A/N: I don't own these characters or the shows they come from. I'm just borrowing them for a bit.
Gunfire clattered in the Gate room as SG-1 joined the battle against an unseen enemy.
O'Neill and his team had arrived to see the iris opening and the event horizon appear. "Status!" O'Neill snapped to the nearest soldier.
"SG-14's ID code came through to open the iris sir, sounds like they found something nasty on the planet they were exploring." Was the reply.
There wasn't time for more, as the embattled team literally flew out of the Gate. They were firing behind them as they came, and as soon as they were through O'Neill ordered,
"Close the iris!"
The protection around the Stargate cycled shut and silence returned to the room. It didn't last long. Before O'Neill could ask the Colonel in charge of the just returned team what had happened, a new alarm went off.
"What's that?" he asked instead, and Teal'c responded.
The Jaffa had clutched his stomach.
"Reetou!" he hissed. He was referring to a race that had been nearly destroyed by the Goa'uld, and from which a faction of rebel survivors intended to kill all humans who were possible hosts for the Goa'uld, thus killing off the parasitic species by attrition.
The Goa'uld larva inside Teal'c sensed the alien being, which existed 180 degrees out of phase with earth normal, thus making it invisible.
"I'll get the T.E.R." Maj. Carter said, and then dived to the deck before she could get the device the Tok'ra had given them which could illuminate and destroy the Reetou. An invisible weapon had fired, and SGC personnel all took cover.
"How many got through?" O'Neill demanded, knowing that usually the aliens worked in suicide squads of five.
"I don't know, sir, but only one weapon seems to be firing" Sam replied.
SG-14 had taken cover as well, and a soldier from the unit had crawled close to where O'Neill's position was.
"Sir, we were ambushed on the way back, and with heavy fire and the Zats I think we incapacitated three of them. I'm pretty sure no more than two could have gotten through the Gate with us."
O'Neill nodded, and tried to judge where the aliens were.
"Teal'c?" he asked, turning to his friend.
"I cannot tell where in this room the Reetou are, only that they are present." The Jaffa replied.
More shots rang out, and the door to the Gate room began to open.
"Get that door closed!" O'Neill bellowed.
A relief force had arrived, but it just made the problem worse. Shots were fired near the door, injuring some soldiers, who were firing blindly back.
"Oh crap" O'Neill swore, then gestured to Maj. Carter to get the special weapons. He also contacted the soldiers guarding the civilians. Up in the observation room, Gen. Hammond ordered the base closed and levels to be sealed off.
Up in the briefing room, Clark was looking at his parents and friend with confusion. They all turned to the guards at the door.
"What's happening?" Jonathan demanded.
The soldiers exchanged a look, and then one responded,
"Nothing to worry about sir. I'm sure the Colonel has things under control. Everything's fine. Just stay in here."
It was an outright lie, and Lex knew it. Col. O'Neill's voice hadn't sounded like everything was under control. And a breach on a military compound definitely meant everything was not fine. He looked at Clark, jerking his head at the door. His friend nodded, and squinted.
The guards and the door behind them dissolved, and Clark followed the route his vision had taken before, to the door of the room Col. O'Neill had gone into. The door was open, and soldiers lay strewn outside it. He looked deeper, seeing their skeletons, and almost recoiled when he saw a quick-moving flash of—something---going past them into the hallway. It was followed by another something and then skeletons were pouring out the door and going down the hall after the things. His vision snapped back to normal when he was nearly blinded by the bright flash of a weapon he'd never seen before.
"Clark?" Lex asked.
"I think the creature or something like it must have gotten loose. It came out of the room the Colonel went into and ran into the hallway. I have to go see if I can help stop it." Clark whispered back.
The thought of confronting the creature again filled him with apprehension, but Clark knew he could help. Besides, why had it been nearly invisible? Even with enhanced sight he'd barely seen the outline of a strange form. Maybe there really were other alien creatures out there, and the military knew about them. That's why they hadn't been so surprised. All Clark knew was that whatever this thing was it had hurt people and needed to be stopped.
"Clark, you heard the Colonel. We're to stay here. I don't want you to get hurt again." Martha had seen Clark looking through the door, and figured he would want to go help if there was a problem. But her invulnerable son had been scratched and hurt by the creature, and if it could do that it might be able to kill him. She hated to think there was something out there that could harm her child, and to let him deliberately go looking for it went against all her motherly instincts.
"Your mother is right, son." Jonathan added. "Besides, if something can get past all those military types then we need you here to protect us."
Clark looked from parent to parent and sighed. Lex had nodded, agreeing with them.
"I think it's best if we stay here, Clark. The last thing we want the military to do is to worry about us as well as whatever it is that's happening. It'll also be better for you if they think you can follow orders. I think it will make them more likely to be cooperative with us."
Lex finished talking, hoping his friend would take the hint. If Clark were to go off on his own it would not bode as well for the military leaving him alone in the future. He might be seen as loose cannon and possible threat. If however he appeared to obey orders they would hopefully trust him more.
Clark finally swallowed and agreed.
"Okay, I'll stay." He said. "To protect you." He added.
The guards at the door had followed the exchange, but were more intent on any more orders or information from the walkie-talkies and the door behind them to pay too much attention to the civilians. Suddenly there was a loud clattering in the hallway outside, and the sound of shots being fired.
"S….t!" cursed one guard.
"Everyone, get down behind some cover!" the other guard ordered.
The four from Smallville looked at each other, and then Clark overturned the large desk in the middle of the room till it lay on its side, the broad top now facing the door. Jonathan hustled Martha behind the makeshift barrier and Clark urged Lex behind it as well. Then he stood in front of it protectively, head up, eyes beginning to bore through the door, ready as he could be for what faced him.
To be continued. (evil laughter)
Everyone, thanks for the reviews! I'm sorry, I just seem incapable of ending a chapter without a cliffhanger. (grin) On the other hand, I do try to resolve it in the next chapter and give that on a timely basis. I'll see if I can write a chapter without a cliffie. Bye for now!