Of Gods and Men
A Yu-Gi-Oh!/Stargate: SG-1 Crossover
Written By RogueMoon
Chapter Eight
::: :::
Then
"My Pharaoh! Please, I beg you not to do this!" Isis' voice followed him through the halls as he made his way to the stables. She had to nearly run to keep up. "Send the army, send your royal guard, sent me and the other priests! But please, do not risk yourself!"
He didn't stop. He didn't acknowledge her or her words in any way.
She nearly sobbed, "This man has already killed Mahado! And Seto and Akunadin have left us for who knows where! We need you to stay here and rule! What will happen to the kingdom if you perish! You don't even have an heir!"
His footsteps stopped. His head tilted to one side, and then he looked over his shoulder at her. She could practically see his mind working over her words, solving the problem.
"You are right. I do not have an heir," he murmured. His body turned to face her fully and he reached out, grabbing her arm. "We will rectify that now."
Her eyes widened as he pulled her into a room and pushed her against a wall. She couldn't think properly as he pressed himself into her and began kissing her neck, his hands wandering.
"My Pharaoh! I am a high priestess!"
"Yes. Who better than you to bear my child?"
"But I must remain a virgin to perform my duties."
"You have new duties. As of this moment you are my bride," He pulled back long enough to look in her eyes. "Your belly will swell with the essence of my seed and bear a child to be my heir whether I live or die this night." His eyes flashed and his voice echoed his next words, "I do not wish to force you, Isis, but I will if I must."
She shut her eyes and tired to relax as his lips met her throat once more. She could not defy her God.
::: :::
He had left four hours ago. She waited in the throne room. On his throne. She wore the crown of the Queen of the Nile. None questioned her.
Her fingers traced the eye that adorned the necklace resting against her throat. They lingered for a moment and then moved to the now tender skin laying just below the jewelry. He had marked her, bruised her with his mouth.
None questioned her when she had made her way to the throne room and took up the crown. Her clothes disheveled and the blood of her lost womanhood staining her skirts. The blood had begun to dry, matting the otherwise pristine white. She had yet to change.
Some of the courtiers looked at her askance. Some of the priests looked like they wanted to decry her aparent blasphemy. But no one did. Not yet. She still wore the necklace. She was still favored.
As she should be. The Pharaoh's wife and regent until his child came of age should he perish this night. She hoped he lived.
Heavy footsteps echoed unnaturally through the Palace. The court turned their heads to the entrance and watched as Seto appeared down the hall, striding towards them.
It was strange. Strange how even though they were no where near him, those in the room shrunk back from him. The aura of hostility palpable even at a distance.
Isis wanted to pull away. Her hands curled, tightening on the armrests of the throne as she forced herself to sit up straighter and meet the High Priest's gaze.
The man smirked, an air of evil surrounding him, tainting his voice, "I bring news. The Pharaoh is dead."
A collective gasp echoed through the room.
Isis raised an eyebrow, "And you know this how, High Priest?"
"The magic of the Shadow Realm, of course. I felt his death. Didn't you?"
She fingered the necklace, "I felt a disturbance, yes. But not his death."
"You should check again."
She frowned and concentrated on the magic, seeking out the will of her Pharaoh. Her eyes shut as her heart seemed to collapse in her chest. She could not feel him. He was gone. But so was the thief who had stolen Mahado's life. And Akunadin. He was gone too. So much death.
Her eyes opened and she glared at Seto, "The Pharaoh is dead."
"And with no heir, it falls to the High Priest to take his place." His grin made her skin crawl.
Her smile of triumph, she was pleased to note, caught him off guard, "He has an heir."
That made him pause. He looked at her. Really looked at her. Took in the crown she wore, the condition of her clothes. His eyes widened as his breath released a quiet and horrified 'no'.
She laughed, "Yes."
"When?"
"Not four hours ago, High Priest. He named me his lady wife and buried his seed within me. It now grows."
His face twisted in rage. When had he become so hateful of his Pharaoh, his best friend? "You cannot know if his seed took root."
"You question a God's ability to create life?"
"He wasn't a god."
What sound had been in the room stopped. Now her face became twisted in rage as she hissed out a single word in an disbelieving whisper, "Blasphemy."
His answering laugh chilled her to the bone, "Blasphemy? We both know his power only came from the items. It is the same power you and I and Shada and Karim now share."
She stood, a rightous rage filling her, "You are stripped of your place as High Priest. You will relinquish the Rod and you will be executed at dawn."
"No." He lifted the rod and the Shadows began to envelop them, "We play for the right to rule."
::: :::
Now
Yugi smiled at Shadi and stretched his arms up as he yawned, "Hi."
"My Pharaoh?" the man asked, looking suspiciously at SG-1. "Are you well?"
"Yes, Shadi," the boy's voice echoed as his eyes flashed. "They did not harm us. They sought only answers. Answers that will be provided later so that we do not upset the sensibilities of those who are unaware."
The taller, older man nodded slowly, accepting the statement without further question and turning away to lead the group back to the more public dig site, "A golden sarcophagus was just found. Solid gold. Your grandfather has already left to begin helping look it over with Professor Bakura."
"Really? When will it be opened?" Yugi replied eagerly, his voice back to normal as he purposely ignored the tension the rest of the group was giving off. It would all be dealt with later, no sense letting it ruin their fun now.
"After the rest of the room has been fully cataloged, of course," Shadi replied calmly. "But I'm certain your grandfather's presence and authority will allow you and your friends to have an up close look at it before you leave today. Do you still wish to tour Khafre's temple before you leave this day, my Pharaoh?"
He opened his mouth to answer but was interrupted by Daniel's voice, "Actually. I think I know a more interesting place to visit."
The group stopped walking towards the center of the dig's activity and looked at the man. He held up the blue-jeweled bracelet, "Thor intercepted our signal, but the rings still work. Meaning there's still something buried deep below the pyramid. Something Gao'uld. Personally, I'd find it more interesting to see what we can before having to turn this over to the Earth-side investigators at the SGC."
"SGC?" Ryou asked quietly, looking at the bracelet. "Rings?"
"The organization we're from. It's command center," the scientist replied before Jack could stop him. The aforementioned man gave an exasperated sigh while Daniel continued, "This activates a ring platform. One that will take us to an underground complex Yu- Atemu mentioned -"
"It's Yugi," the boy interupted. "Please. Just Yugi."
Daniel tilted his head and nodded, "The underground complex Yugi mentioned when he found this. Probably still stuffed to the brim with Gao'uld technology."
Jack's face scrunched, "Not sure I like the idea of taking two snakes down there."
"Whether you like it or not, sir," Sam interjected, "We should at least get a preliminary report on what to expect down there. And we'll be watching them. If nothing else, they are cooperating with us right now. I don't expect you to act like they're Tok'ra or anything but we don't nessicarily need to worry about them. Not with the puzzle so easy to remove."
"We're standing right here you know," Ryou nearly growled out, crossing his arms and glaring up at the two.
Jack smiled down at the kid, "Yeah. I know. Funny that." He turned to Samantha, "Its on you and Daniel if I have to clean up a mess."
"Yes, sir," the blonde sighed in a breath that sounded very long suffering.
Shadi turned back and began walking again, his tone dry, "If you are all done, we do have a sarcophagus to see before further violating the sacred sites of my homeland."
::: :::
Back at Stargate Comand, a coded transmission was received by one of the lower level flunkies who then hastily brought the data to General Hammond's attention.
The General, still tired and running on several cups of coffee looked over the information presented to him and would have cursed up a storm if it had been in his temperment. Instead he headed back down to Gate Control and had yet another message sent out to the Tok'ra, asking for Mnevis to return for a prolonged period of time and then had the medical records they had received sent to those best able to understand the secrets obviously contained within.
And then he went to bed with strict orders not to wake him unless there was an emergency, with 'emergency' being defined as nothing short of a foothold situation. He needed some rest.
::: :::
Seto Kaiba slammed his forehead against his desk and let out a muffled, very frustrated yell. He couldn't find what was wrong with his program. All the code was correct. The code on the disk itself was correct. And yet, one moment it had Bakura in orbit and the next, the prick was back in Egypt about 100 miles from where he should be.
Something was obviously wrong. And he, Kaiba, could not figure it out.
This never happened.
He could always figure it out.
Another frustrated, muffled scream filled his office as he went back to the beginning of the most basic code holding together the operations of his duel disk system.
::: :::
An hour later and the group consisting of SG-1, the children and Shadi were back where the boys had found the ring activator. The sarcophagus had been interesting. It was a mundane, non-Gao'uld one. Detailed craftamenship. Probably not occupied. Best guess that it had been planned to be of use but something, likely a shift in political power of the temples at the time, had caused it to be left in what was quickly determined to be a crafting room before it could ever be used.
The prayers on its side had been incomplete and from the way some of the gold was flaking, it was not, in fact, solid gold. It just appeared that way at first due to the gold leaf painted onto it. Very detailed craftsmenship. It would be interesting to study and Grandpa Motou was already deeply engrossed in helping document the new site. He would be hard to pry away when they left later.
Shadi stood outside what the group had determined to be the edge of the Ring portal. He would stay up top to keep an eye out for when they had to return. SG-1 still wasn't sure how he seemed to be communicating with Yugi, but it worked and unlike the visit to the underground complex, that could be figured out and gone over later.
When the all clear was given, Daniel put on the bracelet and pressed the blue stone. A moment later, the large rings rose up once more and engulfed them, leading them into darkness.
::: :::
That was the last straw for Kaiba. It couldn't possibly be his system. His programming was perfect. But for some reason, Bakura's disk registered as being over 80 feet under the desert surface in Giza. And it hadn't been a slow decent. It had been him on the surface one second, and 80 feet below the next.
Growling, Seto slammed his fingers down on the panel that let him use the disk's like his own personal phone network and called the man. Obviously the white haired freak had tampered with the system. He had to find out what. And how.
::: :::
"So, um... its really dark," Jack's voice echoed in the, well, darkness.
A sarcastic chuckle from one of the boys, either Ryou or Marik, "Well, yes. We're underground. No light."
Oh I wish I were an Oscar Meyer Wiener...
"Is that...?"
That is what I'd really like to be...
"Sorry, that's my phone." Ryou's voice, slightly embarassed.
Cause if I were an Oscar Meyer Wiener...
"The Oscar Meyer Wiener song is your ringtone?"
The song ended and Ryou's voice filled the silence, "Hello Kaiba... Of course I knew it was you. You're the only one who calls via the disk... What?... No. Of course not... Like I know how to do that... I swear... Really? Huh... How interesting... um, no? Oh hey! You're breaking up... sorry, got to go!"
A click and then silence broken by a stress filled sigh.
Yugi's voice was next, "What did Kaiba want?"
"He thought I had hacked his disk system and messed it up because my signal's been jumping around so much."
Oh I wish I were an Oscar Meyer Wie-
The ring tone cut off and the group could practically feel the embarassment rolling off Ryou, "I'll just turn it off for now. Anyone have a flashlight?"
Another sigh, this time from Yugi as the puzzle began to glow, slowly shedding light on their location. His eyes were shut tight, concentrating.
The shadows began to pull away, revealing long abandoned and dust covered floors and walls. Classic Gao'uld decoration in a vast chamber, reminisent of Ra's throne room.
The light began to flow off Yugi, a slow wave as he settled to his knees, leaning forward on his hands, sweat beginning to bead on his forehead
Samantha's hand on Jack's arm stopped him from putting his gun to the boy's head. He looked back at her and then at the kid as the light continued to spread.
Ryou stepped up next to him and then knelt down, hand on the Japanese boy's back. His eyes slid shut as well, something beneath his shirt lighting up as he joined the former Pharoh in the task.
It seemed like forever before the two nearly collapsed on each other, gasping for air. The glow that had spread across the floor like water continued moving, stretching out over the chamber. Seeking the electronics that should have been lighting the place and covering the sconces, barely disturbing the dust, kicking it up to swirl at the ankles of the group like a light fog. In moments, the room was fully lit and awaiting exploration.
"How did you do that?" Carter asked, hand still on Jack's arm, as if she had forgotten that she was touching him. She probably had.
Yugi sat back on his heels and turned to look at the woman, his eyes flashing, "The Puzzle. Its part of the magic. Not really sure, actually. Other than I needed light and the Puzzle was willing to oblige, if I concentrated hard enough and provided the energy needed."
"The nanites then," Carter concluded. "They're controlled via the Puzzle. You just released... I have no idea how many trillions upon trillions of nanites into this room with the express purpose of lighting it."
Both Yugi and Ryou stared at Sam like she had grown a third head. Yes, a third one. Then they shrugged and said in unison, as if linked somehow, "Whatever."
Jack was glaring and Daniel shifting on his feet nervously. Teal'c just stood there waiting. Sam finally noticed that her hand was still on Jack's arm. Having the presence of mind to blush slightly, she removed it and stepped forward, "I think the first item of business is to find the main control room and see if we can get power to this place and maybe a run down of what the facilities were used for... unless you care to share with us?"
Yugi shrugged again and got to his feet, dusting off his pants, "Ra never told me much other than it housed many of the Jaffa and other God-touched Preists. But I think the control room is this way." He pointed towards the other side of the chamber and began to move off, the Puzzle glowing pleasantly.
Jack gave Carter a 'look' before following after, the Ryou boy and Marik next in line with the end taken by Daniel and Teal'c. Both of whom took out their weapons. Just in case.
::: :::
Mnevis once more stepped through the Stargate and onto Earth. She bowed slightly to the guards who held their guns at the ready and the woman who smiled in greeting. The woman stepped forward as the gate closed and the soldiers relaxed their stances, "Hello. I'm Dr. Fraiser. I don't believe we've been introduced before."
Mnevis took the hand and shook it, "Tept/Mnevis. I do hope I are not here by mistake. Tept was informed that General Hammond wished to speak with me again. I was expecting him to greet us."
"Of course. General Hammond did ask for you to return. However, he has gone to bed and left me in charge of seeing to your needs. If you'll come with me, I can explain on the way," the doctor replied, moving off the steel platform and out the door as her guest followed and one of the soldiers fell in behind them.
Mnevis nodded, not at all perturbed at the caution taken as she walked sedately behind Dr. Fraiser.
The doctor took the manila folder that was tucked under an arm and opened it, "You are aware of the Gao'uld known as Atemu, correct?"
"Yes, that is why General Hammond asked me to come the first time."
"Of course." A friendly smile thrown back to the other woman before the doctor continued, "Well, in the last couple hours, SG-1 made contact with Atemu."
"He is alive?" Genuine surprise.
"Something like that. There seem to be some extenuating circumstances and General Hammond wanted your input on them as you are the only one outside of the Gao'uld himself that might actually know anything. And as of yet, despite not acting as an apparent threat, we cannot trust Atemu enough to know if what he and his compainion snake say is the truth or not. Not without an Asgard lie detector and we can only access that every once in a while."
"I see."
"We also need to know if you reckonize some objects that were found with the two Gao'uld."
"Two? Is the other a Queen?"
"Not that we can tell."
"That is good."
Fraiser nodded and let the way into her office, stepping around behind the desk and turning the computer screen so Mnevis could view it. Pictures of a golden inverted pyramid with the Eye of Ra adorning it, as well as the three boys were waiting.
The Tok'ra let out a soft gasp at the sight of Yugi.
"You reckonize the object?" Fraiser asked.
Mnevis shook her head, "No. I reckonize Atemu. His face and body have changed, but he has kept his hair."
"His hair?"
"Yes. His hair. The black with the blonde. It is something Ra did to him to keep Hathor in line. Ra made the boy's bangs blonde and chopped off the rest. Every time it grew out, he would have it chopped off again and a wig made of it for Hathor to wear. It was the only part of Atemu that he would allow Hathor to have. She was very attracted to her son and would try to mate with him if not watched."
Dr. Fraiser shuddered a bit, "That's not something I'd wish on anyone."
"There was a reason I wore an unattractive body while in her service. Outside of the obvious reasons."
"Understood. So we can add that the Gao'uld still clings to reminders of his past with how his hair is done," she typed a note and added it to the file. "What about the pendant."
"I do not reckonize it... but I feel like I should."
"According to SG-1's reports, it's a prison."
"A prison?"
"For Gao'uld. Preliminary study has it being of Furling origin, though the design is clearly Gao'uld. Apparently it takes a Gao'uld and traps it in a... 'pocket dimension' that is like a giant shadow of our reality. Anyone who wears it will have their body taken over by the Gao'uld imprisoned. But unlike a normal host relationship, as soon as the pendant is removed, the Gao'uld is as well, with no harm done to the host."
"Oh my. That seems like a very good thing..."
"Oh yes, the possibilities presented by it could completely alter the war with the System Lords. In our favor of course."
"Of course," the Tok'ra grinned at the doctor.
Fraiser clicked through a new command prompt and brought up new pictures and the medical reports, "Furling nanites have taken over the bodies of these three boys. One of them, the one with the hair, is host to Atemu. He wears the pendant and-"
"I have seen it!" Mnevis cut in, suddenly remembering. "Akunumkanon wore it. The father of Atemu's host."
"Do you know if the Pharaoh before him wore it?"
"No... No he didn't. Akunumkanon didn't even start wearing it until after... after Atemu's fifteenth birthday." It was like something in the Tok'ra's head suddenly clicked. "That's what Ra was doing. This... this must be one of the seven items..."
Dr. Fraiser held up a finger and quickly searched for a recorder, she could type it up later so long as she had this part recorded.
::: :::
End Chapter.