DISCLAIMER: Stargate SG-1 and its characters are the property of Showtime/Viacom, MGM/UA, Double Secret Productions, Gekko Productions; all the powers that be, not me; This story is for entertainment purposes only and no money exchanged hands. No copyright infringement intended. The story is the property of the author and may not be posted without the author's consent.
SPOILERS: Big one for Stargate, the movie.
AUTHOR'S NOTES: Now I know the shafts of the Khufu pyramid are too small and too steep to actually climb through, but hey, it was a great escape route. And have you actually seen a huge naquadah ring people just jump through to travel to other planets? Nah… didn't think so…
Many, many thanks to Tanya, Mary and Margo, for their patience, support, offered ideas and suggestions to make this better. Also thanks to Leanne and Sandra, for their help, you also made this better.

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FLASHBACK… (The first Abydos mission)
=======================================

"Send the bomb to Earth," with a steady, firm voice, Ra gave a determined nod into the direction of his Prime Horus guard.

The guard slowly nodded. "I will see to it personally," he said, then turned around and left the room.

*****

Colonel Jack O'Neill, leader of the team that had been sent on the first mission through the Stargate to a planet called Abydos, ran through the corridors of the temple with a staff weapon in his right hand. He headed straight towards the Stargate. The nuclear bomb was located in this room, close to the dominating structure. The Colonel instinctively knew there was no other way. His orders had been clear and he had accepted them without hesitation. Having his own personal reasons for that, he had been the perfect officer for the job. Why else would General West have selected him? The General needed a man who was willing to sacrifice his life in order to save Earth from another Goa'uld attack and O'Neill had been ready to end his own life after the loss of his son. It was only logical that he had been selected. Now it was time to finish his job, to make sure these snakeheads wouldn't be a threat to Earth anymore. He lifted the bomb from the cart and placed it carefully against the Stargate, ready to set it off.

Doctor Daniel Jackson, the only civilian of the team, only allowed to join the mission because of his translating skills, ran through the temple. His new Abydonian wife, Sha're, ran beside him, holding on to his hand as if afraid to lose him. Daniel noticed the Colonel's actions.

"What are you doing?" Daniel Jackson asked, fear evident in his voice. During this mission, he'd already come to terms with the Colonel's lack of will to survive. The memory of the devastated man back in that cave telling him that no parent ought to be forced to outlive his kid had given him an idea of the cause. Although he had used several occasions to talk some sense into the depressed man, he wasn't sure if they had had any effect. He also had some ideas of what the Colonel was trying to achieve right now.

Colonel O'Neill looked briefly over his shoulder. His face blank, his voice lacking every emotion, he answered, "completing this mission."

"I thought we were just going to dismantle the Gate on the other side?" Daniel raised his hand in the air, confusion crossing his face.

"And you will. That's your job now." O'Neill looked him straight in the eye, trying to make sure the young linguist understood every word he said. "I'm gonna stay here. To make sure this goes off."

Daniel couldn't believe what he was hearing. His eyes widened and his mouth fell wide open. Not able to say anything, he saw how the Colonel enabled the bomb, his movements deft, precise. Switching the red handle, O'Neill informed him: "You've got seven minutes."

A brief movement from behind made Sha're look over her shoulder. A large Horus guard entered the room, aiming his weapon at the three people. She cried out, "Dan'iel!" The guard fired, hitting her in her chest and she slid motionless to the floor. Daniel and O'Neill returned fire immediately and managed to kill the guard before he could do anymore damage.

Daniel kneeled beside his wife, frantically feeling for a pulse. Shocked, he realized that she was dead.

As Ra's First Prime made his way from the ship to the temple, Daniel noticed the appearing transport rings. That was it! Knowing it was the only way to save his wife, Daniel lifted Sha're and walked over to the rings.

"What are you doing?" O'Neill asked, having no idea what the young man had in mind, "Jackson?"

Daniel entered the rings. "Wait for me," he pleaded, his blue eyes looking desperately into the brown eyes of O'Neill. With a flash, the transport rings took Daniel and Sha're up to the Goa'uld vessel.

The First Prime stepped out of the rings, surprising the Colonel and knocking him down with one hard blow.

*****

Daniel had been in the Goa'uld ship before and knew his way. He tried not to think of his own death and how he was brought back to life. That was a memory that would probably haunt him for a while. He walked through the ship, straight towards the sarcophagus. Opening it, he carefully placed Sha're into it. It wouldn't take long; he knew that from his own experience. It would work; it had to work…

*****

Outside the temple, Major Louis Ferretti, Major Charlie Kawalski, Sha're's younger brother Skaa'ra and the other children of Abydos who had joined the soldiers, were desperately fighting against the death gliders. There were too many death gliders and Major Ferretti realized they were about to lose the battle. "Kawalski, we've got to do something!" he yelled.

Kawalski knew too that there was no way they could win this lopsided fight. He could not willingly sacrifice the lives of the young children of Abydos. He started yelling at the death gliders, ready to surrender and hoping to catch the attention of the Horus guards.

His actions were noticed; the death gliders stopped firing as a bunch of Horus guards marched in their direction, staff weapons aimed at the soldiers and children. Sighing heavily, the soldiers surrendered and raised their hands in the air.

*****

Knowing the sarcophagus had done its job, Daniel opened it up and lifted Sha're out of there. He quickly carried her back to the rings, when Ra stopped him. The Goa'uld was furious at the brazenness of the Tau'ri. How dare he come to his ship and use his sarcophagus? His eyes glowing with rage, Ra placed his hand device on Daniel's head, in an effort to try to pull him apart. The pain in Daniel's head was immense and he struggled to stay on his feet. His face contorted, he gasped for air, unable to fight back.

*****

Colonel O'Neill struggled to his feet, only to be knocked down by the angry guard once more. The guard attacked him viciously, trying to place solid blows on his head and chest. Unwilling to give up, the Colonel managed landing some blows on the guard's head. The guard hit him hard with his staff weapon, sending him backward against the wall. Determined, the Colonel fought back, kicking and hitting the guard until he managed to knock him down.

"Give my regards to King Tut, asshole." O'Neill hissed angrily, pinning him down with one knee. He quickly pressed the blue button of the device on the guard's hand, which activated the transport rings. The guard screamed out, realizing what was about to happen. He desperately tried to get away, but the Colonel held him securely in place. The transport rings appeared, crushing the still screaming Horus guard underneath them.

*****

The transport rings temporarily distracted Ra. Looking furiously over his shoulder for a brief moment; Daniel took advantage of the situation and pulled with all the strength that he had left. He managed to set himself free. Staggering back, he angrily grabbed the amulet that Ra had stolen from him earlier that day and tugged it from Ra's neck. With Sha're still in his arms, he stepped into the rings and was on his way down, leaving Ra outraged, cursing out loud.

Relief floated across O'Neill's face when Daniel and Sha're stepped out of the transport rings.

One minute and fifty-three seconds…

He rushed over to the bomb, switching the red handle to turn it off. It didn't stop…

One minute, forty-four seconds...

O'Neill dropped on his knees next to the bomb, frantically trying different ways to stop it. Nothing worked.

One minute, thirty-eight seconds…

*****

As Major Kawalski, Major Ferretti and the children were waiting for the approaching Horus guards, Kasuf appeared over the hills, yelling out loud. He wasn't alone; all the men of Abydos were running behind him, ready to fight. Knowing what the children of Abydos had started, they were determined to help them out and put an end to their enslavement by the false Gods.

Ra was watching the scene through the view screen of his ship, knowing his guards were outnumbered and would definitely lose the battle. There was just no way to stop those people. Furiously accepting his loss, Ra turned on the engines of his ship, ready to leave the place.

*****

"How much time do we have left?" Almost too scared to ask, Daniel approached the Colonel, worry evident on his face.

O'Neill was still trying to shut the bomb down, but wasn't succeeding. "Forty-five seconds," he hissed.

"He's leaving. Turn it off!" Daniel was almost panicking now.

Forty seconds…

"I'm trying to! I can't disarm it!"

"WHAT?"

"I can't stop it! They've got it rigged!" The Colonel was really, really pissed.

Thirty-five seconds…

Sha're regained consciousness and struggled to get up. O'Neill and Daniel briefly looked over their shoulders at her. Then they both switched their attention from the woman to the beaten Horus guard, to his hand with the transport device and the transport rings. That was it! It had to work!

Thirty seconds…

"I've got an idea!" they yelled at each other at the same time.

*****

The Goa'uld vessel had left the temple and was now up in the air. Ra still expected the bomb to go off on the planet and was anxiously waiting for this. At least he would have that pleasure. The transport rings came to life again … his eyes were glowing in outrage… he saw how the bomb appeared …

'Tau'ri!!! You're going to pay for this!!!'

Four seconds…

He had only one chance to survive now. He'd already lost his world. He would lose his ship too.

Three seconds…

There was no other way… He took out a dark gray panel that had been hanging around his neck, under his clothes. There were only two buttons on it. One button was red and one was green.

Two seconds…

He would have to build a whole new empire. Start all over again. It would take him two years at the most. He would be back soon to take revenge. He pressed the red button.

One second…

The bomb exploded, taking out the Goa'uld vessel in the air, creating a huge cloud of fire and smoke. On Abydos, everybody cheered in satisfaction, excitement and relief. They were convinced the false God had been destroyed. They were free, at last. Unfortunately, nobody noticed the beam of energy that had left the Goa'uld vessel only a fraction of a second before the explosion…

END OF FLASHBACK
=====================

"Chevron 7 encoded. Wormhole established!" The voice of Lt. Simmons sounded somehow like an automated voice response system over the intercom.

In the Gateroom, SG-1, the SGC's first off world exploration team stood, all geared up, ready to go on their next mission. Colonel O'Neill, Commanding Officer of the team, looked over his shoulder for a final approval. General Hammond nodded at him and saluted.

"SG-1, you have a go."

Colonel O'Neill briefly responded with a quick salute.

"Okay, kids, ready? Let's go." He walked up the ramp and stepped through the wormhole. Although he knew what to expect, the effects of traveling at great speed through the wormhole surprised him time after time. He was thrown hard out of the Gate on PXR488 and rolled over his shoulder three times before stopping himself. He quickly rose to his feet, slapped the dust of his clothes, all the while scanning his surroundings to determine any sign of danger.

Captain Samantha Carter, his 2IC with too many brains, stepped out behind him easily, immediately scanning the area as he had done. He pulled a face. Was he ever glad she hadn't witnessed him tumbling out of the wormhole! She would have joked about that the whole day.

A brief sadistic smile appeared on his face as Doctor Daniel Jackson, SG-1's only civilian, rolled down almost the same way he had done. Gently, he held out his hand, to help the linguist up.

"Daniel, Daniel. We're barely here and you managed to hurt yourself already. Doctor Fraiser's gonna kill me if I return you in less than one piece… So watch yourself, okay?"

Daniel got up, gladly taking the offered hand. Shifting slightly, he made sure his backpack was still where it belonged. With one hand, he tried to straighten his clothes; with the other, he pushed the glasses back on his nose.

"Yeah, sorry 'bout that, Jack… ATCHOE!!!" The dust in his nose had been tickling him and he couldn't hold it back anymore.

Jack turned his head away, his hands already searching through his pockets to hand Daniel a tissue. Shifting his own backpack, Jack threw a glance in the direction of Sam and the Jaffa, Teal'c, to make sure they were ready.

"Okay, campers. Let's move out. Carter, lead the way. Teal'c, bring up the rear. Daniel, you okay?" He looked worriedly at the still sneezing member of his team.

Daniel wiped his nose, took a deep breath, straightened his back and stepped in Sam's direction. "Yeah, Jack. I'm fine. Let's go."

O'Neill shrugged his shoulders and followed. It was only now that he noticed something different on this planet. "Err, Carter? Where are the trees?"

Carter sniggered. "I've sent SG-5 to this planet last week, Sir. To remove them all, especially for you." She didn't look back to watch his face but started marching them to the south.

**********

They'd hiked across the planet for four hours when they spotted a settlement in the valley behind the sand dunes. The leader of SG-1 motioned for them to stay low and crawled flat on his stomach towards the edge of the dune, his binoculars ready. The others followed and for a while, they studied the settlement and the people in it.

The inhabitants were living in huge, oval tents. The women were gathered at some type of fireplace, kneeling down, stirring and cutting, like they were preparing dinner. There were a couple of men working in what looked like a plantation; others were fussing with one of the tents.

Spotting no signs of danger, O'Neill looked back at his team, pulling a questioning face. "So, campers, what do ya think? Wanna go talk to those people?"

"Well, yeah, Jack. They don't look violent or aggressive, so it's a great opportunity to meet them; learn about their culture, religion…" Daniel Jackson, SG-1's archaeologist and linguist sounded excited already.

"Teal'c?"

"I do not think there is any danger in meeting these natives, O'Neill."

He glanced at his Second and she nodded in approval. "Okay, kids. Let's go and meet those nice folks… Daniel, you do the talking. Let's take it easy, don't wanna scare them…" with that, he stood up straight and motioned them to follow.

Slowly, the team walked down the hill. The men in the fields spotted them first. They yelled, to get each other's attention, pointing into the direction of the approaching team. They ran back to the settlement, warning the others. Soon, they were all gathered in front of the first line of tents, the women behind the men. The women were outnumbering the men; it appeared there were at least four times more women than men. They all glanced at the strangers with surprised, excited and frightened looks on their faces.

One of the elder men stepped forward.

"Err, hello… I'm Daniel Jackson." Daniel slowly pointed at his own chest before turning to the others. "We mean no harm. We're just explorers…"

The man bowed his head slightly, than looked at Daniel again. "Greetings. Me Hazan. This my people."

"Oh. Nice to meet you, Hazan. This is Teal'c, Sam and this is Jack." Daniel introduced the others. This time all the men bowed their heads slightly.

Daniel faced Jack and whispered, "I think they just said hello."

The Colonel nodded, removed his glasses and replaced the cap on his head. He was vaguely aware of the women giggling. "Daniel? What is that all about?"

Daniel had already spotted the women were exchanging looks, laughing nervously, touching each other's faces. When one of them looked back at him and touched her nose while sniggering, he understood. "I don't think they've ever seen glasses, Jack. See, nobody's wearing glasses…"

"You're right, Daniel. Can you imagine that?" Sam couldn't hide her surprise.

Daniel took the glasses out of Jack's breast pocket and offered them to Hazan. "Take a look. They're for protection. Against the sun." He pointed to the sky.

Hazan carefully examined the glasses and finally held them in front of his eyes. He staggered back, shaken by the dark vision. With a frown on his face, he handed them back to Jack.

"Come. We eat. You join us." With that, he turned and the team followed him.

**********

The team was settled. They had joined the natives for dinner, talked about habits and rituals, exchanging information… Daniel seemed to enjoy his time with those natives very much. Jack was rather bored, but had decided to spend the night.

Teal'c stood guard, the Colonel could depend on that. While Sam and Daniel were having a wonderful conversation, he just sat down on a small bench, staring at the stars and soon, he was lost in his thoughts.

A shocked Daniel got his attention. "Jack! I think you'll have to come and take a look at something!" The young archaeologist sounded really upset.

Jack rose to his feet. "What is it, Daniel?" He exchanged looks with Teal'c, silently telling him he was going with Daniel. Teal'c understood and remained at his position.

"Well, one of the women told me how a major part of their people were taken away by a God… The God took all the men who were present at the time, plus all of the children. You've noticed there are no children in this settlement. There are also many more women then men… She remembered a sign this God wore and drew it for me in the sand… over here…"

Jack followed Daniel, thinking about what he just heard. He looked down at the drawing in the sand and immediately recognized the too familiar shape of an eye, the Udjat.

"Oh, for crying out loud… "

Daniel wrapped his arms around his chest, looking worriedly at his friend. "Do you think it is possible Ra has been here?"

Jack shrugged his shoulders. "How long ago did this happen? I mean, we DID blow up a nuclear bomb under the snakehead's nose, didn't we?"

"Well… yeah… but this woman said this happened less than two years ago…"

"This could all just be a coincidence, Daniel… Who knows how many Goa'uld in the whole galaxy carry a sign similar to Ra's…" Jack tried to reason.

"No, I don't think so." Daniel protested. "Every Goa'uld has his own name, status and symbol, Jack. I think it is very unlikely some other Goa'uld carries Ra's…"

"It is also very unlikely to survive an explosion like that, Daniel!" Jack interrupted him slightly irritated.

"I know…" Daniel didn't sound convinced. They exchanged looks for a while.

Jack noticed the hesitation in his friend's eyes. Could Daniel be right? Oh, man… he was sure Ra was dead, and now Daniel was telling him the snakehead might still be alive? He sighed.

"Did they tell you if this God had returned here since then?"

"No. They're still afraid he'll come back for the remaining men… They were hunting that day, that's why the God couldn't take them."

"Let's inform Sam and Teal'c. Chances are slim the God will choose now to visit, but I think we should leave first thing in the morning anyway. Don't wanna run into Ra or any other freaking Goa'uld… I'm really not in the mood…"

Daniel nodded in agreement. This place suddenly gave him the creeps and the sooner they left the better. They made arrangements about the night watch shifts and headed to bed.

**********

In the morning, the native women were preparing some sort of breakfast. Jack walked up to Teal'c, who'd had the last watch.

"Morning… anything happened?" Jack asked, noticing the concerned expression of the Jaffa.

"I do not know, O'Neill. I detect no immediate danger, but I do think something is about to happen."

Trusting on his friend's instinct as his instinct had proven to be right on more than a couple of occasions, Jack pointed tentatively at Teal'c's pouch.

"Err, is Junior nervous?"

Teal'c nodded. "Indeed, my symbiote is very restless…" he looked awkwardly over his shoulders.

The Colonel made his decision easily. "We're heading back after breakfast." Glancing at the sand dunes, his eyes widened. He spotted a couple of approaching Horus guards. "Oh, shit…"

"O'Neill…" Teal'c's alarmed voice told him the Jaffa saw them too.

"Let's go!" He ran back to where Sam and Daniel were waiting for breakfast. "Grab your stuff," he yelled, stopping abruptly in his outburst as he saw another group of Horus guards approaching from the other side. "Damn-it!" he cursed out loud.

Sam and Daniel snapped to attention and immediately grabbed their gear. From each side, a group of twelve Horus guards approached the settlement. The natives also had spotted the danger and they were gathering in a circle. Some of the women were crying already.

Sam glanced at her CO. "Sir. The natives don't have any weapons. We are outnumbered badly. There's no way we can fight them…"

"Ya think?" he hissed in response. His mind was racing; weighing options and calculating risks. The guards were still a couple of yards away. "Carter, drop the jacket. Grab a dress from someone and blend in with the women…" he ordered his Second.

She looked at him in surprise and he clarified, "hopefully they're not after the women… I need somebody to get back to the SGC… Go!"

With a short "Yes, Sir," Sam turned on her heels and ran towards one of the tents.

Jack tossed his cap at Teal'c. "Cover your tattoo… Let's join the others. We're not going to put up a fight and risk their lives…"

The Horus guards marched the last part towards the waiting group of people; their staff weapons ready to fire. They surrounded the silent group completely and stood motionless, waiting. The image of the falcon on the mask of one guard had a different color. This guard spoke to the crowd, his voice like metal, lacking emotion.

"I have come to take what belongs to me."

Daniel recognized a necklace around the guard's neck and inhaled sharply. It was a copy of his own necklace, the one he'd torn off Ra's neck two years ago.

The sharp intake of breath drew the guard's attention to him. Cursing out loud in his language, the guard pressed the button of his mask and it folded off his head.

Jack winced when he recognized the young face of the Goa'uld who stood in front of him. Damn, damn, damn! Daniel had been right. This was turning out to be a bad day.

"You! Kneel for your God!" Ra, God of the Sun, Ruler of the day, hollered, his eyes glowing furiously, pointing at Daniel. One of the guards grabbed Daniel by his arm and dragged him in front of Ra, forcing him to kneel.

Ra scanned the area and soon his eyes rested on O'Neill. "My day has come," he said, "my revenge will be great! Kneel!"

When Teal'c was about to interfere, Jack hissed, "don't, Teal'c. He doesn't know you. I need the two of you to get us out of this mess…"

He shrugged off the guard who was coming to get him and stepped forward.

"Now, I was hoping never to have to see your ugly face again…" He was rewarded by a sharp kick at the back of his knees, forcing him into a kneeling position. "Hate it when that happens..." he muttered.

Ra faced the crowd. "I am grateful that you have returned these Tau'ri to me. For that, I will leave you here in peace." He snapped a command at his guards. Two guards stepped closer and smashed the back of their staff weapons on the skulls of both kneeling Tau'ri. Daniel and Jack both slid unconscious to the ground. The guards bowed, picking the two still forms up and the group of guards turned and left with Ra in their midst.

**********

Captain Carter cursed out loud. She had helplessly watched as the Colonel and Daniel were taken prisoner by this Goa'uld, who appeared to be Ra. Although she understood why the Colonel wanted her to remain undiscovered and was counting on her to set up a rescue party, she still felt she failed her friends miserably.

Sam knew she would need to get very lucky to figure out where Ra took them. How many possibilities were there in the whole universe anyway? Being nowhere near the Stargate, they were unable to see the co-ordinates of the world Ra gated out to. Knowing all too well there was no time to lose, she also knew it was next to impossible to find their missing team members.

She threw her dress off and grabbed her own jacket again. "What do we do now, Teal'c?"

Teal'c frowned. "I do not know where this Goa'uld is taking O'Neill and Daniel Jackson. It will be hard to find them."

Sam nodded. He knew it too. Yet, there had to be a way. She couldn't let her friends down. Not without trying.

"I think we'll have to escort those people back to the Stargate and ship them to another safe world. I don't think Ra will leave them alone forever…" she thought out loud. It suddenly occurred to her and her face brightened. "I hope Ra WILL return! We could set up a probe to detect the co-ordinates when he leaves again!"

"Very smart, Captain Carter. This Goa'uld will indeed return to this planet. He will not be able to resist gaining more slaves. I only hope it will not be too late."

"It is our only chance at this moment. I'll talk to Hazan. As soon as his people have gathered their personal belongings; we're out of here." With that, she turned and walked over to Hazan to make the arrangements.

**********

Jack was brutally awakened when one of the guards unceremoniously dropped his limp body into a similar pit they'd been trapped in on the last mission. The fall ended in the familiar water, which was filling up the pit. Not immediately knowing what was happening, he gasped and swallowed a mouth full of dirty water. His reflexes kicked in and he struggled to get his head above the waterline. Managing that, the Colonel noticed his feet could reach the bottom of the pit, the water level reaching up to his chest. Coughing out the remaining water from his lungs, he spotted a commotion in the water next to him.

Daniel!

Jack bent forward, his arms searching the water for the body of his friend. He grabbed him by what appeared to be Daniel's arm and pulled him out of the water.

The young man was almost choking, coughing out loud, water running from his lips. Jack patted him on his back.

"Easy, Danny, easy. Spit it out. That's right, get rid of it… you okay now?"

Daniel inhaled deeply, his eyes scanning the pit they were in.

"Oh…" he muttered as he recognized his surroundings.

"Been there, done that… we'll be okay." Jack tried to reassure him. The archaeologist was not as tall as the Colonel was and the water just reached up to his chin. That must be comfortable, Jack thought as he visually investigated the walls.

"You know, I hate it when you're right…" Jack sighed, spotting no way out of this pit. He ran a steady hand through his gray, wet hair. "Guess this is just another bad day…"

Daniel nodded. "Yeah, I'd say discovering Ra is still alive, meeting him AND being taken prisoner by him could be described as a bad day. You think Sam and Teal'c are all right?"

"Yeah, I think so. Hopefully Carter gets those people out of there before Ra returns to that planet."

"You think he will?"

"I KNOW he will, Daniel." Jack stared at the wall of the pit, lost in his worries.

"Hey, Sam will get them out…" Daniel soothed, noticing his friend's somber expression. Looking up at the entrance of the pit, he sighed heavily. "Now if they only could get us out too, that would be nice…"

"We're on our own, Daniel. There's no way they can figure out which planet the freaking Goa'uld took us to." Jack decided to be honest, there was no way he could lie to Daniel about their situation.

"They'll set up a search party…" Daniel reasoned.

"I know that. Still, as Carter would calculate more precisely, there's only zero point zero, zero, lots of zeros, zero, one chance they'll discover the right planet. Can't count on that to happen. We need to figure our own way out of this mess."

Daniel sighed again. "This is just great…" he moaned.

**********

Only three hours later, Carter and Teal'c accompanied the group of natives back to the Stargate. Teal'c took point, scanning the area for any signs of the group of Horus guards. Carter stayed with Hazan. It had taken a lot of her imaginative and persuasive powers to convince the natives their only option was to leave the planet. She had explained that the Goa'uld would come back eventually to retrieve the remaining men; that they were able to escort them to a safer place, through the Stargate. Hazan had not understood what she had tried to explain to him about the Stargate, he had never seen the big metal ring. Sam had tried the worm-through-the-apple explanation she'd given her CO once but the way Hazan stared at her she realized he wasn't following her. So she'd left it at that. Hazan trusted her and had motioned for his people to gather their stuff.

Hiking back to the Stargate with a group of this size took them nearly six hours. By that time almost ten hours had passed since Ra took the Colonel and Daniel away. Concerned about their well-being, Carter knew she could do no more than get those people to safety, brief the General and set up a post at this Gate in case Ra would return. She dialed home and used her transmitter to inform the SGC about the situation and her plan.

"Captain Carter. Glad to see you're all right. We understand you want to transport a group of natives to another safe planet. I agree with that. I want maximum safety for those people. Did you have a specific planet in mind?" the General asked.

"Yes, Sir. Based on the conditions of their home planet, the weather patterns, the vegetation, the agriculture… I highly recommend transferring them to PR6320. That's the planet SG-5 visited a couple of weeks ago, Sir. It was deserted, with no indication of visitations by any Goa'uld and the surroundings fit what those people are used to now."

The General was silent for a while then answered her.

"That's an affirmative, Captain Carter. I suggest you dial up directly to PR6320. Lt. Simmons will give you the co-ordinates. Get those people settled and report back ASAP. We can send more help when needed. Meanwhile, I'll send SG-3 to this planet to set up a probe. When Ra returns to that planet, I want to know where he returns to."

"Yes, Sir." The Captain waited for the dialing sequence and aborted the transmission. The wormhole disappeared, leaving a stunned Hazan and group of people behind him.

Reassuring him, she explained to him that she would dial up to another planet and they all would have to step through the Stargate. Hazan gave her a nervous look. Sam dialed the co-ordinates, exchanging the seventh symbol with the point of Origin of PXR488. Everybody watched in silence as the wormhole kawooshed open, filling the ring with light blue sparkling fluid. Sam motioned Hazan to follow her and stepped towards the huge ring.

"Okay, Hazan, we'll go first. Tell your people to follow us. Teal'c, you're last."

Hazan looked over his shoulder, encouraging them to follow him through the wormhole. Sweat drops appeared on his brow as he followed Carter.

**********

They'd been standing in the water for a couple of hours now. The water was cold and they were shivering all over. Daniel was leaning against the wall for support. The trap door opened and a Horus guard appeared, letting down a rope.

"You," he pointed at Daniel, "climb up now."

The younger man looked back at Jack. What should he do? There wasn't really much of a choice.

Jack looked up. "What do you need him for?" he demanded.

The guard simply raised his staff weapon and aimed it at the Colonel.

"You… will… remain…" he stated firmly. Addressing Daniel he added, "and you will climb up now."

Daniel shrugged his shoulders while Jack didn't as much as move a brow. Daniel approached the rope and climbed up, leaving an inwardly cursing O'Neill behind.

The guard grabbed the linguist by his right arm and dragged him up the last part of the pit.

"Hey, careful with him!" the Colonel shouted, knowing it would make no difference, but he was unable to keep his growing anger down. Nobody paid attention to him, as Daniel was led away and the door closed again.

**********

Daniel walked between two guards, leaving a wet trail behind him. He shivered from the cold, wondering what was about to happen. The guards took him through a couple of long corridors, finally reaching a plain room, without any furniture. In the middle of the room, Ra stood, waiting for him with a determined expression on his face.

"You have been returned to me. Kneel!"

The guards stepped closer, but Daniel quickly dropped onto his knees. This was definitely a bad day. He had no idea what the Goa'uld had planned for him, but somehow he knew he wouldn't like it.

"You destroyed my world. You destroyed my ship. You blew up a nuclear bomb in my face. It cost me two years to build a second empire. TWO YEARS!!! You will pay for this!" His eyes glowing furiously, Ra snapped his fingers at the guards.

One of them moved closer, raised his staff weapon and slammed it against Daniel's back, sending him sprawling, landing roughly on his stomach.

Jackson gasped for his breath as the pain raged through his back. The guard grabbed him by his shoulders and hauled him back up. Another guard approached and slammed him on the left side in his neck.

The archaeologist moaned deeply. The end of the staff weapon had scraped his ear and he felt warm blood trickle down his neck. He tried wiping it off with his sleeve as another blow hit him in the stomach, forcing all air out of his lungs. He doubled over in pain, sucking in air through gritted teeth. He sat on hands and knees, trying to regain his composure, but the guards wouldn't let him. One guard kicked him in his side, another against his chin. He rolled over, spitting blood on the floor; not knowing which part of his body hurt the most. He just hurt everywhere. He lost track of time and was unaware of his surroundings. He didn't bother to get up anymore; he just received blow after blow, hoping it would end soon. A sudden blow on his skull sent him into blessed unconsciousness and he didn't hear the Goa'uld swearing out loud.

"This is only the beginning…. Throw him in the Kings Chamber and bring me the other…"

**********

The trap door opened again. Instead of Daniel coming back, a Horus guard with a helmet with the image of a falcon aimed his weapon at Jack.

"Come…" he said.

"What is this, an invitation to the dance?" Jack murmured, deeply concerned about his friend. What had they done to him? Was Daniel still alive? If that Goa'uld had hurt Daniel, he swore he would kill the snake with his bare hands, even if it was the last thing he did. He climbed up.

"Where is my friend? What have you done to him?" he demanded, not really expecting an answer.

The guard just grabbed him firmly by the arm and simply hauled him through the corridors. The Colonel was taken to the same room as Daniel before him. Ra still stood in the middle of the room, his arms crossed and his eyes full of hatred.

"What have you done to my friend?" Jack demanded again.

The guards roughly pushed him forward.

"Kneel for your God." Ra hissed, knowing the proud man in front of him would object. He would see where this game would get him.

The Colonel shook his head stubbornly. "Where is my friend and what have you done to him?" he repeated, looking determined and fearless at the false God of the Sun in front of him.

"Kneel for your God…" Ra hissed angrily, his eyes glowing.

"Well, that's kinda hard, you know… I don't see my God here anywhere. Do you?" Jack shrugged his shoulders. "Now, again. Where … is … my … friend?"

This time, the Goa'uld snapped his fingers and one of the guards slammed his staff weapon in the back of the Colonel's knees, forcing them to bend. O'Neill fell to his knees in an instant but was up on his feet even faster, without blinking an eye. Taking in the glowing eyes of his opponent, he knew he was playing with fire. There was no way out of here. He was alone, unarmed, so there was no way he could beat a whole army of guards. O'Neill knew chances of surviving were slim. He was prepared to die, but not without a fight. If only he knew what had become of Daniel.

"Kneel!!!" Ra yelled.

Ah. The snake was getting impatient and agitated.

"Nope, can't do…"

Another blow forced him down again, sending waves of pain through his legs. He got up.

"Kneel…"

"Never."

The procedure repeated; the guard slammed him, his knees buckled but Jack struggled to get up again. It took him a little longer this time; his legs were trembling from the blows, his knees protesting every movement.

"What have you done to my friend?" he hissed through clenched teeth.

"Kneel…"

"Not for you, you little RA…t. What have you done to my friend?"

Ra motioned one of his guards. This time, the guard smashed him hard in his ribcage. All air blown out of his lungs, Jack was thrown backward by the force of the jolt and landed with his back against the wall.

The System Lord stepped closer, raising his right hand, which was covered with a jewel that fit against the palm. With a cruel smile, he placed his hand on Jack's forehead and activated the ribbon device. His eyes glowed with satisfaction as he watched how his victim desperately tried to escape his painful grip, but couldn't manage. The human was writhing in pain and although he appeared to be trying not to, a couple of soft moans escaped from his tightened lips. Moving his hand without losing contact, he finally forced the human into a kneeling position. Keeping him securely in place, Ra waited until he felt the body go limp. Noticing that the human's eyes had rolled up in his head, he released him and let him slide to the floor.

**********

Captain Carter and Teal'c had managed to locate a good spot on PR6320 for the natives to rebuild their lives. The SGC had sent the FRED, loaded with large tents and gear for them to use and after some basic instructions, the men were all busy setting up a camp.

When they were sure the natives could manage on their own, Sam walked over to Hazan.

"We must go now. People from our planet will check up on you the next couple of days. If there's anything you need, just tell them, okay?"

Hazan nodded and grabbed her hand. "Thank you. Good luck find friends."

"Yeah. Thank you, Hazan." With that, Carter and Teal'c headed back to the Stargate and dialed home.

An hour later, they were gathered in the briefing room. The General had ordered Major Louis Ferretti to join the briefing. Besides the missing Colonel and Dr. Jackson, the Major was the only person who'd ever met Ra in person.

"Welcome back, Captain Carter and Teal'c. Major, please tell us what happened on PXR488," Hammond opened the briefing.

Sam nodded. "Yes, Sir. We met the natives on PXR488 in a settlement a couple of hours south of the Stargate. They were friendly; we were invited for dinner and offered a place to stay. Daniel talked to one of the women and found out a group of Horus guards had visited the planet about two years ago, taking all the men and children that were present at that time, prisoner. That's why the population we found had so many women. The woman described a necklace she'd seen on the neck of the leader of the Horus guards and according to Daniel, it had to be the eye of Ra." Sam stood and drew the symbol she'd seen on the white board.

Ferretti groaned. "Definitely Ra. I still remember that sign…"

"The Colonel decided we would head back in the morning. But when we were up for breakfast, groups of Horus guards appeared over the hills on all sides. We had nowhere to go and were defenseless…"

Ferretti sighed. "No kidding…" he muttered.

"Colonel O'Neill ordered me to put on a dress and hide amongst the women. While the guards surrounded us, the leader recognized Daniel and the Colonel. He opened his falcon mask. It was Ra, Sir."

"The Colonel must have been eager to break his neck, then," Ferretti stated.

Carter looked at him. "He didn't get a chance. They knocked them out and took them away. Ra said his revenge would be great, Sir…" she turned her head back to the General, guilt and worry all over her face.

"There was nothing you could do, Captain. The Colonel made the right decision. There was no need for you all to be taken away by this Goa'uld."

"Yes, Sir," Sam answered, not completely satisfied.

"We have to find them fast, Sir. Ra's not someone to fool around with and if we don't get the Colonel and Dr. Jackson out soon, it will be too late…" Ferretti said worriedly.

"I know. SG-3 has set up a probe on PXR488. As soon as Ra returns, we'll be able to tell the co-ordinates he might have taken them to. There's nothing more we can do." The General sighed; knowing all too well that the waiting could kill his lost men.

"Sir, with all due respect. We have to do more than that. We don't know if Ra will return to that planet and when. In the meantime, the Colonel and Daniel could be dead…" Sam argued.

"I know that, Captain. I don't see any other possibilities, do you?"

Teal'c spoke up for the first time. "We can contact the Tok'ra. Maybe they know something."

Sam nodded. "Yes, Sir. Maybe they can help. Permission to contact them, Sir?"

Hammond thought it over for a brief second and nodded. "Okay. Captain, you do that. Teal'c, maybe you can contact master Bra'tac as well. Maybe he has some ideas." Noticing the affirmative nods of the two members of SG-1, he addressed Major Ferretti. "I want SG-2 on stand by, Major. I want them ready to gate out whenever necessary."

"Yes, Sir." Ferretti responded; glad he was part of the rescue plan, IF there was going to be one. If the Colonel needed help, he would be more than ready.

**********

Colonel Jack O'Neill slowly came to his senses. He was lying face down on a hard cold floor and he was shivering all over. His clothes were still damp from his former fall in the pit. Groaning softly, he moved his head and opened his eyes. He saw nothing; everything was black.

Silently assessing his condition, Jack took stock of his throbbing head, a dull ache in his side from the blow to his ribcage and his legs… God, his legs. He tried moving them, only to be rewarded with stabs of pain, from his thighs to his calves. Pushing himself to a sitting position, he gently rubbed his knees with his hands. They were already swelling up from the blows.

"Way to go, Jack. Escape is going to be hard without legs to carry you… " he muttered.

Now what? Why was it so dark, was he temporarily blinded? Could the ribbon device have caused that? The snakehead had placed that damn thing on his head, hadn't he? His mind was so fuzzy and his headache didn't help either. Where was he? He decided to examine his surroundings on the touch; he needed to know every single detail. Jack tried to get up, but his trembling legs protested the movement and moaning deeply, he fell back to the ground. The attempt to crawl on hands and knees ended up in another moan; his knees objected to that movement too.

Giving up was not on his list, so O'Neill moved, on his butt, using his arms to push himself backwards. He remembered Charlie 'crawled' this way as an infant, instead of on hands and knees, before learning how to walk. Moving this way, his legs stayed in front of him, slightly stretched. After each move, he examined his surroundings with his hands, sprawling them around him, touching and feeling; implanting every detail in his memory.

He'd reached one wall and estimated it at being five yards. Sliding around the corner, he noticed this wall was longer, maybe even twice as long. Another corner, he was calculating again as his hands felt something, something warmer and softer than the floor but still damp. It didn't take Jack long to discover he was touching somebody's legs. Turning his back to the wall, he maneuvered himself closer to the body, immediately taking a pulse. He found one, albeit weak and rapid.

"Daniel?"

His hands were all over the prone form, trying to detect any proof of the identity. The body was breathing, shallowly, as if it caused some trouble.

"Daniel, come on, is that you?"

There. He had it. SG-1's emblem, on the sleeve of the jacket, he would recognize it with his eyes closed. Oh. They were… well, kind of.

Damn. He needed to check Daniel over, why wasn't he moving? How badly was the young archaeologist hurt? He needed water, he needed his backpack, with his med-kit, he needed light… shit, he needed to sit on his knees, because examining Daniel in this position didn't work and was also pulling on some rather sore spots in his ribcage. Cursing silently, O'Neill turned on his sore knees, and then bent forward to properly examine his friend.

He carefully moved his hands over Daniel's head. Glasses were still there, that was good. Something sticky around his ear, apparently the man had been bleeding. Face probably swollen and bruised, Jack guessed, but without a proper view it was really hard to tell.

His hands moved down, probing and pressing on Daniel's chest, ribcage and abdomen. These movements drew some soft moans, despite Daniel's unconscious state. The Colonel winced in sympathy.

"God, Daniel, what did that bastard do to you?"

He could only hope the injuries inflicted on his friend were not too severe and that Daniel wasn't bleeding internally. Checking his friend's legs, he was glad he couldn't find anything terribly wrong there.

Pondering his next move, Jack decided he would have to wake his friend up. Although his examination had shown no life-threatening damage, in the dark he really couldn't tell how bad Daniel was hurt and he needed to know. Moving his hand to the man's cheek, he patted it softly.

"Daniel, come on, buddy… wake up. Daniel?"

His efforts were rewarded as the man started stirring, slightly first but struggling to get up after.

"Whoa, easy, Danny, easy…" O'Neill pressed his friend gently on the shoulder, to keep him from getting up. Releasing his legs from their awkward position, he sat on his butt again, closing his eyes tightly as the movement sent waves of pain through his swollen legs.

Daniel groaned, moving his arm protectively to his ribcage. "Jack?" he cracked, confused, as he couldn't see anything.

"Yeah, it's me, buddy… What happened to you?" Jack kept his hand on the other man's shoulder for reassurance.

Jackson searched his memory, suddenly remembered the beating and winced. "Guess Ra was a little upset… Kinda kicked me around… that kinda stuff…"

"Where are you hurt?"

The linguist assessed himself in silence. His head was throbbing from the blow in his neck, the muscles in his neck protested every movement of his head, and his chest and side were on fire… Breathing hurt a lot, but could be done, so his ribs were probably just bruised…

He sighed. This was getting really annoying. "It's not that bad, Jack… Where are we anyway? … Why is it so dark in here? … What about you, Jack? What happened to you?" He had a lot of questions. Some of them could wait. Some of them couldn't.

"We're locked in some room. I was examining it when I found you. Found nothing in the room yet, it seems empty."

Of course the Colonel only answered a couple of his questions.

"Jack?" Daniel demanded.

"I'm fine, Daniel. The little snakehead knocked me against the wall and used his ribbon thingy on me. That's all…"

"Oh." Knowing that must have been the short version of what really had happened, Daniel asked no further, although it left him wondering worriedly. Hearing the soft scraping and noticing Jack moving away from him, he asked, "what are you doing?"

"Finishing examining this room…"

A door opened, somebody turned on the lights at that moment and both men closed their eyes, protecting them against the brightness; opening them up a little at the time, giving them time to adjust.

One of the guards had entered the room, two waiting just in the corridor. Pointing his weapon at Daniel, the guard barked his order. "Get up and come."

Daniel pulled a face, not willing to come but knowing there was no other way.

O'Neill didn't give in that easily and struggled to his feet, swaying unsteadily on his painfully swollen legs. Unaware of Daniel's concerned frowns, he steadied himself and faced them. "I don't think so."

The guard snapped his fingers. One of the guards stepped forward, aimed and fired his zat gun, leaving the Colonel writhing in pain on the floor. They didn't give Daniel a chance to look back as they dragged him away, locking the door behind them.

**********

Ra waited; his eyes glowing, a nasty smile on his face. He was enjoying this more than he would have imagined. Two years, it'd taken him two years to build a second empire. Two years wasted, in his fight against the other Goa'uld, his opponents. HE was Ra, God of the Sun, the king and the pharaoh, the only God in the universe.

Now he was given what he had been waiting for, lurking, and longing, all this time: revenge.

The Tau'ri, who'd been responsible for the destruction of his former kingdom, had been returned into his hands. Nobody would ever find them here; nobody knew where he'd retreated. Those fools, thinking that he no longer existed.

He had all the time in the world. He would use it, to make them pay for what they'd done. He would mess a little bit harder with the younger one first. He knew inflicting pain on the younger human would make the older suffer as well. His little act some time ago had proved that. The older one apparently didn't care what happened to himself, but he DID care what happened to the other. He would then allow the younger one time to recover slightly, while he would have fun with the older human.

He was enjoying this little game too much; he knew it, but he'd figured he deserved it. Finally they would die of course, but not before he had his chance for revenge. Meanwhile, it also showed his power to his slaves. This would show them that he was indeed their God and that nobody should be foolish enough to turn his back on him.

He heard his guards approaching. Good. The younger man was with them. Time to make a statement. Time to take revenge. Just a little bit at a time.

**********

This time, they'd left the lights on. Too bad his own lights had been out; he could have examined the room without needing to move on his butt.

Daniel was thrown back into the room, barely conscious, gasping for breath. His body rolled against Jack's, waking the Colonel from his unconscious state.

Stirring, the first thing O'Neill was aware of was his throbbing head and he tried to remember where he was and what had hit him.

"Ah, a zat… this is getting old…" he muttered when his memory fell back in place. He struggled to get up, but something was lying almost on top of him, weighing heavy on his sore chest. A body.

Daniel!

Oh, God, Daniel…

Carefully shifting the weight of his friend off his ribcage, he eased him down on the cold floor, frantically checking for a pulse.

It was there, racing, pounding, and way too fast. Damn.

Jack took in the dark marks across Daniel's swollen left jaw, a visible evidence of some painful blows. Gently touching Daniel's skull, Jack tried to determine any other injuries.

"Danny? Come on, buddy… talk to me…"

Daniel's head shifted, only a little bit, a soft moan escaping from his lips.

"…Hurts, J'ck…"

His jaw tightened, O'Neill continued his examination and prodded on Jackson's chest. The younger man flinched, groaning out loud. He rasped hoarsely, every breath tearing another wave of pain through his body.

Jack lifted Daniel's shirt, cursing inwardly at the sight of the battered chest, black and blue spots marking the damaged area.

"I think they broke a rib or two, Daniel," Jack concluded.

Daniel just nodded; speaking up was too much trouble to him. He tried to get a grip on his breathing, slowly and slightly; that way it hurt less.

Removing his BDU vest first, Jack took off his black shirt. He used his teeth as a knife and tore the shirt into long strips. With that accomplished, he turned back to his friend.

"I'm going to tie up those ribs, Daniel," he announced, lifting the younger man's shirt once more. "Come on, I need you to sit up." Gently placing an arm around Daniel's shoulders, he helped him into a sitting position.

Apologizing for the pain he was about to cause, Jack wrapped some strips tightly around Daniel's chest, to provide support for the broken bones. Taking in the way his friend was sucking in air through gritted teeth, he gently lowered Daniel's shirt and helped him lay down.

O'Neill watched how his friend slowly regained control over his ragged breathing; silently promising himself he would stop Ra, someday, somehow. Before he could kill Daniel, or him.

**********

Carter had called everybody to the briefing room and found them waiting when she came back from her meeting with the Tok'ra.

"Report, Captain." The General kept it brief and to the point.

Sam nodded, a worried expression all over her face.

"Yes, Sir. I've contacted the Tok'ra. They have heard of Ra's existence. Ra is creating a war under the Goa'uld, Sir. They are convinced every other System Lord is looking for him. Seems he's been stealing from their forces, taking over supply planets… According to the Tok'ra, Apophis, Heru'ur, Hathor, they're all preparing to go to war…"

Ferretti frowned. "Well, let them kill each other while they're at it… although it would be nice if we could get the Colonel and Dr. Jackson out before they're getting at that…"

"Exactly."

Teal'c frowned. "Bra'tac is also aware of the upcoming battle. I do not think it is wise to interfere in a Goa'uld battle."

The General agreed. "I'm not sending any team into a Goa'uld conflict. However, we will try to get our men out before it comes to that. Anything on the location of Ra?"

Sam threw her hands in the air. "The Tok'ra were on to it, Sir, but hadn't come up with the complete address yet. I've got a part of it, and will run the computer over it to see if I can determine the missing part."

"How long will it take you to come up with a possible address?" Hammond asked.

"Hopefully within the next four hours, Sir," the Captain said confidently.

"Okay, people. When Captain Carter has a possible address, I want a MALP through A.S.A.P. When it is safe, I want both SG-1 and SG-2 on the rescue mission. Major Ferretti, you're in command. But I'm ordering you to GET back home at the first sight of a Goa'uld war, is that clear?"

Major Ferretti straightened in his chair. "Yes, Sir." He addressed Sam. "Get to that computer, Captain. I'll prepare the teams and we'll be waiting for your signal."

"People, let's get our men out of there before hell breaks loose." General Hammond rose to his feet. With that statement, the briefing had come to an end and they all left.

**********

Jack visually examined the room they were in for the first time. The room was approximately five by ten yards, had nothing in it but…

Oh, damn. Was that a sarcophagus? Please, no…

Not one of those damn things again. Their last experience with one of those things had not been a pleasant one to remember, especially for Daniel.

It was … one of those damn things.

Or at least it looked like one, however it was made of chocolate brown stone and it had no cover. That was strange. The Colonel looked back at his friend. Daniel had his eyes closed, face screwed up from the obvious pain he was in. Struggling to his feet once more, Jack tried to keep his balance and slowly, painfully, made his way towards the stone coffin.

It was empty. Not that he'd expected that somebody or something would be lying in there, but he checked anyway. Knocking with his fist on the sarcophagus, Jack was surprised at the hardness of the material. It would have to be made of some sort of granite. He found no proof of a lid; apparently this sarcophagus hadn't had one. So what was the purpose of the thing? Why was it here?

Daniel was watching him now. He studied the sarcophagus from where he was lying, and then studied the room and walls more closely.

"Jack?" He tried to ignore the itching feeling in his throat, knowing coughing would be a very, very bad idea.

O'Neill looked questioningly at his friend.

"What? You okay?" Dumb question, he knew it, but he had to ask.

Daniel nodded slightly. "That … sarcophagus? Without a lid? Made of?"

"Yeah, Daniel. It's made of some sort of granite, I think. Heavy, hard, thick. Don't see any control buttons, though…"

"Jack… Perfect shape of room… " Daniel rasped, every word a struggle. "Height… is half of diagonal of … floor … see?"

The older man looked up, looked at the floor, drawing an imaginary line from one corner to the opposite one. Could be half, yeah, but what's the point?

He shrugged his shoulders, pulling a face at Daniel.

"They … used Pi constructing … this room. There … are … fifteen stones in floor, right?"

Okay. Now Daniel wanted him to count the large stones that formed the floor. That ought to make sense. Well, he had nothing better to do, so he looked down and counted … fifteen large tiles, made of the same dark granite.

"Daniel?" Jack knew for sure, his friend was on to something now. He moved closer to his friend, rubbed his back as he noticed the harsh breathing. "Easy, Daniel… don't get all too excited over some rock again, okay?"

Shaking his head in frustration, Jackson forced himself to tell his friend what he'd discovered. "Jack… there's another room… with four granite trapdoors… only one of them left… " The archaeologist paused, to catch his breath again.

"There's a gallery going down… they took me down there. Jack, we're inside a pyramid and this is … the Kings chamber…" This time, he couldn't hold it back any longer. He started coughing, soft at first, but hard later, hard, rough, his arms cradling his chest. It hurt, shit, it hurt.

Jack was silently rubbing his back again, holding him steady until after a while, the coughing subsided and Daniel relaxed a little. He had more important news to tell Jack.

"Pyramid of Khufu, Jack. There is a secret … shaft somewhere over there," Daniel raised his arm to point at the wall opposite of the one with the door.

"A shaft?" The military man was getting really interested now.

Daniel nodded weakly. "It goes… up. One shaft from the other room goes up north… one from here goes up south."

"Want me to see if I can find that shaft?" Jack was already getting to his feet, walked over to the wall and started knocking on it with his fists.

"Ouch… feels solid," he muttered. That wouldn't work. Searching the floor for something he could use, he soon had a solid piece of rock and used it to knock carefully on every part of the wall, an anxiously waiting Daniel Jackson looking at him.

It didn't even take him long. Hearing the difference in the sound the knocking made, he'd found the shaft. Incredible. Knocking on the stone that covered the entrance, Jack tried to figure out how to remove it. Carefully examining the way the stone was moving slightly, he knocked harder on the left side, hoping not to draw the attention of any guards in the pyramid. The stone moved, maybe an inch and he tried pulling on it, placing his fingers on the protruding part.

Without paying attention to the damage it was doing to his knuckles and fingers, O'Neill kept digging deeper and deeper, pulling harder, moving it, inch for inch, until it came loose completely and he caught the stone before it fell to the ground.

Jackson was getting excited and struggled to his feet. "What's behind there?" he rasped, taking swaying steps to get closer.

The Colonel was on his knees, bit back a groan when his legs protested, bent his head and tried to determine where the shaft was leading. Sticking his arm in the hole, he tried detecting the state of the walls of the shaft.

"Feels solid… It's narrow, however, and completely dark." He weighed their options. It would be difficult to climb through the shaft; they would barely fit in it. He had no idea where it went; the only thing he did know was that it went up, in an angle less then forty-five degrees. They would need to brace themselves to climb up, something he was not really looking forward to with his swollen knees. He turned to Daniel, wondering.

"Daniel? What do you think?"

Jackson dropped on his knees beside his friend and studied the hole. Damn, that was going to be hard. He shrugged his shoulders.

"We have to try, Jack… Ra is killing us slowly anyway, so…" Daniel was gasping for breath, his ribs aching terribly.

Jack studied his friend's face. It was going to be even harder on Daniel to climb through. "You know where it ends?"

Daniel looked down.

"Da… niel?"

"Uhm, the builders stopped … about five inches before they reached the … outside of the pyramid…"

"For crying out loud, Daniel!" Jack's mind was racing. Was there a chance he could break through, lying flat on his stomach in this narrow shaft?

"I'm going to climb up, see if I can get through. I'll come back to get you…"

He looked at his friend, who was stubbornly shaking his head. "I'm climbing up there … behind you, Jack."

O'Neill was about to protest, but thought the better of it, shrugged his shoulders and moved over to the entrance of the shaft. "Let's see if claustrophobia is going to be the least of our worries…"

**********

Ra looked up as his Prime entered the room, with an alarmed expression over his face.

"A ha'tak vessel is approaching us. It plans to land on Menkau're. What do we do?"

The System Lord cursed and walked over to the view screen. The view screen gave him a perfect view over the valley, where his other two buildings, Kha'fre and Menkau're were located. Indeed, a Goa'uld battle vessel was slowly coming down, planning to land on his property, on the furthest building. His eyes glowing, he barked his orders.

"Guards! Prepare to battle. Line up around Menkau're. Nobody comes to MY world without an invitation!"

He watched in satisfaction as his army of Horus guards took its position around the third building. He'd recognized the vessel and he was ready to talk to the other System Lord. He would send him away before he had his feet on the ground. The Tau'ri would have to wait, until he had settled this.

**********

Luckily the walls of the shaft weren't smooth. While it took time and effort, they could find niches and footholds to place their hands and feet, and by bracing themselves using their backs, shoulders and knees; they managed to climb and crawl, slowly, steadily and not to mention painfully. They didn't talk, saving their strength; Daniel's haggard breathing as an evident proof of the effort it cost him.

Climbing up through the long shaft took them almost forty minutes. By then, Jack's hands reached the end and sighing in relief, he called a halt.

"Think we're there, Daniel," he commented, knocking on the bricks that were blocking his way. They didn't move an inch.

Jack had brought the rock he'd used for the entrance in the pocket of his green BDU pants. Shifting and turning, he made room for his arm to slide down his body to gather the rock from his pocket. Moving his arm back up the same way, he climbed a couple of inches higher, digging his feet in the walls of the shaft for more grip and started knocking on the blocking stones. Sweat was running down his face soon and he was gasping for air.

"Jack? What's happening?" Daniel needed to know.

"Trying to break some artifacts here, Daniel…" Jack hissed. There was some movement, but not enough to break through. If only he could…

"Daniel? I need some help here…" he hated to ask, knowing his friend was suffering from broken ribs, but it beat climbing down and they really needed to get out of this hole; they really needed some fresh air.

"I'm going to push with my shoulders, but I need some grip with my feet," he explained, climbing and shifting until he could bow his head the right way, his neck and shoulders in position. He examined the walls with his feet and placed them as solidly as possible on the best spot he'd found.

Daniel had understood; he climbed as close as he could get, blocked himself as steady as he could manage and grabbed the Colonel's ankles.

"Ready, when you are, Jack…"

Groaning out loud, O'Neill stretched his trembling, hurting legs out, steadying himself with his arms and pushed as hard as he could with his shoulders. Daniel, biting back a scream of agony as the pain flared through his chest, held on to Jack's ankles firmly; it was the only thing he could do to help. The stones moved, but before the Colonel could push them out completely, one of his feet slipped and he lost grip, unable to put more force on the rocks with his shoulders and neck.

Pausing for a moment, he waited until he got his breathing back under control and until the pain in his back and knees ebbed away. He searched his position, knowing they were using up all the remaining air in the shaft and that time was running out. "Again…"

Daniel was ready and blocked his feet again, to prevent them from sliding away. Repeating the procedure, Jack pressed and pushed, using every muscle in his body. This time, he was rewarded for his efforts as at least one of the blocking stones fell out of his way and a vague light shone through the gap.

O'Neill turned, moving his arms and used his already damaged hands to break through the hole, removing more stones, pushing them away, until he could crawl through…

*********

Ra stood in front of the entrance of Menkau're, the smallest of the three buildings with the shape of pyramids. His army of at least four hundred Horus guards was lined up around the building, staff weapons at the ready. Ra placed a golden bowl in front of the entrance, aiming the black circle at the Goa'uld vessel above the building. He stepped back, aimed his hand device at the bowl and pressed some buttons. A dark red glowing beam of light went straight up, from the golden bowl, reaching the bottom of the Goa'uld vessel. The whole army of Horus guards looked up, trying to detect what was happening.

Transport rings appeared and in a split second, Apophis stood in front of Ra, arms crossed, eyes glowing.

"You have taken things that belong to me." Apophis' voice was sharp, demanding and fierce.

Ra examined his opponent for a brief second. "And I will take more as I please…" he threatened.

"No!" Apophis yelled. He raised his arm up in the sky. "I've come to collect what's mine and to defeat you!" He snapped his fingers and the transport rings surrounded him. While being transported back to his ship, he yelled "Guards! You will serve ONLY me!!!"

A dozen death gliders left the ship and started their battle with the army of Horus guards on the planet. Explosions, shots hitting parts of the buildings and running guards and a couple of death gliders falling apart after being hit tore up the sky. Ra withdrew, barking a bunch of orders at his Prime and searched a safer spot in the middle building called Kha'fre.

***********

"Shit!"

Crawling through the gap he'd created, Colonel O'Neill discovered a couple of most unpleasant things. First of all, still feeling dizzy and nauseous from his pounding headache, he nearly tumbled down the step he climbed on, hastily pressing his back against the wall of the pyramid. Second of all, the step he found himself on was about seventy-five yards above the ground and it made him even dizzier when he looked down, the immense height overwhelming his balance. The third thing was the worst, however. Death gliders were flying all over the valley, shooting and firing down. Jaffa were running and falling down everywhere, others were firing back from their covers. An explosion too close for his liking told him that one of the Jaffa from down below had managed to shoot at least one of the death gliders.

At least now he knew why their escape hadn't been discovered yet. Shaking his aching head, he turned back to the opening of the shaft, giving Daniel a hand climbing out, steadying the younger man when he staggered and positioning him solidly with his back against the wall.

Daniel looked out over the valley for a brief second. "We have to get moving…" he rasped.

"Ya think?" Looking around, there were three possibilities. Climbing down, a long way, which would take them into the middle of a Jaffa battle; climbing up, risking to be seen by the death gliders. Or get to one of the other sides of the pyramid first. "That way!" Jack urged, pointing to his left. "Let's get around that corner, we'll be more out of sight…"

Daniel was already moving, walking unsteadily, and supporting himself with his left hand against the pyramid wall, his right arm protecting his ribcage. 'Don't look down, don't look down…' he desperately told himself over and over; afraid he would roll down the huge steps of the large pyramid.

Always having wanted to climb the largest pyramid on Earth, he realized now that he actually was halfway on one similar to that, he had no time to enjoy it. His mind had registered the other two pyramids, the nearest one placed that a diagonal line would cross through two opposite corners of both pyramids. He'd been right. This was a replica of the great pyramid of Khufu, and the other two pyramids he'd seen were replicas of the pyramids of Khafre and Menkaure. God, this was so interesting, so very fascinating. Yet, he had to run, sometimes diving for cover from the death gliders and they needed to get to the East Side fast.

Luckily, they reached the East Side safely. Relieved to be out of sight of the bad guys, Jack called for a halt, when they were about five yards away from the corner. They sat down, back against the pyramid, legs bent, arms folded around their knees, trying to catch their breaths.

The Colonel was studying the landscape underneath him, planning their escape route in advance. On their right they saw a couple of structures and they could recognize the shape of the enormous Sphinx, placed in front of some sort of temple. From the middle of this side of the pyramid, a path was leading away, bending a little to the left. Detecting mostly trees on his left, Jack decided that that would be their best shot.

"We climb down and try to head north, Daniel, into the woods." He pointed at it, looking at his friend for acknowledgement. "You think you're up for it?"

Nodding slightly, the younger man hissed through clenched teeth, "let's go…"

Jack went first, rolling over to his stomach, biting back a groan as his ribs told him they didn't like the movement, slid his legs over the edge and moved backwards, reaching with his feet for the step underneath him. He could barely reach it, with his stomach still flat on the upper step. Pushing himself over the edge, he shifted his balance on his feet until it felt solid and slowly, he got to his feet, standing one step lower than Daniel.

He'd only bruised his ribs and it hurt. Daniel would not like this, would not like this at all. He tried to calculate if he could catch Daniel, if Daniel slid off the step on his butt, but he could not risk that. The steps were too high, not wide enough and the gap that was taking his breath away when he looked down was too steep. Besides, with his pounding headache and trembling legs he was really in no shape to be catching anything. Knowing there really was no other way, he motioned Daniel to follow him.

Gasping, groaning and moaning, Daniel rolled to his stomach and repeated the procedure Jack had shown him. The older man guided him, balancing and steadying him and two excruciating painful minutes later, he sat next to his friend.

Not wasting any time, O'Neill was on his stomach again, climbing down another step, not wanting to think about how many steps they had to climb down, not wanting to give up, or giving Daniel the chance to even consider it. He guided his friend every step along the way, wincing in sympathy at the sound of the harsh and labored breathing of the man. Only when they'd climbed down about twenty-five steps, he allowed them a brief rest.

Daniel Jackson was completely out of breath, sweat was rolling down his face and in the dim light as evening fell, Jack noticed the color of his friend's face had turned ashen gray. He rubbed Daniel's back and waited until he breathed more regularly, shallowly.

"How are we doing?" he asked, concern evident in his voice.

"Great… just great, Jack…" Daniel croaked. "Always … wanted to climb … the pyramid of Khufu… " He pointed to the right, "visit the temple… of Khafre… "

Jack smiled; that was his Daniel. Always looking at the bright side.

"Glad you booked a trip with O'Neill's Travel Agency. Too bad we didn't bring our cameras… Ready to get to the next part?" He had estimated there were still about seventy steps left for them and although he hated to push his friend through this, they couldn't stay here forever.

At his friend's nod, he started them on the next part.

**********

Captain Carter triumphantly ran towards the General's office. She abruptly came to a halt in front of the door, regained her breath and knocked on the door, before stepping inside.

The General looked up from his papers. "Have you found the address, Captain?"

Sam nodded. "Yes, Sir. There were two glyphs missing in the address I got from the Tok'ra. The computer has calculated them by randomly filling in a combination of two glyphs, comparing the outcome with the Abydos cartouche. The program came up with three possible addresses. Permission to send a MALP to them, Sir?"

A brief smile of relief appeared on Hammond's face. Although the missing men weren't rescued yet, at least they were getting somewhere.

"Do it, Captain."

"Yes, Sir." Sam turned and left, heading to the Gateroom. It took her only twenty minutes to prepare the MALP and give her instructions to St. Jones. Standing next to him, she ordered "Dial it up, Sergeant."

Anxiously, she listened to the dialing sequence, watching how the huge ring turned and locked the glyphs until the Gate opened. By then, her fingers ran over the keyboard, as the MALP disappeared through the wormhole and she waited for the first images. Teal'c and Major Ferretti were standing behind her, looking over her shoulder at the screen.

The planet they looked at had sand as far as the MALP could see. No trees, no buildings, no signs of life. Just sand. The wind had dragged lines and made sand dunes. Carter ordered the MALP to look down, but she couldn't find any traces, footsteps, anything indicating that somebody had been passing the Stargate lately. Writing down some notes, she looked up at Ferretti, questioningly.

He shrugged. "Hey, Abydos looked like a sand planet, but it at least had a temple near the Gate. Let's check out the other two addresses."

**********

Jack had twice allowed Daniel a brief rest. The last part was the hardest, the steps were high, almost up to his shoulder and it took a lot of effort and caused Daniel a lot of pain to slide off them. Finally, they reached the bottom and the archaeologist just collapsed, shaking all over, gasping for air, his arms protectively wrapped around his body.

Jack sat next to his friend, stretching his long legs in front of him, gently rubbing the younger man's back. Although he was not willing to show it, he was also glad he could sit for a while. His legs were all too shaky, his knees and the back of his thighs and calves hurting from the strain of climbing down.

He listened carefully to the battle sounds coming from behind the pyramid and looking at Daniel, he knew they had to get moving. Knowing they would only be able to move slowly, he wanted to get going.

"Daniel? We've got to move…" he whispered, struggling to his feet. Swaying unsteadily, he waited for a while, and then helped the younger man up. O'Neill threw Daniel's arm around his shoulders, wrapped his own arm around Daniel's waist and supported him, dragging him, almost carrying him as they moved, heading north, away from the pyramid, away from the Goa'uld battle and hopefully away from Ra.

Ignoring the stabs of pain in his own chest, O'Neill concentrated on placing one foot in front of the other, keeping his balance and keeping the younger man on his feet. Vaguely, his trained mind also took in their surroundings, looking for signs of danger and possible routes to follow.

Daniel kept quiet. Trying to control his breathing and staying on his feet was about all he could manage right now. He knew he was leaning heavily on his friend. Knowing O'Neill better than anybody else, he had registered his friend was hurt too, but right now, this was all he could do. He had to lean on Jack, or he would collapse and would not be able to get up again. So he just frantically tried to stay on his feet and move.

*********

Ra had watched how his Horus guards were fighting the battle. Both armies were strong and it was impossible to tell which of the two parties held the winning hand.

He walked over to a view screen and pressed a blue button on the black remote control. On the screen, an image of the interior of the King's chamber appeared. Ra cursed when he found the room was empty. Pressing some other buttons, some views from outside the building called Khu'fu were displayed on the screen. On one side, he saw some of his guards, ducking for cover and trying to gain a better position to aim at the death gliders. He saw nothing on the other sides of the square building.

Frantically pressing the buttons once more, the sight of the huge sphinx and the temple lying behind it became visible, followed by a look at the woods on the north side of the building of Khu'fu.

There.

He spotted two stumbling people, one apparently leaning heavily on the other. They seemed to be heading towards the forest.

So they had managed to escape. How interesting.

They wouldn't get far.

He would make sure of that.

*********

A second MALP was ready for its trip to the second address the computer program had come up with. Captain Carter, Teal'c and Major Ferretti were watching how it disappeared through the wormhole.

Five seconds later, the first images were shown on the screen in front of them. A familiar landscape appeared, with trees, bushes, hills and sandy roads.

"This looks more inhabited…" Ferretti murmured.

Teal'c nodded in approval. "Indeed, this world has been visited. There are roads, leading from the Stargate to the forest. This world needs to be examined."

Sam wrote their discoveries down in her report and ordered the MALP to make some turns and allow them views to different sides of the planet. Apparently, the paths just led in one direction, straightforward from the Stargate. Looking down, she found marks or footsteps and wheels on the path, as evidence that at least somebody had been there not too long ago.

Knowing they had another address to check out before reporting back to the General, Carter made arrangements for the MALP to be returned back to Earth.

**********

Up in the Goa'uld battle vessel, Apophis was giving his orders to his Prime Jaffa. The Jaffa was briefing him about the progress of the battle every ten minutes and got lot of his information from the death glider pilots.

This time, he had different information for his God.

Bowing his head slightly he summed up his report. "A couple of Tau'ri have been spotted, my Lord. They seem to have escaped from one of the structures and are heading towards the forest."

Apophis frowned. Which Tau'ri could have been prisoners of Ra? This could be interesting. Thinking the situation over, he gave his orders.

"Transport yourself and four guards into the forest. You will bring me the Tau'ri and bring them to me alive. I also want you to guard the entrances of those buildings and have it reported to me when somebody enters or leaves them. Now go and do not fail me."

The First Prime left to arrange the transportation.

Apophis stood, waiting, eyes glowing. He would find out who those Tau'ri were. They could come in handy as hostages in his battle against Ra. He knew the garrison of Ra was strong and that his Jaffa could eventually lose the battle. He would have to retreat then, so he needed a trump card to turn things into a winning situation. Those Tau'ri could be it. He could set up a trade and get some of his belongings back.

The sooner he had his hands on those Tau'ri, the better.

**********

They reached the forest safely. Jack was mostly carrying Daniel now, moving deeper into the trees, to find a place where he would allow them to rest again. Pushing the branches out of his way with one arm, using the other to drag his friend, Jack concentrated on his surroundings, scanning the area for unforeseen trouble, possible hiding places or directions to go.

He was aware of the harsh breathing of his younger friend and knew they had to stop sometime soon. His instincts running in full motion, he detected the water before it came into view.

"I think we're reaching the river, Daniel," he whispered, "just a little bit further, buddy, come on."

They came to a halt when the river came into view, about twelve yards below them. The edge they stood on, was sharp, steep and with sparing one quick look down, Jack knew there was no way they could climb down here. Cursing silently, he decided they had to search for a better spot to get down, but that it would have to wait until he had allowed Daniel a brief rest. Slowly, carefully, he eased Daniel down and leaned him with his back against the trunk of a tree.

"Easy, Daniel. We're taking a rest for a while." Relieved of his burden, Jack almost collapsed next to his friend, his aching knees unwilling to carry him any longer.

Jackson had his eyes closed, one arm tightly pressed around his chest and drops of sweat were running down his pale face. O'Neill eyed him with concern, knowing how much pain the linguist must be in, but also realizing there was nothing at the moment he could do for him. Nothing, but getting them into safety, so Daniel could receive the proper medical treatment and the rest he needed.

While trying to regain control over his trembling limbs and his ragged breathing, the Colonel visually scanned the area downstream, looking for a possibility to reach the river. The river would provide them the required drinking water and the opportunity to use the stream to make their escape at faster speed. Finding no place to climb down within sight, he decided they would just have to follow the river from the rim, hoping to reach a suitable spot.

His instincts warned him of some approaching guards and stumbling to his feet, he abruptly lifted Daniel, sliding one arm around the younger man's waist, softly apologizing for the hurt his actions may have caused.

Frantically looking for a place to hide, he found none and they didn't stand a chance. Within ten minutes, three Horus guards had surrounded them, aiming their staff weapons at the two members of SG-1 to keep them from moving. While Daniel was just too exhausted to react, Jack softly cursed, "shit…" and lowered his friend to the ground once more.

Ra appeared out of nowhere, looking pleased at his guards.

"You cannot escape me," he hissed at the two Tau'ri and approached Daniel. He placed his foot on Daniel's chest, leaving the injured man gasping for air.

"Hey, damn-it, stop that!"

As he had expected, the other Tau'ri made a move towards him, in an attempt to protect the younger one. He quickly turned, held out his hand, activated the ribbon device and the kinetic shock knocked the older man back several feet, where he crashed against a tree.

"You dare challenge me?" the Goa'uld barked. "You dare?" Snapping his fingers at his guards, he gave his commands.

Jack tried to regain his composure, as he struggled to sit up and catch his breath. The landing against the tree had done his ribcage and back more damage than good and it cost him all of his willpower to hide his discomfort. Two Horus guards approached him and securely bound a rope around his chest, under his arms, with a knot on his chest. One of the guards pulled the rope so tight that it left him almost unable to draw a breath. The other guard bound his wrists behind his back with another smaller rope and took a long one to bind it on the knot on his chest, tightening the other end around the trunk of a tree.

"Hey! Is that really necessary?" he protested, while being dragged to his feet. He eyed Daniel, who was lying in the grass, propped up on one elbow to see what was happening, and smiled encouragingly.

Ra placed his foot on Daniel's chest again and pressed. "Give me the iris code for your world," he demanded.

Closing his eyes, Jackson inhaled sharply and shook his head weakly.

"Your friend is going to dive if you don't. Give me the code," the Goa'uld barked at Daniel.

Gasping, groaning and shaking, Daniel cracked one eye open and glared desperately at his friend. It suddenly made sense; he had a pretty good idea of what was about to happen. Oh, God. He could never betray Earth; he could not give the symbols or code to this Goa'uld, no matter what. Shit, shit, shit!

Stubbornly, he shook his head again, sending a silent apology to his friend. They were in trouble, big trouble. Think, Daniel, think… How the hell were they going to get out of this one?

He watched in horror as the guards pushed Jack backwards to the edge, his friend smiling encouragingly at him; telling him it was okay.

"Tell me…" Ra threatened one more time.

"Nope. He won't. You're wasting your time here, snakehead," O'Neill snapped, nodding approvingly at Daniel, his eyes trying to tell his friend that it was all right, that he had to push on, as long as needed.

The System Lord snapped his fingers. The guards grabbed Jack by the arms and pushed him over the edge, holding him, his feet still touching the edge of the rim. Ra stepped closer, hissing, "the codes!!!"

Without looking down, O'Neill managed to keep his voice steady.

"Ah, always wanted to do a little of bungee jumping…"

With that, Ra kicked his feet off the edge, the guards let go of his arms and the Colonel tumbled down, head over heels twice. The length of the rope broke his fall, as a jerk under his arms stopped him abruptly from falling and the sudden motion caused him to smash against the wall, taking all air out of his lungs. The second time he swayed in the direction of the wa