Mitchell screamed as the creature bit into his right shoulder, breaking bone and sending daggers of pain through his body. He heard Shanisia and Turlean as if from a distance as darkness seemed to spread around him. He trembled and fought to escape the burning sensation and felt new strength spread through him. He had no idea where it came from, but he embraced it and fought back with the power of the Chagris flowing through his veins.

Layonna shrieked with a combination of pain and fear as she felt the change in Mitchell. She cried out and fought to free herself as Shanisia and Turlean added their own strength and harnessed more power than she had ever felt from the Chagris. She no longer felt the power within herself, but instead felt it pressing against her and knew she had underestimated the trio. She knew she was dying, could feel the life force draining from her body as bright light surrounded Mitchell, Shanisia, and Turlean.

"You have proven that you do not know the true power of the Chagris, Layonna, but you will soon. The Chagris was ever meant to hurt anyone, but you have continued to use it for your own selfish and cruel ways."

"Who are you?" Layonna managed through a throat that constricted and made her fight for each breath.

"We are the Chagris. It was never just about power, Layonna. It was about sharing the path across the realms. We were never meant to harvest the Talosian people, we were meant to live amongst them and allow those who chose to join us to embrace the changes. You will not be allowed to hurt others anymore…"

"You cannot stop me!"

"We already have. You believe you chose Colonel Mitchell, but the truth was he was chosen to help defeat you and return the natural progression to Talosia and the people who live here and in the other realm. Already things are changing there and those who were trapped there for decades will soon find it a more habitable place. The Chagris was meant to be shared as it was centuries ago. The Talosians lost the ability to contact us when the solar storm took power and left much of the city in ruins. They were never meant to live apart from each other or from the Serpents in our realm."

"Mitchell will d…die," Layonna told the shadowy lights that surrounded them.

"If that is what was ordained, but you will not live long enough to know. You have been defeated by your own selfish acts, Layonna, but you will not die. You will spend the rest of eternity alone in a cell of our devising. You will relive the wrongs you did to others and will face those who died because of you. Shanisia and Turlean will escort you back through the pathway between the realms."

"No…"

"Take her, but do not release her. If she tries to escape simply call on us and we will see to it that she is subdued until she reaches her final prison."

"What about Cameron?" Carter asked. She'd left Jackson in Lam's care while she and Teal'c followed the sounds of the struggle. The beings that stood before them were no longer simply white light, but instead they were solid and looked remarkably like the Talosian people.

A single being detached itself from the others and moved closer to her before speaking. "Colonel Mitchell has fulfilled the prophecy written centuries ago. He has undergone most of the transformation, but it is still possible to reverse the effects should he choose that path."

Mitchell turned and fought to stay on his feet as he listened to the beautiful being speaking to Carter. His heart skipped a beat when she turned to him and smiled with such force that he thought he was looking into the face of an angel. She stepped toward him and gently placed her hand against his chest, and he couldn't help feeling drawn to her.

"Colonel Mitchell, we wish to apologize for what you were forced to endure, but it was necessary. If your people will continue to work with the Talosians you will soon understand why this was done. I know you are in pain and the choice ahead of you will not be an easy one. You are strong and that is the reason you were selected many years ago. I will not try to explain how or why this happened, but the choice now is for you…alone. No one will think badly of you no matter what choice you make."

"Choice?" Mitchell asked, feeling her strength as she kept her hand against his chest.

"You may accompany us to our realm and complete the cycle to become a serpent, or you can stay here. The choice is yours, but you must know you are beyond our help in this. You are nearly finished with the transformation and if you allow it to continue then you will be free of pain in a few hours."

"What happens if I want to go back to being human?" Mitchell asked.

"Then I will remove my hand and allow your body to reject the changes. Be warned that you have sustained many injuries to your human body and it will not be an easy road for you."

"It never is," Mitchell said and sighed heavily as he looked at Carter and Teal's. "I choose to be human."

"As you wish, Colonel Mitchell, we owe you a debt that can never be repaid. Layonna will never again cross the realms, but Shanisia and Turlean will be allowed to visit. The Mastyque has returned to normal because you have brought something to us that has been missing for centuries. You have the power of the Chagris inside you, Colonel Mitchell, and we are forever in your debt. You are strong and I have no doubt that you will recover…stay strong and allow your friends to help you for they have their own Chagris within them."

"You got that right," Mitchell said and smiled as the being kissed him, fading slightly as the other creatures gathered around her. "Thank you."

"You do not need to thank us, Colonel Mitchell, for it is us that owe you more than just thank you. Perhaps we will meet again when you are strong enough to cross the realm again."

"I don't think that's going to happen for a long time," Mitchell said as Teal'c and Carter reached him. He could hear his own breathing grow more and more labored as his body twisted with the changes that would slowly resolve until he was a 100% human again. He smiled as Carter stood in front of him and felt his legs give out.

"I have him, Colonel Carter," Teal'c said and caught their friend before he hit the ground. He easily lifted the semi-conscious man into his arms, but didn't mist the soft cry of pain as he held him as gently as possible and carried him toward the hospital.

Carter watched as the beings slowly faded as if the bright light they had once carried was no longer needed. She'd seen Shanisia and Turlean take Layonna and disappear, but she'd been so focused on what was happening with Mitchell that she hadn't paid much attention to them. She finally turned and followed Teal'c back into the hospital and hoped what the being had said was right, not the pain so much, but that Mitchell would be himself before long.

"Teal'c, bring him in here." Lam ordered, silently cursing when she saw the new damage to his shoulder. She was glad to have Resandie and Beritonis with her as they tried to examine Cameron Mitchell. The changes to his body made it impossible to decide where to start, but she felt a hand on her shoulder and turned to see Carter standing behind her.

"Carolyn, the beings that intervened said he would begin to change back immediately, but there was nothing they could do about his injuries," Carter told her.

"After everything he did for them they couldn't use their power to help him," Lam snapped tiredly.

"In a way I think she did…Cam was not supposed to be able to revert to his human form, but they are allowing him that choice because of what he did. Layonna won't be a problem anymore since Shanisia and Turlean were told to take her back across. She'll be imprisoned there by the Mastyque or the Chagris. We'll know more when we check the data that's still locked in the computer."

"The changes have already started, Carolyn," Resandie told her and watched as small impurities were erased as Mitchell's body began the process of ridding itself of the serpent qualities.

"We need to be ready for anything," Carolyn said and began hooking up the monitors while Resandie set up to insert the IV line once more.

"Carolyn, how's Daniel?"

"He took quite the blow to the head and I'm pretty sure his left arm is broken. Dr. Carlyle arrived from Earth a short time ago and he's with Daniel. Right now I need you and Teal'c to give us room to work. I'll let you know as soon as we figure out what's happening and what we need to do to help him," Lam told her.

"He's strong, Carolyn," Carter said and followed the Jaffa out of the room. She spotted movement outside a room down the hall and quickly made her way to the door. The scene inside was one she'd grown used to over the years, but it didn't make it any easier for her to see. Daniel Jackson was lying on his back, his eyes closed, an IV running into his left arm while Anthony Carlyle examined the injured limb. She could also see a sizable lump surrounded by a darkening bruise on the right side of his head.

"Sharellen, would you find out if x-ray is set up for him?"

"Yes, Dr. Carlyle," the Talosian said and hurried past Carter and Teal'c.

"How is he, Tony?" Carter asked.

"I'd feel a lot better if he'd wake up," Carlyle told her and checked Jackson's pupillary reactions, and smiled when he heard a soft grumble come from the man. "Speak of the devil…I thought you'd finally scrambled that head of yours."

"What happened?" Jackson groaned and reached up to touch his head.

"You sort of took a flying leap and tackled a surface just slightly harder than your head," Carlyle answered.

"Can we come in?" Carter asked.

"Sam? Wh…where's Mitchell?" Jackson asked and fought to sit up.

"You're not going anywhere, Dr. Jackson, so stop fighting and let us do what we're paid to do," Carlyle ordered.

"Mitchell?"

"He's just down the hall, Daniel," Carter answered.

"Is he…"

"He's hurt, but he's changing back," Carter explained.

"How? Layonna?"

"She's gone…"

"Dr. Carlyle, they can take him now," Sharellen said as she moved back into the room.

"All right, Dr. Jackson, let's get some pictures of your arm and head. Colonel Carter, Teal'c, you can wait here," Carlyle ordered and readied Jackson for the trip to the x-ray department.

"Come on, Teal'c we might as well get something to eat," Carter said and moved out of the room to give the medical personnel room to maneuver.

SG1SG1SG1SG1SG1

Carolyn Lam knew what needed to be done for Colonel Mitchell, but until the changes were complete, there wasn't much she could do except stop the bleeding. She checked the flow of the IV and looked up when she heard a soft intake of breath from the injured man. "Colonel Mitchell, you're okay…you're …"

"Doc….God," Mitchell groaned as consciousness returned and with it came the agonizing pain as his body underwent the transformation. Bone grated against bone, muscles and tendons were stretched tight as his skin seemed elasticized.

"Sharellen, I need you to give him 10ccs of Lowarapallin," Lam ordered and wished there was something more she could do, but until everything returned to normal, pain management was the best she could offer. She cringed as Mitchell managed to turn on his side, exposing the bony protuberances along his spine. They were smaller now, but the shifting of bone and flesh made her feel queasy.

Mitchell swallowed the bitter bile that rose in his throat and tried to curl into a ball as his body continued to change. Fear gripped him as his heart trip-hammered against his chest and his lungs seemed to have collapsed. He looked into her eyes and knew she'd seen the panic in his as she began giving orders to the other people in the room.

"Resandie, we're going to need to intubate until he's able to breathe on his own," Lam said and made sure she kept her ton calm as she spoke to the patient. "Colonel…Cam, I'm going to put a tube down your throat to help you breathe. It will be uncomfortable, but you need the extra help right now."

Mitchell hated tubes, but he also understood the necessity for them, he nodded simply and soon felt his head tilted back as the medication he'd been given quickly took control. He could hear voices, but could no longer make sense of what they were saying as something was sprayed down his throat and consciousness left him.

Carolyn Lam worked quickly to get the tube inserted and her patient hooked up to the Talosian version of the ventilator. She wished there was more she could do, and nodded as Resandie finished securing the tube. Maybe the best thing they could do for Mitchell was keep him sedated until his body returned to its original form.

"Dr. Lam, what if we kept him sedated until the changes are complete?" Resandie asked.

"You must be a mind reader, Resandie. I was just thinking the same thing," Lam said and hoped Mitchell wouldn't feel anything until this was all over.

TBC