The wormhole snapped closed behind Teal'c as Sam made her way down the stone steps leading to Lemnos' gate. The platform that held the Stargate was at the edge of what once must have been a large town; broken cobblestones of several streets shot out from the dais like the spokes of a wheel. Beyond the circle where they stood were dozens of stone buildings, some two stories tall. Many were damaged, roofs collapsed, walls caved in, doors and windows smashed; a few were no more than the crumbling stone foundations that had once supported the structure. Sam couldn't see any that were unscathed. The streets were surprisingly free of debris, though a layer of soot and dust coated every surface, and seemed to linger in the air severely limiting visibility.

Teal'c stepped off the platform to stand next to Sam, head turning slowly as he surveyed their surroundings. "This town would appear to be deserted."

"Maybe," Sam agreed, "Belda said that the weather anomalies started over a year ago. People might have migrated out of the cities thinking they'd find cleaner air."

"If there is any," Daniel joined the pair, brushing dust off his jacket, "If this is from any major volcanic eruption, it could cover this entire continent."

"Would the residents of this town be aware of that, Daniel Jackson?"

"Probably not."

Sam nodded, "All right then. We've got to find somebody if we're going to find out what happened to the Regarus." She pointed her P90 down a street to their right, "That way. The buildings are farther apart, it might lead out of town. Teal'c, you have our six."

"Very well, Colonel Carter."

"Keep your eyes open, Daniel."

They encountered more of the same as they made their way down the narrow street Sam had chosen. Everywhere there were derelict buildings without doors or windows, tattered cloth hanging from some of the frames. The only items on the street were an occasional bench or pot made of stone. They explored some of the buildings as they moved toward what they hoped was the town exit. The first few buildings had been stripped of all but the largest furniture, great chests and huge bed frames were all that remained. As they moved further from the gate, even these were gone; leaving only splinters and shards of wood where the furnishings once stood. As desolate as it was, Sam knew the state of the buildings meant they were going in the right direction. People had come this far back into town for their large furniture, probably to be used as fuel.

It was more than an hour before the tightly packed buildings began to give way to dirt fields and dying trees. The cobbled street they had followed stopped just at the edge of town, leaving only a path in the dirt barely discernable from the fields around it. Despite evidence that people had once lived in the town, they'd seen no sign of habitation in the time they'd been on Lemnos. Sam paused outside a small stone building near the head of the path, motioning the others behind it. She pulled a pair of binoculars from her vest, scanning the countryside before them. "There's very little cover from here out. The good news is that leaves fewer places to catch us in an ambush."

Daniel lifted his eyes to the gray sky, his tone dry. "Very reassuring."

Sam glanced at him with a smirk before stowing her binoculars back into her vest. She rested her hands on her weapon and turned back toward the path. "All right lets…."

A noise interrupted her, she stopped as she neared the corner of the structure, holding up a hand to signal the others to silence. She nodded toward the building and listened for a moment before she heard a soft rustling again. She gestured Teal'c around to the back of the building, while she and Daniel flanked the front entrance. They rounded the door carefully, the mag lights on their P90s cutting into the gloom to reveal a room empty but for the remnants of a stairway that had once led to a loft overhead. Sam gestured Daniel to the right, while she rounded the structure from the left, their lights coming to rest on a figure crouched behind the steps.

The girl that looked up at them from eyes hidden behind thin arms was no more than fourteen. She appeared undernourished; her thin cheeks making her brown eyes seem too large for her face. Her clothing, like nearly everything else, was dusty but showed signs of frequent mending. She was curled so tightly under the remnants of the steps that had Sam and Daniel not heard the rustling in the small building, they might have missed her. At their appearance, the girl shrank back into the steps, gasping softly as splinters pierced her skin.

"Hey," Daniel crouched next to her, reaching a hand halfway across the space to the child. "Hey. We're not going to hurt you, are we Sam?"

"No, of course not." The girl's eyes widened as Sam reached for her radio, "It's all right. I'm just calling our friend, to tell him that everything's okay in here." She mimicked Daniel and crouched to the girl's level, smiling at her as her finger touched the radio button. "Teal'c?"

"All is clear here, Colonel Carter."

"Here too. We've found a little girl. We'll be outside in a bit. Carter out." She sat back on her heels as Daniel reached for the child again, his hand hovering in the area between them.

"I'm Daniel. This is Sam. We're explorers." He smiled, "Can you tell us your name?"

It wasn't until Sam nodded; adding her request to Daniel's that the girl answered. "Litta...Melitta."

"That's a pretty name," Sam held her hand out to the girl as well, "Melitta, why don't you let us help you out of there?"

For a moment, the girl moved only her eyes, which focused intently on Sam. Finally she lifted her own hand, placing it in Sam's. "Good," Sam squeezed her fingers gently and with an apologetic shrug to Daniel, she helped the girl slide out into the open. "Are you all right Melitta? Did you get hurt hiding back there?"

"No." Melitta didn't release Sam's hand as she stood, her eyes darting around the room. "I don't know you. You…have you come from far away?"

Sam nodded, "Yes. We came through the Stargate. The Chappa'ai." With that, the girl snatched her hand from Sam's, darting back behind the staircase.

"You have come to avenge Hephaestus!"

"No!" Daniel shook his head, moving to intercept Melitta, "No, no, of course not! We're not here about Hephaestus. We don't support the Goa'uld. We're just…looking for someone who might have been lost here."

Melitta looked from Daniel to Sam, "You're looking for a friend?"

"Well," Sam shrugged, "A friend of a friend. We were told he might be here. We just want to make sure he's all right, and help him, if we can."

"All right," Melitta nodded, gesturing toward the door. "Then I will take you to Mother."

The girl's home was across mucky fields where little grew, but Melitta proudly pointed out new crops, planted from seeds saved from before the catastrophes. Sam walked ahead with her, while Daniel and Teal'c watched their six. Not wanting to spook the girl, Sam chatted easily with her about trivialities in her daily life. By the time they reached the girl's home Melitta was grasping Sam's hand, beaming at the woman. She led Sam gingerly over boards laid to the front door, explaining that the dust would often hide holes in the ground, causing accidents. She pulled a blanket away from the doorway. "Mother. I'm back."

An older woman stood over a rickety stove at the far end of the room, pulling wet cloths out of a pot and hanging them on ropes strung across the corner. A baby lay sleeping on a pallet near the door, and a young boy piled wood near the stove.

"You're late Litta, I hope you found…" Her words trailed off as she turned, reaching a hand out to yank the boy behind her as she spotted first Sam, then Daniel and Teal'c following her into the room. "Melitta! Who are these people?"

"They're travelers Mother, from the Chappa'ai, looking for a lost friend."

"Please," Sam squeezed the girl's hand gently before stepping forward, "We didn't mean to get your daughter into trouble. We're just looking for someone who might have come here in the last few weeks. We're not here to cause trouble."

The woman skirted the side of the room to pick up the baby, "Anything new causes trouble. Why'd your friend come here?"

Daniel stepped forward, "He was…he was here before, and left something important. He came to get it back." He held up his hands before the woman could react, "He…he wasn't with Hephaestus. In fact, he's one of many people working against the Goa'uld. That's why it's important we find him."

"No one stood up to the Goa'uld until the time of the catastrophes."

"You are incorrect," Teal'c spoke for the first time since encountering the girl, "Perhaps on Lemnos no one challenged the Goa'uld, but on other planets there are great rebellions. People of this galaxy are fighting the Goa'uld daily. And often winning."

"You are Jaffa!"

"Indeed. But I do not serve the Goa'uld."

"You fight them?"

When Teal'c nodded the woman eased her hold on the boy. "And you win?"

"Often."

The woman turned sharply to the young boy, "Davain! Find your father and uncles. Tell them we have guests." She turned back to SG1, gesturing to chairs at a table, "Sit. We've already had a meal today, but you can sit and wait. My husband will know the answers to your questions."

"It's all right," Sam smiled at Melitta before taking a seat, Daniel following suit, while Teal'c remained standing near the door. "We've got our own food with us. We'd be happy to share." She reached into her pack pulling out several protein bars and laying them on the table. "I can't promise they taste any good, but they're filling. Go ahead."

Melitta looked at her mother, who nodded brusquely, before reaching for the foil wrapped packages. She took one for herself, and handed another to her mother before taking the seat next to Sam's. The mother sighed, pocketing the protein bar, "I've got laundry to finish."

"I'm sorry about this," Melitta whispered to Sam, "She wasn't always like this. It's just hard to know who to trust these days. Ariston runs everything, but there are others…groups who don't like how he's doing things. They're always fighting. We try to stay out of it, when we can. But Ariston controls the springs, it's all the fresh water around."

"We understand," Sam gave the girl's arm a pat, "Don't let it bother you. Eat your protein bar. I think that one's supposed to taste like peanut butter." At the girl's puzzled look she grinned, "Daniel, I'm going to have a talk with Teal'c, could you explain peanut butter to Melitta?"

"Sure. Hey!" Daniel pulled a piece of paper from his pack, "Have you ever played tic-tac-toe?"

Sam rose from the table to join Teal'c by the door. "There's not much cover between here and the town, did you see which way the boy went?"

"Indeed. He ran toward the rear of this house, I could no longer see him when he crested that hill."

She leaned against the doorjamb, her eyes scanning the yard they had crossed, "That's likely the direction someone will approach from. Everything else around here is too open; there would be no way to sneak up on us from anywhere but there."

"Indeed. I will keep watch."

"I know you will Teal'c."

As Sam coached Melitta into winning her fifth game of tic-tac-toe, games Sam knew Daniel had to be losing purposely, she heard Teal'c's call from the doorway.

"Colonel Carter, several men approach."

Melitta's mother spoke quickly, "Oh, that's just my husband and his brothers, come home for their supper, I expect."

Sam stared at the woman, her too-quick reassurance setting off alarm bells. She nodded, rising with one hand on her weapon, "We'll just get out of their way then. Daniel." She glanced down at his weapon as she strolled to the other side of the door from Teal'c.

As two men entered the room, Melitta jumped from the table, "That's not Father!"

"Quiet girl!" One man reached out to slap Melitta as the other turned to face Sam and Teal'c, whose weapons were pointed casually at them. Behind the men, Daniel had his side arm out and ready.

"Stop!" Sam lifted her weapon, "I think it would be much better for your friend if he didn't touch the girl."

The man growled, facing Sam, "Ariston wants to see you. He didn't say anything about not hitting the girl."

Sam frowned, her nose wrinkling in distaste, "I think we'll pass."

"Yeah? Thais?"

Thais reached out quickly and yanked Melitta to him, his knife going quickly to her throat as the girl's mother screamed. His partner pulled a zat from his tunic and grinned at Sam. "You were saying?"

Sam lifted her P90 higher, "Let her go."

"Thais will cut her, Lady. You know he will. And we got others outside."

Teal'c half turned toward the door, covering it and the room, nodded, "That is true, Colonel Carter."

"Yeah?" Sam glanced at the girl for a moment, then back at the man, "If he cuts her, neither of you will make it out of here alive. How many outside, Teal'c?"

"At least ten."

"Armed?"

"I see only knives and objects which appear to be spears."

"No problem then." Sam pointed her gun at Thais, gesturing him away from the girl. "Let her go."

The man's eyes narrowed, "The girl will still be dead. Be doin her a favor, if you ask me. And if we come back without you, Ariston'll kill us. Don't much matter to me which one of you does it. So do your best, Lady. We'll see how many of you my men can take out before we go, eh?"

"Please!" Melitta's mother cried out, "Please! Ariston has your friend, the one who came through the Chappa'ai recently. I know he does! No one knows where he's keeping him but Ariston…not Thais or Kopris here. Please, don't let them kill Melitta!"

Sam stared at Kopris, eyes narrowed. She had no doubt he would kill the girl, even if it cost him and his men their lives. Then they'd still be no closer to their objective of finding Regarus and his weapon. The local people would be turned against them, Ariston would be alerted to their presence, and an innocent girl would be dead. If they went to meet with Ariston, they might find out something useful. "All right. We'll come with you. Let the girl go."

Kopris gave a nod to Thais who shoved Litta to her mother. Both men ignored the family then, their eyes back on Sam. Kopris gestured toward the door with his zat. "After you."

Ariston had taken up residence in Hephaestus' pyramid, setting himself up as some kind of overlord for the planet. The pyramid was on the other side of the town from the girl's home, but Kopris took the long route, skirting the town, leaving the team no cover at all, should they try to escape. Which was probably the point, but just now Sam had no intention of trying to escape. If anyone would know there whereabouts of Regarus, it was likely to be Ariston. And if either the Goa'uld or the Tok'ra had been working on a weapon, it would be in the pyramid.

Though their captors, Thais in particular, used the long walk to regale SG1 with tales of their leader's benevolence and desire to help the people of Lemnos, Sam couldn't help but be reminded of Pyrus. He too had been hailed as a hero when he'd rid his planet of a Goa'uld, only to enslave them for centuries. The more Thais went on about the wonder that was Ariston, the less Sam was inclined to believe the "hero" had any benign motives at all.

Her instincts were born out as they approached the pyramid and were suddenly surrounded by half a dozen more men, all of these armed with zats. Kopris stepped forward, reaching a hand out to Sam. "We'll take your weapons now."

Sam shook her head, eyes narrowing as she faced the man, her P90 coming up as she spoke. "I don't think so." From the corner of her eye, she could see Teal'c doing the same.

"I wasn't asking." Kopris waved his hands and Sam could hear the tell tale hiss of several zats arming.

"Uh, listen," Daniel was the only member of the team whose weapon wasn't pointed at one of Kopris' men. "We just want to talk to Ariston; we're not here to get in your way. We've come with you willingly, there's no reason for us not to keep our weapons."

"If all you want to do is talk, you'll hand over your weapons. Now. Then we'll take you to Ariston." Kopris turned back to Sam, "Or we'll shoot you with these, and while you're unconscious we'll still take your weapons. Would you rather walk, or be dragged, to see Ariston?"

Sam knew she could take out Kopris before any of the others got a zat blast off, and Teal'c could certainly take at least one of the others. However, as much as she might be tempted to shoot a man who would use a child as a hostage, there were still men behind them, with zats as well. Much as she disliked him, Kopris had a point. Much better to walk in with some semblance of free will to see Ariston, then be dragged in as unconscious prisoners. "Teal'c, stand down."

Teal'c gave a slow nod, removing his gun and his own zat and handing them wordlessly to Thais. He stared at the man for a moment, holding Thais in his gaze before the other man backed down and turned away. Daniel handed his weapons off, glancing nervously at Sam who was still staring at Kopris.

"This is a sign of good faith." Sam slowly unclipped her P90, her words slow and tight. She stared at Kopris as she handed him her weapons, "We expect you to return it."

Ariston was lounging on the throne as SG1 was escorted into his presence. He was a tall man, with long black hair. Though he dressed in the style of the other people the team had seen, homespun garments becoming threadbare with use, he held himself with the same regality as did the Goa'uld. Were it not for his clothing, Sam could almost believe Ariston was a Goa'uld, arranged imperially on his throne for their benefit. He smiled slowly as they entered, sitting up and leaning forward, "Welcome to Lemnos. We don't get many visitors. I am Ariston. I'm told you have questions."

Sam instinctively straightened; chin held high as she addressed the self-proclaimed ruler of the planet. "I'm Colonel Carter, from Earth. This is Doctor Jackson, and Teal'c."

"A Jaffa?" Ariston frowned at the tattoo on Teal'c's forehead, "Why was I not told the strangers brought with them a Jaffa? What god do you serve?"

"I serve no false god." Teal'c stood with his hands clasped behind his back, "All Goa'ulds are false gods."

"A Jaffa without a master? Hephaestus knew of no such thing."

"Then perhaps Hephaestus was not well informed."

Ariston laughed, "Perhaps not. It's certain he wasn't as powerful as he claimed, or he could have saved us from the storms. Maybe he wasn't all knowing, either." He turned back to Sam, beaming widely, "Come. I've prepared a feast in honor of our guests. We will talk better well fed, won't we? I'll answer what questions I can as we eat." He bowed low, eyes on Sam.

She glanced at Daniel and Teal'c with a shrug, and then followed the man from the room. Behind her Teal'c continued to glare at their host as he led the way to an antechamber. "I do not trust him."

Daniel grinned, "You're just sore that he'd never heard of the infamous Shol'va."

Teal'c responded with a lift of his brow, "Even so, Daniel Jackson, I believe we will gain much by being on our guard."

"Always Teal'c. Always."

The table was elaborately set for four, the goblets and plates inlaid with gold and gems. Kopris and his men, clearly not invited to share the feast, stood back against the walls as women and children came in carrying platters piled high with dried meats and fruits, and vegetables preserved in something like vinegar. Crystal clear water flowed from gold pitchers. Sam eyed it all with a deepening frown. The people outside the pyramid ate so little that their ration bars seemed like a banquet, and yet there was more than enough food here to feed the people in this room three times over.

"You do not look pleased, Colonel Carter. I know the food is plain, but it is all that we have."

"It's not that," Sam took the seat he gestured to, next to the one Ariston chose for himself. Daniel and Teal'c lowered themselves into chairs opposite them. "It just seems like…quite a lot. I'm sure…your people would appreciate some of this."

Ariston just waved away her concern, "We are all used to sacrifice in these times, Colonel Carter. Do not concern yourself with it. Eat. Enjoy." He lifted a bit of meat wrapped in a pepper like vegetable and popped it in his mouth before washing it all down with a long draw of water.

Once Sam saw the man drink from the same pitcher from which she and her team had been served, she lifted the glass to her lips. It was much nicer than the water in their canteens. "Ariston. You know we've come through the Chappa'ai to Lemnos." At his nod she continued, "We're looking for someone who came through before us."

"Are you? We don't guard the Chappa'ai as we should. My men are spread so thin as it is."

"Yes," Sam glanced up at Kopris for a moment, "I'm sure they are. But we believe our…friend was coming here." She wasn't going to mention Regarus' objective. She hoped that Ariston and his men had been only low-level servants of the Goa'uld and wouldn't know anything about his specific experiments.

Daniel nodded, taking up where Sam left off, "Yes. He's an archeologist, like me. We study other cultures and their artifacts. He…might have been interested in the pyramid."

"Oh. Well we have had no students coming through to study us or our things. I am sorry." Ariston lifted a handful of dried fruit into his mouth, "However, now that you mention artifacts." He straightened suddenly, all joviality gone from his features. "Perhaps you would be willing to help us?"

Sam frowned, automatically setting the goblet back on the table, "I don't know if we can."

"Oh. I'm sure you will find a way." He looked at his men, snapping his fingers quickly. "Bring them."

Kopris nodded, turned, and left the room, returning in moments carrying a large covered tray. He shoved the platters of food and goblets of water out of the way with one hand, drenching unlucky guests in a spray of water and boiled vegetables as he did. He ignored Daniel who jumped up from the table, brushing the mess from his BDUs, and set the tray in front of Sam. Kopris lifted the cover to reveal a healing device, a ribbon device, and a hand held object that Sam had never before seen.

Ariston gestured to Teal'c as he turned to Sam, "You know of the gods and their ways. Tell us how to use these."

"I can't." Sam sat back calmly in her chair, "I've never seen them before."

"Look closer, Colonel Carter. Perhaps you've just forgotten, there are many worlds beyond the Chappa'ai," Ariston picked up the ribbon device, "It would be a shame if you had merely forgotten."

She just shook her head, mouth tight as she answered. "No. I don't know what they are."

"Oh. Well, we do. We've seen them used. This one," he slid his hand into the ribbon device, "tortures. I've seen Hephaestus use it many times. This," he placed the ribbon device down and picked up the palm sized object Sam was unfamiliar with. "This one kills. Very quickly and quietly. No mess, like the first. I don't know how useful this one would be to me just now, it only kills other Goa'uld." Sam's eyes snapped to Daniel's for a moment, before returning to Ariston's.

"We've never seen something that can kill a Goa'uld as quickly as that."

"Haven't you?" Ariston shrugged, placing his hand on the last object. "This one heals. Don't you think that would be useful to my people?"

"Of course."

Ariston rose quickly from the table, knocking his chair across the room as he did, his voice rising. "Then why won't you tell me how to control them?"

"Because you can't use them." Sam sighed, "Only the Goa'uld can."

"I am afraid I don't believe you." Ariston's voice was once again as soft and pleasant as it had been since they'd met him, but his eyes still glinted darkly. "Kopris."

Kopris reached out and grabbed a fistful of Sam's hair, viciously yanking her half out of her chair.

"Sam!

"Colonel Carter!"

Before either Daniel or Teal'c could move, Kopris' men had once again surrounded them, zats out and ready.

"Those," Ariston informed them conversationally, nodding at the zats, "We know very well how to use." He turned back to Sam who glared at him from beneath the big man's hand. "Now. How do we use them?"

"You can't," she spat back at him.

"Take them to the cell." Four of the men surrounding Daniel and Teal'c moved in to subdue them as Kopris yanked Sam up by her hair. Teal'c shook off one of the men, raising his fist to strike; Thais immediately zatted him, leaving him unconscious on the floor. Two more men moved in to help carry Teal'c, the others shoved Daniel ahead of them.

"Kopris," Ariston motioned to the man as he led Sam away, "I'd like a word with Colonel Carter before she joins the others."

As he turned to comply Sam twisted, pressing his knuckles against her scalp to loosen his grip, then bending his hand back until he released her. She ignored the sounds of zats charging to glare at Kopris. "I can walk myself." She pulled her jacket straight, and then strode across the room to face Ariston. "You wanted to talk?"

Ariston chuckled, "Well done, Colonel. Just remember, we have your friends. In fact," he leaned foreword until his face was mere inches from Sam's. "You might do well to remember that as you think about helping us. That," he gestured to the hand device, "isn't the only way Hephaestus had of torturing people. You wouldn't want me to demonstrate that with your friends, would you?"

"No. Of course not." Sam remained where she was, not backing up as Ariston leaned into her space, "But it won't make a difference, I can't tell you how to work those devices."

Her only answer was a sigh, "Very well. Take her to the others." He waited until Kopris has escorted her to the door before calling out again, "Colonel Carter? Regarus is dead. He wouldn't tell me how to work the devices either. Think about that."