Five men in white robes were down by the time Sam saw two figures running
towards her. Since they were not dressed in white, she ignored them for a
split second before turning to face them. She smiled briefly when she saw
who it was. "Sir!" she said, relieved. Then she blinked. "Miss Croft?
What are you doing here?"
"Getting into trouble." Jack said.
Both the Colonel and Lara looked awful. Their clothes and skin were dirty and torn and smeared with blood. Sam blinked quickly and forced her mind back to the battle. She handed Jack a pistol wordlessly and resumed firing. Jack took cover beside her, while Lara crouched down behind a nearby tree.
"Where's Teal'c?" Jack asked Sam as he fired at the white robed enemy.
Sam shot him a glance. His face looked worried. "He was shot, sir." She said. "A medical team took him back to the SGC."
Jack nodded as his clip ran out and looked up. Sam handed him another clip and he reloaded his gun.
The white robed men were retreating as Sam, Daniel and Lieutenant Peters continued firing. Lara took the opportunity to move and crouched beside Jack. "We have to go back in there." She said.
"Why?" Jack asked.
"They still have the stone." Lara replied. "And you said you wanted it back."
Jack swore. He looked at Lara. "Do you know where?"
She nodded. "In the basement." She answered. "It shouldn't be hard to find. And without their 'God', those white robed fanatics won't put up too much of a fight."
"Sir?" Sam asked.
"The Goa'uld is dead." Jack explained.
"Goa'uld?" Lara echoed confused.
"I'll explain later." Jack said. "I owe you, remember?"
Lara nodded. Sam looked curiously at them. Her CO had lost his hostility towards Lara and she in turn seemed to be more accepting of him. Whatever had happened inside had helped the understand each other, Sam reflected. The pair even seemed to be working as partners.
"Have you got any ammo?" Jack asked Lara.
Lara shook her head. "Empty."
Jack looked at Sam and Sam handed Lara two of her spare clips. Lara quickly and efficiently reloaded her gun with practiced ease. "Let's go." She said.
Sam motioned to Daniel and the Lieutenant, before moving off towards the back of the building. Jack and the Lieutenant automatically ranged out beside her, while Daniel hung back, slightly behind. Lara followed.
There were still stucco bursts of gunfire coming from the front of the building, and as a result, they didn't see any white robed men. When they reached the building, Jack flattened himself against the wall and peered inside. When he saw no one, he stepped out and shot out the window. He slipped inside, immediately followed by Sam and the Marine. Daniel and Lara were only a step behind.
Once they were inside the sparsely furnished room, Jack motioned Lara forward. "Which way?" he asked.
"Basement." Lara answered.
At that moment there was a burst of static from Sam's radio. "Major Carter!" Major Blake's crackly voice said. "We could use some backup!"
Sam turned to Lieutenant Peters. "Go." She ordered, and then turned rather apologetically to Jack. "Sir?"
Jack nodded and the Lieutenant quickly left. "We're sending Lieutenant Peters." Sam told Major Blake.
Lara started forward and headed towards the basement, her guns drawn. The others followed warily. Lara walked quietly down the corridor, checking each room but finding them all empty. When she entered the last room at the end of the corridor, she was rewarded to find a narrow staircase climbing downwards. "Found it." She called softly.
Lara carefully headed down into the basement, with Jack only a step behind her. When she was at the bottom and had made sure the coast was clear, Lara turned to Jack. "Down there." She said, pointing down the left end of the narrow corridor with one of her guns.
Jack nodded and the four began creeping down the corridor. There was an open doorway to her right and Lara entered. Then she stopped dead in her tracks.
* * *
An eerie laugh echoed around the room. It was even more alien than the 'God's' had been, because it was completely and utterly insane. There was no reason or logic behind it. "I knew you would come." Said a familiar dark haired woman.
Lara tensed. "You want this." The woman drew a triangular stone from behind her back. "BUT YOU CAN'T HAVE IT!" she screamed.
"Adriana." Lara said coldly, her guns levelled at her.
There was dried blood on the woman's face, leaving a sickly red trail from her broken nose. A bruise covered the right side of her face and madness made her eyes glitter. "Drop your weapons." She called. "Or your friends will die."
Lara spun and saw four white robed men behind them, each levelling a strange looking weapon at Jack, Daniel and Sam. She must have looked puzzled for a second, because Jack caught her eye. "They're deadly." He said.
Carefully Jack lowered his gun to the ground, and beside him Daniel and Sam did the same. Grudgingly, Lara also placed her guns on the ground.
"Cover them!" Adriana snapped.
The four men stepped forward and three of them placed the end of their staff-like weapons into the backs of Lara's friends. "On your knees." Adriana said. "And hands behind your head."
Then she looked at the final guard. He seemed more arrogant that the rest and carried a large dagger in his belt. Lara felt the beginnings of an idea. "Watch Croft." Adriana barked at him.
Lara felt something cold press into the small of her back, and watched helplessly as Jack, Sam and Daniel put their hands behind their heads and sank to their knees. Lara looked at Jack and carefully tried to catch his attention. When she had, she cocked her head ever so slightly to the left. She hoped he would understand. When Jack nodded minutely back, Lara smiled inside. He knew!
Taking a deep breath, she spun and grabbed the staff behind her, holding it away from her body. The blast of energy coming from its tip startled her, but hit the wall harmlessly behind her. But Lara didn't stop moving. She had seen enough surprising things in her life, so that she knew never to hesitate.
Lara kicked up at the guard's wrist, and he let go of the staff. She quickly spun it around and caught him in the head, before holding it flat away from her body. The guard growled and lunged forward, knocking the breath from Lara with a kick to the sternum. She dropped the staff and kicked it away before he could do anything.
Meanwhile, when Jack had first seen Lara move, he had thrown himself to the right and rolled. As soon as he was on his feet, he grabbed the nearest gun and covered the remaining guards, while Sam and Daniel joined him. When Jack heard sounds of fighting behind him, he motioned for Sam to cover the guards and spun, intending to help Lara. But what he saw amazed him.
Adriana screamed and grabbed at the dagger from the belt of the now prone guard. She lunged at Lara with the dagger in a forehand slash. Lara immediately brought both her hands up to block Adriana's arm, and then without pausing a second, she slid under it with a fluid movement, elbowing her in the ribs on the way through. Once she was behind Adriana, Lara chopped into her elbow and forced Adriana's arm up onto her back and grabbed her hair with her spare hand. The dagger dropped from Adriana's nerveless fingers.
"Where is it?" Lara snapped.
"What?"
"The Stone." Lara punctuated her demand with another sharp tug of Adriana's hair.
"I've got it." Said Jack from behind her.
Lara smiled.
"Getting into trouble." Jack said.
Both the Colonel and Lara looked awful. Their clothes and skin were dirty and torn and smeared with blood. Sam blinked quickly and forced her mind back to the battle. She handed Jack a pistol wordlessly and resumed firing. Jack took cover beside her, while Lara crouched down behind a nearby tree.
"Where's Teal'c?" Jack asked Sam as he fired at the white robed enemy.
Sam shot him a glance. His face looked worried. "He was shot, sir." She said. "A medical team took him back to the SGC."
Jack nodded as his clip ran out and looked up. Sam handed him another clip and he reloaded his gun.
The white robed men were retreating as Sam, Daniel and Lieutenant Peters continued firing. Lara took the opportunity to move and crouched beside Jack. "We have to go back in there." She said.
"Why?" Jack asked.
"They still have the stone." Lara replied. "And you said you wanted it back."
Jack swore. He looked at Lara. "Do you know where?"
She nodded. "In the basement." She answered. "It shouldn't be hard to find. And without their 'God', those white robed fanatics won't put up too much of a fight."
"Sir?" Sam asked.
"The Goa'uld is dead." Jack explained.
"Goa'uld?" Lara echoed confused.
"I'll explain later." Jack said. "I owe you, remember?"
Lara nodded. Sam looked curiously at them. Her CO had lost his hostility towards Lara and she in turn seemed to be more accepting of him. Whatever had happened inside had helped the understand each other, Sam reflected. The pair even seemed to be working as partners.
"Have you got any ammo?" Jack asked Lara.
Lara shook her head. "Empty."
Jack looked at Sam and Sam handed Lara two of her spare clips. Lara quickly and efficiently reloaded her gun with practiced ease. "Let's go." She said.
Sam motioned to Daniel and the Lieutenant, before moving off towards the back of the building. Jack and the Lieutenant automatically ranged out beside her, while Daniel hung back, slightly behind. Lara followed.
There were still stucco bursts of gunfire coming from the front of the building, and as a result, they didn't see any white robed men. When they reached the building, Jack flattened himself against the wall and peered inside. When he saw no one, he stepped out and shot out the window. He slipped inside, immediately followed by Sam and the Marine. Daniel and Lara were only a step behind.
Once they were inside the sparsely furnished room, Jack motioned Lara forward. "Which way?" he asked.
"Basement." Lara answered.
At that moment there was a burst of static from Sam's radio. "Major Carter!" Major Blake's crackly voice said. "We could use some backup!"
Sam turned to Lieutenant Peters. "Go." She ordered, and then turned rather apologetically to Jack. "Sir?"
Jack nodded and the Lieutenant quickly left. "We're sending Lieutenant Peters." Sam told Major Blake.
Lara started forward and headed towards the basement, her guns drawn. The others followed warily. Lara walked quietly down the corridor, checking each room but finding them all empty. When she entered the last room at the end of the corridor, she was rewarded to find a narrow staircase climbing downwards. "Found it." She called softly.
Lara carefully headed down into the basement, with Jack only a step behind her. When she was at the bottom and had made sure the coast was clear, Lara turned to Jack. "Down there." She said, pointing down the left end of the narrow corridor with one of her guns.
Jack nodded and the four began creeping down the corridor. There was an open doorway to her right and Lara entered. Then she stopped dead in her tracks.
* * *
An eerie laugh echoed around the room. It was even more alien than the 'God's' had been, because it was completely and utterly insane. There was no reason or logic behind it. "I knew you would come." Said a familiar dark haired woman.
Lara tensed. "You want this." The woman drew a triangular stone from behind her back. "BUT YOU CAN'T HAVE IT!" she screamed.
"Adriana." Lara said coldly, her guns levelled at her.
There was dried blood on the woman's face, leaving a sickly red trail from her broken nose. A bruise covered the right side of her face and madness made her eyes glitter. "Drop your weapons." She called. "Or your friends will die."
Lara spun and saw four white robed men behind them, each levelling a strange looking weapon at Jack, Daniel and Sam. She must have looked puzzled for a second, because Jack caught her eye. "They're deadly." He said.
Carefully Jack lowered his gun to the ground, and beside him Daniel and Sam did the same. Grudgingly, Lara also placed her guns on the ground.
"Cover them!" Adriana snapped.
The four men stepped forward and three of them placed the end of their staff-like weapons into the backs of Lara's friends. "On your knees." Adriana said. "And hands behind your head."
Then she looked at the final guard. He seemed more arrogant that the rest and carried a large dagger in his belt. Lara felt the beginnings of an idea. "Watch Croft." Adriana barked at him.
Lara felt something cold press into the small of her back, and watched helplessly as Jack, Sam and Daniel put their hands behind their heads and sank to their knees. Lara looked at Jack and carefully tried to catch his attention. When she had, she cocked her head ever so slightly to the left. She hoped he would understand. When Jack nodded minutely back, Lara smiled inside. He knew!
Taking a deep breath, she spun and grabbed the staff behind her, holding it away from her body. The blast of energy coming from its tip startled her, but hit the wall harmlessly behind her. But Lara didn't stop moving. She had seen enough surprising things in her life, so that she knew never to hesitate.
Lara kicked up at the guard's wrist, and he let go of the staff. She quickly spun it around and caught him in the head, before holding it flat away from her body. The guard growled and lunged forward, knocking the breath from Lara with a kick to the sternum. She dropped the staff and kicked it away before he could do anything.
Meanwhile, when Jack had first seen Lara move, he had thrown himself to the right and rolled. As soon as he was on his feet, he grabbed the nearest gun and covered the remaining guards, while Sam and Daniel joined him. When Jack heard sounds of fighting behind him, he motioned for Sam to cover the guards and spun, intending to help Lara. But what he saw amazed him.
Adriana screamed and grabbed at the dagger from the belt of the now prone guard. She lunged at Lara with the dagger in a forehand slash. Lara immediately brought both her hands up to block Adriana's arm, and then without pausing a second, she slid under it with a fluid movement, elbowing her in the ribs on the way through. Once she was behind Adriana, Lara chopped into her elbow and forced Adriana's arm up onto her back and grabbed her hair with her spare hand. The dagger dropped from Adriana's nerveless fingers.
"Where is it?" Lara snapped.
"What?"
"The Stone." Lara punctuated her demand with another sharp tug of Adriana's hair.
"I've got it." Said Jack from behind her.
Lara smiled.