Disclaimer: All the characters from the "Magnificent Seven" T.V. series are property of Trilogy Entertainment, The Mirisch Group, MGM Worldwide. Stargate SG-1 and its characters are the property of MGM, Gekko, Double Secret Productions.
Cold.
It seeped into his skin, through his clothes until he could feel it pressed up against his bones. He shivered involuntarily, annoyed that he should be affected so prolifically when the cold was nothing that he was unaccustomed to. How many nights had he spent out on the prairie under the stars in the middle of winter? How many blizzards and snowstorms had he been caught in through out his life? This should not have effected him the way it had, Chris Larabee told himself after he had tumbled to the ground, feeling frost on his duster and felt the tiny fragment of ice against his skin. Still, after what he had just witnessed, he knew nothing about his situation was ordinary. His mind was still reeling from the effects of what he had just seen after he had stepped through the gate.
It was so beautiful.
It felt like he had been spirited away through the night sky, streaking through the stars at great speed until all there was before him were an amalgamation of light and colour. Chris had no idea what kind of science could explain this magic, and to him it truly felt like magic, but he knew that he was journeying somewhere beyond the boundaries of human imagination. Until he had actually seen the gate, there was still a part of him that believed nothing he had been told about Mary's condition or the Goa'uld that had supposedly eaten up her soul and was using her body like a new suit of clothes. However, when he realised his physical self had been carried across the stars, he realised that it was real, all of it.
"Where the hell are we?" He heard Buck ask and looked up to see the big man rubbing his arms, trying to create enough friction to generate the warmth that would dispel the iciness they were all feeling. Even Buck's moustache seemed iced over with bluish white frost collecting on the strands.
"Hey look at the sky!" JD's voice exploded in his head with a tinge of fear and excitement rolled up into a mix that was pure JD. As usual, the young man found it difficult to remain still even now. He was stepping off the stone floor they had been thrown onto upon arriving in this new place and making his way down the steps to that led to the ground.
"I told you Dorothy," Jack O'Neill responded. "This isn't Kansas." The man from the future had little trouble adjusting to a trip Chris was certain he had taken a hundred times before. Like all military men worth their salt, he recovered quickly and was dusting the ice from himself as he took stock of their surroundings.
"Whose Dorothy?" Vin grumbled as if he was still recovering but Chris watched his eyes and knew the tracker was already studying where they had been deposited. Aside from the gate and the stone floor upon which it was nestled, there were no other signs of civilisation. The gate remained inside the clearing of what appeared to be extremely dense forest, with tall tapering trees that blocked out the sky with their canopy of leaves. There was little undergrowth because Chris suspected no sunlight could penetrate to the ground to allow it.
"Is everyone all right?" The woman named Sam asked everyone with concern. She was moving through the group, assessing everyone's condition as women found it their god given right to do no matter how much they think they might have been past all those things, in whatever future. Chris supposed that there was some things that not even time could change.
"Yeah," Nathan answered, letting his own gaze assess the condition of his friends. While they appeared to be slightly disorientated from the trip, he saw no signs that they were quickly recovering from their experience. Some like JD was more than recovered and rearing to go. "Hey JD, don't stray too far."
"I'm not a kid Nathan," JD returned quickly. "I can look out for myself." He insisted.
"You get your ass back here before I go over there and get you." Chris snapped.
JD frowned but he was not about to argue with Chris when the gunslinger appeared to be in such a filthy mood. Reluctantly, he climbed up the steps again to join them.
"Definitely not a people person." Jack commented as he walked past Chris.
"So I take it we're not where we were." Josiah replied as the preacher looked into the night and saw a completely alien sky from the one he had known all his life. While it felt strange looking into a different sky, Josiah wondered if the beauty of the sky was universal because this canvas was just as breathtaking as the one at home.
"I don't know if it means anything to you," Daniel remarked with a faint smile. "But you are as of this moment, one of the first modern men to visit another planet."
"Except that no one can know about it." Jack replied. "Sorry."
"Well we ain't here to be famous." Vin retorted, just as curious as JD to start exploring this place. While Alex preoccupied his thoughts, he could not help feeling a little part him that was drawn to the notion that he was on another world. Of course, there was much about his own that lay in wait for the discovery but for the moment, they were somewhere no one had really been possibly thousands of years. "Let's get going on."
"Just hold your horses." Jack said loudly. "We have no idea where we are or what's waiting for us out there."
Vin was not listening and he was already making his way down the steps to the ground. The tracker knew that if he could just get to the land, he could find out what they needed to know. The air did not feel damp so Vin was assured that there had been no rain in the past few hours. Reaching the ground, he dropped to his knees and studied the soil. It was difficult to see in the darkness but the twin moons offered enough illumination for him to make out what he needed to make his determination of their current situation. The soil was dry as Vin suspected and it did not take long for him to find the tracks in the dirt he was seeking.
"Three people were here." He announced to the others.
"Are you sure?" Jack immediately asked as Chris strode towards Vin, with the Colonel not far behind him.
"Yeah," Vin nodded, studying the tracks in the dirt carefully. "Two sets of tracks and one that's a little strange."
"They were carrying Ezra," Nathan volunteered. "That's probably why."
Teal'c joined Jack and Chris as they went to Vin's side. The young man was still studying the marks on the ground, even though they made little sense to anyone else. Vin's concentration was singular and Chris knew that as long as there was grass and soil for him to examine, he would be able to read the tracks here just as well as he could at home.
"Vin Tanner is correct O'Neill." The former Jaffa remarked as he cast his sombre gaze on the same soil that Vin was studying so closely. "I believe that they travelled in a north westerly direction."
"That looks about right." Vin agreed. "Tracks look old so it was a couple of hours ago."
Knowing that Chris was in no frame of mind to wait, Jack decided that it was best that they get moving immediately. While the others were curious to see what was out here, Chris Larabee was eager to reach his wife and would not tolerate any delays. While Jack could sympathise with the man's feelings, his determination to reach the woman was bordering on dangerous and the leader of SG1 was keeping a close watch on the man, who also did not take orders well since he was used to giving them.
"I think we ought to stay put but I'm guessing that's not what you want to do?" Jack met his eyes.
Chris wanted to proceed immediately however, he forced himself to think reasonably. The forest beyond this clearing were thick and unknown to them and as skilled as Vin was in tracking in the dark, the truth was it was never wise to do so in such unfamiliar terrain. Besides, this was not just a different place, it was a different world and the few hours that it would take to reach dawn was not make that much difference to Mary's state. It would be wiser if they found a place to camp, preferably in the cover of the trees and began their search in the morning. His friends had followed him to another world to help him recover Mary, he was not about to endanger their lives by reckless impatience.
"No, you're right." Chris surprised himself by agreeing with the man. "We should find a place to camp and start looking at first light."
"Good idea," Jack agreed and threw Chris a grateful smile that he had not insisted on going. "We'll make for those trees for cover. Carter, Teal'c, I want a defensive perimeter. Set up a row of claymores. I want to know if anything comes our way tonight."
"Yes Sir," Sam answered and went to Teal'c who had the ordinance. As the others proceeded onwards, Sam examined the artillery Teal'c had in a heavy backpack. She was counting how many claymores they had at their disposal when she saw Buck Wilmington had broken away from the main group and was walking towards her instead of the other direction.
"Up for some help, little lady?" He asked.
"Sure," Sam returned his smile, wondering what was it about the man that did not make her want to slap his face for calling her little lady as she would most other men of her time. "We're going to be setting up some mines along a defensive perimeter, maybe set up some trip wire."
Teal'c had walked up ahead, no doubt spotting an idea location as well as giving her an opportunity to converse with Buck alone. Sam had the feeling that small talk made Teal'c uncomfortable as well as interaction from these men of the past who had on idea what he was. She could not blame him. The concept of extra terrestrial life would not become prevalent until the 1900's. At this point, she was rather surprised that they had accepted what they had been told about the Goa'uld as it is. There was no reason for them to know Teal'c's history as well. Too much information could be just as dangerous as too little.
"I ain't never met no woman in the army." Buck replied as they walked in the darkness.
"You probably won't for another hundred years." Sam replied, sensing no chauvinism in his remark, merely curiosity. "It's just starting to feel normal in my time."
"Well you look like you're doing good. I heard him call you a Major?" Buck inquired.
"Yeah," she nodded. "I got promoted a few months ago." She said unable to help but feel some measure of pride in that.
"Are you going to be career army?" He looked at her, deciding that if there were men who had chosen this course now, he could not see why it would be different for her in the future.
"I don't know," Sam replied, having never really thought about it. "I guess I would like to be married some day, have a few kids. I just never thought about it. What about you? Any children?"
"I got a baby on the way." Buck said with just as much pride as Sam had announced her rank. "Mother's a little stubborn, she ain't willing to marry me yet, but I'm working on it."
Sam chuckled. "What did you do?"
"I didn't do anything," Buck protested with complete innocent. "Except had a little trouble keeping my eye on one woman but I've been staying on the straight and narrow these past five months."
"Well that's a start," she laughed, understanding perfectly why the mother of his child would have difficulty selecting him as a husband. Despite the fact that he was a little rough around the edges by her standards, she had no doubt that Buck Wilmington was quite the ladies man. What made it even worse was the fact that he genuinely liked women, not setting out to fill some unknown quota that most men like him tended to do.
"I hope so," Buck offered her a devious grin. "Cause its killing me. I ain't felt this deprived since I was a kid."
"Chocolate helps." Sam offered. "Lots and lots of chocolate ice cream. Saved my life more than my gun."
With that, she laughed and Buck joined her, hating the fact that he liked her more than he should and knowing perfectly well that it was impossible.
Where was Buck Wilmington when you needed him?
Buck would love playing consort. Why did they have to take him for such a purpose? He did not want to be here, lying in soft sheets, feeling silken material under him while his leg throbbed in pain that had not subsided in its intensity even though he had become a little more accustomed to it. Mary or Sekhmet as she now called herself and in all honestly, Ezra preferred to think of her as that rather than the woman he knew as Mary Travis Larabee, had left him shortly after she had inflicted his injury. It chilled him to the bone how she had taken delight in his pain and he started to feel the stirring's of genuine fear whenever he thought that she might come back.
It was bad enough that he felt so guilty at having responded to her seduction but to know that he was meant to be some kind of stud animal for both Mary and Alex was enough to make his skin crawl. He had no idea how he was going to be to resist them when the time came for both women to take their liberties with him, considering how he had reacted to Mary, despite all his resistance. He had not believed how incredibly arousing she could be when she set her mind to it and natural curiosity had made him even more responsive.
Now he was here, carried in by guards who had unceremoniously dropped in this bed and ensured that his arms were secured to the bedposts while his legs remained free, not that he could do much with them anyway. He had managed to tied a piece of his shirt sleeve around his shattered knee to stem the bleeding but even Ezra knew that it was not going to be enough. He had lost a great deal of blood and even now felt weak from its effects, not to mention the pain he was still feeling. Worst yet, he could smell the pleasant scent of incense burning and the soft lights of the room and his opulent surroundings made him anxious as to what was going to come through that door. It preyed heavily in his mind what Mary... no, it was not Mary who had done this to him, it was Sekhmet, Ezra reminded himself. Sekhmet had said that they needed him for a consort. Her actions had made him understand unmistakably what that would require.
He heard the sound of a door opening and immediately raised his head on the bed to see who had entered, praying secretly that it was not Sekhmet. He felt weak and exhausted from his injury and did not know how much he could resist it she decided to play more of her sadistic games again. However, it was not Sekhmet who entered the room and close the doors behind her. It was the creature called Isis, whom he now knew was occupying Alex's body. Isis walked slowly towards him, wearing a dress not that different from the one that Sekhmet had worn earlier, except her dusky coloured skin stood out more prolifically through the sheer fabric. She sauntered towards the bed and paused at its edge as she examined him without saying a word.
"I take it, it is your turn to cause me pain, Madam?" Ezra quipped weakly.
Her eyes shifted to his leg and a hint of annoyance crossed her face when she saw the damage inflicted there.
"Sekhmet's predilections are not our own." She responded. "We did not require you harmed."
"How nice for you." He replied, not wishing to look at her as he lay his head back on the pillow and tried pulling free of the ropes that kept him tied to the bedposts. Unfortunately, her guards had done an admirable job of keeping him pinned and there was no foreseeable way of breaking free of them.
She did not respond to his remark but instead climbed onto the bed with him. Sitting on its edge, she moved her hand over his damaged knee, the ribbon device still coiled around it. For a moment, Ezra thought she was going to inflict further harm upon him when suddenly, the gem in the centre of her palm came alive and she moved it over the wound. Ezra braced himself for pain when suddenly, the exact opposite happened. He watched as the amber glow illuminated the torn flesh and broken bone and slowly but surely the pain began to drain from him. He could feel it oozing from his pain like sharp rivulets that was being siphoned from his body. His eyes were mesmerised as he watched her work, marvelling at the disappearance of the pain he had felt and furthermore, the rapid healing of flesh under her ministrations. He watched skin being repaired, felt bones knit until finally when it was all said and done, his knee appeared just as it did before the derringer had shattered it.
"Is that better?" she asked when she finally removed her hand from him.
"Yes," he swallowed, amazed by what he had seen. "Thank you."
"In out time we have been worshipped as many things," she responded. Her voice was still unearthly, not at all like Alex's but it was devoid of the cold, cruelty of Sekhmet. "Goddess to All, Queen of the Underworld, Wife to Ra. we are also patron goddess to the healing arts as those you called the children of the Nile once labelled us."
"Egyptians." He declared in understanding.
"We survive in this way because we must." She answered. "Our world was dying and the bodies that nature had been so fit to give us were inadequate to the task of maintaining our existence. In our natural form we possess great intelligence and power but we are unable to exert any use of it because we lack the necessity of bipedal locomotion. When Ra found your world, he gave us all immortality and a new lease on life. However for us to be able to function in your bodies we must adapt our young to its new host prior to the birthing."
Ezra began to understand. "Is that why you require me?"
"Men decides the form." She said without expression. "Those are the rules. Without your genetic matter, we cannot suit my children to their host bodies."
Slowly, she snaked up the length of him and straddled him across the waist. Ezra swallowed hard, unable to ignore where she was pressing into him. Immediately, he felt his manhood react to her thighs splayed on either side of him as she started to undo the clasp that held her dress to her body. The fabric drifted off her skin and she discarded it over the side of the bed. Ezra felt his breath catch and immediately clamped his eyes closed. However, the memory of what he had seen remained. God, he could well understand why Vin tried to spend as many nights with Alex as he could. She was magnificent. Suddenly, he felt disappointed that they had never managed to consummate their relationship during that brief period when they actually meant more to each other than just friends.
Her hands rested on his chest for a moment before she leaned forward so that her mouth could meet his. Ezra tried to turn away but she made him face her and slid her tongue past his lips. He felt the same arousal pressing hard against the front of his trousers, into the soft wetness of her sex as she rubbed herself up and down his length.
"We find the whole idea of coupling this way distasteful, unfortunately we have little choice in the matter." She whispered when she left his mouth for an instant and left him gasping from her gentle teasing of his mouth. "We have found however, that it takes place more efficiently when the male is willing." She cooed in his ear. "We could make you comply without difficulty but we sense that you are not as resistant as you think."
"I am a man after all," he said breathlessly. "I cannot deny how my body may feel even if my mind is unwilling."
"Then we shall see just how much conflict we can create." She replied with a slow smile and pulled open his vest, popping buttons apart that went in all directions before repeating the procedure with his shirt. In a few seconds, his chest lay exposed to her and Ezra knew he was nearing the point, where he was not going to be able to say no. Her hands slid over his bare chest, caressing his flesh so sensually that his cock stiffened with anticipation. His eyes were fixed on her bare form now, while fighting desperately against the longing to wrap his hands around her breasts and taste her flesh in his mouth.
Her thumbs found his nipples and began teasing them with her fingertips, rolling the erect nubs of flesh with such slow and deliberate rhythm that Ezra did not even notice when he started panting. She smiled at his noises and lowered her lips to one erect tip before engulfing it in her mouth. Ezra bucked as he felt the wet heat of her tongue rolling over the tight plateau of skin.
"Lord... " He whispered. "I can't... "
His words only made her suck harder. She nipped gently at erect contraction of flesh, teasing it with her teeth until his hands were pulling at the ropes, tightening them with each surge of pleasure that was coursing through him. She laved the nipple for an eternity of minutes, before sliding over to its mate and repeating the same treatment, until his hips was pressing into her of its own accord, his clothes feeling so confining that he was reaching breaking point in his determination not to yield.
Suddenly, her mouth left him and Ezra let out a groan of relief, aware that he could not have taken much more of her wonderful tongue. However, he was no less safer as her lips moved down his stomach, planting soft trail of kisses as she slid down his taut abdominal muscles until she arrived at the waist band of his pants and started working on those buttons.
"Don't," Ezra found himself begging. If she did what he knew she was going to do, he would be lost. He could not stand against that assault and she knew it. Thus she continued, pulling his pants down his waist and exposing his manhood that was rigid with desire. He closed his eyes, biting down hard and hoping he could fight it. However, when he felt her lips slide over the hard flesh, tasting him with sensual flicks of her tongue, Ezra knew he was irrevocably lost. By the time her mouth slid all of him into her mouth, Ezra was hers for the taking.
"Jesus!" He gasped and thrusted instinctively, impaling his entire length into her throat which she swallowed with no other thought than to make him groan with absolute surrender. "Oh god, please stop." He whimpered feeling his body tightening with sensation as she taunted and teased his cock with merciless application of her lips against his pulsing flesh.
She was not about to desist in her sensual torture and continued to suckle him in the most erotic oral experience Ezra had ever had the pleasure of enjoying with any woman. Her lips slid deftly over the sides of his thick shaft as she pumped his cock at the same time, culminating her sensual ministrations in a tight laving of its rosy tip. She paused a moment over the swollen head, concentrating her insistent sucking on that one place until he was so mindless with ecstasy, Ezra had no idea he was calling out her name in utter abandon. When he was helpless with need at her ruthless assault over his bursting tip, she swallowed all of him into her mouth again, forcing another pleasured sigh from his throat.
"Stop... " He moaned. "I am going to come." He pleaded with her feeling the heat that was making his sacs tight and heavy. If she did not stop soon, he was going to ejaculate in her mouth and just the thought of that pushed him closer to the edge.
She left him then and Ezra let out gasp that was part relief and part disappointment. He was hardly a novice with women but how easily she was manipulating his body was beyond belief. When it came to skill, no woman had ever been able to match Julia Pemberton for sheer creativity. The love of his life was able to leave him exhausted after their sexual encounters for she knew how to exploit every weakness until he was left a quivering wreck when she was done with him. However, Ezra was unprepared for this. He never believed he could be swept away on the juggernaut of pleasure the way he was being now. He had to keep reminding himself that it was not Alex in front of him. If he ever survived this and she was miraculously returned to herself, Ezra had no idea how he could ever look her in the face without wondering what it was like to be with her again.
Without warning, she moved on top of him and drove him deep inside of her. Ezra felt his cock sheathed in her tight, warmth and found himself bucking against her, oblivious to any desire other that satiating the ecstasy afforded from her fiery depths. His fingers were digging into the ropes, pulling at them as he moaned with the wonderful sensation of her taut muscles clenching his cock with intense pressure. Her muscles were contracting around him, crushing his manhood until he could barely breath as she started to ride him with slow and torturous momentum.
He could feel her against every inch of his throbbing member as she leaned forward, the tips of her own nipples brushing against his chest with scalding heat. Suddenly, she bent her head far enough to take one of his own into her mouth while she pushed into him. The overload of sensation broke any will left inside of him to not succumb. When he felt her hot mouth against that tiny nub of skin, combined with the wet heat of her inner passages stroking his cock into orgasmic fury, Ezra finally realised he never had a chance.
"Alexandra," Ezra moaned. "Oh Jesus! Darling, you feel so good!" He panted as he saw her mouth working his nipple and felt another surge of heat gush through his manhood and he knew that he was reaching the point of no return. Her tongue continued to tease him for a few more minutes, until Ezra felt his climax building inside him. He had no idea whether she found any of this enjoyable and ground his teeth hard because he wanted her to feel something. For his continued survival, she had to.
Isis or Alex, Ezra did not know what to think any more, straightened up as she realised what he was doing. For a moment, a look of confusion crossed her face as she started to feel a burning passion exuding from this unexpected but remarkably passionate tryst. It surprised her somewhat that he was trying to pleasure her when he had been so resistant to the idea in the beginning. He was maintaining a devastating rhythm inside her, pounding into her insides with such intense desire that it was impossible for her not to be carried away by his efforts. Isis felt herself arching into him as the heat within of her became something she could not control and her own fingers dug into his sides as she tried to pull him deeper within. Something wonderful was happening and it was taking making her cry out as it swept through her.
"Oh Ezra!" She gasped as her body tightened in climatic ecstasy. Her orgasm ripped a further cry of pleasure from her throat as it coursed through her and she wondered in the haze of sensation, when she had inquired his name.
Ezra groaned as he saw her slip over the edge and the sheer tension that strangled his cock with almost unimaginable pressure as a result of her orgasm, splintered his control into a thousand fragments as he felt himself explode inside of her. "Jesus Christ!" He grunted loudly as he felt himself spurt hot juices inside her moist depths. He continued to thrust until he had emptied every last drop of seed into her body, until he could do nothing more but lay there as she collapsed on top of him.
They were covered with perspiration. Wet bodies sticking to each other as they breathed in the heavy scent of their lovemaking. Ezra did not know what the hell he had just did and knew that he was going to have cause to regret this after today but she was so incredible, he had never imagined she could make him feel so utterly pleasured. He had no idea how much of it was Alex and how much of it was Isis but at the moment he did not care.
"We have not experienced this before." She whispered, staring at him with a something that could be surprise. She kissed him and surprised herself even further when she realised she had done it because she wanted to, not because it was a necessary part of the ritual of procreation for these humans. It disturbed her. "That was not what we expected."
"Such things, seldom are." He replied, still breathing hard. He planted soft kisses on her neck and noticed that she nuzzled closer as he did so, allowing her better access to her flesh. "You have what you want from me, what now?" He looked at her.
She sat up on top of his again and smiled faintly, running her fingers through her luxurious dark hair. "We have selected you to be our Chosen One. That decision remains. You will be our beloved and you will remain at our side. We will make you a Pharaoh in this land and as our consort you will treated as we are a God. Perhaps we may honour you with our children but we think we prefer to allow you to remain yourself."
"That is better than death I suppose." Ezra replied, hoping this gamble he was taking was worth what he would be paying with his dignity and his conscience.
She began to undo the ropes that bound his wrists and the thought of escape quickly surface in his mind until he remembered that she had guards everywhere and where this fortress was, it was nowhere on the world he knew. Until he could understand how to get home, he was at her mercy and unfortunately, the only way to keep himself alive and his mind his own, was play the role of consort she so required.
"If you attempt to leave, our lion guards will kill you or we will give you to Sekhmet as she wishes. You will not enjoy that." While her voice was devoid of menace, the threat was clear enough.
"I understand." Ezra swallowed and let his hand rest on the thighs straddled on either side of him. He ran his palm against the skin, travelling up her hips in slow deliberation, offering Vin Tanner a silent apology for what he going to do.
Without saying anything further, Ezra took her in his arms and pulled her to him...
The daylight offered no great revelation to the new arrivals of the planet Netjer.
It was in the morning as it was the night before, a land of thick equatorial forests, with much of the concentration of greenery in its dense canopy of leaves high above the ground. Even as they moved through the woods, very little sunlight penetrated through the canopy above and thus vegetation at ground level was at a minimum except for lichens and vines that would survive even in the most brutal terrain. The night had passed without incident for the off worlders although no one could really sleep with any amount of comfort.
Chris spent most of the night watching the sky, trying to imagine how far from home he was and whether or not Mary was watching the same stars. He had come to the unhappy conclusion that she probably was but could no more appreciate it than she could control her body with Sekhmet in possession of it. During the night, he had spoken to Daniel Jackson about the goddess and who she was in the mythological sense. What he learnt only reaffirmed that if she would not relinquish her hold of Mary's body, he would give Mary a merciful ending.
Daniel also told Chris about his wife Sharee whom he had been searching for these past three years since she was taken from him. As Daniel spoke about her, it was apparent to Chris that the younger man had not given up hope of recovering his wife even if that hope was becoming more and more distant as time passed. Chris could not imagine that kind of torture and pray that he would not have to endure such tragedy. The more he spoke to Daniel, the more Chris understood why he had been so willing to reveal the truth to them during their initial meeting at the excavation. Chris hoped with all his heart that Daniel would find his wife because no man deserved to suffer the pain of not knowing. The gunslinger also resolved himself to put an end to things here on this world because he had no intention of pursuing her from world to world, hoping that he would get lucky and find her. If Mary was lost then Chris had to think about Billy. He would have to life for the boy who was Mary's gift to him.
Vin and Teal'c had started out before most of the camp had risen, deciding that a little recognisance was necessary. Although the tracker had intended to go alone as it was his custom and unofficial capacity as scout among the seven, Teal'c had insisted on joining him. The former Jaffa knew that Jack would not take kindly to the younger man going off on his own and decided a compromise of sorts would pacify both Jack and the tracker if he were to accompany him. As humans went, Teal'c found Vin Tanner to be quiet company since every Tau'Ri he had ever met seemed uncomfortable with silence. However, the tracker did not speak a great deal except when it was necessary and his skills were impressive, even to a Jaffa.
"You're not like the others are you?" Vin asked as they moved through the forest, following what resembled a trail not used often. It was overgrown and thick but here was enough evidence to suggest that someone had used it recently for both men to follow it to its conclusion.
"No I am not." Teal'c replied, seeing no reason to lie when it was very obvious that he was different.
"What were you?" Vin looked at him. "You look like us but you ain't."
Teal'c paused debating whether or not he should tell the truth. After a moment, he decided against lying particularly when he was not very good at it. "I am Jaffa."
Vin has listened to Daniel Jackson to know what that was. He paused and looked at the former Jaffa closely. "How come you ain't with them Goa'uld things that took Alex?" There was surprisingly enough, no accusation in his voice.
"I do not believe they are Gods and have enslaved my people by forcing us to carry the infant Goa'uld." Teal'c replied. "When I learnt of O'Neill and the others, I realised that I could free my people by helping them."
Vin nodded in understanding and looked at Teal'c. "I got a price on my head you know."
"Really?" Teal'c met his gaze with a raised brow. "For what reason."
"Murder." Vin said simply. "I supposedly killed a man."
"You do not appear to me to be a murderer." Teal'c pointed out.
"That's good cause you don't look to me like someone who'll turn me into the Goa'uld, so I guess we're nothing like what people think we are." Vin flashed him a faint smile and was not surprised when Teal'c returned it with one of his own.
The trail they were taking had not been used for quite some time and Teal'c explained that most cultures under Goa'uld influence tended to stay away from the stargate, feeling it to be sacrilegious to interfere with in any way. It would appeared that such was the case here because other than the more recent tracks, most likely made by Isis and Sekhmet after they had arrived on this world, the trail showed very little signs of disturbance although there was a definitive path to follow. With the sun coming up, the temperature also rose steadily and the climate of the immediate was heavy with humidity. Judging by the loamy texture of the soil, the area saw a large amount of rainfall. They were fortunate that a trail still remained with the high level of growth of the natural vegetation.
They had travelled a little more than a mile when they heard the distinct sounds of habitation beyond the trees. As they approached the boundary of trees which emptied out into a large clearing, the sounds became clearer to the point where they were able to identify them. Neither Vin nor Teal'c made any comment when they heard that the sounds were in actual fact voices and those same voices were that of fear. Despite the overwhelming urge to render aid, their primary mission at the moment was to remain under cover and determine what awaited them beyond the safety of the forest. Edging towards the edge of the trees, they peered through the branches and leaves and observed what lay ahead.
The voices that were crying out in fear were coming from a small settlement in the centre of the cleared land. The homes were constructed of mud and looked like the constructs Vin had seen south of the border, certainly they were no more sophisticated then that. What was causing so much distress amongst its population was the presence of Jaffa Lion guards presently moving through the village. They was at least a dozen of them, carrying staff weapons and clad in full battle armour, not unlike those Teal'c had won as a Jaffa of the Serpent Guard. However the helmets worn by these guards were styled after the lion as opposed to a snake. There was also one other significant difference.
"They're all women." Vin pointed out since it caused the most surprised to him.
"Isis favours women above men. It is logical that her personal guard would be that way." Teal'c explained and saw Vin immediately shrug uncomfortably and felt the need to add further. "Do not underestimate them Vin Tanner, they have been trained in the art of combat like all Jaffa warriors. They are prepared to die defending their Goa'uld master."
"I ain't never shot no woman." Vin confessed and not liking the idea that he would have to if he wished to get Alex back. He watched them as they moved through the village like a scourge, entering houses and forcibly removing young women from their homes. Vin also noticed a decided lack of males in general and that added to his bewilderment. "What are they doing?"
"I believe," Teal'c ventured a guess. "They are selecting future Jaffa."
"But they're ain't older than JD." Vin exclaimed, noticing how young some of these would be warriors were as they were taken away. "Where are all the men?"
"I do not believe there are many." The former Jaffa replied. "If their only function in this society is for breeding purposes, then only perfect specimens would be kept alive and I doubt they would be kept here. I would assume that they would housed in the Goa'uld stronghold."
The idea that men should be kept like cattle made Vin cringe and he wondered how anyone could live like that. As it was, he had difficulty dealing with the whole concept of a society dominated by women. He watched the Jaffa rounding up their new recruits and noticed that not all were adverse to accompanying the guards. "Does this happen all the time?" He asked, wondering if Teal'c had been taken the same way.
"No," Teal'c shook his head. "For many of us it is an honour to serve the gods and for others, it is enslavement. We are given little choice to debate the matter and when the Primtakh is over, it is too late."
"That what?" Vin looked at him.
"The Primtakh, the ritual when the Goa'uld symbiote is placed in our bodies. I was implanted when I was twelve years old."
"Twelve years old!" The tracker hissed in shock. "You were just a kid! How come they're being taken so late?" He referred to the young women being herded away.
"I am uncertain." Teal'c answered and considered for a moment. "Possibly because a Goa'uld has not been here for awhile and there have not been any symbiotes available for implantation. It is likely with the arrival of Isis and Sekhmet, that situation has changed. Isis is considered Goddess of All which may mean she is a Queen Goa'uld, she would have the ability to reproduce offspring. I understand that is why your friend was taken."
Vin said nothing, trying not to even think about that part of this unbelievable situation. To think that something possessing Alex's body was going to use Ezra's to reproduce incensed Vin beyond belief and fired a spark of jealousy he knew he should not be feeling. It was neither Alex's fault nor Ezra's for that matter that this had happened to them and Vin was not about to blame either for anything. If he got Alex back, he was going to be grateful enough for that miracle without holding her accountable for anything the creature inside her had used her body to do.
"We should be getting back to the others." Vin said finally, having seen enough for the moment and started to withdraw back into the forest, ignoring the continuing sounds of terror as young women were carried off to uncertain futures.
"We don't have a lot of time." Jack announced to everyone as they started moving towards the village that Vin and Teal'c had found "If they're recruiting new Jaffa, its not going to be long before they get their numbers up to strength. Our best bet of your getting your wife and your girl friend back is to find them before that happens."
"I'm glad Ezra decided to hold out." Vin grumbled despite his efforts to remain sensible about this. He knew it was not Ezra or Alex's fault but knowing that Ezra would have had to have been intimate with her to create new offspring stuck in his craw. Vin kept reminding himself that Alex had no choice in the matter and god only knows what they were doing to Ezra if even half the stories about this Sekhmet were true.
"He may not have had a choice." Daniel said, rushing immediately to Ezra Standish's defence, having been in the similar position as the gambler when the SGC had been infiltrated by the Goa'uld queen, Hathor. "The queen Goa'ulds have some kind of pheromone that they use to control men. Even if he didn't want to be the contributor," that was the most delicate terminology that Daniel could use after Jack had a chat to him about his clinical description of things. "She would most likely use it on him to get him to obey."
"Like she made Miss Alex go with her in town." Nathan said understanding completely.
"Something like that." Daniel replied, seeing no need to go into it with that much depth.
"Is Sekhmet a Goa'uld queen?" Buck inquired, fascinated by this whole concept of pheromone attractors and wondered fleetingly if that was what his animal magnetism was all about. Was he exuding some kind of scent that made women go crazy around? He had a dozen questions on why it did not always work and were there specific kinds of female on which this did not apply, like Inez for instance.
"I don't think so," Sam answered automatically, finding herself responding to most of Buck's questions, since he was the one in the group she seemed to interact the most with. Despite herself, Sam found the lawman somewhat compelling even though she knew that anything between them was impossible as well as it was insane. She had a feeling that Buck knew it too. "Goa'uld queens are territorial. They do not interact with each other."
"If Isis is able to use these pheromones to make men vulnerable, we're going to trouble confronting her." Josiah pointed out. "She's hard enough to get the jump on as it is."
"Well that's easy," Jack said with a smile looking at Sam.
The major returned his gaze suspiciously and immediately asked. "What?"
"We sent the one person after her who is not going to be effected by her mojo and that's you Major Carter." Jack announced, quite pleased with himself over that piece of reasoning.
"Wait a minute." Sam returned his gaze. "I can't take her on my own. You're talking about a Goa'uld queen, probably the oldest and most powerful Goa'uld queen. She predates everyone except Ra."
"You took care of Seth." He pointed out, believing in earnest that she could do it. Jack had seen what she had done to that particular Goa'uld and knew that when she had to, Sam could do amazing things with Goa'uld technology. The only thing that prevented her from utilising her full potential was her own internal reservations.
"But that was different." She protested, hating that this all rested on her abilities, abilities she had difficult coping with as it was.
"Sam," Jack said quietly, dropping his voice an octave so that she would know that he was speaking to her as her friend, not as her commanding officer. "We don't have any other way of facing her. You know that. If we go after her, chances are you'll be having to face all of us instead of just her. We can take Sekhmet out and we might even be able to help you with Isis at minimum safe distance, but we're not going to be able to take her down without you."
"Damn." She swore under her breath. "Alright," she nodded and reached into her backpack, producing a device she had discovered in Isis's enclave back on Earth. She had not known why she had taken it, crediting it to some unknown insight over this moment. "I took one of these things with me when I was there."
"Jesus!" Buck exclaimed as he saw her fitting the ribbon device around her hand. "What are you doing?" He was horrified that she was wearing the same destructive weapon on her hand that Isis had almost killed all of them with.
"It's the only way to take Isis down." Daniel explained, seeing how uncomfortable Sam was about all this as she tried the device on for size and concentrated on making the sapphire gem come to life. "Sam was taken by a Goa'uld a year ago. Once you're taken, you have some ability to work their technology."
"You were taken?" Buck looked at her.
She nodded slowly.
"But you came out of it." Chris said quickly, feeling a surge of real hope in his chest that this condition was not permanent. If this woman was freed then there was a chance that Mary could be saved just like she was.
"Only because the Goa'uld I was carrying was different." Sam replied, hating to disclose too much about Jolinahr but they were all staring at her, needing to understand and yet Sam felt worse about telling it to Buck. "He wasn't like the others. He belonged to a group called the Tokra and he jumped into me because he hadn't a choice at the time. However, when my life was threatened by his being there, he freed me at a cost of his own."
"This gets weirder and weirder." JD declared and decided that perhaps that was all the explanation he needed. "Well, as long as you're okay now."
"Don't you just love the kid." Josiah smiled, patting his back in appreciation of JD's tolerance and simple statement on how they should all be regarding the matter.
"Do you remember much about when he was inside you?" Vin asked as they resumed the walk to the village. He wanted to know because he needed to understand what it was like for Alex, in the dark place she was now confined. Even though he did not look at Chris, he could tell the gunslinger was listening carefully to their conversation.
"I remember everything." She said softly. "I was very frightened, even when I knew he wouldn't hurt me. Until we discovered Thor's Hammer, there was no way to successfully remove a Goa'uld symbiote and I was terrified that it would never let me go. I'd seen too many of them at that time to know I didn't want to live that way."
Chris remained silent but listening carefully nonetheless. Throughout all this, he had held the belief that his feelings were of concern to no one but himself. However, Sam Carter had given him hope that it was all possible to find Mary and return her to the person that he had married only six months ago. He remembered the last sane moment they had shared together and felt a pang of sorrow because he would miss the breakfasts in the morning, where she would rush around the kitchen, jugging her roles as mother, wife and editor of the Clarion News. He would miss seeing her words on paper and he would miss holding her in his arms.
"But you're okay now?" Buck asked, finally overriding his revulsion at the idea that she might have carried one of those creatures inside of her when he realised just how horrified she had been by its presence. He was mortified by his insensitivity and resolved himself that he could no more hold that against her than he would with Mary and Alex.
"Yeah," she nodded with a smile, pleased that he no longer viewed her like some freak. "I had some nightmares for awhile but strangely enough I remember some things about him which is useful for what I have to do."
"It also helps that when she puts that thing on she kicks serious butt." Jack threw a mischievous smile.
"Well I'm getting used to it," she replied, raising a hand at a nearby tree and concentrating as hard as she could.
For a few seconds, nothing happened. Suddenly, without warning, the gem started glowing with amber light and a surge of invisible force exploded outward, visible only when the tapered trunk of the tree snapped in half like kindling. Splinters flew in all directions as the tree began it sharp descent as it toppled over. Its weight dragged it through the branches and leaves of other trees, creating a cacophony of sound as birds nesting in its spindly branches took flight until finally it crashed on the ground with a resounding crash.
"Wow." JD said with a mixture of astonishment and awe.
"Well I say you're a little more use to it, ma'am." Nathan grinned, feeling some measure of relief knowing that they were not relying completely on their guns when those as a defence had been so inadequate during their first encounter with Isis and Sekhmet.
"Not bad." Chris remarked, starting to feel the odds shift a little bit more in their favour seeing that display.
"The life of a star," Jack replied, walking up along side of her and throwing her an encouraging smile as they moved past the settling dust of her tree felling abilities.
"Oh yeah," Sam frowned, wishing she felt that confident herself. "Show business is my life."
Isis could feel her children swirling around her body as she sat in the polished stone bath as the birthing process continued. Once she had secured the code of life from the Chosen One (several times as a matter of fact), she had returned him to his cell for the time being and retired to the privacy of her chambers to fulfil her duty as mother of all. Once fertilisation was completed, the process between conception and birth was extremely brief and she had only to remain inside the warm of this place and wait for the life to fill inside her.
Even now, what remained of her lion guards on Netjer were gathering new hosts for the larvae Goa'uld that was being born as she nested here. She could see their infant forms, swimming through the bubbling water, adjusting themselves to the life beyond her womb and waiting in unknowing expectation for their lives to really begin the moment they slid into the bodies of their new hosts. She smiled in satisfaction at the creation before her, knowing that they were only the first in the new order she was creating.
She would make her Chosen One her consort and first Pharaoh of this land. He would sit at her side while Sekhmet remained at her right hand and they would be a triumvirate that would bring the other System Lords to their knees. Isis would destroy Ra, whom had fled to the stars following the rebellion, coward that he was. Ra who had imprisoned Hathor, who had presumed to call himself Lord of them all when he was but only one of many, including Apothesis, Seth, Sokra, Zeus and Yew. United, they would be in a position to challenge the Asgard forces and bring about a true consolidation of Goa'uld power. She felt empowered by this first step and knew that this was always her destiny.
Occasionally, she would hear stirring's of her host's mind. It amused Isis to hear its grief over the death of the man she had killed. It had been necessary to end his life for Isis would not fall prey to the same kind of attachments that Sekhmet's host still felt for the man in black even though Sekhmet herself, would be loathed to admit it. If not for the bond between her host and the man she called Vin, Isis might have been inclined to select him as her Chosen One. However, the emotional ties would have created conflicts that Isis was unprepared to deal with, no matter how beautiful the man have been.
In any case, she was satisfied with the selection that was ultimately made and it made the process of procreation much more pleasurable since the Chosen One was willing to service her needs. She suspected that there was some duplicity behind his intentions but then men were creatures of deception and Isis knew them well enough to be guarded about how much freedom she should afford him. He was a beautiful and healthy specimen and judging from the selection that was available in this fortress on Netjer, he was still the choicest selection available to her and her children required the best to adapt.
Even now, she could see them gaining strength as they moved languidly through the churning water, becoming more certain of themselves and their surroundings the more time they were allowed to adapt to their existence. Isis, Goddess of All was pleased as she eased into the curve of the bath, feeling her body rest from the exertion of birth in the luxurious warmth of the water. She closed her eyes to take a moment for herself when she heard the doors to her chamber open and knew there would be only one person who would dare interrupt her sojourn in here.
"What do you requires of us that cannot wait, Sekhmet." She asked, not opening her eyes.
"You healed the man and I am told that you have dubbed him your Chosen?" Sekhmet glared at her queen. "You have actually taken this human as your Chosen One? You have not done this in almost two millennia." Sekhmet accused. "Why now?"
"We have been imprisoned for almost a thousand years." Isis replied, still enjoying her bath and seeing no need to face her companion, yet. "Our forces are weakened throughout all our enclaves as they are here. Our Jaffa exist only because they had been gaining symbiotes from other System Lords. Our forces are depleted and easily absorbed. We have selected our Chosen One because we will need to replenish our Jaffa quickly. We do not enjoy the physical contact that is required for procreation but it is a necessary evil. We have chosen him because it suits us to endure the process with someone who can make the experience mildly tolerable."
"I think you like this human." Sekhmet declared.
Isis stood up abruptly and stared at Sekhmet with eyes glowing. Without saying another word, the ribbon device came to life and swept the warrior goddess off her feet and slammed her into the nearby wall hard. Sekhmet let out a growl of pain and jumped to her feet, recovering almost immediately with her teeth bared.
"We are Goddess of All, we allow you to accompany us because you are our child and you are useful. Do not ever make the mistake of assuming that you are equal to us because you are not. We have hatched a thousand like you in our time and we will hatch a thousand more in the days to come." Isis glowered, stepping out of the tub, her body dripping with moisture like animal newly risen from the primordial ooze readying for its first combat to the death in the game of survival. "He is ours to do with and until such time as his usefulness is ended, you will remember that he is our Chosen One, our Beloved, do you understand us?"
Sekhmet swallowed, knowing that she had gone too far and nodded slowly. It was not often that the Goddess of All chose to exert her power this way but even Sekhmet was not foolish enough to defy Isis. Her loyalty to the Queen mother was without question and she remained on her knees, humbled by the display of force. "I understand," she said properly subdued. "Please accept my apologies, Goddess of All."
"Your apologies are accepted," Isis remarked with a faint smile. "Now you will tell us if the vessels for your new brothers and sisters are ready."
"Yes," Sekhmet answered quickly. "The crop has been harvested and are gathered in the holding cell, awaiting blending."
"Good," Isis nodded in approval and turned back to her bath. "We must give strength to my children for a little longer but we will soon be ready to create our army. We will call you when we are ready. You may go now."
Biting her lip, Sekhmet rose to her feet with nothing less than rage building inside her veins as she took herself from the presence of her queen and went to sought the one who could satiate her fury with his pain.
The Chosen One.
Isis said she had to remember that he was the Chosen One. She had said nothing about not harming him.
Something was going on outside.
When Ezra was returned to his cell the next morning, he was assured by Isis that it would not be for long. Even though he had fulfilled her needs, he had the sense that she was going to keep him around for reasons other than simple reproduction and hoped that his efforts the night before would convince her to keep him alive for a little longer. A part of him felt guilty about making love to the woman who had once been Alexandra Styles, particularly since he felt he was not only betraying Vin Tanner but also Julia Pemberton. Unfortunately, he had little choice in the matter. If it had been just a simple matter of fluid exchange, Ezra had no doubt that he would have been killed or turned into one of her mindless slaves like the guards that roamed the halls of this fortress. Ezra liked neither option and had steeled himself to do whatever he could to keep that from happening. If that meant pleasuring an incredibly beautiful woman for awhile, he could think of worse ways to plan an escape.
After he was left alone in his cell, Ezra became aware of noises outside his window and peered through the bars to observe what was happening. He could see a group of Jaffa guards as Isis had called them, ushering a group of women into the fortress. He counted at least twenty of them and wondered what their purpose was. They were all young, he estimated that the oldest among the group was about Casey Well's age. It took a few more minutes to make another observation about the group and that was the fact that they were all very beautiful. Their racial stock was a mixture of African, Mediterranean and Native American but they were all perfect specimens of each type. Actually, beautiful was an incorrect word, Ezra decided after a moment. Healthy. Not one of them looked weak, or physically handicapped in any way.
They were all tall, supple and lithe, still marked by youthful awkwardness of course but the potential to be something extraordinary was there. Suddenly, his heart froze with the realisation at what they were there for. Jaffa. She was turning this entire group into Jaffa. Jaffa that would be seeded by creatures she would create because he had made love to her. Ezra felt his stomach hollow at the thought, wishing there could have been another way for him to stay alive now that he understood what his actions would mean for those innocents outside.
Jesus, did this nightmare ever end?
He hated being used as breeding stock, having to betray his friends and the one whose body Isis was in possession with. He loathed the fact that he was forced into this circumstance, to have no choice but to comply with their demands in order to survive and he liked it even less he was going to be responsible for enslaving those people outside. He felt like he was going to be sick. For a moment, he could do nothing except bury his face in his hands as he tried to deal with this latest development in this insane captivity. Ezra was starting to believe that his prison was one without any reprieve and that he was going to be trapped in this hell forever. The idea that he would never see Julia again, that he would be forced to be Alex's consort, knowing that she was trapped in a hell even worse than his own, started filling Ezra with a despair that was tearing the walls of his hope with relentless efficiency.
Just when Ezra thought that things could not get any worse, the door to his cell opened and Sekhmet entered the room. The glare in her eyes as she looked upon him told Ezra that he was in a great deal of trouble because even he could tell that she was out for blood.
"You are quite favoured by Isis." She said walking towards him, menace in every step she took to close the distance between them. Behind her, the Jaffa guards watched him with indifference, caring little about his plight except to act if he made one move against their Goddess. "What exactly did you to do her to become her Chosen One."
"A gentlemen never tells." Ezra replied, trying to hide the fear he felt and the pounding inside his chest.
"You will tell me," she said with a smile as her hand captured his chin and forced him against the wall of the cell. She looked into his eyes with clear intentions of making his suffer sparkling in her blue grey eyes. "You will tell me and you show me."
"My talents are exclusive, Lady." Ezra swallowed, bracing himself for the hurt. "I do not share them."
With a predatory gleam in her eyes as she leaned close to his ear, Sekhmet whispered softly. "By the time I am done with you, you will share everything with me, even your pain."