Rising from the Ashes of Ascension
Chapter 15
Disclaimer: As much as I might wish, I do not own Stargate: SG1, Highlander: the Series, or any recognizable characters from either show. If I did, I wouldn't be working in the public schools system. However, any characters that are not from either show are mine and I will use and abuse them as I see fit. Everyone else will be returned eventually, for I am only borrowing for awhile, but they might end up a bit scuffed.
Warnings: Potty language, violence, and occasional sexual references
The guys were scattered on Daniel's living room furniture. It was nice furniture – thanks to Sam's ability to spend money and Janet's common sense. His sofa, love seat, and chair were a dark brown, made out of soft leather. The coffee table was low, made out of a rich oak. The top of the table was covered in back issues of Archaeology and National Geographic. Earlier, Jack looked at the states and noted that almost all of them were dated from the year Daniel had been "dead."
Daniel noticed Jack looking at the magazines' dates. "I wanted to catch up and see what was being "discovered" while I was gone and how right their assumptions are," he said, shrugging, using air quotes to emphasize his words.
There was only two minutes left to the third period and the Avalanche was being killed by the Canucks and Jack was cussing up a storm. Clearly sailors had nothing on airmen in the cussing department, if one went by the filth that was pouring out of Jack's mouth.
Soon it was over. The Avalanche lost five to one and Jack was busy contemplating nuclear holocaust upon the city of Vancouver. "Those goddamn Sedin twins! I think we should have them checked out for Goa'uld infestation. They could be hosts. No one can play like that and be completely human."
"The Canucks won the game fairly O'Neill, though I believe that this is New Jersey's year to win the championship. Complaining about the final score of this game will not affect the already decided upon outcome. You need to accept Colorado's loss with some small amount of dignity," Teal'c said mildly.
"New Jersey!" Jack squawked. "The only reason why New Jersey has been so good is due to a pact that they made with the devil, hence the name. They suck," Jack pouted and stared at his now empty bottle of beer.
Daniel rolled his eyes and handed his friend a full bottle. "You know, I think I should be the one bitching right now. I am fairly confidant in the fact that I did not like hockey before I died. You lied to me," Daniel said, staring accusingly at his friend.
Jack happily accepted the fresh beer from Daniel. "There's more to hockey than just watching the teams score points. It's about the athleticism, grace, and skill displayed. Even you should be able to appreciate that."
"It's also about blood on the ice, fights breaking out, and beer consumption," Daniel said sarcastically. "You watch this sport to satisfy some subconscious desire to watch others inflict harm and pain upon each other. I'm sure Neanderthal man has something to do with modern man's desire to see grown men beat the crap out of each other on skates. It makes me think that evolution is just a theory after all."
"Oh, your dry sarcastic wit really gets me right there," Jack said snidely and picked up the remote and started flipping through the channels. "Besides, with the Neanderthals - been there done that, got the souvenir t-shirts to commemorate the planet."
"Oh gods! That was the planet that turned us into cavemen," Daniel said, horrified at that memory. "I also remember that you tried to beat my face in while in the control room."
Jack winced. "Yeah, sorry about that."
Daniel glared at his friend momentarily before letting it go. He knew that Jack's actions back then hadn't been due to any true feelings of hate, but born out of a primal instinct that was beyond his control. However, it had still hurt when he had his nose fractured in several places. Daniel briefly wondered why no one really noticed at the time how quickly he had healed after the incident.
Eventually he came upon the movie, The Ten Commandments. It was at the point that Moses dramatically parted the Red Sea, allowing the Hebrews to escape to safety, fleeing the pharaoh and his army.
Daniel couldn't help himself and started laughing.
"What is wrong with you? Who in their right mind laughs at The Ten Commandments?" Jack asked, looking at his friend who at this point was gasping for breath between snorting.
"That is such bullshit. Exodus did not happen like that! Granted Charlton Heston makes for a great Moses, but that whole dramatic parting of the seas did not happen like that. Hell, they actually crossed at the head of the Gulf of Aqaba not the Red Sea itself."
Jack and Teal'c both looked at him with ill-concealed curiosity (well, Teal'c's right eyebrow was a bit more raised than normal).
"Are you telling me that you fled Egypt with Moses and the pharaoh hot at your heels?" Jack scoffed.
"No," Daniel snorted. "I was with the pharaoh's army, chasing the Hebrews."
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Dan'yar, as he was known then, had been living among the Egyptians for several years. He had been employed by the pharaoh, Rameses II to serve as a tutor and sword master to his sons.
While spending time in the fertile Nile valley, he had taken an Egyptian wife and had blended into the culture and people with ease, despite his foreign appearance. He had spent time in the area centuries before, so he knew the language and customs, yet adapt to some of the newer additions to Egyptian culture. It was easy to slip back into the personae of being a scholar, though very knowledgeable about how to fight with a sword. It was the role of a teacher that he was able to act out with ease, one that he was sure he would end up repeating over the coming years, as long as his head remained firmly attached to his body and he stayed out of trouble. Unfortunately, trouble had a way of ensnaring him before he even knew it.
In the meantime, he spent his days teaching the sons of the pharaoh about writing, mathematics, languages, and most importantly, how to fight. The land and times were harsh, and it would not do for the sons, especially the one that was in line to take the throne (barring accidents or in-house plots against their lifes), to not know how to fight.
At night, he went home to his wife and home, enjoying being with her, falling asleep in her arms, watching her weave or do other household tasks. It was pleasant and peaceful. Silently, he prayed to his gods of old (not the gods of Egypt) that his life would remain that way for a long time.
Unfortunately, life and the Game had a way of interfering in his plans.
One day, late at night as he was walking through the dark streets of Ra'amses, he came across a young man, Josiah, one of the Hebrews; he was face down in the dirt, dead.
Dan'yar had encountered the young man before, noticing the faint signal he felt that indicated the boy was destined to become an Immortal. Quietly, circumspectly, he kept tabs on the youth, waiting for the moment that Josiah would experience his first death.
Apparently, the young man had tripped and hit his head, if the dried blood that coated his temple and face was any indication. There didn't appear to be any wounds other than the damage to his head.
Sighing, Dan'yar knew that he couldn't just leave the young Immortal in the street, least he revive when there were witnesses or let him go on thinking he had just hurt himself and blindly go about his life. As a result he picked Josiah up and threw his dead body over his shoulder and took him home, an act that he would eventually regret.
Harere, meaning "flower," greeted her husband at the door, quickly dismissing the servants. While she did not know why her beloved husband brought home a stranger that appeared to her to be dead, she knew that her husband was an Immortal, and immediately became suspicious of the possibility that whoever this person was, he had to be an Immortal also. Otherwise, there was no good reason why Dan'yar would bring a dead body into the house other than for that one possibility.
"Dan'yar," Harere softly questioned her beloved, "why have you brought this man into our home?"
"It is Josiah, the one I told you about last season. He is like me and has finally experienced his first death," Dan'yar explained.
"But why must you bring him here? Besides, he is a Hebrew. Isn't there someone among his own people that can help him?"
Dan'yar shook his head, his long blond hair swinging slightly. "I have not sensed anyone else like myself for a long time. As far as I know there is only me to teach him how to survive as an Immortal. I can't let him go and not know about himself and how to defend himself."
"I had a dream last night," Harere declared, not looking happy, her arms folded across her chest. "In my dream, there was much death and sadness across the land and in our home. There was a stranger in my dream, I couldn't see his face, but he was known to me. He brought violence into our lives, destroying all that we have worked to build for us. I look at this Josiah and I fear that he is the unknown stranger."
Dan'yar, not wanting to make light of his wife's fears, pulled her into his arms. "I will not let him harm you. You know that I would bring down upon anyone the wrath of the gods upon anyone that would harm you. Besides, you've been listening to the rumors about the troubles that Moses is threatening the pharaoh with. He is stirring up trouble and is probably the source for your bad dreams. I will always protect you my love."
Harere sighed but relented, allowing her husband to bring the dead man into their home and ignored the gnawing feelings in her stomach. "I will have Sheriti bring you your supper. Come to bed husband when you are done with the boy." With that, she retreated from the front room, retiring to the bedroom she had shared with the man she knew as Dan'yar.
Eventually Josiah revived and Dan'yar spent the better part of the night explaining what he was and what the future held in store for the boy, if he took up his offer to train him.
It took some convincing, Dan'yar slicing his own arm and Josiah's to show him the healing blue lightening to help convince him that neither one of them were insane. Josiah had told him that the last thing he remembered was tripping over something in the road. Clearly the boy had experienced the ultimate anti-climatic first death ever in history. Finally, Dan'yar sent Josiah off to sleep in a spare bedroom while he went off to spend what little time was left in the night with his wife.
Over the next several months when not busy working, Dan'yar spent his time teaching Josiah how to fight as an Immortal. The boy had never picked up a sword in his life, so he was literally starting from scratch. The boy had never even been in a fight before in his life. Josiah had been born into a life that wasn't exactly slavery, though it wasn't the freedom that Dan'yar had. The boy worked as a servant in the household of a member of the pharaoh's family, but it wasn't the back breaking work that many had to endure to help build Ramesses' new and glorious city. He hadn't ever endured laborious treatment before, so Dan'yar's training was an eye opening experience for him.
As difficult as Dan'yar had to make if for his student, Josiah easily became a part of the household. Dan'yar had even gone as far as to "buy" him from his previous employer so that the training would be more consistent and constant. It made for an odd family: Dan'yar, the pale foreigner whose soul was Egyptian, Harere the lovely, yet aging wife, and Josiah of the Hebrews. It was the ultimate non-traditional family.
Dan'yar was a difficult task master. He didn't do it to be cruel, but he had to build the boy up physically from a weak household servant to someone that could hold his own against stronger and more experienced swordsmen. He would have the boy up at dawn, practicing forms and movements, correcting any flaws he could see in Josiah's technique. During the day, he had Josiah help the farm hands tend the crops and livestock (as being on the paid staff of the pharaoh, Dan'yar could afford to support such a household). Slowly, the boy changed from a weakling into a strong young man that had potentially centuries ahead of him.
As time passed, Moses continued to press Ramesses to allow the Hebrew people to leave. Granted it was only about twenty thousand people that would have left, the pharaoh was not pleased with the idea that he would lose a cheap work force before his great cities were finished. Also, if he had let the Hebrews go, it would have sent a signal to other minority groups in his kingdom that they could also leave. Ramesses, like any ruler, knew that outsiders would see this internal strife as a sign of weakness and use the opportunity to attack and destroy all that was good in the land of Egypt, including his hold on the throne.
Finally, Moses told the pharaoh that if the Hebrew people were not allowed to leave, God would visit plagues upon the land and people of Egypt.
Dan'yar, while in attendance, heard Moses proclaim the first plague that would befall Egypt if the people were not freed from bondage.
"By this you shall know that I am the Lord: behold, I will strike the water that is in the Nile with the rod that is my hands and it shall be turned to blood," the leader of Hebrews proclaimed the words of God to the pharaoh.
The pharaoh and others laughed, not believing the man. Unfortunately for those that lived along the river, the Nile's water soon turned red, killing the fish and making the water unfit for drinking. But still, the pharaoh's heart stayed hardened.
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"Wait a freaking minute here! You mean to tell me that you met Moses and saw the Ten Plagues of Egypt?" Jack yelled, astonished, his memory flashing back to nearly forgotten Catholic school religion classes on the Old Testament.
Daniel sighed. "There were plagues Jack, but they happened all the time. If the Hand of God played a role in it, I don't know," he explained.
"So the river ran red with blood, there were locusts, boils, and the first born of every house died?" Jack persisted. "Did it really happen?"
"The Nile was reddish in color, but not from blood. There had been from time to time in the past that a heavy flow of silt flowed down the river. Also, in the more stagnant pools, closer to the Mediterranean, it could have been Red Tide. I just don't know. Scientific enquiry was not something explored at that time. That was a few centuries away. Everything odd that occurred was generally attributed to the actions of a god. As for the rest, it wasn't an odd occurrence for diseases, bad weather, and bugs, to make an appearance. The only thing truly extraordinary about all of it was that they happened one after another," Daniel explained.
What about the Red Sea, being lost in the desert for forty years, and the Ten Commandments?" Jack pressed.
"If you would let me finish the story, you'd know," Daniel said irritably.
"Well, don't get your panties in a twist. Get on with it then," Jack allowed.
Daniel gave his friend a decidedly unfriendly smile. "Thank you so much."
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Dan'yar continued to train and teach Josiah how to live the life of an Immortal. The one thing that bothered Dan'yar was Josiah's inflexibility in his outlook on life.
"I am not saying that you should just go ahead and do whatever, but you have to be able to adapt to new surroundings and people. To survive as an Immortal, you have to blend in," Dan'yar said, his arms folded across his torso, watching the youngster practice a form that he had been taught the previous week. "Grip the pommel a bit tighter," he advised, never taking his eyes off the boy.
"But I am a member of one of the twelve tribes of Israel. That will never change, it is who I am," Josiah replied, tightening his grip.
"Societies change over time and you will have to move on from those that you call family. Look at me," Dan'yar said, gesturing towards him-self. "Obviously I am not Egyptian. I came from a long ways away from here in the direction that the sun rises from. I have lived among different tribes, people, and lands because I must. Many humans instinctively do not trust those that they perceive to be different from them. They will do their best to destroy you once they find out you possess an ability that they do not."
"You're wife knows about you. Many among the Egyptians say that you are a djnn or even one of their gods in disguise," Josiah said, arcing his blade through the air, cutting though an imaginary foe. "Even some of the Hebrew people wonder about you. A few have asked me if you are one of the fallen angels of the Lord. You are an outsider that fits into the culture and can fight with a skill that is beyond even some of the best soldiers in the Pharaoh's army. "
Dan'yar snorted. "My wife knows because I trust her. There will be some that you can trust with your secret, but if your trust is misplaced, they will do their best to kill you. Switch hands now, you need to be able to fight with both hands equally."
"What does it matter if they kill you as long as they don't take your head?" Josiah asked, wiping sweat from his brow as he switched from right to left leads.
Dan'yar brushed his long blond hair back from his face, annoyed at how it tended to flop in his face. "How enjoyable would it be for them to kill you over and over? They kill you, you die and revive and the process repeats itself. It's a good way to discover madness."
Josiah rolled his eyes. In his mind his teacher was always focused upon imagined negatives. "How likely would that actually happen?" he asked sarcastically.
Dan'yar, known before as Danil, went completely still, a dangerous look in his eyes. "What makes you think that hasn't happened to me or that I've done it myself to others?"
Hearing that, Josiah froze. It suddenly dawned upon him that Dan'yar had not always been such a benevolent teacher. The older Immortal must have done things that surely had been condemned by God several times over.
"Believe me Josiah, eventually you will have to leave your people behind and find a new life elsewhere. Make sure that it is done by your choice alone and not by an angry mob," Dan'yar counseled his tone dark and grave.
Soon Daniel released Josiah for the day, respecting that it was sundown and the start of the boy's Sabbath. "Be safe Josiah and I will see you the day after tomorrow."
"Thank you and shalom Dan'yar," Josiah said, tucking his sword in to a belt that he wore around his waist and covered with an outer robe.
Josiah went back to his family's home, preparing for some sort of feast that the boy had spoken of briefly. He wouldn't go into details, but apparently it was for something that Moses has told all of the Hebrews to do.
Dan'yar, shrugging, went off to check on the animals and made sure that the daily tasks were done to his standards.
Later that night, as Dan'yar and Harere lay in their bed, talking softly about each other's day they heard the sound of a multitude of voices cry out at once.
Dressing swiftly, they ran out of their bedroom and were confronted with several of their servants holding the dead bodies of their children, weeping and wailing in a great outpouring of grief.
Soon, the same could be heard in many of the houses throughout the land. The last declaration of Moses came back to everyone. The next day, when it was discovered that Moses' prediction of the death of all first born had come true, the pharaoh, Rameses II, granted the Hebrews their freedom. Ramses wanted the troublemaker Moses and his people gone and was willing to give in if it spared his land and throne further grief.
The Hebrews made quick work of gathering their belongings, but soon discovered that they did not possess all that was required to travel through the desert to their promised land.
That night, as Dan'yar and countless other Egyptians who had survived the night of death slept, the Hebrews raided the homes of the Egyptians taking the supplies that they needed but lacked.
Dan'yar was awoken to the familiar presence of an Immortal near-by, but maintained enough composure to mentally turn off his Quickening signature so as to catch the trespasser off-guard. Assuming that it was Josiah, but unwilling to fully trust his assumptions, crept to his bedroom's door, sword in hand. He saw Josiah, with several other individuals he vaguely recognized, rummaging through their belongings, going through the household's supplies, grabbing blankets, jars, and food. Outside, he could hear someone disturbing the animals, presumably stealing the livestock.
"Josiah! What do you think you are doing?" Dan'yar barked, angry that his student would attempt to steal from him; angry that the boy felt that he had to steal what he would have been given if he had only asked for it.
"Dan'yar!" Josiah turned, clearly not expecting his teacher to be there. The boy hadn't felt the older immortal's presence; therefore he felt that it was safe to lead his friends on a raid of the home.
Instead of freezing, like he would have done months before while being caught red-handed, he lunged, his sword out, aimed at Dan'yar's middle.
Dan'yar, momentarily shocked that his student – his student – would turn on him like that, was rendered immobile, allowing the fledgling to get through his defenses, killing him with a swipe of the sword. As he lay there dying, the last thing he heard was his wife screaming his name in terror before black-nothingness took him.
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Minutes, hours, or even days later (the passage of time really didn't matter to one who had the potential to live forever) Dan'yar came back to life with an abrupt gasp for air as his lungs automatically remembered their ability to expand and contract, allowing him to breathe normally. He looked around and saw two of his servants, Adjo and Kifi, kneeling over a familiar form that lay crumpled on the floor. The Immortal's abrupt return to the land of the living startled the two of them, causing them to jump then cower slightly in fear.
"Master," Adjo croaked, grabbing at his chest, the shock clearly shaking him to his soul. He had heard whispering, rumors that an aura of god-like power clung to the foreigner, but before now, he had dismissed such talk as nothing more than the ramblings of the insane. Now that the man with the pale hair and eyes had returned from the dead, thus proving that he did indeed possess the powers granted to Atum-Ra, Osiris, and the Egyptian pantheon. However, it was yet to be determined that if his powers were a blessing or the result of being a servant to a demon.
"Adjo, tell me, where is Harere?" Dan'yar rasped pushing him-self into a sitting position, doing his best to ignore the blood that stained the floor and his finely textured sand-colored kilt.
"Are you a servant of Apep?" Adjo asked as his wife, Kifi, sat huddled next to him.
Dan'yar looked at the old man with a look of annoyance. "I am not a servant of the demon Apep. I do not serve your gods. I am an Immortal, but not a god," he said with contempt. "Where is my wife?"
At that, Adjo looked painfully sorrowful. "I am sorry Master, we heard the screaming, but by the time we were able to reach her, Mistress Harere had died. It was that boy you have been teaching, Josiah. He was about to take your head, but your wife attacked him. He killed her instantly and then ran away." Adjo and Kifi moved away so that Dan'yar could see Harere more clearly.
"I see," Dan'yar said, seething with anger, feeling the guise of Dan'yar melt away, revealing Danil - the blood-thirsty nightmare that had ridden with the Four Horsemen for a time. There was tremendous amounts of guilt that filled his soul. He had lied to her when he had told her that he would take care of her and not let anything happen to her. "Take care of her body. See to it that your customs are observed. If anyone else of this household was also killed, see to it that their remains are taken care of."
"Where are you going Master? What do you want done with the house and the servants?" Kifi asked, ever practical and thoughtful, even in times of distress.
Danil gave the old woman a ghost of a smile that was scarier than it was intended to be. "I am going to find Josiah and see to it that he pays for what he did to Harere. I will make him suffer in ways never imagined."
"Will you be back Master?" Adjo asked, fear and wonder in his eyes.
"Yes, in time, but it may be a long time before I am able to return. The house all that belongs to it is under your care. If you pass before I return, its care will pass along to your descendants," Danil said and took an earring out of his ear and pressed it into the old man's hand.
"Tell your heir that they will know me by the sight of the matching earring. There are several things in this house that are precious to me, but I cannot take with me on my journey. It is yours and your children's, and your children's children responsibility to take care of them," Danil instructed the mortals.
The mortal couple nodded, not fully understanding all that their Master had told them, but trusted him never-the-less. He had been a good man, never treating them badly, respecting them and the other servants with the same sort of level one would give a member of the royal family.
With that, Danil left the room, but not without touching his wife gently, caressing her face and whispered a prayer for her soul in a language neither servant had ever heard him use before.
He went into his bedroom, quickly changed his clothes, ridding him-self of the blood stained kilt and replaced them with a clean tunic and belt wrapped around his waist. In the belt he placed a dagger then tied on the sheath he used to hold his sword. He also pulled on a set of leather bracers that helped to give strength to his wrists and also provided another place to hide a second knife.
Once he was ready, letting the anger and hate he felt towards his former student guide his actions, he slipped out of the room he had shared with his precious wife. He met Adjo by the door, the man's eyes wide with wonderment and a healthy amount of fear.
"Dan'yar, be careful," the old man advised.
Danil smiled a familiarly oily smile that did not inspire confidence but fear. "Do not worry about me old man. Take care of your wife and family. And just so you know, my name is not Dan'yar. It is Danil of the People of Sea."
With that, he left his home behind and joined the army that the pharaoh was quickly mounting.
Rameses' anger was not about the Hebrews leaving, but in which the way they left. They had been given free passage by him personally out of Egypt, allowing them to seek their holy land and several members of the Hebrew community had taken the opportunity to stage raids and attacks upon the Egyptians for supplies necessary to a long journey across the desert. If they had left peacefully as promised by Moses, none of this would have been necessary. Instead, many like the home of Dan'yar and Harere had been attacked and several had been killed in the process. As pharaoh, he could not let this pass.
Danil joined the army, serving as one of the top officers, leading the men across the desert, hot on the heels of the escaping Hebrews. He cut his hair short, not wanting its long tresses to get in his way, obscuring his vision. He had his weapons with him, a small amount of food that he kept in a sack tied to his back, and his sandals tied securely to his feet. Unfortunately, it did take the pharaoh three days to raise the army necessary to chase the escaping people, giving the Hebrews a decent head start on the Egyptians.
The army followed the fleeing people, nearly twenty thousand of them. They only stopped when the animals and men could not go any further without a rest. The men were marched at a fast pace, crossing branches of the Nile River, skirting lakes that would one day be obliterated by the construction of the Suez Canal. The Israelis reached the Gulf of Suez in about seven days, but did not cross it. Instead they skirted around it, headed slightly southeast from there and eventually reached the head of the Gulf of Aqaba.
Danil, by this time was all but consumed with the desire for revenge, wanting nothing more than to kill Josiah and take his Quickening. At this point, he could have cared less if any of the mortals he was with, even the pharaoh himself, witnessed a Quickening. There was a scary, dark look in his eyes that many found to be disturbing. Most people if they did not have to answer to him avoided him at all costs, for he was quick to anger and quick to exact punishment for failure. An aura of evil clung to him like a living, pulsing entity, giving him the look of a most dangerous foe. Several among the Egyptians had said woe to whoever would encounter him in battle, for the man they had known as Dan'yar was not the one that now led them across the desert. One could tell that this man was a killer, lethal and bloodthirsty, maybe even on the level of the fabled Horsemen.
At the Gulf of Aqaba, the site where several wadis drained in to the Gulf which would then eventually drain into the Red Sea, the Egyptians had just about caught up to the Hebrews. The water had pulled back, allowing the Hebrews to cross more quickly, allowing them to reach the opposite shore than if they had skirted around the shore.
The Egyptians, seeing the Hebrew crossing across the now waterless land, sent the foot soldiers follow the escapees, while the chariots were sent around the Gulf's coast, unable to navigate the mud and treacherous terrain of the now empty seabed. Rameses went with the chariots, trusting his generals and captains to keep order.
Danil, one of many on foot, proceeded to follow on foot, crossing the area where water once stood.
Someone suddenly cried out in terror, drawing everyone's attention to the right. What they saw terrified everyone. A wall of water was rushing at them, dozens of spans high, full of destructive energy bearing down on them, ready to destroy all in its path.
The water hit them with immense power, rushing over them, causing them to rumble and be tossed about. Debris: rocks, weeds, weapons, other bodies hitting them, making it worse. The wave pushed them further inland, killing everyone in its path. If they didn't die by drowning, they were bludgeoned to death by objects being flung about by the giant tsunami that was destroying everything. All of Danil's hopes of killing the traitorous Josiah were shattered as he took in a mouthful of water into his lungs and was hit over the head by a huge-ass fucking rock.
Which one actually killed him didn't matter. He died and revived, and died again over and over until the water finally receded, leaving him face down in the mud, among dead humans, fish, and other things not easily identified.
He came back to life abruptly and immediately sensed another Immortal in the near vicinity. Danil hoped that somehow it was Josiah. He didn't have a sword on him, hell he was naked actually (apparently the power of the water actually ripped the clothing off his body). It didn't matter, if need be he'd fight the bastard with a rock and saw head from his body using the bones of a fish.
Danil looked all around him, taking in the destruction, looking for the source of his disturbance. He saw not far off, four figures on horseback.
"Danil, you look like shit," the leader, riding a pale horse, called out. He was wearing robes and had a half mask made to look like a skull in his hand. His companions looked mean and vicious, the perfect cohort of Death.
"Methos, what a wonderful thing you are to see," Danil snarled. "What the fuck are you doing here? Ran out of villages to rape, burn, and pillage?"
Methos shrugged, not really upset over Danil's hostility. "We heard that the Egyptians were pretty pissed and were chasing after the Hebrews through the desert and that the sea turned on the Egyptian army. Kronos figured that there would be some choice targets that would be left unguarded because of that, not to mention there might be something of value here among the wreckage. As luck would have it, we found you in with the trash. Do you have any plans in the near future, besides finding some clothing, because damn you're naked?"
"May you fall into a pit full of crocodiles and die an agonizing death for hundreds of years. I hope you piss off a hippo," Danil snidely said. "I need to find that traitorous little bastard that killed my wife. I took him in as a student and the son of a whore killed her when she tried to stop him from taking my head as he was stealing from my home."
Kronos smiled an oily, evil smile. "The Hebrews are long gone. They are wandering around the desert, lost and praying to their god for protection. Most-likely they'll end up dying a horrible death, never reaching their promised land. They have nothing worth stealing; otherwise we would be raining down on them."
"Nice to know that the Horsemen have standards," Danil said, slowly standing up on shaky legs.
Methos tossed a cloak to his friend, who deftly caught it. "Put something on. I think I would rather watch Caspian eat someone than see your naked body glaring in the sun. You'll eventually catch up with your former student. It's a pain in the ass when one turns on you, but it happens," the already old Immortal advised. "In the meantime, are you up for some fun?" Methos' grin was pure wickedness, appealing to Danil's bloodthirsty mentality. Death knew his old friend wanted to satisfy his old urges of bring down death and destruction upon others to bring pleasure to his mind.
Danil grinned back, feeling the twitch, the urge to bring back the old days when he rode with the Horsemen as Hades. It had been a long time since he had done anything purely for himself. The need to purge himself of sweet, kind Dan'yar was deliciously tantalizing. He wanted to smell people's fear when he rode into town, following Death. He wanted people to know that the caretaker of the dead was coming for them and there was nothing they could do about it.
The Immortal, known as Danil pulled a usable sword out of the mud, and allowed himself to be pulled on to the horse that Methos rode.
They retraced the path of the Egyptian army and returned to Danil's home. Danil did make it perfectly clear that the people that lived in the area, especially ones that lived in his home were not to be harmed. Even the cannibal agreed to leave the people, even the pretty ones, alone.
Danil restocked himself with weapons and his own clothing. He gave his servants the same instructions that they were to take care of the house and all of its possessions. He also made it clear that they were not to follow him in any way, for he knew that they were in fact his Watchers.
Once he and the Four Horsemen were rested, the five companions rode off together, spreading the seeds of chaos and destruction where ever they went.
SG1SG1SG1SG1SG1
"You were Hades, the god of the Underworld? Isn't he a Goa'uld?" Jack asked, disbelief written across his face.
Daniel smiled sadly. "No, I wasn't the false god Hades and yes he was a Goa'uld – Sg-16 apparently killed him last year. The report was such a downer," he said sarcastically. "I just adopted the image. What was more fearsome: Danil the royally pissed off Immortal or being known as Hades, the lord of the Underworld? People feared the thought of meeting Hades early, so I played off that."
Teal'c even looked a bit uneasy. "How long were you with Methos and his friends?"
The Immortal shrugged. "Several years, but eventually, I calmed down and went my separate way. I went back to my old home, being cared for by the grandchildren of Adjo and Kifi. They knew who I was and I was allowed to reclaim my belongings. To this day the family of my former servants all Watchers actually, secretly guard my more prized possessions and by doing so, they are able to keep the head of the Watchers out of my private stuff. You guys think I'm a pack rat now, you should see my storage area in the home in Egypt."
"You still own the home you owned in 1274 BC?" Jack asked.
Daniel snorted in derision. "No. A huge apartment building sits on top of the site now. My stuff is now in a home on the outskirts of Cairo. If we ever get a break, I'll have to take you guys there sometime," he offered.
Jack sat back in his chair, contemplating his beer. "Danny, your past is something that I don't think I would wish even on Kinsey, speaking of whom, we have to go to Washington in a few weeks and put up with him and the budget committee. General Hammond wants you to come along. He thinks with you there, it might impress enough members of the committee to stop being so damn stingy with the money."
"Oh lucky me, I get to be a part of the SGC's yearly dog and pony show in Washington. That's just lovely. Anyway, my past isn't the best, but it is my past and the key word here is past," Daniel admitted. "But I would like to think that, except for the mishap in South Dakota, I've moved on from how I used to be. Yes, I have a bad temper, but I hope that I am not the homicidal wreck I was back then."
"What will happen if you return to that way?" Teal'c asked calmly, analyzing his friend in his quiet, yet fully perceptive way.
"If I do, then hopefully someone will be kind enough to take my head or dump me on some holy ground and leave me there until I calm down. I don't feel deep down like I used to when the urge to go on a killing rampage was insanely compelling and strong. Things are different now. When you guys first met me, I really didn't like killing people. I was tired of it," he explained.
"And now?" Jack pressed.
"I don't revel in it like I did when I rode with the Horsemen or in my wacko period after Alexander, but I now recognize that sometimes it is necessary," Daniel said quietly. "I would love to be able to find a peaceful way of solving our problems, but reality sometimes won't let that happen. I think I have found a balance that I didn't have before."
"Do you think your Ascension has something to do with it?" Jack asked and Teal'c concurred with a raised eyebrow
"I don't know," Daniel admitted. "However, I will continue to fight to the death to protect myself and you guys from harm. That won't change."
"Never doubted it for a second Danny-boy, now go get me a beer," Jack grinned and flicked a beer cap at his oldest best friend.
"Get it yourself," Daniel laughed, but got up anyways to get it for his friend, for that was what friends did for each other. They got each other beers and did things for each other, despite the laziness that they displayed ever so proudly.
It was good, Daniel thought to himself, to be back. Maybe he could rise from the ashes of ascension and unlock the mysteries of the Universe, even without the help of the Ancients, but with a little help from his friends – the best friends he had ever had.
Suddenly the phone rang, snapping him out of his revere.
"Hello," he said, thumbing the talk button on.
"You sneaky little bastard!" a familiar voice hissed. "I swear by all that under the heavens, I will get you and your shitty-ass friends for this."
"What's wrong Adam?" Daniel smirked. "Touch anything interesting lately?"
"Fuck you asshole," Methos snarled. "You and the rest of SG-1 might want to start sleeping with one eye open from now on."
"Oh, I am so scared," he said, sarcasm dripping from his tongue. Daniel could just about feel the hatred that was being directed towards him through the phone.
"Remember when I sold you into slavery? This will be worse. And don't forget that Death is patient and most unkind." With that, Methos slammed down the phone on to its receiver, an evil Mr. Burns smile playing across his face. Oh just you wait, he thought, just you wait.
"Guys," Daniel said, gulping slightly. "We are so dead. Methos is pissed and is plotting his revenge."
"Crap."
"Indeed"
A/N: Well, what do you think? Crap or not? Hit the shiny review button and let me know. Please? Sorry that this was so late in coming. Real life, being sick, uninspired, need for research, and computer problems once again interfered with me being able to write. Thanks for coming back. It is appreciated.
First off, I do not mean to ruffle too many feathers here with this interpretation of the story of Exodus. I got some of the facts from a show I saw on the History Channel about the true story of Moses, the Pharaoh, etc. I also looked at several sites about the historical and archeological evidence about the Exodus. According to what I read and saw on TV, there are plenty of arguments that say the story in the Bible is an exaggeration, that the timeline is wrong, the route described is wrong, placement of the mountain that Moses climbed up to get the Ten Commandments is not what we know as Mt. Sinai, etc. It's a really interesting read. Also, the parting of the Red Sea is in dispute. The possible correct translation isn't Red Sea, but Reed Sea and the fact that Red and Reed are similar in English is pure coincidental, which would make it the head of the Gulf of Aqaba where reeds did grow because it is a fresh water area – not salty like the Red Sea is and apparently reeds can't grow in salt water (I did not know that, so you learn something new every day). Also, the parting of the water could have been attributed to an earthquake caused tsunami further out in the Gulf of Aqaba, thus killing the top officers of the Egyptian army. The pharaoh was not killed when the water came back, but if you lose your best officers, the troops will be demoralized a bit and leave them militarily leaderless, thus aiding in the escape of the Hebrews. According to the research, Exodus occurred sometime between 1300-1250 BC. They said that the calculations were off because of using base ten counting versus base 6 counting, elphs (I did not get that part, but apparently was important to the calculations), and who was in charge and whatnot. Also, the Bible put the number of Hebrew men somewhere around 650,000. If that was accurate, then the Hebrew population would have been astronomical and their leaving would have been significant enough to get more of a tiny mention in the Egyptian history (plus there were only 20 million people in the world at the time – the math isn't rational and is more symbolic than realistic).
Anyhoo, I hope too many people aren't offended by this – and just remember that I am religious, and my intention is just to tell a story, not to rip apart someone's faith. I also wanted to give a bit of an insight as to the madness that is Danil. Also, FYI: Apep is the Egyptian name for Apophis (Greek bastardization/stealing from another pantheon) and I tried to base a little bit of the imagery of the tsunami back in 2005. I sincerely hope that didn't bother you and if it did, I am so terribly sorry.
And Lorilei…you got your nekked Spacemonkey. Wipe up your drool please.