"Not fine, not fine… " Hope chanted to herself as she stumbled through the event horizon, leaning on the closest member of SG-7 for dear life. "Sorry." She flashed him a weak grin, then straightened up to take her first look at an alien planet.
"What do you think?"
Turning, Hope faced a reserved Daniel. "I know you said most of the worlds you've been to are a lot like Earth, but I was hoping for… " Here she trailed off, going back to the innocuous planet and frowning at it.
"Pink skies? Blue plants?"
Hope glared at him in a mocking way, glad to see a smile on his face. "Maybe," she admitted reluctantly.
"The temple is over this way." Striding down the stone Gate steps, Daniel slowed to let Hope catch up, then the pair walked down a newly widened path, following the rest of the SG-7.
"Wow." Hope's steps faltered as the immense shoebox shaped temple came into view. "Baal. But I've never seen one in such good shape." She laughed. "Actually, I've never seen one that wasn't almost an utter ruin."
Daniel nodded. "We believe it's only been abandoned for the past two hundred years." He and Hope slowly walked around the building, pointing out to each other little pieces of classic Phoenician architecture.
"It's amazing." Reaching out, Hope stoked the huge emerald column to the right of the large double doors. "Astarte's and Baal's betyls," she said almost to herself, looking over at the gold column to the left. "And the inside?"
"The layout is exactly what we expected. The Ulam, the Hekal, and what should be the Debir. Let's go in, they're about to unseal the inner doors."
Following Daniel up the wide steps to the open temple doors and through the shallow anteroom Ulam to the larger Helkal. High inset windows let light through on the west side, highlighting the golden winged sphinxes and the lotus pattern painted on the red wood paneled wall. Braziers were placed between the sphinxes, in amazingly good shape for how old they were, as were the incense burners hanging from the ceiling.
Hope took it all in in wonder, her neck craning upward to try and see everything, almost stumbling over her feet again. "It's just like King Solomon's temple, but… more," she said in an awed whisper.
Chuckling, Daniel agreed. "For an ugly snake-like parasitical species, the Goa'uld are extremely vain," he informed her, glancing around the temple. "Actually this is on the restrained side for them." Pushing up his glasses, Daniel gave Hope a wry grin.
Walking around the alter at the foot of a set of steps and doors that mirrored those outside the temple, the pair looked up at the entrance to the Debir where Sam stood with Major Crandall, the leader of SG-7.
"Daniel, come look at these readings," Sam tossed over her shoulder, her eyes still on the meter in front of her. Hope trailed after him, staying a few steps down, interested in what Sam had found although sure she wouldn't be able to understand half of it.
"We've got a Goa'uld energy signature; faint, but definitely there," muttered Sam, still absorbed in the readings they were getting. She raised her head, taking in the tall doors, carved with the reoccurring lotus theme picked out in gold. "I'm not sensing any traps around the doorway… " Reaching for her radio, Sam opened a channel.
"Colonel, we're ready to open the inner doors."
"Roger, we're on our way," Jack's disembodied voice crackled back.
Daniel moved closer to examine the doors, Hope coming up beside him to get a good look herself. "So. Inside should be… " he trailed off, glancing over at her.
She smirked at him. "If you don't know, just say so, Dr. Jackson. Probably a statue of Baal on a throne. Some heifers too, if I'm not mistaken, remember that poem found in Syria?" Peeking at Daniel from the corner of her eye, Hope continued. "Baal makes love to a heifer in Debir, a young cow in the fields of Shimmit-- "
"Yes, well," he cut her off before she could go any further, peering over his shoulder to see if Sam or Major Crandall had heard anything. "Debir in this case was probably the city, not the Holy of Holiest in his temple."
"Oh, you never know, Baal's consort Anath was the goddess of fertility, who knows what they had going on in there." Hope giggled as Daniel stared over his glasses at her, and she dropped her chin to do the same. "Come on, Daniel, you never used to be this uptight. You'd quote that poem—and the others they found—trying to get the local girls to give you more than the time of day."
"If I remember rightly, Dr. Kylie, I only did that once," Daniel answered back arrogantly. "And besides, I was drunk at the time."
"Three sheets to the wind was more like it," snorted Hope, laughing at the sheepish grin spreading over his face.
"Ok, kids, ready to blow this thing?" Jack's semi enthused voice cut short their bantering. Hope looked panicked at the thought of explosives being used on the door; Daniel gave her a reassuring pat on the arm and a smile.
Jack rested a hand on his P90 and looked at his resident archaeologists, his gaze going from Daniel to Hope, then back to Daniel. "You two want to do the honors?"
"Ah, sure." Turning to face the doors again, Daniel braced his hands against one, Hope jumping forward to do the same to the other. "They should swing inward… " With a nod to her, Danny and Hope pushed, Jack and the others bringing their guns up to cover the entrance.
"Or… maybe they swing out?" asked Jack finally.
"Nooo," Daniel replied, putting his shoulder to the door and pushing harder.
Jack waited a moment, watching Daniel as he strained to get the door open. "Carter, this thing isn't locked, is it?" he inquired semi-patiently.
"No sir." Sam risked a quick glance over at Jack, her cheek still resting against her P90.
"You want me to get Teal'c, Danny?"
"Nooo… " Daniel answered again, both he and Hope starting to get a bit red in the face from the exertion. Suddenly, with a loud crash, the doors opened and slammed into the Debir's walls; Hope and Daniel ignominiously fell to the ground as their support disappeared. Jack and Sam leapt past the prone duo, sweeping the inner chamber for any threats.
"I told you!" Looking up from the floor, Hope smacked Daniel on the arm as they stared at a twenty foot gold effigy of Baal lazing in a throne held up by numerous cows. The only light in the room was coming from the open doorway, streaming in to bath the idol in a warm glow. Getting to their feet they moved as one to the base of the statue, grinning like madmen.
Sam let go of her gun to take out her meter again, Jack frowning at her as she frowned at the readings. "The energy readings have gotten stronger, sir."
"Was this place shielding them?" Turning, Jack kept an eye on Hope and Daniel as they examined the base of the throne.
"I don't think so, sir." Sam ran the meter around the room, coming to stand behind the oblivious archaeologists. "The readings are coming from here."
Daniel and Hope's fingers were running over the recessed sections of the throne base. "His legs are open for a reason besides to show his… virility, there's probably a compartment in the middle—" muttered Daniel.
"Maybe one of these knob thingies?" Hope murmured back. She took the bottom row and Daniel the top, a few seconds later a triumphant 'Aha!' echoed through the room along with a low rumbling as the suspected panel slid back.
"Ah, Jaaaack?" Daniel peered into the dark compartment, the small space lit by a few lights glowing on a very alien looking device. "I think we found it."
~~~~~
Daniel cocked his head, an elusive sound tickling his ear. "Did you hear that?" He and Hope had been left in the temple, the rest of the SG teams taking the device outside to see if Carter and Crandall could figure out what it was before sending it back to Earth.
Absorbed in her task, Hope muttered an abstracted "What?" as she transcribed the Goa'uld writing on the Debir walls. Finally glancing up from her fieldbook, she saw Daniel jog out of the building. She scrambled to catch up, seizing the book to her chest and blinking in the bright sunlight after the gloom of inside.
At the bottom of the steps to the temple Daniel was talking rapidly with O'Neill while the other members of SG-1 and SG-7 were running off in the direction of the Gate. Almost falling down the steps in her haste, Hope rushed over to Daniel's side as he pulled on a backpack.
" – to fall back until we know what we're up against." His mouth pressed into a grim line, Jack handed Daniel a pistol. "Stay put until we come for you."
"Do I get a gun?" Hope interjected. Jack looked her over.
"You know how to handle one?" His tone clearly indicated he didn't think so.
"Of course," she shot back. "When I was on my own at a dig, I had to learn to take care of myself. I've used one before, and not on a target."
Daniel was stricken. "Hope, I—"
Shaking he head, Hope interrupted him. "I didn't mean it that way, Danny." Weapon chatter could be heard to the east, a mix of P90s and staff weapons, causing the trio's heads to jerk up at the sound.
"Get moving, Daniel!" Jack yelled over his shoulder as he broke out into a run toward the rest of his team.
Grabbing Hope's arm, Daniel pulled her in the opposite direction. Giving a little whimper of regret, Hope dropped her fieldbook and ran with him, the gun clutched tightly in her hand. Tree limbs slapped at their faces as they ran deeper into the woods surrounding the temple; Daniel working his way through in a zigzag pattern, Hope panting as she tried to keep up. Eventually they dropped down behind an outcropping or rocks, huddling as much as they could under the leaf litter to blend in.
"Rather—Indiana—Jonesish," she gasped, struggling to keep her breathing silent and under control.
"With a dash of Star Wars."
"Trek," she automatically replied. "I suppose once we get back home it won't have seemed so bad?" A longing note of hope threaded her voice.
Daniel shook his head. "The fear never goes away. You just lean to live with it." Hope nodded and slid closer to Daniel, reaching out to clutch his hand with her own. Squeezing it, he held on to her.
They sat in silence, listening for any sign of a Jaffa search party. Finally Hope whispered, "I'm sorry I was so mad at you."
His head dropped down on his knees, Daniel shook his head again. "I'm sorry I left you behind. I did think of you, but so much was going on, then it was too late."
"It's ok, Danny." They sat there, huddled together as their heart rate slowed. "I wonder whose Jaffa they are?" Hope idly asked, not expecting an answer.
"Curious they showed up after we found the place, it being abandoned for so long," Daniel added. "I wonder if that increase in energy was some sort of signal to Baal that someone broke in."
Hope stared at the pack on his back. "You have it with you, don't you? If it sent a signal to Baal, then they can track it! You have to get rid of it!"
Daniel shushed her. "What—what if it's some kind of generator? Or—"
"It's more likely the Phoenician equivalent of the Ark, Daniel!" she hissed. "The High Priest probably brought it out to slay Baal's enemies! Remember how Anath killed all those men at that feast Baal had? This was doubtless how she did it!"
"We don't know that!" Sighing, Daniel took off his glasses, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "If it was a weapon they would have taken it with them when they abandoned the temple."
"If it was anything good they would have taken it too," Hope insisted. "And if something happened to the High Priest the others may have been too scared to go into the Debir to get it, if they knew where it was to begin with."
"We can't just leave it. If it is a generator, or some kind of-- healing thing, we need to get it back to Earth."
Hope groaned in despair. "Daniel, think! Do you really believe Baal would have a benevolent device?
"He was the god of fertility… "
"He was a sun god with all the violence that goes along with it!"
"I know, I know!" Daniel put his glasses back on, stalling for time. "The Pentagon is always harping about bringing back weapons that will defend Earth against the Goa'uld, and they're right, but sometimes I just want to find something that will do good instead of harm." Frustration laced his voice as his fist clenched in helpless anger around hers.
"I understand." Hope smiled at him, opening their hands to lie flat against his leg. "So what can we surmise? The Jaffa showed up soon after we entered the Debir, something must have signaled Baal that someone had broken in."
Nodding, Daniel continued. "It wouldn't necessarily have been the device itself, but since it does have a Goa'uld energy signature they can track it that way. They'll be able to find it, no matter if we keep it or leave it here."
"If we leave it here at least we'll be alive, as opposed to being captured and put in a Goa'uld dungeon. Or dead." Hope shuddered, huddling back in on herself.
"So we'll bury it under these leaves, and watch to see who comes for it. That way we'll know if they really are after it or just here to defend the temple," he added at the incredulous look on her face. "Maybe it'll be Jack or Sam that comes looking for it."
"You just keep telling yourself that, Danny boy," muttered Hope, starting to dig a hollow in the leaf litter as he eased the backpack off.