Section 24: The Almighty
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"Alright," John said into the heavy silence. "I vote we escape." He had had enough of cells to last a lifetime and from what the others said, John really wasn't too keen on sticking around to see how these people treated their prisoners.
"These cells are solid," Jack informed him. "You need a doohickey to open the doors on these things. Which we don't have," he added sarcastically.
"Been here before?" John asked.
The Colonel shrugged. "They all have the same design."
"So you could get us to the front door if we got out of here?" Aeryn asked startled by this news. Jack shrugged another yes, and she and John exchanged a glance. This was a much better situation than last time.
"So all in favor of escaping?" John asked at large, raising his hand followed by Aeryn and D'argo. The four members of SG-1 looked at them a little bewildered by the sudden appearance of the democratic process. "All opposed?" Their hands dropped but the others, still confused, didn't move to counter the motion. "Good. So what do we have here?"
John turned to inspect he door. Behind him he could hear someone getting to their feet.
"Weren't you listening to me?" asked Jack.
"Yep," said John. "You said if we could get out of here you could get us out of the building."
"Do you know how many Jaffa are standing between us and the front door? To many for us to get through without weapons."
"We're not going to sit here and just wait for them to kill us!" snapped D'argo. And while John agreed wholeheartedly with his friend, Jack did have a point.
"So what's your plan? Can we knock out the guards when they come to get us?"
"No. Jaffa are much stronger than humans. We would quickly be recaptured," said Teal'c. "We must outsmart our opponents."
Unfortunately, before they could come up with a better plan, the door groaned and opened. The soldiers with the forehead tattoos were back, this time led by one with a gold symbol much like Teal'c's. Judging from the way the others made way for him, the different color was a symbol of rank.
Everyone got to their feet to greet the newcomers. They stood staring at each other for a minute, the contempt and loathing evident between them. "Taur'i and sholva scum!" the gold head practically growled at them.
"At your service," Jack replied with a smile that lacked any humor.
The Jaffa, Teal'c had called them, merely frowned. "The great and powerful Nit commands your presence."
"Nit?" John asked before he could stop himself. The creature pretending to be a god was named 'Nit'? Despite the situation, John felt a grin tugging at the corners of his mouth, which only made the soldiers frown even more.
"More like 'Nitwit,'" Jack quipped only to be punched in the gut by the unamused Jaffa. Sam and Daniel were beside him in a flash as John steadied him from falling to the ground. Teal'c stood between them and the Jaffa, staring him down.
"Jack?"
"I'm alright, Daniel," the Colonel gasped. "You know me."
"You and your big mouth," Daniel said trying and failing to lighten the mood. Jack smiled in a grimace anyway as he straightened back up, a hand on his bruised middle. He nodded a thanks to John who was no longer smiling. They were in deep dren and helpless for the moment. The severity of the situation was sinking in. No Moya, no backup, no weapons. Just pissed of soldiers with silly brands on their foreheads.
"Come. And be silent," the Jaffa growled again. This time they obeyed and merely followed, twenty soldiers enclosing around them. The four members of SG-1 were doing the looking and eyebrow thing, talking without speaking aloud. John only wished he could understand. He felt like they were walking into a snake pit blindfolded.
A very opulent snake pit he discovered. The audience hall was easily the size of Moya's hangar. And solid gold. Light filtered in through the large windows set high in the walls and designed so that the rays illuminated the central throne and the woman sitting upon it. She lounged elegantly against the armrest clad in a gold dress that did little to hide her bronzed skin. Black hair fell straight across her shoulders. Around her feet, young women sat watching as John and the rest were led in and forced to their knees.
John glared defiantly at the woman. He really hated all this kneeling.
"So these are infamous Taur'i," said the woman in a deep resonant voice that did not belong to any human voice. "And the sholva Teal'c that have my brethren up in arms and anger."
"And dead," said Daniel coldly and with a venom that surprised John.
"Dead? Perhaps," the woman conceded with a light smile of one who is in control. "But you are now in my territory. My prisoners. I do not think such luck will hold here." In one graceful move, the woman swept to her feet, her eyes glowing in a flash of white light. "I am Nit. And you are mine."
"You know Ra was this confident when we met him - ow!" Whatever Jack was going to say next was cut off by the pole jammed into his side by the soldier behind him.
"I will not tolerate any more insolence," said Nit coldly. "You will be silent!" If looks could kill, Nit would have been incinerated by the one Jack sent her way. "Pathetic, Taur'i. Weak. What could you hope to do to a god?"
"Since you are not a god - " Daniel received a thwack across the ribs this time.
"I am the Goddess Nit!" the woman snapped, her eyes flashing dangerously. "You are nothing but an annoyance that will soon be dealt with."
"So you do fear us and our influence," said Teal'c somberly yet with a hint of triumph.
"No, I do not fear you!" Nit practically quivered with angry energy. "But it is my pleasure to see you die painfully."
"What? Now?" John asked, startled. Frell, they didn't have a plan yet.
"No, not now," Nit turned to him, calmer at the idea of killing them. "I must make an example of you. I must show my incompetent brethren how to take care of the petty Taur'i. Take them away!" She waved her hand impatiently at the soldiers who immediately yanked them to their feet. John would have bruises on his arm in the morning. "Except for that one." Nit pointed to D'argo, and John felt his blood run cold. What did she want with his friend?
"D'argo," he called, but his friend merely glanced at him, his face set in the warrior's mask that had survived both war and prison. John could do little more than hope that he would survive this encounter as his guard wrenched his arm and pulled him after the others.
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Reference: http:// www. philae. nu/ akhet/ NetjeruN. Html Yes there really is an Egyptian goddess named Nit. It was too good to pass up!
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"Alright," John said into the heavy silence. "I vote we escape." He had had enough of cells to last a lifetime and from what the others said, John really wasn't too keen on sticking around to see how these people treated their prisoners.
"These cells are solid," Jack informed him. "You need a doohickey to open the doors on these things. Which we don't have," he added sarcastically.
"Been here before?" John asked.
The Colonel shrugged. "They all have the same design."
"So you could get us to the front door if we got out of here?" Aeryn asked startled by this news. Jack shrugged another yes, and she and John exchanged a glance. This was a much better situation than last time.
"So all in favor of escaping?" John asked at large, raising his hand followed by Aeryn and D'argo. The four members of SG-1 looked at them a little bewildered by the sudden appearance of the democratic process. "All opposed?" Their hands dropped but the others, still confused, didn't move to counter the motion. "Good. So what do we have here?"
John turned to inspect he door. Behind him he could hear someone getting to their feet.
"Weren't you listening to me?" asked Jack.
"Yep," said John. "You said if we could get out of here you could get us out of the building."
"Do you know how many Jaffa are standing between us and the front door? To many for us to get through without weapons."
"We're not going to sit here and just wait for them to kill us!" snapped D'argo. And while John agreed wholeheartedly with his friend, Jack did have a point.
"So what's your plan? Can we knock out the guards when they come to get us?"
"No. Jaffa are much stronger than humans. We would quickly be recaptured," said Teal'c. "We must outsmart our opponents."
Unfortunately, before they could come up with a better plan, the door groaned and opened. The soldiers with the forehead tattoos were back, this time led by one with a gold symbol much like Teal'c's. Judging from the way the others made way for him, the different color was a symbol of rank.
Everyone got to their feet to greet the newcomers. They stood staring at each other for a minute, the contempt and loathing evident between them. "Taur'i and sholva scum!" the gold head practically growled at them.
"At your service," Jack replied with a smile that lacked any humor.
The Jaffa, Teal'c had called them, merely frowned. "The great and powerful Nit commands your presence."
"Nit?" John asked before he could stop himself. The creature pretending to be a god was named 'Nit'? Despite the situation, John felt a grin tugging at the corners of his mouth, which only made the soldiers frown even more.
"More like 'Nitwit,'" Jack quipped only to be punched in the gut by the unamused Jaffa. Sam and Daniel were beside him in a flash as John steadied him from falling to the ground. Teal'c stood between them and the Jaffa, staring him down.
"Jack?"
"I'm alright, Daniel," the Colonel gasped. "You know me."
"You and your big mouth," Daniel said trying and failing to lighten the mood. Jack smiled in a grimace anyway as he straightened back up, a hand on his bruised middle. He nodded a thanks to John who was no longer smiling. They were in deep dren and helpless for the moment. The severity of the situation was sinking in. No Moya, no backup, no weapons. Just pissed of soldiers with silly brands on their foreheads.
"Come. And be silent," the Jaffa growled again. This time they obeyed and merely followed, twenty soldiers enclosing around them. The four members of SG-1 were doing the looking and eyebrow thing, talking without speaking aloud. John only wished he could understand. He felt like they were walking into a snake pit blindfolded.
A very opulent snake pit he discovered. The audience hall was easily the size of Moya's hangar. And solid gold. Light filtered in through the large windows set high in the walls and designed so that the rays illuminated the central throne and the woman sitting upon it. She lounged elegantly against the armrest clad in a gold dress that did little to hide her bronzed skin. Black hair fell straight across her shoulders. Around her feet, young women sat watching as John and the rest were led in and forced to their knees.
John glared defiantly at the woman. He really hated all this kneeling.
"So these are infamous Taur'i," said the woman in a deep resonant voice that did not belong to any human voice. "And the sholva Teal'c that have my brethren up in arms and anger."
"And dead," said Daniel coldly and with a venom that surprised John.
"Dead? Perhaps," the woman conceded with a light smile of one who is in control. "But you are now in my territory. My prisoners. I do not think such luck will hold here." In one graceful move, the woman swept to her feet, her eyes glowing in a flash of white light. "I am Nit. And you are mine."
"You know Ra was this confident when we met him - ow!" Whatever Jack was going to say next was cut off by the pole jammed into his side by the soldier behind him.
"I will not tolerate any more insolence," said Nit coldly. "You will be silent!" If looks could kill, Nit would have been incinerated by the one Jack sent her way. "Pathetic, Taur'i. Weak. What could you hope to do to a god?"
"Since you are not a god - " Daniel received a thwack across the ribs this time.
"I am the Goddess Nit!" the woman snapped, her eyes flashing dangerously. "You are nothing but an annoyance that will soon be dealt with."
"So you do fear us and our influence," said Teal'c somberly yet with a hint of triumph.
"No, I do not fear you!" Nit practically quivered with angry energy. "But it is my pleasure to see you die painfully."
"What? Now?" John asked, startled. Frell, they didn't have a plan yet.
"No, not now," Nit turned to him, calmer at the idea of killing them. "I must make an example of you. I must show my incompetent brethren how to take care of the petty Taur'i. Take them away!" She waved her hand impatiently at the soldiers who immediately yanked them to their feet. John would have bruises on his arm in the morning. "Except for that one." Nit pointed to D'argo, and John felt his blood run cold. What did she want with his friend?
"D'argo," he called, but his friend merely glanced at him, his face set in the warrior's mask that had survived both war and prison. John could do little more than hope that he would survive this encounter as his guard wrenched his arm and pulled him after the others.
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Reference: http:// www. philae. nu/ akhet/ NetjeruN. Html Yes there really is an Egyptian goddess named Nit. It was too good to pass up!
*