CONCLUSION ; "JACK!!"

~ Д Ψ Ψ μ ∑ µ ≈ Ξ ≠ Φ π ∑ ≍ ∁∞ ∞ ∞ ~

ℷ

"Sam the words!"

"Daniel?"

"The hallucination words!"

"What, go on!"

"Vush, vush.."

"Yeah Daniel that's right. Vush vush yerr hu, vush vush yerr."

"Sam say them loud so the trolls can hear you."

"Vush vush yerr hu vush vush yerr!! Vush vush yerr hu vush vush yerr!!"

The rock devils froze in mid movement. Catatonic. Confused. Shocked and surprised. Super shocked and taken totally totally by surprise. The howling from hell below continued. The noise that was raising up from Xibalbah was incessant. But just then in the cavern all the snarling and snapping and hollering switched to a murmurous lunatic inquiration.

There was more quiet movement on the wall. Rock people were peeking out from shelters to look at the life on the bridge. In canon the devils began to chant.

"Hu. Hu. Hu. Hu.."

Daniel was employing all his linguistic skills to work out what was happening, with just three words to go on he was a little tongue tied. Both he and Colonel Carter continued to repeat the vush vush words, but not loudly though.

A Nebulium phased onto the bridge in between Colonel Carter and Daniel. The rock devils started up screaming again. Squealing and shouting, at the Nebulium it seemed. As Daniel turned to see what was upsetting the rock people the Nebulium purposefully knocked into him. Daniel lost his balance and fell down, he desperately clung to the narrow piece of bridge beneath him. The Nebulium went to have another go at him, probably to try and knock him off the bridge. The devils were screaming octaves louder and louder. They were going bananas. Colonel Carter deftly laid into the Nebulium with a round house kick visited around its milky chops. The force knocked the Nebulium clean off the bridge. It started to plunge into the darkness below. It phased out to whatever part of the pyramid it came from, disappearing out of view.

The rock devils were at bay, quiet again and chanting.

"Hu. Hu. Hu.."

Whilst Colonel Carter had been dealing with the Nebulium a rock devil had jumped down onto the bridge and approached Daniel. It appeared taller than the others, but was just as devilish though. It had picked Daniel up by his neck and chin, lifting him up and steadying him back onto the bridge.

The D'jinn devil had come right up close to Daniel and starred in his face while slowly throttling him. Colonel Carter who was free of the Nebulium was watching every move but stayed still exactly where she was. As far as she could tell one move from this rock devil and dear Daniel could be on his way to a higher place, via Xibalbah.

The D'jinn devil started chanting at Daniel. Blanketing him with the rancid odour of the strangest diet of really not good for you, madness and metal. Daniel was entirely diplomatic about the whole confabulation..

"Yerr Hu! Yerr Hu! Yerr Hu."

Daniel managed to squeeze off a choked reply.

"Vush Vush Hu. Hu vush vush! Hu vush vush!"

He dropped Daniel safely down onto his feet again, still repeating some of the vush vush words. Daniel carried on repeating his vush vush hu response. Their little tête à tête was broken up as two other rock devils jumped onto the bridge and respectfully took hold of the tall one and carefully dragged him back, escorting him off the bridge and on to the rock face and away.

The chanting in the cavern continued. None of the devils made moves to attack the bridge. Daniel seemed quite delighted. Extremely tired, but delighted that he'd made a new friend.

"Sam, Sam when it, he, was speaking, he clenched his teeth. Guess what, they weren't pointed. Dirty and filthy yeah but not pointed. And did you notice hes taller than the other rock people? Sam?"

~ Д Ψ Ψ μ ∑ µ ≈ Ξ ≠ Φ π ∑ ≍ ∁∞ ∞ ∞ ~

"Daniel they're backing off. Just, whatever you're saying keep saying it, they're backing off."

They weren't exactly backing off they were just, not attacking. They were still round the wall. Still inspecting the pair on the bridge.

"Daniel, Daniel look we need to.."

The atmosphere was getting to them both, slowing there thoughts and reactions.

"Sam do you think we can make a run for it?"

"Come on, move forward!"

As they moved forward along the bridge the rock devils also moved closer towards the entrance to the ginnel.

"Daniel come on pull back."

As they withdrew back along the bridge amazingly the D'jinn also withdrew from the immediate area surrounding the ginnel entrance.

"Daniel we need to get off this bridge! We're gonna have to back right down to the rostrum. If anymore Nebulium materialise while were on here we've had it. Come on lets go. Colonel Reynolds did you see that?"

"Yeah it just appeared out of thin air. Big trouble Colonel!"

"Maybe.. ..look we can't stay on this bridge."

"No way Colonel. If another one of those things appears behind you, you won't stand a chance. Can you not get here?"

"No we just tried."

"Yeah I realise that. Are they still there?"

"Yeah they're all over the wall. They've got the entrance covered. Did you hear those words Daniel was saying?"

"Yeah they're some of the words Doctor Jackson put in the P7X 377 enemy assessment associated notes, aren't they? We got given notes the other day."

"Yeah, do you know the words?"

"Yeah I do, we all do actually, just one sentence isn't it."

"Okay. If you encounter anymore of those rock devils start saying those words because they've just had the most amazing effect. Err, hold on Tony. Major Mosskyovich, Captain Evans, Lieutenant Marks?"

"Reading you Colonel!!"

"Did you hear that?"

"No Ma'am sorry. No I'm sorry we were engaging."

"Colonel this is Captain Evans here. We can see SG-4, they're across this big hall we're in here, the room after the one with all the columns in, they're right over at the other side. We've got those rock monsters closing in on SG-4. I think they have arrows, spears and stuff. They're hurling everything at SG-4. SG-4 are firing off at them.."

"Okay. You know the words in Daniel's notes?"

"I'm sorry Colonel what notes?"

"On the 377 enemy, the assessment. The addition notes. The vush vush yerr hu words."

"Yeah, yeah, I know those words, yeah the notes."

"Start saying those words to the creatures. Captain run over in the direction of SG-4 and shout out loud. Shout it so the Major can hear you as well. Major if your listening I need your Team to start saying these words as well. Vush vush yerr hu vush vush yerr! Just that, keep repeating it and keep withdrawing as well. Work your way out of the pyramid!"

"Okay Ma'am."

"Let me know."

"Okay Ma'am."

Captain Evans broke away from Lieutenant Marks and gingerly ran over towards SG-4. They were pinned down at the entrance to the antechamber. Captain Evans started shouting at the top of his voice.

"Vush vush yerr hu vush vush!! Vush vush yerr hu vush vush yerr!!"

He kept repeating himself. Moderately shocked vastly understates the reaction from the D'jinn. They were truly taken by surprise. The devils turned to track Captain Evans. They did not approach him, they studied him. Major Mosskyovich, Lieutenant Polud and Sergeant Hodda joined in as a chorus.

"Vush vush yerr hu vush vush yerr, vush vush yerr hu vush vush yerr."

The rock devils stopped attacking. They were looking round at SG-4. Looking round at Captain Evans. Looking at each other. They were completely surprised. They were very unsure what to do but they definitely had no further intention of attacking. Creeping backwards to blend in with the sandstone walls they started to chant.

"Vush vush! Vush Vush! Vush vush!!"

This was good. This was fantastic. Captain Evans ran at a non threatening walking pace, watching all the time for any aggressive movement in the devils, they were now all busy chanting and blending out of focus. He helped Major Mosskyovich to walk while Polud and Hodda carried Valdynsky. They stepped up their pace and made towards the other side of the antechamber to Lieutenant Marks position. The Ops didn't look back. The D'jinn stayed where they were, chanting, vush vush..

SG-4, Marks and Evans complimented the rock devils chants, they were humming it out..

"Vush vush yerr hu vush vush yerr.."

They didn't stop, every step, they kept on humming. Their hums were panning out into deep breaths and sighs of relief. They were getting quieter as they went. The distance between them and the D'jinn was getting greater. They made it to the other side of the antechamber and disappeared with Lieutenant Marks into the atrium. Not wanting to come across as being afraid, they waited until they got into the atrium, then they really began to march double quick, straight across the atrium and out into the passages leading to the pyramid entrance, and exit. They felt sure if they could just get to the outside, the devils wouldn't follow them. They were right about that, they wouldn't be followed by the D'jinn.

Captain Evans notified Colonel Carter of their progress.

In the passageways they ran into a quake. The ground of the passages was trembling. Sand was pouring out from the ceiling. From the cracks between the slabs. Lots and lots and lots of sand. Curtains of the stuff pouring down on them. What the hell was going on. They could hear unsettling noises. The stones were heaving and pushing. Bits of the ceiling was coming down, falling down on them. They were being harassed by the building. They thought the ceiling was going to cave in on them. They rushed now as quick as they could. They could see the sand filtered sunlight coming in through the entrance, the exit! They made a concerted effort to get out into the light.

~ Д Ψ Ψ μ ∑ µ ≈ Ξ ≠ Φ π ∑ ≍ ∁∞ ∞ ∞ ~

"General!!"

General O'Neill was upon them. He'd sprinted along the causeway and was about to enter the pyramid when SG-4, Evans and Marks barged out.

"General!! Sir?"

"Whos left inside?"

"Sir.."

"General O'Neill you will have now only SG-3 and also there will be inside the main pyramid cavern Colonel Carter and Doctor Dãn´yêl Jackson."

"Okay Major. You're injured?"

"It is nothing. We will be fine General O'Neill."

"Good man! You need to get down to the Gate. You need to get clear, get to the Beta Site! Can you make it down there?"

"Yes we can."

"Sir, General can we assist you?"

"..Jeez! Gad damn! I didn't realise it was this bad. Holy brick, its falling down! Has anything come down in there?"

"No Sir but its about to. We've just had a real hairy ride through the passages in there. It feels like the roofs gonna come in."

"Yeah it does. Look em, I don't think it's a good idea for you to come back in, not with it being like this."

"Ah General, the things, Sir those demon rock critters, they've stopped attacking us."

"Whats that now?"

"Sir Colonel Carter told us to say some words out loud, the rock devils, they just stopped attacking us and backed off. They let us go."

"Go on, tell me?"

"Sir it was in the notes Doctor Jackson gave us. The vush vush words Sir."

"Oh, yeah, how does that go? Not those other words?"

"No, no Sir."

"Hows that then, vush vush, yeah that's it, vush vush yerr hu?"

"Yes Sir. Vush vush yerr hu vush vush yerr."

"And they backed off, nice! Okay, all of you get down there. Get clear."

"Thanks General."

"General O'Neill we can help?"

"Thanks Demitri, very decent of you but I just want you gone, okay. You've done a really good job so now if you'd just get your Team to the Beta Site."

"Thank you General."

General O'Neill quickly weighed up the structure, satisfied himself that it was coming down with only probably minutes to spare, and then ran into the pyramid entrance passageways. Lieutenant Marks was right. It seemed like the roof was going to cave in. It was a real hairy and sand choking trip through to the atrium. It was also becoming progressively more dangerous. What made it worst was the fact that the whole place was creaking with loud stony rumblings.

General O'Neill could feel the tremors as he ran. He could hear a wretched creaking and crumbling sound. The sound of ancient giant heavy stones rubbing together and coming apart, it was a most eerie sound and it was positively indicative of something fundamental loosing it's foundation.

He was in the atrium now and running passed the shuddering columns. Straight away he spotted the C4 at the top of a few of the pillars. Yeah, good work! Good work, he liked that.

He got through the atrium into the antechamber. It was all quiet, except for the noise of structural instability. There was a lot of tracks. A lot of tiny footprints in the sand. He followed the big foot tracks. He could see where a man had been dragged through the sand.

It was a long way from the outside entrance to the inner cavern. The tremors were branching and routing further out from the south wall now. He could still feel them underfoot. The General was now into the top passageway after the antechamber, towards the main ginnel. He passed the spot where Valdynsky had been savaged. As yet he had passed no savages, none that he had been aware of. He didn't hear any chanting going on either, at least not until he reached the main ginnel.

He turned the corner and way off northward he could see SG-3 and he could hear a low, fanatic, rock devil murmur. He ran even faster. Colonel Reynolds saw him. He shouted into his radio.

"Colonel! Colonel, the General's here!"

Colonel Carter didn't respond. She and Daniel, as well as SG-3, were beginning to succumb to the toxic atmosphere of the pyramid.

Two more Nebulium had phased in. Daniel had taken up position on the rostrum and was strafing his magazines at the Nebulium to a chorus of Hu, Hu, Hu, being chanted off the cavern walls.

Colonel Reynolds slowly ran the ten meters up to the lip of the bridge. He shouted down his radio again to Colonel Carter and Daniel.

"Colonel, General O'Neill is here. Colonel hes here!"

Neither Colonel Carter nor Daniel responded. The echo noise from the rock devil's chants was pounding them. They were completely absorbed in trying to detect incoming Nebulium, they were also a little disoriented and succumbed by and to the cavern atmosphere.

"Colonel get your people out now!!"

"General what about the em, General Colonel Carter and Doctor Jackson?"

"Reynolds you need to go now! You need to go fast! You've got your vush vush words, and err, yeah. Look at me, Reynolds, look at me, are you listening??"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm alright, what Sir?"

"The entrance to the pyramid is collapsing. Its caving in okay."

"Sir?"

"Reynolds you need to get out as fast as you can, yes?"

"Yes Sir, we're going now! General, em, I think we should help you Sir?"

"Reynolds leave now!!"

"Yes Sir. When you go through there, just there, on the other side of that wall, theres rock devils there waiting to jump down! Colonel Carter reckons theres about three dozen or more hanging on the wall. They've been keeping them cut off out there. She thinks they'll jump us if we try to go through onto the bridge so.."

"Yeah don't worry. Don't worry about it. They'd have to catch me to jump me won't they. You need to go now! Get down to the StarGate, straight through to the Beta Site. We've got Teal'c."

"Yeah! Great news Sir! Is he err, how is he?"

"Clean. The Asgard took him."

"Wow hes a really lucky guy, a really lucky guy."

"Tell me about it. Get moving!!"

"Sir."

"Hey, make sure everyone goes through the Gate. Reynolds, you're ranking, I want this rock evacuated! Understand!"

"General!"

~ Д Ψ Ψ μ ∑ µ ≈ Ξ ≠ Φ π ∑ ≍ ∁∞ ∞ ∞ ~

General O'Neill ran straight out onto the bridge. He got twenty meters out before stopping to turn and look at the cavern wall around the ginnel entrance. He looked up and was really surprised to see lots of little, formerly human, rock like features, rock devil creatures looking back at him. Surprised to see him. The were still Huing.

The General shouted up at them.

"Hey guys, nice to see you. Don't want any trouble now. Just here to get my friends, that's all. Okay. Vush vush yeah. Vush vush guys.. ..okay, okay."

It seemed to be okay. They didn't move on him. Okay. He turned around but couldn't yet see onto the central rostrum. He started running along the bridge. He could hear the D'jinn getting over excited about something. He turned his head back to them whilst still running forward. There was nothing to get excited about, not that he could see anyway. Shoot! Smoky cloudy vision ahead.

At least six Nebulium phased into his vision. They were lined up twenty five meters or so in front of him. Shoot. Oh Yeah, Good! He had Griff's P90 slung across his back. Major Griff had reloaded the machine gun before handing it to General O'Neill. Nothing upon nothing was going to stop General O'Neill getting across the bridge to his people.

He turned back to face the cavern wall.

"Hey! Vush vush! Come onnnn, gimme a hand here! Vush!!"

The General was sure the rock guys had warned him the Nebulium were materialising. Anyway. He dropped down onto one knee and levelled up for single shots. The Nebulium were coming at him, it looked like they intended to tip him of the bridge.

He shot the point Nebulium singularly, six or eight times. It was still coming at him. Riproar. It was still coming at him, very slow now. In the head! One, two, three, he brained it, off the bridge. But there were more rushing to attack him. Riproar. This time at the head. Yeah, he got another two of them, the second one fell off and the one behind it, he only shot at it twice and that fell off the bridge too.

The rock devils were screaming. General O'Neill looked round. This was mental. The Nebulium he'd just shot twice was back on the bridge again and creeping up behind him. It was only because of the noise the rock guys were making that the General had bothered to turn round at all. He let go with the P90. He reported it into the Nebulium, head, legs and torso. It wouldn't be sneaking up on him any more.

He was trying to push forward. The Nebulium that had been in front of him were gone now. He moved forward a step at a time. Holding his P90 out in front of him. He was real worried they were still there on the bridge but he just couldn't see them.

He hesitated, examined the bridge ahead, scanning for any sign of anything, it all seemed clear to him. He corrected himself and readied to run all the way to the rostrum. He carried on forty more meters. He could see his people!

Across the bridge, on the rostrum, General O'Neill saw Carter and Daniel firing off their P90 guns. Fending against the Nebulium that were trying to surround them. Both Daniel and Colonel Carter were clearly irradiated. They were stumbling all over and could barely stand.

No! Again! Blocking the General's way were more Nebulium, half a dozen of them phased in from somewhere. They were on the bridge twenty or more meters ahead of him, they were queuing up to stop his passage.

He looked beyond the Nebulium foe to check on his friends position. Daniel was still firing. He saw Colonel Carter crash to her knees by the Crystal Skull pedestal, she wasn't moving!

General O'Neill started to charge at the Nebulium line. In mid stride he had the strangest sensation. Everything around him went completely silent. It was extremely disorientating, he could still see everything, but more as an observer. It felt like he was about to fall off the bridge. All sense of danger escaped him. On the other side of the bridge, way passed the Nebulium, on the rostrum, for the tiniest split second he glimpsed a figure who looked exactly like himself, charging towards the Crystal Skull pedestal. Wack!! He was out of the sensation! The surround sound was back! And he was still on the very narrow bridge, charging at the Nebulium.

Takedown! He tackled his way along the bridge taking down as many as he could with the bullets from his gun until he was left with only his dagger. He tackled yielding his blade, slashing this way and that way. Slashing, cutting and incapacitating. It was nasty, it was urgent combat. He was making inchway.

He took down as many as he could with the blade in his hand until he lost his blade stuck in a falling Nebulium. He was left with only his 9 mil and his hands. He opted for hand to hand encountering, wanting to save his 9 mil for when he reached his friends. With hand to hand combat management and chi motive he evicted a Nebulium. He began violently shouting at them. He had a brain wave. He started shouting at the top of his voice.

"Vush vush yerhu!!"

He got a very bad reaction from the Nebulium. He quickly changed his tune.

"Ini Imi imi ixci ici a soo!!"

Tremendous reaction! The Nebulium, including the more of them that had joined the attack on the bridge, they stopped advancing! Turning towards each other horrified. In their confusion and hurry a few of them actually lost balance and unable to steady themselves fell off the bridge. No doubt phasing to a safer place. It was a good time for the General, he took advantage and stepped up his attack. He body tackled the queue and rammed his way ahead.

He felt something press hard against his ribs. The Nebulium in front of him had pushed him so hard he fell backwards and fell down. Now they would have him. He was an easy target to kick off the bridge. He didn't know how to phase change! He could do it, he'd done it already, he just didn't know how to do it! He could see the white pasty foe arms out stretched to get him. He lean forward to push himself up again, he felt something solid dig into his side again.

He stuck his hand in his jacket and pulled out the Nebulium killer glove that Major Griff had shown him. The Nebulium stopped running at him and shrieked. It completely disappeared, phased away. The Nebulium left on the bridge stopped rushing him. There was some low tones spoken. What ever was said it sounded bad, real bad and sickly. General O'Neill was up now and fitting the glove onto his hand. He was shoving his hand at the Nebulium. It was obvious they were scared. They started to back away. The General raised his arm up at them and started screaming at them.

"Move it!! You gawd damn move it!! Now!! Now!!"

It their raw form it was doubtful they understood what he was saying but they could clearly understand that he was about to fire a highly concentrated microwave beam into a cavern absolutely teaming with high energy particles and positive metal ions. Every single one of them phased away and left the road to the rostrum clear. What they hadn't understood was that the human body cannot operated the organic components of the Nebulium fireware.

General O'Neill made it across the bridge and on to the rostrum. He was knackered!

~ Д Ψ Ψ μ ∑ µ ≈ Ξ ≠ Φ π ∑ ≍ ∁∞ ∞ ∞ ~

The Nebulium were back. Some on the bridge, some on the rostrum. Perhaps in quick conference they'd discovered the safety was on on the killer glove.

The General rolled and dived at Colonel Carter's position, he grabbed her sub automatic. He and Daniel defeated the Nebulium on the rostrum.

"Carter??"

The Colonel was very, very weak.

"Sir, the explosives.. ..we've set them all. Heres.. ..the detonator. I think.."

She started to pass out.

The General had hold of the detonator. He ran over to Daniel.

"Daniel how long? Daniel how long??"

General O'Neill was showing Daniel the detonator.

"Daniel how many minutes?"

"Two. Two. And I think two and a half. Three at two and a half."

"We've got to get to the Gate now! Can you make it?"

"I'll make it Jack. What about Sam?"

"Shes out. I've got her."

General O'Neill made a quick sweep. He looked over at the bridge, clear! He had a quick look over the sides of the rostrum, extremely deep, dank and dark, clear! Suddenly rapid gunfire from the far side of him. Daniel was shooting at another group of Nebulium that had phased in on them. The General joined in and began taking them out. Daniel screamed to General O'Neill.

"Jack! Jack!!"

He was desperate! He was backing away from two Nebulium. If they get a hold of him..

General O'Neill ran towards Daniel. Daniel was still backing away from the enemy as he lost his footing and fell over the edge of the rostrum, plunging down into the deep cavern below. Plunging down to Xibalbah, a hell worst than hell.

General O'Neill buckled in thorough shock. He fell on to one knee. Daniel's down! Gone! Oh gad! Oh gad! He couldn't believe it. He lost his breath for a moment. He felt a tingling pain rush through him. He felt a little light head. Gone! Aw Daniel. I'm sorry! I'm sorry! He collected himself and rushed back to Carter. She was up the steps on the Crystal Skull pedestal. Leaning against the pedestal, vaguely aware that Daniel was down.

"Sir, Daniel?"

"Carter I've got to get you out! Now!!"

They could hear the rumbling in the distance. The south wall was taxing the rest of the pyramid structure. General O'Neill was about to pick Colonel Carter up when a great number of Nebulium appeared on the bridge, blocking the way to the ginnel, to the outside, to the StarGate.

There was no ammunition left. General O'Neill had Colonel Carter's sheath knife and his own 9 mil revolver. Colonel Carter was armed with very little consciousness and a zat'ni'ka'tel, a blast from which would do little to deter an advancing Nebulium, strengthening it in the process.

The General now standing away from Carter, towards the middle of the rostrum. He began to run at the bridge, dagger to hand. He was ready to have another go at the Nebulium. Colonel Carter shouted to him.

"Sir.. ..Sir."

He turned and looked at her. He knew what she was meaning.

"Jack!!"

You could tell deep down she loved him. He dropped his knife.

"Its okay!"

She urged him.

He nodded to her with all the feelings in his heart. He turned away from her and faced out, toward the bridge.

Times up! No more moves! No way out! Game over!

He slowly brought the paper punch styled detonator up to the side of his face, the side of his ear, he squeezed, heard it punch and let it fall to the ground.

He raised his right hand to wipe a warm tear from his eye. Suddenly he was submerged in silence. He was overwhelmed by a feeling of calm and tranquillity. At the foot of the bridge he saw that same familiar figure staring back at himself. He could see him more clearly now. He was looking at himself. An apparition? An avatar? Cauac? The figure, dressed like a nineteen twenties fighter pilot, had raised his left hand to his face and was so very slowly wiping away the same warm tear from his eye.

The General's apparition, Cauac, was looking at the teardrop hanging on the end of his fingertip. General O'Neill was watching him intensely. In unison, the General and his apparition carefully lowered their arms. His apparition-self slowly brought his arm down in an outstretched, outward slow sweeping motion. General O'Neill at the same time was bringing his own arm down with the very same movement. This arm movement was slowly manoeuvring General O'Neill around so that he was almost facing back to Colonel Carter and to the spot where Daniel had stood before he fell.

The General, although turning, was still watching the fighter pilot who had by now stretched out his hand all the way towards General O'Neill, the teardrop, clearly visible and almost dripping off his fingertip. With a regal and decadent jolt of his wrist the pilot, Cauac, gently flicked the teardrop off his fingertip and up into the air, as if in extremely slow motion. General O'Neill was studiously watching all this play out before him.

He saw his apparition-self focusing with great interest on the falling teardrop. Cauac, the pilot, even stuck his neck and chin out a little, like an aristocrat, in order to watch exactly where the teardrop was falling.

General O'Neill had not been watching the teardrop fall. Instead he had been watching his apparition-self watching the teardrop fall.

All around was chaos and advancing Nebulium. All around the General was calm tranquillity. General O'Neill quietly closed his eyes. His arm still outstretched in Colonel Carter's direction. Wham!! His eyes blazed open! In that very instant all the surround sound violently leaped back into play. Two minutes had passed!

The General did not look back at the fighter pilot, at his apparition. He followed the aim of his arm and lunged towards Colonel Carter through the cracking sound of bomb blasts.

The Nebulium were off the bridge now and gaining on him.

He aggressively yanked Colonel Carter to her feet. She was quite out of it. He snatched her up by the lapels and practically lifted her off her feet. He then rapidly fox trotted her to the end of the pedestal platform. Unbelievably he then forcibly pushed her downwards and backwards away from himself. He literally threw them both down the steps. They hit the ground together toe to toe and tumbled down the steps to the edge of the rostrum where Daniel had fallen minutes ago.

Somehow as they had tumbled down General O'Neill managed to interlock his legs around Colonel Carter's legs. Wrapping them in a death roll fashion so that as he pulled himself to the edge of the rostrum, Colonel Carter was pulled along with him.

The Nebulium were practically within arms reach. Sure as a mad man, General O'Neill vigorously launched himself off the edge of the rostrum, head first down into the deep cavern below, heaving Colonel Carter's body off the rostrum right down behind him.

~ Д Ψ Ψ μ ∑ µ ≈ Ξ ≠ Φ π ∑ ≍ ∁∞ ∞ ∞ ~

Bang!! The General landed bruised and in pain twenty feet below, squarely across an unconscious Doctor Daniel Jackson. Daniel was out cold. Sprawled out on a little ledge that protruded out from the face of the massive stalagmite that made up the rostrum centrum. Colonel Carter, dragged down the vertical rock face by the vice like grip General O'Neill had on her, bounced down badly after him, landing half on top of Daniel and half plastered against the ledge-centrum seam.

In that instant General O'Neill had seen his apparition-self watch the teardrop fall, he had a realisation. Minutes earlier, when he'd checked over the edge of the rostrum to make sure there was no point of attack from the Nebulium, he'd noticed lots of tiny ledges sticking out from the face of the rock. The way the fighter pilot, Cauac, had so intently followed the teardrop falling reminded the General of himself watching Daniel fall. In that very moment he realised that like the tear being caught by the teardrop more than likely Daniel had fallen down onto something that had caught his descent.. ..a ledge perhaps.

Colonel Carter began to slide off Daniel and off the ledge. General O'Neill was frantically tugging at Daniel. He was trying to keep Daniel and himself balanced and at the same time desperately attempting to get hold of the re-enforced yellow plastic backpack Daniel had strapped to his back.

As he felt Colonel Carter slipping further off the ledge the General twisted himself around and tightened the leg grip he had around Colonel Carter's hips and legs. He got to Daniel's backpack and had at it with his bare hands. He punched and hammered at the spring lock.

With no room and nothing to cling on to, Colonel Carter started falling off the tiny ledge.

The time staggered explosives were beginning to rip through the cavern sending violent tremors through the rock. General O'Neill, absolutely unwilling to let Colonel Carter slip away, tightened his grip on her. He managed to get the yellow case open and grabbed hold of the golden coloured Crystal Skull. At the very same time Daniel moved spasmically in pain, throwing the balance out and leaving Colonel Carter to fall off the ledge. General O'Neill cried out in sheer pain as Colonel Carter's falling weight twisted and bent his legs back.

Colonel Carter was now off the ledge and dangling in the air secured only by the determined grip of General O'Neill. Horrified that she was going to end up pulling him down with her she started screaming at him, pleading for him to let her go.

The General had no doubts that Colonel Carter was going to fall down into the abyss. With a forceful outcry of pain he twisted around and tightened his leg grip on her. With his right arm he scooped up a very firm hold on Daniel, an underarm headlock type of position. Holding the Crystal Skull in his left hand he used Colonel Carter's weight to roll his torso off the ledge, dragging Daniel with him as he went.

All three of them were locked together through General O'Neill's legs and arm. They plunged down the dark vast cavern with intensifying velocity. General O'Neill was in such a great deal of pain from both the awkward fall down onto the ledge and now from the weight of his team. He brought the Crystal Skull up to his face, his eyes squeezed shut from the pain flashed open and demanded the Skull to work.

The pyramid was caving in around them. The catalytic reaction with the cavern's ingrained naquadah, sodium and niquadria was starting to be affected by the C4. An explosive tidal wave of fire was engulfing the upper atmosphere of the cavern and General O'Neill and most of SG-1 were still plunging down fast.

As they were crashing miles down towards the ground Colonel Carter was flying face upwards, seeing the fire overhead. Seeing it chasing them. She also started to see thousand of tiny little pretty yellow lights, all coming from General O'Neill, from the Crystal Skull he was clutching. The lights began to vibrate, sparkling and shimmering and becoming interlaced with beautifully fine streaks of magnificently bright white light, which also appeared to be emanating from General O'Neill's left hand.

General O'Neill, cold from the wind of the speed of their descent, suddenly experienced some moments of the tranquil, peaceful and quiet sensation he'd felt when he saw the fighter pilot Cauac as he detonated the explosives Carter and Daniel had set throughout the pyramid. Just then, as he was falling fast, in the tranquil quiet, he could not feel the searing pain in his hand from the heat the Crystal Skull was generating. He could not hear the sound of explosions or the evil whistle of the fire that chased them. He only felt peace.

Bang!! General O'Neill's head smashed against the glass. He winced in pain. He felt a boot thump against his jaw. He winced in pain. He heard Daniel cry out in pain. He attempted to move and heard Daniel cry out in pain, again. He heard the exhausted voice of Colonel Carter quietly repeating 'Jack. Daniel. Jack.' He felt a boot pressing down on his jaw, again, and he winced in pain.

General O'Neill, Colonel Carter and Doctor Jackson were tightly squashed inside a brand new narrow upright glass display cabinet in the Smithsonian Museum.

Daniel was crunched, half wrapped around a stone pedestal. The General's shoulder was pressing against Daniel's extremely sore ribs. General O'Neill was upside down. His face slammed against the glass cabinet side. Colonel Carter was more or less standing on the upside down General. Each time she tried to move her boot pressed down on the General's jaw. They were all squashed in. Packed inside the narrow space of the glass cabinet. From his disadvantage General O'Neill tried smashing through the glass with his elbow. It wouldn't smash.

Stuck inside the glass cabinet hardly able to move without adding to their pains and injuries, they were suddenly overcome by a very high pitched screeching sound. A perforating wail which was getting deafeningly louder.

Seconds after arriving in the display case O'Neill, Carter and Daniel were blasted out of the cabinet by a microscopically short and powerful, highly explosive blasting energy wave. The blast ceased exactly when the Ballard Skull shattered into a million tiny pieces and was thus no longer able to transceive.

General O'Neill, Colonel Carter and Doctor Jackson were exploded out of the fused, galvanised display case and hurtled across the museum in different directions. The energy blast caused a great deal of destruction to that wing of the museum.

As General O'Neill thudded to the floor and was sent flying, sliding across the auditorium on his back, he gritted his teeth and winced in pain as he trapped his hand between his head and the pillar that brought him to a stop. Just before he lost consciousness he heard Daniel across the museum.

"Sam, Jack?"

He heard Sam as well.

"Its me Daniel. General. Jack!!"

A quiver of a smile curled on his lips as he floated off to slumber with the knowledge that he'd got his people home. Safe. And most assuredly, sound!

ℷ ~ ∞ ± Γ ∧ Ξ ζ μ π ∀       ~ ℷ

FIN

Its a wonderful privilege to be able to breathe. Realise that and you realise happiness

Thank You for your time.

I hope you enjoyed this expansion of the Greenburg / Paul Crystal Skull Story :)

:: Mission Accounts ::

© Richard Dean Anderson all rights reserved June 2006