingly, through the air towards O'Neill and Jonas but the Kelownan stopped it in mid-flight with a diminutive gesture of his hand. Jonas smiled, his eyes not leaving the hooded face and gently blew on the electrified orb transforming the energy into a shower of melting snowflakes.
Ragnarok retreated leaving Anubis in control of his body, "you were meant to be devoid of light, without a soul," the parasite questioned.
"Guess again," Jonas snarled, his eyes a characterless silver, "remember I warned you that the universe would have its reckoning, well that day is here," he proclaimed, throwing a wave of energy that enveloped the Goa'uld and host in an impregnable bubble.
He then inhaled deeply and stretched his left arm up to touch the peaceful azure of the heavens. The sky stirred, waking from its slumber, blurring the sun with a sudden cloak of metallic cloud, which was drawn to where Jonas was stood. It twisted, revolving around the Kelwownan's outstretched arm into a compacted cyclone of cloud, sparking and hissing in fury with fractured fingers of light that snaked in and around Jonas's body.
He pulled his arm down, severing the connection with the elements of the air and pushed a great charge along Anubis's iridescent force field. This immense surge of power shorted the emitters in a gentle pyrotechnic display, knocking the Jaffa sentries out as it leapt to the metal of their armour. An acidic smell weaved its way around the compound creating a soft cotton haze that helped disguise the prisoners as they relieved the fallen guards of their staff weapons.
Jonas turned his attention to Anubis and released him from his confinement. The Goa'uld seemed dazed and rocked momentarily as he tried to get his body weight under control. Jonas watched him and hesitated for a minute, a frown clearly marking his thoughts as he tried to control the mixture of emotions, the storm of feelings, pumping in his heart. He took Bra'tac's dagger from the sleeve of the rough-cut tunic and used it to slice through his own palm. He then placed Daniel's pendant against the wound and closed his fist around it. Blood and light escaped from his tightly closed fingers until he uncurled them and let the decorated disk of gold fall to the floor. He looked down at his palm, Ra's symbol, the eye, was seared onto his flesh. He held out his hand toward Anubis and a bright light discharged from the open eye, piercing the Goa'uld's body through the chest and again through his neck.
Anubis grabbed at his throat and fell to his knees as the blistering light started to attack his whole body. It tore through him, splitting and dividing the two parts, until Ragnarok and Anubis lay separated on the dirt.
Jonas walked with purpose to where the symbiote lay and caught its tail under his heavy boot. He stretched out his arm to the side and the sword behind him twitched on the ground, and then flew into his waiting hand. Again he faltered as the conflict inside of him, the principled, the moral, the ethical side of his soul cluttered the rhythm of his actions.
Jack observed the Kelownan waiver in his intent and went to wrestle the weapon from the young man's grasp. Jonas turned to greet O'Neill's advancement and his face broke from its façade revealing the damaged human being beneath, "no," he whispered gently, "I must do this."
Jack stepped back as Jonas brought the sword up to his right shoulder, wiping the sweat from his top lip with his sleeve and looked down at the struggling symbiote, "the sky's above me, the grass is so sweet, this journey's circle, will now be complete. This is for all those you took in the night," he cried, closing his eyes and bringing the sword down to decapitate the snake-like creature.
The air fizzed for a moment with expectancy as a flow of heavy static tickled exposed skin trying to find a direction. Then as one life lay forfeit to the metal of a sword another jerked back into life. Bra'tac sat up and stretched back into his body, drinking in the soft breeze, filling his lungs. He stood up, pressing his hand to where the knife had torn his skin and found the wound completely healed. He looked toward Jonas and nodded, the Kelownan smiled back reassured, the universe had given the old man Anubis's life force in payment.
Jonas walked over to where the host lay motionless on the ground, the sword kicking up a cloud of dust as he dragged its tip in the dirt. He spread his free hand over Ragnarok's head as light flickered between his fingers and snapped towards the unconscious man's mind like stinging bands of elastic. They swarmed around his mask, feeding on his brain until its pathways collapsed.
He stepped back, exhausted, the vengeance in his heart burnt out as a small tear curled down his cheek. He did not move but shut his eyes letting the calmness of the moment wash over him, hoping it would purge the guilt from his soul. He let the sword drop and fell to his knees vomiting a black tar like substance that burned into the soil.
The Kelownan, again, wiped his sleeve across his mouth and attempted to stand with Jack's help. He looked down at the two still bodies and then to the Colonel for some sort of assurance.
O'Neill looked into his questioning face, "you did what had to be done," he said leading the young man away from the carnage towards Daniel. The two exchanged looks then Daniel asked, "Jonas what happen to you?"
The Kelownan pulled at the neck of the tunic, he was wearing, trying to hide the visible scars that were protruding above the material. He swallowed deeply and looked for an answer along the horizon, "it took the light from me," he said frowning in memory.
"Jonas," Jack began following the young man's gaze but was interrupted by Jacob who had joined them along with Bra'tac.
"Jack, Malek has taken Teal'c and few Jaffa into the woods, we have a cache of small arms hidden in a tunnel under the lake. Rak'nor and some men are guarding our perimeter and watching Anubis's Jaffa. As far as we can make out Herak, Anubis's first prime, is still on board the warship and may warn them when his master does not reappear," Jacob said his eyes not leaving Jonas.
"Ah, nice to see you people are prepared," Jack said.
"The Tok'ra are always prepared O'Neill," Selmak said from within Jacob, "but we will not be if Herak is able to use his master's energy weapon."
Jonas rubbed his forehead, wearily, and looked into Selmak's imperious eyes, "Sam and Ja'ra will make sure that does not happen," he said drinking slowly from the bottle of water Bra'tac had offered him.
"Ja'ra?" O'Neill echoed.
"The Jaffa who has accompanied Major Carter is not under the Goa'uld's command. I have given Sam Anubis's command code so she can initiate the warship's self-destruct programme."
Jack raised his eyebrows enquiringly.
"When, when I was in the place of darkness," he whispered, his hand trembling slightly grasping the bottle, "Ragnarok and Anubis's memories were given to me, to purge the light and fill its void with the sordid shadows of their souls," Jonas's face warped for a moment in recollection and his eyes blackened with an inky film.
Selmak's hand went to the staff weapon at his side but Bra'tac rested his hand onto the Tok'ra's shoulder in reassurance.
The young man's eyes then sparkled, dissipating the ink with light, "I was able to transfer the codes to Major Carter when I, when I," he blushed deeply and coughed.
"Oh," O'Neill replied, smiling slightly looking towards Sam's father who had taken control back from Selmak.
Jonas turned to face Jacob and touched the other man's temple with his fingertips generating a picture in his mind, "Sam?" The older man said, softly.
========
Major Carter held her hand up for Ja'ra to stop. They were working their way along the hive like corridors of Anubis's warship when a voice entered her thoughts.
Ja'ra narrowed his hazel eyes, questioning the Major's sudden halt, worried that they would be found, "we must continue, the private chamber is close," he said pulling his large shoulders back in authority.
"Wait, I thought I heard something," she replied putting her own fingertips to her temple.
"Sam," there it was again, spinning around her head, "dad?" She said softly, "dad are you okay?
"Yes, we all are, for now, Anubis is dead" came the reply with a sudden flash of her father's face, "but Herak is still on board and may be able to use the Eye of Ra."
She smiled, relieved, "understood," she said as the image buzzed and faded leaving her alone in her reflections.
Jacob watched Jonas's eyes change to green and saw the vibrancy of truth in their hue, he nodded, satisfied; the Kelownan smiled.
========
Jonas sat down on one of the rocks that cluttered the sand and opened his hand. The gold pendant that had lain forgotten on the floor flew into it; he watched it dance in the sunlight for a second before handing it back to Doctor Jackson.
Daniel took it gratefully catching a glimpse of its mirror image embossed on Jonas's palm.
Jack sat down next to the Kelownan and looked towards Bra'tac whose shadow fell across his knee, "glad to have you back old man."
"As I am glad to be back, human," the Jaffa replied, he then turned to Jonas feeling the young man's angst, "it was an honour to help you Jonas Quinn," he said with a slight bow of his head.
"I am sorry you suffered because of it," the Kelownan said softly watching the wind rouse the loose ground around his feet.
Bra'tac shook his head, "it was my choice."
"Okay, I'm confused," Jack said looking from one to the other and then to Daniel.
Jonas kept his head down observing the simplicity of an incandescent beetle shuffling across the sand, "Colonel, do, do you remember the last night we spent here, when Anubis invaded the planet of Urder to destroy the Asgard?" He said picking the creature up with gentle hands.
O'Neill nodded remembering how Daniel, Bra'tac and himself had watched the young man survive a series of near fatal convulsions while the room had filled with terrifying screams.
"Before, before the planet's anguish flowed through me," Jonas continued, "I had a feeling, a premonition, a warning if you like that, that something 'bad' was coming, something beyond Anubis and Ragnarok, something dark," he said, turning his hand so the beetle could amble over his knuckles.
"Okay," Jack said still no clearer.
"I knew this darkness needed Olmec's knowledge to turn the universe in its favour and that at some point it would come for me to, to take it," Jonas sighed putting the beetle back down on the ground away from harm.
"I would not be able to stop it," he continued in almost a whisper rubbing his temple to guard against some painful memory. "So with Bra'tac's permission I joined with him to pass on as much of Olmec 'power' as was safe for his body to carry. I was still weak from the run in with Anubis and the Lycaons and my body had not adjusted to holding Olmec's energy so it was easy to trick it into transferring part of the power to a stronger body. When the darkness finally took me it only extracted half of the light."
"But thought it had taken it all," Daniel said watching the beetle saunter off into a small crop of vegetation, "but why Bra'tac, why not Cassie?"
Jonas smiled and looked at the Jaffa apologetically, "because no one would think to look for it in such a lowly being. If I'd passed it on to Cassie, the power would have joined with her, because of her abilities, and the, the darkness would of felt this. Bra'tac does not possess any such powers or senses, so he could be safely used as a, a 'container' with no harm to himself."
"But you killed him!" Jack said looking at the bloody gash in the Jaffa's clothing.
Bra'tac raised his eyebrows at the Colonel, "the light can only be passed on when one is weak or close to death, O'Neill" he said, "Jonas Quinn told me of this, so I knew the risks involved. When he stabbed me the energy that I held was transferred back to him."
He then looked passed Jack into some distant memory; "I have served one false God, without question, for most of my life, human, this thing I choose to do as a free man."
O'Neill nodded in understanding.
Jonas held out his hands palms up. Two spheres appeared, hovering above them, one of white light, the other of dark matter. "Now we are both equally balanced, the darkness and myself," he said in a soft, ominous, voice.
Daniel watched the two floating orbs, his mind deep in thought as he massaged the bridge of his nose. He turned and walked over to the hooded figure of Ragnarok holding his arm against his body to combat the ache in his shoulder. He looked down at the host for a moment and then squatted beside him carefully removing the heavy mask that obscured his features. He placed it to one side and then looked on the disfigured face now revealed. It was as if all humanity had been burnt from it with spiteful malevolence, blistering and corrupting the skin with disease leaving ulcerous cankers and open lesions; it bore little resemblance to that of the Kelownan's.
"Dear God," Jacob exclaimed.
"He's still alive," Daniel said feeling the beat of Ragnarok's heart.
"Yes," Jonas replied, unable avert his eyes for the host, "only his body, his mind is dead."
"Why?" Daniel asked, frowning.
"If he dies, he will ascend."
"No, hang on, this, this thing's evil won't he descend?" O'Neill asked.
"No, Colonel," Jonas replied, "you forget, he is already halfway to ascension but he couldn't completely transform because Anubis was inside of him."
"Ah, that's why they were looking for a new, prettier, host for big A," Jack said kicking at the snake-like creature decaying on the ground.
Jonas nodded, he felt a coldness creep over him, "now Ragnarok's just an empty vessel waiting to be filled, again," he said almost in a whisper.
"Filled by what?" Jack asked not liking where this was going.
Jonas hesitated pressing his hands together and placing them under his nose as if in prayer, "the darkness is coming, Colonel" he said softly, "and it will need a host so it can play one last hand to win control of the universe. Once it takes on corporeal form, like Olmec, it can be defeated. We do not have much time, it will sense the shift in power, their loss, my return and it will come seeking vengeance."
Teal'c jogged across to where they were standing and handed them a Zat gun and an MP9, which Jonas declined.
"O'Neill," Teal'c said, "Rak'nor has scouted ahead to the complex, Anubis has left most of his Jaffa to fortify this base and guard the stargate. They have already erected several energy cannons."
"Oh, great and here we are with just a handful of weapons," Jack replied watching the advancing figure of General Hammond.
"We have faced greater odds, O'Neill," the dark Jaffa replied.
"Yeah, well it doesn't mean I gotta like them. Jonas any chance you could do your thing with the lightening stuff? " Jack asked but Jonas wasn't listening.
"It's coming," he said bracing himself against the sudden gust of wind that whipped the impoverished soil into their faces.
"Where the hell did that come from?" Asked Hammond shielding his eyes as the ground began to vibrate.
"I've got a bad feeling about this," Jack stated as he watched the earth swell and crack open in front of him.
A bloated tendril of blackness spiralled out from the bowels of the rupture, its movement resembling the semi-liquid flow of a soft metal as it coursed toward the 'sleeping' body of Ragnarok.
Jonas turned toward Bra'tac, "you must go," he said knowingly, "it has warned Anubis's Jaffa."
The old man nodded, leaving Rya'c with his father, he signalled to Malek and the others to move off.
General Hammond and the rest of SG1 stayed behind but moved back to take up defensive positions by the Kelownan as the host's body absorb the tar like entity.
Ragnarok immediately jumped to his feet and his eyed glowed blood red, "you tricked me," he hissed toward Jonas.
A storm gathered in the sky overhead ripping through its fabric with a golden hammer of thunder and lightening. The disfigured man gestured towards the ground which opened like a freshly dug grave as it vomited a sword of magma and death into his opened hand. He looked towards Teal'c who had trained his staff weapon on the former host, "your weapons cannot harm me, Shol'va," he spat turning back to the Kelwonan.
He raised the dark metal of the sword that dripped with fire and plague and slashed the air in front of Jonas, laughing, "this time you will stay dead."
The young man closed his eyes and pushed him back with a concentrated burst of energy, "do you think I would be this unprepared," he said whispering to the storm and holding his hand out.
A ribbon of soft air gathered in his palm drawing the fire and water from the sky and a handful of earth from the ground. The elements twisted in his grasp and transformed themselves into the sword with a crystal hilt.
Ragnarok's burning eyes narrowed, "the sword of Niflheim," he whispered between clenched teeth, "how did you forge it without killing the dragon for it is written that no man can do both."
Jonas smiled and looked towards Teal'c, "no one man can do both," he corrected turning back to his opponent. "I did not slay Nidhogg therefore the sword was mine to forge with the elements of the underworld."
Ragnarok laughed once more and fixed his eyes on Jonas who braced himself for the first attack.
"General," he said turning his head quickly towards Hammond, "this is not your battle only your victory will insure mine."
The General nodded and looked at Jack, "Jonas," O'Neill began, not wanting to leave the kid with this, this 'thing'.
"Colonel," the Kelownan said shaking his head, "I can only win 'this' battle, if you succeed in defeating the rest of Anubis's army," he smiled sadly, "it's a balance thing, remember."
"Yes, Colonel remember that," the creature inside Ragnarok hissed, "for when I've finished with your boy here, I'll come for you and dance on your broken corpse."
"Okay, okay, General, Teal'c, Daniel let's go kick some Jaffa arse," he said priming his weapon, "hey Jonas, make sure you save a small piece of laughing boy for me."
The Kelownan smiled.
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Still more to come..
:0)
