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The diner on Sampson was just starting to bustle with early morning commuters, it's Elvis chic alcoves and tables settling with a comfortable background blur about work and people and longing for the weekend, with only the occasional laugh or exclamation making itself heard. Jim and Blair sat down in one of the empty alcoves with a black record and Elvis's face shining down onto the red seats and tabletop. The waitress came over and Blair ordered coffee and pancakes and Jim coffee and eggs sunny side up with bacon. Blair made the required grimace as the waitress moved away, but his heart wasn't in it.
"Sounds like it's going to be a big operation and the third that's only two days away. That's not a lot of time for Simon to prepare a task force." Blair said.
"We'll manage," Jim, replied unconcerned and Blair bit his lip.
"That's not a lot of time for you to prepared either,"
"Sandburg, if you're worried because you're not going to by my side. I don't need a keeper. I've been doing this job a long time before you turned up. Simon too. Trust him if you don't trust me." Jim's voice was quiet, his gaze direct and ouch way to make this all about him Blair being wrong. Blair dropped his gaze,
"I trust you," Blair said and his hands picked up the sugar canister needing something to hold, "but that doesn't stop me from worrying," and now his gaze met Jim's fiercely, "It's gun smuggling, not issuing some boozo a parking ticket."
"We'll manage," Jim repeated firmly and Blair had to be content with that.
Their meals arrived and were eaten in edgy silence, Jim not interested in answering and Blair not interested in asking. They paid the cheque, the light pancakes lying heavy in Blair's stomach and Blair pushed himself up from the table suddenly eager to be training; exercise a sure fire way to push his thoughts away. The blood rushed to his head and Blair had a moment of vertigo before darkness took claim.
He was in the temple again facing the strange device and this time Blair recognised the symbols forming as the device spun. Orion, Scorpio, Capricorn, Aquarius, Pisces, Cetus and the Lynx and then the device was activating bursting with a rush of water than spun back into the device and formed a rippling mirror and then more of the half-human, half-golden metallic dogs were stepping through.
The metal echoed strangely on the stone floors and Blair followed them as they marched up from the depths of the temple. The soldiers marched into the room with the pools now no longer empty as Blair had seen them they were filled with a boiling seething mass that seemed to move of it's own violation and Blair couldn't contain the horror that welled up.
In the centre a lady with dark hair cut in the Egyptian style and a crown with the lynx engraved in jewels sat naked to her waist and the soldiers in neat lines bowed before her. Her eyes flashed a brilliant white and the words she said were foreign, but the soldiers banged there left arm against their chests once in salute and stood as one before continuing their march outside.
Blair's eyes were drawn to the far corner where pressed against the red silks three men and a women dressed in the same green uniform knelt bound and surrounded by half men half metallic dog soldiers. Their faces were filled with hatred and loathing as they stared at the lady in the pool and then the dark skinned one with a tattoo of Apophis flickering in the candlelight turned and met his eyes, he broke his bounds and stood, but the soldiers surrounding them didn't seem to notice.
"This has not yet happened. Contact General Hammond of Texas, Stargate Command Cheyenne Mountain Colorado. Now!" He commanded and Blair blinked and the dark man with his tattoo was once more bound and staring with loathing at the pools with their lone occupant.
The flare of weapons being armed startled him and the image faded.