Carter and Jackson made their way toward the buildings that held the main labs. A park was set between three buildings, one housed a biological lab, another chemistry and physics, while the third was under lock down while they'd been visiting. The Talosian had explained that the building had been damaged during a failed experiment and was unsafe for anyone to enter.
"We need to get into the third building," Carter said once they reached the park.
"You think there's another reason they wouldn't let us inside?"
"Maybe, but it doesn't matter because we need to check out every angle. The answers could be inside," Carter told him.
"We need to find Mitchell or Layonna," Jackson observed.
"There's something strange about Layonna."
"Besides taking something that doesn't belong to her you mean?" Jackson asked as they reached the locked door of the building.
"She kept saying Cam saw things he wasn't supposed to see and that's why he was taken," Carter answered. "We need to find out why he saw what he did and what it was that took him."
"We also need to find a way in here," Jackson said of the heavy door. He reached for the handle and tried to turn it, but wasn't surprised when nothing happened. "Maybe there's another way inside."
Carter nodded and they walked toward the corner of the stark white building. The lawns and surrounding brush were perfectly manicured while a variety of colorful flowers bloomed in rows near the fountain. Sam remembered Mitchell saying something about the statue reminding him of the old dragons he'd seen in several movies he'd watched as a kid.
"That's a strange statue for such a display," Jackson commented.
"I know...Cam said he thought it was a dragon," Carter offered.
"Or a winged serpent," Jackson suggested and made his way toward the fountain. "It does look like it could be a serpent...maybe that's what Cam was seeing and Layonna was talking about."
"Could be, but I don't understand why he could see it and we didn't," Carter said.
"It could be chemical, physical, or psychological, but until we find him and Carolyn runs some tests we'd just be guessing," Jackson said as they moved toward the back of the building. There was a single, heavy door at the center of the wall and a single window twenty feet above their heads. The door was locked and wouldn't budge no matter how hard they pushed against it.
"It we can't find an open door maybe we can break a window," Carter suggested.
"Breaking and entering, Sam...I'm surprised at you," Jackson said with a grin.
"It's not like we've never done it before," Carter said.
"True, actually there's not much we haven't done since joining the SGC," Jackson said, moving back as he looked for a way into the building, but other than the door and the window nothing presented itself. They finished checking the exterior of the structure, but found no open window or door as they stood near the main entrance.
"It looks like the window is the best way in," Carter told him.
"Do we shoot it out or..."
"I've always wanted to shoot my way in, but the paperwork afterward is a killer," Carter said and looked around until she spotted several bricks leaning against the base of the fountain. She walked over and picked one up before returning to the building. "Here goes nothing."
"What if you set off an alarm?"
"Who's around to hear it?" Carter asked.
"True, but..."
"If it does set off an alarm and someone comes then we can get some answers."
"Go for it," Jackson said and watched as Carter threw the brick at the window. The glass shattered inward and the screeching sound of an alarm started instantly. Daniel looked around expectantly, but nothing moved in the area and he shrugged his shoulders as Carter picked up a branch of a tree and cleared away the remains of the glass.
"Keep an eye out for Teal'c or the Talosians while I get the door," Carter ordered and climbed through the open window. The screeching of the alarm was even louder inside and she pressed her hands against her ears before moving through the room toward the door. The lights came on as she moved deeper into the structure and illuminated the stark white walls, devoid of any kind of decoration.
"Sam, can you hear me?"
"I hear you...just a minute," Carter answered and hurried to the outer door. She looked at the strange lock and lifted her gun, hoping it was as easy as breaking the keypad. It took several blows, but the console exploded in sparks and she smiled at Jackson when the door opened.
"Thanks," Jackson said.
"Come into my parlour," Carter teased as they moved deeper into the building. She looked at the floor, aware of the strange pattern as each light flickered to life as they walked through the wide corridor.
"Sam, the floor...the design looks like the statue in the fountain," Jackson observed.
"I know...I'm beginning to believe whatever Cam saw wasn't unknown to the Talosians," Carter said.
"Colonel Carter, Dr. Jackson, where are you?" Teal'c's voice came through their radio.
"We're in the lab...just look for the broken window," Jackson answered.
"I have found it," Teal'c said and joined them in less than a minute. "This building does not appear to have suffered any damage."
"No it doesn't," Carter agreed.
"Why did they lie?" Jackson asked.
"Perhaps they had completed the repairs?" Teal'c suggested.
"No, this place doesn't look like it's been used in a long time," Carter said and listened as the screech of the alarm seemed to lose some of its shrilling tempo. "I get the feeling we're the first people to step through that door..."
"Then why lie and say it needed repairs?" Jackson asked.
"I don't know, but I'm willing to bet it has something to do with Cam and the missing Talosians," Carter observed and stopped in front of a plate of glass that ran the length of the corridor.
"Perhaps that is simply what the Talosians were led to believe," Teal'c offered.
"Why do you say that?" Carter asked curiously.
"I think I know," Jackson said. "We were unable to enter the structure in the clearing and you needed to break the window to gain access to this building. Layonna was mysterious in what she told us about Colonel Mitchell and the missing Talosians, but she seemed to know about the winged serpent and I'm willing to bet she knows more than she's told us."
"Indeed, Daniel Jackson," Teal'c said as they searched the glass for a way into the room beyond it.
"Maybe you should have brought the brick," Jackson observed.
"I could do what Cam would do," Carter said and smiled as she lifted he weapon, but moved to the keypad she'd spotted. She had no idea what sequence to use to open the barrier, but hoped by smashing it they would get the desired result. She lifted her gun and struck the console several times until a large glass panel opened in the wall. She stepped through and wrinkled her nose at the foul smell that permeated the area.
SG1SG1SG1SG1
Mitchell struggled toward consciousness as the sound of sobbing reached him. He blinked several times and shifted on the small bed he lay on as he tried to make sense of his surroundings. He managed to sit up, groaning when the movement sent dagger like pain through his right shoulder. He realized he was naked from the waist up except for the bandages wrapped around his shoulder.
Cam gingerly stood up, curling his toes when his feet came in contact with the cold floor. The room he was in was illuminated by several candles that flickered when he reached the door and pulled it open. Darkness greeted his eyes as a cold wind rustled the branches of the nearby trees. A strange sound, a cross between a coyote and the whinny of a horse, reached his ears
"You should stay inside, Colonel Mitchell."
"What the hell is that, Layonna?"
"It is the serpent. It is searching for nourishment," the woman answered as a bloodcurdling scream was joined by a second, then a third.
"We need to help them," Mitchell observed.
"You cannot help them. This is who they are and nothing you say or do will stop it from happening has it has for centuries," Layonna explained.
"Don't bet on it!" Mitchell spat.
"You will suffer the same fate as those you wish to protect if you do not heed my warning, Colonel Mitchell," Layonna told him.
Cam turned to see her standing in the darkness, a glowing aura of red surrounding her. Her hair moved as if the wind teased it, yet he could no longer feel anything as he stared into the dark eyes. "Why are you doing this?"
"This is the way of our world, Colonel Mitchell. You and your friends came here without our blessing and tried to interfere in our way of life. It will not change the outcome, but perhaps it will show us more fertile grounds."
"Who are you? What are you?"
"We are the keepers of the realm, Colonel Mitchell. Here we preside over the people and the creatures who are trapped here."
"Trapped by who?"
"It does not matter, Colonel Mitchell, all that matters is that you resign yourself to your life. You will not leave this realm."
"So you say," Mitchell said as a second scream reached his ears. He moved past her and stared around, but the darkness was absolute as a chill raced down his spine. The air surrounding him felt heated as a flutter of wings brought his head up. A serpent circled above his head, it's wingspan easily a dozen feet wide while it beak opened and closed in with a sharp clicking sound that grated on his nerves.
"No, the serpent does, Colonel Mitchell. It will not allow you to leave until it's brothers and sisters have finished feeding,"
"Feeding on what?" Mitchell spat and wasn't sure he wanted to hear the answer as another scream rent the air. "It's feeding on the Talosians!"
"It is the way of life."
"How can you let that happen? They are your people!"
"No, they are not. They are of your realm, not of mine. I have told you I am the keeper of this realm. I protect the inhabitants here and make sure they have what they need to survive."
"Exactly what does that mean?"
"What?"
"What do they need to survive?"
"They need life for without it they will not survive."
Mitchell stared at the woman whose features were chillingly beautiful, yet he felt only repulsion as he stared into her eyes. "Like the Wraith?"
"I do not know what a Wraith is."
"Life sucking creatures in the Pegasus Galaxy. They drain the life from people and lave nothing but a withered dry husk in it's place. It sounds like these serpents do the same."
"They do not, Colonel Mitchell, but it would be difficult to explain what is happening, and hard for you to understand the way of life between this realm and the Talosian home world."
"Try me," Mitchell said and swallowed several times as the pain filled screams continued around him. Again he tried to move, but this time the beating of the serpent's wings created a strong wind that forced him back into the cabin.
"Are all your kind so stubborn, Colonel Mitchell?"
"Maybe," Mitchell told her. There was something about this woman he didn't trust and he watched as she turned toward the serpent and made several hand gestures before it soared above them and flew into the darkness. He'd seen the dark obsidian eyes and felt something stirring inside him. What was it about the creature that reminded him of a lost lamb being fattened for a feast.
"You should rest," Layonna told him.
"No, I need to find the way back," Mitchell said.
"The creatures will not allow you to leave this cabin until morning," the woman said.
Mitchell wanted to prove her wrong, but with the absolute darkness beyond the door, he knew it would be stupid to even try. His right shoulder burned and he unconsciously rubbed his arm as he walked to the bed and sat down
"I am glad you are not as stubborn as I thought," Layonna said and sat beside him. "Are you hungry?"
"Not really," Mitchell answered honestly.
"You should eat, Colonel Mitchell. I have warmed the Guliska stew. It is thick and will keep you strong," Layonna said and walked to the table. She ladled the savory stew into a wooden bowl, added a spoon and took it back to the bed. "Eat this and I will treat your wound before you sleep."
"The wound is fine."
"I do not believe you. By now it is burning and unless treated with the root of the Tabeya tree it will fester."
Mitchell sighed and took the bowl and spoon. He took a taste of it and couldn't help admitting that it was better than he expected. "Tell me about the serpents."
"They are what they are," Layonna told him.
"And what exactly are they?"
"They are creatures of habit and they feed on the Talosians because that is what they do."
"I don't think that's all of it, Layonna. There's got to be a reason they leave your realm..."
"They do not leave this realm, Colonel Mitchell."
"I saw one, Layonna."
"Yes, you did, but the creature you saw was nothing, but a phantom from this realm. They have no need to leave when they can simply bring what they need here."
"The Talosians?"
"Exactly."
"Then why did I see it?"
"I cannot answer that, but perhaps there is something in your physical and mental existence that makes you susceptible to their presence."
"Presence...if they're not really there then how can they have a presence?" Mitchell asked, surprised to see he'd finished the stew while they talked.
"They can project themselves into your mind and make you believe that they are there," Layonna answered. "They have the ability to see into your plain of existence, but they seldom use it. Why they chose to show you their physical form I do not know, but you should feel honored that you will be one of them..."
"Excuse me?" Mitchell snapped.
"You were chosen for a reason. One I am not privy too, but the longer you remain here the more noticeable the changes will become. You must rest while I see to your wound."
"Don't touch me," Mitchell said, but found he lacked the energy to fight her. He stared into the empty bowl and felt his eyes closing as she helped him lie down.
"Rest, Colonel Mitchell, for it will take time for you to change and I am afraid some of those changes will be painful for you."
"Need...need to go home," Mitchell told her, but could not move as his body felt weighed down and darkness enveloped his mind in a flurry of wings.
TBC
