Sticks and Stones - Chapter 2 - by Emma Nisbet (grnfield)
When I complete my circuit of the site I find that Daniel – surprise, surprise – is not where I left him. I look down at the sand and see just one set of footprints – that's good. Now to follow them and track down my errant archaeologist before he goes and does something that I'll regret!
It's sad but I can even tell from his footprints that he's lost to everything else except for his quest for knowledge. I follow the slightly aimless seeming footprints down the side of the Menkaure pyramid, then track them round in a complete circuit of the exterior. They double back slightly to get one side of the second pyramid – Khafre's tomb – then complete a lap of this one too. 'You've got to give it to Danny, he's thorough' I think to myself.
He obviously stopped and sat down here – I can see the imprint of his butt in the sand. At least that means that he's remembering to take a drink from his canteen occasionally, I can't see Daniel sitting down for any other reason while he's in the middle of such an enormous discovery.
Well I still haven't spotted him, but I'm not starting to get worried…yet. The feeling of dread that's been hanging around all morning is still there, only it's lurking in the background of my mind – nothing I can't handle.
I pick up the trail of footprints which head towards Khufu's pyramid – Geez, Danny, it would be easier to just call it 'the big one'. I work my way along one side and round a corner to finally find Daniel. In typical Daniel style he's got some sort of entranceway open and is obviously trying to decide whether to go completely against my orders and go inside. He hasn't spotted me yet and I'm glad to see that he's at least stopped to think that I might do some damage to him if he goes in there on his own, specially without telling me first. It has taken years but finally I think a grain or two of common sense may have finally percolated through into that amazing brain of his.
When he sees me his face lights up with a huge grin. "See, Jack, I haven't got myself in any trouble. I'm still here and in one piece!"
I have to laugh at that – am I that transparent? I do hope not – that wouldn't do my Black Ops reputation any good, now would it?
"Well done, Dannyboy! I assume that you were actually going to call me and tell me to come and see this doorway thing that you seem to have opened here and that you weren't really contemplating sticking your head in there before I got here?"
He looks at me sheepishly. "Of course, Jack, I was just going to radio you – honestly."
I don't believe a word of this of course - this is Daniel we're talking about after all said and done. Daniel in 'hyperexcited explorer mode' to boot. Not a chance he was going to wait for me before trying to explore this dark tunnel of rock that he's uncovered. He's done it before and no doubt he'll do it again – that's just Daniel.
"So Daniel, how sturdy do we think this pyramid is at this point in time?" I ask him, thinking this would be nice to know before we even think about setting foot inside it.
"Well, judging by the outside walls I'd say that it looks in excellent condition" he states. "Although I still don't understand why the Menkaure and Khafre pyramids are in such poor condition in contrast to it."
"Maybe the followers of Khufu stayed around longer to maintain it?" I answer. He looks at me as if amazed that I remembered who the Great Pyramid belonged to. "You see, Danny, I do listen to you" I say jokingly
"Well OK, Jack, you mist have listened to something this morning" he countered swiftly. "Anyway it's not likely that the ancient people of this world would maintain one pyramid in the complex and abandon the others to the elements. No I think there's another explanation here somewhere but I don't know what at the moment."
I don't like the sound of that one bit. I tell Danny to wait a moment while I radio Carter to tell her that we're going to have a look inside the tomb. She tells me that she and Teal'c are not far away from the UAV's location now.
Satisfied that I know the whereabouts of my team I turn back to Daniel and say, "So what are you hanging around here for? Shall we have a look inside? I'll take point, you bring up the rear."
He grins as I flick the light on the front of my P-90 and aim it through the open entranceway. "Jack, there's no-one here. I don't think that doorway has been opened in the last 3,000 years!"
"Hey it doesn't hurt to be careful. Not after some of the things we've seen in our travels – now does it?" I reply.
"No, Jack, I suppose not. Now can we have a look around please?" He's starting to whine now so I guess we'd better get moving.
He flicks on his lantern and follows me in through the doorway.
It's eerie in here, the combination of dust and the soft sand muffling our footsteps.
As we walk down the tunnel Daniel comments that there are no signs of writing anywhere yet, and no pictographs either on any of the walls. There are only the marks from the tools of the workmen – slaves presumably – who cut the huge rocks from the quarry. Later more skilled workers shaped the rocks for the purpose of pyramid construction and these too left their faint chisel marks on the stones.
The tunnel we are walking in corners suddenly, abruptly turning to the right. We turn the corner and realise that this effectively cuts off all the remaining light coming through the doorway that we entered through.
"Great" I mutter, "Daniel, try and get the lantern round in front of me here, I can't see a damn thing."
With a little jiggling around we manage to get his lantern pointing down the tunnel while making it possible for me to keep my P-90 at the ready. We can now get a better look at where we're headed. Not far in front is another turning, to the left this time, and when we round this corner we find that the tunnel widens considerably. Now we can walk side by side, this is much easier!
Once in the larger tunnel the walls start to change. They are much smoother with a more finished surface to them. Another couple of twists and turns later we see the first signs of writing – well pictographs anyway – drawn on the walls.
We stop so Daniel can look at them more closely. I comment that the people in them look much like the stylised Egyptians on many of the artifacts in Daniel's oh-so-very-cluttered office.
He gives me a sly grin and agrees with me. "This is further proof that the ancient people of Earth were taken and deposited in many different places around the galaxy. Many of these pictographs are very similar to ones in the cartouche room on Abydos. The people here must have been displaced from Earth at a similar time to the original Abydonians."
He looks wistful. Thinking of Abydos always brings up too many memories for the young man - some good but some, for obvious reasons, extremely bad. I decide to try and snap him out of it before he goes all melancholy on me. In a hopefully cheery voice I ask him, "So can you tell which snake dropped these people off on this hunk of rock and then apparently left them here unattended?"
"Oh, Jack, it was definitely Ra" he states confidently. "We know he was the main culprit for displacing the ancient peoples of Egypt and these walls agree with that. What makes you think that he just left them here to their own devices?" he asks me.
"Well there ain't much sign of anyone around here now is there? Hardly a thriving, Goa'uld worshipping population of hard done by people" I state, trying to sound like I might know what on Earth I'm talking about.
"No, Jack, but I think that would be more of an indication that maybe he put them here and then came back for them at a later date – to make them fulfil the roll that he took them for in the first place." He explains.
"Hosts you mean?" I ask. "He couldn't have used everybody surely? What about the children and the sick and elderly people?" Actually I'm not sure I want to know the answer to that…
"Well we know that the Goa'uld don't care too much for the humans that they take captive, on Chulak we saw that the more 'undesirable' people were killed when the Goa'uld decided that they could serve not further purpose. It stands to reason that the same would happen here doesn't it? Some of the sick may have been taken as hosts as long as their ailment was something that a symbiote was able to heal. The elderly would only be taken as hosts as a last resort due to their shorter remaining life spans. I'm sure the Goa'uld wouldn't appreciate having to repair and maintain an elderly body only to 'jump ship' again because of the deterioration of old age. We know that they can extend the life of a human greatly but certainly not indefinitely. Also we know how vain the Goa'uld tend to be, an elderly host would be undesirable in this respect too, along with anyone with physical disfigurements."
He pauses to think for a moment. "As for the children – I really don't know. When we saw Ra on his ship on Abydos he was surrounded by children. Maybe he kept them around while they were young – they did make a very effective human shield if you remember?"
I shudder at this and he continues.
"Then when they were mature enough to accept a symbiote they would be taken as hosts themselves. There's something to be said for training them from a young age to serve the Goa'uld for whatever purposes they should see fit."
This brings a grimace to my face; this isn't something I want to be thinking about – ever if possible.
"Daniel, you worry me!" I joked "I swear you can get inside anyone's head and analyse them – even the Goa'uld. Maybe you missed your calling? You need to go back and get another doctorate – in psychology this time – then we could get rid of Mack the Quack once and for all. You'd even get your own office at the Academy hospital as well as at the SGC!"
"No thank you very much, Jack." he laughs, "I like the qualifications that I've already got fine! If I do another degree it certainly won't be in psychology. I've had enough of shrinks in my life without becoming one myself!"
We resume our walking down the tunnel with Daniel stopping every now and then to study something on the walls that catches his eye. There are no new huge revelations although as Daniel said there was no way he could take it all in, in one trip. He'll do his best like usual and I expect at the end of the day he'll be begging for 'Just a little more time, Jack'
Without warning the tunnel ends at the start of a large chamber. After the close confines of the tunnel it's nice not to have to walk so close beside each other. Although the room is big it isn't so large that the light from Daniel's lantern didn't reach the outer walls. We can see two other doorways in addition to the one that we entered by.
Daniel immediately heads for the far wall where something has grabbed his attention. I follow him and can make out that the wall is covered in some sort of writing. Not being my forte, I can't understand a single squiggle of it. "Danny? What's it say? You can read it can't you?" I ask him hopefully.
"Well, Jack, not straight off. It's going to take a bit of working out. This seems to be a combination of Ancient Egyptian, a bit of Goa'uld and something else that I can't put my finger on at this moment." He said, looking somewhat perplexed. He swings his pack from his back and immediately opens it, looking for one of his many reference journals that I know he carries in his pack at all times.
"Okay, Danny, you make yourself comfortable there and I'll check out those other doorways for signs of life…or danger" I tell him.
"Thanks Jack, although I'm sure you won't find any, I'm certain that no people have set foot in this pyramid for thousands of years." He responds, immediately turning his attention back to the sheaf of papers he has precariously balanced on one knee.
"It's not just PEOPLE that I'm worried about, Daniel, you know me better than that." I send back to him.
"Yes, Jack. I know you're just being thorough" he answers fairly, not looking up from his papers.
I go and look through the first doorway using the light on my P-90. Just another tunnel, one of the wider variety. I walk cautiously down the passage until I reach the first corner. I shine my light round the corner only to find that this next tunnel is a long, straight one, so long that my light cannot reach the end of it. I turn back to go and investigate the second doorway from the room that Daniel is translating in.
The second doorway leads to a short narrow tunnel. I walk a little way down it only to find that it's been blocked up at some point – strange – I wonder why someone would do that ? I'll ask Danny when he takes a break from his walls!
Just then I hear my radio spluttering and crackling with static. Carter must be trying to get through – presumably to tell us that they've reached the UAV. The radio seemed to be useless inside the tunnel so I return to the room where I left Daniel to try it again from there.
Before I even reach Daniel, Carter is trying again – this must be something urgent.
I walk up to where Daniel is gently brushing some dirt off a particularly interesting (to him anyway) piece of text on the wall.
"Carter's trying to get hold of us, could you make anything out over the radio?" I ask him.
"No, so you couldn't either? The tunnels must be blocking the signal pretty bad in here." He replies
"I can't see any obvious threats in here, the left hand doorway leads off down a tunnel which turns a corner and then goes on seemingly forever. The right hand one leads to a dead end." I tell him. "Will you be alright here for a little while so I can go outside and find out what on Earth Carter's got in a flap over. I swear if it's just to tell me that she's found the UAV and there's nothing wrong with it I'm gonna skin her alive!"
"That's not very nice, Jack. You know what Sam's like with her gadgets. She'll probably be over the moon if she found that there was nothing wrong with it. You know that's what the Pentagon want to hear as well." He says. He puts on a deep official sounding and adds "We don't want our troops marching all over the galaxy looking for minerals that don't exist, now do we?"
I roll my eyes at him and chuckle. "Very good, Danny!"
"I'll be fine, Jack. This is more or less my childhood playground – if you don't count the weird mixture of writing on the walls. Go and talk to Sam so she can give you some technobabble for a while." He looks at me and smirks at this. "Admit it, you're glad that we're here and she's all the way over there. I bet poor Teal'c's getting a right ear bending!"
"Now, now, don't be mean, Daniel. You know Teal'c doesn't mind" I tease.
"Teal'c puts up with most things without complaint - that doesn't mean he likes it" he retorts.
Just then both our radios kicked in – hissing and spitting again like a pair of wildcats. Still unable to make out a single word from either Carter or Teal'c I look at Daniel, shrug and say, "I'll be back soon, don't touch anything and don't talk to any strange princesses who may want to steal you away from us. You're much too valuable an asset to SG-1 and Earth to lose to some back-of-beyond royal family!"
Daniel just shakes his head at this. "Go, talk to Sam, before she comes all the way over here and makes you listen to the whole 'the UAV is fine' speech. Go – now!" he mock orders.
"Yes sir, on my way sir!" I give him a crisp salute which makes him do an eyebrow lift to rival one of Teal'c's best. I turn away down our original tunnel to the entrance/exit of the pyramid.
I chuckle to myself as I hear Daniel resume his translations – muttering to himself as he tries to fathom out the mystery writing.