LET'S BRING OUR PEOPLE HOME.. ..NOW! NO MISTAKES THIS TIME

~ λ ∑ ψ ω √ ∞ ≈  ⊇ ⋑  ∧ ~

ℷ

"Got a little bit of a headache."

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah I'm fine its just.. ..its nothing. Could be the weather, you know the pressure or something."

"Indeed Daniel Jackson. It may be an indication of on coming winds."

"Hope not Daniel."

"Yeah me too Sam. How come you've given everyone zats, I thought we couldn't use them on the Nebulium?"

"No we can't."

"Oh?"

"The General insisted we take zats with us. We can use the zats on infected personnel. I'm praying they're not infected though. Zats, 9 mils and P90s.. ..oxygen!"

"Um. Quite a lot, well armed."

"Daniel, if he had his way he would of sent air support as well. Only the size of the Gate stopped him."

"It is most difficult for O'Neill to remain behind whilst we embark on such an important Mission."

"You're very right about that Teal'c. Can't be easy for him. Hes knows what hes missing out on. He loves the excitement, adventure. The exploration. All the discovery. But as head of the Base hes now got all the worry on his shoulders too."

"He used to worry about us before Daniel."

"I know he did Sam, but now hes got all the other Teams to be concerned about too."

"Yeah its not an easy one."

"A most difficult position."

"Anyway everybody's been instructed not to use the zats on the Nebulium so it'll be fine. Err, right, okay, just hold up here a minute, wait for the rest of the Teams."

They'd stopped directly opposite to the stone slab General O'Neill had designated as the ground level south west tunnel extraction point.

SG-1 were point. SG-2 and SG-5 were the advance group, following closely behind SG-1. SG-8, Medical, would be responsible for fitting the Griff helmets, and also, most essentially, determining if any of the missing had been infected. Infected personnel could not travel via a Seven Chevron wormhole, making the correct determination critical.

SG-8 were at the back of the group and hemmed in by SG-15. Major Pierce's Team were six on this Mission.

General O'Neill had stood down SG-17, well the remainder of that Unit at any rate. He had a bone to pick with the leader of that Team.

SGs 18 and 19 were in position behind the advance group. The line was to be stretched out for better tactics. There were minutes separating the advance part of the strike force and the six.

Research had worked hard in the early hours. They'd put together two of Colonel Carter's spatula units, super conducting ray guns. General O'Neill had designated SGs 22 and 23 to be the Teams to carry the equipment, which included a tank of pure oxygen.

SG-22 was to go through the force shield with the main strike force and remain in place on the other side of the shield with the ray gun. The General's thinking was that as the Teams were heading back after extraction, SG-22 could start to open up the shield. If that failed, SG-23 would be on the other side of the force shield with the second ray gun, ready to step in should 22 not be able to cut a vortex from the inside.

SG-9 were holding the StarGate.

"Okay em, Major Pierce can your Team remain here with SG-8, SG-23 and Sergeant Siler. How long will it take you to get this out?"

"Well theres no ground stone for traction so its going to be about forty minutes Colonel."

"Okay then, once you've opened it up you need to go back to the StarGate. Major as soon as he goes back to the Gate your Team needs to pick up the trail and come in as six. We shouldn't be more than ten or twelve minutes ahead, fifteen at most."

"Yes Ma'am."

"Right then, SGs 8, 15 and 23 wait here until this is cracked open. You should have caught up by the time we reach the force shield."

"Okay Colonel. Do we still maintain radio silence, even if theres something to report?"

"Yes, but that's mainly because the radios won't work inside the pyramid. Any questions? Okay see you anon."

~ λ ∑ ψ ω √ ∞ ≈  ⊇ ⋑  ∧ ~

"It's a tangled mess!"

"Are they.. ..wheres the rest of them, Major I thought you put six in?"

"I did Colonel, I think they've probably blown up, they're probably up there on the em third, the third level. I bet they've blown up."

"This one is still in good use."

"Come on Teal'c lets go up and see where the others are. These two are all twisted together. We'll be able to untwist them but its probably best to do it from up there."

"Very well."

Teal'c left his staff weapon in Daniel's hands and climbed up the north wall to the third storey of the pyramid. Major Griff followed him up. As soon as they where up there Major Griff shouted down.

"They're all here Colonel. They must have been blown up. They're a bit tangled but they're still all firmly fixed so we'll just sort them out and throw them back down."

It was obvious the wind had been blowing again. All but one of the climbing wires had been messed up by the blowing blizzard.

"Okay Colonel, four!"

"There are five."

"Okay. Theres another one coming down, four!"

"There are six altogether Major Griff."

"Teal'c you just shout 'four' when you want someone to move out of the way so they don't get hit on the head."

"I see."

Wanting to get off the north wall and into the pyramid as quick as possible Major Griff and Teal'c untangled the wires and passed them down to the waiting Units. Everyone was aware of the strength and suddenness of the north noreast wind. They made sharp work out of the climb up the three storeys and into the pyramid. SG-1, SG-2, SG-5, SG-18, SG-22 and the Recalled SG-19. All six Units were in the entrance tunnel within a matter of minutes.

Low and behold there was a south. The new network of tunnels was panning out nicely. Turn after turn successfully navigated. They were already down to the first storey and the directions hadn't faultered. They were following Daniel's new map to the letter, to the colour and squiggled, longitudinal and latitudinal switch and they were still making positive ground.

They were still heading south and descending with zat'nik'atels, 9 mils, P90s, oxygen, one ray gun, one canister of liquid helium, gloves and rope and training to the highest degree.

The tunnels were just as dry and just as high though seemed to contain even more sand. They were also a little lighter, which was good, still very smelly but then, well, well hell..

The Units were picking up no life signs and no shields, understandable though as they were only just reaching ground level. Happily they could hear the quiet and methodical noise of Sergeant Siler's procedure. The Units filed by without acknowledging their presence.

They were heading eastwards now and down into what Daniel's grandfather had referred to as Xibalbah, worst than hell.

They had been working the tunnels for almost an hour in total. Colonel Carter gave the halt sign, it was a relief for everybody. They all halted and took up positions.

"What is it?"

"An anomaly.. ..spiked electromagnetic readings, not to far ahead and to the north."

"Okay. Teal'c, Daniel, lets go."

Colonel Carter hadn't needed to instruct Major Griff to pick up their six. As SG-1 moved forward Major Griff signalled to his Team to follow them at a distance of about four or five meters. The rest of the Units held their positions.

SG-1 went up ahead and left until they reached the anomaly. There it was, a spiking sheet of yellowish tinge, blocking their way, shielding them from the tunnel ahead.

"This is it Sam."

"Hoping so."

~ λ ∑ ψ ω √ ∞ ≈  ⊇ ⋑  ∧ ~

The Colonel signalled to Major Griff to have SG-22 come forward with the ray gun and canister.. ..and the gloves. SG-23 stayed back next to SG-8 and SG-15 as six. Their presence was a sign to everybody that Sergeant Siler had done his job, shaving at least twenty five minutes off the outward journey. It was nice to see them.

They all knew their places. Once through the shield SG-8 would remain with SG-22. They would be ready and waiting to hopefully deal with the missing personnel and open the vortex to the outer tunnels. As instructed SG-23 were to remain on the outside of the shield just in case they had to cut in from that side.

Colonel Carter, Daniel and Teal'c were standing about a foot away from the force shield. They were trying to suss out the best way to go about slicing into the electromagnetic field. Colonel Carter decided it would perhaps be better to infringe on the field at its outer most region, where it appeared to end against the stone wall. But as Teal'c had pointed out it didn't end there, absorption of the emitted rays were greater at that intersect.

Daniel and Teal'c donned gloves that fitted up to the elbows. Teal'c took the ray gun off Major Jackbenny Cisah of SG-22. The Major was on hand to watch exactly what was going on, he would doubtless be operating the gun himself a little later on. Daniel took up the canister of liquid helium and spotted where Sam was pointing.

Everyone except Teal'c geared up with breathing masks. Once on the other side Teal'c would check to see if the air was the same as the air in the cavern. In which case they would continue to wear the breathing apparatus as they were unsure how much further they needed to go. The breathing gear along with the goggles, the heat, inches and inches of sand and low ceilings was a real test of patience and determination.

Research had adapted the liquid helium canister by adding a spray nozzle. Ordinarily the liquid helium would be poured out of the bottle, but due to the angle at which the shield met the wall, it needed to be sprayed.

Daniel started spraying the liquid helium onto the alloy spatula and force shield.

Teal'c was trying his best to insert the alloy conductor in between the shield and the stone slab wall. Something was happening. There was some slight reaction. You could see a little bit of a tear in the saffron fabric. Daniel kept spraying the super conducting alloy protruding from the end of the ray gun. In order for it to super conduct it needed to be kept in freezing conditions.

It was working. Everything was beginning to work. You could see the tear getting bigger and bigger. The gun was vibrating a heck of a lot. It was like a poorly maintained pneumatic drill. A tremendous amount of impedance was levied upon Teal'c. He was obviously struggling to keep a grip. He was following the centre curvature of the tear in the shield. Pushing against it. Bending it backwards. Opening it like a door.

Teal'c's shoulders began to shake. His arms were jolting back and forwards, up and down. The gun was wavering in his grip. Shaking and vibrating. Daniel kept spraying and a vortex was beginning to form. They could clearly see through to the other side of the tunnel.

Major Griff slung his P90 across his back, pulled his jacket sleeves down to cover his hands and ran up behind Teal'c. He hugged the bottom end of the ray gun, making it more steady. Teal'c was grateful, the strain had been most telling on his shoulders and his arms.

Together they inched across the breadth of the tunnel. Making the vortex bigger. It was possible now for someone to file through behind them. Colonel Carter gave the order. Each operative pushed past Major Griff. Squeezing through the gap, untouched by the edge of the shield. One, two, three, all of SG-2 apart from Major Griff were through. SG-5 were through. Now 18 and 19 were also through to the other side of the tunnel. SG-22 went through and so did SG-8.

Colonel Carter went through while keeping her eyes on the super conductor and liquid helium. Daniel shot through seconds before Major Griff and Teal'c two stepped and twisted beyond the vortex perimeter as Teal'c took his finger off the trigger. The vortex snapped shut. With the ray gun they'd both been quick enough to clear the shield.

~ λ ∑ ψ ω √ ∞ ≈  ⊇ ⋑  ∧ ~

There was a loud crackle and puff of smoke, the sand that that had been disturbed and kicked up as the Units passed through the vortex was incinerated as the shield drew back to its original position. Very strong shields! Colonel Carter was at the sealed shield talking to SG-23 and SG-15. All the instructions were clear. Everybody knew their positions.

Yes they were in the pyramid cavern. Yes they should continue to wear the breathing apparatus. Only Teal'c seemed to notice the look Colonel Carter gave to Daniel. The three of them understood but didn't show it, there was no way the missing personnel would be in this vicinity.. ..unless of course they were missing but now also deceased.

General O'Neill had been very concerned about the strike force ending up in the cavern. Although the atmosphere in the tunnels was normal, sort of, the atmosphere in the cavern was not. The General was insistent that they continually scan for increased muon radiation. At that time none had been detected.

Colonel Carter had an idea relating to the increased muon radiation they had encountered during their first visit to the 377 cavern. It was all to do with the operation of the Crystal Skull. In the cavern there is an abundance of atmospheric water. That brought down a thicker veil of cosmic rays. The photons that interacted and reorientated with the Skull when it fired up subsequently charged and catalysed greater decay of pions, creating muons, hence the spike in the muon radiation. Something like that. Bottom line is that the Colonel didn't think they would be subject to muon radiation unless the crystallo-system was in operation. Even then though, as long as they were in the tunnels they would be protected against the radiation.

Nevertheless, General O'Neill insisted they monitor the readings at all times.

~ λ ∑ ψ ω √ ∞ ≈  ⊇ ⋑  ∧ ~

They were ten meters passed the shield now and although still in the tunnels, the atmosphere was that of the cavern. It must be that the cavern, with its toxic atmosphere, was situated on the other side, the north side of the stone blocks, the tunnel wall.

They had two options, go forward or go back.

They were on a Mission, they proceeded forwards. The tunnels were leading eastwards. Another hundred paces straight and then a right turn, surprisingly they came upon another force shield. Well maybe not so surprisingly.. ..cutting through this shield was to take them back out of the cavern's atmosphere, possibly closer to some kind of living quarters. That was the way to go, onwards and ahead.

Teal'c, Griff and Daniel went to work on the second shield. Cutting in and opening up a vortex for the Units to pass through. While this was going on Colonel Carter rushed back to the first shield to supervise SG-23 and two of SG-15 come through to her side of the shield. She moved SG-8 and 22 up to the second shield. They would have to go through the second vortex and remain on the other side.

SG-23 and two of SG-15, Major Pierce and Lieutenant Benson would need to also move up and wait on the outside of the second shield. The two remaining members of SG-15, Lieutenant Marks and Sergeant Whitworth, were to wait on the outside of the first force shield. They've have a clear dash back to the extraction point should anything overly drastic go wrong.

They were all through the second vortex. All the Teams were in place.. ..all the Units were in place with their positions. SG-1 took up point again. SG-2 and 5 advance group.

Once through the second shield the tunnel turned upwards and south, then east forever descending. After turning south again and then left, east and forwards, they came upon flat ground.

They could hear in the distance wailing sounds, squealing sounds, it sounded like.. ..pigs.. ..or foxes barking, screaming, wailing. It seemed to be coming from far down below. Animals in the pyramid, you wouldn't think they could survive.

~ λ ∑ ψ ω √ ∞ ≈  ⊇ ⋑  ∧ ~

The noise was unending. The further they went the louder it rose. But thankfully it was damped by the thick heavy blocks lining the tunnels. SG-1 went round yet another corner and found themselves in a large, stone slab hallway. There were many passages leading off the main chamber. The roof was higher than it was in the tunnels, but much lower than normal.

They scanned for life signs but found none. The Colonel was sure the signals were being interfered with by the electromagnetism and also the heavy masonry.

They could still hear the squealing and screaming noise. It seemed to be louder as they approached some of the tunnels rather than others. Colonel Carter split the Teams up into pairs, sending two people down each tunnel. Most of them came back fairly quickly saying the tunnels led to dead ends, stone slabs.

Major Furness and Sergeant Doiyee of SG-19 and Major Walsh and Lieutenant Bryce, the other members of SG-19, were gone the longest. When they came back they were real excited.

"Ma'am theres something down at the end of this tunnel, theres a small opening, it leads down into another hall similar to this one. You can hear people Ma'am. Sounds human. Theres definitely something down this one."

"Same here Colonel, this tunnel leads down to another hallway. It might be the same hallway Major Furness's tunnel opens out into. You can definitely hear noises Ma'am, sounds. You can hear people talking, faint though, weak sounding, faint whispers. Theres something down here."

"Okay this is how we do it. We need to em, okay we first need to know if you're talking about the same chamber. Major Griff take one of your Team down and check it out. Teal'c and Daniel can you do the same with that one there."

They took off quick to verify. Major Griff and Sergeant Dickers came back first.

"It's the same Colonel, they're both leading to the same hallway, just like this one but smaller. There is people down there. Major Walsh is right, you can't really make out whats being said but they're definitely human voices. Sound weak actually, very weak.

I don't know what Teal and Daniel are doing. They gave us a wave from their tunnel opening, anyway they'll be back in a minute. No shields Colonel. And theres seven tunnels leading off, just like this set up here. Can't see into them, few feet in and its dark all the way. Both these two tunnels lead into the top part of the hall, theres a six foot drop down, rooms as high as this one so it puts the opening up there, top of the wall."

Major Griff pointed out to Colonel Carter the size of the drop down into the lower chamber at the end of two of the tunnels.

"What about Nebulium, any signs?"

"Nothing, not a peep. You can still hear this wild noise though. Screaming."

"Any sign of anything, technology, doors..?"

"No Colonel, its just stone like this, em, you can't see any people, but you can hear them, that's about it really. And don't forget the six foot drop down."

Daniel and Teal'c still weren't back.

"Major come on, lets check it out."

Colonel Carter gave Major Kim Green the nod. Everyone knew and respected its implication. He was in charge until either the Colonel or a member of her Team returned. Strictly speaking Daniel held no military rank but the Units recognised he ran with the alphas, they accepted his input. Teal'c was seen as high ranking without stars, stripes or pins. He was a member of SG-1 and the Teams would follow his leadership no problem.

Colonel Carter and Major Griff went back down the same tunnel he'd just come out of. Everybody else stood their ground. It was pretty eerie in the first hallway. It was all made up of the same stone slabs that lined the tunnels. It was hot, smelly, lots and lots of sand, almost knee deep. Nothing much else. Just all those tunnel entrances, most of them leading nowhere. And double yuck, the absolutely awful incessant wailing and whining which seemed to becoming from far below. It wasn't getting any louder, but it wasn't letting up either. It was so strange to think there was animals in the place.

Since they'd gone through the second shield, through the vortex, they'd left the atmosphere of the cavern. They no longer needed to wear the breathing apparatus. The air was still pretty smelly, bad, bad, rotten eggs type of smelly foulness, sulphur may be, or even worst, ossiferious, maybe, smell hell.

Teal'c and Daniel came back.

"Wheres Colonel Carter?"

"Oh em, shes just gone through there with Major Griff Doctor, she won't be a minute."

"Okay. They're there. We've found them, the missing personnel. We don't know how many are down there but its definitely them. Em, they sound done in, pretty weak actually."

"Doctor did you see any of them?"

"We did not! We saw no one. It is impossible to see anybody. They're being held in areas off the main access. We have seen nobody but we can verify there are life signs and we verify the voices of Captain Amerson and Major Davis."

"Yes!!"

Unanimously and very quietly. More a sign of relief than an outcry of victory.

Excitement ran through the ranks. This is what they'd worked so hard for. It was a concerted effort. There was a solid SGC presence in the tunnels and they had back up and key performance outside the pyramid and back at Base as well.

The U.A.V. was sweeping and it's observations were being monitored by SG-9.

The rescue would be in progress very very shortly.

Colonel Carter and Major Griff came back, they were buzzing.

Colonel Carter spoke first to Major Green of SG-18.

"Send a message up the line, tell them to standby. Ten, twelve minutes at most."

"Yes Ma'am."

Kim Green pointed at one of his men who then ran off to go and alert SGs 8, 22, 23 and 15. It was good news for all of them. And heaven help, it was good news for the missing personnel.

"Okay we're moving in. We have them. They're alive. We're striking now! I want 5 and 18 with my Team. 19 you're in the tunnel here, tunnel B! You assist in getting them up the wall and out of the hall, into the tunnel.

SG-2 you're standing by to get them up to the second force shield as soon as 19 have them in tunnel B. Or tunnel A even. Major Griff you're also coordinating opening the vortex, bending the shield. We can't be certain how long the super conductor can maintain its repulsion. The best way round this is not to sustain an open vortex. Major let 22 fire up the ray gun as soon as theres three or more missing ready to go through. As soon as they're through close it up again. Have 23 and 15 ferry them down to the first shield, same deal.

Send SG-8 down here now with the helmets. Okay go!"

Major Griff sent Sergeant Dickers up to the second force shield, he came back promptly with SG-8. Colonel Carter disappeared back down tunnel B. Daniel and Teal'c and SG-5 were behind her. She'd sent SG-18 down the other tunnel. Tunnel A.

As instructed SG-19 were pumping oxygen into the upper and lower hallways. It was pumping out steady and fast, spreading throughout the chambers. There was no effect on the Teams. Hopefully, in the unfortunate event they were faced with Nebulium, it would serve to slow them down.

SG-2 were in position in the main hallway. Major Griff sent Berry and Thompson of SG-8 into tunnel A. He had Major Fielding and Sergeant James go down Tunnel B to stand behind SG-19. Each member of SG-8 had three Griff devices.

SG-1 threw CS gas bombs down three of the seven tunnels, the ones that seemed dead give aways with the sound of human voices. Bingo. They could now hear discomfort coughing and a lot of movement coming from one of the tunnels they'd just bombed with gas.

There was a little natural light, it seemed to be emanating from the ceiling above. Overall it was dark. SG-8, six feet above the ground in Tunnel openings A and B had moved forward to shine torches down into the lower hallway. SG-19 were peering out of tunnel B, looking down in to the hallway. They were ready to provide cover with their P90s.

They were all geared up again with breathing apparatus. All the Ops had lights on their helmets. And they were still all wearing goggles.

SG-1 and SG-18 made they're way down the noisiest tunnel.

"I am Colonel Sam Carter Of the United States Air Force, we are here to help you. We are here to rescue you. Stay clam. The effects of the gas will clear. Do not worry. The effects of the gas will soon clear, you have nothing to fear."

They were just there, missing, on the stone cold floor down at the end of one of the tunnels. Listless live bodies, all huddled together. Left to their own devices. It was a real strange sight. Through the mist they could see that the missing personnel were very weak indeed and very disoriented.

"Amerson! Amerson!!"

"Colonel, Colonel Carter.. ..help us. They're coming back.."

"Don't worry Captain, we're here to get you out. All of you!! Now!"

"O'Neill.. ..General?"

"Yes Major, he sent us to get you. Don't worry, we'll get you all out."

Major Davis could barely form words.

Teal'c pulled Captain Amerson, one of General Jack O'Neill's aides, to his feet. Without word he began dragging him out of the tunnel, into the second hallway. Daniel and Colonel Carter grabbed hold of Major Davis. He was delirious. They carried him into the second chamber.

As they re-entered the chamber the wailing squealing noise was loud and all around them. You couldn't see anything. It was loud. Unyielding. It was coming from nowhere. They seemed to be safe for the time being. The Teams pushed on with the Mission, undeterred.

Two of SG-19 had jumped down into the hallway. They took Captain Amerson off Teal'c and pulled him over to the wall. They lifted him up to the tunnel B opening. Major Furness and Sergeant Doiyee stretched down and got a firm grip of him. With help from below they pulled him up into tunnel B. They pulled him back a few feet clear of the opening.

Major Fielding shouted.

"Got him."

With the help of Sergeant James he swiftly fitted the helmet on Captain Amerson and flooded it with solution. There was no time to take temperatures, pulses, heart rates, all that would be done outside, clear of the pyramid. Major Fielding took Amerson's arms while James got hold of his legs and as quick as they could shuffled backways out of tunnel B.

Major Griff got hold of Major Fielding's arm and squeezed.

"Okay John we'll take it from here."

Major Griff took hold of Captain Amerson's arms, Dickers grabbed his feet, again moving backwards they rushed south then west, north then west to the second, inner force shield.

Colonel Carter and Daniel got into the lower hallway.

"Got him Sam, let go."

Daniel bent forward and hoisted Major Davis with a fireman's lift. He ran over to the wall just below tunnel B opening. He push hard to prop Major Davis up against the wall five feet up from the ground. Again Furness and Doiyee were there to trap him up. They yanked him into the tunnel.

Major Fielding swooped with the Griff Device, flooding the hood. He noticed that Major Davis was practically unconscious. He was completely disorientated and pathetically weak. Once more Major Fielding shuffled backwards into the main hallway with Sergeant James and this time Major Davis.

Major Griff was back. He sent Penhall and Frank to the shield with Major Davis. He needed to be on hand for the next extraction. That would be the third person clear, time for the vortex to be opened up.

Teal'c had gone back in and brought out Mrs Chin Tau. He was stooped down and carrying her in his arms. He got into the circular, sandy, stone slab hallway and this time stopped under the tunnel A opening. He raised her up and Lieutenants Berry and Thompson pulled her back into the tunnel. They quickly slapped a Griff device on and filled it with fluid. Mrs Chin Tau had been protesting but so weakly, and in such a dark tunnel, they hadn't noticed. They sand jogged back to the main hallway.

Major Griff and Sergeant Dickers had been waiting. She was the third one to be taken down to the inner shield. With that Major Griff instructed SG -22 to fire up the ray gun and spray the helium.

It was going well. After seeing Teal'c and Major Griff working on the shields earlier both Major Jackbenny Cisah and Lieutenant Stewart worked with the gun. Major Cisah operated the gun and Steward supported the lift. The vortex was beginning to form. It took three of SG-22, two of them on the gun and one of them spraying the helium.

As the Vortex opened up Major Griff sent for Major Penhall and Sergeant Frank. Major Pierce and Lieutenant Benson of SG-15 and Sergeant Mercer of SG-23 had moved down to the second shield. Together with Major Richards of SG-22 and Major Penhall and Sergeant Frank, SG-2, they would see to it that the first three missing people were ferried through both shields and deposited clear on the outside of the first shield. Major Penhall and Sergeant Frank also needed to get back through the second force shield vortex to join the effort in the main hallway.

The rescue was in full swing now with an iffy iffy beat.

When Colonel Carter and Daniel and Teal'c went back into the tunnel they passed SG-18 dragging two other people out.

"Only one left Colonel!"

Daniel had questions.

"Sam I thought there was more than this, wheres the others? There should be more than this Sam."

"I know Daniel. Lets just get this one and err.. ..is that definitely not going anywhere?"

"No it's dead end. That's it."

"Okay, lets just get this one and see where we're up to."

Colonel Carter registered the two personnel SG-18 had hauled out. Including the person she and Daniel were handing up to Furness and Doiyee, and going off the photos and intel Trans Global ET~I had provided, Avery and Esposeto from TIGETS along with Hobbs, administrator from the Joint Chief's offices, had just been recovered. They had all looked like they were out cold. Which was good for them probably, otherwise they would have had the full effects of the CS gas.

Doiyee and Furness, tunnel B, took delivery, they in turn handed them to Fielding and James who wrapped them and ferried them one at a time up to the main stone hallway. Major Griff took Mr Hobbs by the feet and began dragging him along the tunnel up to the second shield. Sergeants Dickers and James did the same with Avery and Esposeto. The ground was exceedingly soft and dragging them in this way was not in the least bit harmful. It was actually a good idea because it kept the lines moving, and in an operation of this nature keeping the lines moving, flowing, meant progress, and progress invariably at this stage, meant success.

Six missing had been recovered. Three of them were almost clear, in between the second shield and the first shield. The rescue was moving along. SG-23 were now working on cutting a vortex in the first force shield.

"Colonel check out the other tunnels?"

"This one first Kim."

The second one that had been bombed by CS gas.

"Caution. Caution Major caution."

"Yes Ma'am."

Yes Ma'am, but then no amount of caution would detect the undetectable. Teal'c however was operating on an altogether different approach. He could detect something. He could detect presence.

"Colonel Carter we are not alone!"

"Teal'c where, where?"

"All around us. We are not alone in this place."

"I'm not seeing anything?"

"Neither am I. We are not alone."

"Good enough. Absolutely good enough. Weapons!!"

No matter what the metometers read, if Teal'c was saying they were not alone, in banco, they were not alone.

Major Green and Sergeant Manners SG-18 were quietly shouting through the CS gas.

"Here Colonel, here. We've got more. Here Ma'am, coming out."

He was pulling one of the Joint Chief's offices aides, Smith. He dragged him into the hallway. His colleague, Sergeant Manners was pulling the other aide, Veda, back down the tunnel and into the lower chamber.

Suspicion rose immediately. These two aides, although they seemed very weak also seemed unaffected by the gas.

"Thompson throw a helmet down double quick! Get it on him quick!!"

The aide Veda, was starting to thrash about. He was jerking. He was making no sound. They'd seen this reaction before, on Level thirty-one A in The SGC.

"Let go of him! Let him go! Put him down."

Colonel Carter was unsure whether to shoot him or not, with a zat. It did stop them but then he wasn't attacking anyway. A shot from a zat induces the Nebulium to break down. It would be very harmful to Veda.

The noise from below was rising and Veda quieted down.

The howling was getting louder. It was all around them now.

"Teal'c what have you got?"

"We are surrounded."

"But theres nothing there. Theres nothing."

"Colonel Carter we are surrounded."

Silence

More silence

"Teal'c?"

"In the walls. The walls are moving!"

Moving walls maybe, but nobody could see anything. They we're all on edge, still nobody could see anything moving in, on or next to the walls, just stone slabs. But they could all hear nasty, real vile howling, squealing like pigs, foxes, or something.

She split them up quick. Colonel Carter and Daniel stood over Smith and Veda and she ordered SG-18 and Teal'c and Major Walsh and Lieutenant Bryce of SG-19 to do a quick sweep of the remaining tunnels. Deploying CS gas before entering. By order they had all already drawn their 9 mils. The sweeps came up clean.

"The rest of the missing?"

"Not down this one Colonel."

"Nobody else down here Ma'am."

The other three tunnels were empty as well.

Veda was starting to move about on the floor again. Worming around the sand, trying to head back into the tunnel. There were still missing personnel down there.

"Teal'c, Kim!"

It was Major Griff. He and Dickers had carried the large oxygen tank SG-19 had left in the upper chamber back down to the opening of tunnel A. He wanted to pass it down to the lower chamber so they could use whatever was left. They had to be exceedingly careful not to scuff the tank against the stone walls. Oxygen was still pumping out and any spark would ignite it.

Teal'c and Kim hurried over and brought the tank down. The tap was turned to full and the oxygen was piping out fast. they carried the tank over to Colonel Cater and Daniel, they were tracking Mr Veda, preventing him from returning to the tunnel.

Teal'c aimed the distribution pipe at Veda. He was definitely gulping in the pure oxygen. He calmed down at first. It was a terrible thing to see. When he took in the first whiffs of oxygen it seemed to calm him down but within seconds he leaped into the air. From being prostrate on the ground he bucked high into the air. It was an unholy thing for a person to do. Hideous. He was jerking and bending, twisting. Now he was jerking and thrashing around, on the ground. Now he was running at the walls. He threw himself at the wall. Injured himself, but didn't slow down. He was screaming. Screaming without sound. Screaming in silence. He looked harrowed and tormented.

Some of the Ops felt really sick watching this performance. It was so gawd damn awful and upsetting for everyone. But man o man it was so much more worse for Veda. They were all powerless to help him. Remembering the sight of Lyons and Louis. To see the creatures, the Nebulium ejecting out of them. The pain they surely would have endured had they not been sedated.

Colonel Carter made a decision. She picked up the Griff device, and ran full steam at Mr Veda, one of the aides from the offices of the Joint Chiefs. He was waltzing at speed around the lower hall, a frantic freak. She did a little bit of a jig to line up with him. She ran directly at him, stepping in towards him she spun about three hundred and say forty degrees. The Griff device held solid in her right hand was the last thing to come about. She let loose, it whacked into the aide's jaw. There was a break. It wasn't the helmet. The aide just simply keeled over, straight passed REM and into sleep.

Daniel and Major Walsh jumped in. They pinned him down. He wasn't moving. Colonel Carter made even better use of the Griff device. She stuck it on his head and wrapped him up.

"Get him out of here now!!"

Daniel and the Major lifted him up and almost threw him up to the opening of tunnel A. Major Griff and Sergeant Dickers whisked him off to the main hallway. They began carrying him off towards the second shield.

Major Penhall and Sergeant Frank were on their way back to the Main hall.

"Hand him over."

"Hes infected!"

"Okay. Theres no more oxygen, they're gonna need whats left for down in that lower chamber."

"No problem.."

"Are the other three at the shield?"

"Yeah they're lying in the sand, out of it."

"I'll race ahead and get the ray gun firing. Will you two follow with him, same as last time."

"No problem Griff, on it."

Major Griff sent Dickers back to tunnel A. He himself made off as quick as he could through the deep sand to the second shield, to get them started on another vortex and to get Major pierce, Lieutenant Benson and Sergent Mercer back into position. Another four missing needed to be taken clear of the shields. This would make seven rescued up to now. Some possibly infected, even still, things were moving.

Jackbenny Cisah and Richards and Steward got going again. The super conductor was still repelling nicely. They prised a vortex and the missing were ferried through up to the first force shield, the last barrier.

The raised level oxygen in the lower chamber seemed to have quelled the squealing and wailing, might have been mere coincidence.

"Teal'c?"

"We are still surrounded Colonel Carter, in the walls all about us."

"Are we under attack?"

"Soon.."

"Nebulium?"

"Perhaps not.. ..would they cry out like this or remain silent as we have seen?"

"Gotya. Teal'c, Daniel, Kim, recover the remaining. Majors, here."

Daniel, Teal'c and Kim had barely gone twelve feet into tunnel and even through the gas they could see the missing, spread out on the floor, dead, maybe.

"Sam I don't know how manys down here but they're not moving."

"Daniel get back out now!"

All the other tunnels were cleared.

"..Just hold on a minute Daniel. How we doing?"

Major Griff had popped his head out of tunnel A.

"They're all through the second force field Colonel. SG-23 are burning a hole in the first shield right now. The last lot, all four of them are being taken through the first shield right now. Seven in total Colonel, all of them will be clear of both shields in a minute or two."

"Okay, nice work. I think this is the last lot now. Standby."

Lieutenant Bryce of SG-19 was stood over Smith, the remaining aide from the Joint Chief's offices.

Colonel Carter and Daniel went into the tunnel to join Teal'c and SG-18. It was difficult to see, the goggles, the gas. There was one, two, three, six! There were six. Another six people.

"Five!!"

The Colonel's voice had edge and echo. SG-5 were in the lower chamber kneeling with their P90 guns trained on the other tunnels. Teal'c had everyone extra cautious. They stood up put on their gas masks and ran right into the tunnel. Two of SG-2 and all of SG-19 were providing gun cover from above.

Colonel Carter was jimmying backwards. She had somebody by the legs, dragging them. SG-5 reported.

"Get them out anyway you can."

"Colonel!!"

Teal'c had one by the arms. He'd intended to lift him over his shoulder but the roof in the tunnel was much to low. Daniel was pulling one, it was a difficult job, he was a heavy one. The sand was thick so he was a little slow with it. SG-5 swept the rest of the tunnel. There was three missing personnel left. Lieutenant Friez took the legs of the one Daniel was dragging. SG-18 between them we're carrying two of the lifeless bodies. Allens and Jones got the last one out. They were all in the sandy, circular open hallway now.

Major Fielding shouted down.

"Colonel?"

"Yeah come on."

He jumped down into the lower hall and started to check the missing. The Colonel and Daniel was doing the same.

"Live! Live, barely. The same! Not sure. No pulse. No pulse."

"Get these three up now."

Nurse Berry jumped down to work with Major fielding. They put helmets on the three confirmed live ones, filled the helmets and with SG-18 lifted them up to the tunnel openings. Griff's Team got them down to the Shields. SG-22 opened the vortex and the transfer procedure went into play, Penhall and Frank stayed to complete the transfer run and Griff and Dickers ran back to help out at Tunnel A.

Smith was likely infected.

"Colonel Carter he has not moved."

"Lets wrap him up and ship him."

Teal'c motioned to Major Fielding who had been listening in. He and Lieutenant Berry went into action. They slapped a Griff Device on Mr Smith and with the help of Lieutenant Bryce fed him into tunnel B. He was carted off by Griff and Dickers to be queued at the second force shield.

Three missing down, decisions to be made.

"Check them, Fielding, check them again. Check their heart beat."

"Sam these, one of these isn't on our list and we've just shipped three who aren't on the list either."

"Daniel I don't know what to make of it. If these four unidentifieds aren't NID it could be theres more than one crystallo-system. Not good!"

"Colonel nothing."

"They're warm, they're all warm?"

"Yes Ma'am."

"The three unidentifeds we've just shipped out were very weak, why were these lot in a separate tunnel? Why do they barely have any heart beat. Why are these three in all appearances dead?"

Were they dead. No time to ponder.

"Lets go!! Dead or alive get them up! Get them out!!"

Fielding, Berry and SG-18 went two to one. There was only one of the two spare helmets left. The nearest body was to get the helmet. It was to be a thoroughly disgusting job. Dressing a warm dead body with containment hood, vile. Major Fielding told Thompson to throw the remaining helmet down.

The wailing had started up again. More aggressive, more closer. Teal'c was right the walls were moving!

"What the hell.."

Fielding was wrong, the bodies weren't dead. The bodies were standing up with a whole heck of vigour.

"What the hell.. ..get that helmet on now!!"

SG-1, SG-5 SG-18, Fielding and Berry were in the lower hall with three extremely strong and fast, no longer dead, missing personnel, and moving walls.

"Sam, Sam, they're people!! The walls, they're people!"

"Seeing it!"

The walls were made of more than stone. People appeared blind embossed on the walls. You couldn't see them until they moved because of their sandy, gravel and burnt beige appearance, just like the stone slabs.

Jezzzzass!! They were coming out of the walls, a whole brood of them. They were howling, yowling, screamin', screaming. Squealing. They were attacking!! They opened their eyes. You could see eyes, you could see movement. Daniel was right, they were people, of sorts. They opened their mouths, you could see.. ..something nasty. Hungry. And you could hear howling and squealing. Vicious.

They began leaping and jumping around wildly. Not like the Nebulium. Not that fast. Like foxes, wild pigs, like tailless jumping toads, with angry carnivorous teeth, and a strong thirst for blood and bone! Like animals, wild and hungry and senseless. They were small demons. All no bigger than four feet six, four feet eight the tallest. They were naked. Not that you could tell. They looked like the walls. Moving stone slabs in the shape of little people with oddly formed heads. Unprovoked diminutive devils, ferocious, attacking indiscriminately.

"Engage!! Engage!! Full force!!"

The shots came from above. In all, nine feet up from the ground. Two of SG-2 and two of SG-19 were half kneeling, leaning out of the tunnel entrances, firing down at the moving.. .. the moving.. ..walls. The moving rock people, the evil little rock devils.

P90s weren't doing the job. They were hitting the targets alright but the targets weren't going down. The bullets weren't rebounding or anything like that, they just were not taking these demons down.

There was chaos abound. The three remaining missing were jumping and wracking round the chamber. The rock devils were attacking the units by hand, mouth and they were also most savagely attacking the missing, trying to pull them down, trying to pull them into the tunnels.

Suddenly one of the missing began to erupt. A Nebulium was showing itself. The rock demons became wilder, raging, trying to grab at the Nebulium. He, it, was slipping through their fingers. It was still ejecting, they couldn't grip it. It was all extremely quick, very rapid. Milky white it sprang out, up to the ceiling. Against the walls. Jumps and bouncing off those in the room. It was slowing, you could see that clearly. Oxygen! It jumped itself out of phase. It vanished into thin air, well different air at any rate. The Nebulium was gone, out of phase.

The things, rock devils, went special rate postal, howling, they were going mental, igneous, squealing and howling. Some of them ran down one of the tunnels, some jetted on all fours, some upright, rock like on two feet. They all ran down the same tunnel. Maybe not necessarily chasing the Nebulium but they were going somewhere in a gawd damn awful hurry.

There was still a lot of them left in the hallway. They were very very vicious, nasty. SG-18 and 5 were on P90s now. The combined fire power was having some effect but it was taking a massive amount of shells. The devils were very difficult to see. It was nigh impossible to distinguish between a demon and the surround walls. Unless they opened their eyes or mouths.

The devils were coming in from all angles. The two remaining missing personnel still standing, darting about, were going nuts, springing all over the place and launching themselves at the rock monsters. A couple of devils closed in behind Sergeant Manners and Major Fielding. They both got pulled down by the legs. The devils were trying to pull them, drag them away from the group. Pull them into the tunnels.

Griff and Walsh from tunnels A and B had clear shots. Riproar! It worked! It took them down. Almost a full magazine on each devil, but the fireworks did take them down. Sergeant Manners jumped back up on to his feet. Teal'c and Daniel already had hold of Major Fielding's arms while another two devils had hold of his legs. Tug of war. The devils were winning, incredibly they were managing to pull Major Fielding into the tunnel. It was absolutely amazing given their size. They were over powering. They seemed to be stronger than even Teal'c and Daniel put together. Amazing! The devilish little rock features were backing into the tunnel with Major Fielding's legs, still attached mind you.

Colonel Carter ran up in between Daniel and Teal'c and let go with the zat'nik'atel. The squealing became piercing high notes. The two rock devils dropped Major Fielding and scarppered down into the tunnel, disappearing into a hole of darkness.

Colonel Carter gave orders

"Zats!! Use your zats!!"

The small, round, hot and sandy stone slab chamber became electrified with naquadah issue. Blue sparks were shooting everywhere. The noise was phenomenal. Lighting without the thunder or time delay. A flock of luminous broken blue arrows started raining down from over head. The air strike coming from tunnels A and B was not aimed and accurate, instead deliberately and persistently charging the at walls of the lower hall. The air was becoming cloudy with toasted sand. Hordes of crazed rock devil D'jinn withdrew into the tunnels, the exact same tunnels that only moments ago were thought to have been dead ends.

The rock devils, the D'jinn, did not like Zat'nik'atels. Although the zats did not take the D'jinn down, the high metal content in their systems gave potent grounding for severe electrical sock. Hits off the zats were exceptionally painful to the D'jinn devils.

Michaels, Mr Rushton's aide from oversight and Ms Carmel the pool transcriber were starting to blow. Nebulium were about to pour out of them. They were conscious. Teal'c struck Mr Rushton's aide in a particular spot with his staff weapon. He went down. Thankfully he went out cold. He was to be spared the pain of losing the Nebulium inside him.

They couldn't get to Ms Carmel in time to knock her out. A blast from a zat would have probably killed her, inducing the Nebulium to break down while still inside her. Poisoning her system beyond support. Bullets, bullets would have taken her down though not necessarily sedated her, just adding to the pain. They had to let her be. Let the creature eject. They couldn't catch her to put a helmet on, put a Griff device on.

Major Fielding and Nurse Berry had managed to get a helmet on Michaels. They lifted him up with Bryce to pass him through into tunnel A. For Major Fielding the quicker this was all over, say no more. SG-8's Thompson and Berry pulled Michaels into the tunnel and ferried him down to the second shield.

Ms Carmel was on the floor now rolling, thrashing, jerking and an Nebulium was pouring, streaming, inflating. It popped out of her, out of her right ocular cavity. It was in full fetter, it was jetting about, springing. The rock devils were back in the chamber, they momentarily ignored the SG Units. They were madly darting around the hallway, bashing into and over but still ignoring the SG personnel. They were trying their damnedest to get a hold of the Nebulium. It phase shifted, like the other one, gone.

The wailing was highly disturbing. The rock devils although not seeming to communicate with each other moved in cleaver coordination. They were not attacking. They were hooting and hooing but they did not attack. They withdrew.

Teal'c warned that they were still present. They couldn't be seen but he was certain they were there, possibly just inside the tunnels. Or maybe even back against the walls.

It was so nerve wracking. They picked up what was left of the unknown person, the empty shell. They didn't bother to put a helmet on him, not necessary, oh there was none left anyway. Haste was of great importance now. They passed him up to tunnel B. he was dragged off by Sergeant James. He got him down to the second shield. Major Griff came dashing round the corner.

"That's it. That's all there is, open it!"

SG-22 started on the vortex again. Opening it up to get the injured and possibly infected through. They were all lifeless and on the ground. They had to be carried two to one.

The Teams were clearing the lower chamber. They each needed a peg up to climb into the upper tunnels. They were working fast. they cleared the lower hall satisfied that they'd rescued as many as had gone missing, four more even. The infected NID cell and security guards were not expected to be recovered from the same location as the missing personnel.

They cleared the tunnels and got into the upper hallway. The howling and wailing had started up again. It was intense. It was wild. They were being attacked again. This time not by hands alone but by teeth, they were being attacked by stones and spears.

Captain Byda, SG-18, got one in his leg, sharp, it cut him. It went in deep. The fleshy part of his calf. Daniel ran to him, instead of pulling it out he sort of folded his arm at the elbow protecting Byda's leg. He gently shot off his zat disintegrating the shaft of the spear. He check what was left in Byda's leg, more or less the entire metal blade, not so big luckily.

"Leave it in. Don't touch it until Medical sort it out."

"Thanks Doctor Jackson."

"Byda, 18, out!!"

"Can you make it?"

"Sure Doctor no prob, thanks."

Captain Byda obeyed orders and limped off towards SG-22 and the second shield, the rest of SG-18 fell in behind him.

The Medic Thompson went down screaming in pain. The little devils had speared him. One in the back, not deep, another in the lower leg. He fell forward down into the sand.

SGs 1, 2, 5 and 19 and 8 were now retreating. SG-18 had cleared the upper hallway and were into the tunnels leading up to the second force field. 19 were also clear and were into the tunnel leading to the second shield.

SG-8 had a man down, wounded with two spears sticking out of him. There was nothing to be done then and there. As instructed by Colonel Carter they picked him up and carried him into the tunnel towards the shield.

More spears were coming. More rock was being thrown with powerful force. The Units were taking a good pelting. The Teams starting firing with the zats. Firing in all directions at the walls. It was working. It was abating the primitive onslaught.

Suddenly the upper hall was livened with Nebulium. They where different to what had been seen up to now. These Nebulium had some kind of clothing, covering. Their feet were bare, their hands also bare, quite, but from ankle to neck and wrist they were covered in some kind of two tone metallically coloured all in one. In the right circles it would even be considered fashionable. But they were very far from the right circles right then. These Nebulium foe were running circles round the Teams. They were flying at such speeds, not flying for real but moving very quickly, bouncing, springing, they were all over the place.

There was about four Nebulium now in the upper chamber.

The Units were still retreating out of the hallway and into the tunnels. The vortex was open. The Colonel was issuing.

"Keep it open!! Griff keep it open!! We're on our way."

Griff burnt out of the chamber at good speed. He did, he made sure the vortex was kept open. SG-23 had fired up as well. SG-18 and Lieutenant Gill of SG-23 and Lieutenant Magda of SG-22 and SG-19 were getting four of the missing clear of the vortex.

As instructed before the start of the Mission the Teams that cleared the first Force shield were now taking off down the tunnels going as quick as they could to the south west extraction point. They were jogging through the sand, necks and backs bent. It was a long track back and Colonel Carter had wanted them to get a start, get clear. It still hadn't been determined who of the missing were infected, that was be done at the StarGate.

The break away group was SG-15, SG-8, SG-18, SG-19 and Magda of SG-22 and Gill of SG-23. SG-15 were now point. They were carrying most the missing personnel two to one, carried or dragged towards the south west exit. Thompson with his spears was being carried in that manner as well. Major Pierce had chopped the spears down so the blades wouldn't cause addition damage whilst he was being carried.

The rock devils were more interested in attacking the Nebulium. The devils had become more brave now, or completely stupid. They were leaping all over trying to get at the Nebulium. They were also still attacking the SG Units with spears in hand and a run and a jump. The zats were keeping them at bay. The Teams were being careful to only hit the rock devils who were directly attacking. It helped to have them going at the Nebulium. Fast as they were the atmosphere was obviously effecting them.

One of the Nebulium stopped bouncing around. It raised it's arm. It was wearing a device on it's hand, it was like a thick plastic or metal glove, with lights.

It aimed it's hand at Lieutenant Friez, nothing happened, but as quick as it had picked up its arm to aim two of the rock D'jinn were on it, they had a tight grip, they were dragging it back into one of the tunnels. Another rock devil leaped in and grabbed hold as well. They had a good grip.

It was screeching. They hadn't heard the Nebulium make any sound before. This one was letting forth a strange high screech, but also it was making a peculiar low bark. It was almost lowering the pressure in the chamber. It was a very long long low bark and then nothing. It disappeared into the dark with the rock things, down into one of the tunnels.

Without warning Friez started screaming. He was screaming like a lunatic.

"Help me!! Help me!! I'm burring!!"

He was sprinting through the sand. Racing wildly. He was running at the D'jinn, the rock devils. He banged into the rock slabs. He was surprising the hell out of the devils. They stopped to watch him, after a few seconds they seemed to understand what was going on. Nobody else did though.

He fell down. He was splashing in the sand.

"Help me!! Help me!! Help me!! I'm on fire. Fire!! Help me!! I'm burning! I'm burning! Fire!!"

He was all over the place. No flames. Rolling on the ground. He flung himself up and began running at point. He was heading straight for Colonel Carter and Daniel and Teal'c. He wasn't slowing down.

"Sam??"

"I don't know Daniel."

"The Nebulium!"

He was out of his mind with pain. Colonel Carter shot him with a zat gun. He went down. He was quiet. Unconscious. Daniel and Teal'c pulled him across the sand to the tunnel leading towards the shield. They passed him through to SG-5. Colonel Carter shouted at them.

"Move down all of you. Get him out of here now! Get to the shields!!"

SG-5 fully retreated with their wounded man.

It happened again. Another Nebulium stopped leaping around. The other two were still whizzing about. The room was filled with silence. The rock devils made no sound. It stretched out its arm towards the escape tunnel, it pointed at Major Penhall. Again there was no fire from the Nebulium hand, but this time SG-1 took the stationary Nebulium down.

They raided it with their P90s. Teal'c got in a staff blast which had a whole different nature to a zat blast and it did the job. It sprung the bleeding Nebulium across the chamber and against the wall, the moving wall which quickly gathered it up and dragged it with the help of other rock devils into the same tunnel the others used.

Major Penhall snapped. Screaming and screaming.

"Aahhhhh!!!"

He looked normal, except that he ran screaming at the stone slabs. He smashed into the wall but stayed standing. He was banging his head against the wall. He was running round throwing himself at the walls. Whatever was the matter he was in a real bad way.

"Oh my gad!! It's a weapon!! Teal'c quick!"

Teal'c clocked Major Penhall on the head with his staff weapon then dragged him across towards the escape tunnel. Another Nebulium had jumped down to the ground and began to aim. Some devils lurched out from the wall and went for it. It disappeared.. ..phased and reappeared a few feet away.

"Move out!! Move Out!! Keep out of view. They've got weapons!! Microwaves!! Röntgens!! Keep out of the line of fire!!"

Units 2 and 1 were backing up towards the shields. They were coming up to a turning.

Colonel Carter ordered SG-2 to get to the shields.. SG-1 were retreating with the fallen Penhall and at the same time making sure they weren't being followed. One of the Nebulium became stationary again. Daniel and Colonel Carter went to nail the Nebulium with P90s.

"Its not working. My guns not working!"

"Mines not either!"

They took out their 9 mils, they were working but they weren't stopping anything. Teal'c stood in with his staff weapon a got off a few blasts. He didn't hit the Neebulium they were altogether to fast. He couldn't nail them, but he'd stopped it from firing. The rock devils were going for the stationary Nebulium, it started dogging again.

SG-1 started legging it towards the shields. Luckily there were quite a few turning. The stone walls broke the Nebulium line of fire.

They got to the shields, SG-2 were just going through.

"We're out of weapons we need P90s!"

SG-2 relinquished their weapons passing them to SG-1. They weren't working! A Nebulium came springing round the corner along the ceiling. D'jinn were following to. They were coming out of the ceiling now as well. They caught hold of the Nebulium but it was to fast for them. It sprang out of the devils grip and carried on hurtling round the tunnel like an unscheduled rocket. It was all over the place. It landing on the sand and started to raise its arm at SG-1.

Major richards who had been second on the ray gun let rip, his P90 was working. Teal'c was blasting too. They didn't hit the Nebulium but it did pull back round the corner and out of sight. Chased by D'jinn.

Major Richards handed his gun over to Colonel Carter and ran back to help Major Cisah with the ray gun.

Without notice another Nebulium stepped into phase not twelve feet away. They tried to nail it but it was fast, it was very very fast. They got some rounds off in it, but it was still coming at them. It stopping moving, it aimed, Teal'c blasted and it went down.

They were all really really scared. Extremely scared, worried and afraid. They were slowly stepping backwards towards the second shield. They we're waiting for one of them to start screaming. It didn't happen. Teal'c must have hit the Nebulium before it fired. Thank G_d!

SG-1 were through the second shield now.

"Come on!! Come on!! Come on!!"

Major Jackbenny Cisah and Major Richards pivoted in across the vortex with the ray gun, clear to the inside of the Shield. SGs 1, 2, 5, three of 22 and three of 23 were between the two force shields. The air was toxic and they were using breathing masks. Friez was down, Penhall was down, Smith and Veda more than not were infected, and Michaels was mushy peas. Everyone was incredibly anxious.

~ λ ∑ ψ ω √ ∞ ≈  ⊇ ⋑  ∧ ~

Major Pierce's point group were clear now. They were racing up the tunnels, well slugging up them as fast as they could go, with dead weight.. ..or almost dead weight.

When they were well clear of the force field, a few turns up and heading westwards, Pierce halted the group and changed the carrying arrangement a little. He swapped Major Davis for Mrs Chin Tau carrying her by himself. He sent Lieutenant Benson on ahead. He told Benson to get to the exit ASAP. He instructed him to radio down to the StarGate and have SG-9 contact The SGC. They needed to speak to General O'Neill and ask for an alternative route out of the pyramid.

He told Lieutenant Benson to relay that the second group had not yet cleared the first force shield and had been under attack by unspecified humanoids. He told Benson to advise that the Nebulium had risen, and that the remaining Units were not safe.

Major Pierce was requesting permission to blow a new exit, closer to Colonel Carter's group. They all appreciated the danger involved in this manoeuvre.

~ λ ∑ ψ ω √ ∞ ≈  ⊇ ⋑  ∧ ~

This was a difficult one. He wanted to but he couldn't. He'd promised them faithfully on this Mission he would not go through the Gate, not under any circumstance. In this case he didn't care about his own circumstances but he did care about his friends and he knew it would hurt a lot if he broke his promise to them.

Okay down to business. Looking over Daniel's 3d imaging there was one possibility and one possibility alone. He pin pointed a longitudinal and latitudinal junction. It was a position along the easter most boundary of the south wall. It was ground level, something like the hundred and eightieth stone block along.

Explosives were out of the question. Absolutely out of the question. Not only would they succeed in opening up an entrance, they'd also probably succeed in eternally encasing the Units. No explosives! Nothing like that.

The only thing he could come up with, which if used correctly would not have an explosive impact, was the staff weapon. Teal'c had already tried and tested that one. Okay, Sergeant Siler had been cleared and was waiting for the next bus back to Earth. he was on the Beta Site. General O'Neill had Walter radio through and order Siler back to P7X 377. He also had two of Hibbert's men, two Logistics officers equipped with staff weapons, Gate through to the pyramid.

~ λ ∑ ψ ω √ ∞ ≈  ⊇ ⋑  ∧ ~

Sergeant Siler arrived there first. Instead of waiting for the Logistics people to come through he scooted quick up to the south east wall of the pyramid. Lieutenant Benson was already there. Ever since the General had pin pointed the position he'd been counting off the blocks. It was a tedious job as the wall was hundreds and hundreds of meters wide.

Just as Siler arrived, Benson finished the count. Surprise, surprise, the stone slab in question had slight discoloration on its front face. That was a positive bit of kudos. Okay. Sergeant Siler started with his air lifting bag. Perhaps not needed in this instance, but none the less there was time to kill so he set about prepping the job.

Soon enough the Logistics officers arrived up at the wall. Sergeant Siler had already marked the spot to concentrate on. He wanted one staff using at a time. The officer started carefully blasting. It cut, burnt away, dissolved, tunnelled. It was working all right. The hole was not neat and tidy like Teal'c's execution, but it was cutting through the stone sure enough. Slier took the staff weapon off the other Logistics officer and began enhancing the working. They were getting through. It took them about four minutes to bore through. It had worked.

The stone slab began to crumble. They stopped blasting. Siler dropped his staff and started in with his hands. Pulling and tugging at the stone. It was heavy and it was cutting his hands but just the same he carried on. The officers bailed in as well. Lieutenant Benson was keeping the area clear. Whatever rubble they threw out he cleared it away.

They got through. Siler stuck his head through. There was another stone slab there. Shoot! No worry carry on. Push on, get it shifted. The logistics officer started blasting again. This time he got his pace right. He began scoring the hole. They were making much tidier working of it, cutting through. They were getting there.

Sergeant Siler noticed that he could smell the rancid, sulphur like, stinky egg whiff that he'd got a lot of when he opened out the north and west wall slabs. It was a damn good sign, they were getting through!

He picked up the staff weapon again to help enhance the hole. Yeah, straight through. They'd burnt through.

Smelly air rushed out, it was disgusting but it didn't deter the men, they just shouldered on. They were now smashing at the stone with the staffs. Staffs are harder than diamond, there was no problem there. They were dislodging the sand stone.

They were through, they just needed to enlarge the hole. Siler started with the staff again. He made the hole bigger. It was a crawl hole but it was big enough. He crawled through, Benson crawled through as well. Once inside Sergeant siler began to blast.

Logistics were clear, stood back while they blasted from the inside. That was is. The brick crumbled. They'd got through the inside slab, crumbled it. Lieutenant Benson cleared the way. What was left was the surrounds of the first slab, the outside slab. Again blasted from the inside it collapsed, it crumbled.

There were big pieces of block, rock. The four of them all helped to clear the way. They were completely through now so that bending low two people could fit through at a time. Excellent! Excellent!

Okay then, okay. The Logistics officers had done their job. What was left was for them to report to the General and inform him of the progress. General O'Neill was desperate for news. He ordered Logistics to the Beta Site, quarantine. Under the circumstances General O'Neill wanted his people off the rock ASAP.

~ λ ∑ ψ ω √ ∞ ≈  ⊇ ⋑  ∧ ~

Lieutenant Benson and Sergeant Siler took the staff weapons with them and began running down the tunnels. Although there was many turn offs there was only one direction to go in. That was the direction of disturbed sand, kicked up in all places. It was a good trail and easy to follow.

A few minutes into the tunnels they could hear noises up ahead. Slier began flashing his torch. It wasn't exactly Morse code but it was the light signal the Units used to signify SGC. You could hear Major Pierce's voice.

"Benson. Jerr?"

"Sir, we're here, we're through. A new exit! I'm with Sergeant Siler Sir."

They ran even faster to reach Major Pierce's lead group. All of them were absolutely exhausted, drenched in sweat and still wearing the glasses. Sergeant Siler wasn't wearing goggles, it hadn't occurred to him.

"Sir we've cut through. just a couple of minutes up the path. We've got through, straight through."

"Thank G-d, thank G-d. Em, look I need to go back. Get everybody out Lieutenant. Just get them all out and down to the Gate."

All the personnel they were carrying were wearing Griff devices.

"Major Fielding with me."

Lieutenant Benson gave his staff weapon to Major Pierce. Sergeant Siler turned to Lieutenant Benson.

"Lieutenant let me have your goggles."

Lieutenant Benson took them off and threw them at Siler.

"Good luck."

Siler put them over his head and set them round his eyes. Without orders he picked up pace with Major Pierce and Major Fielding. He still had hold of his staff weapon. As exhausted as the Majors were they ran back through the sand, back in the direction they'd just come from.

It was at least nine or ten minutes before they detected the noise. They could hear shots being fired, but not riproar. No P90s. They could hear the single repeats of 9 mils and they could hear zats being fired continuously, who knows at what, hopefully not the Nebulium.

The closer they got the more difficult they found it to progress. They were running through thick sand, it wasn't a run it was a slow jogging pace through the thick sand. It was terribly difficult to build up a speed.

As they got closer to the group there was a very low pitched booming. It seemed to be vibrating through the whole of the tunnels. It was almost debilitating. It got into your head and your bones, it was totally distracting. It was very off putting. It was like being eighty feet underneath an X301 as it shoots by at twenty seven miles per hour while stoking a stalled engine.

The sound was tearing at their fibre. They were beginning to feel quite sickly, there was no release from the sound, what to do, they pressed on. Forget the subtle torch signalling. Major Pierce was deeply concerned that he hadn't heard P90 fire. The 9 mils and zats were quiet as well. Stealth had long ceased to be an objective.

"Colonel, Colonel?? Griff? Colonel? Doctor Jackson? Teal'c?? This is Major Pierce come back!"

He kept shouting. They couldn't be far off now, what was the problem. Siler joined in.

"Colonel Carter. Colonel Carter Ma'am, Colonel Can you answer?"

Obviously not Sergeant.

"What the hell..!! Colonel. Colonel, Teal'c, Doctor Jackson. Griff??"

"Major, Major. Major Pierce."

It was the most feeble whisper. Colonel Carter was near to the shield. She was lying down on her back with her hands outstretched up towards the low stone ceiling. She was holding a zat'nik'atel. She looked like she was sleeping.

"Colonel whats going on? Where did this force field come from? Gad almighty whats that noise? Whats wrong with everybody??"

"No we're fine, em, we're fine. We're err, we're not fine. Alive! Not fine! We're stuck but we're alright up to now."

Colonel Carter was becoming more coherent though she was still lying flat on her back starring up at the ceiling.

"We've got a serious problem. The others, are they clear?"

"All clear Ma'am. Safe! We can help. Whats going on?"

"Power! We've run out of power."

The Majors and Siler could hardly hear her. As close as they tried to get, they had to be careful not to touch the shield.

"Colonel where did this shield come from? I thought there was only two shields, about thirty minutes away?"

Now that they were up closer to the shield they could really feel the low sound permeating into their bones. They were beginning to feel even sicker and tired, weak. It felt as though everything around them was slowing down. Suddenly it didn't seem so strange that nearly all their colleagues on the other side of the shield were lying down, silently, pathetically. Everything was beginning to feel less imminent. It was that damn low rumbling inside their heads. Inside their bodies. It was shutting everything else out. Shutting everything down.

Teal'c spoke up. He seemed the least affected though he was sleepy and ill looking.

"Each time we bend and clear the shield within a matter of minutes another shield blocks our path. They are attempting to keep us penned in this vicinity. They may intend to use us as individual shells."

Teal'c turned away and began crawling toward the six end of the group. They were all hemmed in. In between two force fields. One blocking advancement the other cutting off the path leading back to the upper hallway.

"Colonel are they attacking?"

"The Nebulium, no, not since we got in between the shields."

Daniel looked a mess. He actually looked 'wacko', perched in the middle of the stuck zone starring off into space. He was just starring at the wall, not moving. In fact they all looked 'wacko', out of it. Daniel spoke up with a barely audible observation.

"They're tryin' to flood their atmosphere into the tunnels. Its working as well. We've run out of oxygen for the breathing masks. We're em, yeah, its.."

Full stop. Daniel had phased back out of communication. All his efforts were being spent on the wall in front of him.

"Daniel! Daniel? Is that why everyones lying down? Can you not breath?"

"The walls! Major pierce we can breathe but soon we will become poisoned."

Teal'c didn't specify how long soon would be.

Siler would get power if that's what they needed, he just had to understand what exactly the Colonel was whispering about.

"Colonel What do you need. Power? Colonel, Colonel what can we do??"

Siler was dead concerned.

"Siler, Sergeant, we need power."

"Tell me what power Colonel, I can get it."

"The ray guns are down."

"Ma'am we can get whatever you need. General O'Neill's on standby with whatever you need."

"No time Major. By the time you got there and back.. ..no time. No time."

She was done in. Very very exhausted and completely distracted by the reverberations in her bones. It was becoming difficult to even speak. The toxic atmosphere from the cavern that was bleeding into the tunnel was creating ripe conditions for further attacks from the Nebulium.

"We've got no power. Dead. The shields.. ..the guns, em.."

"Colonel tell me what you need. Colonel!! Colonel Carter Ma'am!! Colonel!!"

He went to bang on the shield to wake her up. Major Pierce grabbed him.

"Siler! Do you wanna fry!"

"Sorry Sir. Colonel Carter Ma'am.. ..power?"

"Sergeant, naquadah power packs.. ..the power.. ..suppose to last for gad knows how many thousand years.. ..but the power. The power needed to react against a force shield this strong.. ..every time we bend a shield back it's a monumental amount of power. The guns aren't firing. We've err, the, the em, the staff.. ..we've used Teal'c's staff weapon. Theres nothing left.. ..both the guns are down and theres nothing left."

"Colonel we've got staffs here. We've got two staff weapons."

"What?? How so? They are staff weapons?"

Teal'c was seeing a home run.

"What??"

"Yeah em, General O'Neill sent us through with two staff weapons."

"Jack.. ..just err, wait, wait, wait, wait. Wait, wait. Teal'c? Daniel?"

"Sam.. ..we should be able to make a little.. ..hole. We should be able.."

"We can!"

"Sergeant can you get the err, can you get the power pack ready.. ..can you get it out of the staff. Can you get it ready to throw it through."

"Yeah. Yeah, yeah. Doing it now!"

Sergeant Siler went about dismantling the his staff weapon to lift out the power core. Daniel shouted through to him in a faint mummer.

"Make sure you don't put your hands to near.. ..freezing."

"No problem Doctor. Just make a gap, open it up and I'll get it through."

There was the slightest reflection of power left in one of the ray guns. It would be enough to make a little hole in the force field.

"Major leave your staff weapon where it is, we'll pick it up as we come through. All of you.. ..as soon as you throw the power cell through move down the tunnels.. ..hold on."

She needed a rest, all that talking, concentration, fighting off the effects of the sonic boom and the toxic fumes. She shook her breathing mask canister and shucked deeply. You never know, well she did know, they all knew, there was no clean air left. She was so dehydrated and dizzy. She let her head fall forward while she cocked a look down the tunnel. She was leading this group of flakes and injury and by G_d she was gonna lead them to a good place.

"Lets go!! Daniel, Teal'c, please!!"

They did it. Cracked the shield enough for Siler to toss the cell through the gap.

"You three move down the tunnels, about twenty meters down the tunnel, keep ahead of us. If they keep doing what they've been doing, soon as we move they're gonna erect another force shield so get clear!

Stand back and get clear."

"Yes Ma'am!!"

Daniel and Teal'c, who had been with Colonel Carter when she specified the ray gun design to research, began replacing the wasted power cell with a new source.

"Colonel Just let me tell you. About ten, eleven or twelve minutes down the tunnels we've made a new.. ..we've blasted through. Theres a new exit. Em, its big enough for everyone to get through. Just ten or twelve minutes that's all. Straight down the tunnels Colonel."

Everybody liven up. This was fantastic. If they could just get further down. That's all they needed, a clear run, further down. It seemed like every four or five minutes ground they made a new field sprang up to block their progress. They'd already cut through about eight shields not including the primary ones. It was totally draining on everybody. Added to that, tormentus relentus, the walls kept moving. Devils in the tunnels. Quite a few of the Ops had been bitten or stabbed. The zats were holding them off. The zat'nik' atels would last, they were all fully charged, its not that, it was keeping sharp. Knowing that at any given time they were each only two or three feet away from a rock devil, D'jinn. The low frequency tones they were being bombarded with seemed not to be effecting the D'jinn. Though they had discontinued their clamorous mania. Devilish stealth mode!

They'd been no sign of the Nebulium. The atmosphere was really beginning to get to them, it was killing them. The sooner they got out and moved up the better chance they stood.

They'd been no threat from the missing personnel. All three were down and out. Poor Ms Carmel, she was down and dead. She hadn't survived the ejection, the Nebulium did, it cleared and phased. But she, she just collapsed. It was bad. She was down. She lay where she fell.

Two of their number, Friez and Penhall, who had been targeted by the Nebulium, they were down. Colonel Carter had determined they were dead, nevertheless they were being ferried out with everybody else.

She estimated the Nebulium were firing extreme wave variance bursts of either Röntgen or micro rays. High powered electromagnetic microwave beams were favourite because of the nature of the damage they caused. The electronics in most of the P90s had been short circuited. The agony Friez and Penhall had been in. The disabling burning sensation. Burnt from the inside. They must have been suffering from internal combustion. It was a real real bad deal. The only thing that had protected the rest of them was the stone blocks. Moving slabs or not they'd shielded them from the rays. The water in the air had evaporated, microwaves will do that. They were all dehydrated, which now, along with the toxic air was making the sand underfoot feel like quicksand.

Once the Units had gone beyond the second force shield the Nebulium had ceased to follow. Instead they were using aspects of their technology to try and keep the Teams hemmed in, prevent them from escaping the pyramid.

Perhaps the fact that the Nebulium hadn't know about the tunnels meant they also weren't prepared to extend their force fields in the way in which they were now trying to do. This slow adaptability was helping the SG Teams. Helping them to gain ground.

The ray gun was ready again. Charged up. Colonel Carter had ordered Lieutenant Rupert of SG-23 to change the spatula, super conductors, on the guns. Only one was powered up up to now, but as soon as they got through the shield they'd collect the other staff weapon, get the other gun going as well. Chances were that even for a twelve minute dash they may well need to use the guns again. Colonel Carter just wanted to ensure they'd be prepared.

Everybody was getting to their feet now. Getting ready for a dash. Still though they had to keep their eyes on the ceiling as well as the walls. Nothing was coming up from the ground, no devil risings, whether that was to do with the sand or who knows. But the ground seemed safe.

"Majors! Sergeant! Good job!! Excellent job! Clear the tunnels. Get to the exit. Watch the ceilings, watch the sides. Use your zats! Major, use your zat gun. Just clear the pyramid, we'll be following behind."

Majors Pierce, Fielding and Sergeant Siler legged it. It wasn't an easy thing to do through a carpet of sand, but they did. They went as fast as they could. They got clear. Clear of the tunnels. Clear of the new exit. Clear of the pyramid.

The rest of Major Pierce's and Major Fielding's people were at the StarGate. They were standing over the ten missing personnel. They couldn't be moved until testing had been carried out. By order of General O'Neill each missing member had to undergo a chemical analysis and panelling at the P7X 377 StarGate. It would determine status and suitability to travel.

"We are ready Colonel Carter."

"Whatever you do, don't use your zats while the shield's being bent. Hit it!!"

They were all braced. Braced for escape. Braced to drag, pull, carry, heave and run. Thank G_d the gun powered up. Daniel, Teal'c and Griff started to bend the shield. As it happened they were actually on for the third canister of helium liquid. Jack, Cauac, General foresight, thank you.

"Go! Go!! Go!! Come on!! Move it!!"

Colonel Carter was filing them through. D, T and G were trying to bend the shield back to make an even wider vortex. One of the men, Penhall, was having to be carried in the most awkward fashion. He'd lost his arm.. ..sort of, as they were fleeing the main chamber trying to avoid the Nebulium waves, Penhall who was being dragged by his feet, got an extra taste of a long wave. Luckily they had got to the corner at the time so the masonry stopped the distribution.

At first they'd been nothing. He was believed to be unconscious. The further they progress along the tunnels the more reaction took place in his arm. Slow but surely it began to reduce, putrefy, and other things, sickening things. Colonel Carter was sure the same reaction had taken place throughout his body, both their bodies, Friez and Penhall. She made no comment. Nothing could be done. There was no time for attention. And medical would have been no help at all.

They kept dragging him. Now to make things easier he was being held by his legs and one arm and his head and neck. His other arm, his gamy arm was trailing in the sand. There really wasn't much left of it, apart from bone.. ..bone and putrefaction.

Colonel Carter was the last one through the vortex right before Daniel, Griff and Teal'c. All cleared. They began running. Well rushing as much as they were able given the dire straits they were in. The rock devils were still quiet, though that didn't necessarily mean they weren't there. Their howling had subsided in the lower chamber before they struck. Everybody was wary of them, not quite understanding what they were or what they were about.

The low pitched sonic boom was slowing them up tremendously. It seemed to be making everyone feel winded, sickly, heavy. Disorientated. What the hell was it. What was it. The Colonel had asked Daniel to take a recording of it. It was truly disturbing. What the hell was it.

Four, five, six minutes and they were still going. This was it. Home run. Seven minutes. Eight minutes. The air was getting cleaner. Lighter. Nine minutes. Jezzzaasss!! A yellowish tinge barred their way. Barricading them from freedom. Aw no!!

This time the cavern atmosphere was seeping in a lot faster. The low frequency boom was transforming into a dull quiet whirling sound. Very quiet but you could feel it. You could feel it in the back of your teeth. You could feel it in you knees. Bleeding up from the ground deep into your bones. Oh gawd what was that.

As much as they rushed everyone was very slow. Invaded by the atmosphere, pervaded by the booming. Colonel Carter shouted them into position. On their back and knees covering the walls and ceiling.

"Just a few more minutes that's all!! We can break free in just a few more minutes. Keep sharp! Shallow breathing only. A few more minutes everyone, we're gonna make it!!"

She sounded good. Very encouraging. They were all falling apart but she was managing to keep them together, against their own instincts, which at that very moment were telling them all to curl up and pass out.

They had already started on the shield. Cutting the vortex. They were making quick work of it. Everybody was terribly nervous, having already run out of power, a thing they'd never expected, they were nervous it would happen again. They just wanted to get the job done, get through the shield, get clear.

The Units at the back weren't aware of the new exit. Colonel Carter didn't spread the word. She needed them to focus on this distance they had to cover. She didn't want anyone to relax, not even for half a second.

If it hadn't have been for Major Pierce, Fielding and Sergeant Siler coming to meet them they'd still be back down there, nines minutes away. Though by now their systems would have been poisoned and the Nebulium would have hauled them off.

It was starting to happen again. They were whiffing in the toxic atmosphere, but they'd had a good ten minutes at least before the effects started to tell. Come to think of it, if General O'Neill hadn't of sent Logistics through with the staff weapons.. ..nice.

Colonel Carter could hear ringing in her ears, tinnitus.

"..! Gawd damn! Teal'c, Teal'c faster, move it! Oh gad, it's a weapon!! The sound, it's a weapon!! Teal'c please, please move it!"

He tore into it more. Daniel's arms were killing him, he kept on spraying just the same. Griff was catching the jitter end of the ray gun causal. Even so they cut a path.

"Go!! Go!! Move!! As fast as you can!!"

The Ops were practically crawling through the vortex, carrying and dragging their loads. They were going fast.. ..fast, in spirit only. In actual fact they were all beginning to buckle. Faulter and waver. They were all feeling dazed, more sick, light headed, out of breath. Stuck, they felt stuck. It was mind blowing. What the heck was going on.

"Keep going!! Move it!! You need to run!! Come on! If we don't clear now.. ..come on!!"

She was pushing them. Harassing them. Haranguing them.

"Just come on! Get going!! Straight ahead!!"

One minute. Two minutes. Three minutes. Four minutes. Five minutes. Where? Exit. What exit! Six minutes. Oh for gads sake! Can't go on.. ..seven minutes. There it was. A bright light. A beautiful bright light. A breeze, hot, but a breeze.

"Left! left!! left! left! left!!"

She was screaming at them. She woke her troops up. Action!

"Go!! Go!! Go!! Move it!!"

Everybody cheered up. The exit! But they were moving at a snail's pace, have you ever seen a mirage, that was the movement in them. It felt like they were moving, but they weren't. The intention and willingness was there but they were under attack. It was a hideous weapon, it was creeping up on them, in them. It was beginning to vibrate inside their bodies and resonate. It was some kind of booming, who knows. Waves. Acherontic waves. It was coming at them through the rocks. Through the devils, through the air. It was surrounding them. They seemed to be submerged in some kind of sonic interference. And it really was interfering with them. The whole of them. Making them docile, slower, sluggish, achish, ringing, out of breath, hopeless. But then there was that light. Just a minute more, a minute more and left, left, left.

"Come on!! come on!! Keep going!! Keep movin'!! Move it!!"

It was such an effort.

"Clear!"

"Clear!"

"Clear!"

That was the most precious ringing she'd heard in a long time.

"Clear Colonel!!"

"Ma'am!!"

"Clear!"

More ringing. Sweet sounds, ring a ding ding.

"Clear!"

Yes, yes. They were through. They'd almost all filtered out through the south east ground level exit.

SG-2 were at the back. SG-1 behind 2 were on six.

"Clear Colonel!!"

SG-2 were clear.

"Colonel Carter."

"Thanks Teal'c."

Colonel Carter had buckled and fallen back. Teal'c had caught her on one side and Daniel, who was also buckling, had caught her on the other.

"Come on Sam we're clear."

"Indeed we are clear. Safe!"

Colonel Carter had cleared the tunnels. They were out of the pyramid.

"Clear!!"

Sergeant Siler was running towards them with another two power units taken out of staff weapons. General O'Neill had sent them through, just in case.

Major Dane, SG-9, came through loud and clear on the radio.

"Colonel can we assist?"

"Thanks. Hold the Gate Major."

"Is everybody alright Ma'am?"

"..We're em, we're clear, we're coming down."

"Okay Colonel, standing by. Dane out."

~ λ ∑ ψ ω √ ∞ ≈  ⊇ ⋑  ∧ ~

Major Dane Dialled the StarGate immediately.

"General they're clear."

"Have you spoken to anyone?"

"Colonel Carter General."

"Okay. Em, so SG-1 are.."

"SG-1 are clear Sir. I can see them from here."

"Okay."

That was all he said. General O'Neill left the control room and went up to his office. He had nothing to say at that time. He telephoned General Hammond to advise him that the missing had been recovered. As of yet status undetermined, but it was time to seal the NID seal, floor plate, Nebulium gateway into civilised society.

~ λ ∑ ψ ω √ ∞ ≈  ⊇ ⋑  ∧ ~

Colonel Carter radioed down to the Gate again.

"Major can you Dial the Gate and tell General O'Neill we're clear."

"Just done that Ma'am. He left strict instructions to be notified the moment you came out of the pyramid."

"Did he?"

"Yes Colonel he did."

"..The bird?"

"Still circling Ma'am, nothing to report."

"Keep monitoring that Major and keep your eyes on the entrance to the pyramid. Let me know."

"Yes Colonel, any movement we'll let you know straight away."

"Have you informed Colonel Brewster?"

"Not yet Colonel, awaiting your say so."

"Do it now. Tell him were just going through procedure. We'll be on the way soon, twenty, thirty minutes. On that now Major. Out."

The Colonel's malleus was still hammering the stapes. Her ears were ringing and the sound was really sickening.

"Daniel, Teal'c, your ears."

"Yeah, loud and ringing Sam. Like err, yeah, AT&T."

"Teal'c?"

"Yes. It is most irritating."

"Look!! Okay err, I know we're all pretty shaky. It was some kind of weapon they were using. I think we need to back away. I don't know what the reach of that thing is but lets just clear the area, okay. If you need to rest before we make our way down to the Gate fair enough, but not here. Come on!"

They wanted to rest but they didn't. The strike force had struck a blow, deep and hard. They'd been to hell and back. They'd come out with what they went in for.

The SGC had recovered the missing personnel. The whole incident had struck a cord with the oversight committee, the Joint Chiefs, the Pentagon, Trans global and The SGC. They'd all been affected, they'd all been attacked, they'd all had people taken. The NID too. The SGC's Retrieval Mission was a great success, a capital achievement.

They made it down to the StarGate. Most of them puked and spewed on the way. Their systems had just taken a beating, they we're literally being shaken apart from the inside, it would take days for them to get right.

The difficult part had already been, but then they we're now faced with more difficulty in assessing who was travelling by the Ninth Chevron and who was suitable for Seven Chev Dial out. It had already been agreed that an ocular examination would not be sufficient. They'd been gone long enough now for the swelling to have gone down. Additionally, having put the containment helmets on, Medical had no intention of taking them back off, not until they got to quarantine.

The accepted method for testing was blood panelling and chemical analysis. Major fielding and his Team, without Thompson, set about taking samples from the thirteen recovered people. Major Fielding had been very quiet since his ordeal in the lower chamber. He wanted to go home. Perhaps if he was fortunate and things went according to plan, within twelve hours he would be home.

It was straight forward and easy. Eight of them, including Ms Carmel had been infected, six of them had not. Amerson, Davis, Hobbs, Chin Tau, Esposeto and one unidentified, clear! Sadly Smith, Veda, Michaels, Carmel, Avery and three unidentified personnel had all been infected. One of the unknowns and Carmel's creatures had ejected in the lower chamber.

"Colonel I don't think any of these people have been feed, or have drank any fluids since they've been captured. These six are clear."

"Clear?"

"Certain Colonel."

"Certain?"

"A hundred percent certain Ma'am."

"Yep that's clear Major. Get them through. They're expected. Send 'em through. SGs 2, 5, 19, 22 and 23 please. You too Byda, Thompson. Excellent work!! Beautiful! Its been a great success."

"Colonel is there any chance you're gonna get some flack here at the Gate?"

"Theres very little chance of that Major Griff. We've got the bird doing sweeps. We em, we've got the air. We've got another two tanks of oxygen the General's sent through. We em, thanks. You've done great, you've all done really great. We'll see you on Beta. Shortly."

"Colonel!!"

"Colonel!!"

"Ma'am!!"

Aye, aye, aye, aye, aye, that was nice. Fantastic! Amerson, Davis, the others, that was good. Alive and kicking. Good feeling. Really good feelin'. They'd soon be getting all the medical and mental attention they needed. Excellent! Recovered. No longer missing. Excellent!

"Major Dial home please."

"Dialling now Colonel."

"What you thinking Sam?"

"Two of these aren't wearing helmets. We know one of them is no longer infected. That leaves six infected. Why would we knowingly take infected people to the Beta Site?"

"So that we can get them uninfected, in quarantine."

"Yeah but, by doing that they're gonna, well they're gonna end up in critical care anyway aren't they."

"Yeah."

"So why are we taking these Nebulium off P7X 377?"

"Colonel Carter you believe we should effect the ejection process here?"

"Well it would make more sense. We can try and get them out here or ship them through as is, straight into quarantine. I mean which ever way you look at it they're gonna have to come out. Plus we're not actually looking to take prisoners. We don't wanna capture one of these things, we don't want anything to do with them."

"Yes."

"Sam, yeah. We've got the oxygen Jack sent through here."

"Should do it. But I just want to speak to Jac.. ..the General first. I think I should run it by him first and see what he says."

~ λ ∑ ψ ω √ ∞ ≈  ⊇ ⋑  ∧ ~

Nobody noticed what happen. The snoozing Avery and Veda and one of the unidentifieds. Perhaps it was the light from the event horizon as well as the bright rays from the suns. The faintest plumes of milky cloud, hardly visible, slipped out of somebody's right ocular cavity and two of the containment hoods and lifted, angled at full velocity into the event horizon. Puff of smoke, gone.

On the other side of the wormhole General O'Neill was still talking to Colonel Carter.

"What was that??"

"What Sir?"

"That!"

"Sir?"

"Err, I don't know Carter, the err. Did you just see something?"

"No Sir. I'm watching the controls but, no I didn't see anything."

"Carter did something just come through the Gate?"

"No Sir, we're all here. We err, no."

"No one has left this place O'Neill."

"Jack we're going to the Beta Site. No ones going through the Gate.. ..to The SGC."

"Nothing just went through?"

"No Sir."

"Walter get the err.. ..Okay, em, I need to check. Err, okay Carter, go ahead. Its nasty but its better this way. Good thinking. The err, okay, good luck. And you'll be through to the Beta Site in no longer than ten?"

"Twenty Sir. Well fifteen anyway."

"Okay, and they'll be alright till then?"

"Yes Sir, to be honest, the state they're in now, won't make much difference. They've got a chance. Nick's made it."

"Okay. Everyone, really very well done. See you soon. And Carter you'll err, you'll report in from the Beta site, let me know how its going."

"Yes Sir, thanks, I will".

"Okay. Okay. Out. Walter view the security feed for the Gate Room."

"When Sir?"

"Now, for this last engagement."

"And Walter."

"Sir?"

"Carefully. Very very carefully."

"Yes Sir. Did you see something?"

"We'll see won't we."

"Sir."

~ λ ∑ ψ ω √ ∞ ≈  ⊇ ⋑  ∧ ~

SG-18 had hold of Michaels. SG-15 were backing them up. To make it easy for the Nebulium Major Fielding removed the helmet. Daniel and Teal'c began spraying Michaels around the nose and mouth with the pure oxygen. It started quickly. Michaels was out cold. Fly or die. The Nebulium began to make tracks. Michaels unconscious body was convulsing. Jerking. Thrashing. SG-18 pinned him down. They had a good hold on him and weren't going to let him go. Nobody would have been at all surprised if Michaels didn't just jump up and run back into the pyramid. Unconscious and all.

SGs 8 and 9 took hold of the other six medical wrecks. There was currently no movement from any of them.

"Its ejecting!! Watch yourselves, it's on its way."

It was on it's way. It catapulted out. Shot straight up in the air. Then nose dived as if heading down at the Units. Everyone was ducking out of the way. It nose dived onto the floor, just near Michaels head. Missed everyone as it crash landed. It didn't move. Teal'c prodded it with his foot, it squirmed, leapt up, barked and hissed soundlessly and galloped towards the main entrance to the pyramid. It only took seconds. It accelerated into the entrance and disappeared.

If it was possible to seem even weaker, Michaels did do. He lay there just as unconscious but internally he was disrupted, panicked with lymphocytes and alarms.

They repeated the process with Smith. It went well in that the Nebulium ejected and he'd been unconscious at the time. The Nebulium ran, sprang at the StarGate. The StarGate wasn't engaged but nevertheless it shot through and consequently disappeared.. ..or fell a great, great distance down, down to somewhere, down to hell.

Nothing happened with Veda. They sprayed more oxygen on him.

"Major are you sure he's infected?"

"Yes Colonel, sure."

"Um, well?"

"Err."

"Nothings happening here. The oxygens having no effect."

"Is it possible its just not coming out?"

"Yeah that's possible Major, if its dead. But if the Nebulium was dead you'd expect Mr Veda to pack up as well. He wouldn't be able to support the toxic degradation."

"Yeah that's right isn't it Sam?"

"Yeah that is right Daniel. Let me see the panel. This is definitely his blood work."

"Yes Ma'am."

SG-8 had set up a chemical bench feet from the D.H.D.

"Colonel Carter, according to the reaction of the other infected personnel, there is no Nebulium inside this man."

"Major is there any chance this blood works mixed up?"

"No chance at all Colonel. We've only taken thirteen samples. They're not mixed up. I don't know what to say."

"Can you quickly check?"

"Do that now Ma'am. Nurse."

Nurse Berry took another sample from Mr Veda. They did a spot check. After a couple of minutes the Colonel saw the results with her own eyes.

"These results are different?"

"Well they are Ma'am, they are. This is showing that he was infected, but isn't now."

"Sam, Sam, hes one of the ones out of the second tunnel. Maybe em, maybe the Nebulium got out as we found them, you know as we was pulling him out of the tunnel. I mean we were all wearing goggles so.."

"Well yeah.. ..that's probably it Daniel. Doesn't account for this mix up in readings though."

"No it doesn't does it."

"Colonel. Colonel, we've not mixed up on the readings here. We've not Ma'am."

"Its okay, okay em, right three left. Teal'c, Daniel, everyone."

Again 18 and 15 took up positions this time with Mr Avery. Fielding took off his helmet. Plenty of oxygen but no reaction. Nothing!

"Major?"

"Colonel I em, Nurse!"

Nurse Berry took another sample. They did another analysis. Nothing, well nothing in so much as there was no Nebulium present. The panelling showed heavy traces of metals, toxic levels. Potassium through the roof. Sodium through the roof. That was taken to be a sign of former infection.

"Colonel?"

"Yeah Major, with you."

One of the unidentified suddenly jumped off the ground. He started to run towards the pyramid, got about sixteen paces and fell down, dead.

Major Feilding ran over to him, Nurse Berry followed, as did SG-1.

A quick test revealed the creature inside had broken down, killing them both. A double homicide.

They coerced the remaining unidentified with pure oxygen. Again no reaction and again the on site re-test proved him to be Nebulium free. Paradox.

Seven listless bodies on the ground. One dead. No Nebulium in any. Incorrect readings on two recovered missing personnel and one unidentified recovered person. The 'wrong' readings on the blood panelling didn't show the high levels of metals as did the retaken samples. Paradox!

"Colonel I don't know what to say. I can't explain it. We we're extremely careful. Everythings marked and coded as its taken."

"Its alright Major. Can you make sure all this err, Lieutenant the bloods marked up yeah?"

"Yes Ma'am, the.."

"Its okay. Make sure all that gets taken back, to the labs on the Beta Site, Quarantine. We need to reconcile this Major, see whats happened."

"Yes Ma'am."

"Right. Major, Dial it up."

"Dialling Colonel."

He was Dialling as quick as he could. Everyone was thoroughly exhausted. Shaken and irritated. They could still feel slight vibration from the low level sonic boom. It was a horrible feeling. The grating in the back of the mouth, the back of the ears. Still trembling in the bones.

Everybody had done outstandingly good jobs. The fear of being stuck in the tunnels was still with them, being trapped in between the force shields. The effects of breathing in the toxic atmosphere as well, that was taking its toll. Though thankfully the effects of that would be gone in a day or two.

They began to move out. Some carrying others.

Factum est!

Star Gate Command vacated P7X 377.

Nice!

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:: Mission Accounts ::

© Richard Dean Anderson all rights reserved June 2006