Disclaimer: I don't own any of the rights to anything Stargate. That honor goes to MGM Home Entertainment and its affiliates. I'm only writing for my own enjoyment and hopefully the enjoyment of others. I'm not making any money off of this. My original characters are the only thing I claim as mine. No copyright infringement is meant. Thanks.

This is my first attempt at a Stargate fanfic. I have been a long time reader, but now I want to post some of my own. I have been writing Star Trek: Enterprise fic, but I love Stargate almost as much. Please read and review and let me know if this is any good. I set this story somewhere in the middle of like season five of the show. It's before Daniel "ascended" or "died" or "whatever". I went old school with using the Goa'uld as the main bad guys again. I like the Ori plotline, but nothing beats the original bad guys, and I love Jack O'Neill. Mitchell is great, but he's not Jack either. I started writing this story for some friends that hadn't really seen a lot of the show, so it's still kind of geared for any and all who read it, not just avid watchers of the show. I really would like feedback. I have been bad about leaving reviews for Stargate authors, so I will repent and start leaving reviews for others. I can't expect to get with giving too. Thanks.

Thanks also to my beta, RadcliffePotter. I couldn't post without her.

Chapter 1

Something was very wrong. That something teased at the edge of his consciousness, not quite real to him yet. He knew he was cold. He knew that darkness surrounded him, like some thick, black veil. His mind refused to bring anything around him into focus. He willed himself to breathe. Pain flooded up into his brain as he did so. Slowly, he began to realize that his body was racked with agony. His head pounded and throbbed. He felt sharp jabs, like tiny needles running up and down his arms and legs. Where was he? What had happened? He desperately tried to remember.

The next sensation that he felt was the solid firmness of stone beneath him. His brain laboriously tried to feed him information about his environment. His ears picked up the sound of dripping water. The air smelled musty, putrid, and vile. Pain exploded through his rib cage as he tried to take a deeper breath. Nausea began to build in the nether regions of his stomach. Again, more questions came to him. Where was he and what had happened to him?

He could not get his languid mind to fully process. Everything wasn't coming together fast enough. It seemed to take triple the time to do everything. Suddenly a feeling of pure, unadulterated fear struck him. Some primal instinct built for self-preservation screamed at him that he was in immediate danger. He had the utterly terrifying sensation that some sinister presence was watching him. Something lurked just outside his conscious mind's ability to identify and classify it. Then his ears heard an ominous sound that corroborated with what his primal instinct was trying to tell him. A deep and guttural growl methodically moved over him. He now understood that he was not alone.

The essence of the growl was completely animalistic. His foggy brain recognized the fact that nothing human could make a sound that savage. Waves of panic started to short out what little cognitive thought he was beginning to have. His pulse quickened to an urgent gallop, as adrenaline flowed through him. The growl grew louder and more insistent. At that moment, Dr. Daniel Jackson knew that death had found him.

Thirty-Six Hours Earlier

Colonel Jack O'Neill of the United States Air Force looked from his commanding officer, General George Hammond, to his colleague, Dr. Daniel Jackson, and back again. "You've got to be kidding me!" he exclaimed with a shake of his salt and pepper colored hair. Major Samantha Carter couldn't help the small smile that came to her face at O'Neill's outburst. Her liquid blue eyes shone brightly as she tried to hide her mirth. "Can't they check out this 'rumor' for themselves?" O'Neill added in disgust. As he said "rumor", he made the universal symbol for quotation marks with his fingers, to emphasize his point.

"No Colonel, they can't." General Hammond took his subordinate's rant with a great deal of patience. He understood O'Neill's intense dislike of the race of beings known as the Tok'ra. He didn't like them much himself in fact. They were technically allies of the planet Earth, but sometimes they caused more trouble than their help was worth.

The Tok'ra were aliens who relied upon the symbiotic relationship with another life form to survive. Their symbiotic alien's actual form was much like that of an eel with something that looked like the gill covers of a male beta fish sticking out from its neck. O'Neill liked to compare the Tok'ra's appearance to that of a "snake." The Tok'ra used humans as hosts. The human body provided them with a happy home and the symbiote would provide its host with added health and increased healing ability, leading to a much longer life span.

O'Neill realized the fact that the Tok'ra were different from Earth's sworn enemy, the Goa'uld, but not by much. Now those guys were nasty. They acted more like a parasite who takes over its host and enslaves it. When a Goa'uld took a host, most, if not all, of the host's personality would be lost to the influence of the Goa'uld living inside. O'Neill shuddered at the thought of a "snake" controlling his every action, his every thought.

The Goa'uld took great pleasure in fostering the notion that they were gods. They had highly advanced technology and knew how to put on a fancy light show, to help them instill their godlike image. They had also taken the bits and pieces of Earth mythology, especially Egyptian mythology, that they liked and used it to enhance their air of authority and power. They desired nothing more than to be worshiped and served by the races they conquered and subjugated. They did this through fear and force.

Eventually, it took more than a few parlor tricks and their superior technology to fool the people of Earth for very long. The people of Earth had said that enough was enough of all the bowing down and paying homage. They brought an end to the cruel and sadistic reign of the Goa'uld by rebelling against them and forcing them to leave. Now thousands of years later, the Goa'uld were once again a threat to Earth and its people were not going to take that threat lying down. Earth wanted to put the Goa'uld in their place and stop their evil from spreading.

The Tok'ra were basically an off-shoot of the Goa'uld. However, they wanted to put an end to Goa'uld tyranny and free those under the Goa'uld's oppression. The Tok'ra took only those who were willing to live with a symbiote. They had sworn not to force themselves on any being. They claimed to live in peace and harmony with their host. The two separate personalities lived in the same body, but both could assert themselves when desired. This made the Tok'ra allies with Earth, but it didn't always seem like a fair alliance to O'Neill.

O'Neill had witnessed the Tok'ra break their oath to never take an unwilling host on several occasions. He reflected that those instances had been of an extreme and possibly necessary nature. They were the exception more than the rule, but a "snake" was a snake as far as O'Neill was concerned. He really resented doing the Tok'ra any kind of favor. They continually used Earth and its resources without a whole lot in return. Allies usually shared burdens, but it seemed like the Tok'ra dumped a lot more on Earth than they took on themselves. Earth never seemed to get much out of the arrangement. At least that was how O'Neill viewed the situation.

"Well, why can't they?" O'Neill blurted out, obviously angry.

General Hammond let out a long, tired sigh and ran a hand over his bald head and down his face. "Because, the last attack by Anubis on their base has left them with very little resources and very little personnel. They need our help." Anubis was a particularly powerful and dangerous Goa'uld. Anubis had acquired technology that far surpassed what the rest of the Goa'uld currently possessed. This fact greatly disturbed both the people of Earth and the Tok'ra. Anubis could not only rein havoc on Earth if he chose, but he could also inflict heavy damage on the Tok'ra and Earth's other allies.

"When don't they," O'Neill said under his breath, then to Hammond, "I understand that, sir, but it all seems a bit far-fetched, if you ask me."

"Well, Jack, not really," came Dr. Daniel Jackson's reply as he pushed his perpetually sliding glasses back into place on the bridge of his nose. "If this rumor turns out to have any truth to it, we have a problem."

"I concur with Daniel Jackson's assessment of the situation," a large, dark-skinned man named Teal'c, spoke up. His voice was low and deep. Even though it was also calm, it held a hint of authority as well. Teal'c had at one time been in the service of a powerful Goa'uld named Apophis. He was a Jaffa. They were a part of the Goa'uld's military might and holders of the larval form of the Goa'uld symbiote. Until a Goa'uld symbiote was mature enough to take a host, the Jaffa's body sustained it. Teal'c had rebelled against Apophis when he came to realize Apophis was a false god. He wanted to free his people from their slavery and also to help the people of Earth, whom he knew as the Tau'ri.

"Oh T, you always take his side," O'Neill complained, half joking. He received a raised eyebrow from the serious looking Jaffa.

Sam Carter remained quiet throughout the exchange, sympathizing with both sides. Her father, Jacob Carter, had been dying of cancer and had willingly given himself over to be a Tok'ra host. He gained a reprieve from his cancer and his symbiote, Selmac, got his happy home. The Tok'ra had saved her dad's life, but they had also caused her a lot of pain. She had once been taken over by a Tok'ra symbiote, unwillingly. Jolinar had wanted to use Sam's body temporarily to stay alive and get important information to the rest of her people. In the end she ended up sacrificing her life for Sam's. Still, it was not a pleasant experience for Carter.

Daniel jumped in again, trying to get O'Neill to see the facts. "If there really is a Goa'uld out there going by the name Ammut and she is amassing a large amount of naquadah, we need to know." Naquadah was the mineral that made up the building blocks of all the Goa'uld technology, from their ships to their weapons, and even to the devices they used to travel between worlds almost instantaneously, the Stargates. The Goa'uld also had naquadah in their blood that allowed them to control and use certain pieces of their technology.

"What's so darn special about her?" O'Neill asked, clearly irritated. "A Goa'uld's a Goa'uld. They're all bad."

"Ammut means 'The Dead Devourer' or 'Dead Swallower'," Daniel began and continued on at O'Neill's blank stare. "According to Egyptian mythology, she was a demon in the Underworld with the head of a crocodile, the body of a leopard or lion, and the backside of a hippopotamus."

"That is one ugly Goa'uld," O'Neill quipped, raising Daniel's ire.

"It's called symbolism, Jack," Daniel said dryly, and went on. "All of those animals were considered man-eaters by the ancient Egyptians. They were fierce creatures the ancient Egyptians feared."

"Okay. So what does that mean?" O'Neill wanted to get to the point.

"She was a dweller in the netherworld who waited by the scales of judgment to consume the souls of those who were found to be sinful in some way," Daniel explained.

"So, she ate the bad guys," O'Neill interrupted, leaning forward in his chair at the briefing room table.

"Uh, yeah, but she wasn't worshiped, and she was never regarded as a goddess by the ancient Egyptians. They feared her, Jack. She was the monster that parents told their kids would get them if they didn't behave. She was a demoness of punishment. She was also regarded as a protector of 'Osiris' because of her position at judgment," Daniel finished, emphasizing Osiris' name as he spoke.

A light flickered in O'Neill's dark brown eyes, understanding finally sinking in. "She was a punisher for Osiris," he said all business-like now. Osiris was another Goa'uld that had proven to be very deadly. He and his queen, Isis had been banished by another Goa'uld named Setesh, kept without a host, in stasis. The ship transporting them had crashed on Earth, burying them deep underground. Some archeologists had stumbled upon their "tomb" and Osiris eventually gained his freedom. Unfortunately, he took an old friend of Daniel's, Sarah Gardner, as a host. Isis' stasis did not hold and she died. Osiris had then decided to team up with Anubis and was helping him in his quest to conquer the galaxy.

"Yes, and you can imagine how the Goa'uld have taken and twisted Ammut's myth to suit their nefarious purposes." Daniel was glad to have the Colonel's full attention at last.

"Teal'c, have you ever heard of Ammut among the System Lords?" Carter finally spoke.

Teal'c nodded towards Carter. "Indeed, but only in passing. She was said to have been the Punisher of the Gods. If a Jaffa or human servant failed to meet their master's requirements or if they turned on their god, they were sent to Ammut for punishment," Teal'c paused.

"There's more, isn't there?" Carter prompted Teal'c to continue.

"She loved the slaughter of her victims. Her appetite for torture and barbarity seemed to know no bounds. She developed her techniques and began using them on other Goa'uld. Her ferocity frightened many of the System Lords, including Ra and Apophis. Ammut became a threat even to the System Lords." Teal'c's voice never changed its low, deep, calm. The System Lords were particularly powerful and influential, much like the stature of kings or queens, among the Goa'uld. They commanded great armies and controlled vast empires.

"What happened to her?" General Hammond wanted to know.

"As stories spread that she had created strange creatures that were not good as hosts, but could rip her enemies and victims apart, and that she had Jaffa that could not die, the System Lords came together to destroy her," Teal'c explained. "They did not destroy her, however. In the end, they forced her to leave their territory, never to return, under the promise that if she came back she would face total destruction."

"Why didn't they just eliminate her at the time?" O'Neill asked as he tapped his fingers on the briefing room table. "Seems to me they could have saved themselves a whole lota of grief."

"I do not know, O'Neill," Teal'c said. "Her story has been handed down through the ranks of the Jaffa for many years. It happened long before I came into Apophis' service."

"Sounds a lot like what happened with Anubis," Daniel interjected. "He was too powerful to destroy, even with the combined forces of the System Lords. Exile was the best they could hope for."

"Look what was done to Osiris and Isis," Carter pointed out. "They were removed from their hosts, put in stasis, and placed in canopic jars. They weren't destroyed either."

"Yeah, but that was inbred fighting with Setesh, not all the System Lords together," Daniel said.

"True, but for some strange reason the Goa'uld like to banish rather than take one of their own down," Carter replied.

"Maybe it is their sick way of stickin' it to the man," O'Neill broke in. "You can't cause a dead man pain. If you enemy is still around, there is always the chance of hurting them just one more time."

Daniel took a deep breath before he spoke again, voicing a concern all at the meeting had. "We know that Osiris has teamed up with Anubis. What if this Ammut has decided to get back into the game by joining him too?"

"Or she could have increased her power enough to be a threat all by herself." Carter threw out this thought gravely.

"Either way, we definitely need more information," Daniel responded twirling his pen in his hand absent-mindedly.

"What do the Tok'ra actually know?" O'Neill didn't bother to keep the disdain out of his voice.

General Hammond opened the green document file folder in front of him as he answered. "According to their intelligence, the Tok'ra have learned that Ammut has indeed returned from exile. She has a base on P5X-645, also called Aaru by the Tok'ra - - - -."

"Aaru is one of the ancient Egyptian names for the Underworld," Daniel interjected.

"Lovely," O'Neill whispered sarcastically.

General Hammond continued on, ignoring the brief interruptions. "The Tok'ra have also discovered that she has enslaved the entire population of the planet, about sixty million people, to mine naquadah for her." He flipped through a few pages of his file and then spoke again. "She appears to be trying to develop some kind of new weapon. Her Jaffa army is small, but she is somehow compelling many of the previously rebel Jaffa to join her. This is steadily helping her military force to grow."

"What kind of weapon are we talking about here?" O'Neill wondered aloud.

"I would also like to know what would compel a 'free' Jaffa to join her," Teal'c asserted himself by only using his voice.

"Something that requires a large amount of naquadah," the General replied to O'Neill, referring again to the document in his hands, and then to Teal'c, "I find that a troubling account too, Teal'c. The Tok'ra have no further information as to how she is convincing them into joining her."

"Don't the Tok'ra have any details? That's kinda vague, don'tcha think?" O'Neill responded, raising his eyebrows meaningfully.

"No, they don't Colonel," Hammond said. "That is why the Tok'ra have asked us to gather as much Intel as possible. I want SG-1 to do this. That's the reason I called this briefing. It needs to be done quickly, quietly, and thoroughly."

"But we can't just 'gate' there", Carter put in. "If Ammut is rallying troops and removing naquadah, she will have her gate heavily and substantially guarded."

"Good call," O'Neill smiled at her and slapped the table. "She's right, General. We need to find another way in. One that won't attract too much unwanted attention."

"A Tel'tak might go unnoticed," Teal'c suggested.

"Especially if we could use one with a stealth device," Carter added.

"Since the Tok'ra are asking us to do this for them, I don't think it would be asking too much from them to help us obtain a Tel'tak cargo ship," O'Neill told his commanding officer.

Hammond smiled warmly at his people and let them in on his secret. "It just so happens that the Tok'ra had the same thought. They are on their way with one as we speak. They should arrive with it within the next five hours."

"Well, whatda know," O'Neill whistled. "It about damn time they gave us a ship."

"I want you prepped and ready to go by 1800 hours," Hammond ordered.

"Yes sir," O'Neill and Carter said at the same time while Daniel and Teal'c nodded their assent.

"Go over what the Tok'ra have provided us thus far and plan accordingly. Dismissed." Hammond closed his file.

"Thank you, sir." O'Neill stood as the General stood.

As Hammond took his leave, Daniel said, "I'd really like to do a little bit more research on the demoness Ammut from Egyptian history, and pick Teal'c's brain a little more too."

"I don't know Daniel, that might be dangerous," O'Neill quipped as he slapped Daniel on the back.

"Doing research?" Daniel asked surprised and confused.

"No. Picking Teal'c's brain." O'Neill dead panned.

Teal'c merely tilted his head and raised an eyebrow as O'Neill, Carter, and Daniel shared a short laugh.

TBC

So what do you think? Is it any good? How did I do with the characters? Let me know and I will be forever in your gratitude. One or two sentences would be just great.