The Barque of Heaven Page 16

  "Sir? That person, Bes? He wasn't a Goa'uld."

  The colonel cocked an eyebrow at her. "Daniel, Teal'c, you know this Bes guy?"

  Teal'c shook his head but Daniel nodded, the frown that had started on his face five minutes ago slowly deepening.

  "Hold that thought, Daniel. Let's get going."

  Daniel moved to the DHD, dialed up the next planet's address and spoke the Goa'uld phrase, "Tent Bain ".

  The wormhole burst into life, connecting them with the galaxy once again. The time spent in this jungle felt like a dream now, images of water and sun, colored fire and trees seemed to shift and blend in Sam's mind, leaving her with an ethereal, confusing mess.

  She took one last look at the beautiful jungle, then bent and picked up one handle of the ammo box. Teal'c took the other and they followed Daniel and Colonel O'Neill into the blue ripples of the Stargate.

  GATE SIX

  Opener of Hearts

  he wormhole disengaged and left SG-1 standing on a platform surrounded by acres of tall, rustling reeds. Salt-laden currents of air brushed softly by them, bending them in an elegant dance. Hidden beneath the grasses, water burbled steadily, heading toward the sparkling blue sea a short distance off to the left.

  "Teal'c, check the time. Carter-DHD." Jack slipped on his shades as he did a quick three-sixty and saw nothing more threatening than plants and birds. "Daniel, this Bes character-what do you know?"

  "Well, Bes is from the Egyptian pantheon. Old, very old. Much loved by families and women in particular. The, uh, ugly appearance was thought to attract evil spirits away from the people, thus protecting them. I can't imagine what function he served for Ra." Daniel slipped the clip-ons over his glasses and stared past Jack at the sea.

  "We have six hours, fifty minutes, O'Neill."

  The dying chevrons on the Stargate announced another failed attempt to dial home.

  "Right, let's see what gear we've got left and then get moving. And this time-let's all try to keep our wits about us, okay? We've got enough food for two more days-half rations." Jack knelt in front of the two remaining supply boxes, opened them and started dividing up what was left.

  "Two zats, six blocks of C4, five clips of 9mm, six magazines for the MP5s, six grenades, two climbing ropes, one harness, flares, stove, lightsticks, candles, water filtration bags, purification tablets, fishing kit, flints and steel, mirrors, ponchos and a hell of a lot of hot-sauce we can always throw at

  someone. We'll divvy up the ammo and the smaller items, carry them in the packs, put the nonessentials in the rope bags, and dump the boxes." Jack divided the lot between them and it was crammed into already heavy packs. The empty metal boxes were dragged into the reeds and hidden.

  Teal'c, using binoculars, spied what seemed to be a cluster of buildings some way further inland along the hidden estuary. Following the direction indicated, Jack led the team out at a fast pace.

  "Carter, you sure Bes wasn't a Goa'uld?"

  "Definitely, sir. Which leads to an interesting question: why would such an, uh, odd-looking creature be given the position of Keeper of the Barque? The Goa'uld we've come across all seem to prefer being surrounded by attractive people, hosts or not." She leapt over a small clump of wildflowers, easily keeping the double-timed pace.

  "Ra was known to be most eclectic in his tastes," Teal'c commented, loping along in the rear. "Perhaps Bes served a function on the Barque of Heaven that outweighed Ra's displeasure at his physical appearance."

  "And whatever the Barque actually is, it must be fairly isolated," Daniel offered, jogging next to Jack. "If Bes truly is the Keeper of the Barque and he knew Ra was dead, surely he'd have no interest in maintaining the Trial?" He stumbled a little, but recovered and kept pace.

  "All of which brings us back to whatever the Barque really is. Ship, city, planet-could be anything," Jack said.

  "Might even be an entire solar system, sir," Carter said. "Isolated and still waiting for Ra to come home."

  "Well, I just hope it wasn't the Ha'tak ship we saw him on, because that's floating around Abydos in a few million pieces."

  "I surmise the appearance of Bes indicates the Barque does indeed still exist and that there is a place of culmination for this Trial," Teal'c added.

  Jack veered to one side as Daniel seemed to swerve around a non-existent obstacle and slow, then pick up speed again. Jack glanced at him but Daniel waved him on. Moments later, Jack flung a clenched fist in the air and skidded to a halt. He dropped to one knee, listening intently. The endless rustling of the reeds surrounded them, joined by an uneven wheezing from Daniel. Then, floating in from a distance, came the sound Jack had caught-bells, a number of them tolling happily, fading in and out as the breeze scattered the chimes across the estuary.

  Jack motioned them forward at a cautious crouch. Fifty meters along, the reeds bent away to the left, following the water course and thinning out to finally reveal a wide stream running through fields covered in lush, green crops. On the far side of the stream he could see clusters of houses dotted along the bank, looking rustic and welcoming, if you ignored the tall stone obelisk rising up behind them. The golden Eye of Ra seemed to wink at him from its peak.

  "Oh, swell." Jack pulled out his binoculars and focused on the village. Sure enough, the tolling bells were calling the occupants from their daily routine and dozens of people were heading for the temple.

  "Daniel, you think this is because of us or just a regular call to prayer?" Jack kept counting heads through the binoculars for a minute before realizing Daniel had not answered. "Daniel?"

  He looked at his friend and a chill of foreboding swept over him. Daniel was slumped on the ground as if his legs had given out on him, hands splayed out to keep his balance. The face that turned toward Jack was frighteningly pale.

  "Don't feel too good, Jack," Daniel croaked. His arms buckled and only Teal'c's quick movement prevented him falling face-first to the ground.

  "What the...?" Jack kept one eye on the people in the village as Carter leaned over Daniel, now collapsed in Teal'c's arms.

  "Daniel, what's wrong? Daniel! Can you hear me?" Anxiously she glanced up at Jack. "Sir, he's not responding and he's really cold."

  "Allergy? Something he ate in that damned jungle, I'll bet." Jack scuttled around to get a better look. Cupping his jaw with one hand, Jack brought Daniel's face up and nearly let go again as a flash of heat swept up his neck and face, leaving his skin red and unnaturally hot.

  "Jeez! What the hell is this?"

  "Pulse is jumping all over the place."

  "Daniel Jackson's breathing is quite shallow and rapid." Teal'c gently lowered Daniel to his side, while keeping a sharp eye on the people in the distance.

  "Carter, get the epinephrine," Jack clipped out. He unfastened Daniel's pack and pulled it away. "Daniel? Focus on me for a minute. Were you bitten by something?"

  Jack patted Daniel's cheeks, trying to get those hugely dilated pupils to focus. The flush was leaving his face now, his complexion going even paler than before.

  "No bugs," he mumbled. "'kaara... thun... Ab... dos."

  He shivered, a deep, full shudder from the core of his being. Teal'c's big arms curled around him and pulled him back against his warm body as Jack wrapped an emergency blanket over him.

  Confused and more than a little alarmed, Jack looked at Teal'c. Barring being shot, nishta'ed or sarcophagus-addicted by off-world princesses with a crush, Daniel had the constitution of a horse. For him to go down so quickly was... unnatural. Still, who was to say what kind of hinky alien grass seeds were blowing around, just waiting to set up a reaction with sensitive human systems?

  "Carter! Where's that shot?" Jack glanced around at Carter, expecting to see her ferreting through the first aid kit. Instead, she was on her knees, kit forgotten at her side as she weaved unsteadily, her face a distinct greenish hue. "Carter?"

  Jack eased Daniel's head back to rest against Teal'c's chest. "Hold him," he said unnecessarily, an
d made a grab for the major before she fell into the puddle she was industriously expelling from her stomach.

  "Whoa! Teal'c, you got any idea what's going on here?"

  "I do not, O'Neill," Teal'c replied briefly.

  Jack tried to look supportive and in-no-way-nauseous himself while Carter continued to retch at full volume.

  "Carter, I know you're probably feeling bad, but keep it down will ya? The noise, that is."

  "I essir," Sam groaned as another stomach-ripping spasm hit. She heaved and hurled and dangled like a rag doll in her CO's grip until she was empty of everything but frothy bubbles of stomach acid.

  "No way is this natural. There has to be something around here triggering this. T, you got any ideas?" Jack administered the injection to Daniel. Rubbing Daniel's thigh, he tore his eyes away from his teammate's ashen face to stare at Teal'c. Was that sweat beading the big guy's upper lip? Teal'c rarely broke a sweat even in the hottest of places. "Teal'c?"

  Seeming to return from some inner contemplation, he slowly looked up at Jack. "O'Neill. I believe we should seek the help of the villagers to assist Daniel Jackson and Major Carter. Quickly, before... before I am unable to be of use to you."

  "You're kidding! Teal'c! You don't get sick."

  Teal'c looked distinctly uncomfortable. "It is true I have not succumbed to illness since receiving my prim'ta. However, it now lies unmoving in its womb and I begin to feel most... odd."

  Jack blanched. He stared disbelievingly at Teal'c, then his gaze shifted to Daniel, shuddering in the big guy's arms, then to Carter-huddled in a miserable ball on the ground. He placed a hand on her forehead, puzzled as to why she was not suffering the same temperature swings as Daniel. He detached his water bottle and gave it to her, keeping a loose hand on her vest in case she toppled over again.

  "Jack."

  Daniel's hoarse rasp pulled him back. "Hey. How're you doing?"

  Another hot flush swept over Daniel's face, leaving him gasping and shoving the foil blanket aside.

  "This," he flapped a limp hand at himself, "is... same thing... got on Abydos. Reaction to... Skandy Thom." He panted harshly for a minute, the effort of talking draining him rapidly. "Shouldn't be happening... here... immune now."

  "It has to be something the Goa'u1d have done then. The test for this planet-I don't know." Jack grabbed the first aid kit and found the antihistamines Fraiser insisted they take with them. He popped two out and dropped them into Daniel's hand.

  "Take these, too."

  He turned to Carter and picked up the ignored canteen. "Carter. Here, take a sip. Keep drinking if you can."

  She groaned as she straightened a little and accepted just enough water to wet her tongue.

  "I'm sorry, sir. Must have eaten too much fruit or something. Haven't been this sick... ergh, since deployment."

  "Not your doing, Carter. I'll bet my wings there's something else at work here."

  He settled Carter on the ground, unclipped her MP5 and handed it to Teal'c. "I'm going to check out that village. Stay here, shoot anyone who isn't me."

  "Be careful, O'Neill."

  "I will. Keep your head down and look after them."

  Jack managed a grim nod and turned away. Keeping low, he jogged to the end of the reeds, crouched and peered through the binoculars. The villagers had all vanished, presumably into the temple. Still bent low, he took off along the river bank and through the fields at a run. Coming to a shallow ford, he splashed across the silty riverbed, up the opposite bank and thumped down behind the cover of a stack of greenish hay.

  Still no people in sight, but the sound of many voices chanting in unison drifted from the temple. Jack rose and scuttled to the side of the nearest house. Doors and windows stood open to the warm air and he peeked cautiously through one of the windows. Inside was a normal dwelling-beds, hearth, chairs, table, clothing on pegs, even flowers on the table. No Jaffa armor or weapons to be seen.

  Jack turned and jogged around the back of the houses, stopping to check out two more before inching his way along the side wall of the temple. It was an open structure, with the wall surrounding the obelisk. The chanting was still in full swing, and sounded like the happy tones of a Sunday church service, rather than the militaristic intonations of soldiers affirming their readiness to die for their god that he had expected. He found the entrance unguarded and risked a glimpse inside. The villagers were facing away from him, grouped around a statue of Ra on the altar set before the obelisk. There were plenty of women and kids, the men were dressed in farmer's clothes and no-one seemed to be carrying weapons.

  Slightly more at ease, Jack pulled back and made a recon of the village, hoping he'd find the next address for the Stargate left somewhere obvious, but naturally there was no such luck. Back where he had arrived, he sorted his options. He had less than five hours to get his team cured and off this planet, or at least away from whatever was affecting them. Much as it grated on him, he knew he couldn't do this alone. Jack rose and headed back to the others.

  Things had not improved during his absence. Daniel had his eyes open at least, but Carter was still hunched over her cramping stomach, and Teal'c was definitely not well. Jack rummaged in Daniel and Carter's packs, pulled out their first aid kits, then sealed and stashed the packs under cover of the nearby reeds, placing a couple of stones as markers.

  "On your feet, kids. We're going into the village, see if there's a way to reverse this."

  He tucked the first aid kits into his pack and hauled on Carter's vest until she was more or less vertical. Keeping one hand on her, he grasped Daniel's arm and heaved. With Teal'c pushing from behind they managed to lever Daniel to his feet. For a moment the four of them stood, hands gripping onto each other, swaying like a group of elderly attempting a day trip.

  "Okay. Let's do this nice and slow and steady. Whoa!"

  Jack tightened his grip on Daniel as he wavered back into Teal'c, and Teal'c-big, solid, unmovable Teal'c-staggered, unbalanced and becoming grayer by the second.

  "Daniel, come here to me. Teal'c, can you help Carter?"

  "I can, O'Neill."

  The threadiness of Teal'c's voice gave Jack the chills. He pulled Daniel from Teal'c's grasp, bracing himself as Daniel leaned into him. He kept a steadying hold on Carter until Teal'c held her firmly, got his arm around Daniel and started them toward the village.

  It was only around eight hundred meters, not far on a good day. This was definitely not a good day. Their pace was slow at best, with intermittent stops to adjust holds or encourage Carter or Daniel to keep moving; it was an agonizing shuffle toward natives Jack couldn't feel one hundred percent certain of, and as they inched toward the village he alternated between worrying about his team and mentally checking within himself for the first signs of illness.

  Eventually they reached the first of the houses. Walking-staggering-down the well-tended grassy main street, they soon had an audience of silent, passive-looking people leaving the temple, who stopped and stared at the team as they passed.

  "Creepy," Daniel's voice panted in Jack's ear.

  Jack could not see under the brim of Daniel's boonie, but he could feel the heat radiating off his friend's body. "I'll say. How're you doing?"

  "Weird. It's like I have... symptoms, but not the cause. Like... a memory of being ill."

  Jack raised his eyebrows at that but held off further questions as they came to a group of robed men and women, standing silently like everyone else, at the entrance to the little temple. He creaked to a halt and pulled Daniel a little more upright. These had to be priests; all wore Ra's symbol on their brows. None were armed, but Jack's hand was on the MP5's trigger regardless.

  "Hi there." He smiled and tried to look harmless and invulnerable at the same time.

  "Well-come and the blessings of our mighty Lord Ra upon you, worthy supplicants." The eldest of the group, a wizened old coot in striped satin robes, stepped forward and bowed gravely.

  "Er, thanks." Jack gave a silent
sigh of relief that the Stargate translator function seemed to be still with them. He gripped Daniel tighter as he began to sag. "My friends aren't feeling too well. I don't suppose you have a doctor here? A healer- physician- witch doctor- anything?"

  Blank stares in pleasant faces were his only answer.

  "Fine. Maybe you can just direct us to the address for the next Trial planet and we'll be on our way." He hoisted Daniel upright again, eliciting a mewling moan of protest. Behind them, Carter and Teal'c were braced side by side. Jack wasn't altogether sure who was holding whom.

  "Your companions have been visited by the Eater of Foulness," said Stripey Robes. "Such often happens to those who visit us. We have prepared a place of rest for you. When you have healed your fellow supplicants, you may make your offering and receive the means to continue your travels."

  "When I've healed...? I'm not a doctor. I don't know what's wrong with them and I don't know how to heal them," Jack protested. "And who's this Eater guy?" Was that ugly little Lilliputian responsible for this?

  "Ah, you wish your companions to perish so that you may prove to Ra that you alone are worthy?" Stripey nodded amiably, as if people let their friends die at his feet all the time.

  "No! "

  Jack was appalled and his trigger finger tightened automatically. Daniel shifted in his grip, taking more of his own weight. His boonie tilted as his head rose a fraction. "Please. Noble priest," he said between labored breaths. "Please help these weary travelers before you. Surely the great Lord Ra will look kindly upon you for your generosity."

  Stripey puffed up a little and beamed happily at them. "Come, come and rest while your companion defeats the Eater." He scuttled off and vanished into the wooden house closest to the temple.

  Jack glanced at Carter, hanging limply now in Teal'c's wavering grip. No way they were even going to make it back to the Stargate in this condition. He dragged Daniel into motion and walked past the ranks of hushed people into the house.

  A surprisingly bright and airy room greeted them, one main space with a couple of doorways at the back, large windows on every side. The wooden walls were painted a cheery yellow and bundles of dried plants hung from the rafters, giving off a pleasant, homey smell. The floor was liberally piled with thick mattresses and cushions. Jack steered Daniel to one and lowered him down, not at all liking the way Daniel just lay where he landed.