DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognisable characters and property of Stargate SG-1 belong to MGM/UA, World Gekko Corp. and Double Secret Productions.  This fan fiction was created solely for entertainment purposes and no money was made from it.  Also, no copyright or trademark infringement was intended.  Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.  Any other characters, the storyline and the actual story are the property of the author.  Not to be archived without permission of the author(s).

Eyes, elongated, almost oval in shape with dark centres. There was an almost reptilian look to the man, which sent shivers down Sam's spine. Somewhere in there a human being dominated. Certainly the limbs seemed human enough in shape beneath the uniform. She felt hypnotised, spell bound by its eyes as it stared unblinking at them.

They watched the man draw a hand across his mouth and then mutter something almost unintelligible into a small transmitter at his wrist. His other arm, slightly scaled in texture, held the weapon steady, always towards them, always with a clear shot if he wanted to use it.

O'Neill caught Sam's eye and grimaced. She shot him a shrug and eyed the radio meaningfully.

O'Neill nodded and brought it towards his mouth slowly. The man watched but made no effort to stop him.

"Daniel," he hissed as he pressed the transmit button. For a minute they listened to the static hiss which was returned. Then a faint voice.

"Jack? Where are you? Are you still on the move?"

"Oh we're not going anywhere right, now," Jack replied, relieved to hear his voice. "You got company?" he asked, hoping for a negative.

"Um..yes, as a matter of fact we do," Daniel replied warily. "Same as yours I expect?" The question was obviously rhetorical. "I think we're on our way to wherever you are. Jack, something's not right with all this. I found something out in the inscriptions. Needed to warn you...."

The static resumed. Sam's heart sank and she prayed Teal'c and Daniel were keeping their heads.

"Damn," Jack muttered as he clipped the radio back onto his jacket.

The man suddenly moved, his speed taking them by surprise. He was between the two of them within seconds. With one hand he lifted Sam's weapon from her and pushed her forwards roughly. With the other he held his weapon at O'Neill's throat. O'Neill could feel the man's breath brush his cheek as he leant forward, his eyes fixed on his. O'Neill felt his own weapon being swiftly removed and watched as Sam moved out of his vision and down the side tunnel, on her hands and knees. Their visitor waved his weapon and pushed O'Neill after her.

"Hey, watch your manners," O'Neill said as he moved along the surface.

The smoothness of the surface was definitely man made he decided. Despite its smoothness it was dusty and hadn't been used for some time. Jack didn't know quite what to make of what he'd seen. A prison or holding cell of some sort outside the chamber which held the gate, and now this. Some sort of man-made tunnel leading to where? Not for the first time that day he wished Daniel were there to chew it over with. He could see Carter in front of him and then he saw light. Faint at first but within seconds it lit the tunnel.

Suddenly they were clambering free of the tunnel and dropped some six feet to the ground below them, followed in an instant by the strange man, who was up within seconds, his weapon stuck in O'Neill's back, his other hand clasping Carter's shoulder and hauling her to her feet.

The strange almost guttural voice began again as he walked them forwards.

Sam looked around her in a mix of admiration and unease. The tunnel had come out into some sort of temple. Pillars of gold marble, encircled with elaborate carvings of what looked like scarabs, stood in pairs leading towards a single set of steps. Standing at the top of the steps, in a pose of solitary domination, a throne. It faced outwards towards the entrance to the Gate. The steps up to the throne were also carved from marble and shone, the throne itself being inlaid with more scarabs, their bodies entwined around the arms. Despite her misgivings about the place, Sam felt a sense of awe at the people who had built it, and she found herself drawn to its beauty and strange sense of purpose. It had a hypnotic quality, which she found hard to ignore. She turned to look at the entrance to the tunnel behind them and her eyes narrowed. The entrance was encircled by a depiction of the gate itself. On either side were two suns, carved into the stone and inlaid with gold.

O'Neill followed her gaze and felt an overriding sense of disbelief. The damp, primitive chamber, which held the gate, was in total contrast to the opulence which he saw here. He shook his head.

"Carter, does something seem odd to you? I mean apart from the obvious?" he said quietly as they moved forward.

Sam tried to shrug the man's hand from her shoulder where his somewhat long talons were biting through her jacket and into her skin but he held firm, her struggles only causing him to grip tighter.

"I'm not sure, sir. I mean this is pretty nice compared to where we've just come from," she answered, wincing. "Ouch, will you cut it out," she said and tried elbowing the man. He arched his body away from her and glared, holding tight.

O'Neill watched the proceedings with growing anger. Almost as if the man caught his thoughts, his weapon moved an inch further into the back of O'Neill's jacket. A warning.

O'Neill continued, trying to ignore him. "Exactly. On plenty of worlds we've seen, the gate room is usually pretty okay, sometimes even guarded. On this world, we got what? The opposite. Keep the gate in the dark, in the cellar? I don't buy it." He shook his head. He'd have loved Daniel's take on this one. He suspected he'd have a few things to say about it. He realised he was missing his friend again.

"Maybe they don't use the gate anymore, sir. We didn't see any evidence of it being in regular use," Sam replied, her mind turning over what he was saying, and knowing in her heart that what she was saying was the vaguest stab in the dark.

O'Neill shook his head. "Doesn't make sense. That room we saw. The one with the chains. That sure had a purpose. Didn't look as though they chained some guard dog up down there, now did it?"

Sam nodded silently. He was right and the thought frightened her somehow.

The huge gates at the end of the throne room were flung open suddenly.

Two men marched in, stopped abruptly and then turned, their arms outstretched, weapons in each. They bowed towards one another. They were both of the same strange reptilian and human mixture.

"Is this any way to treat our guests?" a voice declared from beyond the gates.

Their captor released them both as soon as he heard the voice.

Sam swung her shoulder around in a circle, trying to free it from the knot which was now her muscle. She turned to O'Neill and caught his eye. He acknowledged the look and nodded towards her jacket, the hand gun barely visible beneath. For some reason the alien hadn't thought it necessary to check for more weapons. A fact O'Neill was strangely perturbed by, but was nevertheless counting on. She nodded in return. O'Neill felt the comforting bulge of his own weapon as it hung beneath his arm.

"I can assure you that you wouldn't get the weapon into your hands before my guards killed you," the voice continued. The owner swung into the room, long, red robes flapping around his ankles as he walked. The red material was threaded through with gold and silver and shone as the light caught it. His skin was pale and drawn and his eyes a sharp piercing blue. His hair receded to just in front of a small red cap which sat neatly on the crown of his head. He didn't seem to possess the vaguely reptilian features which his guards did. A fact which escaped neither of his guests. He reached them and made a flourish with his hand.

"I am honoured," he said and eyed O'Neill with interest. "Allow me to introduce myself, I am Zophra. And you are?" he asked, his head on one side. Sam thought he looked like a small bird listening for worms, so intent was his expression.

"We didn't say." O'Neill replied and smiled condescendingly.

"Of course you didn't. And I don't blame you for feeling hostile but I can assure you we mean you no harm," Zophra said, smiling benevolently. Too benevolently for O'Neill's liking. No one was this nice, not when they'd just stuck a weapon in your back.

"Our friends?" Sam asked, stepping forward.

"Your friends are fine. You may join them now, if you wish," he said as he turned to speak to her, and then he stopped, his eyes widening. "And you...you are female?"

Sam frowned. Okay she looked less than feminine in her combats and helmet but hell was it that much of a surprise.

Zophra's palor blushed the palest pink as he watched the frown.

"I'm sorry, I have offended you. My sincerest apologies, my dear. Let me relieve you of this," he reached out and swiftly lifted her gun from her jacket before she could react, and then reached up and pulled the helmet from her head. She moved back immediately and watched as his eyes widened. His hand moved instinctively towards her head, his fingers brushing lightly against her hair. He smiled and let them entwine into a lock of her hair, his expression one of pure rapture.

Sam felt a revulsion work its way through her until she couldn't bear it any longer and she raised her hand, gripping his wrist tightly until he released his fingers from her hair. His eyes lit with admiration at her daring, as he reached up again and fingered a single lock of hair.

O'Neill watched the proceedings with his hand poised. No matter what the guy said, he'd get to his weapon fast if he had to.

Sam had had enough. No one did that to her. Not if she didn't want them to. She took a swing and slapped him hard across the face. Within seconds one of the guards turned, his hand coming up suddenly and smashed his arm across her, forcing her to sprawl backwards across the ground.

"Imbecile," Zophra shouted, fingering his cheek as he moved his other hand from his cloak. He raised it and pointed his finger at the guard who instantly bowed his head and sunk to his knees.

"You will pay for your stupidity," he said and beckoned with his finger to the hapless man.

The man shuffled towards him, his head bowed. As he neared, Zophra reached out and pressed his hand to the man's forehead. A soft glow underneath, within his palm spread across the man's temple.

"May your friends know why you are shamed," Zophra said quietly, removing his hand and clapping both hands together, as the man slumped to the floor, his eyes open, his heart racing, his eyes registering acute pain as a deep mark appeared on his forehead..

Sam's eyes widened as she pulled herself to her feet. Two guards came into the room and immediately moved to the body.

"You did that because he pushed me?" she asked, unable to believe the severity of the punishment.

"He broke our law. The punishment is swift, painful and permanent," Zophra replied and smiled, ignoring the dragging sound of the guard being manhandled towards the doors.

"Kind of harsh, isn't it?" O'Neill said as he moved forwards, his hands raised, as a guard reached into his jacket and relieved him of his own gun.

"It is our law. We have few rules, but those which are in place, must not be broken. For a composite or underclass to touch a perfect human woman is one of them." Zophra smiled again and turned to Sam. "Especially one with such light coloured hair," he added.

O'Neill figured that if he smiled too any times he'd have to wipe the smile from his face. He felt less than benevolence coming from the guy anyway and this "underclass" thing ground at his gut.

"And you have the right to touch me?" Sam persisted. O'Neill winced. Hell, couldn't she leave it?

"I am neither composite or underclass as is obvious, my dear. I will forgive this insult for now. Please however, remember that in future," Zophra replied, his eyes narrowing, his face losing its mask for an instant, and then recovering swiftly.

Sam opened her mouth to reply and then caught O'Neill's eye. He firmly shook his head. Hell, he had to shut her up somehow, before she ended up somewhere he didn't want her to, and he ended up somewhere he didn't want to either.

"You must be tired. We rarely receive visitors through our portal. It is said that those who come through, are sent through for a purpose, by the Great Ones who reside on the other side. We must respect their decision to send you to us, and we must learn why you have been gifted to us," Zophra said as he indicated the main doors from the chamber. "There is always a reason," he added, glancing at her meaningfully, and it sent a chill through Sam.

Daniel sat with his back against the wall of a large, rather exotically decorated room. The large display of cushions were all that were provided for seating and he had placed two large red ones near to the wall and made himself as comfortable as he could. He studied the pages of his notepad carefully. What he read frightened him. He knew that the translations from the writings were rather sketchy. He didn't fully understand the Babylonian inscriptions but the meanings were painfully clear and they disturbed him.

He reached into the bowl of grape-like fruit and popped one into his mouth. The juice was refreshingly cold and sweet. As he chewed, he thought.

Teal'c stood impassively next to him, his staff weapon resting lightly at this side, his fingers linked around it. So far, no one had tried to take it.

"Teal'c, have you ever come across anything like this world?" Daniel ventured between mouthfuls, to his large friend.

"I have seen many Goa'uld worlds, Daniel Jackson, but not as this one," Teal'c replied sombrely.

"Well..it could be that it's not essentially Goa'uld, only touched by them in recent years. If it's kept its own identity, it might be that it wouldn't be recognisable as a Goa'uld stronghold, despite what we learned from those inscriptions," Daniel replied, his eyes narrowing, taking in the scarabs which wound their way around the more ornate legs of a large table against the wall.

The scraping of the door as it opened wide, distracted him from his contemplation.

Both sets of eyes turned suddenly as the doors flung open and the welcome sight of their two friends appeared at the doorway.

"Rest for a while. I will come for you when the time is right," Zophra said and bowed at all four of them. "The guards will remain at the door for your protection," he added as he turned and flourished out again.

O'Neill grimaced. "Who's he kidding?" he muttered and turned to smile at the remaining members of his team. He clapped Daniel on the back.

"Danny, my boy. Good to see you. Now give me what you've got on this place," he said and grabbing a couple of the large cushions he sat himself down to listen.

Sam sat down on a set of steps rising from the floor. They led to the back of the room. She rested her chin on her hands, listening to the two men.

"Okay. Remember that I've only just started to crack what I've seen down there, but what I did see doesn't make for good bedtime reading," Daniel said and took his glasses off to rub the corners of his eyes. He felt tired.

"So what's new? Let me have it," O'Neill said and leaned back, his arms behind his head. Damn it he might as well be comfortable if he was going to get bad news.

Daniel put his notebook down and looked at O'Neill.

"Okay, this whole complex seems to have been a glorified segregation center. That cavern, the one where the gate is, was used to ship out the lower classes, or at least the people considered to be some sort of subset of the species," Daniel said.

"And we know this because?" O'Neill said, his eyebrows raised.

"Well the writings don't give us too many facts per se, I mean it's not like some sort of library or anything, but from what I can see, the inscriptions were made by the people who were kept down there while they waited to be sent away," Daniel said, flipping his notepad to find a representative inscription.

"Care to give us an example?" O'Neill asked.

"Yes. There was one in particular which kind of summed up the whole situation," Daniel answered and started to scan his finger down his writing. "Here. Near to the gate I found this." He cleared his throat and then read.

"If we are alive, are we not entitled to freedom? What gives any being the right to shackle another, caring little for their right to be free? On what basis do you make these decisions? On what basis do you have the right to call yourself a God?"

"See, from what I'd found elsewhere added to this, it's obvious that someone, actually one person, up here was choosing who to send down there," he added thoughtfully.

Sam raised her head from her chin. "Daniel, you said, they shipped them out. Shipped them out to where?"

"Well this is the part you're not going to like," Daniel replied.

"I don't like anything you've said so far," O'Neill muttered, his arms lowered, his sense of apprehension growing.

Daniel ignored the retort and continued. "From the writings I've translated, the people who waited to leave through the Stargate were waiting to be fetched by the Goa'uld and used for slaves. The descriptions match what we've seen ourselves."

A deep silence descended on the group.

"Who would do that? To their own people?" Sam asked, her heart sinking.

Daniel hesitated.

"Why is it I sense worse news coming?" O'Neill muttered to himself, eyeing Daniel warily.

Daniel ignored him and caught Teal'c's eye. The Jaffa was silent. His face betraying no emotion.

"I guess I can't think of anything worse at the moment," Daniel conceded and then continued. "Except there appears to be a resident System Lord somewhere in this complex."

"Oh, for crying out loud, " was all that Jack could think of saying as he let Daniel's words sink right in.

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