Samantha Carter watched as Janolia took charge of her people and made sure they ate something once they were settled inside a small building at the edge of town. She had questions that needed answering, but right now they needed to eat and deal with whatever had happened in the other realm. She glanced at the building she and Teal'c explored earlier and hoped they could find some answers inside.

"Colonel Carter, I know you want to help your friend, but he is lost," Janolia told her.

"No, we know where he is, so technically he's not lost. Teal'c will be bringing people who know what to look for and they will find a way into the realm. We will get Colonel Mitchell back and we'll do our best to bring the rest of your people home."

"What if it's too late? What of my children? Will they die if they come back?" the Talosian woman asked.

"Would you rather leave them over there? Layonna doesn't strike me as the motherly type," Jackson observed.

"I want them home. I want to hold them," Janolia told them.

"Then we need your help," Carter said. "Tell us what you saw over there."

"There were small buildings...that's where we stayed. There were creatures...winged serpents that flew overhead as if they were waiting for something to happen?"

"Were you afraid of them?" Carter asked.

"No, they just seemed to hover as if watching over us. They wouldn't allow us to enter the dead forest that surrounded the village."

"Then how did you get out?" Jackson asked.

"I'm not sure. I seem to remember someone screaming...and a strong smell that made me dizzy. I tried to go into the forest, but the serpents would not allow it."

"How did they stop you?" Carter asked.

"They simply fluttered their wings and the stench coming from the debris was enough to stop us. I remember closing my eyes and being sick...my head was hurting, then the next thing I knew I was inside the building."

"There has to be more to it," Jackson said and watched as Janolia move back to her people.

"We need to get back inside," Carter said. "Remember the odor when we first broke through?"

"The one that smelled like something out of Rue Morgue?" Jackson asked.

"Something like that. I think it's a residual effect of traveling between the realms. Every time Layonna makes an appearance that smell is strong. If we can figure out what's causing it, we might be able to go after Cam," Carter explained.

"You think it's the trigger?"

"Maybe, or it could be a precursor to it," Carter said and walked toward the building where they'd broken the window. "Either way, we need to figure out what it is and where it comes from."

"Shouldn't we wait for Teal'c?" Jackson asked.

"I don't know if Cam has that much time. We can tell Janolia where we are going and have her fill Teal'c in," Carter said.

"Colonel Carter, if you go in there we cannot follow," a male Talosian told her, fear evident in his voice.

"We understand, Kerosha, but we need to find Colonel Mitchell and this seems to be the only way inside," Carter explained. "Would you tell Teal'c where we've gone?"

"We will tell him," Janolia told her.. "I hope you find Colonel Mitchell, but would you bring back my children too?"

"We'll bring everyone back if it's possible," Jackson said and stepped through the broken window. "Sam, what if we get over there and it's too late?"

"I won't believe that, Daniel, we're going to bring Cam home and put a stop to what Layonna is doing," Carter vowed.

"What if we're effected?"

"I don't think we will be. From what Layonna said it only effects those who see the serpents. So far we haven't seen anything...if we do we'll have to deal with it," Carter said and took a deep breath. There was a hint of the stench from earlier, but she ignored it as she moved toward the section where she'd found the entrance. She had no idea whether it would lead her back to the clearing or into another realm, but it didn't matter because they needed to find Mitchell before it was too late.

SG1SG1SG1SG1

Cameron Mitchell knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that he was in hell. The pain was a constant now, with no way of telling where it started or if it would ever end. He could hear sounds now, unmistakable cries of pain that mirrored his own, and briefly wondered whether he should just give in to the darkness and let it absorb who he was just as the changes were absorbing his body.

Cam had given up on the idea of sitting up and lay curled on his side with his arms wrapped tightly around his midsection. Fire had ignited in his lungs and seemed to be intensifying with each breath he took. He'd tried holding his breath, but there came a time when he had no choice, but to breathe in. Each time he did so, Callisia was there, or at least it sounded like her and he allowed her touch to soothe away the pain.

"You must stop fighting, Colonel Mitchell. You must allow the changes and embrace what you are becoming," Callisia told him.

"No, I can't...I won't..."

"Then you will die," Layonna told him.

"Better to die as I a...am then be...become what you w...want me to be!" Mitchell snarled and fought to get to his feet. He turned onto his stomach, his teeth clenched tightly as skin stretched over newly formed boney protuberances along his spine.

"The changes will come no matter how hard you fight them, but it will go easier if you do as I say," Layonna said.

"I won't!" Mitchell vowed and stared at the woman who seemed to take pleasure in his suffering. He'd heard the others screaming and wondered what was happening to them, but there was no doubt in his mind who was causing the pain. He saw it in her eyes, in the pale features when he forced himself to his hands and knees. The pain went far beyond anything he'd ever felt before, his joints refusing to move as if they'd been fused together. He struggled to his feet and looked at the woman with anger and loathing as she reached out to touch him.

"You will make a wonderful pet, Colonel Mitchell..."

"I'm nobody's pet!"

"Not yet, but you will be soon. You will be like all the others who have come here and if you stop fighting you will understand what it is like to be a creature that is free to explore the skies," Layonna told him.

"That's not going to happen!"

"It already is happening, Colonel Mitchell. Can't you feel the changes? Why do you fight so hard to undo something that cannot be undone?"

"Everything can be un...done," Mitchell swore and tried grab her, but she simply moved aside as his legs refused to hold him any longer. He dropped to his knees, sending dagger like pain through his body and felt consciousness fading. He clung to it as if to give in would mean losing what little of himself was left.

"Go ahead and embrace what you're becoming, Colonel Mitchell! It is inevitable," Layonna said and turned to find several serpents watching her every move. She felt something change in the very air and knew someone was trying to breach the path between the realms, and she knew who they were. "Watch him and make sure he does not escape or you will all pay with your lives!"

Mitchell continued to fight the darkness even after she disappeared. He looked up as Callisia knelt beside him and folded her translucent wings around his body. He felt himself relaxing in her embrace, his body feeling the warmth as she held him, but he could not allow her to help him. He could not become what she was, no matter how good it made him feel.

"I am sorry, Colonel Mitchell."

Cam lifted his head and looked into eyes that were dark with a shimmering luminescence that seemed out of place. He frowned as others moved in, surrounding him while Callisia continued to speak in hushed tones. The darkness was getting stronger, the stench surrounding him and making his stomach heave.

"I wish I could stop what is happening to you, Colonel Mitchell, but Layonna would take away my children. I cannot allow that to happen. Sleep, and perhaps, when you awaken, you will feel the change is for the better."

In spite of his resolve not to give into it, Cam could no longer resist the darkness, but he was aware that he was no longer alone as he fought the changes quickly overcoming him.

SG1SG1SG1SG1

"How far would you say we've come, Daniel?" Carter asked and knew they'd travelled further than she'd gone with Teal'c. The tunnel she was in was unlike anything she'd seen before and reminded her of a cesspool. There also seemed to be a change in the slope of the corridor and they had to use the wall to keep their balance.

"I don't know, but according to my watch we've been in here nearly an hour," Jackson answered. "Did it look like this when you and Teal'c came through here?"

"No, and the smell wasn't this bad," Carter answered. "Maybe when the Talosians came back through they triggered the change."

"Maybe...I don't know about you, but the smell is making me nauseous," Jackson said.

"We could go back and get masks, but I have a feeling Cam doesn't have that much time," Carter told him.

"We won't be much good to him if..."

"I know, but what if...what if what Layonna said is true and he can't come back. We need to find him...we need to bring him home and let Carolyn help him."

Daniel knew she was right as they continued deeper into the corridor. The downward slope continued to intensify, making each step dangerous, yet there was no turning back. The smell and decay surrounding them gave credence to what Layonna had told them about 100 year intervals.

"Daniel, what if Layonna is the one keeping us from seeing the creatures she told us about?"

"Why would she allow Mitchell to see them?"

"I don't know...maybe it was too late once she realized he was seeing them," Carter said, grabbing Jackson's arm as the ground before her disappeared. She heard the man curse as he dropped to the floor and held her as her body continued to slide toward the edge.

"Hold on, Sam!" Jackson ordered. He grabbed at a metal pipe that had twisted around the brick and hoped it was strong enough to hold them. He could feel the strain Carter's weight was putting on his shoulders, but there was no way in hell he was letting go. He heard the screech of metal as the pipe shifted and he slipped further down the slope.

Carter grabbed for anything that would help take some of the strain off Jackson, but everything she touched crumbled in her hands or wasn't strong enough to hold her weight. She knew Daniel could not hold her indefinitely, and heard him grunt as he tried to get a better hold on her arm.

"Sam, see if you can grab that ledge," Jackson said and motioned with his head.

Carter looked to her left and spotted what he'd seen. It was a part of the wall that had broken away from the ceiling and looked sturdy enough. She reached for it, heard Jackson's sharp intake of breath and hoped she didn't dislocate his shoulder with her movement. She caught the edge with her fingertips and managed to guide them along until she had a solid grip.

"Sam..."

"I got it, Daniel, let m...me go," Carter ordered and grabbed the debris with her left hand. It effectively stopped her downward journey, and for that she was thankful as Jackson moved across the narrow ledge until he reached her position. She used her upper body strength and lifted herself onto the ledge with Daniel's help.

"That was close!" Jackson said and stared down into a pit of darkness.

"Tell me about it...thanks," Carter said.

"You're welcome. Do we keep going or go back?" Jackson asked, and looked back the way they'd come in time to see several slabs of flooring rupture before crashing downward with a screech that nearly deafened him.

"I guess we keep going," Carter said and stood up, leaning back against the wall in an effort to steady herself. She waited for Jackson to do the same and followed him along the ledge until they reached the other side where the ground suddenly straightened out again.

SG1SG1SG1SG1

Teal'c wasn't surprised when SG4 and SG6 came through the Stargate with Carol Lam coming through last. General Landry knew that the Talosians who'd returned were in rough shape and could need medical attention. His daughter had volunteered to go through once she found out that Cameron Mitchell was missing. He'd quickly explained what was happening and had them on the path toward the city.

"Teal'c, do you know if what Layonna told you about the realms is true?" Lam asked as she fell into step beside the big Jaffa.

"I believe it is so, Dr. Lam. The Talosians who have returned spoke of another realm," Teal'c answered.

"Did they see Colonel Mitchell?"

"I do not believe they did, but I left before Colonel Carter and Dr. Jackson questioned the fully. We will meet them at the city."

"Were there many injured?"

"No, but they were frightened. Something is happening to them in the other realm. One man died upon returning," Teal'c explained.

"Was there anything that might give us a reason for his death?"

"Janolia told us he was changing..."

"Changing how?"

"I am not sure. They were afraid of the changes, but did not explain while I was present. Perhaps Colonel Carter and Dr. Jackson were able to find out more," Teal'c answered.

"We need to find out and get Colonel Mitchell back as soon as possible," Lam observed.

"Indeed," Teal'c readily agreed as they unconsciously picked up the pace.

SG1SG1SG1SG1

Layonna watched as the serpents circled overhead, protecting the newest changelings as if they were their children. In a way, she supposed, they were, but in truth they belonged to her and the remaining inhabitants of this realm. There were not many of her kind left, but she could handle the serpents, even when all of the Talosians had changed.

Cameron Mitchell was another story altogether. The change was harder on him than it was on the others, and she wondered if it was because he fought it with every breath he took. She did not understand his unwillingness to embrace what was happening to him, but it did not matter because it was inevitable. He would become one of the serpents and live out his life in servitude to her kind, unless she took matters into her own hands and made him her mate.

"Would you embrace the change if it was not so physical, Colonel Mitchell? Would you become my companion?"

"No..." Mitchell ground out and heard a hiss from the woman.

"Am I not desirable? If you do not like looking at me as I am I can easily change for you. I can become whatever you desire and we could rule this realm as life mates."

"Ne...never going to...to happen."

"Do you enjoy pain and suffering? Is that why you fight so hard?"

"I fight for w...who I am!" Mitchell managed and shivered uncontrollably as nausea churned through his gut and fire raged along ragged nerve endings.

"Who you were, Colonel Mitchell. You are already changed in many ways and those changes cannot be undone."

"Heard that before...didn't believe it then...don't be...believe it now!"

"Believe what you will, but when the change is complete I will have you as my pet," Layonna said and looked skyward when a loud screeching wail echoed through the darkness. "You have no say in what happens to Colonel Mitchell, he is not a Talosian and therefore does not come under the laws that govern our relationship!"

Layonna watched a Mitchell's body arched upward and he bared his teeth before collapsing onto the bed. She sat beside him and reached out to touch the skin that had once been smooth, but was now showing signs of serpent like ridges and relished in the feel of pulsating blood beneath her touch.

TBC