What?!

By Ldynwaitin

Chapter Five

Suppertime!

As Jack and Teal'c sprinted to the gate room, Sam and Daniel waited in the conference room. Minutes later they saw the doors slowly opening to the left and right of the stargate. Immediately a deluge of bullets was flying into the room.

They slammed into Audrey4, tearing into the giant flower, leaves and vines. This time the screaming was deafening. Daniel and Sam had to cover their ears from the sound. As the firing continued the vines began to thicken. They shot out to the two open doorways. Growing so thick that they were able to block the gunfire. The shots stopped, then they saw two flashes of fire. The fire was completely engulfed by the vines.

Minutes later Jack and the others ran into the room. Jack threw his P-90 on the conference table. "Well that didn't work, not even the incendiary grenades."

Sam pointed down. "What damage you did do, sir, is quickly healing. It's a plant, they can grow faster than any living thing." They could see the tears in the vines and flower mending.

Coyotl was sitting on the conference table, his legs swung back and forth. "I could have told you that. Once I saw her hit by lightning. Half of her burned. She healed really fast."

"Great," Jack said. "Bullets and fire are ruled out, what else can we use?"

"What about cold?" Teal'c suggested. "Do you think we would be able to freeze it?"

"How?" Daniel said. "We don't have anything here large enough that could freeze something of that size."

Jack stared at Audrey. "If she eats me, I'm going to make sure I give her indigestion."

"Eat?" Coyotl said. "Daniel, there may be something,"

"What?" Daniel asked him.

Coyotl jumped off the conference table. "There was an animal on the planet, it was never bothered by the mother plant or her babies. She never ate it."

"Do you know why?"

Coyotl had to think. "I don't know. I just know nothing ate it."

"What color was it?" Sam asked him.

"Bright yellow, with red spots."

Sam grinned. "Daniel, are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"What?" Jack said.

"Yes, that could be our way," Daniel said.

"What!" Jack said.

"Daniel!" Coyotl shouted. Laughing, he said, "That's what comes next, right?"

Stepping between Jack and Coyotl, Daniel explained. "In South America there are poison arrow frogs. Nature gives them bright colors as a warning not to touch. They excrete a poison that is deadly. This animal could be lethal to the plant. It could be a way of killing Audrey4."

"Well that's just great," Jack said. "Let's just dial up the old stargate and go get one. Oh no, that's right, we can't. Because a giant carnivorous plant has taken up residency in our gate room."

"Jack," Daniel said.

"Daniel."

"Jack, as you can see," he crossed his arms and smiled at Coyotl. "We have a shapeshifter."

Coyotl slowly began walking towards the exit door.

"Oh no you don't!" Daniel said. He and Jack ran to Coyotl. Each taking an arm, they pulled him back to the window.

"But I don't want to," he whined.

"Coyotl," Daniel said. "You said you can't fix this for us. Well we just found a way."

Coyotl worriedly rung his hands. "I'm afraid. This doesn't sound like it will be fun to me."

"I don't know about you," Jack said. "But I'm all funned out."

"Coyotl, when you change," Daniel said. "Is it a perfect copy?"

Coyotl stood up proud. "I do not copy, I am you."

"Coyotl," Daniel said. "I give you my word that you don't have to go down there. Just change into the yellow creature. Sam will get some samples and use it to create a toxin that can destroy the mother plant."

Coyotl hugged himself. "But I like this body. It keeps me from getting hit."

Sam leaned over and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Can you do it for me, Coyotl?"

Grinning so wide his dimples showed, Coyotl vigorously nodded. "All right."

"Daniel," Sam said. "If Coyotl wants to turn back into you, he'll need to take off his clothes. So whatever poison may be on him, won't be on the clothes."

"I can do that," Coyotl said. He immediately started taking his clothes off. His face turning red, Daniel quickly grabbed Sam and turned her around.

"Darn, always a bridesmaid," Sam said, with a grin.

Once he undressed, Coyotl stood away from his clothes.

"Daniel," Jack said. "When the Ancients brought you back, they even gave you back your appendix scar."

"Really?" Sam said. "Let me see." She grinned when Daniel put his hand over her eyes. Suddenly Coyotl's body shimmered. It quickly changed, growing smaller until an alien creature sat in the conference room. The size of a small dog, it was bright yellow with red spots on its back.

Daniel brought his hand down. "You can look now, Sam." She rushed over to a table in the room first. Pulling a drawer open, she found a metal ruler. Taking it out, she kneeled by the small creature.

"Careful, Sam," Daniel warned her. "We don't know what its toxins could do to you."

Sam examined the creature. Most of its body was dry, but she saw the red spots on its back glistening. She gently scrapped a clear mucus from a red spot. Standing she took in a deep breath. "I'll get this analyzed. I hope we can synthesize it."

"Peters," Jack said, "Go with her." Hefting an axe, he followed her out of the room. The yellow creature began to shimmer. In seconds Coyotl now stood before them. Once again, he looked like Daniel.

"Whoa there, nature boy, get some clothes on," Jack said. "I've seen enough of naked Daniel to last a lifetime."

Coyotl giggled as he quickly dressed. He proudly snapped on his vest. "I just love these sticky pockets."

"If we manage to kill this thing," Jack said. "I'll get you a box full for your birthday."

It was thirty minutes later and thirty times Coyotl slid down the banister, that they heard Sam on Jack's walkie talkie.

"I was able to analyze it, sir. It's as we suspected, a deadly poison. It's a form of glyphosate and triclopyr. Very deadly to any plant life here on earth. It's amazing this animal was able to synthesize these chemicals to protect itself."

"Carter, can you fabricate it here?"

"Yes sir, but I won't be able to make a large amount. It will have to be administered directly to the flower of Audrey4."

They all felt a shudder. Looking into the gate room they saw the mother plant had grown even bigger. "We need to stop her now, before she takes over the entire facility," Jack said. "Carter, make that toxin. We'll figure out how we're going to get it to her once you're done."

"I'll help her," Daniel said. He quickly went to her lab. Coyotl was right behind him. They saw Peters standing guard outside the room. Entering the lab, Coyotl glanced around her room as she worked on the toxin. "So primitive," Coyotl said. "What do you use to power them?"

"Sorry, Coyotl," Sam said. "I don't have time to explain. Daniel, carefully mix that."

As they worked on the toxin, Sam noticed how quiet Daniel was. "Daniel, what's wrong?"

Daniel shook his head. "This is all my fault, Sam. If I didn't have that dream, we never would have been on that planet."

"You had a dream?" Coyotl said.

"Yes, I saw the world you were trapped on, and the gate address to it. That's how we found it, but I never imagined this would have happened. Everyone here could die because of me."

"It's not your fault, Daniel." She looked at Coyotl.

"I don't blame him," Daniel said. "He was trapped in that box for so long." Daniel sadly smiled, "I never should have told you about my dream."

"Well, once we get this done, we can fix it."

"Yes, but who's going to give it the poison?"

Daniel handed Sam the chemical he was working on. She mixed it into a vial. "We'll figure that out when I get this to Colonel O'Neill."

Sam carefully placed a stopper on the glass tube. "It's done. Now all we have to do is somehow find a way to get this inside of Audrey4. Colonel O'Neill," Sam said into her walkie talkie. "I've fabricated the poison, we're on our way."

"Roger, Carter. We'll be waiting for you."

Clutching the vial, Sam said, "Let's go."

Leaving the room, they immediately realized that Peters was gone, as well as his axe. "Private Peters!" Sam shouted. Hearing a scream, they ran down the corridor. They saw Peters fighting off an Audrey3 from a branching corridor.

"Not this way!" he shouted, as he used his axe to fend off the vines. "I'll hold her off, go the other way."

"See," Coyotl said. "I told you she's mean. She's going to get me and eat me; I just know it." He worriedly looked around as they sprinted down another corridor.

"Don't worry, Coyotl," Daniel said. "I told you, you don't have to…" As Daniel looked down the corridor, he immediately spun around.

"Look out!" He shoved Coyotl and Sam on the floor, but it was too late for him. A giant vine wrapped around his waist. He quickly grabbed a pipe going up the wall.

"Sam!" Daniel grunted, "Give me the poison."

"Daniel, no," Sam softly said.

Daniel could see more vines moving towards them. "Sam, she'll be taking me to the gate room. You can't help me. Please, this is our only chance."

Sam knew he was right. Daniel released one of his hands, she threw the vial at him. He felt another vine wrap around him. Catching the vial, Sam saw the fear in his eyes as he lost his grip with his other hand. He was quickly pulled down the corridor.

"Daniel," Sam shouted.

"He's going to be eaten," Coyotl said. "He's going to die."

Sam pulled out her gun, "Not if I have anything to say about it."

Coyotl's eyes sparkled. "Sam, go to Jack."

Sam ran to the conference room. Coyotl continued running down the corridor. "I did this, and I'm going to fix it."