Part III

I

The flight to Peru went without incident. Their packs didn't get lost, and customs refrained from giving them a hard time about their reason for the visit. Victor met them at the airport. They flew to the site in relative silence; the helicopter's noise made conversation impossible.

Open plains gave way to the beginnings of the jungle. Jim spent his time staring out the window onto the dense canopy beneath. Did it bring back memories, both good and bad? They'd had so many life-changing experiences in Peru. Jim had been stranded for months, living among the natives, which resulted in bringing his sentinel senses online. Blair had spent just as much time at digs, studying the native customs and hypothesizing about ancient cultures. After their partnership started, they'd returned twice to this region in order to save Simon and Daryl, then again when Alex Barnes, another sentinel, had stolen the nerve gas. Peru was in their blood, and this excursion seemed no different. Blair knew, could feel it in his bones, that something on this trip was going to change them. An involuntary shiver of dread went up his back, then the pyramids came into view and everything else was forgotten.

"Oh, man," he whispered in awe. The jungle plants had been cleared to reveal their majestic, towering forms. He took a deep breath, anticipation filled his body with the need to move and explore.

Victor turned around and gave him a thumbs-up sign. The helicopter started its descent. As soon as the engine was turned off, Blair jumped out and ran out, stopping to gaze with wonder at the larger of the two pyramids. "Oh, man," he repeated.

"It is something," Victor agreed, sliding up next to him. "When I first saw them, I couldn't do anything but stare. I was afraid to touch; that it would all crumble like a sandcastle. Come on, let me show you inside."

Blair eagerly followed his friend with Jim trailing leisurely behind them.

"This is the first pyramid. It's thirty-two feet from the ground to the highest point. The walls are smooth, made of rock and clay that was formed here in Peru. We can find no traces of Egyptian materials. However, the glyphs, at least those that can be read, are an exact match. Well, at least some of them are."

Blair walked over to the one side, which seemed to have been preserved the best. "I've never studied Egypt in depth, but isn't that the cartouche for Ra?"

"Yes. This is a prayer, asking that he not bring fire down upon the village. They offer tribute, although I don't understand exactly what they're offering. I've never seen those particular glyphs before. In fact, there is a record of this exact prayer found in another pyramid in Giza, but the offerings there were slaves."

They stood in silence staring at the ancient writings.

"There was a large pictograph here. But most of it has washed away."

"I can see part of a warrior carrying a spear," Blair pointed.

"That's pretty much what we're contending with--parts of stuff. It looks so hopeless. How can you solve a puzzle when more than half the pieces are missing and the ones that are present make no sense?"

"What about inside? You said the writings there are better preserved."

"Yes, there was an airtight door, which we destroyed to get in. It was unbelievably dry inside, almost as if silicate or some drying agent had been added to the foundation to help it withstand the elements."

They walked inside. Lanterns were hung from hooks spaced evenly apart, which cast the room in a soft glow. Here, most of the writing appeared intact.

"We've had the most luck transcribing these walls. The story is about a lesser god, who lived in the mountain, harnessing the fire within the mountains to mold weapons, shields and religious icons and fetishes. These people worshipped gods who were really brutal, half-animal and half-human and demanded blood sacrifices. The drawings we've found feature the snake, both aquatic and land loving, most prominently along with the black jaguar, and the caiman coming in a close third. The gods lived in the pyramids and the people lived in a village a little ways down the mountain in the valley. The people would come up the mountain to serve their god or gods."

"Is there anything left of the village?"

"Not really. The huts are totally gone; we can only find traces of the original buildings. Most of it buried under at least two millennia of decomposed vegetation."

Blair shook his head in disappointment. "In the pictures you sent me, I saw you had found quite a few artifacts. Are they from the village or the pyramids?"

"Mostly the pyramids, but Jenny's been at the village site gathering the pieces of broken pottery, and assembling them into jugs, vases, and even bowls up here under the shelter. We've also found the most outstanding metal works and tools, I've ever seen. Inside the pyramids, we've found hidden compartments with exquisitely crafted jewelry made from silver, copper, gold and another metal we can't define. Precious stones, like diamonds and emeralds are frequently used as eyes in their fetishes."

"What animals?"

"The snake mostly, although in several representations the snakes look different from any I've seen before. Jenny says they're eels, because they seem to have fins."

"Chief, I think we should take a break and set up our tent," Jim interrupted.

Blair had almost forgotten his presence; he was so absorbed in his surroundings.

"It's getting late," Jim added, "and we want to have our tent set up before dark."

"You're right," Victor agreed. "Let me show you the camp."

II

Daybreak and the jungle came alive with sounds. Bird calls, vied with the archeologists and they went about their business of breakfast and chores so they could begin work, wasting as little natural light as possible. Blair was eager to get up and dig alongside them.

Victor came to escort them to the dining tent, where oatmeal had been prepared over an open fire. The rain from the night had disappeared leaving a sparkling day. Jim didn't show any inclination to explore on his own, which made Blair feel better. He'd rather they stick together. If there were danger here, they would face it back-to-back or shoulder-to-shoulder.

"Before I take you down to the village, come into the artifact tent. Let me show you what we've uncovered so far," Victor offered. "Some of the stuff is really fascinating."

After they finished eating and Victor had spoken to a few of the other scientists, he led them to a large canvas tent, which had been reinforced with aluminum sides. The door was rolled open and several lanterns hung from hooks and were placed strategically on the tables. Each item had been tagged with a number and had cards describing attributes such as where they had been found, by whom and a putative use.

The first table had artifacts from the village. Pottery pieces with diagrams were sketched or painted on them. Blair studied them, one by one and found many that featured the black jaguar. An intact vase stood lonely with a snake with large malevolent eyes glaring out from its plane. A figure of a cat with snakes protruding from its head dominated a platter. Its mouth was open in either a hiss or growl, showing long, sharp fangs.

"Kind of remind me of the Lazón monolith in Chavin de Huantar," Blair commented. "This is just another similarity between the two cultures."

"The majority of the artifacts unearthed from the village are consistent with the Chavin heritage. Nothing is out of place or mysterious. Only in the pyramids are we finding things that don't belong."

Blair meandered to the second table. Here he found a collection of jewelry. Some were exquisite, made with meticulous care. Thin strands of gold and thick bands of silver were used with precious stones and colored ceramic beads. Necklaces, crowns, torques, bracelets, were numerous, but it was a different type that stood out. He remembered it from the photos Victor had sent him. It seemed to go around your wrist, but have connections down the back of the hand and wrap around the three larger fingers. A large stone rested in the palm that seemed to have no function. Blair picked it up, feeling the metal and the fancy artwork. For the first time an uncomfortable feeling came over him. The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end and he felt a definite relief when he set the object down again. Blair took a quick glance at Jim and found his eyes riveted to it.

"What do you think it is?" Blair asked Victor.

"My best guess is that it was used in religious ceremonies by the shaman or high priestess. We've found only three, two in the small pyramid and one in the other. While we were dusting off the wall to get a clearer picture of the glyphs, a small drawer opened revealing one of these nestled inside. It was wrapped in silk, definitely not something native to these regions."

"Jim, what do you think?" Blair asked his partner, wanting to know if he was getting bad vibes from it as well.

"An instrument of torture," he answered in a flat voice.

"What?!" Victor demanded, looking shocked. "How can you deduct something like that? I see no evidence--"

"Uh, sorry." Jim shook his head. "I don't know where that thought came from." But his look suggested that Jim had had a vision or a visit from his spirit guide. Maybe the sentinel spirits were endeavoring to keep them safe from whatever was threatening them here.

Blair went to the third and last table. Here were tablets and the collection of translations. However, in the center sat the canopic jar. The glyphs decorating the jar were unlike anything Blair had seen referenced. "Have you been able to translate any of it?"

"Hugh thinks this is one of many which house the primary organs of the lesser god they refer to in the pyramids."

"It would help if we knew what was in there. I have a portable X-ray unit coming in from Chicago, but it won't get here for another week. I don't want to send it home, since it might contain a key to another portion of the pyramid."

Blair made a motion to touch the jar, to turn it to get a better view of its opposite side, when he heard a wolf howl in the distance. He jerked his hand back, looking around. "Did ya hear that?" he asked swallowing thickly.

Victor raised his eyebrows. "Hear what? Someone calling you?"

Blair turned to Jim who gave him a nod. The Sentinel came closer and looked carefully at the jar. "Don't touch it again," he whispered directly to Blair.

"Don't want to, man." In an effort to get Victor's attention away from the canopic jar and away from the tent in general, Blair brought up his desire to see the village again.

Victor gave them a curious look, shrugged his shoulders, and muttered, "Whatever," in a disappointed tone.

Both Blair and Jim breathed easier once they had left the tent.

The next morning, before first light, Colonel O'Neill, Jacob Carter, Daniel Jackson and Malek made their way up the mountain to a waiting teltak. One teltak would take the two SG1 members and the two Tok'ra, down to Peru and drop them off five clicks or so from the dig. They would then have to hike the rest of the way. Once that portion of the mission was completed, the teltak would return, joined by a second one. Colleen and Major Carter would board one ship, so that when the Goa'uld artifacts were brought aboard, they could itemize them. Teal'c and Dr Fraiser would ride in the other ship. The symbiote would ring to that ship and Dr. Fraiser wanted to be on hand while they examined it.

Instead of taking one of the pilot seats, Malek let Colonel O'Neill have it, and took the seat beside Dr. Jackson. The archeologist was quiet, but this suited Malek. He had no wish to make idle conversation. His mind was preoccupied with thoughts of the possible symbiote and the ramifications it would have on the war. Since the Tok'ra council had promised to let the Tau'ri keep anything found at the site, Malek had been asked to join Colleen and Major Carter and peruse everything ringed aboard. They believed he would be needed in case they couldn't identify certain items. Selmak was told to stay with the symbiote, whether it was dead or alive.

As the teltak hovered above the canopy, the four used the rings and transported to the surface. O'Neill took stock of their surroundings, made sure they were all there, and began hiking. Malek didn't like the hot humidity, or the bugs. They were ferocious in their quest for blood. Several bites resulted in parasites swarming in his veins, which he promptly annihilated. Rain began to fall on them, which did not improve his opinion of Earth.

After two miles, O'Neill stopped. "Jacob, try and raise the teltak."

Jacob nodded and pulled out a Tok'ra communication device.

"This is Mazaran."

"Ask him if they've picked up the others." O'Neill told Jacob, then O'Neill took the receiver and asked himself.

Malek wanted to talk to Colleen but realized that it wasn't feasible. They had to keep moving.

"…Nope, no snakes, yet," Malek heard O'Neill comment in the background.

Was that slang for Goa'uld or was O'Neill referring to native beings? Curious, Malek had to ask, "There are snakes in this location?"

"Lots of different kinds," Daniel answered. "Most of them are relatives of the anaconda--constrictor types."

"Listen to Dr. Jackson, he'll be able to show you the ones to be careful of," Colleen told him.

"Do they live in the water?" Malek asked, wondering if they were related to symbiotes.

"No, in trees," O'Neill answered, before Daniel Jackson could speak. "They'll be hanging off branches, waiting for unsuspecting prey to walk beneath them. Then they'll drop on you, twisting around your body until you're suffocated. They like to eat their food whole."

Malek stared in disbelief. Jacob nodded silently affirming O'Neill's statement. As they continued hiking, Malek couldn't help but look up, half-hoping to see the creature.

"This way," Victor pointed to a steep decline down the side of the hill. "The pyramids were built on a flattened side of this small mountain. We've found evidence that suggest that the people built their homes at the bottom and walked up here to worship."

"So their god or gods lived in the pyramids?" Blair asked.

"Looks that way. About halfway down this path we found this thing that resembles a totem pole, but Jenny calls an oracle. It's really amazing. Wanna see it?" Victor asked excitedly.

Blair practically skipped down the hill eager to see this totem pole. Ancient South Americans believed that totems were an object or animal that the people felt they had descended from or were connected to. In his and Jim's case, it was their spirit animals, the wolf and the black jaguar. It was their symbol of power in the spirit world.

Oracles on the other hand were very different. They were evil beings who inhabited the center of the earth. Their reason for existing was to cause misfortunes. If a man fell and broke a leg, it was the oracle's work. If a storm hit and washed away the village, that too was attributed to the oracle. Most tribes had their shaman or mohane act as an intermediary between them. Sacrifices or gifts were needed to appease this evil god and turn his attention toward another.

"There it is," Victor pointed to a large stone over twenty feet high.

It was made of granite; so white it looked like marble. Some if it was carved, some painted. At the top was the eye of Ra. It was a perfect representation of those seen in Egypt. The cartouche was identical. Beneath was the cartouche of Hathor. Even Blair recognized that. Paintings of the two gods in bright colors decorated each side, but only for about the top five feet of the structure.

Coming out of the stone, winding their way around were a series of snakes. However, they looked like nothing Blair had ever seen before. The heads contained eyes that glittered in the sunlight.

"The eye sockets are inlaid with diamonds," Victor told them. "This particular snake seems to be extinct around here now, but back then, they must have been prevalent, because we've find them on a large number of artifacts."

Next to the head were fins. "Are they a species of eel?"

"Don't know," Victor responded with a shake of his head.

The body of each snake was a part of the stone but the head and eyes jutted out as if looking at the people at the base of the monolith. Further down from the circle of snakes were pictographs and diagrams that were more natural to the surroundings.

"I can recognize some of these lower representations. This drawing is of Ihuaivulu. He was a monster god of volcanoes. Tejeto was the god of fire. This is Telchak, wasn't he from Central America, like Honduras? What would the people down here be worshipping him? How would they even know about him?"

"Look here, Blair. I swear this is the Greek word for Hephaestus."

Both Jim and Blair stiffened. Simultaneously they remembered how Malek had first mentioned Ra and Hathor and both Egyptian gods were at the top. Now it also had Hephaestus at the bottom. "Does it say anything like Ra and Hathor banished Hephaestus--"

"How did you know?" Victor asked looking surprised. "This symbol right here looks like a mixture of Egyptian and Greek. Someone from the middle class, two thousand years ago might have written it. If you can accept that hypothesis, this symbol means prisoner."

Blair exhaled. "I can't believe it." He continued looking at the large stone oracle or totem. He couldn't garner any more clues, so decided he was done. "Can I see where you think the village was located?"

"Yeah, just a little more down the hill. I've got six anthropologists working on it now. I'll give you a grid and you can get to work."

"Thanks, man. This is going to be exciting. I can't wait to start." Blair ignored the grunt from his partner.

Jack led his team to within 100 feet of the site, before he pulled up for some reconnaissance. There had been no sign of a guard or lookout--which was good. From their vantage point further up the hill, they watched a bevy of scientist go about their business digging and brushing off pieces pulled from the ground.

"What do you think, Daniel?" Jack asked. "Anything out of place?"

"Doesn't appear so. Everyone has been split into groups, sharing a grid, excavating completely so they don't miss a spec. I don't see Dr. Jensen, though."

"How about the stasis jar? Can you see it?"

"No. I imagine Jensen has all the artifacts stored in that tent by the larger pyramid. It would make it easier for working at night cataloging them."

"There's no way we'll be able to tell if it's been opened until we get in."

"Unless we sense the Goa'uld," Malek added.

"Of course," Jack added. "We might as well just walk in. We can't do anything from up here on the hill."

They left their position and walked down a path that ultimately led into the camp.

Jack, side by side with Daniel, could feel the other man's uneasiness. "I thought you said you didn't know Dr. Jensen?"

"I don't, personally. But, the majority of the people on this dig are made up of students from Chicago. I don't know what their reaction to me is going to be. They may not connect the dots right away, but Jensen will and it'll probably make things a bit difficult."

"Go in strong, Daniel. You've faced countless Jaffa and your share of Goa'ulds. This isn't any different."

"Yeah, I know. Never let 'em see you sweat. It's easier when it's not in your own field. I want these people's respect, and resigned to not getting it, but that doesn't mean I don't wish it wasn't that way."

As they got closer, Jack noticed Daniel's back get straighter and his head was now held with confidence. Any pre-mission jitters were out of his system and he was ready to tackle anything.

III

Blair had just unearthed a fragment of a vase, when he felt Jim go into sentinel-mode. "What is it?"

"O'Neill's party is here. I hear four. Colonel O'Neill and Dr. Jackson, Malek and another man we haven't met."

Victor wasn't down in the village with them, having left hours earlier wanting to investigate the "interesting stuff."

"Come on, let's go see the fire-works, before they find out we're here," Jim urged.

Blair handed his pottery piece to the student in charge and motioned that they were returning to base-camp. Slowly Blair followed Jim up the hill, past the stone monument, until he held out his hand. Blair stopped abruptly. Through the trees they could see the exchange.

Daniel felt his palms sweat as they became noticed. A woman came up to greet them. "Hello, I'm Dr. Daniel Jackson. These are my associates--"

Her eyes went wide. "The Daniel Jackson? The one that worked with Dr. Jordan and Steven Raynor? Wow! I'm Jenny Madison. Are you here to give us some help on translations? I've heard that you're the best when it comes to translating Egyptian hieroglyphics."

Daniel flashed Jack a quick smile and turned back to the student. "Yes, and yes. These are my guides. Colonel Jack O'Neill navigated us through the jungle. Dr. Malek Godleisky is an expert on Egyptian text. The last is retired General Jacob Carter, who is a closet Egyptologist, and is the one bankrolling this mission."

"Hey, the more the merrier, I say. If you can give us any help, it would be much appreciated. There is just so much we don't understand or can't even begin to make out."

Daniel gave her a sincere smile, which precipitated one in response. "Let me show you around," she offered.

"Can we see inside the pyramids?" Daniel asked.

"No, the artifact tent," Malek interrupted. "We would like the see what you have discovered so far?"

Jenny looked from Daniel to Malek. "I guess the tent first," Daniel suggested with a feigned sigh. He didn't want her to guess just how eager they were to see everything.

The flap was open, so they all just walked in. Daniel noticed two students diligently recording their observations in a composition book. They handled each piece carefully with gloves, and set them down just as gently. Shards of pottery and stones of all sizes made up the majority of objects. Daniel's eyes became riveted upon the stasis jar. The seal was unbroken and he instinctively wanted to scream a warning not to touch the thing. He could feel his heart race with apprehension as his palms began to sweat. He didn't want to go anywhere near the thing.

"The power cell is still functional," Daniel heard Jacob whisper.

Victor Jensen was writing on a clipboard and talking to a student when his eyes lifted and noticed Daniel. "You know, I had a feeling you might show up. This is just the kind of situation that you'd twist and use for your own justification."

"Seeing Egyptian-style pyramids in Peru doesn't even make you wonder?" Daniel felt Jack elbow him in the ribs, but his eyes didn't leave Jensen.

"I don't take the easy way out," Jensen boasted. "You're right, I can't make sense out of what I'm finding, but I'm sure as hell not gonna take the easy way out and say aliens carried parts of Egypt to Peru. I want to know what really happened."

"I'd like to find the real story, too," Daniel appeared to acquiesce. "You don't mind if we look around."

Victor narrowed his eyes. "Why?"

"I'm just curious," Daniel replied. "Can you tell me what you've completed so far?"

"If you're such a great linguist, surely you don't need my meager help?"

Since Daniel read Goa'uld, he didn't need Victor's help. However the SGC did need to know how close to the truth the archeologists had come.

"I see you've noticed what we first thought resembled a canopic jar," Victor commented and he walked over to it. "You want a closer look?"

Daniel couldn't help but back up a few steps. "Ah, no thank you."

"I really wonder what's inside," Victor continued, as if baiting them to take a closer look. "I'm waiting for the portable X-Ray machine, but...." he let the rest of the sentence dangle.

Daniel took shallow breaths as Victor picked up the stasis jar and turned it around in his hand, looking at it from all angles. He tingled with the need to run away.

Jack plodded over to the other table and started picking up some of the stones. "Why are there so many snakes?" he asked, seemingly rhetorically.

"This culture worshipped them," Victor told him, still holding the jar.

"No accounting for taste," Jack commented as he set an artifact back on the table. "We've seen enough in here. I think we'll mosey on out and set up camp. That okay with you?" Jack asked, but didn't give Victor a chance to answer.

"Thank you for giving us permission to stay," Daniel added, endeavoring to be civil. "We'll try and stay out of your way."

Victor set the stasis jar down and walked over to the tent's opening. "I can't spare someone specific to keep watch over you, but I'll tell everyone to be on guard."

"Thanks, Dr. Jensen," Daniel replied with mock gratitude. "You can never be too safe."

Victor pointed them to where other tents had been set up, then went back inside to continue his work. In the center of the area was a fire circle with burned ash in the center and surrounded by thick logs. Numerous tents had already been set up around the fire circle's perimeter.

As they started to put up the two tents, Daniel noticed Malek quietly slip away and walk over to the pyramids. He didn't go inside, but appeared to be reading the partial glyphs still readable on the outside. At one point Malek stiffened and turned to look down the hill where the dense foliage had been kept at bay. He stared for a few minutes, and then walked over to where Jacob Carter was standing.

"You will be able to meet the one I mentioned to you previously." Malek eyed a path that headed down hill. "He is listening to us."

"Who?" Daniel asked, breaking in to their conversation.

Malek pointed to the brush. "It seems that Captain Plumber's relatives beat us here."

"What?!" Jack exploded, doing an about-face and headed in the direction Malek was pointing.

Daniel scrambled after him.

Jim couldn't believe his ears. "Chief, we've been made."

"What?"

"Malek noticed us hiding here, and told the others."

Blair gazed back up the hill and saw Colonel O'Neill heading their way.

"Come on," Jim urged. "Let's get this over with without your friend as witness."

"What in the hell are you two doing down here?" O'Neill barked.

Jim stiffened, knowing that he had to make this fight count. "This is an open dig and Blair was invited both by the dig coordinator and supervisor. We have every right to be here."

"I don't care about your permission from the head-honcho-guy, you knew this was going to be--"

"Right! Going to be, but as of now, isn't," Jim countered.

O'Neill closed his eyes, took a deep breath and tried again. "You knew this site was going to become classified."

"I did not. In fact, I haven't seen anything that would provoke the military's interest. We're staying. If you want our help, ask, but we're not leaving," Jim told him firmly.

Colonel O'Neill swore under his breath and turned to go back up the hill. Blair flashed a triumphant grin in Jim's direction then followed the colonel. Jim took a deep breath and walked sedately behind his partner.

Blair bounced ahead. " Hi Malek. Dr. Jackson. You wouldn't believe the cool things we've seen already."

Jim eyed the older man standing next to Malek.

"This is General Jacob Carter," O'Neill told him.

Jim's eyes widened. A general? The situation warranted the investigation by someone even higher than a colonel?

"So, what have you seen?" Daniel asked warily.

"There's a big standing stone down the hill," Jim volunteered, "mentioning Ra and Hathor, and some weird snakes with fins and--"

Jim saw O'Neill exchange a strange look with the general who in turn exchanged a look with Malek.

"Let's go, kids," O'Neill interrupted, then began shuffling them all down the path. When the stone came into sight, the newcomers let out a collective gasp.

"Holy Hannah!" was the general's comment.

"Holy, shit," Daniel exclaimed as he circled around it.

"Double shit." Even the colonel sounded shocked.

Only Malek didn't comment, but seemed to be reading the glyphs.

"I guess your hypothesis is correct, Malek," Daniel admitted as he too was reading. "It was Hathor that brought Hephaestus here."

Much to Jim's surprise, even General Carter seemed to understand what was written. "He set himself up a right little factory, churning out toys and trinkets for Ra."

O'Neill stood stoic in the background and let the others gather the information. Jim recognized it as a leader's stance. Interesting. A colonel leading an expedition that contained a higher ranking officer.

"What's down there?" O'Neill asked Jim.

"Remnants of a village."

"Anything out of place?"

"Sandburg finds it fascinating, but he says there's nothing of Egyptian origin."

O'Neill nodded. "While I'm sure you could spend the next six hours studying this piece of rock," he directed to his team, "we need to check the rest of the site out."

"These people loved Hephaestus, Jack. He was their savior, the one who came between them and Ra's wrath."

"So, we're talking good-cop, bad-cop? Hey, you make the fire and brimstone; I'll comfort them and make them work harder for you. Give me a break, Daniel. These people were slaves just like all the rest."

"I don't think so," Daniel argued, and Jim watched the man disregard his leader's opinion. "Ra was the bringer of fire, the one who wrought vengeance upon the population."

"Hephaestus took the brunt of Ra's anger, protecting his people," Malek explained, as if he was reading it directly from the stone. "The children were hidden in the mountain so Ra could not capture them…" he paused and looked up deep in thought. "This circumstance--"

"I'm sure we'll have time to talk about it tonight," O'Neill tried again to gather his team. "We need to look at the pyramids before dark."

When they arrived at the top of the path, Colonel O'Neill turned to Jim and Blair. "Thank you for all your help, but we'll take it from here. I'd prefer if Dr. Jensen doesn't know that we've met."

"Yeah, it might dry up your source of information," Jim commented sarcastically.

O'Neill added sincerely, "Thank you for not warning them. It could have made our arrival more difficult."

Jim nodded, accepting the accolade as due. He watched the four head toward the pyramids. They made such an incongruous set--an Air Force general, a colonel, an archeologist and an astrophysicist from the Canadian Air Force.

"Wonder why they need to see the pyramids before dark?" Blair asked absently. "It must be something specific, but--"

"It's classified," Jim finished for him.

"What's so classified about something that's been buried for millennia?"

"Shush, I want to listen." Jim and Blair had followed the four back to the camp. They walked sedately over to their tent where they had water and other snacks. He poured himself some water and took a package of crackers. Suddenly his head shot up.

"What is it?"

"As soon as they enter the pyramid, I couldn't hear them anymore. Whatever made those structures moisture-proof, also makes them soundproof."

They walked into the smaller pyramid, the one Daniel remembered had the rings and trade records. He turned to look at Jack and saw Malek running his hands along the wall perpendicular. "What's he doing?" Daniel asked Jacob

"Figuring out how to activate the rings," Jacob answered. "It would be much easier if we could find it now."

Jack walked over to him just seconds before Malek did the same. "There is a large deposit of naquadah below the surface here," Malek told them.

"I can feel it," Jacob agreed. "We need to be able to use the rings and go below the surface without the others seeing."

Jack grinned and laughed quietly. "The government would love to get their hands on a stockpile of the stuff."

"So would Sam," Jacob agreed. "I can just hear her plans."

"Yeah, so can I, and it's not a pretty sound," Jack added.

Malek went back to the wall and pointed to a large square split into four smaller squares. Inside each of the top two was the eye of Ra. The two bottom ones were circles. "The circles will activate the rings, one up and the other down. The symbol of Ra will release the catch for a ribbon hidden in this wall. We may have need of them later. The controls will activate unless you carry a symbiote."

They all stopped speaking as Dr. Jensen, Blair Sandburg and Jim Ellison entered the pyramid. "Have you read it all yet?" Victor sneered.

"Not all, no," Daniel responded, noticing the shocked expression Blair wore as he stared at Victor. "These appear to be Egyptian glyphs."

Victor rolled his eyes. "No, they are not Egyptian, just similar to Egyptian."

"Then how can you take into account the pyramid in Giza with these exact glyphs?" Daniel countered.

Blair walked over to one of the walls as if he hadn't seen it before. His hand caressed the wall, feeling the indentations and staring at the writing. "I think the real question is why there's a written language here at all?" he asked, looking at Victor.

Daniel looked triumphantly at Victor. At last, someone was stating the obvious.

"Well, there was no written language or even real numeration as we know it before the Spaniards arrived," Blair answered. "Yet, this is clearly a written language."

"Don't tell me you believe Dr. Jackson's theories, Blair?" he asked, sidestepping the real question.

Daniel shifted uneasily on his feet.

Blair shot a quick glance at Daniel and then focused his attention back on Victor. "I've never heard of him before. What are his theories?"

"This is Dr. Daniel Jackson--archeologist extraordinaire. Although the entire archeological community is laughing at him," Victor mocked.

Daniel didn't want this to go any further. "Does what I think really matter?" Daniel spoke in order to deflect the revelation. "What about this man's question? Do you have an answer for him?"

Victor smiled and continued talking as if Daniel hadn't spoken. "You see Blair, Dr. Jackson believes, has even written papers about, how Egyptian civilization arose in part to nonterrestrial influence. He believes that Egyptian hieroglyphs arose from an alien language." Victor laughed. "Isn't that ridiculous?"

Daniel gave an internal groan as Malek decided to come to his defense. "If Dr. Jackson is wrong, then how do you attribute what you see here? First you acknowledge that the people here had no written language and then you see evidence to a language common to Egypt."

"Don't tell me you think these aliens flew here in little space ships and taught the natives how to read and write?" Victor challenged.

"No, they didn't teach the natives, the aliens did the writing themselves," Malek responded.

"So, you believe in this garbage, too?"

Daniel found himself the uncomfortable recipient of Jim Ellison's stare. Here was one man who was able to put the pieces together and come up with the correct answer. Blair Sandburg was too involved in the discussion to think it through. Jack was shifting from foot to foot, acting nervous.

"I do," Malek replied. "I have read Dr. Jackson's papers and he makes a sound case. Of course unless we meet some aliens, we will never know."

Daniel groaned. What if Jensen found out he was talking to an honest-to-god alien? Daniel allowed himself a quick smile.

"Yes, well, that isn't likely, is it?" Victor taunted.

"No," Malek agreed. "After experiencing the primitive nature of humans they would have left here long ago and taken their 'little space ships' with them."

"Less advanced," Jack corrected, before announcing, "Well, I've seen enough of this pyramid. On to the next."

Daniel walked out of the pyramid trying to hide a wide smile. Jack followed behind glaring at anyone willing to look at him. "We can handle this on our own. We don't need your commentary," Jack told Victor as they left.

They entered the big pyramid and were struck anew by the floor to ceiling listing of gate addresses. The picture didn't do it justice. "There must be thousands here. A lot more than what we found on Abydos."

"Photograph this, Daniel. I want every address documented. Each of these was known to Ra, we may find more, uh, transplants," Jack added in case anyone was eavesdropping.

Eventually Daniel's eyes left the long list and glanced at the other walls. One of which had grabbed Malek's and Jacob's attention. Daniel barely suppressed a gasp as the Goa'uld symbol for Anubis jumped out at him.

Jacob gave a soft whistle. "Ra and Anubis were bitter enemies. He must have discovered this little operation and was the one who put Hephaestus into the jar. Although I'm surprised Anubis didn't make Hephaestus work for him. Unless there was something else going on."

"If Anubis had been here, he wouldn't have taken the time to tell his tale on the wall. He would have burned the place down," Jack put forth. "I also can't believe he'd waste his time putting Hephaestus into the jar in the first place."

As Daniel began to read, Malek paraphrased aloud. "Anubis came here looking for the sarcophagus left by the ancients. Hephaestus claimed not to know of it and allowed Anubis to search. In a rage, the system lord destroyed a third pyramid, saying he would be back in ten years. Hephaestus should contact him sooner if he gained possession of it and he would be rewarded handsomely for it. Ten years passed and Anubis did not return."

"So, who put him in the jar?"

"Jack," Daniel explained, "we'll have to get up close and personal with the stasis jar and read what the inscription says."

Jack backed up with an appalled look on his face. "I'm not getting that close. That's Malek or Jacob's job."

The Tok'ra nodded in agreement.

"But that's not what's important now," Jack snapped back into colonel-mode. "We need a plan."

"Come back in the middle of the night when we can search without interruptions," Daniel suggested.

"Can we thoroughly search both pyramids in one night?" Jack looked questioningly at each of them.

Daniel had no idea. "Depends on how much stuff is really hidden here. If they can't access it because of Goa'uld locking mechanisms, we have time to remove the jar to safety. However, if they plan to blast the walls, we'll need to move everything as soon as possible. Jensen won't give us a second chance."

"I'm not worried about Jensen. General Hammond can shut this place down, if need be."

"I can tell you that there is one hidden door in each of the pyramids," Malek informed them. "I assume both lead to a stairway underground, but it would not surprise me to find one to be a way into the heart of the mountain. The glyphs we have seen say Hephaestus has harnessed the fire within the mountain."

"Okay, then we'll take the jar in the middle of the night and ring it up to the teltak, then go after any Goa'uld toys we find until dawn."

IV

Dinner was a stiff occasion. The newcomers ate alone at their tent, while Victor, sitting next to Blair kept casting suspicious looks their way.

"I don't understand your animosity?" Blair asked his friend.

"It's not really animosity, but disappointment. He was really a brilliant scientist and linguist. To see him fall so low, to actually believe that aliens helped form the ancient Egyptian culture reeks of a cop-out. True, a lot of what he says on the surface sounds plausible, but he never dug any deeper."

"Are you afraid to believe him because it goes against popular belief? Everyone mocked Columbus because he didn't believe the world was flat. Innovative thinkers are often ridiculed by their peers. Are you so sure he's wrong?" Blair asked, earnestly.

"Do you believe him?" Victor countered.

"No, but it's given me food for thought. I haven't read any of his papers, but as soon as I get home I will."

"They're a bunch of bunk. Listen I don't want to talk about it anymore. Let Dr. Jackson and his friends look around all they want. They'll be gone soon enough and we can get back to real work."

Blair really wanted to talk more about it, but Victor was being pig-headed. The idea of alien influence in Egypt was too tantalizing to just ignore. It appealed to him to believe some benevolent species came and taught primitive humans about the stars, about medicine and about culture. What could those ancient aliens have been like? Did they look human? Act human? Were they worshipped as gods?

Malek separated from the others during their dinner so he could talk to Colleen.

"Malek, I've been so nervous, how are things going down there?"

"Your sister's husband and friend are here."

"You're kidding? Colonel O'Neill must be furious."

"He is not happy at the situation, but then he is rarely happy in my presence. We are now focused on removing the stasis jar. The plan is to ring it up tonight, after everyone has retired to bed."

"Wish I was down there with you. What're the pyramids like?"

"Much talk of trade, and there is a portion that describes a visit by Anubis. I believe it is related to an ancient artifact he was searching for, but unable to find. I will need to discuss this with other Tok'ra. They may know something."

It was difficult to talk to her with so many miles separating them and others listening in. He told her briefly of their altercations with Dr. Jensen before he heard footsteps behind him.

"I miss you. Goodbye," she whispered as he severed the connection.

The first time Blair was able to talk to Jim with any degree of privacy was after everyone separated to go to bed. Some were still by the fire circle telling ridiculous ghost stories. Blair had gotten into the spirit, spinning some over-the-top yarns that had everyone laughing hysterically. Even Jim cracked a smile.

Blair opened his bag and slid inside. Jim reclined on top of his, staring at the tent's ceiling. Blair turned off his flashlight. "What did you think of the pyramids?" Blair asked quietly, ever mindful of the way sounds carried at night.

"I don't understand why I can't hear anything from the inside. Didn't your friend say it was only made up of rocks and clay?"

"Yeah, but something was added to make it moisture-proof. Maybe the same thing also makes it sound-proof. Do you think Dr. Jackson really has reliable data, or evidence that proves there were aliens in ancient Egypt?"

"Dr. Jensen accused Daniel of believing in alien visitation, and he didn't deny it," Jim said, with a considering tone to his voice. "Then Malek supported him. If you consider how strange Malek is, with his heartbeat staying steady even while climbing a mountain and his own enhanced senses, not to mention his weak cover story, I don't know, I almost want to say that Malek is an alien, but even I know that's impossible."

"So why is an archeologist working with the Air Force?" Blair asked. "I mean, as soon as Malek saw my pictures he calls Colonel O'Neill and Dr. Jackson. Next thing we know they rush down here to check it out. What are they looking for?"

"I think it's the jar," Jim said assuredly. "It's the only thing that my senses tell me is dangerous."

"Were you able to sense anything from the jar, besides the fact it's dangerous? You know, did it have a smell?"

"No smell, but a very strange sound. Very high pitch, yet subtle. I can't even define it; it was just a buzzing in my ear."

Blair considered what would make such a noise. "Maybe there're some killer-bees from outer space in there," he joked, then yawned. "But do you really believe that Ra, Hathor and Hephaestus could have been aliens?"

"They came, they saw, they conquered." Jim slid into his own sleeping bag. "If you forget how strange it sounds, it does make sense. A few years ago, I didn't believe in ghosts. How much further is it to begin believing in ET?"

Blair laughed to himself. Extra-terrestrials? He just couldn't image little gray men with big eyes building the pyramids and carving glyphs in the stone. He yawned, then relaxed against his pillow of sweatshirts. His eyes closed and dreams of flying saucers filled his mind.

Jacob woke everyone just before one A.M. "It's been thirty minutes since I heard the last archeologist enter his tent. We're clear."

Jack and Daniel threw on their BDU's, while Malek must have slept in his clothes. Did the Tok'ra ever change outfits, Jack silently wondered?

Silently two sets of two crept from their tents.

Blair heard Jim unzip the front flap. "Where are you going?"

"The others are having a secret meeting. I want to hear what they're saying."

"I'll come with you. Wouldn't want you to zone in the jungle."

"They're not going into the jungle, but to the pyramids."

"You think they're doing some private searches?"

Jim paused, head tilted, obviously listening. "They're after the canopic jar."

Jack led his team toward the artifacts' tent. He used hand signals to space everyone and then instructed Jacob to enter first. The three humans from Earth carried P90s, however both Tok'ra had zats.

Jacob silently slipped inside the tent, with Malek close behind. Jack watched their backs, seeing nothing moving in the shadows. With one last signal, he and Daniel slipped inside.

A lantern flared into life. Victor Jensen held up the light, illuminating his own defensive stance directly in front of the stasis jar. The Stargate team stilled.

"I knew you were going to try and steal something. What are you after?"

"What's going on here?" The tent flap opened once more, and Jim Ellison and Blair Sandburg entered.

"Doesn't anyone ever sleep?" Jack asked with a frustrated sigh.

"They want the jar," Blair spoke, casting a nervous glance its way. "It's dangerous."

Jack stared at the anthropologist. How did he know that? Jack shifted uneasily on his feet. This was getting out of hand.

"Dangerous? How absurd," Jensen countered. "It probably contains old bones or a trinket or maybe a relic. The archeologist went over to the jar and picked it up. "You know, the only way to prove it one way or another is to just open it."

Jack and Daniel took an involuntary step backward, while Malek and Jacob stepped forward.

"I don't think that's a good idea," Daniel protested. "Why don't you wait until you can see what's really inside. Why take chances?"

"To prove you wrong. You used to be a great researcher until you began spouting those stupid theories about alien cultures influencing Egyptian mythology and writing. I'd love to be the one that definitively proves you wrong. Wait, maybe that's what this is? Is this the proof? Is that why you want it so bad?"

Jack saw both Jacob and Malek withdraw their zats. If they could stun Jensen, they could get the jar and get it out of the camp pronto. But could they zat him and recover the jar before it fell and broke?

For several seconds Victor stared at Daniel. Then with a rebellious look, Victor slowly twisted released the seal.

"Now, Jacob!" Jack commanded.

Victor's eyes left Daniel as he lifted the lid off and gazed triumphantly inside the jar.

Blair Sandburg screamed, "No!" and lunged for Jacob, knocking his arm causing the zat shot to go wide.

Victor's eyes lifted, locking rebelliously onto Jack. The symbiote leaped from the jar up to Victor's neck. It slid around to the back of his head and disappeared inside his body. His eyes widened in shock at the penetration, then they glowed as Goa'uld and human became one.

Malek grabbed and held Blair Sandburg as Jacob fired another blast, bringing the infected host to the ground. Sandburg tried to break free, but Malek warned, "Do not," as he kept a firm grasp on Blair.

From then on, everything seemed to happen at once. Jack pulled industrial-sized tie wraps from his pocket and quickly bound Jensen's legs and arms. The detective rushed to his partner's side trying to make Malek relinquish his hold, but Malek seemed oblivious, his focus totally on the slumped figure.

"You stupid idiot!" Colonel O'Neill exclaimed loudly, as he straightened. "Do you have any idea what you have just done?"

"Can the symbiote blend after getting zatted?" Daniel asked looking down on the fallen man.

"The host was zatted," Malek responded. "The symbiote is still fully awake and able to function."

"Symbiote?" Ellison demanded. "Was that the snake-thing that entered Dr. Jensen's neck?"

Malek finally looked at Blair with regret in his eyes. "Do you realize that your action has brought about the one thing we came to prevent?" Then he turned to Jim. "Yes. Jacob Carter was aiming for the symbiote. When his shot missed, it allowed the symbiote to take Dr. Jensen as host."

Jim and Blair exchanged bewildered looks.

"If you had been up-front with us from the beginning, we wouldn't have done whatever it was that we did wrong," Blair tried to defend himself.

Jack lost his temper as he rounded on Blair Sandburg. "If you hadn't been where you don't belong, it wouldn't have happened either," Jack told him face to face. "Why doesn't anything go easy?" he asked rhetorically, before barking," Daniel, make sure the tent flaps are closed." In agitation he began pacing, stopping once more in front of Blair Sandburg. "Why?" Jack's steely voice questioned him directly. "Why did you interfere?"

Blair shrunk several inches under the colonel's furious looks. "I thought the general was trying to kill Victor because he opened the jar," Blair tried to explain.

"Jacob was trying to save Dr. Jensen's life. You're the one who killed him." Jack retorted with disgusted carelessness.

"You don't know that," Malek inserted.

"Can you get that thing out and keep the host alive?" Jack asked, knowing full well that the symbiote had to be willing.

"I don't know," Malek responded. "It may turn out that this particular Goa'uld will not harm the host but truly blend with him."

"And that's a good thing?" Jack asked sarcastically. "Tell me Malek, can we meet your host or is he so lost within his own body that he can't be found again?"

Malek jumped back as if struck. His eyes burned in anger, and his body went rigid.

"Jack, that was uncalled for," Jacob Carter chastised. "Don't take your frustration out on your allies."

Jack rubbed his forehead with his palm. "I'm sorry Malek. I didn't mean it quite that way."

Suddenly, Victor regained consciousness, and all arguing came to a screeching halt. His eyes glowed with a white incandescence as he stared at each person in turn, ending at Blair. "I thank you, Blair Sandburg, for saving my life. By preventing the zat'n'kitel from connecting with my vulnerable body, you have allowed me the advantage of a new host. He is young and full of strength."

Jack groaned. The Goa'uld's arrogance was nauseating.

Victor heard the groan and turned to look at Jack. "Untie me!" he ordered.

"Sorry, no can do," Jack replied flippantly. "You're Goa'uld. That makes you the bad guy. In all the movies the bad guy is tied up so they don't hurt innocent people."

"What is this binding me?" he asked struggling against his restraints.

"Tie wraps, size extra large. Goa'uld tested and mother approved."

Victor's eyes narrowed, then focused first on Malek and then Jacob Carter. The general stepped forward, keeping the zat aimed at the bound man.

"Why do you let the Tau'ri speak for you? Are they not your slaves?"

Malek stepped up next to Jacob, in what looked like a united front. "No. We are in fact allies." Jack was surprised that wasn't any hesitation in Malek's voice, despite the fact he had just insulted him.

"Does Ra still rule this world?"

"Ah, sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but Ra is dead. Killed him myself, in fact." Jack admitted with a gloating smile. "Well, Daniel helped," he amended.

"Ra is really dead?"

"That's right," Jack replied, proudly. "We humans drove the Goa'uld off Earth thousands of years ago. We rule ourselves. We're not as primitive as you might believe."

Victor's face took on an expression that looked like a grimace, but must have been a smile. "What of Hathor?"

"Yep, she's dead too," Daniel answered. "She tried to take over the planet, but we stopped her."

"And Anubis?" the Goa'uld asked, actually sounding worried.

Jack filed that fact away in his mind for future consideration. "Unfortunately, he's one of the undead. First dead, then ascended, then alive again--sort of." Jack shrugged his shoulders. "But you don't have to worry, he's not on Earth."

Jack observed the Goa'uld bow his head, so reminiscent of Jacob turning into Selmak, but wasn't able to believe it was really going to be the host talking. No way he'd be fooled.

As Jensen looked up again, his eyes and voice had lost the cliché appearance. "Dr. Jackson, I am so ashamed at the way I have denigrated your intellect. You have been right all along, and the whole archeological community has been wrong. My god, I can't believe the things I'm finding out from this, ah, personality."

"Snake, Dr. Jensen," Jack burst out, wanting to insult the Goa'uld so he'd show his true colors. "You have a snake in your body. His mind has mixed with yours so that you can't tell--"

"Does it matter? The things that he is telling me. The way the world was in ancient times is nothing like what the scholars have believed. Spaceships and laser weapons. It is so much older and everything is due to alien influence."

Jack rolled his eyes, even Blair Sandburg should know it wasn't his friend talking.

The Goa'uld continued, pretending to be Dr. Jensen. "This god tells me about a round circular thing that can take me to other planets called a chaappa'ai. Do we have one of those?"

"You're not fooling us," Daniel spoke up, obviously having lost his patience. "You're still suppressing the host. Let us talk to the real Dr. Jensen."

"My host has no wish to speak. He does feel humiliated at his own stupidity and is shamed."

Jack heard the ring of truth and found himself believing the snake. It made sense that Jensen would be shamed, hell he should on his knees begging Daniel's forgiveness, Jack thought pettily.

"Well, Victor, if you don't speak and let us know you're still in there, it's going to be a long night," Daniel tried again.

Once more the head bowed. There was a long pause before his eyes opened and he looked at all of them standing around. "Yeah, Jackson. I'm really still here, but I can't say anything without him knowing about it first. Why didn't you warn me?" he cried.

Now they were getting somewhere. Yet Jack had to say he was surprised that the snake let Jensen speak.

"How are you doing?" Daniel asked, looking concerned.

"I really don't know. I'm getting flooded with images and feelings--I just can't process them all."

"Do you know what he wants?"

Victor bowed his head and the glowing eyes returned. Jack groaned again. Even though the Goa'uld would let Jensen speak, he wasn't going to give him any leeway to say something incriminating.

"I want to be left alone. I have a host and my home. All else is superfluous."

"Except that your host has his own life," Daniel explained.

"He has my life now. We have much to accomplish if we intend to keep this world free from other Goa'ulds. I do not intend to be made prisoner again." He shook his arms. "Untie me!" he commanded.

"What's your name?" Daniel asked.

"Ra gave me the name Hephaestus. I disliked that name. Here, I am Tejeto."

Jacob Carter stepped forward and began his own line of questioning. "When did you begin serving Ra?"

"Always," he answered. "I was a Horus guard for many years. I was sent to a planet to retrieve a gift for Hathor where many skilled artisans thrived and I became obsessed with the planet. When I matured within my Jaffa host, I returned to that world where I blended with a metallurgist, escaping detection for many years. This talent inspired me; more so than making war on a multitude of planets, or herding slaves in their duties."

"But Ra found you?"

"Hathor did." Victor's eyes took that white electrical look and his voice deepened, sounding synthetic. "They were incensed. Ra banished me to this unpopulated corner where I was first a prisoner. When I was able to show my usefulness, I was given ample supplies, but never allowed to leave."

"How were you imprisoned in the stasis jar?" Malek asked. "The pyramid tells of Anubis. What was he looking for?"

The glowing eyes stared at Malek, then at Jacob Carter. "Anubis was looking for something created by the ancients. I would not help him."

"Did you know the location of what he was looking for and refuse to tell him?" Daniel asked.

"Yes. And I will not tell you, either."

"To whom do you owe your allegiance?" Malek demanded to know, cutting through Daniel's questions. Jack hung back waiting to see how Tejeto would answer.

"With Ra dead, I owe no system lord my loyalty. I serve my own purpose."

"And that is?" Jack couldn't help but interject.

"To create. I have many projects that I wish to continue." His eyes turned sly as he glanced from Malek to Jacob. "What system lord are you loyal to?"

Jack was affronted. "None. I told you, we drove the Goa'ulds off thousands of years ago."

"Yet, you have two standing before me. Do you deny you are gods?" he asked, staring at Malek and Jacob.

They exchanged glances and after a barely perceptible nod from Jacob, Malek spoke. "We do. We are allies of the Tau'ri; we do not require their worship."

"Good thing, too," Jack responded under his breath.

Malek continued. "We are Tok'ra," he stated simply.

Tejeto's eyes widened and then he began to laugh. "You have allied yourself with Egeria's spawn?" He didn't expect an answer since he just kept laughing.

"What's so funny?" Jack asked, looking first at the Tok'ra and then at Daniel, finally remembering Jim Ellison and Blair Sandburg. "Oh shit," he muttered to himself.

"Egeria betrayed Ra and used many human slaves in her fight," Tejeto taunted, "since she wouldn't endanger her Jaffa children in a war for land. I do admit that she treated her Jaffa better than any other system lord, but she wanted Earth and she used many unblended humans against Ra's forces in an effort to obtain it."

Jack was shocked. He looked at Jacob and then Malek and read the surprise on their face as well.

"You don't believe him, Jack?" Daniel asked, with a warning tone to his voice.

Jack looked back at Tejeto's gleeful face. "I believe some of the things he says, like Egeria wanted Earth. The rest is just too convenient."

"Then you are a fool. The Tok'ra will use you to rid themselves of the competition. Then they will demand your obedience. You work towards your own demise."

"I think you're laying it on a bit thick," Jack told him with disdain, but inside he wasn't sure if it was true or not. However, he didn't believe the Tok'ra wished to rule Earth. A sound behind him reminded Jack about Ellison and Sandburg. Forcing them to leave wouldn't work. They'd already demonstrated the ability to butt-in where they didn't belong and he couldn't afford to have someone watch them. He needed everyone to keep Tejeto contained.

"Jack?" Daniel spoke up. "It's getting past three. We really need to gather all the Goa'uld stuff and ring it out of here."

Tejeto straightened up at the word "ring."

"So, where's your toy box, or work bench?" Jack asked.

"In the pyramids. If you cut me loose, I can show you."

"Tell us!" Jack demanded, knowing that Tejeto was using this as his bargaining tool.

"No," he responded definitively. "I will not give you access to my possessions while you treat me thusly. I demand my freedom, or you will all pay when I achieve it on my own."

"You're not in any position to offer threats. I say, let's get rid of him and investigate the pyramids by ourselves." Jack folded his arms across his chest, not sure if he was really serious or trying to bluff. He really did want to get rid of this Goa'uld. Just the thought of him on Earth, anxious to start making Goa'uld weapons, was giving him chills.

"Do you still use teltaks?" Tejeto asked. "I have six cloaking mechanisms hidden within my chambers. You will never find them without my help. Untie me and I will show you what's in my," he paused then added slyly, "toy box."

Jack considered his options while staring at the Goa'uld. He had to make a decision because as Daniel had pointed out, time was a-wasting. "Do you think you can guard him adequately?" he asked Malek and Jacob Carter.

"Excellent idea," Tejeto responded. "I cannot overpower two other Goa'ulds. Let them guard me, and then I will show you my home."

Jack didn't like this option, but it seemed his hands were just as tied as his prisoner. He had to get the alien artifacts off Earth and having Tejeto's help might make it go faster. "How long has it been since the last zat?" he asked Malek and Jacob.

Jacob Carter answered. "Over an hour."

"If he gets it again, will it kill him?"

"Doubtful."

"Are you a gambling man, Dr. Jensen? Tejeto?"

"I am not. You will not need to kill me for I have no need to escape." He looked at Malek, then Jacob Cater. "You already have Goa'ulds as allies, what is one more?"

"This goes against every grain in my body, but go ahead Malek, and cut the binds on his legs."

Everyone held their breath as Malek used a knife to cut the tie wraps. Tejeto stood and took cautious steps forward. His hands felt his head and his face. "Am I pretty?" he asked.

"Would you like a mirror?" Jack asked sarcastically.

"Yes. I would." There was a strange note to his voice. It wasn't arrogant as before, but one of wonder and hope.

Everyone looked at each other. "Does anyone have one?" Jack asked impatiently.

"I might have mirrored sunglasses," Sandburg suggested.

"May I use them, Blair?" Victor asked, and it really sounded like the archeologist.

"Sure, let me go get them."

"Go with him Malek," Jack ordered. "I don't want anyone alone--just in case Tejeto isn't the only one around."

As the two left the artifact's tent, Jack turned to Ellison. "Don't suppose I can talk you both into returning to your tents and forget everything you've seen?"

"Forget?" Ellison questioned. "You've got to be kidding. I've just learned that not only did aliens affect ancient cultures, but the Air Force is dealing with them right now under the public's nose."

"Can you imagine the whoopla if it did get out?" Jack countered, realizing that these men would have to be taken into custody and brought back to the SGC to sign non-disclosure papers. He couldn't let them go.

Sandburg and Malek slipped through the tent flap and handed Tejeto the sunglasses.

Jack couldn't help whispering, but not all that quietly, "Mirror, mirror on the wall, who's the fairest one of all?"

Tejeto gave Jack a condescending glance, with no repentance. "Ra only allowed me crippled hosts. He believed that the uglier I was, the more revolted the Tau'ri would be of my form and the less likely they would be to help me escape."

"The clock is ticking, can we go now?" Jack asked impatiently. He really didn't care about the Goa'uld's cosmetic problems. "Last chance Detective Ellison, Mr. Sandburg. Things are going to get more involved than you have a right to see. We're going to have to bring you back to the base when this is all over, and the less you know the better. I suggest you head back to your tents and we'll talk to you tomorrow morning."

"No way, man. I'm not going anywhere. My friend has just been taken over by an evil alien and I'm about--"

"He's not evil, Blair, just focused," Victor Jensen interrupted. "You really need to see all the stuff he's got buried in the pyramid. It's gonna knock your socks off. You want to know how cultures worked, well, enter Tejeto's world and really see some history."

That actually sounded like the host speaking. Jack was starting to get the awful feeling that Jensen was beginning to like being a Goa'uld.

"You may need help controlling him," Ellison pointed out. "I can hold a gun on him as well as the next person."

"Yeah, but will you pull the trigger on your friend's friend? The Goa'uld are sneaky and play upon your weaknesses." Jack meant every word.

"If we stay together, the group will remain stronger," Ellison insisted.

Jack clenched his fists and groaned.

"Jim and Blair can accompany Daniel and carry the artifacts to the rings," Malek suggested. "That way, three can stay and guard Tejeto."

Jack had to agree it made sense. Morning was coming soon and they still hadn't removed any of the artifacts. Jack sighed dramatically. "Alright, but keep your hands to yourself and no interfering with anything," he told the two Cascade detectives. He hoped that once they'd ringed up the alien artifacts, Hammond would send another SG team in to obtain the required signatures on non-disclosure statements.

Malek and Jacob flanked the new Goa'uld, and escorted him out of the tent and into the smaller of the pyramids. Each of them carried a powerful flashlight, which did a good job of lighting up their feet, but not much else. Tejeto made a noise, which prompted Malek and Jacob to head toward one of the walls. Malek reached out and depressed a glyph. Instantly a wall moved, and another room became visible. They walked inside. Malek withdrew a colored stone from his pocket and set it into one of the walls. Instantly it began to glow and the room became illuminated.

"The two pyramids are connected," Tejeto told them. "There was a third, but Anubis destroyed it when he came, however the underground chambers should still be undamaged."

"How many rooms do you have?" Daniel asked, staring at the glyphs decorating the walls.

"At least fifty. This was my home for four hundred years. I kept adding rooms to accommodate my projects."

"Four hundred?" Daniel asked. "Did you have a sarcophagus?"

"Of course," Tejeto responded as if everyone had one.

Area 51 was going to have a field day with all the technology they were bringing them. "What about the weapons?" Jack asked. "Where do you keep those?" This was what really interested him.

"Inside. We need to traverse many tunnels." Tejeto smiled. "And the cloaking devices are resting in safety as well." They went to the left and another glyph was depressed revealing a stairway heading down.

"Lead on, McDuff," Jack urged, letting the two snakes descend first.

V

Malek knew that O'Neill didn't trust or believe Tejeto; he didn't either. On the surface, Malek thought Tejeto was telling the truth. He did want freedom. There was definitely no love lost between him and the system lords, past or present. There was however a possibility he was leading them all into a trap. Tejeto knew these passages well and he could have hidden weapons or traps that could be used against them. Malek had to stay alert and prevent that from happening.

"Do you not find it odd that Tejeto is letting Dr. Jensen have control of the body?" Shan asked as they descended the stone steps.

Malek had noticed. Daniel Jackson and Blair Sandburg were listening with intellectual rapture as Jensen described Tejeto's life several thousand years ago. "He is waiting for the opportunity for escape."

"Possibly. Or he is probing the host's mind for information."

"It will do him little good, since Dr. Jensen does not know of Stargate Command."

"But," Shan reminded, "he will know that Dr. Jackson has useful knowledge he has not told Dr. Jensen. It will place him in danger. We must keep careful watch that he is does not come within close proximity of Dr. Jackson."

"Jack, I want to stay and study what's written on the walls," Daniel asked as they meandered down a hall leading into a room. "I know we have the gate addresses, but there is so much more about ancient South American cultures that I'd like to research. Some is due to Goa'uld influence, but I want to know where they intersect."

"This will work to our benefit," Shan remarked with relief.

"We'll have to check it out with Hammond, first."

"With Blair Sandburg's expertise on ancient South American cultures, he could help me out and I can make sure he signs those pesky nondisclosure documents Hammond will insist on."

"Sounds like a plan," Colonel O'Neill agreed. "You do realize we'll have to send in the Marines to secure the site? There's no way we'll be able to remove everything."

"SG 3 and 5 will be a help," Daniel admitted. "It'll leave me more time to decipher the walls."

Dr. Jensen made an abrupt turn and entered a room. Malek added another crystal into the wall providing illumination. He only had six, and hoped they would be enough.

"In here is where he kept the half-finished projects." Victor pointed out a portion of the room recessed in darkness.

They walked over and Jack gave a whistle of appreciation. "Carter would love to get her hands on some of this stuff."

Malek agreed with the sentiment. The Tok'ra scientists would also like to investigate what this room contained. He pulled out the communication device and contacted Jalen. "We have entered the underground region beneath the pyramids and are locating the weapons and resources. Stand by to ring them up."

Victor abruptly turned around; his voice lowered into the Goa'uld octaves. "You have a ship in orbit?"

Without looking at O'Neill, Malek answered. "We intend to take you off Earth and bring you to a Tok'ra base. There the council will decide what is to be done with you."

"And my belongings?"

"In another ship. Those too will be transported to where ever we choose to take you."

Tejeto's eyes glowed in anger but said nothing further.

"Let him chose some things to take with him. It will give him a sense of security," Shan suggested.

When Malek deemed the Goa'uld had himself under control, he began taking stock of what was in the room. "We will leave this for now. Is there anything in this room you wish to remain in your possession?" he asked, thinking that Shan had a valid point.

"My tools. These are merely experiments that I had not perfected. However, my tools will enable me to continue some of my work in the Tok'ra prison. I assume you will grant me the same courtesy as Ra?" he asked, dripping sarcasm.

Malek ignored the tone. "Tell Jacob Carter where they are located and he will retrieve them."

Tejeto withdrew and Dr. Jensen seemed to come forward once more. "Tejeto says they are in that wall over there. Push the glyph with the six squiggly lines and a drawer will pop out."

Jim Ellison with Daniel and Blair Sandburg's help lifted a big box from the drawer and carted it up the stairs to the ring platform. The next hour was spent with Victor showing them where the important items were located with the others carrying them to the rings. Twice shipments were transported up to one of the teltaks. Each time, Malek believed Tejeto became more frustrated, although his face revealed nothing.

As they worked, it became obvious that they would not be able to remove everything in just the few hours they had left. Malek glanced at O'Neill and saw that he had come to the same conclusion.

"Daniel, we're gonna have to make this the last run. We've barely scratched the surface. I'll contact Hammond and get the other teams in here." He turned to Tejeto, "Show us where the cloaking mechanisms are, then we'll ring you up," O'Neill instructed.

Malek knew that they'd have to be very alert since if Tejeto was going to try and escape, this would be the time.

With a disgruntled snort of disgust, the Goa'uld led them from the room they were working in to another. This room was sealed and when the locking mechanism was released, a cloud of dirt blew up. Daniel sneezed. Malek kept a firm grip on Tejeto's arm, but he made no move to break free.

Jacob went over to a large table and began sifting through the debris. "Interesting. I think Sam and I can get this working."

Malek wanted to take a look, but he stayed next to Tejeto, watching his every move carefully.

O'Neill shifted his P90, and stretched his neck. "Let's get this stuff to the rings," O'Neill instructed.

Ellison immediately went over to the pile of crystals and mechanical parts, and perused it from all angles. "How do you think we should carry it?"

There were too many pieces to carry individually. Malek palmed a glyph and a panel slid along the wall revealing a hidden cupboard.

Blair came up and looked over his shoulder. "How'd you know that was there?"

"The room is full of compartments such as this. Most pyramids are constructed alike. I saw no reason why it should be different here." Malek pulled out a large box that resembled an Earth trunk. Blair gasped at the inlaid jewels and beautiful script decorating it.

"Goa'ulds prefer to have beautiful things around them," Malek explained. "Less is inferior."

"Goulds are people like Tejeto," Blair asked, giving Malek an openly curious look. "They have that thing that jumped from the canopic jar, right?"

"A Goa'uld is the snake that jumped out of the jar," O'Neill told him bluntly. "It was the thing we were trying to stun when you interfered."

Malek did not want Blair Sandburg to get the wrong definition. "Goa'uld is the name of a species that live as a parasite in a human body. When they take over a host, the entire personality of the body is made up of the parasite's mind, so that the new being is considered a Goa'uld. The Tok'ra are different. The host's mind and personality remain, blending the two souls in one body, thus we are not Goa'uld. Come, we need to get this ringed up to the ship before Tejeto finishes with O'Neill and Daniel."

"Yeah, like he said," O'Neill added, although he still sounded disparaging.

Malek intercepted a curious look between Jim Ellison and his friend, as the two detectives helped Malek gather the parts and put them in a box he had pulled out. Daniel Jackson was busy trying to open more drawers.

"Careful Malek," Shan warned silently. "Tejeto's eyes are darting from person to person gauging weaknesses. He is getting ready to make a move."

Malek tried to turn his body so that Tejeto remained in sight. When the two detectives and Daniel Jackson tried to lift the box, they found it was too heavy.

"Malek, help them out," O'Neill instructed.

"This is not a good idea," Shan told Malek.

"We must rely on Selmak. He cannot leave if we control the rings," Malek countered.

As they climbed the stairs, Blair complained that Malek wasn't even breathing heavy. "How can you do it, man?" He huffed a bit. "I mean my legs are killing me, yet you're taking most of the weight, and you look like it's not even bothering you."

"Let me talk to him," Shan requested. Malek nodded, relinquishing control.

"It is because of my symbiote," Shan answered him. "Malek handles the body's metabolism so that all energy is directed to where it is needed most. That is why my senses are superior to the Tau'ri. However, it does not explain why yours are." He looked at Ellison who stiffened and stopped dead on the stairs. Neither Shan nor Malek expected an answer.

Amidst grunts and groans, they made it to the ring platform. Blair stared at the floor, obviously trying to figure out how it worked. Jim went over to the top of the stairs and stared down. Malek depressed the button and the rings began to slide up out of the floor.

"This is so cool," Blair exclaimed, looking awed.

Malek was going to explain, when suddenly Jim Ellison pivoted, looking back at them. "There's trouble!" he shouted.

Malek barely had time to react when Tejeto burst out of the stairway, pushing Ellison into the wall as if he weighed nothing. Running toward the rings, Tejeto grabbed Blair Sandburg around the waist and the Goa'uld pulled the two of them over the rings as they rose. Malek saw Tejeto's intent and also jumped onto the platform. The rings finished their ascent and the three plus the cloaking devices were transported upward onto a teltak.

Blair felt Victor grab him and next he saw blinding light. When the light cleared, he was on his butt, with a gun pointed at his head by his friend who had turned into an alien. Malek was in the process of standing, when Tejeto spoke.

"You are fond of this human. Do not force me to kill him."

Blair saw three women who had the strange guns, like the one the general had used, pointing at them. One he recognized easily, it was Carolyn's sister, Colleen Plumber. The other two were strangers. The gun pressed harder into his head as a door opened and a man entered also carrying a gun. It was four of them against Tejeto. Blair didn't think the odds were too bad, except that the gun was pointing at him; he'd be the first to die in this Mexican standoff.

Tejeto eyed the man. "Put the zat'n'kitel down. I will not harm this human unless you force me to."

The man lowered his alien gun. "We will not let you join with the system lords. We will gladly give our lives to prevent that action."

Blair saw Malek scoot off the ring platform, while Tejeto was occupied with the other man.

"You two are Goa'uld like this one with me?" he carelessly pointed to Malek

"We are Tok'ra. You are Goa'uld."

"Yeah, whatever," he responded, sounding so much like Victor, that Blair stiffened. "Please move away from the console. I wish to enter the coordinates for our trip's destination."

"We're not letting you go anywhere," the blond woman spoke.

"You emit echoes of a symbiote, but it is no longer in your body."

"She died saving my life," the woman returned

"How noble," he sneered. "I trust no Goa'uld. Power is the only thing we respect, and I have it while I hold a gun to this human's head. You care about him and I will use that fact to get what I want. Move away from the console and let me enter the coordinates. If you do not move, I will shoot, aiming for the one who used to be Goa'uld, then the one at my feet."

He dragged Blair to a large chair and threw him into it. The two women reluctantly backed up allowing them room. Tejeto began reassembling glass shapes, causing them to light up. Suddenly the floor lurched and Blair realized that they were on an airplane. Tejeto turned back toward Malek, who had circled and was now standing a little in front of Colleen. Blair tore his eyes off the two figures and gasped as he looked out the big window. He hadn't even noticed it before. The window showed stars moving past them--fast. They weren't on an airplane; they were on a spaceship and flying rapidly away from Earth.

Blair turned his attention back to the others in the ship, not wanting to think about the miles growing between him and his sentinel. Malek was still standing with his back against Colleen, in a guarding stance, who was leaning against the side of the ship. The blond woman had placed herself next to Malek and she was talking quietly to Colleen. The other two were still next the console and talking in a different language.

"As long as you do not try to disarm me, or hinder my plans, Blair will not be harmed," Tejeto warned. "Once I reach my planet, I will land, remove my belongings and you will be free to leave. The coordinates are locked; do not attempt to change them. I have also disabled the communications."

Blair didn't know what to think. He was on a space ship, heading for another planet as Victor's hostage. The whole thing was surreal. "Why me?" Blair asked, feeling very alone.

Victor looked at him and Blair felt shivers run up his back. This was not Victor--it was Tejeto. "Because I wish it." Tejeto turned to the others, "Understand?"

They all made some kind of sign to say they agreed. Satisfied, Tejeto pulled Blair away from the others and walked toward the back of the ship. The wall moved and yielded another room, the same one the other man had come out of before. It was filled with the artifacts from the pyramids in Peru. Blair was thrust into another chair. The door closed and Tejeto pressed something that appeared to lock the door. The two of them were alone.

Tejeto looked at Blair. "Stay put," he commanded. Then he walked over and pulled the box containing his tools away from the other things. He lifted the lid and removed articles one at a time and studied them. All were shaped from some type of metal and had large colored crystals embedded.

Blair swallowed thickly and Jim's agonized face filled his thoughts. What was Jim doing? How was he handling his guide's disappearance? Where would he even begin to search? Space was really big.

Jim pounded his fist into the wall and screamed, "No!" in agony. He didn't know where Sandburg had disappeared to, and he didn't know how to start looking for him. Suddenly the others came busting up the stairs.

General Carter pulled out some kind of radio. "What happened up there?" he barked into it.

"This is Sina. The other teltak has just entered hyperspace. Do I follow?"

Jim saw the general and the colonel exchange a silent look.

"We're ringing up," General Carter told her.

General Carter moved to the central part of the room and turned to Colonel O'Neill who was now looking at Daniel Jackson. Jim confidently walked and stood next to the general. They weren't leaving without him.

"Jack," Daniel interrupted. "I think it's important that I stay. There may be a clue as to where Tejeto is heading somewhere in these pyramids. You may not be able to follow their trail, with them having such a head start."

Jim could see O'Neill wrestling with the decision. "You're not leaving me behind with Dr. Jackson," Jim was quick to insert. "My partner is lost and I won't rest until I find him."

O'Neill took a deep breath. "Damn," he said half to himself, then turned to Daniel. "Okay, you stay and let the general know what happened. We're ringing to the other teltak and we'll try to follow."

"Sure, Jack. Find them," Daniel responded with a catch in his voice.

Then the huge rings lifted out of the ground once again, engulfing all three, and Jim's eyes were flooded with white light. He was blind. The pain was excruciating. His legs buckled and he felt himself fall to the floor, but how could there be a floor if they weren't in the pyramid anymore. Then there was merciful darkness.

Colleen watched the door close on Tejeto and Blair Sandburg. What a mess! Colonel O'Neill must be shitting bullets about now. Malek grasped her hand and gave it squeeze. She smiled at him, but his attention was on the console.

"Where are we headed?" he asked Jalen.

She gave him the coordinates. Colleen saw Malek stiffen and turn to her. "Is there any way you can contact your planet with your communication device?"

"We're out of range. It works on the planet, but not in open space. Do you know where we're headed?"

"Chavinde," he replied. "I saw a connection on the oracle, but didn't mention it to Daniel Jackson. That was a mistake. Tejeto is very insistent on going home. The Chavin were positive that the Goa'uld--"

"He's supposed to be a good guy," Colleen interrupted. "Well Tejeto doesn't act like a good guy to me."

"His current actions are contradictory," Malek admitted.

Jack looked over again at the fallen detective. Doc Fraiser was stumped as to why he had collapsed.

Suddenly the detective jerked upright and threw himself forward. "Sandburg!"

Jack held his shoulders, not letting him rise. "Easy there. Nothing you can do now."

Still not quite with-it, he responded, "I can't just sit here, I have to search, to--"

"You can't go anywhere," Jack told him harshly. "Unless you intend to walk in space, and I can guarantee we can fly faster than you can walk."

That got his attention. "Space? Fly?" he asked, then looked out the window. "Oh," he said stunned. He breathed deeply and let his body grow limp.

Jack saw him close his eyes, yet something told him it wasn't in defeat, but something else. He turned to Sina, who was flying the ship. Teal'c sat at her right doing little but watching the stars stream by. "So, where are we headed?" Jack asked, since it didn't look like they had any kind of trail to follow.

"The Tok'ra have a base set up close to Earth," Sina responded. "We will go there and see if other operatives have contacted them with news of the other teltak."

As Jack didn't have a better suggestion, he let the matter drop. Flying randomly in space wouldn't get them any closer to finding the others.

Daniel felt his shoulders slump as the rest of his team departed from the pyramid. Now he was alone with a bunch of archeologists from whom he had to keep his real mission a secret. How was he going to explain Jensen's disappearance, not mention Jack's and the rest of them?

He peeked out of the door of the pyramid and noticed that the sun was beginning to rise. Night was almost over. The first order of business was to notify the SGC of what had just occurred. Jack had given him the radio.

"Hello, General Hammond?"

"Dr. Jackson, what's happened? Where's Colonel O'Neill?"

"We had a bit of a problem." He went on to describe how the Goa'uld had escaped and claimed Victor Jensen as host and then how he had escaped. "There's still a number of Goa'uld artifacts here. We have to close the dig. Could you send some more teams down here? I could really use the help. I'm going back down in the pyramid and try to figure out where Tejeto is going."

"Okay. I'll have SG3 and 5 down there ASAP. Hang in there."

Daniel turned off the radio, grabbed his coat off the ground and went back to the stairs. Going through the doorway, he activated the close mechanism and shut himself off from the rest of the scientists. The Tok'ra glow balls or whatever, were still functional, plus he had his own flashlight still in his pocket. It was time to get to work.

SG3 and 5 would know how to contact him when they arrived.

VI

"Blair, I have a confession to make."

Blair looked down at Victor who was sitting cross-legged on the floor gazing up at him half-apologetically, and half- expectant. The person sitting there looked and seemed so much like Victor that Blair had to tell himself it was only a ruse. "Yeah?" he questioned hesitantly.

"I'm the one who talked Tejeto into bringing you with us. Once I found out where we were going, I just had to share it with you, but I knew the others wouldn't understand."

"You talked Tejeto into bringing me? He seemed pretty happy to be using me to keep the others in line."

"That was my idea, you know to convince him. I think he might have just killed whoever was aboard the ship and flown away."

"You would have been okay with this?"

"No, but I understand his need. Tejeto really wants to go home."

Curious he asked, "So where are we going?"

"You are so not going to believe this." Victor stood up and began pacing. "That village in Peru used to be populated by people from the planet we're going to. The Chavin," he said with awe.

"But, they--"

"Listen, Blair. You're going to have to forget everything you've learned. Things didn't happen that way at all. Ra exported artists and farmers from all over the Middle East and southern Europe to this planet called Chavinde. A system was set up where the farmers lived outside the mountain range and farmed great plots of land for the benefit of the artisans. Inside the mountain valleys, lived the artists, the manufacturers of weapons, pottery, jewelry and everything useful. Ra would then take the things that were made and the farmers kept the artists supplied with everything they needed to live."

"Sounds kinda cool." Blair wasn't sure if he believed all this. "Go on," he urged.

"Ra would occasionally demand some of the artists to come back to Earth in order to make things for him or as slaves. Tejeto didn't like that, so he used these special crystals to carve out the inside of the mountains and hid the children in there. Children of both the farmers and the artists were kept inside where they were schooled and it was determined which discipline best suited their abilities. Then the children were brought out and made part of the working group. But of course by then they weren't children anymore; they had grown into adults."

"He did this to protect the children?"

"No, I think he did it to continue the race, the knowledge, so it wouldn't get lost by Ra's cruelties. Somehow Hathor found out that Tejeto wasn't really loyal to Ra anymore and Tejeto was forced back to Earth. He brought slaves with him so he could continue his own work, but promised that someday he would return home."

"Now, he's keeping that promise," Blair finished for him.

"Right. And he won't let anything stand in his way. Don't you understand? He doesn't want to hurt you; he just wants to go home. He will let everyone go once he gets to Chavinde."

"What about you, Victor? It doesn't sound like he's gonna let you go."

"I don't want him to. I may not be an artist, but as an archeologist interested in ancient South American civilizations, the thought of studying the ancestors of people that actually evolved on another planet is like a dream come true. Doesn't that fascinate you, Blair?"

"Yes." Blair had to admit, it did. "But, it's for life. I don't think you'll be able to come home again.

"I know. It's okay. After all, how can I interact with all my colleagues now that I know the truth? I'll get laughed at like Daniel Jackson. You think the Air Force will take me in like they did with Jackson? I don't think so. I'm a Goa'uld, and they're afraid and hate us."

"Can't say as I blame them judging from the way Tejeto's acted," Blair commented dryly. He didn't know what to think. From everything he had seen, Colonel O'Neill and even Malek believed Tejeto or any Goa'uld to be bad, even evil. Yet, Malek, although he said he wasn't a Goa'uld still had one of those things in his body and yet he was considered a friend, an ally. Why couldn't Tejeto also be good? Blair so wanted to believe that. But, he had been brought against his will, his life threatened so that Tejeto could return home. Then Blair realized that even he might be willing to hold someone hostage so he could return to Jim.

"Don't worry, Blair. It'll be alright."

"Why is Tejeto letting you talk?"

"He doesn't mind if I talk. He's busy planning and fantasizing about returning home and how happy his people'll be," Victor replied with a smile.

Jim concentrated on making his body relax. Every instinct told him to get up, pace, and burn off some of the restless energy. How could he contact the Sentinel spirits? Would they tell him anything concrete? Slowly his breathing deepened and the surroundings faded. The black jaguar appeared and Jim reached out an imaginary hand searching for the soft pelt of his spirit guide. Gray fur buried his fingers. Sitting in front of him was the gray wolf--not his spirit guide, but Sandburg's.

A white light seemed to float in the air above the wolf. It had large tendrils that reached out and touched the wolf, who then disappeared and the black jaguar took its place. The cat sat primly, his front feet perfectly square, as he stared calmly at Jim. "Where is he?" Jim's soul cried in anguish. The white light broadened and a form appeared.

"Incacha?" Jim whispered.

"Your guide is seeing that his universe encompasses more than just Earth."

"Is Sandburg okay? Is he hurt?"

"You would have felt the pain," Jim was told gently. "Be easy, there is still time."

"Time? Time for what, to save him?"

"He is not in danger, but sometimes the way is not always safe."

"What way?"

"Knowledge always comes at a price, but this time the price is not his to pay."

"What knowledge? What does he need to learn?"

"The way of the past."

"Whose past?" Jim was getting frustrated and terribly confused. Why couldn't Incacha talk in normal English?

"Detective Ellison?" A hand shook him. Incacha faded, turning into the white light once more, and began drifting away.

"Wait!" he demanded of both the interrupter and Incacha.

"Seek the builders of the pyramids." The vision ended as O'Neill touched his shoulder.

"God damn it," Jim shrieked in frustration as he abruptly sat up. "What do you want?" he bellowed loudly, as he found himself looking directly into O'Neill's eyes.

"What's wrong with you?" the colonel demanded. "What were you remembering?"

Jim refused to answer.

"Listen, I don't care if it was a freakin' vision or telepathic communication from aliens; if you have the slightest idea, tell me."

"Who built the pyramids?"

O'Neill stiffened and backed up a step. "That's--"

"Don't say classified. It's really important. Whoever built those pyramids in Peru, have something to do with where Tejeto took Sandburg."

Colonel O'Neill's eyes furrowed, as he appeared to be thinking. "That's what Daniel thinks, too. It's why he stayed in Peru."

"Call him," Jim implored. "See if he's found anything."

O'Neill went to the com and contacted the SGC.

Daniel lost track of time. He was learning an amazing array of facts. First the people that had lived and worked in these pyramids were humans who had first been transported from Egypt to another planet, and then brought to South America. They were kind of like second generation emigrants. Anubis came and wiped out a good number, but left more than half.

From wall to wall the entire picture of life emerged. It was one of experimentation and the creation of weapons, jewelry, eating implements, and gadgets of all kinds. He was scouring over a passage when one of the marines yelled down to him that General Hammond wanted to speak with him. Reluctantly, Daniel rose and climbed up the long stone stairs.

"Hi General," Daniel spoke into the radio, careful not to let any of his irritation show.

"Have you discovered anything?"

"Lots, but nothing that would narrow down the search."

"Who were these people that lived there and built the pyramids. Surely the archeologists there have a theory?"

Daniel paused. He had never asked. As soon as they had arrived, Daniel had focused mainly on the Goa'uld artifacts and the references to Egypt that he had failed to consider the South American connections. "Let me talk to the other archeologists. I'll get back to you." How stupid. If Tejeto took these people from Egypt to another world, and then brought them to Peru, it was only natural that the culture that evolved here would have reflected the alien world. Why hadn't he thought of that?

He went over to the woman, Jenny--he never did catch her last name. She looked up at him with resentful eyes.

"I'm very sorry to have had to close down the dig," he apologized, contrite.

"What's going on here? No one will tell me anything."

"I'm not really sure," he lied. "But I don't think they'll take anything away that's important for your research. This is an amazing find and the archeological community deserves to know. Out of curiosity, what is the name of the people you're theorizing lived here?"

"A branch of the Chavin," she told him. "You know they…"

Daniel stiffened, as the word registered in his brain. Of course! It all came back to him. The Chavin were the first group of Peruvian humans who had organized into a society. They started as loose familial groups and came together to form communities, complete with a government of sorts, religious beliefs, and metallurgical advances. Probably under the influence of the Goa'ulds. "Thanks. You've been a big help," he told Jenny as he ran back to the pyramid and called General Hammond.

"I know where they are," he shouted exuberantly into the receiver. "Tell Jack Tejeto's gone to P2X591. Chavinde."

VII

Blair felt the shifting of speed in the ship. He looked curiously at Victor, who seemed to be suppressed by Tejeto once more. Blair couldn't help being afraid of the other personality, after all he'd been held by gunpoint, and had his life threatened. Nothing had changed except now they were descending onto another planet.

"Blair Sandburg, come willingly or come by force, but you must accompany me into the village. My host very much wants you to meet my people." The eyes glowed and the words were spoken with that weird fake sound, yet Blair swore he heard excitement within the alien voice.

Tejeto unlocked the door, and the others were staring at them. "Malek. Carry my tools and accompany us out of the ship." Tejeto had the gun out, but it was not aimed at Blair's head, rather it was held loosely at his side.

"I have been to this world before, Tejeto," Malek told him. "I begin to understand."

The two stared at each other then Malek went to get the box. As Malek joined them at the door to the space ship, Colleen followed him.

"I want to see the people, too." She smiled at Malek and he bowed his assent. Blair took that to mean that Malek believed they were no longer in any danger.

They stepped out and found a large group of people congregated some distance away. The number had to have exceeded four hundred, Blair thought. Tejeto raised his arms and shouted joyfully, "I have returned!"

The people all began to clap and jump up and down in excitement. Tejeto walked into the throng, leaving Blair standing next Malek and Colleen. Soon the ship's other three occupants came out to stand beside them.

Colleen bent over and whispered to the blond woman, "We're on Chavinde. Remember, my team came here a few months ago."

The woman nodded.

Blair leaned past Malek and added, "He's their messiah, or at least that's how he sees himself."

The other woman stiffened. "Yeah, their god."

"That is not correct. I talked to Adena in depth about this perception. She does not view him as a god, but as a leader, someone to emulate," Malek told them quietly.

"He's right," Colleen agreed. "I spent weeks going through their history books, their archives and found no mention of a temple or worship, yet I could feel a sense of waiting in them. They feel he belongs to them."

"Victor told me," Blair volunteered, "that Tejeto loves these people and he'd do anything to return to them. I don't think he really wanted to hurt me or you."

Tejeto finally returned to the ship's entrance, accompanied by a native woman.

"Greetings. Malek and Colleen have accompanied you." She gave them all a welcoming smile. "I thank you for returning that which has been lost to us. When you first arrived on Chavinde, I knew that you would be instrumental in Tejeto's return. The land of the Tau'ri has always been a mystery to us. They give us inspiration and the means to create, but they take away just as abruptly."

"They are no longer ruled by Ra," Malek informed her. "They make their own choices and would very much like to remain friends."

Adena looked at Tejeto, who nodded. "It may be possible. But come, now is the time to celebrate His return. Then we'll have the ceremony. Will you stay for that?"

The others nodded, but as they walked toward the village, Blair found himself walking beside Malek and the blond woman walked next to Colleen. After listening in to their conversation he found out her name was Major Carter. The other two stayed with the ship while the natives unloaded Tejeto's cargo. Major Carter didn't seem to like this development and voiced her opinion.

"Tell me Tau'ri, did not everything come from my home?" Tejeto defended his actions. "Do you condone stealing?"

Major Carter looked startled then asked, "Can I go to the gate and let my superiors know we're okay?"

"No. You will come to the celebration. After the ceremony you may leave if you wish."

Blair wanted to know about Victor. Was his friend going to be allowed to leave, or did he really want to stay here for the rest of his life?

As soon as the teltak hit the ground, Jack pushed the glyph to open the door. Several Tok'ra were waiting, zats in hand--just in case. "Howdy folks," he said as he stepped onto the sand. "Another desert?" he asked rhetorically, glancing at the endless sea of sand.

Teal'c was at his right and Sina was on his left.

"Hey Jack, what took you so long?"

Jack started and then identified Daniel dressed in Tok'ra clothes. "Gone native on me?"

"Nah. Mine were kind of dirty and smelly after rummaging around in the pyramid. I didn't take time to change before coming, so Gerdix kindly lent me some of his."

"Has Carter called in?" Jack felt Jacob stiffen, expectant of the answer.

"No. We opened the gate to P2X591 and tried to contact them, but all we got was static. Maybe they're not there yet."

"Come O'Neill," Sina beckoned. "We need to talk to the council and find out what is to be done with the Goa'uld."

Jack nodded and all of them walked into the desert. He took a look at Jim Ellison who was glancing back at the ship every few steps.

"Leave something behind?" Jack asked.

"Yeah, my canteen. How long do we walk?"

"My guess is not far. The Tok'ra are pretty clever about hiding their bases."

Ellison looked doubtful.

"Over here," Sina pointed.

"How do you do that?" Jack asked, looking around and seeing only sand. It boggled the mind how they could find the rings without any landmarks or markers.

Jack grabbed hold of Ellison as they were transported downwards, remembering what happened when they had beamed up. Luckily Ellison handled this ride a bit better.

"Per'sus is waiting," Sina told them, and everyone followed her down one of the tunnels.

After meandering down three of four halls and crossing a few sitting rooms, they entered a chamber containing a large table and seven people sitting around it.

Per'sus sat in the middle with three Tok'ra on each side. He rose. "Colonel O'Neill. Teal'c. Doctor Fraiser. Welcome."

"Neat place you got here, Per'sus," Jack spoke while giving the room a once-over. It looked pretty much the same as Vorash, Revanna and every other base he had seen. They needed new decorators. "We know where the Goa'uld has taken the other teltak. It's that planet Malek and Gerdix visited with SG4. It seems that their god's been kept on ice on Earth for a few thousand years."

"Is he inclined to find a position with the system lords?"

"Don't think so. He says he just wants to be left alone on that planet with his people. In fact he doesn't like the Tok'ra any better than the other Goa'ulds. He laughed at our willingness to trust you guys." Jack was looking for some kind of reaction, but Per'sus didn't respond to the jibe.

"So an alliance with him is not possible?" he asked.

"Don't know. SG4 reported that the natives are willing to be friends and to trade, but that was before their god came back."

"Malek is convinced the Chavin people do not worship the Goa'uld as gods," Per'sus showed that he was aware of the planet and the people. "They have no religion and focus only on the creation of objects."

"That may be true--then," Jack conceded. "But now we need to get there and rescue our people, yours too."

Dr. Fraiser cut in. "Could one of your doctors come with us? I'd like to see if we can't remove the symbiote from Dr. Jensen without killing either of them."

"Only if the symbiote is willing," Sina answered. "I can attempt the procedure, but if it has become too attached to the host or blended too completely, it will be impossible."

"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it. Now we really need to get to P2X591."

Per'sus agreed. "Sina, gather what you need and help liberate the host if you are able." She nodded and left the chamber.

"So we're going to this planet?" Ellison interrupted their discussion. "How long is it going to take? A week?"

Per'sus looked down his imperial nose. "This being is not part of your SGC? He seems ignorant of our ways."

"Tejeto kidnapped his partner--team mate--and he's determined to rescue him."

"Why did Tejeto do this?"

"Probably as protection. He knew we wouldn't shoot him if Blair Sandburg's body was between our guns and him. But Malek also jumped aboard, so we're hoping that between him and Jalen, Blair Sandburg is still alive."

"Is Malek fond of this Blair Sandburg?"

Jim answered. "They've talked."

"Malek won't do anything foolish. And Tau'ri, to answer your question, it will take only minutes to get to Chavinde from this planet. But first you must walk to the chaappa'ai."

"Then let's go," Jim urged, sounding very impatient.

Jack turned to go and noticed that he was missing two of his team members. "Where're Jacob and Daniel?" Jack asked Per'sus.

"Daniel is waiting for you at the rings. Our historians have been busy talking to him. Jacob is helping Sina ready the medical supplies."

Per'sus led them out of the room and own the hall back toward the rings. Daniel was talking animatedly to a Tok'ra Jack had never met. Sina was also waiting with a box sitting at her feet. Jack nodded to Jacob; glad the older man was going with them.

"Come," Sina entreated. "The walk is long."

Colleen sat beside Malek, eating sparingly of the meal set before her by the Chavin people. They were beside themselves with joy and endlessly explained why they were so happy. Adena came to them three times, showing off her most precious works of art before taking them to Tejeto to admire.

"Do you notice how everyone is taking turns to show Tejeto their creations?" Colleen asked Malek.

"Yes, they are competing for his esteem."

"Or maybe a place in his court," she suggested.

"They want his approval, true, but have you noticed how he studies each offering?"

Colleen hadn't. She grabbed her goblet and took a sip, staring discreetly above the rim at Tejeto. At that point, a man handed Tejeto a shield. The material was reddish, so it could have been made of copper or bronze, but the detailed etching and fine-line painting was exquisite.

Tejeto stood up, sweeping his food plates off to the side. "You are?" the Goa'uld demanded of the man in a very loud voice, capturing everyone's attention.

"I am Halat."

"Halat. Bring me more of your work. I wish to see what else you have fashioned."

Colleen watched the man swell with pride and exaltation. Others looked at him enviously.

Malek stiffened staring at Tejeto, then turned to Colleen. "He's looking for a new host," he whispered quietly. "Adena told me how when he first came to them, he 'became of one them'. I interpret that to mean he selected one to be his host."

"That's good, isn't? Tejeto isn't intending to keep Dr. Jensen."

"Yes, but will he take care during the separation and leave the old host alive? I do not know the answer to that."

Halat came back with a varied assortment of objects. Some was jewelry, but the majority were weapons inlaid with precious gems and finely etched. Tejeto was impressed. He smiled at the groveling man. "I have decided," he announced loudly. "Let the ceremony commence."

The hall erupted in cheers.

Adena came over to them. "Remember when you told me you wanted to see inside the mountain? Well, this will be your only opportunity. Tejeto has carved out a large hall within. The fires meet the purifying water and there we thank Chavinde for granting us life and beauty."

"Will your children also be at the ceremony?"

"Yes. It is a gift to all of us. He has chosen and we all will witness his rebirth."

Even though Jim was mentally prepped for the journey through the wormhole, the experience wasn't something for which he was really prepared. The cold ate through his clothes, the light scorched his eyes, the shrill whine was deafening, and only his sense of smell was unaffected. He stepped onto the ramp at the other side, disoriented, dizzy, but fully conscious. It was a major improvement.

"You with us, Detective Ellison?" Dr. Fraiser asked, with concern etched on her face.

"I'm with you," he assured her, gaining strength with every step.

Sina was looking at him oddly. "You have trouble controlling your senses?" she asked.

Jim swallowed thickly. "No. It's just my first time," he pointed to the big ring, "through that."

She didn't look convinced, but dropped the subject, anyway.

Off in the distance, Jim could see a village with a mountainous backdrop. Daniel Jackson and Colonel O'Neill immediately set off in that direction. Dr. Fraiser walked next to Jim, with Jacob Carter walking last, alongside the big black guy. He carried a funny looking walking stick that Jim could tell was a weapon, but how it worked eluded him.

When they entered the town, it had the feeling of an old fashioned ghost town. There wasn't a soul to be found. Expensive works of art were in kiosks, peppered everywhere. Homes had their doors wide open. Where had the people gone? Jim looked at the colonel, and he too wore a baffled expression.

"What did Tejeto do with his people? Ideas?"

"I want to check out that big building." Daniel Jackson pointed to a centrally located blue brick structure. "Maybe everyone's in there for some big meeting."

"Tejeto is not in there. I feel no Goa'uld," Sina informed them.

Jim agreed with her assessment. He couldn't hear any voices or noise what-so-ever. But how did Sina know? Maybe all the Tok'ra had enhanced senses. Malek might not be the only one.

"Come on Daniel, I'll go in there with you," Jacob suggested.

O'Neill paused still looking around. Jim too, used his senses to search the area, but he couldn't detect any human sounds, except for their own party.

"Jack, You've got to come in here," a breathless Daniel Jackson called out from inside the structure.

Malek walked between Colleen and Major Carter. Blair Sandburg bounced ahead, talking animatedly to Adena. Villagers surrounded them, as the whole made their way down an overgrown path and then into the mountains. Tunnels, similar, but not identical to the ones the Tok'ra made, had been formed within the rocks. Rooms emptied of children and adults alike, joining the queue, as the mass pushed forward.

"Do you think we will actually witness the blending?" Shan asked Malek. "I had assumed it was a private matter, not to be shared."

"For us it is," Malek admitted. "This is outside anything I have ever seen."

They continued walking until they came to a huge cavern. In the center was a pit; a fire had been just recently lit and the flames illuminated the room. Tejeto, walking beside Halat, went up to the fire and he raised his hands. Everyone sunk to the knees. Adena shot Blair a look. Malek whispered for him to be quiet, as they also knelt. The ceremony had begun.

"My people!" Tejeto called out. "It has taken me far too long to return. Much time has been wasted, but no more!"

The people slammed their hands upon the ground in agreement.

"Is that applause?" Colleen asked Major Carter.

She shrugged her shoulders.

"This time we will fortify our world so no Goa'uld can separate us. Ra is dead. Hathor is dead--we are free of their domination."

More thundering of hands. Yet no voices were heard.

"The Tau'ri are responsible. We owe them a debt of thanks. For not only did they deliver us from the tyrants, they also released me from my prison!"

Tejeto aimed a look at Malek, daring him contradict the statement. Malek nodded back. Colleen slid closer to him. He put his arm around her in reassurance.

"Now I am back! To live and work among you once more." His eyes gleamed in fanatical fervor. "To belong is to become one with you all. Halat! You are the chosen one. Do you accept me?"

"Yes," he announced with conviction.

"Will you share everything with me so that I may understand?"

"Yes!" he said louder.

"To be one with me as I am one with the people?"

"Yes!!" he screamed.

"Kneel," Tejeto commanded.

Halat turned so that he faced his kinsmen and knelt with his back to Tejeto.

"What's he doing?" Blair asked, looking at Malek.

"This is most unnatural," he answered, appalled.

The body of Victor Jensen bent over the top of Halat, brushing his hair aside. There was absolute quiet in the large cavern as everyone held their breath. Victor Jensen pressed his lips to the back of Halat's neck for several seconds.

"Tejeto is going into Halat in front of everybody," Shan remarked. "You are right, it is unnatural."

Halat raised his head, eyes glowing. Victor slumped. Halat twisted so he caught Victor and set him gently down on the floor, whispering something to him. Then he stood, arms reaching out. "It is done!"

Everyone rose, cheering loudly, obscuring Malek's view.

"Is Victor all right?" Blair asked anxiously. "He isn't dead, is he?"

"I do not know," Malek responded, his voice thick with shock. Suddenly he felt Colleen's hand on his back, rubbing in a circular motion. Malek closed his eyes, leaning into her touch.

"This is something the council needs to know," Shan voiced. "This exemplifies how different he is from both Goa'uld and Tok'ra."

Jim followed the others as they followed Colonel O'Neill into the structure. They all stared in disbelief. Remnants of a feast were visible on every table. Half-eaten meat pies with dirty forks sat beside mugs of an amber liquid. On a table at the front was a collection of armor and weapons. Food and dishes had been swept aside and the implements of war were laid out as if each piece had been individually studied.

"Oma!" Daniel Jackson gasped.

Jim turned and saw the white light with long tendrils floating. The growl of his cat heralded the light turning into Incacha. "The circle is closed," the Chopec vision said.

Jim's heart tightened. "Is Sandburg in danger?" he asked silently.

"What had to be done is done."

"Oma?" Daniel interrupted Incacha's words. "Why won't you talk to me?"

"What the hell is going on, Daniel?!" O'Neill barked.

"The white light, I think it's Oma, but she's ignoring me." Daniel responded with frustration.

Suddenly the Chopec began to blur and even Jim's eyes couldn't focus on the form. "Where are they?" Jim spoke aloud, trying to prevent Incacha from disappearing before he received some answers.

"The ceremony is over and your guide needs your strength," the voice echoed, then only the dancing white light remained.

"What'd she say?" O'Neil demanded to know.

"Nothing," Daniel Jackson answered, then clarified, "I mean, she wasn't talking to me but to Detective Ellison."

Jim heard the conversation around him, but his focus was entirely on the white light and silently begging it to be more explicit.

"We don't have time for this," the colonel interrupted.

When Jim turned back, the white light had vanished. "We have to find them now," Jim insisted, feeling the weight of everyone's stare.

Jim heard the growl of the jaguar and turned to see the cat loping toward the mountains. "Over there," Jim called before he too started to run, keeping the spirit cat in sight. He didn't care if the colonel and the rest were going to follow him; all he knew was that he had to get to Sandburg now.

"Do you know where you're going?" O'Neill asked, as he and Jacob Carter came abreast of Jim.

"In there," Jim responded, pointing to the mountains, although he didn't know how he was going to get inside.

The path started to rise, taking them up, not in. Jim stopped, and took a breather. He looked for the jaguar, but the spirit wasn't in sight. Tilting his head, he listened, and thought he heard voices, but they were coming from a great distance. Closing his eyes, he emptied his mind of everything but Sandburg's essence. A wolf's growl echoed to his left, so he abruptly pivoted going off the well-worn path, and jogged through the yellow grass. The mountains still loomed to his right, but he was running parallel to the range. O'Neill and Carter kept pace with him.

"You sense any Goa'ulds yet?" O'Neill asked the general.

"No, nothing Jack," he responded, shaking his head.

He stopped talking as Jim came to another halt. This time he had come to a section where instead of a gentle slope, the mountain rose at a ninety-degree angle. There was no path, just a rocky face looming upwards.

Jim saw the wolf walk out of the rock; his hair raised all along his back. He turned and padded back into the solid rock. "There's an entrance or door around here," Jim told Colonel O'Neill who looked at him dubiously.

Jim reached up and touched the rock. It was solid. He went to exactly where the wolf had entered and tried to kick, but his foot never hit anything solid. "Here it is," Jim called as he bent down and crawled in.

"Wait," O'Neill called, but Jim was already heading down the illuminated hall. The entire mountain had been carved out the same way as the Tok'ra tunnels. The light reflected off the walls, catching Jim's eyes. Different colors warred for dominance. Reds and oranges blended into yellows and then greens. Streams of colors moved along the wall, onto the floor and up the other side.

Suddenly Jim felt someone bump into his back. O'Neill and Carter had just come through the opening. Both grabbed Jim's arms, the action bringing Jim out of his near zone. He shook his head, clearing it of the kaleidoscope images.

"You okay, Ellison?" O'Neill asked.

"Yeah, just waiting for you," he evaded.

Behind them, he could heat the rest of the party catching up to them.

"How'd you know where the entrance was?" Daniel Jackson asked, as he came through last.

"Divine intervention," the colonel explained, looking at Jim questioningly.

Jim was not about to go into Sentinels and spirit guides when his own might be in mortal danger.

"It was a very elaborate energy field with a hologram projection," Sina told them. "Both the Goa'uld and the Tok'ra possess such technology."

Jim wasn't about to sit and listen to a physics lecture. He had just heard Sandburg's voice. "This way," he instructed, and started running again.

Down the hall, he turned right at the first intersection. The jaguar was up ahead, sitting, his tail whipping back and forth. Jim jogged to the cat, and turned left. This hall was brighter and Sandburg's voice was getting clearer. Picking up speed, he went another hundred feet before another quick right turn took him into a large hall. It was empty except for Sandburg and his friend Victor.

For a fraction of a second there was stillness. Victor was flat on the ground, his head in Blair's lap. Jim stared at his partner and let his senses do a quick sweep and verified that he was uninjured. They exchanged a weak smile. Jim focused his eyesight and saw that both men had tears running down their faces. He strode purposefully towards his guide, who looked to be falling emotionally apart.

Jim knew that Colonel O'Neill, Jacob Carter and Teal'c were doing a perimeter check, but his mind was focused solely on his guide. He squatted down next to Blair and Jim put his hand on Blair's shoulder. "Are you okay?" he asked.

"Not really," Blair answered, his voice cracking.

"The symbiote is no longer within this host," Sina told them.

"I don't understand." Jim looked from Blair to Victor and then to O'Neill. "If that thing is gone, why is he so upset?"

Victor opened his eyes and stared around, looking lost. "Where is he? My mind is," he paused, "empty."

Blair leaned down. "Remember, Tejeto wanted to blend with someone who was from here--a native."

"So, I was just a taxi?" he complained with anguish. "He promised to teach me so much."

Jim was still bewildered. Victor wanted Tejeto to stay inside his body? He couldn't help a shudder of revulsion.

"At least he cared enough to leave you alive, Dr. Jensen," Dr. Fraiser told him, as she felt for his pulse.

"He isn't malicious, he just doesn't care." Victor closed his eyes in defeat, adding quietly, "He got his wish and be damned with the rest of us."

Colonel O'Neill came up to them. "Is Dr. Jensen going to be alright?"

"I think so, but we should get him back to the SGC," Dr. Fraiser told him.

The colonel turned to Blair. "Where are Major Carter, Captain Plumber and Malek?"

"Adena asked Colleen and Malek to go with her. I needed to stay with Victor."

"And Major Carter?" he asked, sounding more insistent.

"She should be around here somewhere? I don't know. I didn't pay attention. I'm sorry."

Jim looked around and noticed another of their party was missing. "Daniel Jackson is missing, too."

O'Neill let out a loud sigh. "Jacob and I will find our missing people. Teal'c, take the others back to the SGC."

Jim was happy to leave. He didn't want to stay on this alien planet any longer than he had to. The more distance he put between himself and his guide, and whatever that thing was that called himself Tejeto, the happier he'd be.

"We should see to Dr. Jensen," Shan spoke silently, but Malek was still too wrapped up in his own thoughts.

The others began leaving the giant hall, following Tejeto out like a huge procession. Each person stopped and bowed to the fallen human, appearing to be paying homage. Adena came over to them. Her face was wet with tears.

"With the ceremony over, are we allowed to leave?" Major Carter asked.

"Yes. You are all free to go, however I have a gift for you to take back to the Tau'ri and Tok'ra. Malek. Colleen, will you follow me?"

"Of course," Shan replied.

"Can I go to Victor?" Blair asked. "Are you done with him?" he continued, his voice laced with venom that Adena either ignored or did not notice.

"We are very grateful to your friend for bringing Tejeto back to us. We will always remember him. Yes, go to him. He feels his loss deeply." She turned back to Colleen and Malek. "Come this way." Adena led them through an opening and down a hall. Several passages later, she took them into a room that had been converted into a laboratory.

Shan stared with amazement at the assorted instruments and glassware. It was the first time he had seen glass on the planet. "What do you make here?" he asked, the engineer in him fascinated by everything he saw.

"Crystals. We are able to grow the crystals that we use for making the tunnels. Tejeto tells me that you do not have this technology and he wishes to share it with you."

Shan stiffened as he considered the ramifications. Her statement was even able to bring Malek out of his emotional stupor.

"These are different then ours," Shan was quick to notice. "These create tunnels which are different in color and texture from each other and from ours. Much improved."

Shan let Malek take over. "Thank you, Adena. On behalf of the Tok'ra and the Tau'ri, we accept your gift." Colleen looked like she wanted to refuse the gift, her face tight with disapproval. Malek could not let that happen. Despite what Tejeto had done, remaining allies with this planet was important--to both of their species.

Adena pulled out a data crystal from a computer type instrument and handed one to Malek and one to Colleen. "I will escort you to the gate."

Daniel followed Teal'c into the large chamber and saw Victor Jensen crumpled on the floor. While Dr. Fraiser and the others ran to Jensen's side, the tunnels called to Daniel's investigative soul. There had to be a labyrinth of miles of tunnels within the mountains, similar to the ones in Peru. What was written on these walls?

However, the more he walked, the more discouraged he became. The walls resembled the synthetic ones the Tok'ra made when they burrowed underground. Each inch was jagged with protruding edges except these contained multifaceted colors. There was no place to record data, unless it was inside the crystals themselves. Several rooms had personal items, and furniture, but he hesitated intruding there uninvited. After what felt like thirty minutes, he happened upon a young man, his age around fourteen. The youth stopped short and stared.

"I seem to be lost," Daniel spoke first. "I'm Daniel Jackson."

"Tau'ri?" the young man questioned.

"Yes," Daniel nodded. "Can you take me back to the big chamber where you had the ceremony?"

He shook his head frantically, but whether it was because he didn't understand English or because he wasn't going to guide him back, Daniel was unsure. Suddenly the youth bolted. Daniel didn't know what to do. He was hopelessly lost and without anything to show for it.

"Daniel!" a feminine voice called him from behind.

He turned, "Sam, am I glad to see you," he replied with relief. "Jack and the rest are still in the big room where there was--"

"Good, we still need to find Malek and Captain Plumber. Adena took them somewhere. I tried to follow, but she lost me."

"Let's get back to the rest of the team and coordinate from there. I know Jack's got lots of questions."

Sam nodded then led the two of them back in the direction she had come. As they rounded a corner, Daniel saw Jack and Jacob trudging towards them. "Look who I found," Daniel replied smugly, ignoring the irritated look on Jack's face.

"Good to have you back, Sam," Jacob greeted her with a wide smile.

"Hi, Dad."

"Where are Captain Plumber and Malek?" Jack directed at Sam.

"Adena took them somewhere. I tried following but got lost."

"Maybe they're already at the gate waiting for us?" Daniel suggested.

"Sir, our radios won't work inside the mountain," Sam informed Jack. "You'll have to wait until we get out."

As soon as they went through the holographic door, Jack's radio came alive with Teal'c's voice. "O'Neill. Captain Plumber and Malek are here. Have you found Major Carter and Daniel Jackson?"

"I have. We're on our way."

Malek and Captain Plumber were standing by the DHD talking with a native woman. Well, Malek was talking, and Jack could tell by the captain's stance that she was irritated and feeling impatient. She turned, and met his eyes. Straightening her shoulders, she mumbled something that caught Malek's attention.

"Colonel O'Neill," Malek greeted them. "Adena has graciously given us and the Tau'ri a great gift."

Jack cut him off. "We have to get Dr. Jensen back to the SGC. He needs a, uh, mental readjustment." He paused then added when Malek did nothing but stare at him. "You coming with us, or staying with them?" What did the man expect--him to go down on his knees thanking the revered leader for "her great gift"? His knees were reluctant and his motivation was definitely lacking.

Malek looked at Jack. "I will go with you and report first to your General Hammond. After that I will return to the Tok'ra. Does that meet with your satisfaction?" he asked, with pretended deference.

Jack didn't answer but ordered Carter to dial home.

As the chevrons engaged, Malek turned to the native woman. "Thank you for your gift. May we share many years of trade."

"Yes, Malek. You are welcome to return."

The wormhole sprung to life and Jack ushered his people through. He shot one last resentful glance back at the native woman before he too, stepped through.

VIII

Colonel O'Neill ended his contribution to the briefing without once disparaging the Tok'ra. Malek was impressed with his restraint. Dr. Jackson was called upon next and he described the wonders within Tejeto's pyramids. He reminded his leaders that all the naquadah was still stored along with many of the weapons they hadn't had time to remove. Then he skipped to arriving at Chavinde with the rest of them. Malek noticed that Jim Ellison stiffened as Daniel began describing the encounter with an ascended being.

"I immediately thought Oma had come to help us."

"I take it that it wasn't Oma?" Hammond asked.

"No," Daniel responded, sounding confused. "I don't know who it was. The white light stayed in that form, but hovered around Detective Ellison."

Malek saw Ellison sit up straighter in his seat and cast a worried glance at Blair Sandburg. Jacob looked over at Malek and they exchanged looks, with Jacob nodding.

"Blair should be told," Shan suggested.

Malek responded to his host. "I agree. It is a pleasure to know that Aparna's gifts are not lost, but live on within the Tau'ri."

"Do you think they will believe?"

"Is it important that they do?" Malek countered, "or just reflect on a possibility of a link between the Goa'uld and humans."

Their internal conversation was interrupted by the continuance of the briefing.

"Did this ascended being talk with you, Detective?" General Hammond asked Jim Ellison directly.

Reluctantly Ellison explained, "When I was a Ranger, I was stranded in Peru for eighteen months. A tribe of Chopec took me in until I was rescued. Their shaman was named Incacha. He died several years ago, and since then, his spirit visits me occasionally."

Malek was fascinated with the story.

"So, you think this native Peruvian has ascended and is guiding you in some fashion?" Daniel Jackson asked.

Blair Sandburg interrupted. "I don't know about 'ascended', but Incacha was very close to Jim during that time and it is possible for the deceased to return and render aid in times of crisis. Especially when Jim or I are in danger."

Malek saw O'Neill roll his eyes, but Blair's explanation confirmed everything he believed. These two were special and were not just ordinary humans.

"Go ahead, Dr. Jackson, finish your report."

Daniel cleared his throat, and looked as if he'd like to question Ellison some more. "This ascended being gave Detective Ellison some information because he suddenly took off to the mountains saying that Mr. Sandburg was inside. We all followed and the detective found a way inside through a holographic door."

The briefing went on another hour, with everyone giving his or her version of what they had experienced. Dr. Victor Jensen was still in the infirmary, and Dr. Fraiser told them that he was suffering from depression and apathy. Periodically Malek felt Jim Ellison's stare and returned it with a slight smile.

At last, General Hammond was satisfied and dismissed everyone. SG1 left first, eager for showers and food. Because it was late in the day, General Hammond was allowing the two men from Cascade to stay overnight in the VIP suite and an official car would drive them to the airport the next morning.

Jacob Carter walked over to where Malek was standing. "Let me tell them. You need to get back; Per'sus is waiting for a report."

"I know. Shan has told me the same." With a reluctant sigh, Malek allowed Colleen to escort him to the Stargate with only a brief goodbye to the two Tau'ri men, and a promise to return as soon as the council had finished with him.

An Air Force grunt showed Jim and Blair to their rooms and with a salute, the door was closed.

"Are we prisoners?" Sandburg asked, looking at the door in confusion.

"Not exactly," Jim answered. "They don't want us wandering around seeing things that are classified."

"Like aliens? Like a big ring that sends us miles through space?" Blair responded with sarcasm.

"We're talking the military, Chief. Paranoia is a way of life." Jim walked further in the room, noticing the large screen TV, the plush couch, a mini-kitchen, and doors leading to separate bedrooms. "All the comforts of home," he remarked aloud to himself.

Sandburg picked up the remote and clicked on the TV.

Jim plopped down beside him. "Just as we left the briefing room, Malek and General Carter were talking about us. The general said that Malek had to leave and that he'd do the explaining. Malek didn't sound happy, but he's gone."

"He went back to that Tok'ra base?"

"I assume so." Jim heard a commotion in the hall. "Here comes Carter. I think we're going to get some answers now." He could hear the general talking to the soldier stationed outside their door.

There was a knock, and the door opened. Jacob Carter wheeled in a cart filled with steaming food. "Anybody hungry? I went to the mess and picked out a selection of their better tasting food." He brought the cart over to the table and began putting the food out. "Come on and eat while it's still hot. Got some beer, too." Jacob opened a bottle and took a large swig. "God, this tastes good. The Tok'ra just don't know how to brew the stuff. You'd think after living in ancient Egypt, brewing beer would be second nature."

Jim went to the cart and took a bottle out for himself. "How'd you get it in?"

Jacob turned to him. "It pays to be a general, even if I am retired."

Sandburg immediately began helping himself. Jim sat down and filled a plate of his own. He was extremely hungry, and the smells were making his stomach growl.

Jacob took another drink of his beer and then set it down. "I'm going to tell you a little story as we eat. Most of it's legend, and has been passed on by word of mouth. Even Selmak heard it second-hand, so maybe it's just a myth." He took a bite of some bread.

"Let's see, where to begin. Once upon a time, in a land ruled by a Goa'uld god named Ra, lived lesser gods, in service to Ra, but not entirely satisfied with their lot. Some thought Ra was too tyrannical, other thought he was too greedy. Needless to say, he had enemies everywhere.

"One enemy was a Goa'uld queen named Egeria. She is the mother of all Tok'ra, but this story isn't about her. It's about another queen, Aparna. This particular queen had a gift. Now all Goa'ulds have senses more acute than their human hosts, but this queen was several steps beyond that. Aparna not only had enhanced senses, she was able to pass this trait to all her offspring. In a way to control Aparna, Ra had all her immature symbiotes implanted within his own Horus guards and they were taught to serve him."

"Horus Guards?" Blair asked.

"These are the Jaffa that serve the system lord. Horus Guards served Ra. When a symbiote is first born, it is too immature to blend with a host. If the attempt is made, and subsequently fails, it is death to both host and symbiote. A process was then created by which symbiotes were carried within a pouch, where they were able to partially connect with a host but not blend as when they become adults. The symbiote larvae give these Jaffa many of the attributes a fully blended being has, like quick healing and superior strength, but the minds are not connected. When the symbiote matures, then it takes a host, and these blendings are almost always successful. With Aparna's children serving Ra, learning that Ra was the master, and using their gifts for the greater good of Ra, Aparna was contained."

"Something happened?" Blair guessed.

Jacob smiled, then continued. "At some point in history, Ra began to believe that Aparna and her get were not loyal to him. Whether it was due to some specific intelligence, or just the act of a paranoid ruler, Ra ordered their execution." Jacob took a break and ate some more of his food and took another drink of his beer.

"Fortunately Aparna found out about the edict before it was implemented and sent her children away. They all separated, going in different directions--like Middle East, or Europe and some might have been with Tejeto. Probably some even left Earth.

"Ra was furious that they got away and took out his vengeance on the ones he could capture, including Aparna herself. They were systematically executed and Selmak remembers hearing of the queen's prolonged torture and subsequent death."

"While this is a very nice story, what the hell does it have to do with me and my senses?" Jim was totally confused. He had never heard of this Aparna with her enhanced senses and couldn't think of what it had to do with him.

"Let me continue," Jacob entreated, taking another sip of his beer. "Ra was merciless in his hunt for these escaped Goa'ulds. He sent his Jaffa everywhere in the search. However, very few were ever found. This is where it gets sketchy. Rumors have been circulating that these Goa'ulds found a place for themselves within the different cultures they had escaped to. They became the policemen or watchmen for the unit they lived with."

"Watchmen?" Blair exclaimed. "Way cool."

"It was natural for them. Their hearing and sight was so much better than anyone else's, yet they had to be careful and not call attention to themselves or their tribe. They were a secret weapon. So, when a human threat came to the tribe, they dealt with it. If one of Ra's Jaffa came too close, they defended their new family and eliminated the threat."

Blair sat up even further in his chair anxious to here every word. Jim smiled at his suppressed excitement, but could feel little himself.

Jacob continued, "However, living with the natives, be it on Earth or another planet, left the symbiotes without a sarcophagus. So, when their hosts became too old, they had to find a new one or die."

Blair straightened in his seat. "Then they'd elect a new person to become host, to become the next watchman, kind of like what we saw on Chavinde. It was an honor to them."

"Yes, that could be," Jacob didn't look convinced. Suddenly he bowed his head and another voice took over.

"My host is not explaining this well, despite my putting words in his mouth."

Jim couldn't tell if the symbiote was joking or not. He was too shocked and maybe even grossed out at the change in his dinner companion.

"What isn't he saying well?" Blair asked, apparently not finding the situation uncomfortable.

"On Chavinde, when the being with the white light appeared, you knew the apparition as Incacha, yet I believe it was really Aparna. I believe she ascended as a consequence to the torture she endured at Ra's hands. She was guiding you to your companion, knowing he was in distress."

"But why is she interested in me?" Jim asked.

Jacob's head bowed once more. "Selmak was getting impatient because I hadn't told you that part, yet." He paused. "You might be descended from a total blending between one of Aparna's children."

"Oh, give me a break. First I'm a caveman or throwback to ancient man and now you're saying I'm descended from an alien? There is no way--"

"I think the symbiotes, as they became older, died and left genetic markers within their beloved hosts. My daughter, Sam, was a host to a Tok'ra named Jolinar. When Jolinar died inside Sam, pieces of the symbiote integrated within Sam's body. She inherited Jolinar's memories, feelings and even protein factors. These proteins came from the symbiote's DNA. It is possible to transfer traits from symbiote to host."

"So, you're saying I have this DNA--Goa'uld DNA--that allows me to have these super senses?" Jim still had trouble buying this theory.

"This is only a story, Detective Ellison. I'm only repeating the legend. Selmak never met Aparna or any of her children."

"So while these Goa'ulds were in hiding," Blair reiterated, with his fork waving in the air, "they became the Sentinels of whatever tribe they lived in. This way they could keep an eye out for Ra without worrying the people, yet help them in everyday life. A truly symbiotic arrangement."

"What about Guides?" Jim asked. "How did they evolve?"

Blair's eyes lit up, as he expounded on his favorite subject. "I know. When the Goa'uld was inside the host, they were two independent minds keeping track of the surroundings, each grounding the other. When the symbiote used its enhanced senses, the host kept him from zoning. You would need two minds to deal with so much input. Yet, when the symbiote died, and the enhanced senses still active in the human host, the new sentinel couldn't deal with it alone. Maybe the tribal shaman was the only one to recognize the problem, so he became the designated helper, or maybe the new Sentinel instinctively looked for someone to help, who would know how to help." Blair threw his hands up in the air. "I don't know."

Jacob smiled. "The new sentinel needed a soul mate, to emulate the blending between symbiote and host. It's possible. I remember referring to Selmak as that when we first blended. It's an intimate experience. There are no secrets; nothing one can hide from the other. These new Watchmen, without their symbiotes, yet having their senses, must have felt very alone and overwhelmed."

"Like Victor," Blair remembered sadly. "He keeps saying that over and over; how alone he is."

Jim saw his partner's eyes dim at the thought of his friend and brought the conversation back to the original topic. "So, you're saying I'm a descendant of one of these hosts, and that Incacha is really a spiritual manifestation of the queen? So, why Incacha?"

"Probably because you associate him with your senses and you trust him."

"Incacha has always communicated with me in dreams. Why was it different this time?"

"Maybe because now you know about the Goa'uld. Before, you needed something you could relate to. Mysticism was easy. Cloud the truth in fantasy and it becomes easier to digest. Then again, maybe everything I've told you is just a legend with no basis in fact. I don't know. Malek is sure, but he's in love with everything Tau'ri and wants to believe. I'm just an old soldier who doubts everything until it's proven." Jacob took a last sip of his beer. "You do realize, I hope, that truth or not, this can't be repeated to anyone?"

Blair let out a frustrated sigh.

"Right," Jim agreed. "Classified."

Jacob smiled at Jim. "Neither Malek nor I will tell anyone here about you, but I thought since you already know about Goa'ulds, you'd like to know just a tiny bit more." He glanced at his watch. "Well, it was a nice dinner," he paused, "but I've got to run. I promised my daughter I'd check in on her and then I too have to get back to the Tok'ra council. Shouldn't let poor Malek face them all on his own."

Jim watched, still feeling a bit shell-shocked, as Jacob Carter wiped his face with his napkin and rose from his seat. Jim automatically began to rise.

"No, no. I'll just see myself out." Jacob went to the door and left after a wave and brief smile.

"You believe what he said?" Jim asked, not really sure what he believed.

"It fits. There are parts he talked about that he couldn't have just guessed at."

"I've got alien DNA?"

"DNA is made of the same four bases whether you're from Earth or another planet--human or another species. Maybe the genes for enhanced senses originated from another species, but so does our mitochondria and a bunch of others. This is no different."

Jim knew that Sandburg was trying to make him feel better, but he'd rather be thought of as a cave man than an alien hybrid. "I don't believe it. Yeah, you think things fit, but what about the spirit animals? Yes, Incacha comes to me in dreams, but the jaguar comes to me more often, usually when I'm awake but no one else can see it."

"Maybe Aparna is also the jaguar. She talks to you in many different ways. When your senses came on line in Peru, you were in the jungle and so maybe she associates you with that cat and so like Incacha comes to you in a form related to your feelings."

"So, why are you the wolf?"

"I don't know, but maybe that's why I can't see the animals, 'cause I don't have the right DNA. Only Sentinels can see the spirit world or the ascended world."

"Yet, Daniel saw the white light and thought it was someone called Oma. He's not a Sentinel. You know I'm just going to think of it as an amazing coincidence and a good story. I don't believe it has anything to do with me."

"But, you can't be sure."

"I'm sure enough," Jim told him, wanting to drop the topic, because it made him too uncomfortable.

Blair was silent for several minutes, pushing the remaining food around on his plate. "Why does everything interesting seem to fall under the non-disclosure document we signed today?" Blair moaned.

"Who would you tell? Who would believe you? Your friend Victor?"

Blair shrugged, then frowned. "I'm worried about him, man. It's like he doesn't want to live anymore."

"You can't be responsible for everyone. He made the choice to open the jar, even though he was advised against it."

Blair remained silent.

Daniel Jackson stood beside the bed of his unresponsive colleague. Dr. Jensen looked like death. The pallor of his skin and the dull eyes showed his deep depression.

Dr. Fraiser came over and stood beside Daniel. "I don't know how to make him take an interest in things. His passivity has me worried."

The damned Goa'uld, they had no respect for human life. Just like Jensen had said, he had been only a taxi, a convenient mode of transportation from Earth to Chavinde. It was the loss that was sending him over the edge right now. Daniel couldn't relate. Anything to get rid of the snake-like being that took over your body and your mind had to be a good thing.

With a sigh, Daniel left the infirmary and went to his office. Jack was waiting by his door. "You okay?" Jack asked.

"Just confused."

"Been like that most of my life," Jack responded weakly. "Let's blow this joint, get a drink, watch a hockey game? Carter and Teal'c are waiting by the elevators."

Daniel took a glance at his journal. Yeah, it could wait. "Hockey? Isn't there something more interesting on?"

"Nope."

Malek and Selmak left the council chamber and walked slowly down the main hall.

"They're pleased with the outcome of this mission," Malek commented.

"Yes. We have the data from the crystal that will keep our scientists busy for many months, maybe years."

Malek laughed. "Years? Months, Selmak? Jacob Carter's time reference is bleeding though."

Selmak nodded. "I find myself thinking in those terms more and more. And you? With the time you spend with Captain Plumber, are you finding yourself thinking like the Tau'ri?"

"No. Sometimes their actions still puzzle me. I can understand Colonel O'Neill's irritation at Tejeto because he commandeered the teltak, but his antipathy extended to the Chavin who were totally innocent. Why?"

"Tejeto isn't Tok'ra, neither is he totally Goa'uld," Selmak explained. "O'Neill cannot understand the Chavin people embracing him into their hearts and culture. We can appreciate his complexity, but the Earth humans have a tendency to see in black and white, in two opposite sides of the spectrum. Tejeto is not good nor evil, he is what he is."

"I agree. Even Colleen was dismayed at the callous treatment of Dr. Jensen by Tejeto."

"He was convenient--a means to an end," Jacob broke into the conversation. "But haven't the Tok'ra been guilty of similar things? We have always believed that the outcome is more important than the steps needed to achieve the outcome, which is one of the reasons we are a dying race."

Selmak returned, "With Jacob as host, I am beginning to understand the Tau'ri's respect for individual life. We do not treasure what we are enough. We are not expendable."

"Yes," Shan interjected. "I have tried to convince Malek of this. Survival is more important than any information he can gather. Colleen has often said that their policy is to never leave a teammate behind. They will risk their own lives to save those of their comrades."

Malek listened as his host expounded on the Tau'ri's beliefs and he found he liked this human trait. For too long the Tok'ra had believed that the completion of the mission was paramount. The Tau'ri had taught them differently.

"That is why the Tau'ri make such formidable foes," Selmak concluded, "although the system lords don't realize this. They believe it is a weakness."

Malek smiled. He could see an end in sight. With the Tau'ri's help, they would defeat the system lords and free the remaining Jaffa. Peace would reign in the galaxy and maybe he would be able to live on Earth with Colleen.

The End