"THE ENCOUNTER"

Chapter 1. CHOICES

Seconds, everything happened in a few seconds!

Choices, live is all about choices!

And that was what Jesse had to make right now. He choose Shalimar and that meant Brennan would be seriously hurt, possibly die.

Gunshots were falling and Jesse looked over to were Brennan was standing, too far away from him. The bullets hit his body in several places, he was trying to dodge them, but there were simply too many. Jesse watched in horror how Brennan's flesh was penetrated, blood spatters splashed all around him.

A shell was thrown towards them, it stopped in front of Brennan. He stumbled from a gunshot in his knee, picked it up and threw it back at the Agents.

"BOOOOOMMMM" it blew up between four Agents. There colleagues watched how they fell to the floor, dead!

Determinate they gazed back at Brennan, the only one they seemed able to hurt and started shooting more furiously at him.

Helpless Jesse watched, there was nothing he could do, standing in front of Shalimar to protect her. His mind played the whole scene in slow motion, his best friend being killed before his eyes, how would he ever get over this. He wanted to look away only wasn't able to, he had to see what happened to Brennan, even if this would be his Bro's end, he just had to stay with him.

"Jesse,"

A voice called him, startled him back from his thoughts, it was Shalimar.

"Jesse...JESSE...look," pointing behind them.

At first Jesse didn't see it, bullets still ricochet of his massed out body, he was concentrating on holding his breath and watching Brennan. He looked again, trying to focus on the point Shalimar was watching. It looked like some kind of pond with lights and strange signs around it.

Stepping back, still protecting Shalimar with his body, they looked into the pond, there was no bottom, it didn't even look like a pond. Shalimar reached into it, it felt cold, but not wet.

Could they escape through it?

An other shell was rolling in their direction!

Seconds, only a few seconds were left.

Choices!

Brennan was hurt badly, bleeding from wounds all over his body, kneeling, he wouldn't last long. They were killing him.

Jesse couldn't hold his breath much longer, they had to risk it and jump into this pond or whatever it was.

Pushing Shalimar into the pond, knowing she would only go if he and Brennan were safe, Jesse let out his breath and yelled,

"BRENNAN JUMP...JUMP!"

Holding his breath again and going intangible.

Breathing heavy to keep awake, Brennan watched in the direction of the voice calling him. Pain, his world was filled with pain, he knew this was the end. He heard the words...JUMP. Only his mind couldn't comprehend anymore, he was dying.

Seconds!

Noticing Brennan didn't react, Jesse made a decision, running toward his Bro.

The Agents were still shooting at them and Jesse couldn't stay intangible while running.

Ignoring a sharp pain in his right arm, Jesse reached Brennan. The seconds were counting away and while Jesse pulled Brennan up from the floor and started to run towards the pound dragging him, the shell exploded.

"BOOOOOOMMMMM!"

"Adam I lost visual contact...the optic nerve camera in Jesse's head..stopped sending messages to our computer!" Emma yelled.

"How was Brennan doing? Adam asked, trying to hide the worries from his voice. Preparing the med. lab for Brennan's arrival.

Emma couldn't answer, the words stuck in her throat, tears whelmed up in her eyes.

Stopping his activities, Adam walked quickly over to the computer room. He found Emma in tears, in front of a black screen. Gently putting his hand on her shoulder, he spoke with a soft voice "What happened?" Turning Emma's chair around, carefully raising her head with his index finger, looking in her eyes, speaking again "Emma...what happened?"

Swallowing, wiping the tears out of her eyes, Emma gazed sadly at Adam, saying with a sobbing voice "Brennan..he..he...I saw him...them...blow up...he was all bloody from the bullets and...and a shell...they just blew up...ADAM..they are dead!" She broke down and howled out loud "NOOoooo" clinging to Adam's body.

Shalimar opened her eyes, she had closed them in the pond or whatever it was. Looking around, pushing herself into a sitting position, she saw strange figures with large serpents masks pointing some kind of weapons at her.

At that moment Jesse and Brennan fell through the pond, Shalimar looked up, the pond on this side stood in an upright position, how could that be? Her attention was immediately drawn to Brennan, he lay in a heap on the floor, severely bleeding, clearly dying!

Shocked by the sight, she just stared at him, unable to move.

Crawling onto his hands and knees, towards Brennan, Jesse was startled by the sight in front of him. Just before the shell exploded he had massed them out, but the blast had separated them and therefore Brennan took the full blow of the explosion, without any protection from Jesse.

"Kneel before your Queen Hathor!" One of the Jaffa Guards ordered them, threatening with his staff weapon.

Both, Jesse and Shalimar gazed at the Serpent Guard for a moment, then at each other and at Brennan. Jesse was the first to react saying "You must help my friend...he is...he's dying!" The Guard poked his staff at Jesse's back, giving his next words strength "KNEEL!"

An evil woman's voice sounded in the air, "what have we here" she said with a sneer, "three humans" casting down a contempt gaze in their direction, she continued "throw them with the other slaves!"

Totally surprised by the beauty of the woman, Jesse view was glued to her exotic features, his eyes slowly sliding over her body, her clothes left no imagination. Wow, what a woman!

Shalimar revived from the shock of Brennan's injuries, was getting really agitated and hissed "NO!...you must help our friend...he is dying!" Trying to get up, if this woman would not listen, she was going to fight, Brennan had to get some help and it had to be right now!

Already pushing Shalimar down with his staff, the Jaffa Guard ordered "SILENCE!"

Queen Hathor who was walking away, turned and came back to see what slave had the nerve to speak to a Queen like that. She approached Shalimar up close and stared her straight in the eyes.

Never show your fear, Shalimar told herself, keep your head up. After she caught the eyes of the Queen, Shalimar looked down at Brennan, focussing the Queens look on him.

Getting interested, the Queen ordered a Jaffa Guard to turn Brennan onto his back. While this happened, the Queens eyes began to glow, smiling she said "I have chosen...take him to my personal chambers!" Returning her gaze on Shalimar, she said "And make sure this one doesn't escape...she is going to be a nice Queen for Apophis." Without even glancing at Jesse, Queen Hathor left the room.

Four personal Jaffa Guards to the Queen, carried Brennan's limp and bloody body out of the room behind Hathor.

Startled from his adoration, Jesse got up from the floor and yelled "Where are you taking him!" Ready to fight, Shalimar jumped up, but before neither of them could do anything the Jaffa Guards left in the room raised there staffs and fired.

As their Queen returned, her personal slaves were surprised to see the Jaffa Guards carrying a body into the inner chambers. Hathor ordered her slaves to bring wine to her chambers. Then she entered the inner chambers where all except for the Queen and her personal Jaffa Guards were forbidden to go and closed the heavily gilded doors.

"Undress him" The Queen ordered her Jaffa Guards.

Slowly coming back to consciousness, Brennan thought this must be heaven, a bright light was glittering through the blackness of his eyelids. Suddenly aware of hands on him, tearing at his clothing. Pain, an agonizing pain shot through his body. No, this wasn't heaven it was hell "AAAAAHHRrggggggg" yeah, it definitely was HELL!

Pointing at her sarcophagus, the Queen silently ordered the Jaffa Guards to lay Brennan's naked body into it.

Brennan felt himself being lowered into something. Energy flowed through him, keeping his heart pumping, and his blood streaming. But it also kept the pain in his body very real.

A soft voice caressed his mind.

"You will rest here...it will heal you...when you are healed." The voice changed, possessive it went on "I will make you mine...you will honour and cherish me."

The last sentence pulled at him, peering from slits under his eyelids, he saw how beautiful the woman that spoke was. Her hair shone like burnt copper, her eyes gold, he whimpered, struggling feebly to push away the hands that now covered him with a sheet. Her eyes, they had glowed gold.

"You will obey me...Chosen...there is no other way for you to survive." The soft voice now sounded very demeaning to him.

No! He would never obey her, he would die before giving up!

That was his last thought as something heavy began to press upon his chest. It hurt. He felt himself crying out but, for some reason, he could not hear it. Gradually, the pressure increased and the pain slowly vanished. Oblivion was taking over and he chanted the last sentence like a warding charm.

Sending away her Personal Jaffa Guards, the Queen took one long look at her Chosen one and said "How sweet your body will satisfy me." Closing the sarcophagus.

Startled awake a few moments later, he couldn't breathe. He realized this when a strange yellow light shone through his shut eyelids. He wanted to call out, but felt no air rushing into his mouth when he opened it. He felt very warm. His fingers didn't move, neither did his feet. He tried moving his head and found only sluggish movement. He tried breathing deeply once more and to his horror, liquid flooded through his nostrils and mouth. He began to panic. The limbs that couldn't move before began to struggle against the weight that he now knew was liquid. The liquid felt heavy, almost coating him like a shell.

He still couldn't breathe. So, why wasn't he choking? Eyes finally opened halfway, then shot open wider when he saw where he was.

Underwater.

Let me out! His mind screamed as he automatically shut his mouth again to prevent more liquid from entering. He could feel the panic pushing inside his throat, struggling to force him to scream out loud.

His hands broke free of the liquid's surface and he realized that he wasn't in deep, when the freed hands felt the warm air. He struggled to break out of this watery gel. It didn't matter that he wasn't suffocating. The lack of the sensation of air was a terrifying enough illusion for him to want to escape. Hands trying to find the edges of the liquid he was laying in, found walls on either side of him. It was small, like a box surrounding him. Feeling above him, he found a cover, he was in a box. He was in a grave!

Didn't they know he was alive.

Brennan gasped as he pushed himself up to the cover of the human length box, filled with a golden gel-like liquid that rose to his chest. It was so thick, he could barely move in it. It took all of his waning strength to keep his head up in the sticky warm air.

"H..hello!" Brennan called out, coughing as the liquid that still clung to his throat, blocked his airways when he tried to talk. Surprisingly though, the liquid clogging his airways wasn't choking him. He still felt his lungs heaving in and out, drawing in the hot clingy air.

Brennan coughed, hacking the remaining liquid out, and was gratified to feel air rush into his mouth and nostrils, even if it was sticky and warm.

"Hello!" Brennan called out again, his voice clearer now. All he could think of was how he had to leave this place.

You will obey me.

Brennan shuddered as the words echoed in his head. He found he was shivering uncontrollably. God, why couldn't he stop shaking? The images of the woman returned to his mind, sending another rush of tremors through his body. Brennan had to remember not her, but someone else.

"Jess...Shal ?" Brennan called out, feeling quite desolate in this liquid grave. He couldn't get himself to stop shaking. God, why can't I stop shivering? Brennan moaned as he found himself sliding back into the liquid he had fought so hard to surface from before. The pain in his body had flared up suddenly and shot through him "Not...now." Brennan whispered. All thoughts of escape fled as quickly as they had come.

All other thoughts were left incomplete as Brennan found himself helplessly going under into the liquid. With a final burst of energy, Brennan tried to clutched the box's walls to stop him from sinking further, but he continued to move. Soon, his hands slid down. Brennan cried out weakly as he felt the thick liquid cling to his body, pulling him down, filling his mouth and nostrils once again. The pain vanished, but he wasn't concerned with that. One hand flailed out desperately, trying to find anything, wishing frantically for a friendly hand to grab hold of his. Then that hand sank and he stopped struggling, feeling exhaustion override his survival instincts once more. As his eyes closed, Brennan felt the voice in his head returning, while slipping into unconsciousness.

You will obey me, my Chosen.