So much was on Klein's mind. One of his teammates betrayed him and nearly detonated a naquadah generator right under their feet.

He burst into the infirmary, storming around the room, not sure what to do. Myra and Bridger could only stare. They were all shocked. SG teams were tight knit. Almost like family. And Deacon just tried to blow them up.

"Doc, tell me you have something!" he exclaimed, pacing around the rom.

"Nothing showed up on X-Ray, CAT scans, MRI, PET Scans, even ultrasound, I'm picking up nothing," Myra explained.

"That can't be possible. No way Deacon just goes traitor out of nowhere."

"We've seen various forms of alien influence," Myra said calmly. "It doesn't have to be a bacteria or a parasite. Energy lifeforms or some sort of brainwashing."

"Well, whatever it is, we can't handle it alone," Klein sighed. "Damn."

Whether Deacon be a mole or under alien influence, it didn't matter. They needed extra hands for this.

"But without knowing what caused all of this, don't they run the risk of the same thing happening to them?" Bridger asked.

"We have to risk it. If this is just treason, we can use the help. And if it is alien influence, we're in way over our heads."

"But without the control crystal, how can we even tell Landry?"

"My weekly check-in's tomorrow," he said. "If I don't report in after a few hours, he'll dial us and I can give him an update."

Klein never thought he'd miss the quiet.

"Alright, just be careful," Myra said. "We still don't know what happened to Deacon."

Great. That made him feel so much better. Meaning he could also get brainwashed or worse.

"In the meantime, research into the sphere is put on hold," Klein added. "Bridger, Myra, I want you to go through Deacon's stuff. See if there's any evidence that this was just him being a traitor. I'm gonna go back to the gate house. Might as well see if I can find the control crystal."

"Sir?" Bridger asked.

"Everything was fine until we pulled that pinball from the ground," Klein said. "It's a fair assumption to say that thing is responsible somehow."

It was a long shot on all fronts. If Deacon was a spy he doubted the guy would have a Top 10 Ways to Backstab manual. And if he was under alien influence, there might not be anything at all. Still, even the unlikely was better than nothing.

-.-

Klein had to question why the stargate was located so far from the base. Surely driving back and forth wasn't deemed easier than relocating the entire damn gate.

He made sure his suit was nice and sealed before he vacuumed out the air in the airlock, everything around him falling silent.

With that done, he opened the door and finally stepped out.

One more complaint. Why couldn't the Brick just attach itself to the building rather than have them EVA across the planet surface? Sure, considering how infrequently they actually explored uninhabitable planets and how even less frequently they built bases on them, it would probably be a one-time only thing but it would be nice.

The paper thin atmosphere meant next to no sound. He could shoot a gun and the most he'd hear is a dull pop. This meant all he could hear was his breathing…

His breathing…and…footsteps?

Klein turned around on instinct. It was impossible yet he could not shake the feeling something was literally walking toward him.

It was in his head. It had to be in his head. It's the only thing that made sense.

But it sounded very real.

It wasn't even a crystal clear sound. He was wearing a thick suit so even on a normal planet, sounds outside the suit will be muffled. And these footsteps were expectedly muffled.

There was no better way to put it.

He could hear someone walking around nearby.

Though it would mean it was something with terrifyingly heavy footsteps for it to be that loud.

"Um…Doc," Klein said over the radio. "Myra…refresh my memory, we're the only ones on this planet, right?"

"Major?" Myra asked.

"Just making sure. There's no one but us four."

"Well, we're the only SG team operating on this planet and the surface is uninhabitable. So yeah, it's just us."

"Well, I can hear someone following me…"

"Major…the planet's atmosphere is as good as none. You CAN'T hear anything."

Klein knew this. Sound travels through a medium, usually air. No medium, no sound. But with how clearly the sound was, he had to make sure he wasn't going crazy.

Screw this.

Klein ran for the brick. The planet's higher gravity both helped and hindered him. It was better than a low gravity planet where he could only awkwardly hop across the surface. But the higher gravity meant he was carrying more weight.

But the desire to live certainly helped. He climbed aboard the brick and slammed the button to close the door. As the ramp raised, Klein would swear on his life he saw a figure barely reach the back of the vehicle, watching him through the crack between the ramp and the frame just as it closed.

Alright, time to settle this once and for all. No way this thing was as fast as a car. He'll drive to make distance and turn around. It was a dead wasteland so if it was so much as the size of a child he'd be able to see it.

He jumped into the driver's seat and floored it. He drove the brick maybe ten yards out before making a sharp U-turn, preparing himself for whatever that was.

Yet as he gazed back at the base…he saw nothing.

That sound was so real.

That thing he saw looking at him was so real.

Just…what the hell was that?

Alright, calm down. Klein took a deep breath.

"Bridger, Myra," Klein said over the radio. "While I'm gone…stay on your toes. I don't think I'm alone out here."

"Major, that's not possible," Bridger said. "The planet's surface is dead."

"Well, either there's something out here, or whatever effected Deacon is affecting me too and it might affect you. Whatever the case, I saw something out here. So…stay on alert."

He'll use the brick to take a lap around the building, clear the area. If he can't find anything, he'll have to assume it was a hallucination.

-.-

Klein and Bridger were the only two military personnel. Sure Myra and Deacon had training as was required of all SGC personnel. But with Klein out, it fell to Bridger to make sure everyone was ok.

So he left the desk to grab a zat before making his way to Myra. The doctor was still working away at her desk.

"Bridger?" Myra greeted, though was clearly confused by him showing up in her corner of the research dome. "I hope you don't intend on using that on me."

"Just a precaution," Bridger said. "Though it's risky using one in here. Three hits on the same wall and we all get sucked out."

Even if it was impossible, they had to entertain the possibility of a monster being outside the shelter. Frankly the history of the SGC was based around impossibility. So many things once impossible became normal A creature living in near zero atmosphere could be the next thing.

"Hey, what do you make of Deacon?" Bridger asked. "Scary shit. Do you think he's been a traitor all this time?"

"If I had to be honest, I don't think he's a traitor at all," Myra answered. "We've been a team for years now."

"Well spies are usually undercover for years to build trust."

"Like I said, I don't buy it. There's nothing to gain here. What does anyone gain stopping us from learning about the origin of the Alliance of Four Great Races? Besides, the SGC just eliminated the Trust recently."

Bridger agreed. But just because he couldn't think of any gain didn't mean there wasn't one.

"What do you think it is then?" he asked.

"Nothing's showing up on any of the scans, but how many times have we heard that while working at the SGC?" Myra scoffed and shrugged. "It's like he saw something. That's all I can think of."

At that moment, she finally realized something.

"His research," Myra said, standing up and marching to Deacon's research station. "What if he saw something? What if his research showed him something?"

"Now who's crazy?" Bridger asked. "You think his research made him want to kill us?"

"Well if I grab a gun and start trying to kill you, you'll have your answer," Myra said.

Deacon waited, his hand still on his zat. But he jumped when he heard something tapping on the side of the building. He looked over, his eyes wide. He hadn't readied his zat yet but he was ready to.

He glanced over at Myra, who had also jumped in her seat.

"You heard that too?" Bridger asked.

"It's just rocks or something, right?" Myra questioned.

Myra's question was immediately answered by a long scratching noise. Like something slowly scraping the metal sheets outside the building with something sharp.

"Do you think this is what Klein saw outside?" Bridger questioned.

"Klein said he heard footsteps on a planet with almost no atmosphere. This can't be related."

Bridger knew the science was sound, but he could not help but connect the dots. He couldn't help but think about the horror movies he would watch, screaming at the group to not split up. But if he stays here, he was taking a risk. If he clears the area, he was taking a risk. And bringing Myra along with him was also a risk since if something goes wrong, she might get in the way.

Damned if you do, damned if you don't. He had to make a choice.

"Stay here," Bridger said. He was going to clear the area around the building.

He quickly went to the airlock, putting on a suit. Taking a deep breath, he got ready for whatever it was outside. He heard the deafening hiss of the air being vacuumed out until all felt silent. He was left with nothing but the breathing in his helmet.

Stepping out of the building and off the anti-grav plates, it felt like he put on twenty pounds.

Bridger extended his zat, keeping it level and ready to shoot. He didn't hear any footsteps like Klein reported. But he did notice something as he made his way around the building. He first felt something vibrating against his leg.

It was a scanner he had attached to his belt. Something had changed and was updating him. He could check it out later. For now, he had to clear the area.

-.-

Klein knew it was a long shot but he didn't have much of a choice. He didn't know where the control crystal could be hidden, assuming it was even hidden in that gate building. For all he knew Deacon could've just thrown it over a hill.

Still, he had to try. He went through every shelf, under and behind every desk, he even opened the DHD to make sure Deacon wasn't lying.

Nothing.

Well, Klein did want excitement.

He had just turned around when he stopped.

Klein was just a regular human. It wasn't like he had a sixth sense. Yet it felt like there was someone else in the room with him. He turned around and froze, stunned to see…another person. A frail old man sitting at a small table, eating a bowl of ice cream.

He was well dressed with a suit and tie, a walking cane leaning against his chair. And the table had a red and white tiled tablecloth on it.

He…had to be hallucinating. Right?

There was no way this man was here.

Most of the threats the SGC faced were…tangible…so to speak. Even if they could not be physically interacted with, you knew they were there. Even so, the SGC trained them for a vast variety of scenarios. Even ones they haven't encountered before.

They couldn't afford to wait for every situation. They had to predict what could happen.

First, a greeting. Let the unidentified presence know you're there.

Then you go from there.

"Hello?" Klein said loudly. The man froze. Ok, so it didn't necessarily mean he was actually there but he was reacting to outside stimuli.

What happened next was confusing for Klein. All he knew was at some point of time, the man, the ice cream, the table, it all vanished.

It was like falling asleep and waking up. You don't remember the exact moment you fall asleep or the exact moment you awaken. The strange man didn't just disappear on the spot and he didn't fade away.

But it was like a blurred area of his memory where he couldn't remember just what happened to them.

His hand drifted to his zat, but there was nothing to draw It on.

It was gone.

-.-

The drive back was uneventful, thank god. Still, he could not help but feel like the walls of the universe were closing in on him. He had a whole planet to himself. He had the stargate a short drive from here, a door to the rest of the universe. And he had a team with him. Yet it was like he was locked in a cement room with no doors.

He couldn't find the control crystal and he had no leads.

Klein shook these thoughts from his head as he pulled back up to the base.

Alright, last time he was here he would swear something was stalking him.

Radio check first.

"Bridger," Klein said. "Bridger, you read?"

"Loud and clear, Major," Bridger said. "Major, you need to get back here. There's something you need to see."

Klein let out a sigh. Ok, so nothing killed them while he was away. Still, maybe there was something outside.

He had to be quick. He made his way to the back of the brick and sealed himself off. It took a few seconds to vent all the air, equalizing pressure with the outside.

Alright, he had to move fast.

He may be a soldier but that just meant he had to make calm and rational decisions when he's afraid.

But he was still human.

And he still felt afraid.

Alright, game time.

Klein lowered the ramp, leaping out of the Brick before it was even fully open. He sprinted for the door to the shelter.

He made it to the airlock, stopping to listen.

No footsteps this time. But the hairs on the back of his neck were standing on end. He quickly flung the door open and got inside.

Klein let out a sigh of relief as he heard the hiss of air repressurizing the room.

He was inside. He was safe…for now.

Klein took his hand off his zat. He couldn't keep jumping at his shadow. He had to check on his team. First, see if they found anything. Then, interrogate Deacon.

He made his way to the research lab. With everything that's been going on, the place just didn't hold the same sense of amazement as before.

"Bridger," Klein said, walking into the control center. "You said you got something."

With everything going on today, he was hoping for a distraction or something. But Bridger's face was grave. C'mon. Give him something.

"After all the shit's that's happened today, I really don't like that look," Klein commented. "What is it?"

"That energy signature I picked up," he said. "I finally found the cause. It's from faster than light particles hitting our post."

That's right, the signal. After discovering the artifact, picking up some random signal from space seemed like such a non-issue.

Ok, even if he wasn't a scientist, this was something Klein understood.

"What, like tachyons?"

But Bridger could only shrug.

"Even after we discovered the stargate, faster than light is only possible through subspace," he said. "Destiny is the only thing we've ever found that managed to pull it off."

Klein knew exactly what Bridger was getting at. He didn't need to be a physicist to understand that faster than light in real space is considered impossible by their understanding of science. That the Ancient ship Destiny is the only thing they know of that can pull it off. So a faster than light particle was a big deal. A real faster than light particle. Not a theorized one. A real one.

"Ok, and?"

"Well, I also had to calculate for energy dissipation. Energy will be low from the particles as it travels through space. I managed to record the speed of the particles and got an estimate of their initial energy value. I then calculated the change in energy intensity. And here's the thing, I also took recordings outside this compound and…"

"Bridger!" Klein groaned. He's already had a long day. He didn't feel like listening to all this.

Bridger got the point. But he could only stutter his statement.

"Major…" he said. "Best way I can put this is…this is a flex."

"A flex?" Klein repeated.

"That's right. Because I can't think of any other reason anything would be doing this. Whoever or whatever is creating this signal, they are advanced enough that they are traveling over a billion times the speed of light in real space and are projecting faster than light particles that, despite coming from beyond the observable universe, are accurate enough to only be aimed at this base and only this base… Whoever is doing this WANTS us to notice this. Major, we've fought priors with mind abilities. But this? If I didn't see this for myself, I would've called it impossible."

"How long do we have?"

"If they maintain this speed? They'll be here in 48 hours."

Disturbing. But not the worst.

"We just need to wait until tomorrow," Klein said. "I can inform Landry of our status. After that, they'll send a ship to pick us up. So we should have more than enough time."

It was closer than he would like. But there should be enough time.

"Keep an eye on that signal," Klein ordered. "I'm going to go see what Myra's up to."

"Um, major, something else," Bridger said. "While you were gone…me and Myra heard something…from outside."

Those words put ice into Klein's veins.

"Did you see anything?" he asked.

"No. I cleared the area around the base but nothing."

"Bridger, if you and Myra both heard the same thing then…then it can't have been a hallucination. What if it's the same thing I thought I heard outside?"

"Yeah, I think we should begin to consider the possibility that whatever you heard…whatever we heard…it's very real. And this all started after we found that sphere."

"You have a theory?" Klein asked.

Bridger got up and began pacing the room, trying to find the words to convey his thoughts.

"SG-1 once brought back a machine that let them view creatures from another dimension," Bridger said. "Not just view. It would explain how you were able to hear them in a near vacuum."

"How's that?"

"Because they couldn't technically hear those creatures either," Bridger explained. "Sound is waves through the air. If the creatures were making noises, you wouldn't need a device to hear them. What's more than likely happening is that our, or rather their, bodies detected the creatures but didn't understand the stimuli and so it interpreted it as sound."

"You think what we're hearing are the same?"

"I'm not sure if I can comfortably take it that far," Bridger replied. "But what if that sphere is affecting us. Not hallucinations but letting us see things that were always there. Maybe from another dimension, maybe not. But always there."

Klein's mind drifted to the past week, that sense he was being watched.

"You think we're looking into the same dimension?" Klein asked. "I mean, those creatures were native to Earth. Maybe these things are native to this planet?"

"Maybe but statistically improbable," Bridger said. "More than likely we're looking into yet another dimension."

Another dimension. Just another day in space.

But wait a moment, what about the human man he's seen? Humans are only in multiple galaxies because of the Ancients. In the Milky Way the Goa'uld spread them around for slaves and hosts. In Pegasus the Wraith needed food. When there is no force to spread humans across the galaxy, you get something closer to Caldwell 70 where humans only make up a small percent of the galactic community.

But a human in an alternate dimension? Even if that old guy wasn't human, the fact that he looked human at all seemed way too much of a coincidence.

Honestly he had no word left. He said nothing as he left.

Because of how the dome was set up, Klein simply needed to walk to another section of the dome to reach Myra.

With everything going on, their priorities had changed. And she was going through Deacon's notes.

"Doc!" Klein called out, walking over to her.

"Klein, listen to this," Myra announced, scrolling through the document. "Deacon's last report was regarding the origins of the Alliance of Four Great Races."

"Doc, no offense, but I don't see how that can help us…"

"Wait, listen to this. He was trying to translate the alien's journal. According to it, the Alliance founded because of a mutual desire to seek the cause of certain…anomalies…"

"Anomalies?"

"Deacon said it didn't have a direct translation. But the Alliance was made of five different races that joined together to…well…do what we do and try to find higher forms of life. They found evidence of an alien civilization vastly greater than their own. Each race had their own discoveries. The Ancients thought they were responsible for a pattern in the cosmic background radiation of the universe. None of the races knew what this thing was. So they called it the Source. Sort of at least. Deacon says it's a loose translation."

"Five? Myra, it's the Alliance of FOUR Great Races. We're the fifth race."

But Myra shook her head.

"Five," she insisted. "One of the races dropped out of the search because of…he called them the Forgotten Ones."

"Great, just what we need. Another race of evil aliens. These guys some enemy to the Alliance?"

"Must be. But that's not the point. Major, maybe we can finish what they started. These guys, whoever they are, maybe they can help us."

"Doctor, even if we can figure out the book is saying, that doesn't guarantee anything. Those aliens might not even be on this planet. They might not even be alive by this point! And what did these Forgotten Ones do that made one of the races drop out?"

"The Forgotten Ones were probably some ancient evil that wanted the power of the Source for themselves," Myra said dismissively. "Look, this is why we came here in the first place, isn't it? To find the origin of the Alliance. Why they got together. And now we know it's because of the Source. We find the Source we find the very race that not only predated the Alliance but led to them get together. And with any luck, they can help us."

"And what makes you think that we of all people will find them?"

"Because most of the work has already been done for us," Myra said hopefully. "This isn't just the research of the last team. It's the research of over a dozen research teams from a dozen different races all investigating the Alliance. And they were close, so close. We just need to finish what they started."

Klein still didn't like it.

"Too big of a risk," Klein said. "We can continue looking for them back on Earth. For now we're focusing on getting back."

"Will you at least look at his notes?"

Myra held the book out, desperate for him to at least consider the proposal.

"Fine," Klein relented. "But we aren't continuing our search for the Source unless I say so."

-.-

That night Klein returned to his bunk, Deacon's notebook still in hand. The sun had set. He wasn't much of a reader but the notebook would be a good way to end the day.

Klein didn't know the first thing about translating alien languages. But glossing over Deacon's notes, the first thing he learned was that there was a lot of paraphrasing. Translating languages wasn't just converting one word to another. It was converting entire sentences, phrases, ideas. So things had no English equivalent so paraphrasing was required.

So many scribbles and crossed out lines indicating either mistranslations or phrases that fit better.

There was more to the study of languages than he thought.

There were a few things that stood out as he skimmed the notes.

According to Deacon, the corpses they found were not the only ones down there. Aliens would come there in search of the origin of the Alliance. Something would befall them, then they die down there.

Ok, perhaps not that specific.

They didn't necessarily die down in the ruins. But all the same. They came in search of the Alliance or at least the truth to their origin. Some for the sake of science. Some because they wanted a way to fight the System Lords.

But no matter what happened, the tale ended there for some reason. It was the same thing every time. They died somewhere on the planet.

Did it just mean that this Asgard outpost was nothing but a dead end?

No. If that was the case then all the previous explorers would've just packed up and left.

But it didn't make Klein feel good. If he knew earlier that every previous comer would eventually die here, he would've packed up and left. It also begged the question why didn't the other explorers leave? Did they also have some mole or turncoat that would sabotage the stargate? All these aliens came during the era of the System Lords, and all other interstellar civilizations had been bombed to the stone age by that point. So perhaps they didn't have a ship to spare.

But what happened to them?

Deacon had torn out pages. He really didn't want them to know. Deacon did say he was protecting them. Klein had to wonder if this was related.

This notebook was giving him the creeps. His hairs were standing on end again like there was someone in the room with him.

He shook off these feelings. Putting the book on his nightstand, he finally laid back and closed his eyes.

-.-

This was the day. After they miss the weekly check in, Landry will dial in and he could update them. He had hoped he could get more information on the situation but he had nothing.

Well at least the situation didn't get worse which meant they could safely go back to Earth.

But before he could do that, he wanted one last crack at questioning Deacon. Plus that holding cell wasn't made for prisoners. It was made for possible alien animals. Which meant Klein still needed to feed Deacon and take him to the bathroom.

Klein swung by the cafeteria, grabbing some bagels and a bottle of water before making his way down to Deacon.

Food first. Then he'll check if Deacon needs the bathroom.

Deacon was right where he left the guy. Christ, has the guy even moved?

Klein prepped his zat before unlocking the door.

Deacon made no effort to escape as Klein laid down the food. It was a Styrofoam tray with bagels and a plastic bottle of water. He'd be amazed if Deacon could fashion anything out of this.

Klein closed and locked the door. And yet still Deacon remained unmoving.

From the observation window, Klein saw Deacon finally move if just a little. The linguist glanced at the food.

"Deacon," Klein spoke. Finally, Deacon actually moved by looking up. "In a couple hours I'll be talking to Landry. A new team will be replacing us. You will be taking a ship back to Earth to answer for your crimes."

Deacon was locked inside his cell, trapped. Despite this, the way Deacon leapt to his feet shocked Klein to his core. Enough that he drew his zat on instinct.

"You can't go back to Earth," Deacon said. Klein looked up. Finally, a response.

"What?" Klein said.

"You CAN'T go back to Earth!" Deacon said with a bit more urgently. "Look, I know I was a bit hysterical earlier…"

"To say the least," Klein scoffed. Hysterical? Deacon tried to overload their naquadah generator.

"They're coming. They told me they're coming."

"Deacon, if you don't start making sense."

Deacon fell silent, as if he was thinking of how to convey his panic. Ever since he locked Deacon up, the man has just been babbling about 'they're coming' with not so much as an explanation.

Who was coming? The Goa'uld? The Ori? The Klowns?

"Wait a minute," Deacon said softly, his voice magnitudes calmer than before. "I can see it in your eyes. They've shown themselves to you too."

Klein wanted to pretend he had no idea what Deacon was talking about. But his mind drifted to the strange events of the past few days, strange events that only started after they dug up the ruins.

The feeling he was being watched…

Hearing and seeing things that were impossible…

The things that might be from another dimension. Could those things be the 'they' Deacon was talking about? But what did Deacon mean by 'shown themselves to you'? According to Bridger's theory, these were just creatures from an alternate dimension that they could see thanks to the sphere. And if that was the case, there was

Could there be any truth to what Deacon was saying? Normally the SGC would handle this sort of business. But they were now cut off which meant he had to make the call.

"We're big fish in a small pond," Deacon said. "We thought we were hot shit with the Asgard Core and all we've done. But we barely even scratched the surface of the universe. And now that we have the Asgard Core, we have their attention."

"The Forgotten Ones?" Klein asked. He had no idea what that name meant. He was just reciting the name Myra said. And it seemed Deacon recognized the name too.

"They're just the tip," Deacon said softly. "Remember, big fish, small pond. And we decided to swim deeper than we should have. And things get scary the deeper into the ocean you go."

"How is killing ourselves up saving us?"

"We might not know what happens after death but they do," Deacon explained, clearly fighting to stay calm.

"After death? What, like the afterlife?"

"I have no idea. But I do know that the final frontier is not space nor time. For all our stargates and our time travel and our hyperdrives, we think we know it all. But we've never even scratched the surface. What is it that the Ancients always say?"

"The universe is infinite," Klein answered.

"YES! Just as there is no end, the mountain has no peak. We never truly comprehended just how powerful the Alliance was. So when the Asgard gave us their technology, we caught the attention of something, something we can't hope to even comprehend."

Klein paused to try to wrap his head around all this. So a force more powerful than anything they've ever faced before. Was certainly the SGC's MO. First were the goa'uld, then the replicators, then the Ori. They just kept making bigger and badder enemies.

"Alright, so why blow us up?" Klein asked. "You say that we caught their attention with the Asgard Core. The core's back on Earth."

"The Forgotten Ones don't actually care about Earth or the Asgard core. That's just how we got their attention. But us? We found something they didn't want found. Maybe if we were a bit more under the radar they wouldn't notice. But they did. All I tried to do was clean up after ourselves and pray."

"And you couldn't like try to get us off base before you do that? Like have us go to Earth then blow it up?"

"We go to Earth, we put Earth at risk. If they think we know something, they might just take out all of Earth. Like a mob silencing loose ends. The mob blows up buildings if it means silencing someone. This is the same just on a bigger scale."

Now Klein had to scoff. Even the Goa'uld were not that petty.

Actually, he took that back…

What Deacon said wasn't impossible. One Goa'uld mothership could render Earth uninhabitable in a few hours. And if these Forgotten Ones had better ships then it would be even faster.

But still…

"There's a bit of a size difference between a building and planet," Klein argued.

"And there is a HUGE power difference between the mob and the Forgotten Ones. Major, I don't know how to explain this without dooming you guys, but you have to trust me."

But he couldn't just ignore this. For all he knew he just introduced yet another powerful enemy to Earth. He had no doubt they would emerge victorious, as par the course. But he still had to tread carefully.

"I'll be talking to Landry later," Klein said. "But I'll think about it."

-.-

A few hours left.

Decision time on what to do.

Myra and Bridger would be in the labs to continue their research. At least it'll be easy to talk to all of them.

"Hey," Klein announced as he walked In, waving them over.

"What's the word?" Bridger asked.

"Spoke with Deacon," Klein explained. "At least he's a bit more open now. According to him, research into the origin of the Alliance has pissed off some other alien race."

Klein could see Brider shift in his seat.

"You think that's the origin of the signal?" Bridger asked.

"Signal?" Myra repeated.

"Something is coming our way. It's pointing a signal at this base while it's flying faster than life in real space. And if my calculations are right, this thing is coming from past the boarders of the known universe"

Myra didn't even say anything, but Klein could tell by her gawking she understood the gravity of the situation.

"Is it even safe to go back to Earth?" she asked. "Like, what if that thing follows us back."

"Look, we don't even know why that thing is coming here," Klein said. "We still have a few hours to investigate before Landry calls us and I don't think Deacon's gonna give us the control crystal. So when he calls I'll request backup. The new teams can secure the base. And a FA-306 will pick us up. If we can't find the control crystal, we all ride back. Got it?"

The team around him nodded. Alright, a plan was set.

"Bridger, go get your notes regarding what you know about the aliens we found," Klein ordered. And Bridger obeyed without question.

"Alright, do we have a lead?" Klein asked Myra. A leader didn't need to know anything. It was impossible. Information was acquired and distributed appropriately. Each branch of the team reports what they knew and the leader makes the decisions accordingly.

"Well, all this started with the sphere," Myra proposed. "Maybe we can start there."

"Bridger's been picking at that thing with a toothpick and he's come up with nothing," Klein pointed out. "And he's come up with nothing but a paperweight. And…you ok?"

Klein had been watching Myra repeatedly cuddle herself up like she was cold. And was doing it more and more often.

"Yeah," Myra said. "Just a bit chilly for some reason." As Myra said this, Klein noticed a puff of condensation leave her mouth. Klein breathed out, watching as a puff of white left his lips.

It was cold enough that they could see their own breath. But why? This was a planet without an atmosphere. The environment was regulated by life support. Did life support break or something?

There was a hiss as the doors to the lab opened and Bridger walked back.

"WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?"

Bridger's sudden cry of panic made the two of them jump. On instinct they looked at Bridger, immediately realizing what he was looking at. And turning back around, Klein could not believe what he saw. At first he thought that sphere had grown tentacles. There was a mass of black tentacles under the orb. The tentacles were just like the sphere. It reminded him of bad CGI from old movies. The way they were colored, the way they were textured, it was as if the fabric of reality was rejecting them.

But the sphere wasn't the source of the tentacles. The tentacles were growing out of the desk. The part of the table under the sphere had changed, almost like it turning into rotten meat. It turned dark and twisted, tentacles growing out of the black spot like vines growing out of dirt. And not just tentacles. There were long emaciated hands reaching out. The damn table was growing out hand and tentacles.

Soon the rot spread across the entire desk. And not just the desk. The cups, the papers, the pencils, the computer, everything on the desk soon began to turn, the rot spreading like a fungal infection.

"GO!" Klein ordered, immediately pulling out his pistol. He watched as the entire mass of rot soon began to fuse and transform. He couldn't believe his eyes. It was as if the entire thing had been made of clay and it was being squished together to form something new.

Klein fired at the thing. Discharging a gun inside was perhaps the worst idea imaginable. They were in a container on a planet without an atmosphere. A stray bullet could easily punch a hole to the outside. There were safety features put in place in case that ever happened but still. But he didn't really have any other options. He had to get rid of that thing.

But something was off. Looking at the thing made his eyes hurt. It was like staring a clear sky.

If only they had a zat. Maybe a zat could get rid of this thing. Three shots disintegrates matter so it should be able to erase this monstrosity. But at least bullet holes were easily mended. Emergency foam would fill in any hole created and quicky harden, stopping the vacuum. A missing wall was harder.

Still, it would've been preferable to just erase the thing on the spot. But he didn't have time to run to the armory.

Klein squeezed the trigger, the SIG M18 popping off shots. He didn't even see what happened to the bullets. Usually they would results in some damage or maybe a fountain of sparks. But he saw nothing, like the bullets were just consumed by the thing.

The rot had taken shape. Humanoid, possessing two arms and two legs.

Maybe…

The overall shape was humanoid. But that was because the body was seemed to be comprised of countless limbs. Arms and tentacles overlapped each other to create each larger limb. In fact it made the whole body. Klein could see the face comprised of possibly a hundred intertwined fingers.

His only reprieve what that the thing's body was obscured by an enormous membrane that hung over it like an enormous hood and cloak. Still, he could see the twitching fingers that comprised its face under the hood.

"What's taking so long?!" Klein shouted. They had to get out and this thing had just finished whatever the hell it was doing.

"Got it!" Bridger shouted. Klein wasted no time, running over just as the thing started moving. Klein turned and ran through the door. Being the last one through, he slammed the metal hatch behind him. Just in time too. The entire thing shook as the twisted thing hit. Klein didn't know if that thing could use latches but he wasn't taking chances. He slid the latch and locked the door.

"Major, orders?" Myra asked in a panic.

Klein couldn't blame Myra for her fear. Alien monsters was one thing. But what he saw defied everything he understood. Or rather thought he understood.

That sphere somehow infected the table, a table made of inorganic metal, ceramics, and plastic. Klein shivered as he imagined what would have happened if it touched him.

It wasn't just that. What was it made out of?

He's seen nano-form replicators, their clearly metallic and synthetic sheen. He's seen the organic technology and armor of the wraith. Yet what was this thing? It didn't look organic. And it didn't look synthetic. Some material that was neither.

It simply existed. If that could even be the word for it. He couldn't get out of his head the way it seemed to reject the world around it.

It looked off. The best he could compare it to was bad CGI. Like it somehow reality itself warped around it because it was incompatible with the world.

"I think we completely miscalculated the situation," Bridger whimpered.

"You have a clue what the hell we just saw?"

"The sphere was made of unidentified subatomic particles. I thought it was just particles we haven't discovered yet. But…I think it's something more."

"What, you think their atoms infected the atoms around it?"

"Atoms aren't cells. You can't infect an atom or a subatomic particle for that matter. I think we just witnessed some sort of atomic reaction. That's why it got cold. It sucked in the ambient heat to help it destroy the atomic bonds and replace with whatever particles made up the atoms of the sphere."

"Bridger, I'm ordering you to start making sense."

"Major, we're looking at technology smaller than an atom with the ability to replicate and recreate themselves using surrounding atoms. Major, this is unprecedented. If my theory is correct the entirety of that creature is made of artificial subatomic particles. No electrons! No protons! Nothing about it is natural."

"I don't care if it's made of pudding! I just want it out of here!"

Klein put his hand up to his head. He had decisions to make. The stargate control crystal was missing and somewhere in this facility…maybe. Landry was going to check in in an hour.

Hope was not lost.

"Alright, I'm getting Deacon and we're taking the brick to the gate housing," Klein decided.

"And if that thing comes after us?"

"It won't be able to survive the planet's surface. There's no atmosphere. You and Myra get suited up. Grab some zats. I'm gonna get Deacon and meet you at the brick."

"That thing just came out of a desk and it surviving in zero atmosphere is crazy?" Bridger exclaimed.

"This is an order, Bridger!" Klein said, running off down the hall. It wasn't long until he was at the iso-chamber. It had to be kept separate from the lab so it was easy to contain if something ever went wrong.

And it seemed Deacon was aware that something was wrong.

"Klein, what is it?" Deacon asked. Klein didn't even hesitate as he ran for the door to unlock.

"Some freakin space monster just popped out of our desk," Klein said. When Klein opened the door, he realized Deacon had turned paler than bed sheets.

"They're here," Deacon said. "They sent one of their harvesters to do their will."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Klein said, grabbing Deacon by the wrist and running. Before he wasn't sure about all that stuff Deacon spouted but now he was fully onboard.

Something was coming.

It didn't seem like the creature had gotten out of the labs but they couldn't risk it.

"Deacon, listen to me!" Klein said in a panic. "Where did you put the control crystal?!"

And just like that, Deacon's defiance returned.

"NO! I won't let you bring them to Earth."

Damn it. Klein actually was beginning to believe Deacons hullabaloo.

"We don't have to go to Earth!" Klein said hurriedly. "We can pick any of the dozen habitable but empty planets. We can retreat there, figure it out later!"

By this point Klein didn't know if Deacon had a point or was just batshit insane. Something so powerful that it could bring them back from death at a whim.

Was it overreacting?

And if it wasn't, just what were they dealing with?

He didn't know what to make of this. As a member of the SGC, he was used to the idea he may have to be quarantined or may be able to come back to Earth because of something he finds on another world.

Maybe an alien disease.

Maybe alien possession.

That seemed to convince Deacon.

"Outside," he said. "I buried it right outside the window to my room."

Damn it, Deacon better not be lying about this. Alright, they'll swing by his window and dig out the crystal then head to the brick.

"Major," Deacon said.

"I promise, we won't go to Earth," Klein said.

They rushed to the airlock and quickly put on their suits. Usually they could take their time doing this. He could only hope he didn't screw something up.

Well, only one way to find out.

He hit the button and let the air vent out.

Damn it, the venting process was always excruciatingly long. Now the waiting was on another level.

FINALLY!

"Get to the brick!" Klein ordered. He was going to get the crystal.

Maybe he was more panicked than he need be. As far as he knew, the creature was still trapped in the lab. But he couldn't risk it. It could burst out at any moment.

It was a bit of a run, and running outside where there were not anti-grav plates made it worse. But it made it to the side of the compound with Deacon's window.

The dust storms would erase any sign of disturbing the dirt.

Deacon better not have lied about this.

Klein got onto his knees and began furiously digging.

He didn't have to dig long. Evidently Deacon didn't use a shovel. The dirt was as soft as beach sand and a few inches in, he finally found it. The crystal buried in sand.

Alright, time to bail.

He ran back to the brick, praying that the creature wasn't waiting inside.

Oh, thank god. His team were all in there, though Bridger and Myra were clearly uncomfortable with Deacon now.

Klein climbed his way to the front and jumped into the driver's seat.

And within moments, they were off.

Klein let out a huge sigh of relief. This wasn't some large ship or anything. That creature couldn't be hiding in some crevice and be taken with them. It couldn't even hide in the trunk or backseat. And the brick could clock in at over 100 miles per hour at max so they should be able to outrun it.

So they were safe.

"Major?" Bridger asked. "Care to fill us in?"

"Change of plans," Klein said. "We're not going back to Earth."

"Robert!" Myra protested.

"Deacon's afraid that if we go back to Earth, it'll come back with us," Klein said.

"Then why not tell us?" Myra proclaimed. "We could plan something out."

That part Klein still didn't get. Deacon was being proven right to a degree. So even though he didn't get it at all, he wanted to give his teammate and friend a chance.

"You want to take this one?" Klein sighed.

Deacon's voice was soft. Scared.

"They're coming after us because they don't know whether or not we know something…" he explained. "…and if we can tell others. At the very least they want me because I know too much. But I don't know if they'll come after you guys too. That's why I tried overloading the reactor. Show their secret was not compromised."

"Kill ourselves now, kill ourselves later, what's the difference?" Bridger asked.

"Can we please come up with a plan that doesn't involve killing ourselves?"

"Deacon says they could bring us back," Klein explained. "Bring us back and…I don't know."

"They've done it before," Deacon said. "I was contacted by one of their prophets. Some guy named Ashr. He lost some loved ones. Made a deal with them. They bring them back from the dead and he serves them."

"Wait," Myra interrupted. "You were visited by an alien entity?"

Deacon choked on his words, clearly unable to describe what he witnessed.

"I don't know what it was," he said. "I could see him, hear him…but he wasn't really there either."

"Bridger?" Klein spoke up. "Our working theory was that the pinball was making us see creatures in an alternate dimension. That sounds like a hell of a lot more than that."

"It was just a theory," Bridger said. "We don't know for sure. We use subspace for communication. Maybe they use this alternate dimension to do the same."

"Whatever the case," Klein said, stepping on the gas again. "We can't stay here. And according to Deacon, we can't go back to Earth. So we go to an uninhabited planet, contact the SGC, and we'll go from there."

"Major," Deacon spoke up. "The base. We can't let the SGC come back here and see any of the data."

"Relax," Klein said. "One word from me and Landry marks this planet off limits. They won't send people here even for the data. And if some other alien species stumbles upon this...well...I'm afraid that's their problem."

"Alright," Deacon sighed. "But blowing up the base with us in it is still the better idea. Prove that we didn't leak any of the info."

"We'll call that plan B, alright?" Klein huffed. As part of the job, they had to accept they would have to die in the line of duty. If an alien possessed their body, if they are compromised while off planet, or if the SGC becomes compromised and they have to activate the self destruct.

Still, no matter what is required of you, dying is what everyone would prefer avoiding.

There it was. The building housing the gate. They had to get out now.

"Alright, let's move," Klein said, slamming the breaks.

He had been clocking in at 100 miles per hour the entire drive here. They couldn't dawdle but they shouldn't be in any rush either. Still, for safety, Klein grabbed a P90 from the locker. The atmosphere may be paper thin but bullets had their own oxidizers.

They got inside the lock and let the air cycle.

Just a few more minutes and this nightmare would be over.

"Alright, give me a minute," he said. "Just need to put the control crystal back."

The rest of his team got ready. Myra prepped the GDO.

Alright, it was ready. Time to dial out.

But as he raised his hand to dial, the gate activated.

Klein groaned in aggravation. With all that was going on, he forgot Landry was supposed to contact him.

On cue, his radio crackled to life.

"Major Klein," Landry said. "Major, come in."

"General," Klein responded. "You picked a hell of a time."

"Major, what is your status?"

Klein looked over at Deacon. He could see the linguist shaking his head in a panic, terrified at the thought Klein might reveal too much.

"I'm afraid the situation has changed," Klein said. "Flag this planet. There are things here that REALLY don't like us being here."

"Understood, Major," Landry answered. "Should we expect your return?"

"Negative, General. We-"

What happened next happened so fast, Klein would only piece it together afterwards. Next thing he knew, he was on the ground.

He was still too stunned. But he looked around to get his bearings…and his eyes fell upon it.

"DEACON!" Klein shouted.

He couldn't believe it. It was here.

That thing.

The creature.

It was there.

The creature.

It stood in the middle of the room.

How the hell did it get in? It didn't tear down a wall. Did it use the door? And how did it travel so quickly? Did it seriously outpace the Brick on foot?

The monster grasped Deacon with its enormous hands.

Did humans have telepathy? Normal humans?

It was such a random question and yet Klein could not help but wonder as he would swear he could hear Deacon's thoughts. Or maybe the terror on Deacon's face was so clear cut that he could just read the man's expression.

'Save yourselves…by killing yourselves.'

Within moments, Deacon was gone. The same way this monster was born from the rotting table, Klein watched Deacon rot away. Flesh turned to paste and bone turned to dust. And like that, he was gone.

Instinct took over. Klein aimed and fired, spraying at the monster with his P90. He didn't know if he was missing or if the creature just didn't care.

No, stay focused. He already established P90's weren't going to cut it.

"Major!" Bridger called out, throwing him the zat

Klein caught the zat and turned it on the monster, giving the zat a quick three pulls.

All three shots hit the monster, but it was unfazed. It let out a deafening roar.

Christ, Klein did not need to see that. As it roared, its cloak and hood flared up, letting him see the "skin" underneath, let him see the fingers of the limbs that comprised its body wriggling like worms.

With a single swing of its limb, it tore out part of a metal column and sent it flying in Klein's direction. He could only throw himself out of the way as the metal flew across the room like a wall of destruction.

Klein got back up, ready to reengage but no actual idea what to do. It was obvious zat shots do nothing.

"Look out!" Myra called out. Klein looked up in time to see a support from the ceiling come loose, swinging downward toward them. Klein didn't hesitate to leap out of the way as the beam hit the top of the stargate. Klein could only gape as the dirt the gate was embedded in gave way and the giant stone ring fell over.

The ground trembling felt as if the entire planet has been picked up and shaken. And while he consciously knew it was impossible, the boom from the impact sounded like it could crack the planet's crust.

But that wasn't all. He could hear hissing.

Crap.

The shelter was breached and the air was getting sucked out.

"Myra, Bridger!" Klein shouted. He could feel the air getting thinner. He was breathing and yet his lungs were telling him he wasn't. Like the air he breathed wasn't enough. He breathed harder. He breathed faster. And yet it wasn't enough. He had to get to the suits.

Wait, there was something he had to do.

Klein ran over to the controls, quickly connecting to a radio channel.

"General Landry!" he shouted. "DO NOT SEND ANYONE THROUGH! I REPEAT, DO NOT SEND ANYONE THROUGH!"

The stargate was on its back. Anyone who comes through would immediately fall back through. And wormholes only go one way. He couldn't let any good men and women die over something like this.

Klein heard Landry say something but he couldn't make out what it was. The thing had turned its attention back to him. He aimed his zat at the creature and began firing, squeezing the zat as quickly as possible.

One shot stun.

Two shot kill.

Three shot disintegrate.

But Klein pumped that thing with over a dozen shots and yet it still stood. Unfazed by energy that would disintegrate matter.

Despite having the appearance of electricity, the zat didn't shoot electricity. Not really. How did the egg heads put it? You need energy to destroy the bond between atoms and the zat provided that energy.

They had only seen one type of very special material in the universe that could withstand zat fire like that. But this thing barely reacted.

What could he do?

Klein aimed the zat at the ceiling and fired. Three shots in rapid succession, the blasts hitting the ceiling support beams which vaporized into clouds of dust that also soon vaporized into nothing.

He didn't have much time. He tossed on his helmet, not even bothering to seal it or make sure the air flow was secure. He had to grab a hold of something.

He leapt for the wall, grabbing one of the exposed struts. The damage to the hut worked quickly. Without the ceiling support beams, the pressure of the atmosphere in the gate room finally burst. Klein felt the ground vanish beneath him. He hugged the support strut with everything he had as all the air was almost instantly sucked out of the room, almost dragging him with it. The sound of everything soon subsided as he was plunged into the vacuum.

With the building devoid of atmosphere, Klein finally felt the world release him and let him down. He looked back. It was one thing to hear about the devastation of explosive decompression but it was another to see it. Everything had been sucked out. Even that which was anchored to the ground had been torn out and sucked out. His entire body was sore from hugging the support beam trying to stop himself from getting sucked out.

If it wasn't for his suit, it wouldn't even be the zero atmosphere that would kill him. The sudden decompression would do the job.

But it was a temporary relief. The fact that thing made it here meant it could survive zero atmosphere which meant getting sucked out wouldn't kill it. They had to get away while they had the chance.

"Myra, Bridger!" Klein shouted through his radio. He looked around but he saw nothing but destruction. Did they get sucked out with the creature?

"Over here!" Bridger said, the two of them emerging from behind the ruins of a pillar.

"Back to the brick!" Klein ordered. It won't be long before that thing recovers and comes after them. They could at the very least put distance between them and it.

The building wasn't the only thing that was damaged. The anti-gravitational plating had been blown apart and they were subjected to the full force of the planet's gravity. It was like the planet itself was trying to stop them. But they finally made it to the brick. The three of them filed in, Klein smashing the button to close the door. Once the hatch was sealed, Klein let out a sigh of relief when he felt the anti-gravitational plates kick in.

"Hang on!" he ordered as he jumped into the driver seat. He could see where the creature lay. It looked slightly stunned but unharmed. He considered running it over, taking another crack at it. But he didn't know the extent of its abilities and the last thing he needed was to total the brick.

So instead, he floored the gas and sped off into the distance.

He didn't know how long he was driving. With the Brick's navigation system, it would take a lot for him to get lost. He had to get them away. After about half an hour of driving, he finally stopped.

He took off his helmet and looked back at his compatriots, all of whom shared identical defeated expressions.

"Well…shit…" he sighed.

"Major, now what?" Myra asked.

Now what? What sort of question is that?

Klein put his hand to his head.

"The gate's on its back," he said. "There's no way to get it back up which means no back up. We'll have to wait for the 306 to get here."

The planet they were on was not only on the opposite side of the galaxy in relation to Earth but on the very edge of it as well. Perhaps one of the furthest planets from Earth in that galaxy.

The 306 crossing the entire galaxy in a few hours was impressive. But was it enough?

Shit…

There's that. That thing in space was still headed toward them in real space at speeds faster than any hyperdrive they've encountered.

"Major, we need to find the Source," Myra agreed. "The race that helped unite the Alliance to begin with. If we can find them, maybe they can help us."

"That's a lot of maybes," Klein sighed. "Maybe they're still alive, maybe they're on this planet, and maybe we can find them." He knew the SGC had a long history of achieving the impossible but this was ridiculous. "Fine. We'll take the Brick to the gate house and try to compare notes from there."

That was the only thing he could think of. Take cover, hope that the creature can't reach them, and try to find the Source before the Forgotten Ones arrive.

-.-

A/N: Here we go. It's been a while thanks in no small part to real life getting in the way.

Been trying to think of a way to properly convey Deacon's state of mind. Half tempted to explain it but also afraid that I would give too much information since ambiguity is key in this case. But the important takeaway is that death is preferable to whatever fate awaits them if the Forgotten Ones get their hands on them.

You may have noticed I changed the title to Roko's Basilisk because it better reflects the story as well as Deacon's state of mind. Hey, Stargate sometimes names its episodes after myths and legends.

And if you read Stargate Millennium, yes, Deacon said harvesters.