The knife was 8 inches long and razor sharp. And deadly in the hand that
held it, as more than one enemy had found out the hard way. The late
morning sunlight glinted on the steel blade as it came down decisively, and
there was a noise of dismay. O'Neill's dark eyes looked at his opponent,
whose gray eyes were narrowed in careful calculation. She, too, was
wielding a knife, and hers was just as sharp, and just as deadly. Although
hers was held in the hand that was also partially concealed by her cast.
Her good hand being used to hold her body upright. Her blade flashed in the
sunlight, and she brought the knife down quickly, in a calculated move.
Jack scowled.
"Who's winning?"
Both Colonels looked up at the sound of Carter's voice, and saw that Anderson and Sam were both looming over them, looking over their shoulders. Jack's scowl deepened, and Mitchell's smile increased. She pointed to the tic-tac-toe board that she and Jack had drawn in the dusty ground right next to the pyramid with their knives.
"This one's a tie."
"But I won the last one." Jack said.
"You cheated. It doesn't count when you make more than one X during your turn."
"It does, too."
"No, it doesn't."
"Sure it does. I outrank you."
"Cheater."
"Sore loser."
Sam smiled. "Daniel thinks he's about done with the translation of the pillar."
O'Neill nodded and dusted his knife off on his pants, then stood up. Mitchell wiped the dusty ground clear of the tic-tac-toe board, and put her knife away as well, then reached up with her good hand for a bit of assistance. Anderson caught her hand and hauled her to her feet just as Jack grabbed the back of her jacket and helped.
"You're getting lazy, Melony." O'Neill told her, smiling.
"You should be nicer to me, Jack. I'll probably be the one that picks your nursing home."
Anderson snorted.
"She doesn't need you encouraging her, Major," Jack said, giving the younger man a scowl that didn't reach his eyes, which were twinkling in good humor.
"No, Sir." Anderson dusted off Mitchell's back, which had been leaning against the pyramid as they'd been playing.
"Is he still at the rock?" O'Neill asked Sam.
"Yes, Sir."
They turned as a group and walked to the complete other side of the pyramid. The front end, as they were all coming to think of it. Since it had the entrance, it only made sense, after all. Teal'c and Daniel were both standing by the pillar, and Daniel was munching on one of the apple fruit things as he waited to give the others his report.
"You keep eating those and you're going to get sick," Jack told him as they walked up.
"Or you're going to make me sick," Melony said.
"They're good," Daniel protested. "And no core, which makes them even better." He proved this point by shoving the rest of the thing in his mouth and munching it down happily while he wiped his hands off on his shirt. Anderson grimaced.
"What does it say?" Jack asked, pointing at the pillar of stone once Daniel had cleared his mouth a bit so he could carry on a conversation.
"Apparently, the pyramid isn't the meeting place I'd been hoping it was," Daniel told them, falling into his lecture mode rather easily. "It's multicultural, and multieronic." He looked at Mitchell. "Why didn't you mention that in your notes?"
Melony stared at him, blankly, along with Anderson, and the others.
"Um... because I don't have a clue what that means?"
Daniel stared back at her for a second, and then shook his head. ""Sorry. It means that the pyramid was built by one culture, in one era – a long, long, LONG, time ago – and was then visited by other cultures or races as the time went by, and these peoples just added their own touches to it."
"Which explains why there's more than one kind of writing?" Sam hazarded.
"Exactly." Daniel pointed at one strip of glyphs. "These were made by the original builders, and I'm not completely sure what they say, although a lot of the pictures are similar to some glyphs that were found on PRF812-1, which are related to another set that were found on-"
"Daniel..." Jack was already rubbing his head.
Daniel realized that he was the only one that cared about where the lineage of the glyphs came from. The others' eyes had all glazed over.
"Sorry. They're close enough to another language that I could translate them, and I think the people called themselves the Dralut. They lived here a long time, they worshipped trees as gods, and built this pyramid as a shrine to them."
"And left?" Jack asked.
"And were taken away by the next group of people who visited." Daniel corrected, pointing at the next glyphs, which were completely different. "These were the Ancients. As near as I can tell. Or a variant of their race, because the language is nearly identical. The Dralut were discovered by these folks, and were – for some reason I haven't figured out yet – invited to come with them when they left. And they did. All of them."
"Where'd they go?"
"No clue. They just left. But they went willingly, according to this." He pointed at the glyphs. Everyone just took his word for it. "Then another race of people found this pyramid, and decided that they'd leave their own marks, and I think they used the pyramid as a tomb, since there's a reference to a fallen comrade... or friend... or... something..." He looked back to the stone, staring at one spot as if blaming the glyph for his inability to translate that word.
"So, what's in it?" Jack asked.
"Besides the dead guy." Mitchell asked.
"I'm not sure."
"Booby traps?"
"The Dralut weren't a vicious race – I think," Daniel said. "So I doubt it."
"So we can check it out?" Jack asked.
Daniel shrugged. "I don't see why not."
"Who's winning?"
Both Colonels looked up at the sound of Carter's voice, and saw that Anderson and Sam were both looming over them, looking over their shoulders. Jack's scowl deepened, and Mitchell's smile increased. She pointed to the tic-tac-toe board that she and Jack had drawn in the dusty ground right next to the pyramid with their knives.
"This one's a tie."
"But I won the last one." Jack said.
"You cheated. It doesn't count when you make more than one X during your turn."
"It does, too."
"No, it doesn't."
"Sure it does. I outrank you."
"Cheater."
"Sore loser."
Sam smiled. "Daniel thinks he's about done with the translation of the pillar."
O'Neill nodded and dusted his knife off on his pants, then stood up. Mitchell wiped the dusty ground clear of the tic-tac-toe board, and put her knife away as well, then reached up with her good hand for a bit of assistance. Anderson caught her hand and hauled her to her feet just as Jack grabbed the back of her jacket and helped.
"You're getting lazy, Melony." O'Neill told her, smiling.
"You should be nicer to me, Jack. I'll probably be the one that picks your nursing home."
Anderson snorted.
"She doesn't need you encouraging her, Major," Jack said, giving the younger man a scowl that didn't reach his eyes, which were twinkling in good humor.
"No, Sir." Anderson dusted off Mitchell's back, which had been leaning against the pyramid as they'd been playing.
"Is he still at the rock?" O'Neill asked Sam.
"Yes, Sir."
They turned as a group and walked to the complete other side of the pyramid. The front end, as they were all coming to think of it. Since it had the entrance, it only made sense, after all. Teal'c and Daniel were both standing by the pillar, and Daniel was munching on one of the apple fruit things as he waited to give the others his report.
"You keep eating those and you're going to get sick," Jack told him as they walked up.
"Or you're going to make me sick," Melony said.
"They're good," Daniel protested. "And no core, which makes them even better." He proved this point by shoving the rest of the thing in his mouth and munching it down happily while he wiped his hands off on his shirt. Anderson grimaced.
"What does it say?" Jack asked, pointing at the pillar of stone once Daniel had cleared his mouth a bit so he could carry on a conversation.
"Apparently, the pyramid isn't the meeting place I'd been hoping it was," Daniel told them, falling into his lecture mode rather easily. "It's multicultural, and multieronic." He looked at Mitchell. "Why didn't you mention that in your notes?"
Melony stared at him, blankly, along with Anderson, and the others.
"Um... because I don't have a clue what that means?"
Daniel stared back at her for a second, and then shook his head. ""Sorry. It means that the pyramid was built by one culture, in one era – a long, long, LONG, time ago – and was then visited by other cultures or races as the time went by, and these peoples just added their own touches to it."
"Which explains why there's more than one kind of writing?" Sam hazarded.
"Exactly." Daniel pointed at one strip of glyphs. "These were made by the original builders, and I'm not completely sure what they say, although a lot of the pictures are similar to some glyphs that were found on PRF812-1, which are related to another set that were found on-"
"Daniel..." Jack was already rubbing his head.
Daniel realized that he was the only one that cared about where the lineage of the glyphs came from. The others' eyes had all glazed over.
"Sorry. They're close enough to another language that I could translate them, and I think the people called themselves the Dralut. They lived here a long time, they worshipped trees as gods, and built this pyramid as a shrine to them."
"And left?" Jack asked.
"And were taken away by the next group of people who visited." Daniel corrected, pointing at the next glyphs, which were completely different. "These were the Ancients. As near as I can tell. Or a variant of their race, because the language is nearly identical. The Dralut were discovered by these folks, and were – for some reason I haven't figured out yet – invited to come with them when they left. And they did. All of them."
"Where'd they go?"
"No clue. They just left. But they went willingly, according to this." He pointed at the glyphs. Everyone just took his word for it. "Then another race of people found this pyramid, and decided that they'd leave their own marks, and I think they used the pyramid as a tomb, since there's a reference to a fallen comrade... or friend... or... something..." He looked back to the stone, staring at one spot as if blaming the glyph for his inability to translate that word.
"So, what's in it?" Jack asked.
"Besides the dead guy." Mitchell asked.
"I'm not sure."
"Booby traps?"
"The Dralut weren't a vicious race – I think," Daniel said. "So I doubt it."
"So we can check it out?" Jack asked.
Daniel shrugged. "I don't see why not."