Chapter 10: One Flash And You're Ash

Far above in, the gate control room the oncoming tide of insects stopped suddenly, falling from the ceiling and walls and landing on the ground. Daniel looked out across the room, and Vala stepped cautiously towards the door.

"Looks like they've all just keeled over" she shouted back into the room. Daniel followed her to the door and looked down the hallway. Piles of the things lay all around the room, the odd twitch here and there but aside from that, motionless.

Davidson flicked his radio, and spoke "Hey, Mitchell, Mckay. Great job!"

"Thankyou Major!" crackled back Mitchell's voice. "So we got it in time?"

"Yes you did," replied Daniel. "Offer my thanks to McKay It was pretty ugly up here until that gas turned up."

At the ventilation chamber McKay was grinning self satisfied. "I should thank you, Doctor – that's the first time you've acknowledged me saving your life…"

"Yes Daniel, try not to make a habit of it" Vala could be heard saying in the background. Mitchell grinned to himself. "Daniel, Carter, we're heading up now" Mitchell said, and turned back to the others. "So, ah which way was it again?" he asked, grinning at Mckay. Mckay scowled at him, and pointed back in the direction they'd come in. He stomped out, followed closely by Teal'c and Ba'al and the four heavily marching warriors. Mitchell eyed them off rather curiously before following them. Something was up here – Ba'al was being too helpful – but what the problem really was he couldn't put his finger on it.

Back in orbit, two new hyperspace windows arrived on the now calm scene, Ori warships bursting through, joining the original attacker. The ships closed in on one another and then slowed, the distance between the ships now decreasing at an ever decreasing rate, coming into optimal communications range and then stopping, the flare of their reverse thrusts momentarily brightening the area around the ships, a bluish aura forming around them. On board the original ship the Prior straightened in his chair, and clutched the staff somewhat tighter in his hand, as if perhaps a little unsure what to do with it. In front of the Prior the viewscreen lost its transparency and then solidified into the image of another Prior. The Prior from the first ship seemed for a moment to smirk and then his face formed back into the more typical, emotionless state that Priors managed to keep their faces in all the time. "Hallowed are the Ori" said the first Prior.

"Hallowed are the Ori indeed" intoned the second Prior. What is it, do these people memorise the book of boring Prior greetings? thought the first Prior, managing just to keep his face right, and keep the ship stable.

"It seems the battle is over" said Prior 2.

"Indeed it would seem so" replied the first Prior. "However, I request your assistance – I am only newly converted and I am having some… difficulty with my power over the ship. Just to prove his point, Ba'al let the ship fire it's engines once, barely missing one of the other ships. "I believe the ship's systems to have been damaged in the battle.

"I will come to your ship to assess any damage" replied the Prior, rising from his chair and cutting the communications.

Two Ba'al clones stood watching the rings on board the Ori warship, waiting for them to activate, bringing yet another Prior and his ship into their trap. The remaining Al-kesh had been brought onboard the warship, to cover any signs of the true nature of the outcome of the battle, the floating wreckage of those ships that had been destroyed providing ample evidence in favour of their lie. With a sudden and sharp hiss the panelling covering the rings opened, and the bright light of the ring transportation filled the room. Almost instantly the air was filled with fire, and the four guards escorting the Prior dropped.

"You cannot face the might of the Ori!" shouted the Prior and whipped his staff in the general direction of the nearest Ba'al. Nothing happened.

"Oh, you people do like to go on…" the Ba'al said and zatted him.

Back up on the bridge the Prior Ba'al noticed the remaining warship raising its shields, and charging weapons. His staff glowed, and the ship sprung to life around him, and established a weapons lock on the enemy. The warship fired, and the target exploded, without shields – how would Mitchell put it he thought – target practise?

He sat back in the throne like control chair with a self satisfied smile out of place on the Prior's wrinkled face. And so. He had captured and destroyed 3 Ori warships, something of which the Tau'ri could not claim to have done. And now, he had a formidable armada once again. And perhaps he could keep it this time.

Back in Alterus Colonel Carter had noticed something wrong. The gas was wrong – it had done what it was supposed to, but now…

"…it's changing" she said to Daniel.

"What exactly do you mean – changing?" he asked, with a rather perplexed look on his face.

"Well" she said, looking towards Bolton "somehow it's chemical makeup is changing – I've never seen anything like it before… Theoretically, I can't see how it's possible."

"But it's happening anyway."

"Right" she answered.

"So," began Daniel "what's it changing into?"

"Alright Doctor," answered Bolton "It's changing into some kind of heavy hydrogen like gas – I've never seen a gas like it before – but I can tell you one thing – It'd be highly explosive."

Davidson grimaced, and asked "So, you're telling us this whole place could go up any moment now"

"Well, it hasn't completely changed yet sir" replied Bolton, "But yes – that's exactly right. Take an hour, and this whole place could go up."

"Wait, wait…"said Mckay "you're telling me the city is filling up with some kind of explosive gas?"

Behind him Ba'al smirked, and stopped walking. "Actually, Doctor Mckay it was Kroyta gas – however it did contain a certain element that has been manipulating it with Alterus's atmosphere and it should be at a critical point within perhaps half an hour."

The other three turned around and stared at him, Mitchell and Teal'c raising their guns and pointing them at him. "OK, Ba'al" said Mitchell "reverse it or else…"

Ba'al laughed. "Or else what Colonel? You can't shoot me – with a spark it from one of you're weapons it doesn't matter whether the gas is at a critical point. It'll still be a case of – how to put it – 'one flash and you're ash?'"

Mitchell lowered his gun, and so did Teal'c.

"Why are you doing this?" asked Mckay.

"Well I thought it was rather obvious" said Ba'al "If I can't have this city then neither shall you."

He dropped his gaze to a band around his wrist and hit in a sequence on it. He looked up, waved, and vanished into a beam of blue light, along with the four Kull warriors.

"There he goes again…"said Mitchell

"When did Ba'al get Asgard beaming tech?" asked Mckay.

"I don't know, but regardless, this isn't good" said Mitchell. "How long till this place gets to critical point and blow up?" he asked Mckay.

"Ah…" he said looking at his Ancient scanner "I'd say... twenty-odd minutes."

"Oh boy – we need to get moving and get out of here…"