Teal'c glanced up at the darkening skies, his demeanor matching the environment more and more as the minutes dragged on.

The first of the two search teams, SG-3, had arrived less than an hour after his initial report to General Hammond. Since then, SG-5 had also joined their efforts to discover the fate of his missing teammates.

Nearly four hours had passed and nothing had changed except the passage of time. Soon, twilight and then nightfall itself would be upon them and their search efforts would have to be abandoned.

"Teal'c?"

Focusing on the SG-3 team leader approaching him, Teal'c drew his darkening thoughts to a close. "Major Warren, do you have news?"

"Castleman spotted something in one of the far buildings and he's going to investigate with Peterson," he reported, his expression grim. "After I hear back from them I'm going to order the teams home. There's not much more we can do here tonight."

Even though the words struck deeply, Teal'c knew the truth in them. He inclined his head toward the man in a gesture of understanding and acceptance. His tone, however, told another story. "Very well, Major Warren."

"I don't like it any more than you do, but these ruins are dangerous and precarious even in the daylight."

"I concur," Teal'c said, but before he could continue Peterson's voice flashed over the radio.

"Warren, do you copy?"

"Here," the Major replied, his hand holding the call button down. "What did you find?"

"You wouldn't believe it, but I think we found SG-1's packs."

Teal'c's eyebrow rose as Warren 's eye's widened. "You think?"

"These are SG-1's packs without a doubt. We have Doctor Jackson's digital camcorder, three vests and backpacks—one complete with the Doctor's stash of chocolate bars, another with Colonel O'Neill's extra clips of ammunition, two P90s, three standard issue side arms, and the Colonel's knife."

"Any sign of SG-1?"

"Nothing, Sir. No tracks of any kind in the area either," Peterson answered. "It's as if all just appeared here out of thin air."

Teal'c's frown deepened.

"Bring everything back to the gate," Warren ordered after a moment's pause. "We're going back to the SGC and taking it with us. It's time to call it a night."

"We still have a little light left," Peterson protested, but Warren cut him off.

"Negative. You still have to hike from the far side of the city as is and I don't want you out there in the dark any longer than absolutely necessary. We'll continue this at first light."

"Yes, Sir. We'll be there in twenty. Peterson out."

Warren clicked off and turned to Teal'c, a grim expression on his face. "This doesn't look good."

"It does not," Teal'c said.

"We'll find them, Teal'c. I promise," Warren said, turning away. "We have to."

Jack O'Neill scrubbed a hand across his face as he prowled around the room looking for any clue, any indication as to where they might be. The distinct lack of lighting, however, made the search a tad bit more difficult.

They'd each taken a section of the room, carefully going over every inch, but so far, nothing had popped out at them.

That, in Jack O'Neill's book of cosmic possibilities, was a good thing

Although, not finding anything at all—including a way out of this charming place—was not a good thing either.

Stopping in his tracks, Jack sighed, his gaze catching the hint of a solid structure.

Was it getting lighter in here?

"Guys?" he called out, taking a step closer to what looked like a wall, his hands reaching forward.

"Jack?" Daniel's voice floated in from the left.

His stretched-out hand finally encountered cold stone. Wall. He had a wall. Glancing toward the left and the right, his gaze flowing over the dark marble, Jack swore he could see a break in the line. He began moving toward it.

"Carter? Daniel? Come here."

"Where exactly, Jack?"

"I don't know," he said, exasperation shading his tone. "Head toward the sound of my voice. I think I found something."

"What do you think it is?" Carter's voice was faint but clear.

"I found the wall and I think a doorway," Jack said, his fingertips brushing against the end of the wall. "Yep, there's definitely an opening here."

"Jack?"

"Yes, Daniel?"

"Why does it seem brighter over here?"

"I don't know. Does it?" Jack peered cautiously around the corner, catching the faint hint of a corridor with more rooms beyond.

"Yes, it does."

Jack shrugged, not caring that no one else saw the gesture. "Maybe they decided to turn up the lights for us. Try and make us more comfortable."

"But why, Sir?" Carter's voice was louder this time, hovering somewhere off to his right.

"I don't know, Carter. How about we ask the dynamic duo the next time we see them."

"I think I'll pass," Daniel said, the words loud in his ear.

"Don't do that!" Jack exclaimed, nearly jumping out of his skin, as he turned around to glare at the archeologist hovering less than a foot from his left shoulder.

"Do what, Sir?" Carter added, spinning him around in a complete circle.

"That," he said, narrowing his eyes at this second-in-command and the half smirk on her face. He looked past her, back toward the platform, and noticed that the room behind them had darkened until it was nearly black. The path ahead of them, however, had brightened noticeably.

"Curiousier and curiousier," he commented, his annoyance at his two teammates neatly forgotten.

"Huh?"

Jack glanced back toward Daniel, meeting his friend's perplexed gaze. Lifting his hand, Jack gestured down the corridor. "I think we should check this out."

"You think?"

"Seems like an idea, besides, I don't feel like sitting in the dark."

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Carter glance around, her observations matching his own. "It seems like they want us to go this way."

"Either that or this facility is reacting to our presence, turning the lights on or off as needed," Daniel suggested.

Jack shrugged, stepping forward into the now lightened corridor. "I guess we'll see what's behind door number one."

Jack shivered, the cold of the hallways seeping past his BDUs and into his skin. They'd been walking for a while; investigating each of the rooms they passed. So far, they'd all been empty.

Thankfully.

There was something about the Yalamanchi that Jack didn't like. It was more than merely disliking them for kidnapping them for no apparent reason. That, actually, didn't bother him that much. Come to think of it, that probably said something about him and the universe in general. But that was another story entirely.

But what was it, really? Was it their attitude? Their superiority complex? Was it the air of oppressiveness they brought with them? Or perhaps their bad taste in clothing?

Something about them just didn't sit right. Sooner or later he'd figure out what it was. He just hoped it was sooner, rather than later.

It was a little disconcerting to see Jack skulking around when an hour ago he'd been flat on his back with a concussion, bruised ribs, and who knows what other problems that he'd failed to mention in true Jack O'Neill style.

Not that he was complaining, mind you, but it was just a little strange.

Daniel sighed, rubbing the back of his neck as Jack ducked into yet another room. They'd been all the same—empty with minimal furniture, a chair here or there. Every now and then they'd find some kind of desk or table-like structure.

The echoing silence was unnerving.

He glanced at Sam who was standing in the doorway to the room, keeping an eye on Jack's six. While Daniel was supposed to be watching the hall, he found his eyes wandering further down the corridor where the color of the light noticeably changed. The bright white light they'd gotten used to was staying with them as they moved; turning on as they progressed further while the areas they passed faded into darkness once again.

There'd been no sign of their captors or that woman or any evidence that this facility had been inhabited by anyone else.

It was like someone had only begun to move in, but had never completed their task.

Casting a glance toward Sam who'd ducked a little further into the room to keep Jack in sight—apparently this room was a little larger than the rest—Daniel made up his mind. Moving silently he padded down the hall, the light brightening gradually as he walked.

It took about two minutes for Sam to notice he'd moved and, by then, he'd gotten a good head start.

"Daniel?" He heard her call, the word followed by a pregnant pause, her eyes obviously searching the corridor. She found him a few beats later. "Daniel!"

When he didn't respond, in his mind's eye he could see her turning to Jack and reporting what he'd done. Daniel knew the look of annoyance that was bound to cross Jack's face.

This whole methodical searching of every empty room was grating on his nerves.

He heard Jack's bellow a few seconds later. "Daniel! For crying out loud, why can't you listen for once?"

The pounding of footfalls accompanied the question, but Daniel didn't care. He'd found what was at the end of the corridor. Rounding the final corner, the hall opened into a cavernous room, its ceiling hidden in the darkness.

Pristine tables and cabinets surrounded him, many with what looked like various kinds of advanced technology sitting on top.

This was a laboratory. A huge laboratory.

But even as he tried to take everything in, his eyes were drawn toward the back of the room where several glass structures stood, their contents clearly evident, a label beneath each.

Lyssa

Rhodri

Daniel heard Sam and Jack stop short behind him as the room loomed into view. And he knew exactly when they found the tubes at the end. Sam inhaled sharply, while Jack muttered his usual, "Damn".

The faces of the Tok'ra were frozen in time, an expression of horror and pain etched deeply into their flesh.

But there was more.

Three more tubes, each with a single label. These, however, were empty, but for how long, Daniel did not know.

Carter

Jackson

O'Neill

"Well," Jack finally said, his words thick with resignation. "We found the Tok'ra."

The shrieking of the klaxon as it echoed off the concrete of the underground mountain complex could wake the dead. At least, that's what General George Hammond sometimes thought—especially when he had a headache.

And this one was a doozy.

Why was it that SG-1 had the knack for giving him migraines? The medical specialists claimed that gate travel was hazardous for your health, and when it came to the adventures—or misadventures—of SG-1, Hammond had to agree.

It was never simple, but then, what else did he expect from this command? He was dealing with aliens on a daily basis. Not exactly a lot of preparation to be had on Earth for this—unless of course you worked in Washington.

His rubber-soled shoes squeaked slightly as he hurried down the stairs to the control room. Master Sergeant Walter Harriman turned to face him, a finger pressed to his earpiece.

"It's SG-3 and 5, Sir. They're returning along with Teal'c."

"We have an iris code?" Hammond asked stepping up behind the Stargate Technician, his eyes scanning the console.

"Yes, Sir, receiving it now."

"Open the iris," he ordered, already moving to the side stairs that would take him into the corridor outside the Gate room. An Airman, seeing him approach, swiped his access card through the reader and the thick steel door slid open. Without pausing, Hammond walked in, stopping at the ramp as Major Warren and the rest of the search parties lumbered down from the Stargate's event horizon, Teal'c finally appearing as the wormhole closed with a snap-hiss behind him.

Warren paused at the bottom while Lieutenant Peterson and Major Castleman moved past carting several pounds of extra gear. "We didn't find them, Sir, but we did find their equipment." Warren tilted his head toward the men that had walked past. "It was all piled in one of the buildings, but there was no sign of SG-1 at all. No footprints, no nothing. It's like they vanished into thin air."

"That's not possible," Hammond huffed, unwilling to believe it.

Warren sighed, the sound rumbling in his chest. "Unfortunately in this case, it seems to be true. Sir, I'd like permission to continue the search at first light."

Hammond narrowed his eyes, his mind whirling in ten thousand different directions. His first instinct was to say yes, to let them continue in the morning, but there were other missions scheduled, other factors to consider. How much manpower could they devote to finding one team? That was always the issue, finding the balance, and it was never easy.

His heart told him to go, while his mind told him to stay.

Nodding slowly, the muscles along his jaw clenched. "Major, you can take SG-3 in the morning, but SG-5 has a mission scheduled for tomorrow that will not wait."

"Thank you, Sir. We'll do out best." Warren inclined his head and stepped around Hammond, leading his team out into the hallway and down to the infirmary.

Sighing, Hammond retraced his steps through the control room and back up to the briefing room, his feet pausing at the window overlooking the Gate room. His muttered words died instantly on the air.
"Jack, where the hell did you go?"

"I see you have discovered our lab," Kyran said, his voice coming from behind, floating on the air. The sound instantly turned SG-1 around and out of the corner of her eye Sam caught a flash of surprise race across the Colonel's face before it was gone, his expression fixed in an unreadable mask. How both of the aliens managed to appear again—and this time directly behind them—without a sound she'd never know. The fact that Colonel O'Neill didn't hear it made her even uneasier. The Colonel was someone you just couldn't sneak up on.

At least, that's what she'd always thought.

"Hard to miss," O'Neill quipped as he crossed his arms over his chest, his eyes narrowing as he studied their captors.

"You are a most interesting species," Kyran continued, ignoring O'Neill's comment. "So determined. Resourceful, yet cautious. We did not expect you to reach this far into our facility so quickly. However, we are prepared for you. Only a few more tests are required."

"We've seen the results of your tests," O'Neill said and Sam turned her head, glancing to her commanding officer. His back had stiffened and the muscles along his jaw had tightened. O'Neill tilted his head a little, the gesture referring back to the glass tubes along the wall. "We've seen the results of your tests and we'd rather not stay."

"And we found who we were looking for," Daniel said, his voice still holding the remnants of his disgust. "Did they also have the opportunity to experience your tests?"

Nouri silently padded past them and Sam traced the smaller alien with her eyes, watching as he turned machines on throughout the room. Lights on a variety of surfaces illuminated, blinking in response to his touch.

"They were not fit subjects for our purposes," Kyran replied. "We did not kill them as you suspect. Their own imperfections were responsible."

"But if it weren't for you and this insane torture chamber they wouldn't be dead in the first place," O'Neill responded, his tone cold.

"Come," Kyran said, beginning to move toward SG-1. "Our time is short."

"Not going to happen," O'Neill said, but he, along with Daniel and Sam, instinctively took several steps back as the alien approached. Whatever the alien planned, Sam was positive that none of them wanted anything to do with it.

"But Colonel, have you not already guessed?" Kyran said, moving even closer. "Your cooperation is not optional."

A flash of light and Daniel and the Colonel vanished, leaving Sam alone.

"Now Captain," Kyran turned, fixing his pale eyes on her. "Shall we begin?"