A Goa'uld cargo ship slipped into the night air above P3R233. It slipped in low and vanished below the horizon. Jack O'Neil stood with SG-1 and company, pursing his lips.

"Nick of time, Daniel, finding that info. Good job," he said, giving the young archaelogist a chuck on the shoulder.

Daniel pursed his lips and nodded, looking in the direction where the incoming spacecraft was last seen. He then looked at O'Neil and said, "Rhonda did help, Jack."

"Who? Oh..." O'Neil said, looking at the fire headed archaelogist, who was turning red in the face and looking like she was building up for a good rant. He looked her up and down, the disdain gone. Mostly.

"Good job," he said gruffly. "Keep it up."

Daniel smiled encouragingly at her, patting her on her shoulder. She stopped burning holes in Jack O'Neil's head with her eyes, and took a deep breath.

O'Neil continued, "I guess the next move is to fire up the Stargate and get this info back to the SGC for safekeeping. Be a lot less risky than leaving it here. Get down there, you two."

Daniel and Rhonda left, making for the Gate Room, along with one of the Rangers from SG-17.

Jack then turned to those still up there. Teal'c stood attentively, along with the remaining Ranger. He snapped to when he saw O'Neil's eyes upon him. "At ease, soldier," Jack said, "Sergeant..?"

"Stone, sir. Max Stone."

"How would you assess this situation, Sergeant?"

"I would be extra alert, sir. Tanith came in a Goa'uld cargo ship. They have the ring transporters and could appear at any..."

Down in the street was the sound of of someone "ringing in".

O'Neil looked at the Ranger. "Good call," he said, while running over to peer over the roof, Teal'c and Stone at his side.

A squad of mercenaries was assaulting that entrance to the museum.

Teal'c grunted and said, "I see five soldiers, O'Neil. At leat three Jaffa among them."

"Jaffa? Tanith is not well liked among them. What's he doing with Jaffa?"

"They are not in the traditional armor. I suspect they are mercenaries."

"The lizard guys with them? Mercs too?"

"I am certain."

"Great. Let's let them know that whatever Tanith's paying them, it's not enough."

"Indeed." Teal'c readied his staff. O'Neal and Stone got their assault rifles ready.

"A bit different from Bagdad, eh?", O'Neil asked the Ranger.

"Actually, sir, apart from the lizard guys, not that much," Stone responded, looking down the site of his rifle.

O'Neil nodded approvingly. "Normalize the weird. Essential ingredient in keeping all this in perspective. Light 'em up, guys."

He lowered himself behind his rifle and took aim.

Then Deveraux's Claymores went off, blasting the merc team in the street. O'Neil, Teal'c and Stone took cover, when suddenly, another ring teleportation took place behind them, on the roof!

"Crap," O'Neil swore.

They brought their guns to bear upon the apparating apparitions, when darkness took them...

Daniel and Rhonda hurried down the corridors, making their way to the gate room, their Ranger in tow. They heard the shooting start and redoubled their efforts, then took shelter from falling debris.

"That's Deveraux, isn't it?" Daniel asked the Ranger, Tillman was his name.

"Yeah," the Ranger said, with a wry smile on his face, "He was hoping he would have a chance to do that."

"What's your first name?", Daniel asked.

"Patrick."

"Stay close, Patrick, we've got to get this back to SGC."

"Yessir."

As they ran, the lights in the corridor, already dim, went out. They couldn't see. Then they couldn't...

Colonel Jack O'Neil burst into the room where the Stargate sat. The Marines came to the alert, guns on him.

"Stand down, men!", O'Neil barked at them. Major Phillips gestured to his Marines to lower their guns after looking at his IFF. It was O'Neil.

"Hell's broken loose, gents. Daniel found what we are looking for, and we've gotta get it outta here before Tanith's folks get in here."

"They're breaking thru, sir?", Phillips began to gesture two of his Marines to reinforce the fight.

"I don't think that will be necessary," O'Neil said breezily, beginning the dial up sequence.

One chevron...two chevrons...three chevrons...

"Why not, sir? It's crucial they not get in here before you get that back to the SGC!"

Four...five...six

Phillips stepped closer to O'Neil, "Sir...what's the matter with your eyes? They're all black..."

Seven...eight...

O'Neil turned to Phillips with eyes black. Black as the deepest depths of hades.

"Oh, those bad guys you were worried about getting in here? Too late..."

Waves of black burst forth from O'Neil, enveloping the room in utter black. The Marines screamed, then went silent.

"O'Neil" smiled, then turned back to the Stargate.

NINE!

Spacetime flushed. A shimmer appeared.

"My master, I come," O'Neil muttered. He walked up the ramp, and just before he reached the gate, his image shifted. Tanith looked back on the room. A sinister smile graced his face, his aquiline nose tilted up slightly. He whistled a discordant tune, which cut off as the wormhole took him.