The Gate Keepers

Heat shimmers in the air and the smooth blocks of the stone walls of the ancient citadel are warm to the touch. In front of them, the Lion Gate, with its strange carved lintel, marks the entrance to the Bronze age site. Agnes sighs, the Mediterranean heat is a delight after the recent hurricane at home and she could almost be on holiday if it weren't for the uniformed away team accompanying them and the fact that every few minutes, the ground rattled beneath their feet. She turns to professor Knotty Galbraith and asks, 'What was it you said about a Greek key? We could do with one to unlock the mysteries of this site.'

Commander Jack O'Neill joins them in front of the gate. 'The military are clearing civilians as fast as they can. By Air lift and by sea but the ocean is already becoming too choppy. Any thoughts on what we do next?'

'The lintel, there are two lions guarding the gate. I think they are symbolic rather than actual lions. I think that is probably where we need to start, by finding the gatekeepers, they will have the key.' Knotty points to the lintel stone and then adds, 'You know, it reminds me of those chevrons, the ones you used to use for your Stargates. I was reading up about them on the flight over.'

'Yes! Yes I can see that, sort of!' Jack replies. 'Where's Daniel when you need him? He'd be able to decipher it in a shot! Maybe not a shot… but.' Jack pauses as the ground rumbles again.

From a nearby temporary building, Gail emerges, waiving a large sheet of paper print-out.' Hey, come and look at this! The seismologists have scanned the site, this is what is happening underground!'

Gail spreads the paper print-out across a table under a shade awning and the four of them study the grainy image on it. They can clearly see the shape of the citadel, the solid walls and streets but underneath it all, stretching across the entire site, is a large, grey, oval shape. Gail points to it and shakes her head. 'That isn't a giant, that's a buried UFO.'

'My chariot?' Theia rouses herself from her little post meal nap, almost forgetting they had company. She sits the head of the banquet table, a rubble of fruit, bread and vegetables in front of her. Further down the table, Daniel, Kyna, Aelix and Teal'c are talking to Lapyx and Horogia about the spinning disc.

'So, you see we must return, my planet is in danger of being torn apart by the remains of Theia's chariot!' Daniel sighs, his words are having little effect on the two guards.

'The matter is out of our hands,' Horogia replies. 'We are sworn to keep all who find Pantheon here. Giants are no longer welcome across the…'

'My chariot? I thought you said it was lost for all time?' Theia tries to tap the table to get Horogia's attention, making all the cutlery rattle and an orange roll along the wooden surface. 'It was a beautiful ship! Can we get it back, they clearly don't want it anymore!'

Lapyx leans in and whispers so Theia cannot hear him. 'We broke it apart and buried it. Built a monument over the main part so that your kind would think it was the resting place of the last Giantess, then imprisoned Theia here. There is only one way to release the mothership from its hiding place and we are the key. It is very unfortunate that one of the 'wheels' as you call them has broken free.'

Horogia carries on from where Lapyx finishes. 'It is one of a pair of kinetic engines, it will run for many more millennia. It is highly unlikely, even if the two engines are reunited that the mothership would manage to escape from the labyrinth, let alone the burial mound we constructed over it.

'Highly unlikely is a simple way of saying you do not know what will happen so would rather not dwell on it. When you buried this mothership, it was several thousand years ago. The sands of time do not always run smoothly, at least let us take you back to see what is happening on Celestia.' Aelix spreads out his hands and conjures an image in the space between of the spinning disc breaking free of its ropes at SG:UK, hoping Horologia and Lapyx have not seen holographic technology before.

While the two guards stare at the moving image a thought occurs to Daniel. 'Where was this burial mound?'

'A place called Mycenae.' Horologia announces.

'I could travel the universe in my ship, it was very fast.' Theia reminisces, wondering what they are all whispering about.

'We've excavated the mound.' Daniel states loudly, hoping his voice will reach Theia. 'The mothership could break free.'

You have my ship?' she asks him. 'It isn't lost for all time?' Daniel stares into Theia's eyes, seeing a look of hope there and a thought occurs to him. 'What if you bring the ship back here, keeping it safe for Theia until only the last giant is left and we have long since become extinct. How old are you Theia?'

Theia stares at Daniel and nods, understanding what he is saying. 'I am only in the middle of my third age. A giant has ten ages.'

'Theia is thousands of Celestian years old, yet still only in her second age. Bring the mothership to Pantheon, keep it here under your guardianship for a time when Theia can be free again, after our kind are gone.'

'But how can we let you return home? We cannot let anyone know Theia is still alive.' Lapyx can see the logic of Daniel's argument.

'If the ship tears apart the Mediterranean, the whole world will know, whether we are there or not. We want to stop that happening. Our organisation works hard to keep our planet safe and we do it secretly. At the moment, Celestians have no idea Theia is still alive, or even that once upon a time, they were in a fight for survival with giants. Please, before it is too late, come with us and help us solve this problem.'