By: Fiara Fantasy
CATEGORY: Drama
WARNINGS: Betrayal, Satanic References
AUTHOR’S NOTES: Major warnings for future chapters. Angst, betrayal and satanic references will abound. If this offends you don’t reach it. (but I hope you will read!)
This is going to be the first in what I hope will be a long epic fic. It all depends on what you think!
PART 1: Bad News
In the silent darkness of space a pulse sounded, growing stronger, beating faster. The long dead drew its first new breath.
All five of SG1 were in the commissary discussing the recent mission over parfait glasses of multi-colored jell-o.
“Do you really have to put that in the report?” Vala whined for the umpteenth time.
“Do you really want to get me court-martialed?”
“Do you really want to give good-old Landry another reason to kick me off your planet?” Vala replied, a less than pleased look on her face.
“Would both of you just shut up?” Daniel snapped, wincing at the sound of his own voice.
“Oh, are you still hung over,” Vala cooed, teasing him and twisting to rest her cheek on his slumped shoulders.
“Vala, get off me.”
“Daniel, did last night mean nothing to you at all?” Vala replied, feigning hurt.
“Vala, last night I didn’t even remember your name,” Daniel said turning to look at her, the expression on his face exasperated.
“You know it’s not fair really,” Vala replied twisting to
sit with her legs crossed.
“Guess what? I don’t have to!” Daniel said, finally reaching
the end of his patience. Just when Teal’c, Sam, and
SG1 quickly dropped their spoons, set arguments aside for a later date and ran towards the gate room. They reached the observation room just in time to see the iris slide shut and the wall behind the Stargate turn blue with the event horizon’s shadows.
“What is it Chief?” asked General Landry coming up behind Walter.
“It’s Bray’tac sir,” Walter answered after a moment pause and more frantic typing.
“Open the iris,” Landry ordered. Teal’c turned and headed down the stairs towards the steel ramp. Bray’tac staggered through the event horizon and sank to his knees. Teal’c ran towards his friend and Walter automatically yelled for a med team. Teal’c knelt beside his friend and pulled him into a sitting position. The rest of SG1 stood back at a distance, giving Teal’c his privacy as he held his friend. They all looked on with pain in their eyes as he stood and Bray’tac was rushed away leaving them standing on the ramp with more questions than answers.
Teal’c turned and followed the med team to the infirmary and the rest of SG1 started towards their favorite place, an old locker room abandoned from use by all but them. They filed through the door and Cam shut and locked it behind them then leaned against the door.
“OK, what’s going on?” Vala asked, her tone telling the others she was being serious.
“I don’t have a clue,” Cam said as an answer to her question and a question in itself.
“This is really bad,” Daniel said to no one in particular.
“Why?” asked Vala, getting frustrated.
“That was Bray’tac,” Sam said.
“Well I knew that,” snapped Vala sitting down on a bench on the opposite side of the room. Daniel suddenly slammed his foot into an unused locker, the clang of metal echoing through the almost empty room and making the other three jump. The shadowy light from almost dead bulbs cast them all into shadow there were no security cameras and no one knew of this place but them, making it the perfect place to think or hide.
“Bray’tac is a major part of the Jaffa government. If he dies it could throw the entire nation into chaos. What worries me though is who did it.”
“That isn’t the Ori’s style,” Vala said to the empty air, thinking out loud.
“What if it was other Jaffa?” Sam said sounding horrified at the thought.
“Then we’ve already lost,” Daniel answered bleakly.
“No it wasn’t them,” Vala said standing up and starting to pace. “They would have finished the job. I don’t think we’ve even began to comprehend what is really happening,” Vala shivered and wrapped her arms around herself. Daniel walked over to her and rested a hand on her shoulder.
“Are you alright?” he asked softly. Despite all their arguing and fighting they actually cared for each other more then they would admit. Vala reached back over her shoulder and grasped his hand with hers.
“Daniel, the last times I felt like this Que’tesh took me as a host and then Anubis took a rise in power and then the replicaters appeared out of nowhere and then the Ori made their beachhead attempt. This is even worse then those times. Something out there is alive.”
“What do you mean?” Cam asked walking to the center of the room where she and Daniel stood under the faded lights. She glanced around at their faces and said, “Sometimes I sense things before they happen. It’s always big things and I’ve never been wrong,” she finished trying to gauge their reaction. She never got the chance. The intercom once again cracked to life and Walter’s voice said, “SG1 report to the briefing room.”
They all turned and filed out the door of their special place towards the briefing room they had all come to associate with bad news. Cameron shut the door behind them and followed the others and quipped, “And so it begins.”
* * * *
SG1 was sitting around the briefing table like they had been for the past 10 minutes when General Landry and Teal’c finally walked through the door. Vala immediately stopped spinning around in her chair and asked, “What in hellfire is going on?” Landry and Teal’c each took a seat, their faces creased with worry.
“Bray’tac remained conscious long enough to tell us what had occurred,” Teal’c said his frown still present. He turned to Landry and nodded.
“He said that they have lost contact with three Jaffa worlds. He accompanied a search party and they were attacked by a race he didn’t recognize. The creatures had wings and scales, were black in color and were humanoid. Just before they shot Bray’tac they claimed ‘the old one Lucifer had arisen from his sleep to reclaim all that was his.’ Does “Lucifer” ring a bell with any of you?” Landry finished glancing around the table.
“Ummmmm, in some religions he is affiliated with Satan and fallen angels,” Daniel offered, “but I doubt that’s what you’re looking for.”
“You’re right, it’s not,” Landry gave a small smile then asked, “Anyone else?”
“I’ve heard of him,” Vala said quietly. They all turned and stared at her. “He was in many tales in my village. He made Sokar look like a priest and Anubis like a child,” she finished.
“Then this is bad,” said Sam quietly. Vala nodded. “That’s what I felt earlier. He’s alive again.”
“If he’s so bad how did he get killed in the first place,” Cameron asked gesturing in the air.
“He was slain by his queen that he’d been ignoring, no doubt he’ll want a new one to serve him,” Vala said shuddering slightly.
“So, what do we do?” Cam said looking around the room for his answer.
“That’s what we’re going to find out,” Landry said. “Before Bray’tac lost consciousness he gave us the address to the planet these creatures came from.”
“Let me guess, out next mission,” Cam stated like he already knew the answer.
“Yes it is. Departure in 10 hours. Get ready people,” Landry finished then stood and left the room.
“And so it begins,” Cam said, repeating himself. Sam shook her head and they all stood and headed towards their rooms to get some sleep.
* * * *
Vala opened her eyes but couldn’t see for the fire
surrounding her. She tried to move and the fire parted before her like it was
alive. She stood in a semi-circle of flame in the midst of endless blackness.
The darkness was thick – she couldn’t breathe. Suddenly the flames began to
rise on either side of her and streak through the blackness towards a
silhouette that held the flames in the palms of its hands. It let the last
tendril of flame rake across her face but there was no pain, only blinding
heat. The figure let the flames rage up around it then spoke not with its mouth
but straight into her mind. The voice was hypnotizing and drove her to her
knees. Come.
Vala woke with a scream
just finishing its echoes through her room. She turned onto her side and stared
at the posters of Evanescence and Eminem on her wall, comfortingly familiar and
normal. She sighed then stood and stretched knowing she wouldn’t sleep again for
at least a day. She slipped out of her room, once again mentally blessing
Landry for dismissing the guards that had once followed her around, and
silently snuck into Daniel’s room. He never knew she came and watched him
sleep. He always looked so innocent with his tawny hair mussed instead of being
in its normal combed state. She reached out and stroked a lock away from his
face. He mumbled and shifted under her fingers. He usually talked in his sleep,
sometimes in other languages but not tonight. She stood up and walked back down
the gray halls to her room, got dressed in some workout clothes, then headed
down towards the gym.
* * * *
When she walked in the
door she saw Sam already there slamming her fists into an unfortunate punching
bag. Vala walked over to her silently then stopped the bags movement and asked,
“Would you like a live target?”
“Guess I’m not the only
one up for once,” Sam said grinning and moving towards the center of the room
away from the walls.
“No you got company this
morning,” Vala said and blocked Sam’s hit easily.
“I had the weirdest
dream,” Sam said shaking her head of blond hair as if to clear it. Vala ducked her
next shot then said, “Did it involve fire acting like it was alive and a
strange telepathic person with no face?” Sam stopped and stared, “Exactly.”
“That’s supposed to be my
dream,” Vala said sounding unnerved.
“What the hell is going
on?” Sam said waving one hand in the air.
“I don’t know but this is
not what I call normal,” Vala said crossing her arms over her chest.
“I need coffee,” Sam said
rubbing her temples with her fingers.
“Last time I looked it was
this way,” Vala said smiling sympathetically and leading Sam by the arm.
“Lucky night owl,” Sam
grumbled blinking her blue eyes that still wanted sleep.
“Comes with being a host,”
Vala commented.
“I was a host!” Sam said feeling left out.
“Yes, but not long enough
to enjoy the benefits,” Vala replied, a mischievous grin on her face.
“Damn you,” Sam growled
under her breath. Vala laughed.
* * * *
Vala and Sam had their
heads bent over cups of steaming liquid and were deep in conversation when Cam,
Daniel and Teal’c walked over to them with their respective breakfasts.
“Good morning!” Cam said
sitting down and cheerfully taking a bit of his cereal, not appearing sleepy at
all.
“Hi!” Vala said, equally
cheerful. She shared the incredibly annoying habit of never seeming to need
sleep.
“Teal’c, how’s Bray’tac
doing?” Sam asked keeping her tone light. Teal’c gave a small smile, “His
injuries were severe, but he is doing very well.”
“Good to hear,” Sam said
grinning at her longtime friend.
“So, what were you girls talking about?” Cam asked, ignoring their respective
eye rolls.
“Actually we were
discussing a movie,” Vala said, using another rather annoying habit of never
missing a beat in the conversation.
“Which one?” Cam asked,
seemingly determined to talk everyone’s ears off this morning, if it was
morning. They were never really sure.
“Ultraviolet,” Sam
answered taking another sip of her coffee.
“A nice mindless action
movie,” Vala said throwing a dangerous grin at Daniel. He ignored her and
concentrated on his plate of waffles. Cam rolled his eyes while Teal’c watched
the whole exchange with a raised eyebrow.
Daniel paused in his
single-minded inhalation of his waffles to glance at the two women he was
sitting next to and suddenly noticed something.
“Have either of you eaten
anything or were you just going to go through the Stargate and pass out on us?”
he asked surreptitiously winking at Cam and setting down his fork.
“Ummm,” they said then
turned and glanced at each other nervously.
“Women and their aversion
to food,” Cam grumbled with fake annoyance, then stood up and pulled Sam to her
feet by the arm to steer her towards the line of trays and assorted breakfasts.
She stammered a protest but it had no effect. Daniel stood and pulled Vala to
her feet and did the same.
“I do not have an aversion
to food,” Vala mumbled to herself more then anyone.
“No, you have an aversion
to anything that’s not sugar,” Daniel replied, laughing when she stuck her
tongue out at him like a two year old, her pigtails completing the picture
nicely.
“Daniel, why are these
called waffles?” Vala asked when they were all once again seated around the
table.
“It’s cause they come out of
a waffle iron,” Cam said answering for him.
“Why is it called a waffle
iron?” she asked stabbing the waffle on her plate with her fork.
“Vala, why do you ask the
questions that no one knows the answer to?” Daniel replied, his tone slightly
exasperated.
“Because they need
answering,” she replied finally deciding to eat the waffles instead of just
mutilating them on her plate.
“No they don’t,” Daniel
said trying to ignore her licking the maple syrup off her lips because he knew
she was doing it on purpose.
“Daniel, you’re the king
of un-asked questions. You can’t win,” Sam said, grinning at her surrogate
brother. She started to giggle uncontrollably when he flushed a slight pink
shade. Vala smiled one of her patented grins, knowing she’d won.
Cam stood up from their
table and said, “Gear up gang. Departure in three hours.” He held up three
fingers for effect then vanished out the commissary doors. Their manner once
again serious, the rest of SG1 stood and followed their leader.
* * * *
SG1 was just about to step
through the glowing Stargate when General Landry called for them to wait. They
turned and he smiled wryly. “Good luck people. Check in in six hours.”
Cam threw a fake salute.
“Will do so sir.” He stepped through the gate followed by Sam, Teal’c and
Daniel, then Vala going through her typical way. Backwards. The icy cold of the
event horizon washed over them and they came through the other side to a place
so different from any they had ever seen that all were momentarily speechless.
“Whoa. This was not on the
MALP!” Cam exclaimed stepping away from the now shut gate.
“Indeed.” Teal’c replied.
He already had his staff weapon held at the ready, his brows furrowed in
concentration. Daniel walked away from the group toward the large flat
horizontal stone that seemed to have engravings on its shiny black surface. The
crackle and hiss of flowing lave met their ears. Vala sauntered to the edge and
peered over, every muscle in her body taut. She moved with complete silence,
like a cat. Sam located the MALP and bent to examine it for reasons why it had
transmitted a dark forest since this was anything but, while they explored the
nearby area.
The rock they were on
seemed to be an isthemus into a pool of lava that stretched on one side as far
as the eye could see. On the other, more black rocks seemed to jut up from the
haze of heat and fumes that swirled below them. The sky was black and without stars.
The only light was a reddish glow from the molten rock below them.
Vala ran over to where
Daniel was kneeling and crouched to see what he was so enthused with.
“Well what did you find?
Any treasure?” she asked watching him run his fingers over the symbols that
meant nothing to her.
“No I don’t think so.” He
answered absentmindedly, still staring at the etchings with his mouth half open
like it always was when he was so enthused with something he began to forget about
certain necessary things, like eating, or sleeping.
Suddenly a low grating
roar shattered the air. Far out in the expanse of glowing rock, the lava began
to brighten, heave, and swell, waves rising and crashing over each other. A
ripple began to run towards them, the lava now glowing yellow. Daniel and Vala
flashed each other a look then began to run towards the others who were grouped
around the gate. Sam suddenly spun around in a panic. “Where’s the DHD?”
Just then the wave reached
the foot of their pillar of stone and crashed against it, throwing a pillar of
liquid fire and scalding heat. They threw themselves to the ground and covered
their faces, the molten rock missing them barely by some stroke of luck. They
raised their heads and saw through the smoke the lave heave up far out in the
lake till it seemed like it would touch space. A shape suddenly appeared out of
it as the lava poured back into its sea. It glowed orange, threw its head back
and roared.
PART 2: Run for Your Life
The beast shook its
massive head and roared again. As more lava streamed off its huge body its
shape became clearer; a brightly glowing body wit fins on the back that were
spiked dangerously, a four pronged mouth that it splayed open to roar, a shape
that was all to familiar to SG1.
“Is that…” Vala stammered.
“…A Goa’uld symbiote?”
Daniel finished eyes wide with shock. SG1 climbed back to their feet shakily
and stared at the monstrous shape they had all come to associate with pain.
Suddenly the massive head
swung towards them and blinked its eyes. They all froze. As if in slow motion,
the creature slid back down into the lava and began to ooze towards them at an
alarming speed, getting closer by the second.
“Uh… I say we run!” Cam
yelled, grabbing his weapon and starting to run towards the distant black
rocks. He could barely hear his team’s footfalls behind him but he knew they
were there. The monster roared again, much closer now. He ran faster, knowing
certain death awaited behind them inside the jaws of the beast.
* * * *
Cameron didn’t know how
long they’d been running. He couldn’t feel his legs anymore but somehow he kept
going, slower now. His team was spread out behind him, trembling with
exhaustion but still awake, alert, watchful. Sometime earlier the thing had
disappeared, sank back under the lava from whence it had come, but who knew
when it would come back. The black pillars of rock were still in the distance,
and it was still night. The black road stretched out in front of them, smooth
as if polished. Who had the power to build such a thing and would build it
here?
He continued to run,
praying that the rocks in the distance would provide some safety from the
beast, and that they could find a way out.
* * * *
Daniel knew they had been
running for hours, driven to the brink of the impossible by fear. The black
rocks loomed high above them now, so close. He couldn’t help but wonder why
someone so advanced would choose to reside in a place akin to hell. The others
seemed to be holding up as well as you could expect, exhausted but still moving.
Shapes began to become
visible, high, sharp spires towering above the rest, a tall structure akin to a
door. There was no cover, no way to sneak in un-noticed, and he really wasn’t
sure weather he wanted to or not. This entire planet troubled him in ways
beside the obvious. It was like a half-remembered nightmare, unreal but enough
to set you on edge for days. There was something wrong here besides what they
already knew and he couldn’t even begin to guess what.
* * * *
The doors seemed
deliberately set so that a potential enemy would have no way to find cover.
Teal’c felt less tired then the others seemed, perhaps because of the Trutonin.
Bray’tac had said this was the planet the creatures had come from but so far
they had found no signs of life other then the beast.
* * * *
As they inched closer a
scratching noise like sand filled the air. The giant doors began to slide
upward, opening seemingly by themselves. Weapons appeared in everyone’s hands,
held at the ready.
Suddenly they weren’t
alone.
Something they could
scarcely refer to as people appeared as if out of nowhere. No sound accompanied
them. They were silent.
They had two arms, and two
legs, but that was where the similarities ended. Their armor was fused with
their skin, as if it had been jammed underneath it and left there. The number
of eyes varied. Some had none at all. They were smeared with blood, their skin
was scared with old burns, and they wore nothing but a metal kilt.
SG1’s weapons wavered,
shock and horror fully setting in. One creature, appearing to be the leader,
grinned at SG1 and pointed a staff at them. The tip glowed red and sent out a
pulse. They never felt it hit.
* * * *
The first thing Sam noticed
was the pounding headache. The second thing was that it was hot. Really hot.
She forced herself to open her eyes and saw her teammates sprawled on the floor
of what appeared to be a prison cell. The dark rough walls seemed to be made of
stone and when she touched them they were so hot she yanked her hand away.
A soft moan cut through
the absolute silence. Sam turned to see Cameron clinging to his head and Daniel
blinking at the ceiling as if it held the secrets of time. Vala suddenly jerked
and moved as if to sit up but fell back to the floor. “Ow.”
“Everybody alright?”
Cameron asked, his arms draped over his eyes.
“I believe we are all well
Colonel Mitchell,” Teal’c answered calmly, not moving from his position on the
floor.
“Where in hellfire are we?”
Vala finally voiced the all-important question. Glances and shrugs were traded.
They finally figured nobody knew.
“So now what do we do?”
Cam asked, sitting up awkwardly.
“Now we wait and try not
to go nuts with boredom,” Vala said cheerfully. Perhaps too cheerfully.
“Of course. Not even five
minutes and your bored.” Daniel muttered, climbing slowly to his feet.
“Like your not, Daniel!” she snapped back, forcing herself up so they were
nose to nose.
“Well at least we get a show,”
Cameron murmured to Sam out of the corner of his mouth. She grinned despite the
dread of things to come.
* * * *
“How long overdue are they
Hank?” Jack asked somberly, his joking gone.
“Ten hours. No word, no
sign, no nothing. We can’t even dial the planet anymore.” Landry ran a hand
across his chin. “How did you get here so fast?”
“Hitched a ride on a UFO.”
Jack smiled but it didn’t reach his eyes.
“Right.”
“So there’s nothing we can
do.” Landry wasn’t sure he’d ever heard that tone from Jack before.
“Nothing,” he replied and
walked out of the gateroom, hoping SG1 would find their way back in one piece.
* * * *
Jack walked back into his
apartment and locked the door before he finally let his guard down. He’d beamed
back to D.C. to update the president on the situation. Still no word. Jack sat
down on the couch heavily and picked up a picture, tipping it so he could see
in the moonlight.
It was a picture of Sam
and him on their wedding day. Teal’c had taken enough photographs to fill an
entire album. They had their arms around each other’s waists. Jack was wearing
a comfortable pair of black slacks, a white shirt, and a blazer. Sam had on a
form-fitting dress that perfect color of blue that brought out her eyes. They
were smiling.
It had been one of those
rare perfect days. They’d had a (mostly) private ceremony, just witnessed by
the minister, SG1, General’s Hammond and Landry. Afterwards the generals had
had to leave, leaving the members of current and former SG1 to find something
to do. They did that.
A few bottles of champagne
and a couple games of poker later, Teal’c started snapping silly pictures of
everyone when they weren’t looking. After a while they gave up the fight for
the digital camera and posed.
It was a very full album.
They’d left after that. Daniel
was more then a little drunk and had to be helped out the door. Vala thought
this was the most hilarious thing she’d ever seen, but she couldn’t claim to be
sober either. None of them could except Teal’c.
It had been a great day.
Great night too.
He couldn’t lose her
again.
* * * *
They’d gotten tired of
listening to Daniel and Vala bicker after a while. Cameron suggested a game of
charades but it didn’t last long. Vala’d never heard of it, Teal’c didn’t see
the point, and the other three couldn’t quite remember the rules correctly. No
one could really shake the feeling that this wasn’t going to be your average
‘be captured and escape’ routine. They were sitting in a circle of silence on
the floor now, just listening.
They leapt to their feet
as the door began to grate open. It slammed into the wall suddenly, forced by a
slender pale human hand.
To
be continued…
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