A/N First and foremost I'd like to thank everyone who had been enjoying my little story. Especially those who have taken the time to review it. I know this Chapter is a bit short, but it seemed like the right time to stop. There should be one more chapter and an epilogue following. Again, my thanks for letting my story into your heads, I can only hope it has somehow made your day better.

POE1911

GATE CRASHERS – CHAPTER 6

Dawn didn't like the situation one bit. She knew that they were in the territory of the most powerful demon clan on the island, and that there was only one layer of defense. 'Well, time to correct that' she thought.

"Hey Daniel, I need you to help me with something, that is if Teal'C can spare the help."

"Major Carter and I should be able to effect repairs ourselves" the Jaffa answered "Daniel Jackson is free to assist you if needed."

"Excellent, thank you Teal'C, but don't hesitate to yell if you need a hand."

The Jaffa just nodded and went back to work. Dawn walked out to observe the perimeter, there were some possibilities here.

"So what are we gonna do, boss" Daniel asked.

Dawn actually blushed at that, but then started talking "I was thinking we need a series of fox holes that start out and work in, that should slow them some, and I'd like to mount one of the ships guns on some sort of tripod. We need a heavy weapon to provide cover fire." She looked at the linguist "you wanna dig or work on the gun?"

"Actually the gun is more my speed, and I am familiar with the technologies."

"Good enough then" Dawn said, then turned back "just like I told Teal'C, yell if you need help."

"I will" Daniel replied, and the two of them went to work.

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Ian and Jack didn't have any trouble entering the place where the Ark was, however they hadn't gotten very far because the entryway was a maze. "Just great" Jack said "I hated doing these things when I was a kid."

"You and me both" Ian replied. He turned to Jack "you got anything to mark where we've been and the directions that we've gone?"

Grinning, Jack reached into a pouch and pulled out a tube of lipstick.

"Do I even want to know why you're carrying that" Ian asked.

"For emergencies like this" Jack answered with a superior air. This was totally ruined by the huge grin on his face. "Think about it, how likely will it be for anyone on this planet to have something like this on them?"

"Can't argue with that" Ian said.

Together they worked through the maze, taking quite a few wrong turns, but trying to hurry because they knew that they were here on borrowed time. Every second they spent retrieving the Ark meant it would be that much harder getting back. They were near the middle (although neither of them realized it) when they ran into another difficulty. Four difficulties to be precise. Ian groaned when he saw them because he recognized this particular type of demon. They were V'kortem demons, bullets could hurt them, but only silver would kill them. Jack saw them first, and opened up with his M-4. Under the cover of Jack's fire, Ian pulled his two swords and went at the demons, finishing up what O'Neill had started. In the middle of saving himself and Jack he was also praying that they were mercenaries or hirelings or slaves or something like that, he didn't want Dawn to have to face a horde of these things.

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Not bad, she thought, looking at the series of fox-holes that she had dug. They supported each other, and each had a clear field of fire, while providing maximum protection. Dawn had also done something else, each one had a small illusion cast on it, that would make it appear a little to one side of where it really was. She had modified the spell so it wouldn't affect humans, but the demons would be plenty flummoxed. She had thought about casting some area wide protection spell, but she had decided that stealth was the best way, and stealth meant small magics, the kind that wouldn't draw attention. Smiling at a job well done, she headed back to see if Daniel needed any help.

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Samantha Carter was frustrated and angry. Fortunately for all she was able to channel most of that into what she was doing, but that didn't prevent her from just being sour. She should be with Jack right now, not some kid that didn't know him from Adam. She had seen him in action, Sam knew the kid was good, but he didn't care for Jack the way she did, so he might not take proper care of Jack the way she would. Plus, she was a combat veteran, and now she was taking orders from some little girl who was just playing at soldier. Unable to hold it in any longer, she turned to Teal'C "do you think we should go after Jack"?

The Jaffa looked at her for a moment "I do not; I believe that O'Neill is with a very capable person, more capable than we in this situation. We are needed to make sure that the way back is available."

"Doesn't it bother you just a bit that we're taking orders from a couple of kids?"

"I confess it feels a bit uncomfortable at times, however, can you fault their instructions, or priorities?"

"No. I guess I'm just used to relying on ourselves. I suppose that them being here is making me feel a bit out of my depth. I mean demons and gods and thousand year old artifacts, it's a lot to take in."

"True Major, but could they effect repairs on this technology? I would suggest that they feel as much out of depth as you do yourself."

"Maybe Teal'C" Sam sighed "but I'll be glad when we're just dealing with the Goauld and it's just us."

"As will I Major" Teal'C answered.

Just at that moment, they heard a voice calling them from outside the ship. "Guys, you got a second, we need to talk about defense."

Sam just rolled her eyes a bit and walked out to see what the kid wanted.

Dawn explained the defensive layout she had constructed, and the scheme they would follow if they were attacked. "Daniel and I will have the gun ready to go in fifteen minutes or so, how about the ship?"

"It could fly now" Teal'C answered "but I would like to continue repairs anyway. In an hour everything should be restored to perfect order."

"Great" Dawn answered "as soon as we're done with the gun, Daniel can give you guys a hand and I'll go stand watch. There's one other thing" here the girl looked a bit uncomfortable "if we do get attacked do you three want any enhancements?"

"What do you mean enhancements" Sam asked.

"I could increase your speed and vision, a small protection spell, those kind of things."

"How long would they last" Daniel asked the girl.

"Less than twenty four hours" Dawn replied "I thought about just doing them, but that wouldn't be right, so I'm asking if you want them."

"The three SG-1 members looked at each other for a second "will it hurt" Sam asked finally.

"Not at all" Dawn assured the older woman "you won't feel anything".

"Should we do it now" Daniel suggested "before they attack."

"I thought about that one too" Dawn replied "but I thought it would be better to wait, doing that much magic would draw attention, which is something we don't want right now. If we're spotted and attacked, it won't matter anymore, but until then I'd like to hold off."

"All right" Sam spoke for the three of them "if we need it, feel free to enhance away."

"OK" Dawn said with a smile, then turning to Daniel said "let's get that gun finished". As the two of them left, Sam turned to see Teal'C with as much of a smile on his face as the Jaffa ever had. Seeing Sam's look of inquiry he said to her "as I said when we first met them, they are formidable."

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"What did she mean back there" Jack asked out of the blue.

"What do you mean Colonel?"

"She said 'I want you to remember me when you get back', is she that easily forgotten?"

Ian paused and let out a sigh, his energy reserves were lower than he'd like, and his feet hurt. They had fought four other groups of demons on their way through the maze. Fortunately these other groups had been more affected by bullets than the first bunch. "Some of the things I can do require power, something I have a lot of. However if those reserves get low, then I'm not capable of doing as much."

"That's pretty obvious" Jack said.

"True, but in an emergency I can access more power, like from a reserve tank."

"Again, that sounds pretty obvious."

"I know, but that access has a price."

"And what would the price be?"

"Memories"

"Memories" Jack asked, not sure that he's heard right.

"Yeah, the longer you dip into the reserve tank and the more power you use, the more memories are removed from you."

"Why memories" Jack asked, still not sure about what he was hearing.

"Memories are some of the most powerful things we have, so in a pinch I can burn them, like logs on a fire, but once they're gone, they're gone."

"What happens if you burn up all your memories?"

"Then you start using your raw emotions, if you do it long enough, you burn away your humanity, then you die, and another is called. It's like when you had those upgrades from the Tok'ra. Imagine if you hadn't eaten anything, the way your metabolism was stoked, your body would have consumed itself. It's pretty much the same thing for us."

"Now that I can understand" Jack said. Then he looked at the younger man "so what did you loose?"

"The first six years of my life, I mean there still is the occasional flash, but most of it is simply gone."

"Was it worth it?"

"Would you spend six years of memories to save the Major and the rest of your team?"

"Stupid question, huh?"

"No, but you knew the answer before you asked it" Ian said with a smile.

O'Neill looked at the young man for a moment and finally said "you ready to get going again?"

"Yeah" Ian answered time's a wastin'"

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The maze just ended in a flat wall. It wasn't quite what the two of them had expected. "Are you sure this is right" Jack asked.

"Yes, already" Ian said "notice the inscription. We didn't see that anywhere else."

"Great" Jack said "so what the heck does it say."

Ian looked at the wall 'To pass within you must speak the word of peace, for only through peace can you attain your goal'. "I guess that means just knocking the dumb thing down is out."

"Darn, that's usually one of my best things."

"I guess we'd better figure out what this 'word of peace' is, cause I don't feel like growing old here."

Ian tried all of the different Hebrew words for peace that he knew, different inflections and different dialects. Nothing happened. The young man just slumped down in defeat, the wall just wasn't moving. He looked up at Jack "any ideas"?

O'Neill just looked at him for a second and then said "Pax". Instantly the wall rose, revealing the passage beyond. Ian looked incredulous. Jack smirked for a second and said "the Romans controlled most of the ancient world, they were the only ones to bring peace to the world, it just figured." He grew uncomfortable as Ian just stared at him "alright, so I like the History Channel, happy now" Jack exclaimed, then he stalked off in a huff.

Shaking his head in awe at the Colonel, Ian led the way down the now open passage. They came to an archway with an oddly shaped room just past it. Jack was about to walk in when Ian grabbed him. He glared at the younger man "what's up, it's just a room."

"Maybe, Ian said; but that's an inscription" he said, pointing at the wall.

Jack paused and looked at the wall next to the arch, sure enough there was writing there. "What does it say?"

"Only in the path of the chosen will you find that which you seek."

"Any idea as to what that means" Jack asked.

"Possibly" Ian responded as he looked into the room, the shape was indeed odd, not regular at all. And the floor was not level, there were things that looked like mountains and sand dunes and oases scattered about. It reminded him of when he was a kid and constructed dioramas with model airplanes. Then it hit him "the room is a map" he said.

"What do you mean, a map" Jack asked.

"It's a model, a diorama of the Arabian peninsula" Ian said. "And if that's the case then all we have to do is retrace the Hebrew people's wandering to find the Ark."

"Great" Jack exclaimed "but how do we know their route through this thing. In case you hadn't noticed, we weren't there; nobody currently alive was."

"Not a problem" Ian said "just follow the clues."

"Clues" Jack said, completely lost "where the heck did they leave clues."

Ian rummaged in his pack for a second and pulled out a book "check out chapter two" the man said "it should tell us everything we need to know."

Jack opened the book to the chapter indicated and read one word, 'Exodus'. He turned to Ian with a smile "then let's get going".

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'Well, that's got it started' Dawn thought. She was using her enhanced sight to examine the area around the demon's corpse. She had seen it when it was two miles away, she had hoped it would turn away, but it kept coming straight for them, with a most determined stride. She had waited until it was fifteen hundred yards away, and then punched its ticked with her .50 caliber Barrett sniper rifle. The huge hollow point bullet had completely blown the creature's chest away. It had stayed on its feet looking startled before it collapsed in the brush. Dawn hoped that the body would be hard to locate, buying them some more time, but she didn't think that was a likely scenario. She glanced back in the direction that Jack and Ian had headed off, still no sign of them and still no mind contact either. That was what scared her the most, they hadn't really been out of contact with each other since that day at the Trevi fountain; God that seemed so long ago, and yet at the same time it seemed like yesterday. She shook her head to get her focus back. She debated telling the others for a moment, but dismissed it. They were still making repairs and she didn't want to distract them. The one bit of good news, in her opinion, was that these demons seemed vulnerable to regular bullets, that was a major plus for the SG-1 team.

Dawn thought about the people that she was currently working with, and was surprised to admit that she liked them as much, if not more, than the slayers that she had dealt with in the past. Maybe there should be some sort of permanent liaison between the two groups, she thought it would certainly give Faith a new challenge and shake the Stargate folks up a bit as well. She went back to scanning the horizon, no additional hostiles, yet.

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They had followed the right path, well with one misstep; which fortunately Ian was quick enough to rectify. Now, here they were at the end, and nothing was happening. They were standing in front of a mountain, at least a model of a mountain, there were no more clues, but no Ark and no idea about what to do next. Jack had moved around to the back, hoping that there was something that they'd missed when he heard a slap and a muted "of course".

"What have ya got kid?"

"Do you have a lighter or matches or anything like that" Ian asked.

"Sure" Jack said, pulling out an old Zippo "here ya go" and he tossed the lighter to the Vatican agent. "So what brainwave did ya have?"

"Remember the bible" Ian said with a smirk "what's the story of the ten commandments without a burning bush." And with that he lit a bit of greenery on fire. For a moment there was nothing, but then the sound of stone grinding on stone could be heard. A blinding light erupted out of the ceiling, and a stone platform descended. After a minute, an object could be seen on it, and eventually details were discernable. It was a simple chest, but O'Neill thought it was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen. Almost against his will he moved forward to touch the thing, but he was restrained by Ian. "We can't touch it" the young man told Jack "it would kill us. Humans weren't meant to come in contact with it."

"So how do we get it out" Jack asked.

Wordlessly Ian pointed at the two poles that were also on the platform. After about five minutes of slow descent, the platform came to rest on the floor. The instant it stopped moving the blinding light went out, and flashed upwards.

"Now that can't be a good thing" Jack said.

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Fortunately Dawn was looking away when the hill erupted with a huge flare of light. 'Well, so much for secrecy" the girl thought, then she called for the rest of the team to take up their positions. As they were moving out she cast her enhancement charms on them. She hoped it would be enough to insure their survival. Then she sat back and tried to think if there was anything else she could do. Her musings were interrupted by the sight of a large number of demons on the horizon. She gave a wolfish smile and shouldered her rifle, it was time to go to war.

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Jack and Ian were hurrying as best they could. The problem was that it was not easy maneuvering the Ark through the maze, some of the corners were very tight. Trying to maneuver an object through the maze was difficult enough, but to not be able to touch the thing made it ten times worse. They had just cleared the last of the bad turns when Ian stopped and stiffened up.

"What is it" Jack asked.

"Listen" Ian replied "do you hear something?"

Jack listened for a moment or two and finally said "it sounds like thunder."

Ian looked back at him "its feet, lots and lots of feet, I think it's time we hid and prayed."

"That's your plan, hiding and praying" Jack shot back.

"At first" the younger man replied. "When most of them are past here, we make a break for it and hope that the others still have a way clear for us."

"What about these guys, if they decide to chase us?"

"I mined the entrance" Ian said a trifle smugly "once we're clear there won't be any pursuit, at least not from these guys."

"Alright then" Jack said "hide and pray it is."

The two men found a cul-de-sac nearby and Ian put up an illusory wall, to discourage the casual observer; he figured that something low level like that was more likely to be ignored. Once that was done, he did indeed pray, but not for himself; he prayed that the others, one other in particular, would be OK."

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The SG-1 team had engaged at maximum range, trying to slow the advance of the demon horde, and to show who was in charge. Dawn, armed with her sniper rifle, was doing her best to pick off the leadership; she hoped this would slow them down even more. What she couldn't do anything about, and what had scared her the most, was the large group that had headed for the caverns where the Ark (and Ian and Jack) was. The demons had been slowed, and the illusions she had cast on the foxholes was fooling them so far. Dawn scanned the field again, and not seeing anyone in an obvious leadership role, she discarded her rifle for the ships heavy gun. It was time to do some real damage. Part of her wanted to go and save her husband and her new friend. But she knew that their best chance of survival was keeping the ship in tact. So she would stay here, waiting for them until the position became untenable. If Ian and Jack had not yet turned up with the Ark she would send the rest of SG-1 back through the wormhole, but she would stay here. In her mind, if Ian died here, then there was no place she'd rather be. She looked around her for a moment, the sky looked thunderous, and the humidity was awful, but she was doing her job with some good friends; the Klingons were right, she mused as she started firing the big gun at clusters of demons, this was a good day to die.