"We are here." Teal'c stood pressed against the wall. He was motioning to the split in the fortified structure that he and Sam had escaped through. "O'Neill, I believe I know the Goa'uld responsible for the loss of so many victims."
Daniel made his way to stand next to Teal'c, "So there is a Goa'uld here?"
"Yes. His name is Ptah. Just before we escaped Rhadamanthus expressed the Goa'uld's desire to capture Major Carter."
"What would he want with Sam?"
"I am uncertain. I have not heard of this Goa'uld before."
Jack sighed in annoyance, "Daniel, know anything about Ptah?"
"Well, only what's been gathered through ancient texts. Ptah was one of the greatest Egyptian Gods. Uh, the ancient Egyptians used to worship him as being the creator of the Earth, uh the father of all the gods. He was also regarded as the patron of metalworkers and artisans....oh and as a mighty healer."
"A mighty healer?"
"You think that's got something to do with the fact that the people here trust Ptah to 'heal' the sick or old?"
"Could do. I'm guessing that our buddy Ptah's created a nice nest of unwilling, unknowing-"
"Hosts! Of course! Jack that's it. Ptah's been taking the sick or the injured, healing them in a sarcophagus or who knows...and using them as hosts!" Daniel turned to Ajax "He's been tricking your people into believing that they've gone to a better place to be healed, when in fact he's been turning them against you."
Ajax furrowed his brow, "I don't understand...None of our people would turn against us..."
"Not willingly. Ajax, the Gods are nothing but what we call the Goa'uld. They're parasites that take over the human body, they steal them because without them they'd be nothing."
Ajax sat down, bewildered, "So you are saying that there is no cause for the people of Elysium to worship them? That our Gods are nothing but thieves? We've built our entire civilisation on the thought that there's hope for those that suffer here. To take that away is like...." Ajax trailed off.
"I know it's a lot to think about but trust us, we've seen this kind of thing before. We've seen the Goa'uld take lives with no remorse and they destroy worlds. We can prove it."
Ajax looked up, "There is no need for proof. I have always suspected something terrible was happening, and I've never trusted Rhadamanthus nor his son. Your words may be hard to acknowledge, but I believe you. I shall do anything in my power to let the people of Elysium know that the Gods are pretenders!"
Jack winced, "Shh! Look it's great you're so enthusiastic, but first things first. We get Carter and...your wife, Pandora... and take it from there."
Jack quietly moved past Teal'c to peer through the narrow slit. He couldn't see much of the city, so it was hard to tell if it was safe to enter. Ajax watched O'Neill's frustrated expression as he squinted, trying to make out more of the city.
"I have an idea."
Jack turned to face the young man, motioning him to continue.
"If I go first, I can bring you through after me....as prisoners. No one will suspect my betrayal. But you will have to loose or hide your weapons."
Jack ground his teeth, "Looks like it's the only way in then. Daniel, any other ideas?"
"No, but I have a question. How are we going to make this look convincing? I mean there's three of us and one of Ajax...."
"Here, take this." Jack handed his gun to Ajax, "Just for show, you put your left hand here, your right hand here, with your index finger on the trigger... Should be convincing enough."
"Yeah...just don't pull the trigger on anyone..." Daniel took the clip from his gun and shoved it into his pocket, then tossed his weapon as far as he could into the forest. At least then no one could work it if it were found.
With Ajax equipped with an MP-5, they were ready. Slipping through the crack, Ajax quickly scanned his surroundings on the other side. Luckily, the coast was clear. They entered the city unnoticed, doing their best to look like they'd been captured (which wasn't hard considering all the practise they'd had in the past). Now it was just a matter of making their way to the Temple unnoticed.
Ajax glanced back at the three behind him and whispered, "The Temple is not far from here, but no-one is allowed out in the streets at this time of night. We will have to keep a sharp eye out for people who may report us to the guards."
With his head held high, Ajax began to walk, holding Jack's MP-5 as convincingly as he could. There was hardly a sound in the city now, and people were beginning to turn in for the night. As lights were switched off here and there the four men found places in shadow where they could walk. The further they got out of the heart of the city the darker it became until there were no lights whatsoever, save for a scattered few that made up the street's lighting. Ajax turned to speak once again.
"These lights are artificial. They were given to us by the Gods." He paused to contain his anger, "I am told by my brother Pollux that Rhadamanthus will soon be in possession of a great weapon also. The Gods give gifts to him for his loyalty."
"You mean for sacrificing more of his own people to Ptah's cause."
"So it would seem."
They fell silent once again. Up ahead they could make out the shape of the Temple. A few more blocks of houses full of sleeping people and they were home and hosed. When they finally reached the Eastern wall of the Temple they stopped to crouch behind a woodpile.
"Where's the door?"
"I have never seen it. Although I know that it exists. Pollux has told me stories about symbols etched on the wall where the door should be. Perhaps if we find those first."
"Any idea what they look like?"
"No."
"Alright, Teal'c sit tight here with Ajax. Daniel and I will take a look around."
Daniel and Jack stood and began to make their way over to search for the symbols. Suddenly, Teal'c spoke up in a hushed voice.
"O'Neill. Above you."
Jack looked up. Hovering above the Temple was a Goa'uld mother ship. Jack grabbed Daniel's arm and pulled him back towards the woodpile. The ship made no sound at all, and all of it's lights were off. For it's size it was practically invisible. Teal'c had noticed it when a patch of stars in the sky disappeared. It was still a long way up, but SG-1 knew that it didn't need to come close to the building to be able to transport people aboard.
Ajax glanced up at the massive ship, "They have come. We are too late!"