My thanks to mia66, kira66 and OEJS for their kind words.

Stargate: SVU

Chapter Five

Janet Fraiser stared out the briefing room window, at the maintenance crew as they worked on the damaged iris below her in the gate room. She was pleased to see that Sergeant Siler's team was working at such a fast pace, yet the helplessness that she felt right now was overwhelming. Her concern for Sam and the other members of SG-1 was so great that Janet would have gone down there and ripped the damaged panels of the iris from the stargate all by herself if she could.

"Doctor?"

Janet, startled out of her reverie, removed her hands from the pockets of her white doctor's coat as she strode over to General Hammond, who had called her. "Yes sir?"

"You have a call," he told her. "You can take it in my office."

"Thank you, sir." As she went into Hammond's office, Janet shook her head despondently, for she already knew who it was. She quickly picked up the phone. "Doctor Fraiser."

"Mom, have you heard anything?!" a frantic, teenaged voice asked on the other end of the line.

"Cassie, you can not keep calling me like this," Janet patiently told her.

"Just tell me if you heard any news," Cassie pleaded. "Is Sam all right?"

"I haven't heard anything new since the last time you called, which was fifteen minutes ago," Janet sternly replied. She glanced over at the conference table and saw the meeting appeared to have been reconvened once more. Colonel Drumlin, the commander of SG-3, had arrived with Major Lyman, his second in command. They each took a seat at the conference table opposite from Lieutenant Hailey, who momentarily stood and gave them a crisp salute.

"I have to go, Cassie," Janet said. "But I swear to you, as soon as something happens, or if I hear the slightest bit of information about Sam and the others, I will call you first thing, ok?"

"Sam's in really bad trouble, isn't she, mom?" Cassie moaned. "I can just feel it!"

"Honey, I've told you: until we hear anything from them, we've just got to hope for the best, ok?" Janet inwardly cringed when Hammond glanced her way with a puzzled expression. It looked as if the general was waiting for her to rejoin the meeting. "Cassie, please, I have to go, right now! I'll talk to you later, ok?"

"I just wish I could be there…." Cassie said sadly.

Janet felt her heart break when she heard that. She realized that her daughter was in such a distraught state that it probably would be best for the both of them if she were here. The problem was, Cassie was presently with Marie, who was a great sitter--Cassie loved her--but she didn't have the security clearance to bring Cassie to the base. "Look, I'll see what I can work out, ok? I'll call you right back as soon as I can, Cassie."

Janet quickly hung up and walked back over to the conference table. "I'm very sorry, sir," she said to Hammond. "It was Cassie….."

"Say no more, doctor. It's all right," Hammond said, as he got up from the table and led her over to the window. "We're still waiting for Lieutenant Satterfield to rejoin us, anyway. I take it that Cassie's concerned about Sam?"

"She's worried sick," Janet said with a sigh. "Not that I blame her."

"Is she with anybody right now?" Hammond asked.

"Marie, who usually watches her," Janet replied. "I'd ask her to bring Cassie to the base, but Marie doesn't have the clearance."

Hammond nodded. "After we're done here, I'll send somebody to pick up Cassie and bring her here for you. How's that?"

Janet had to restrain herself from hugging the general. "Oh, sir, thank you so much! That would be a huge load off my mind."

Satterfield ran up the steps just then, carrying a book in her hands. Judging from her heavy breathing, it looked as if she had run all the way from Daniel's office downstairs.

"I got…I think…I got it," she muttered, in-between large gulps of air.

"Lieutenant, just sit down and catch your breath," Fraiser ordered, as she took a seat at the table across from her.

"Yes, ma'am," Satterfield replied, as she all but collapsed in her chair.

Hailey leaned over to Satterfield and jokingly whispered, "My, but aren't we the perky one?"

Satterfield just shot her a 'don't-start-with-me!' look as she opened the book she brought.

Hammond turned to the commander of SG-3 and said, "Gene, Lieutenant Satterfield just went to look up the symbol of the Jaffa forces whom they engaged on P3X-897."

"Oh, Colonel Drumlin," Satterfield said, startled. "My apologies, sir! I didn't see you!"

"At ease, Lieutenant," Drumlin told her, before she could formally stand and salute. "What was the symbol you saw?"

"Two arrows, crossed over a shield, sir," Hailey replied, crossing her arms in front of her in representation of the symbol they saw. "All of the Jaffa troops on P3X-897 bore this mark. It was also on the Goa'uld mothership."

Drumlin exchanged a puzzled look with Lyman. "We ever encounter any Jaffa forces with that symbol, Major?"

"I've memorized all of the Goa'uld symbols, sir," Lyman said, shaking his head. "And we've never met anybody with that symbol. This must be somebody new."

"Here it is," Satterfield said, when she found what she was looking for in the book. "The two arrows over a shield is the personal symbol of Neith."

"Neith?" Hammond asked.

Satterfield nodded, still reading. "Yes sir, she's the Egyptian goddess of the hunt…and warfare."

There was a moment of silence around the conference table. 'Great, another power-mad Goa'uld,' Janet thought derisively. 'Just what we need!'

"Lieutenants Hailey and Satterfield, are you sure this was the symbol that you saw?" Hammond asked them, point blank.

"Yes, sir," Satterfield replied.

"Absolutely sure, sir," Hailey responded.

"Then it's official: we're up against somebody new," Hammond said. He glanced at Drumlin and added, "Looks like we're going to need your Marines, Gene."

"You've got them, sir," the colonel confidently replied. "Bobby, call all the reserve SG-3 team members back from R&R right now."

"Yes, sir," Major Lyman said, as he got up from the table with a nod.

When Janet heard someone ascending the steps, she was surprised to see Major Paul Davis briskly walk into the conference room. The Pentagon liaison was still dressed in his outer coat and hat, looking as if he had just stepped in from outside.

Davis snapped off a salute to Hammond. "General, my apologies for intruding on you like this, but we've got a problem. A big one."

"If you're referring to the situation we have with SG-1 on P3X-897, then we're already dealing with it, Major," Hammond said. "Just pull up a chair, and join the conversation."

"I'm sorry sir," Davis said. "But I'm referring to the other big problem."

"What do you mean?" Hammond asked, frowning. "What other problem is there?"

"A series of mass disappearances, sir," Davis said solemnly. "The Pentagon has just learned that people from all walks of life have been taken from their homes in the middle of the night."

Hammond exchanged a stunned look with Janet. Hammond glanced back at Davis and asked, "Where has this been occurring?"

"Reports have been coming in from all over, sir," Davis said.

Janet leaned forward. "All over the country?"

"All over the world, doctor," Davis said. "And all of the cases share a bizarre similarity: the missing have all vanished from homes that had been locked from within."

Hailey stared at Hammond, her eyes wide. "Sir, that sounds like the work of a Goa'uld ring transporter!"

"Wait," Janet said, shaking her head. "I thought the Asgard treaty protected us from something like this."

"We're facing an aggressive new Goa'uld force on P3X-897, and now the snake heads are mucking around in our back yard," Drumlin said with disgust. "It looks like the system lords have finally decided to ignore the treaty and make a major move against us."

"But, sir," Hailey said, looking shocked, "this now means that an all-out war between the Asgard and the system lords is imminent."

"Before we make any calls to the Asgard, I want to hear the whole story," Hammond calmly told everyone. "Major Davis, if you would, please start from the beginning, and tell us everything you know."

As Davis placed his briefcase on the table in preparation for his detailed report, a still-stunned Janet slowly sat back in her chair. She couldn't shake the horrid feeling that something very dark and ominous had just been set into motion. The sense of dread that Janet had was so palpable that she felt a chill run up her back.

'Now I'm really glad that Cassie will be staying at the base with me!' she anxiously thought.

SG-1: SVU

Teal'c let out a roar of pain as his eyes and mouth glowed unnaturally bright from the energy that shot through his body. O'Neill watched helplessly as the Jaffa who stood behind Teal'c stuck him once more with a rod-like device that looked and acted like a cattle prod--and Teal'c, who had spent the last hour suffering this torture at the hands of Mo'at and his Jaffa, let out another agonizing yell. Teal'c's wrists were shackled above him to the ceiling. He stood in the center of a platform that had jail cells surrounding it. O'Neill and Daniel were in one of the cells, helplessly watching their SG-1 teammate and friend suffer.

Mo'at laughed uproariously at Teal'c, who glowered at him through hooded eyes. "You are not so fierce now, are you, shol'va?" Mo'at sneered.

"Hey, Moby, or whatever the hell your name is," O'Neill called through the bars of his cell. "You want to see just how fierce Teal'c is? Unshackle him!"

Mo'at turned and glared at O'Neill.

"You think you're so tough, Moby?" O'Neill yelled at him. "Then let's see you try taking Teal'c on, man to man!"

Mo'at, who still stared at O'Neill, gestured to the Jaffa behind Teal'c, who stuck him with the cattle prod once more. But this time, he held it in place against Teal'c's back as he released another agonizing yell of pain.

"Jack, stop it!" Daniel said, agitated.

"Stop what?!" O'Neill shouted back. "I'm not the one doing anything!"

"Every time you antagonize Mo'at, he takes it out on Teal'c," Daniel said. "You're just making it worse for him!"

"Do not be concerned for me, Daniel Jackson," Teal'c said, his voice sounding hoarse. "Instead, you should be concerned for Mo'at. For if I ever get out of these chains, then he shall be the one who will suffer dearly."

"For someone in your position, that is brave talk, shol'va. Perhaps you are trying to make me kill you?" Mo'at shook his head slowly. "Do not think you can escape justice that easily. All Jaffa, even a shol'va like you, must know their proper place, and that is as a servant of Her Lord Empress Neith."

"Neith is not a god!" Teal'c stubbornly insisted.

Mo'at and the other Jaffa burst out laughing at that. "We never said she was," Mo'at told him. "Yet Her Lord Empress Neith is the rightful ruler of all the heavens, shol'va. And once you have come to accept this fact--once you have sworn your loyalty to your Lord Empress--we may yet let you live to serve her."

"Never," Teal'c spat. "She may not call herself a god, but Neith is still a blood-thirsty tyrant, and that makes her my enemy."

Mo'at was about to make the gesture for Teal'c to be tortured once more, until he was interrupted by the arrival of another Jaffa, who bowed towards him. "First Prime Mo'at," he said respectfully. "Her Lord Empress Neith requires your presence, now."

Mo'at took the cattle prod from the Jaffa who stood behind Teal'c and stared thoughtfully at it. "Perhaps we should take a rest period," he said. "And give the shol'va some time to reconsider his vast mistake."

Mo'at stepped down from the platform and, as he walked past the cell within which O'Neill and Daniel were imprisoned, abruptly stuck the cattle prod against the bars.

O'Neill and Daniel, who had been leaning up against the bars, both jumped back before they could be shocked by the crackling energy that surged through the metal.

Mo'at removed the cattle prod from the bars and smiled at O'Neill. "Since you enjoy speaking so much, Tauri, perhaps we shall start a new torture session with you once I return."

As Mo'at strode off, Daniel muttered, "You know, I really hate that guy."

O'Neill leaned up against the bars once more and stared with concern at Teal'c, who now hung limply from his shackles. The other Jaffa had left with Mo'at.

"Teal'c," O'Neill called. "Teal'c, buddy, how are you holding up?"

"I am fine, O'Neill," Teal'c firmly replied. "I have withstood torture before. Do not concern yourself with me."

"Just hold on," O'Neill told him. "We're working on an escape plan."

"Uh, we are?" Daniel asked, looking surprised.

"Yes, we are," O'Neill replied resolutely. "And let's start by figuring out our enemy. What's up with Neith, anyway? You think she was bluffing about having a special weapon against the Asgard?"

"Who knows?" Daniel said. "We know for a fact that she's certainly not afraid of dealing with the Asgard. She may very well have come across alien technology, or even invented a weapon to use against them."

"And this stuff about her not caring if people worship her," O'Neill said. "What's with that? I thought all Goa'uld thought of themselves as being gods."

"Bear in mind that Neith was banished from this part of the galaxy by Ra, O'Neill," Teal'c added. "In the legends, before she was exiled, she was considered to be an equal to Ra."

Daniel nodded. "Yes, Neith was a peer of Ra--they were both in the same league, so to speak. And she obviously has a far different method of ruling than Ra, who was a major influence on the other system lords. I mean, who's to say what the Goa'uld would have been like had Neith won the epic war with Ra and remained here in his place?"

"So you're saying that Neith is an 'old school Goa'uld'?"

"Um, no, Jack, that wouldn't exactly be my--"

"Hey, Teal'c," O'Neill called, "I guess that means you're a 'new school' Jaffa, huh?"

Teal'c raised his head and gazed with concern at O'Neill. "I am afraid you are mistaken, O'Neill. I did not go to school to be a Jaffa. Master Bra'tac instructed me."

O'Neill quickly nodded as he waved a hand. "Yeah, right! Sorry buddy."

"How is any of this helping to formulate an escape plan?" Daniel asked.

"It's not," O'Neill replied, as he thoughtfully gazed over the layout. "But I am getting an idea. Teal'c, you think you might be up to helping us out, here?"

When Teal'c raised his head again, he had a slight smile. "Indeed."

SG-1: SVU

'Where the hell does this lead to?' Olivia wondered, as she and Sam came to an intersection of corridors within the vast mothership. A glance at Sam told Olivia that the Air Force Major was just as lost as she was.

"This is all wrong," Sam muttered, as she looked about her in frustration. "This mothership doesn't match the schematics of the others that I've studied."

"You've had a chance to study the inside of a ship like this?" Olivia said, impressed.

"Yeah, we've even captured a mothership, once," Sam casually replied. "It came in pretty handy for when we blew up that sun."

Olivia grabbed Sam's arm. "Wait, you blew up a sun? Are you frigging kidding me?!"

"I'll tell you later, Liv," Sam started to say, "it's a--"

"It's a long story, yeah," Olivia finished for her. "You know, I really can't wait for when have that little chat over lunch, Sam."

"I'm looking forward to it, as well," Sam replied with a smile.

Her smile vanished when they heard multiple boot steps coming down the hallway ahead of them. "Take cover," Sam whispered, "down here…."

Olivia and Sam ran down one of the corridors in the intersection and both ducked into the first open doorway they found. Sam did a quick check of the room they were hiding in, with her zat at the ready--and when they were satisfied there was nobody else in it but them, Sam and Olivia turned their attention back to the boot steps, which grew louder in volume.

Both women peeked around the doorway as far as they dared, and Olivia felt her stomach tighten into knots at the army of Jaffa warriors who marched by down the hall. She was further startled to see two of them had been left behind to guard the corridor intersection.

Sam gestured for them to move further into the room, which had several rows of stasis chambers, similar to what Olivia had been placed in at the very start of this nightmare. The coffin-like chambers were all empty--yet their very presence greatly disturbed Olivia, who was reminded of the unpleasant memories of having woken up in one of them.

When they were far enough from the doorway, Sam whispered, "Looks like Neith is moving her troops back aboard the mothership."

"And we can't go back out that way," Olivia said, "or else we'll be spotted by those guards they posted."

After Sam checked the back wall, she let out a sigh and said, "There's no other way out of this room." She gazed at the rows of chambers in the room with renewed interest. "Awful lot of empty stasis chambers here. The base on the planet was filled with these, and now there's more on the ship…."

After a moment of thought, Sam nodded. "Yeah, of course, that's how she's doing it…"

"Doing what?"

"We were wondering how Neith could have so many troops aboard this mothership--far more than the usual complement," Sam told Olivia. She gestured at the chambers. "Here's the answer. She puts them in stasis until they're needed."

"A freeze-dried army," Olivia muttered, feeling a chill. "Just add water. The more I learn about these Goa'uld, the less I like them."

"Everything about Neith is so unlike the normal pattern of behavior that we're used to seeing from the Goa'uld system lords," Sam said. "Completely different tactics; different layout of her ship; even how she transports her troops, and she's not even afraid of the Asgard. It's almost like dealing with a completely new culture. The thing about Neith is that she's not adverse to adapting to suit her needs, Liv, and that makes her pretty scary."

"Oh, I agree, Neith's one scary bitch," Olivia quickly said. "Just seeing her collection of heads on that wall convinced me."

The corridor outside their room echoed with the roar of a Jaffa command having been issued, and Olivia shuddered as she heard more oncoming boot steps. Her eyes grew wide as a realization occurred to her. "Hey, if Neith is moving her troops back aboard the ship," she said, gesturing at the chambers, "then might they be heading back to bed?"

Sam nodded grimly. "Yeah, we can't stay here much longer in any case. But we also can't step outside the corridor without those guys seeing us."

"Not unless I create a diversion," Olivia said.

"How?"

"I walk right out past the guards, and hopefully they'll be so distracted by me that you can shoot them," Olivia replied. "Unless you got a better idea?"

"No," Sam muttered, looking concerned. "But are you sure you can do that, Liv?"

"Just watch me," Olivia said confidently. Then she glanced at Sam anxiously. "But one of those guys has a staff weapon…if he should shoot me with that thing…."

Sam placed a hand on Olivia's shoulder. "I won't give him the chance, Liv. You told me before that you got my back, remember? Well, I have yours, too. I've got your six. Ok?"

"Ok," Olivia said, taking a deep breath. "Then let's do this before the hallways get too crowded. Ready?"

Sam nodded.

Olivia took that to be her cue to get going. She strode into the corridor with the confidant air of a woman who owned it. The Jaffa stood facing each other in the intersection, and Olivia kept walking at a rapid pace even after one of them had noticed her.

"Hol!" one of the Jaffa shouted, as he reached for his zat.

Despite the fear she felt, Olivia kept walking. She realized that she had to get both Jaffa turned away from Sam's direction, so that she could effectively sneak up on them.

"Kree, tal shal mak!" the other Jaffa roared.

When Olivia finally turned to face the Jaffa, she was pleased to see they both stood with their backs facing in Sam's direction. "Oh, hi!" Olivia said, in her best ditzy accent. "Are youse the tour guides here? If so, ya know where the ladies room is? I gotta powder my nose…."

The Jaffa with the staff weapon glanced at his partner, as if unsure what to make of Olivia's bizarre behavior. He didn't wonder for very long, for Sam zatted him from behind just then. Sam quickly zatted the other Jaffa before he could completely turn around to face this new threat. Soon, both Jaffa lay on the floor.

"Smooth, Liv," Sam said, grinning in admiration, "real smooth."

"All those years of working undercover finally paid off," Olivia replied, relieved that it was over. "But who knew I'd be using these skills to help save the planet one day?"

"Welcome to my life," Sam said, as she grabbed the zat from the downed Jaffa and handed it to Olivia. "For you."

"Thanks," Olivia said, admiring the zat. It wasn't a Glock, but it would do. "At least we're better armed this time. So, where to?"

As she hefted the staff weapon over her shoulder, Sam glanced down the hallway behind them when they heard the sounds of approaching boot steps.

"That way," Sam answered, as she pointed in the direction opposite of the oncoming Jaffa. "Right now, we go wherever they're not."

"Can't complain with that tactic," Olivia muttered, as she and Sam ran down the hallway.

SG1-SVU

Mo'at found Neith in the peltac, the command center of the mothership, seated in her throne, which was located on a raised platform in the center of the room. Her Lord Empress sat very casually in the throne, with one leg hooked over the chair's arm, a bare foot lightly bouncing up and down in mid-air, as she gazed reflectively at the floor. She wore a simple white dress with gold trimming.

Mo'at glanced outside and saw several vast columns of Jaffa all streaming towards the mothership. He approached Neith and bowed down before her, crossing his arms in front of him. "You summoned me, my Lord Empress?"

Neith took notice of him for the first time. "I want shield generators set up around the stargate, Mo'at. I want them disguised--camouflaged, is the Tauri word--so that they may not be seen by anyone who emerges from the gate. I want the entire stargate to be surrounded by shields."

"Yes, my Lord Empress," Mo'at said.

"I also want staff cannon emplacements all along the ridges surrounding the stargate," Neith further ordered.

Mo'at nodded. It was a typically brilliant example of Her Lord Empress' strategic mind: the shields would box in an opponent who emerged from the gate, while the staff cannons would mercilessly pick them off from their high vantage points. Yet a question pestered Mo'at's mind. "If I may ask, whom are you expecting to come through the gate?"

"The Tauri, of course, my dear Mo'at," Neith replied.

Mo'at glanced up at her with concern. "But, my Lord Empress, they are dead; their command base destroyed, from the missile you fired into the stargate."

"Perhaps, perhaps not." Neith arose from the chair and wagged a finger at him. "You should know by now to never underestimate your enemy, Mo'at. I know for a fact that the Stargate Command has their own protective shield on their stargate."

Mo'at bowed before her once more. "Yes, of course. Forgive me, my Lord Empress. Your orders shall be carried out instantly."

"One further matter, Mo'at. Give the order to the commando teams on earth to move," Neith told him, breaking into a smile. "Our early encounter with the Tauri stargate teams has pushed my plans ahead of schedule. I wish to press the advantage of surprise while I still have them off guard."

Mo'at nodded. "As you command, my Lord Empress."

"Rejoice, Mo'at," Neith said, as she joyfully raised her arms in the air. "For the glorious chaos of war shall soon fall upon our enemies. And when the dust has settled, the Netian Empire has to but sweep them aside, and we shall reclaim our rightful place as rulers of this galaxy!"

Mo'at gazed upon his beloved Lord Empress with a mixture of pride and love. 'The shol'va, Teal'c, was wrong,' he thought. 'Neith is indeed a goddess of the highest order. And once we bring the Tauri to their knees, I shall see to it personally that they worship her as such!'

SG-1: SVU

"Teal'c!" Daniel desperately called to the figure who hung limply from his chains. "Teal'c! Can you hear me?!"

When Teal'c did not respond, instead just hanging there with his head down, O'Neill angrily shouted, "You sons of bitches, you killed him!"

A bare-headed Jaffa guard entered, a puzzled expression on his face.

"Yeah, you!" O'Neill shouted, pointing his finger at him. "You just killed our friend, you rat-bastard!"

The guard, still looking confused, went over to Teal'c. He prodded the prone prisoner with the end of his staff weapon, and when Teal'c did not move, the Jaffa came closer, and tried to peer into his face.

That was when Teal'c abruptly gripped the chains with his hands, pulled his legs up in front of the Jaffa, and kicked him as hard as he could. The Jaffa, thrown off balance, fell off the platform and crashed right into the bars of the cell that O'Neill and Daniel were imprisoned in.

"Grab him!" O'Neill shouted, as he reached out with his hands between the bars. "Bring him towards us!"

The Jaffa, momentarily stunned, tried to fight back as Daniel pulled him up against the bars. As he tried frantically to hold the struggling Jaffa, Daniel said, "He's still awake, Jack!"

"Not for long," O'Neill muttered, as removed the Jaffa's zat from his belt. "Let go of him, Daniel!"

When Daniel did so, O'Neill shot the Jaffa point blank with the zat. The Jaffa shuddered for a second, then collapsed to the floor.

"Got 'im," O'Neill said, as he reached through the bars to pull the unconscious Jaffa towards them.

"Oh, I really hope this guy has the keys to the cell," Daniel fretted.

"He does, Daniel," O'Neill replied, waving the keys that he removed from the Jaffa's belt. "See? Stop being so pessimistic!"

O'Neill used the keys to open the cell, and then he and Daniel ran up onto the platform and freed Teal'c from his chains. "Here," O'Neill said, as he handed Teal'c the staff weapon they took from the Jaffa. "I'd thought you might want this, buddy."

Teal'c accepted the staff weapon with a nod of his head. "It is much appreciated, O'Neill."

Just then, several more Jaffa warriors shouted as they stormed into the prison area, their staff weapons blazing.

"Never a dull moment in this place," O'Neill grimly muttered, as he and Teal'c quickly returned fire.

"Can I be pessimistic now?!" Daniel sarcastically asked O'Neill as they ducked the incoming fire from the Jaffa.

SG-1: SVU

"Oh, great," Sam muttered, when they arrived at another junction, "just what we need: more corridors…."

"Wandering around this place makes me feel like I'm lost in the Luxor hotel," Olivia said. "You ever been there? It's in Vegas."

Sam blanched visibly. "No, never. Believe me, Liv, the last place I want to spend my R&R is at a casino that looks like a Goa'uld mothership…."

Olivia burst into giggles, which she kept quiet by slapping her hands over her mouth. "Uh, yeah," Olivia said, when she regained control of herself. "I see your point, Sam. Sorry."

"Don't get me wrong; I've got nothing against Egyptian culture," Sam pointed out. "It's just--"

She quieted down when they heard the ever-present sound of marching boots once more, coming from one of the corridors at the junction.

"Let's double back," Sam whispered.

They ran the distance all the way down the corridor, only to come to a halt when they saw a group of Jaffa before them. Sam shot two of them down with her zat before they could even react.

"Back, back, back…." Olivia urgently said, as she and Sam started running in the opposite direction.

They were halfway down the corridor when Sam grabbed Olivia's arm and said, "Wait, listen. They're coming down this way, too."

"Then where do we go?" Olivia asked in a panic. "They're in front of us and in back of us!"

"Through here," Sam said, pointing out a doorway to their right.

They entered a small room, that had a multitude of shelves on the walls with folded garments on them. A woman, clad in scant clothing, entered from another doorway, folding what appeared to be a towel in her hands. She took one look at Olivia and Sam and let out a startled scream at the top of her lungs.

Olivia shot her with the zat, which instantly quieted the woman--yet she knew the Jaffa in the corridor outside must have heard the screaming.

"Through there?" Olivia said, pointing at the doorway through which the woman had emerged.

"Like we have a choice?" Sam asked.

Yet once they both entered the vast room on the other side of the doorway, both Olivia and Sam abruptly halted at the sight before them.

The air was as warm and humid as a steam bath, and there were various massage tables set up surrounding a massive pool, where a large group of Jaffa, who had either been swimming, or getting a massage, abruptly stopped what they were doing to glare at the two women who had entered their private domain.

"We wandered into a Jaffa health spa," Olivia said in disbelief. "Just our frigging luck…."

The Jaffa who had pursued them in the corridors appeared behind Olivia and Sam, making the women effectively surrounded on all sides. One of the Jaffa, raising his staff weapon at them, shouted: "Kree! Hol!"

"Yeah, yeah," Olivia muttered in disgust. She and Sam dropped their zat guns drop onto the floor. "You know, Sam, if I survive this, I'm never going to the Luxor either…."

Sam just wistfully nodded at her as she and Olivia reluctantly raised their hands in surrender.

To Be Continued...