The Burning Horror Part 5: The Enemy of My Enemy
The Burning Horror Part 5: The Enemy of My Enemy
by Constellation
Summary: After the events of "Forever in a Day", the tragedy is only beginning.
Category: Action/Adventure, Angst
Season: Season 3
Pairing: Daniel/Share
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: violence
Disclaimer: Stargate SG-1 and its characters are the property of Showtime/Viacom, MGM/UA, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Productions. I have written this story for entertainment purposes only and no money whatsoever has exchanged hands. No copyright infringement is intended. The original characters, situations, and story are the property of the author(s).
Archived on: 01/18/04
Finally! It was time!
The four invaders were together, alone, unsuspecting. It began to consume the entire building...
***
O'Neill was about to say something the lines of, "told you so", but instead asked, "Do you smell smoke?"
The three of them quickly left the tiny private study room - to find the main library in flames. "Carter! Teal'C!" he called, gagging on the thick, black smoke. How could the blaze have spread so quickly?
Through the flames, he could see them aiming fire extinguishers, spraying chemicals in a futile effort to keep the inferno at bay.
For indeed, the fire was completely unaffected, and in fact seemed to be striking at them, leaping forward to singe their hair and uniforms. It looked...
...alive.
Daniel's theory was correct - *as usual,* Jack thought. He looked around for an escape route, but all the doors were blocked. Even the windows were were covered in sheets of flame.
As the building grew unbearably hot, the Burning Horror drew closer, encircling them, and contracting. Jackson held Sha'uri close, placing himself between her and the living fire.
The ring tightened, forcing the group closer and closer together. As it crept inward, a tongue of flame sneaked past Daniel's protective embrace and licked Sha'uri's arm. She cried out in pain.
The ravenous fire vanished, coalescing into a familiar human form.
"My sincerest apologies to you. I have made a terrible mistake!" Joros said, horrified.
"A mistake?!" Sha'uri exploded. "A mistake? That is what you call lying to me and then trying to murder my husband and his friends? You sicken me!" She was trembling as she stepped away from Daniel to confront her "brother". "Why didn't you tell me that you are the *Rhakhana'ta?"*
"Would you have believed me?" Joros countered. "Never mind," he said before she could respond. "This is completely irrelevant. What matters is that you know who you are, and that our visitors are not a threat."
"Did I not try to tell you that?" Sha'uri pointed out as four pairs of eyebrows shot up.
"N-not a threat? Of course we're not a threat," Jackson said.
"As I said, it was a mistake!"
Sha'uri's eyes narrowed. "You can't tell the difference between friend and foe, can you? You're paranoid!"
"I only try to protect-"
She barreled on over him. "You indiscriminately attack anything that comes through the Stargate. Why didn't you destroy me? How many innocent people *have* you killed?"
"I... I don't know," Joros whispered, shaken. "I've been doing this for six thousand years... I can't possibly begin to make amends..."
Sha'uri's anger evaporated. "You can begin," she said gently. "You can restore one life. Let me return home with SG-1."
"But Etrar is your home! You have a new life here, and I... I've grown to love you like a sister!" At the look in her eyes, he sighed in defeat. "Very well. Go."
Daniel, Sha'uri, and Teal'C turned to leave, but stopped when O'Neill said, "Uh, small problem here, Joros. We can't go home. You destroyed the DHD."
Joros frowned. "The what?"
"The dialing device. The little round thing by the Stargate."
"Oh, that. Actually, I couldn't destroy it, so I stole it. While you and your team prepare to leave, I will return it to its original location."
"Thank you," Carter said.
***
SG-1 had barely begun packing when Daniel heard a very familiar sound. "Um, Jack?" he said. "We didn't, uh, dial the Gate... did we?"
"No..." the colonel said slowly.
The seventh chevron locked, and the wormhole engaged.
And out poured a contingent of Serpent Guards, blast lances blazing.
The team snatched up their weapons and stood to fight. Carter and O'Neill grabbed P-90s, Teal'C leveled his own lance, and Jackson took up a zatnickatel. Ducking behind trees, they returned fire.
"Sha'uri, get out of here! Go back to the village before you get hurt!" Daniel cried.
"No! I'm not leaving you!" Sha'uri picked up a zat and joined SG-1 in battle.
They were forced further and further back as the Jaffa advanced relentlessly. Trees exploded, sending branches crashing through the undergrowth, which burned. There were shrieks of animal pain as some of the local fauna were caught in the crossfire.
SG-1 had retreated almost all the way back to the village when a wall of flame rose up behind the Jaffa. The sides began to curve forward to trap them.
From it came Joros's voice. "I'll take care of them! Go! Get out of here!"
SG-1 and Sha'uri doubled back toward the clearing where the Stargate stood. Daniel stopped at the DHD and dialed Earth. It was difficult to see the symbols through the smoke that enveloped the device.
The stench of burning flesh made him sick. After what seemed like an eternity, the wormhole engaged. Jackson and Sha'uri made a break for it, Sha'uri's long legs carrying her ahead of Daniel and through the Stargate first. Carter, O'Neill, and Teal'C hung back, shooting at the pursuing Serpent Guards.
Daniel had almost reached the ramp when something slammed into his back from behind. Time seemed to slow down as his knees buckled and he fell. He thought he felt something tear as he hit the ground, but decided, in an inexplicably detached, clinical part of his mind, that it was probably just scorched nerves finally registering pain.
*At least Sha'uri is safe on Earth,* he thought.
But the last thing he saw before he passed out was the Stargate. Something was wrong with the Stargate...
Sha'uri could be anywhere, he realized as the wormhole collapsed. Daniel moaned. He'd lost her. *Again.* The very thought was agony.
All nine chevrons had been lit...
If you enjoyed this story, please send feedback to Constellation
Heliopolis Main Archive
A Stargate: SG-1 Fanfiction Site
Burning Horror Part 5: The Enemy of My Enemy, The
by ConstellationSite Navigation
Support Heliopolis