'…that.' Mitchell said as he staggered out of the wormhole and onto the dusty planet of Dakara.

'Good trip, Mitchell?' Sam asked sweetly as she walked up to him, the event horizon disappearing behind her.

'You pushed me!'

'It's an initiation thing.' She said putting on her sunglasses and pulling her cap lower. Her eyes were already scanning for trouble. The Jaffa guarding the gate didn't look happy but they had lowered their weapons. 'Teal'c?'

'This way, Colonel Carter.' Teal'c pointed his staff weapon in the direction of the ruins and started to make his way toward them.

Mitchell glanced around eagerly, taking everything in. 'This is incredible. I mean, look at this, I mean…'

'Definitely not in Kansas anymore.' Daniel noted. He smiled at the awestruck expression as Mitchell's head swivelled from side to side taking in the sights. 'You're actually really lucky this looks like an alien planet. Normally you step out of the gate and all you see is trees.'

'Trees?'

'Something to do with oxygen in the atmosphere…' Daniel murmured hesitantly; Jack had hated explanations.

'Sure, plants generally produce oxygen.' Mitchell noted. 'So, makes sense I guess.'

There was an enthusiasm in Mitchell's voice that made Daniel smile again. He found himself relooking at his surroundings, trying to put himself in the other man's shoes not just seeing Dakara for the first time but seeing another planet for the first time. He remembered his own bewilderment at Abydos; the sense of awe, of amazement. When had travelling to another planet become commonplace to him, Daniel wondered. He hadn't even realised it had. He shook his head.

They walked on for another ten minutes sliding down a steep path before Teal'c declared they had reached their destination and brought them to a halt. Another couple of hundred metres in front of them was a small group of Jaffa guarding what looked like a square entry-way carved into the side of a mountain.

Sam looked up to get her bearings and realised they had travelled down-hill from the Dakara Stargate in the opposite direction to the old weapon. The old city was directly above them on the side of the mountain.

'This is the entrance where the underground chamber was discovered.' Teal'c noted.

'Will there be a problem gaining entry?' Sam asked wiping the sweat from her brow.

'I do not believe so, Colonel Carter.' Teal'c said. 'Jav'nec was once trained by Bra'tac as were the two who stand alongside him.' He started forward again. He stopped in front of the three Jaffa who had straightened on their approach. 'Jav'nec.' He bowed his head. 'It is good to see you, old friend.'

'Teal'c.' Jav'nec returned the greeting and glanced at Teal'c's companions questioningly.

'My friends are here to help find Master Bra'tac and return him to us.' Teal'c explained. 'I bid you let us enter.'

'I have orders from the Council, Teal'c, that no one is to enter.' Jav'nec said regretfully.

'Am I not a Council member, Jav'nec?' Teal'c argued. 'I will ensure the rest of the Council know it was my order you were following.'

Jav'nec nodded slowly. He glanced across at the other two Jaffa and gestured. 'Let them through.'

'Thank you, Jav'nec.' Teal'c said as the Jaffa stood aside.

'Thank me by bringing our respected teacher back to us.' Jav'nec said. 'Here you will need a lantern.' He handed Teal'c a nearby lantern that radiated with light.

Teal'c held it in front of him and ducked under the low ceiling of the doorway as he led the way inside. Sam was right behind him and she switched the light on her P90 noting that Mitchell followed suit. They were all relieved that there was plenty of height in the actual passageway and more than enough space to walk two abreast.

'This is amazing.' Daniel said as he ran his hands along the wall. 'These passageways look as though they were carved out of solid rock.'

'Advanced technology though, right?' Mitchell asked.

'Definitely.' Daniel's nose wrinkled in thought. 'Just look at the right angles to the ceiling and the floors.'

Teal'c stopped and gestured in front of him. 'There.'

Sam shone her light on the arched entrance in front of her. 'This is a doorway.'

'Indeed.'

'No, Teal'c, I mean this is an actual doorway.' Sam pointed with her light. 'Look, the door mechanism has obviously stopped working but you can see the different material under the rock and dirt. This was an artificial doorway, possibly to a building of some kind.'

'Maybe it was buried by an earthquake.' Daniel asked.

'Maybe.' Sam glanced back down the passageway. 'It's possible that the Ancients made the passageway as some kind of access tunnel when the building became inaccessible.' She stepped forward eagerly into the chamber and did a cursory sweep with her P90. The glow of the active machine in the centre of the chamber caught her attention momentarily but it was the chamber itself that held it. 'Oh boy.'

It was a huge dome-like structure. The curved ceiling seemed to extend upwards to a great distance. It was definitely not a natural formation. Sam could see that the walls were not made of rock but of some smooth white material. The floor was covered in dirt and debris so she couldn't tell if it was made of the same thing but it was flat and even.

'Woah.' Mitchell stared up at the ceiling.

'I believe you are correct, Colonel Carter.' Teal'c said as his eyes followed Mitchell's light. 'This was a building of some kind.'

'Teal'c, you'd better stand guard at the entrance.' Sam said. 'It's probable we're going to get company.'

'Yes,' Teal'c agreed, 'our arrival will not have gone unreported to the Council.' He moved back to the doorway.

'Daniel, Mitchell,' Sam's light landed on their faces, 'we're going to need more light.'

'If this was a building, maybe there's a light switch?' Daniel suggested.

Sam shrugged. 'Start looking. I'm going to take a look at the machine.' She saw the two men move off in opposite directions, their lights sweeping the walls for the elusive light switch. She made her way to the machine and knelt down beside it. She removed her backpack and started pulling items from it. She snapped on two temporary lights and placed them near to the device so there was enough light for her to work. Her laptop came next and she switched it on and powered it up. Her eyes started assessing the device with interest.

It was unlike the Dakara weapon which was a stone rectangular table-like shape with square panels that modified the device's energy. This seemed more sophisticated like the time machine they had come across, or the control chair in Antarctica. She frowned as she made a slow circle around the device. It was a raised semi-circle to waist height in a strange grey metallic substance. She placed her hand curiously on the surface and found it cool to the touch. It felt like steel. The sides seemed smooth were no obvious openings and the device seemed rooted into the floor. The light was coming from one half of the top.

Sam reached into her pack and took out a small brush. She used it to gently brush away some dirt and peered at the faint glow. It was almost like a monitor that had lost full power, she mused. She cast one of the torches over the other half of the semi-circle. It was covered in more dirt which she had to remove. Buttons, like a keypad, all inscribed with faint symbols.

'Daniel!' She searched the darkness for the archaeologist and found him staring at a wall. 'Daniel!'

'Huh?' His surprised face blinked in her torch light for a moment.

'I found some symbols you might want to take a look at.' Sam said standing in the curve of the semi-circle.

Daniel quickly joined her.

'Ancient?' Sam asked.

'I think so.' Daniel peered at the symbols. 'They're very faint.'

'Can you read them?'

'Yeah…I'm going to need my notes.' Daniel looked up. 'I left my back-pack somewhere by the door, I think…?'

There was a muffled curse and a thud.

'Found it!' Mitchell shouted.

Sam and Daniel smiled in amusement as the other man brought over the archaeologist's bag.

'Thanks.' Daniel said. He immediately dug into it and brought out a tattered note-book. 'OK.' He flipped to the page he was looking for as Sam held the torch. He pointed at one of the buttons. 'I think this is the symbol for light.'

He pressed it.

'Do you think that was wise?' Mitchell asked remembering General O'Neill's rules.

There was a hum and suddenly the chamber was filled with a dim white light that radiated from the walls. They all winced and blinked as their eyes adjusted. In the brightness they could see the room better. There were two more semi-circular consoles in the centre of the room; both seemed inactive. Everything else was covered with a film of red dust.

'OK, so this is a control panel.' Sam deduced as she snapped off the torches.

'Yeah but for what?' Daniel murmured.

'The room, right.' Mitchell speculated. 'I mean you pressed the button and, hey presto, the lights came on.'

'I don't think it's just the room.' Daniel said doubtfully. 'Sam, isn't there a control panel like this in Atlantis?'

'Right. I remember reading about it in McKay's report.' She tapped into the information on her computer. 'Here.' She gestured at the monitor. 'They have consoles like this throughout the city. They monitor environmental conditions, light, life support, that kind of thing, oh and security…'

'Security?' Mitchell questioned.

'Well, they scan the inside of the city constantly looking for intruders…' she stumbled to a halt and her wide eyes snapped to Daniel's. 'That must be it.' She said excitedly.

'What must be it?' Mitchell asked.

'You're right.' Daniel agreed nodding. 'That has to be it.'

'What?' Mitchell asked again.

'It's the only thing that makes sense.' Sam said.

'What?' Mitchell inquired for the third time.

Sam took pity on him. 'When the Jaffa entered this structure they must have automatically set off some kind of Ancient security system.' She gestured. 'The Atlantis team reported that when they entered the city, it seemed to come to life around them and they later learnt that actually it had been programmed to do so at their arrival. It's possible something similar was programmed into this system.'

'OK, the Jaffa enter, and this device activates but why doesn't everything come on?' Daniel asked.

'Maybe the power's running out.' Sam deduced.

'A ZPM?' Daniel speculated.

'We've never picked up readings for one on Dakara but maybe.' She nodded. 'Now, I can see better I might be able to interface my laptop with the control panel. We might be able to access the system.' She gestured at the blank panel at the side of the keypad on the device. 'I think this is broken.'

Daniel nodded. 'I'll keep translating these symbols.'

Sam glanced at Mitchell. 'Why don't you head out and keep watch with Teal'c?'

'Yes, ma'am.' Mitchell said.

Sam nodded absently, her mind already working out the best way to tie the device into the computer. It took her longer than she had hoped but fifteen minutes later the image that should have been on the panel was displayed on her laptop. 'Bingo.'

Daniel read over her shoulder. 'OK. This is interesting.' He tapped at the screen. 'Can you zoom in?'

She made the image larger. 'My God.'

'There's a city.' Daniel said gleefully. 'A whole Ancient city buried under the rock. This is incredible.' He whirled away and gestured wildly. 'OK, so we know the Ancients came to Dakara and built the weapon but what if they arrived earlier than that. What if they came and decided to rebuild Atlantis here?'

'I don't know, Daniel…' Sam said trying to keep him from getting carried away. 'It looks more like the size of an outpost to me.'

'Even so.' Daniel grinned her. 'There could be a ZPM here. Or another chair like the one in Antarctica. Just think of the possibilities.'

'I admit it's all very exciting.' Sam said. 'But we have a specific problem to focus on.' She reminded him.

'Right. Bra'tac and the other missing Jaffa.' Daniel moved back to stand beside her.

'OK. So we think the security system was triggered when the Jaffa entered the structure.' Sam said.

'Which led to the system scanning a particular area of the city.' Daniel gazed at the keypad and pressed another symbol. The image on Sam's monitor changed.

'What is this?' Sam asked.

'A security menu, I hope.' Daniel said. He gestured at an option on the screen. 'Click this.'

She followed his instruction and a large block of text appeared. 'What does it say?'

'I think it says that the security system is active.' Daniel murmured. His finger traced a line across the screen. 'OK. I think the system is designed to operate on three settings.'

'Three?'

'Three.' Daniel confirmed. 'The first is just to scan for intruders. The second is to identify intruders and transport them to…to some kind of holding area and the third…' His voice trailed away.

'And the third?' Sam prompted.

Daniel met her eyes worriedly. 'Eliminated the intruders completely. It killed them.'