Author's Notes: Okay, RL sucks! Lol. Actually, it sucked a week ago, this week I got myself all pieced back together (with some help) and wrote not only chapter 13, but 14 as well, so as soon as 14 is back from the betas I'll post it for ya, and hopefully by then, I will be able to keep up on the writing. :D

Author's Notes2: Thank you readers and reviewers and a huge thank you to my beta readers Dimac99 and Sealrescuer. All of your continued encouragement and comments keep me and my muse all warm and fuzzy throughout the winter months. :D

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Teal'c felt the slight tremor, but placing a hand flat against the wall revealed nothing. Either it was a singular event, or he had some time before the next one would occur. Cautiously, the jaffa continued his search.

He had regained consciousness only recently, not expecting to regain it at all. He no longer had his hand held light. So as soon as he was able, Teal'c explored the room he had awoken in proving it was not, in fact, the same room he had previously occupied. The weight of the cave-in had caused a portion of the floor to collapse, spilling the jaffa and an extensive amount of earth down into the room below.

Teal'c moved cautiously around it now. There were a few lingering pains in his arms and legs, but his symbiote had already restored much of his health. It was now necessary for him to find a way out, should the others require assistance.

The room was not large and the walls all seemed to be made of smooth stone blocks. Whether there was writing on them or not, Teal'c was unsure, but his fingers could feel nothing to indicate as such. They did however find a crack between two stones where the slightest breath of air brushed against his fingers. Applying pressure to the stones caused them to move, and with a hard shove a section of the wall fell in.

Feeling about, Teal'c found the entrance to a tunnel. Clearing the rocks away and crawling through the small space uncovered yet another room, as seemingly empty as the first.

With time and effort, the jaffa found five more rooms, all empty, and attached by connecting tunnels. Then at last, Teal'c found what he'd been hoping for, a tunnel that led up, presumably to the level above.

Pushing the rocks out of his way, Teal'c pulled himself through. He had long since become used to the lack of light. Master Bra'tac had taught him long ago never to rely solely upon his sense of sight, so it was with confident steps that he began searching the new room.

He found another tunnel in what he reasoned was the direction of the cave in, and slowly made his way through. As he exited the tunnel, he saw his first hope that his companions had survived the disaster.

"O'Neill?" Teal'c questioned into the darkness.

The glow of a dying light permeated the room, casting soft shadows on everything as it moved about. It was not bright enough to reveal who the holder was, and as it was turned on the jaffa, Teal'c had to close his eyes against the sudden brightness.

Squinting against the approaching light, Teal'c wondered why it was not moved away from his face, but then something else penetrated his senses and the jaffa knew at once things were not as he had first thought.

"Where are my friends?" Teal'c demanded. He no longer had his weapon, but he would fight this goa'uld to the death if need be.

The goa'uld responded, talking in that same odd dialect the natives of P5X-239 used. It was hard for Teal'c to understand at first, but the intention was clear enough. The goa'uld was asking who he was.

"I am Teal'c. Where are my friends?" the jaffa again demanded, this time in goa'uld.

At last the light was lowered and Teal'c could see the goa'uld clearly. He was nearly naked, and the pendent hanging from his neck glowed with a faint purple light. It looked like a piece of goa'uld technology, but was not one the jaffa recognized. The goa'uld's eyes glowed briefly in anger as they squared off. "Shaya, you shall pay for your betrayal."

"I know not who this Shaya is."

The goa'uld looked at him in shock, demanding, "Are you not goa'uld?"

"No," Teal'c responded, wondering at the goa'uld's confusion. "I am jaffa." But that didn't seem to clear anything up.

Face hardening with anger, the goa'uld stated, "I am Akh, loyal servant of the Hereta. Who do you serve?"

"I serve no one," Teal'c growled out, and then boldly declared, "I will not serve false gods!"

"Gods?" Akh questioned, again not understanding. And then, frustrated and impatient, the goa'uld reached for Teal'c. Stepping away, Teal'c was quick to strike back. He had been taught to fight with or without a weapon, as all jaffa were.

The goa'uld had the superior strength, but Teal'c was quick, and far more agile than most believed. He had successfully knocked the goa'uld to the ground and had his hands around the goa'uld's head. All he had to do was break the neck and the threat would be over, but before he could finish it, a surge of energy, much like that of a zat'nik'tel, washed through him, driving him back.

With a gasp, the jaffa fell to the ground, but the shock of the energy was quickly fading, and looking up, he watched Akh rise to his feet. For a moment it looked as if the goa'uld was glowing purple, but the effect soon localized to just the crystal pendant.

Sneering down at him, the goa'uld stated, "You cannot touch me. I am a servant of the Hereta."

Teal'c slowly stood up, never taking his eyes from the goa'uld. He was not familiar with who or what the Hereta were, but he did not care. He would find his friends, and then they would kill this 'Akh.'

"Tell me, jaffa, where is the traitor Ra?" Akh asked him.

"The false god Ra is dead."

Akh sneered again, and then demanded, "And where is the Key?"

"I know not," Teal'c answered truthfully.

"Then you will show me a way out of this place," Akh ordered.

Teal'c felt his jaw clench in anger. He would not help any goa'uld, but as Akh had said, he could not touch him. Not yet. He also needed to find his friends and assist them. With considerable restraint, Teal'c finally replied. "It was this way."

*****

Sam crouched in the bushes at the edge of the site's clearing. The oddest assortment of men and women were running around. About ten in total. When they had first shown up, Carter had half expected to discover some underhanded agency like the NID, was involved in this somehow, but none of these people seemed the type. No one wore uniforms or dressed in black, nothing of that sort. Three were wearing business suits while the rest were in an assortment of everyday wear. One man even had a cooking apron around his waist. Mind you, he also seemed to favor a carving knife instead of the gun everyone else was sporting.

In fact, the only common denominator among them was that they all had Native American features, some more strongly than others.

Ducking lower, Sam held her breath while the 'chef' walked by. As yet, they hadn't discovered MacGyver, and Sam intended to keep it that way. She'd tried to make a getaway in Mac's jeep, but when she got to it she discovered it had a flat. She was now trying to make her way around to their rental, but with this unorganized group, it wasn't the easiest task.

Waiting till the coast was clear, Sam darted back into the construction site, hiding behind one of the outhouses. She was about to dash across to the stack of lumber when the proverbial twig snapped behind her, freezing the Major in her tracks.

"H-hold it!" A very nervous and young sounding voice called out.

Cautiously, Sam raised her hands, her gun held loosely in her right hand as she turned to face him. "Don't shoot," she said, knowing just how trigger itchy these people seemed to be.

It was one of the suits. The gun in his hand shook and he'd gone white in the face, but he was only three feet away and Sam didn't think a shot from there, even one so badly aimed, was likely to miss. "D-drop y-your gun," the man stammered.

Sam complied, and then took a half step towards him. He didn't seem to notice, so Sam took another half step closer. She hoped that if she got close enough and something distracted him, she'd be able to disarm the guy.

It was a nice thought anyway, but right when she thought she'd have her chance, the chef showed up. "Who's this?"

"I-I d-don't know," the nervous young suit answered.

Then the chef asked Sam, "Where's MacGyver?"

"I don't know," Sam easily repeated with a thin smile.

The suit's hand shook even harder as he asked, "W-what do we d-do?"

The chef shrugged. "Take her to Nathan I guess." Then he scowled and took the gun from the suit's trembling hands, exclaiming, "Give me that before you hurt yourself!"

The young suit sagged with relief, and it was as if several years dropped off his face. He couldn't be much older than twenty, Sam realized. Unfortunately, the chef was much older and far more comfortable pointing the gun at Sam, in spite of his preference for knives. He motioned her to walk ahead of him, and Sam had to wonder, for what was probably the hundredth time that day, just who were these guys?

Nathan turned out to be a man in his early thirties and perhaps one of the few full blood Native Americans there. "Who's this?"

"She hasn't said yet," the chef answered, pushing Sam down onto one of the picnic benches in the area. The chef, the suit, Nathan, and a Caucasian woman circled around her.

"I'm Nathan Redfield, who are you?" Nathan questioned with a frown.

"Major Samantha Carter, US Air Force," Sam told him coldly, hoping to intimidate them.

The suit and the woman exchanged nervous looks, but the chef merely tucked his blade under his apron while Nathan raised an eyebrow, mildly startled. "Air Force?" He repeated, not really asking. "How do you know MacGyver?"

"He's a friend."

"And where is he?"

"I don't know," Sam lied.

Nathan seemed to consider her for a minute, and then turning to the other woman asked, "Maggie, Jimmy has handcuffs, doesn't he?"

"I think so," Maggie slowly replied, giving Sam a nervous glance.

"Go get them." Nathan told her, and then turning to the other two ordered, "Keep looking for MacGyver." As they left, Nathan pulled out a 9mm from his jacket and, standing a cautious distance from Sam, stated, "Get up and I won't hesitate to shoot you."

"What is it that you want?" Sam asked him.

"MacGyver took something from this site and it's our job to get it back."

"Your job?"

Nathan shrugged. "A family curse, if you will."

"Then you're all related," Sam guessed, understanding now the reason for their similarities. The natives on '239 seemed to have descended from Native American heritage as well. She was tempted to ask if they had any odd tattoos hiding on their personages, but held back.

The woman, Maggie, showed up again, a pair of cuffs in hand which she quickly fastened around Sam's wrists, connecting them, one on either side of a table leg, and effectively trapping her there.

After that, Nathan again sent the woman off to join in the search, and seeing Sam as no threat, he put his gun away, sitting down next to her on the bench. "It would be better if you told us where MacGyver is. I'm afraid you don't understand what is as stake here."

"Then why don't you enlighten me?" Sam grumbled, slumping back against the table. Even after all the times she'd ended up as someone's prisoner, she still hated the feeling of helplessness that always surfaced. It was all the more worse not knowing if her teammates were okay. The sun was hanging in the sky now; they only had a couple hours of sunlight left. Then what would happen?

"Well," Nathan said, pulling Sam's attention away from her moody thoughts. The man chuckled. "You probably wouldn't believe me if I told you."

Sam looked at him, startled. "Try me."

Regarding her carefully, Nathan took a deep breath and said, "The artifact that MacGyver has is in truth a key to the end of all things."

"As in…everything?" Sam asked skeptically, but Daniel had said they were called the Keys of Time. That could easily translate to 'the end of all things' in her mind.

"It is said that those who find the Key will unleash demons just prior to the end. It was given to my family to prevent that from ever happening. So you see, it is imperative that we find MacGyver and the artifact."

Sam closed her eyes for a moment, confused. "But if you're trying to save the world, why are you killing people?"

Anger briefly flashed across Nathan's face. "It was not my wish to see people hurt, but we do not take our responsibility lightly. It was my brother who killed Steel, and who MacGyver has killed in return." Nathan stood up again, his face hard with suppressed grief. "Tell me honestly, do you know where MacGyver is?"

"No." But it was obvious he didn't believe her.

Nathan didn't say anything at first, but as he turned his back on her, Sam heard him confidently say, "We will find him eventually."

*****

So far MacGyver had heard four people walk by his little pit, but as yet, no one had discovered it. "And they probably won't," Mac murmured to himself. He was sitting in the foot of water now, not really caring just how muddy or wet he got. Most of the earth covering the stone blocks was thick clay, but there was a small tunnel about the size of his arm that ran along the top of the stones, carrying the water elsewhere.

He was trying to enlarge that tunnel, but the problem with digging while at the bottom of a deep hole was figuring out where to put things, himself included. Plopping yet another handful of clay against the mud wall beside him, MacGyver reevaluated his situation.

The water had to be going somewhere. A slow leak into the chamber below, most likely. If he could just get one of the stone blocks loose enough, he could collapse the chamber's ceiling, letting himself in. "That's pretty big 'if,'" Mac quietly admitted.

Sighing heavily, MacGyver wondered just how long it had been since they had all met up this morning. The light hadn't been the best to begin with, but he could tell it was getting darker. "A little help here?" MacGyver called out softly, just in case some entity was listening in.

Apparently someone was, because a moment later the ground started to shake. MacGyver scrambled to his feet. It was one thing to wait out an earthquake on the surface, quite another when you were at the bottom of a pit. "Aww man!" Mac exclaimed. "This isn't quite what I meant!"

But the earthquake didn't let up, and as the shaking became even more violent, Mac heard the expected cracking of the stones below him. All at once the water drained completely, and closing his eyes in dread and anticipation, Mac felt his footing give way as the chamber's ceiling caved in. Once again, MacGyver was swallowed up by the Earth.

*****

"Ah, Jack? Is it just me or is the ship shaking?" Daniel questioned nervously.

"We're not on a ship, Daniel."

Daniel blinked, and then braced himself as best he could against the side of the box. "So this is a real earthquake this time?"

"Yep. It's a real earthquake," Jack confirmed.

And then the shaking got worse. "Ah, Jack?" Daniel was trying his best not to panic, but it'd been hard enough being trapped in a box underground. Trapped in a box underground in the middle of an earthquake was just a little over the top for him.

"Daniel, kick at the door. Maybe we can get it open."

"But what about-"

"Daniel! Just kick!"

*****

Teal'c was the first out of the connecting tunnel when the shaking began. He had no idea what room he was in, and the goa'uld had the hand held light, which was flickering about the tunnel as the ground tossed them about. The jaffa lost his footing, bringing him down hard to the ground, but as he did, his hand came across something he would not have expected to be there.

It was a gun.

The echo of a sharp bang reverberated around the room, startling Teal'c. Several more sharp sounds followed but Teal'c could not see the source of the noise. The goa'uld was now struggling to exit the tunnel, a process made far more difficult as the shaking intensified.

Akh lost his grip on the light and it went clattering across the room. Not wishing to loose his advantage, Teal'c pushed himself back to his feet. With the gun in hand, he lunged for the goa'uld. He felt the energy beginning its assault, but guided by the purple light, Teal'c put the gun against the goa'uld's chest and fired.

The noise of the gunfire and the Akh's resulting scream seemed to penetrate the walls as violently as the Earth's continued vibrations. Then the protective wave of energy coated Teal'c, and he crumpled to the ground.

It took several minutes for the effects to wear off, by which time the earthquake had dissipated and Akh had fled back through the adjoining tunnel. To die alone, the jaffa hoped. The shaking had stopped, but the sharp banging had not, and looking around, Teal'c finally discovered the cause of the noise.

Picking up the gun again, the jaffa prepared for what could very well be another goa'uld. There was a sarcophagus in the center of this room, and at the far end were two skeletons next to a long thin metal door, like the side of a burial box, the Jaffa reflected.

The metal door was the source of the noise, and Teal'c could see where it was starting to give from the pressure repeatedly banging against it. At last, the door finally gave way, and bending outward, hit the ground with a heavy clang. Four familiar feet appeared, followed quickly by two very familiar faces.

"O'Neill!" Teal'c happily called out.

"Teal'c?" O'Neill answered, coughing slightly as he and DanielJackson sagged against the wall. "I thought I heard a gunshot."

"I have injured the goa'uld, Akh," Teal'c told him, quickly approaching, sorrowed to see that both men were badly injured.

Clutching his side, O'Neill blinked up at him, giving the jaffa a relieved smile. "Sweet!"

DanielJackson was looking around and had spotted the two long since decayed corpses. A severely pained expression creased his face and Teal'c heard the anthropologist murmur, "I'm glad I didn't ask."

"Come on, let's get out of here," O'Neill stated taking a step towards the tunnel.

Teal'c stopped him, informing them, "The way is still blocked."

"Then how did you get in?"

"I did not. I have yet to leave."

Both DanielJackson and O'Neill looked at the jaffa in shock, and then DanielJackson asked in amazement, "You dug yourself out from under all that dirt?"

"It was not necessary," Teal'c replied, and then explained, "A portion of the floor collapsed into a room below it."

"Oh," both men said in unison.

"Well, okay," O'Neill began as if coming out of a trance. "Let's go this way anyway."

"Why?" DanielJackson immediately questioned, causing the jaffa to think they must recently have had another argument.

As Teal'c expected, the Colonel's face glowered with annoyance, and he snapped, "Because I said so."

*****

"Nathan! He must have opened it! The end of all things is at hand!" the woman, Maggie, exclaimed. Now that the earthquake had ended, everyone was gathering around the picnic tables.

Sam watched silently as her fingers pried at the table leg in hopes of breaking off a sliver of wood that she could use as a lock pick, but so far all her sore fingers were able to disengage were flecks of brown paint.

"Everyone, be quiet!" Nathan called out to the small group. "It is not the end yet, we still have time." While the man was young, it was obvious he was the head of this odd family, and the rest immediately calmed at his reassurance. "We know he has not left the site, and we know he does not have the device that will call forth the demons, and that it is not here, so we need not fear. We will find him and put an end to this threat."

After that, the group dispersed, once again resuming their search. Nathan walked slowly back to Sam. "Where is he?"

"You know, he's a nice guy. I'm sure if you'd told him it would cause the end of the world, he would have given you the Key," Sam told the man.

"Then tell me where he is and I will explain the situation," Nathan replied lightly.

Sam snorted. "Ya, right. You opened fire on us without warning!"

Nathan sighed, his eyes filling with deep regret. "You must understand, most of my family has never even held a gun, let alone fired one. One premature shot and they all panicked."

"Then why are you even carrying guns?" Sam asked, confused.

Nathan shrugged. "It was my brother's idea. Before he died he was the head of the family. Now it falls to me, and we cannot afford to fall in our responsibility, or humankind will fail."

His voice was sincere and Sam found it hard not to believe him. She was tempted to try and make a deal with him, but before she could say anything, one of the 'family' called out in exclamation. The sound of a gunshot echoed through the clearing, causing Sam's blood to run cold with fear.

Nathan was on his feet and running towards the entrance of the excavation, but he didn't even get halfway before he stopped in his tracks.

A man stepped out into the open. He wasn't part of Nathan's family, nor was he MacGyver. He also wasn't exactly dressed, and blood was gushing from a hole in his chest, but even from where she was trapped, Sam could still see the flash of yellow in the man's eyes.

Then the rest of Nathan's family showed up, minus the man who'd called the alarm. Chances were good he was dead now anyway.

"Nathan!" Sam yelled, "That's one of your demons! Shoot him!"

The group may not have trusted her, but they were too nervous and scared to care if she was speaking the truth or not. Everyone raised their guns and a wave of bullets flew towards the goa'uld. Only, much to the group's dismay, their shots did nothing. Like bugs stuck to flypaper, the bullets were held suspended in the air by a shield of purple energy. The goa'uld snarled something at them in what Sam assumed was goa'uld.

Then, with an angry wave of his hand, he sent the bullets back to them, and Sam saw half the people crumple to the ground. The rest, panicking, opened fire until their clips were empty, but it only served to give the goa'uld more ammo which he returned at will.

"No!" Sam called out, watching in horror as they were all ruthlessly massacred. All but Nathan, whom the goa'uld was now slowly approaching. "Nathan! Run!"

Yet Nathan was frozen to the ground in shock, and all too soon the goa'uld had reached him, a bloody hand curling about the man's neck. The goa'uld again spoke in that other language, and then pulled Nathan close to him.

Sam cringed as she watched the goa'uld parasite pass from one body to the next. Both men crumpled limply to the ground, but she knew it was already too late. Ignoring the pains in her arm, Sam frantically tried scraping the chain of the cuffs against the table leg. She had to break off a piece of wood and get the cuffs off before the goa'uld gained dominance.

For several long minutes the entire field was silent, and then slowly, like a corpse rising from the dead, Nathan stirred. Only it wouldn't be Nathan any more. Sam stopped scraping and pulled at the wood. At last a piece came off, but as she tried to pick the lock she realized her fingers were too numb to work properly.

Filled with dread, Sam watched as Nathan got to his feet. It was too late now, the goa'uld was sure to come over to her, and as soon as he was close enough he would feel the naquadah Jolinar left behind.

Nathan leaned over the previous host's body, pulling something from it. Sam didn't know what, but as she'd expected, the goa'uld's attention quickly became focused on her.

He approached, and Sam saw him fasten a purple pendant around his neck. It must be the goa'uld device that created the energy shield, Sam realized.

"Where is MacGyver?" The goa'uld demanded as soon as he was close enough, his words coming out thick, as they would for anyone just learning a language. Sam didn't reply, and the goa'uld stepped closer, eyes flashing yellow in anger, as he stated menacingly, "I will not be so kind as this host was, tau'ri!" Then suddenly his expression changed to one of confusion. "You have been a host yourself," he stated, realizing exactly what Sam wished he hadn't. "But this host knows nothing of the goa'uld. Who do you serve? The Shaya?" he snarled out at her.

"I don't serve any goa'uld," Sam told him in defiance.

The goa'uld's eyes narrowed. "Where is the Key?"

"Find it yourself!" He would kill her anyway, and there was no way she was going to let the goa'uld get the upper hand if she could avoid it.

The goa'uld didn't respond right away, and while his eyes flashed again, he showed considerable restraint for a one of his kind. "Things have changed immensely since I was imprisoned by the traitor Ra. But I shall do my duty to the Hereta. And you shall help me."

"Bite me."

The goa'uld chuckled, and looking back towards the excavation's opening, remarked, "I saw this MacGyver inside the temple. If he has the Key, as this tau'ri believes, than he shall gladly trade it for you."

Sam swallowed hard, partly in worry, and partly in relief. MacGyver wasn't inside the ruins, which meant it had to have been the Colonel, and that meant he was alive, but things wouldn't remain that way for long if this goa'uld had his way.

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Post Story Author Notes: Okay, because one of my beta's brought it up, I thought I'd better say something. If any of you are wondering just when Mac killed someone…I say this…remember Gravel Voice? Mind you, it was Jack at the time, and he didn't really kill him…but ya…him!