The first thing the she became aware of was the feeling of warmth against her back. The slight puffs of air gusting softly against her skin. Something had woken her but she couldn’t figure out what. It wasn’t unusual to find Frodo curled up in her bed, so that couldn’t be what it was. Then she heard it.

“Same here.” Shado agreed. “The last thing I ever wanted was a bond mate. Especially…” her voice trailed off.

“One like Jack O’Neill. I think you all deserve each other.” Faln snickered.

“Hey at least he’s from this planet.” Brit groaned. “Not that I’m complaining mind… but this has really gone twilight zone.”

“Seriously, any idea how this happened? I mean, we all are way too careful to allow something like this.” Brit asked. Shado shook her head.

“It shouldn’t have plain and simple. You are right, we have too much practice and experience to bond during just a casual….” Faln’s choking caught Shado’s attention. “Ok so it wasn’t exactly casual for any of us, but still….” Her voice trailed off for a moment. Suddenly she slammed her fist on the deck railing. “Sonofabitch. I don’t believe this shit. They wouldn’t, couldn’t… oh fuck. They did.” Her frantic mutterings finally began to make since. Faln and Brit shared wide-eyed stares as sick comprehension flooded their beings.

“The avatars.” They whispered.

Shado sat on the deck long after Faln and Brit had gone back to bed. Jack was still sleeping and she used the newly forged bond to reinforce that. She needed time to think to evaluate this change. Her mind knew this shouldn’t, couldn’t be allowed to remain. It was wrong on so many levels. Her life, hell their lives, were too complicated for this type of entanglement. She needed a drink. Too comfortable to move she directed a small bit of power; the resulting clink of a scotch-filled glass prompted her to pick it up. The twelve-year-old liquid burned a smooth path to her stomach warming the chill that had settled there.

In twenty-odd years of association with the avatars she had known them to do many things, not all pleasant but usually harmless. Until now that was. This ‘interference’; she snorted, nice euphemism had the potential for devastation for all parties involved. She didn’t know how Daniel or Teal’c would react upon waking but she had a fair idea of Jack’s reaction. The colonel was too much like herself in many ways. Independent to a fault; repressedwas the word that flitted through her mind. Too many things that needed to be hidden for both of them just to survive on a daily basis. Nope, indeed O’Neill would be most displeased by this connection between them; it unsettled her as much as it would him.

She finished the scotch with an angry gulp. The only choices she could see available to her now were ones that she didn’t like. Choice one would be to keep this bonding and never be alone again, holding him against his will; or choice two, break it, rip it out of her soul and leave a gaping wound that would never heal. Neither prospect would leave her with any chance at happiness. Self-pity wound its way around her. I should be used to this, she thought angrily. I have always been alone, why should this be any different?

She groaned softly as Jack snuggled deeper into sleep, his presence in the bond tugging her to join him. He was warmth in the cold places she had schooled herself to ignore over the years, his aura filling the holes in her own, creating the desire to keep him, to remain whole at last.

“Oh for crying out loud.” She muttered. Just sitting here thinking was going to do no good. There were too many things to consider, too many possibilities that she couldn’t see and the hour was way too late for thoughts to make sense. Irritated she stood; she would deal with this in the morning light. She could feel Jack stir as her irritation and anger leached through the bond. Tamping it down firmly, she sent him deep into sleep once again. Quietly, she rejoined Jack in the bedroom. Frodo curled on the floor at the foot of the bed, his soft sigh of contentment echoed briefly. She cautiously slipped back under the sheets and curled on her side. The movement made Jack roll over and he spooned up against her, slipping his arm once more around her waist. ‘This sucks.’She thought as sleep began to reclaim her. ‘But I could get used to this.’

Pale sunlight in his eyes woke Jack first. He blinked against the intrusion and confusion until he remembered the past evening. Dinner with the Circle, the teasing between old friends and new, laughter then dancing at a nightclub that he would never have entered except as a guest. His sleep fogged mind filled in the pieces from that point. Shado flirting, moving in his arms to the rhythm of the music. Their return to Sanctuary and subsequently to this room.

Her weight was warmth against his back, something he missed since Sara’s departure. His current lifestyle didn’t lend itself to relationships. Too much time off world, too many secrets to be kept. Not that he had been celibate but one-night stands didn’t invoke feelings of comfort, just the means to scratch an itch. Stifling the urge to pull her against him, he rolled over cautiously, his inner voice telling him this had been a bad idea, a very bad idea. He covered his eyes with his arm and as he lay there assessing the situation; he knew that something had changed. Part of his brain still felt asleep. He scrubbed a hand over his face in an attempt to jar himself awake. ‘Must have had a bit much to drink.’ He thought. But this didn’t feel like a hangover at least not one he had ever experienced. As he lay there, he couldn’t dismiss the awareness that something was terribly wrong.

Something warm and wet pressed against his arm startling him for a moment. He opened his eyes to find a pair of brown ones staring hopefully into his face. Frodo bumped him again with his nose, whining softly.

“What’s the matter Big Guy? You need out?” Jack whispered trying not to wake Shado. Another faint whine and the thump of a tail gave all the answer he needed. Gingerly, Jack untangled himself from the sheets and stood. Shado groaned softly and snuggled into the warm spot he had vacated. He fished his pants off a chair, and zipped them. As quietly as he could, he opened the door to let the dog out, following him on tiptoe.

“I sure hope you know where you are going.” He muttered as he followed the dog down the hall. Frodo led him unerringly to the main family room and Jack had to grin at the look he was given as he fumbled to open the slider. Gratefully, Frodo bounded out on to the deck and then into the dew soaked back yard.

“Jack.” He jumped with a yelp and turned to find Daniel standing behind him cradling a cup of steaming coffee.

“Dammit Daniel, warn a guy next time.” He ran a hand through his hair. “How long have you been up?”

“Long enough.” Daniel quirked an eyebrow. “Teal’c is in the kitchen. Want some coffee?” Jack nodded. “Be right back. I think we need to talk.”

Jack turned back to watching the dog playing in the yard. Frodo was currently killing a tree limb that he had dragged out of the tree line. Daniel reappeared at his shoulder followed closely by Teal’c. He held out the mug of coffee and Jack took it gratefully. He still felt muzzy and half-asleep.

“Something’s different.” Daniel said softly. Jack snorted into his coffee.

“O’Neill both Daniel Jackson and I feel strange this morning.” Teal’c offered. “It is our belief that something occurred during the past evening that is affecting us.”

Jack stifled the urge to snark, ya think?; opting instead to agree. “Yeah I know.

“Jack I know it’s none of my business but did you… did you and Shado?” Daniel let his voice trail off, embarrassment flooding his face. Jack sent him a wry glance in answer. “So did Faln and I.”

“I also spent the evening with Briterra.” Teal’c sounded a bit smug.

“And you think that has something to do with the feeling this morning?” Jack gestured lamely with the coffee cup. “I don’t see how it could. It’s not like the first time any of us…”

“I don’t know Jack.” Daniel sipped his coffee. “I just know that when I woke up everything felt different. *I* felt different.”

“Indeed, I too am not as I was.” Teal’c’s words did nothing to reassure Jack that his feeling was nothing more than just that. A feeling. For the Jaffa to feel that something had changed made him even tenser. Yet as they talked, none of them was able to quantify the feelings they shared. He had a feeling that the only ones who could shed light on this were the ones who were currently still asleep. They would just have to wait to talk to the ladies when they woke up and hope they would be willing to answer questions.

________

Jack sat nursing another cup of coffee at the bar in the kitchen. It was still early but the only one missing was Shado. She was still soundly asleep. There had been teasing when Keeper had wandered in evidently he preferred to sleep until noon. Mention had been made of waking Shado, but the retelling of horror stories and the showing of a few scars had ended that quickly. It did however spark some stories from Sam on the hazards of waking Daniel without coffee ready and waiting. Jack listened to the exchanges with a slight smile on his face. They were getting on famously, he had to admit. His earlier worries about the Circle and his team seemed to be unfounded. The kitchen filled with laughter and he grinned widely.

At Brit’s suggestion, Keeper and she began to make a hearty breakfast of eggs, bacon and waffles. Another round of teasing began when Mage offered to help. Evidently, she cooked about as well as Carter did, something Daniel was quick to point out. The snick of toenails on the tile heralded the arrival of Frodo in the kitchen. He came in head held high, tail wagging. A large, fuzzy yellow duck was hanging woefully from his jaws. He plopped down next to Jack, duck firmly between his paws. He looked at Jack then trained his eyes on the door.

“Shado’s up.” Faln said unnecessarily. “Frodo, you are so going to be in trouble when Mom sees you have her duck. You know you aren’t supposed to eat that.”

“He’s not supposed to eat designer dresses either, but that doesn’t seem to stop him.” Shado said on entering the room. She was dressed in her black silk kimono and her hair was loose, something that Jack appreciated immensely. It hung in a dark red curtain well past her thighs. She stooped and pulled the duck away from Frodo. “Give me that you moron.” She deposited it in the window seat. “Morning, everyone.”

“Morning Sensei.” Keeper said waving the spatula slightly. “Your usual?”

“OOOO please.” She groaned and sat heavily on the barstool next to Jack. Keeper grinned and opened the fridge. He pulled a Route 44 Sonic cup and straw out and slid it to her across the bar.

“One cherry coke, extra cherries, easy ice, just what the Dr. ordered.” He said still grinning.

She quickly stripped the straw. “You know I love you.”

“Cherry coke slut.” He returned and turned back to his cooking. She stuck her tongue out at his back and then took a deep drink of the coke in front of her. The look on her face sparked even more laughter.

“Hey Daniel, she looks like you with your coffee.” Sam teased from her place at the table. Daniel flipped her a look that warned of impending pay back, but she just grinned it off.

“Hey.” Shado greeted Jack quietly her eyes speaking volumes to him. He smiled softly at her.

“Hey yourself.” She turned her attention back to the rest of the antics in the kitchen. It wasn’t long until breakfast was a thing of the past and the clean up was also done. Conversation had swung back and forth between work and play but other than that smile, Shado made no attempt at anything personal. She left the kitchen quickly stating the need to shower and get ready to leave as her excuse, but he had the feeling that she was avoiding him for some reason.

Both Faln and Brit seemed to be happy this morning and weren’t avoiding contact with Daniel and Teal’c. In fact they seemed to seek out contact even more than they had the evening before. As he stripped and got into the shower, he could only hope that maybe one of the others would be able to get the answers to the questions they had this morning. Something was definitely going on.

_________

Shado leaned her head against the cool wall in her suite of rooms. She could feel Jack’s confusion and blossoming hurt through the tenuous connection they had. Gods, this is the absolute last thing I wanted. She thought angrily. She was relieved that Faln and Brit seemed to be handling it ok this morning. She could envy them their ease, and it seemed that their ‘partners’ were content. She didn’t know if they had talked this morning, she only knew she did not intend to allow this to get any deeper between herself and O’Neill. One loss in her life was enough. The pounding of the hot water over her back, helped her to relax and she found herself reaching for the warmth that represented Jack. Irritated with herself, she slammed that door just as hard as she could and steeled herself against the pain that it brought.

Jack gasped as he toweled his hair dry. A blinding shaft of white-hot pain in his temples had him dizzy. He reached the end of the bed and sat forcing his breathing into a slow steady pattern. “What the fuck?” he asked aloud. As gently as he could, he began to massage the pain from his head. Damn, he had gotten headaches before, but this was the mother of them all. When it finally receded to a dull ache, he stood and began to dress. He would ask Faln for a few Tylenol and then he would be good to go. He moved quickly, since they were supposed to be at the mountain just over two hours.

___________

God, I hate briefings. That’s one thing that has never changed in the military. she thought. She could tell that the others were just as bored as she was. Keeper was doing his imitation of a rock, Mage was doodling on her note pad. Faln kept sneaking looks at Daniel. Wonder if she’s talked to him yet? And Brit was studiously trying not to fall asleep. A movement at the head of the table caught her eye. With a heavy sigh, she pulled her attention to the briefing taking place around her. Jacob/Selmac was speaking, sharing what little Intel they had on Anubis, his location and what they could expect when they finally arrived. This basically added up to a whole lot of nothing as far as she was concerned. The Intel was months old, therefore outdated, and there was nothing new being promised.

“Jacob, I’m sorry, but we need better Intel before I’ll allow this mission to continue.” She said. Jack’s eyes flicked to her face, she could easily read his thoughts; good luck getting it. She frowned at Jake. “You have to agree with me that what you have is severely outdated and therefore practically unusable. George, I would like permission to recon this planet. We need to see exactly what we will be getting ourselves into.”

George raised an eyebrow at Shado’s request. “How do you propose to do that, Shado? We can’t very well gate there. And the Tok’Ra won’t exactly lend us a ship.”

“George, you forget who you are talking to. A ship or gate will not be necessary. All I need are the coordinates. I’ll take care of getting there myself.” She grinned at the General mischief in her eyes. “It will also give me the opportunity to see if we will actually be able to do anything off world. That’s something that we have never tried.”

“Not something that you have done before?” Jack asked. His eyes were worried; this was something that he had not considered.

“Sticky or not, this is something that we definitely need to know before we go traipsing off into the wild blue star gate.” Shado said agreeing with Keeper.

“And I suppose that you have decided in your infinite wisdom that you will be the one attempting this?” Keeper snarked back at her. Eyes rolled around the table. Now however, Shado arched an eyebrow and looked down her nose at Keeper.

“Remember who you are speaking to Keeper.” She warned softly. He glared at her over the table, and then clenching his jaw dropped his eyes. Jack could feel the tension coming off the man in waves, even across the table. Shado shifted in her seat next to him. Her elbow brushed against his arm, and once again, he felt that strange tingle flood his body. His headache eased a bit with the contact. He had taken four Tylenol so far, with no success, but maybe now they were kicking in.

“Fine.” Keeper muttered a wealth of disagreement in his tone.

“General, I would have to agree with Shado’s assessment of this mission.” Jack stated his eyes unapologetic. He had never made a secret of the distrust he held for the Tok’Ra, and he wasn’t about to start now. “The Intel is six months old, how do we know that Anubis is even using this planet anymore?”

“I agree.” Hammond said looking around the table. “Shado, what do you need for this recon of yours?”

She thought for a few moments. “All I need we have at the Compound, sir. With your permission, I’ll have someone bring it all here. Then, we’ll set up in the gate room. Jake, we’ll need the coordinates to that planet, and if possible, a star map to plot them on. I won’t be able to use the stargate for this. At least not all the way.” Her voice was thoughtful and slightly distracted.

“Shado, you want the whole kit?” Mage asked. She knew where her sensei’s thoughts were taking her. Shado nodded, still deep in thought. Brit shared concerned looks with Mage. “I mean the WHOLE kit, Sensei?” Mage asked one more time.

“Jake, it’s how far to the planet?” Shado asked. Her brows were drawn and she seemed to be completely lost in her thoughts. At his soft words, she nodded once more. “Given the distance, it probably would be wise, Mage. I’m not crazy about the idea, and if it’s possible, then I won’t use all of it.” Mage nodded and excusing herself left the briefing room. Shado sighed and leaned her head back against the chair. She contemplated the inside of her eyelids for a few seconds then opened her eyes once more. She looked at each of the people seated around the table, skimming over Keeper’s heated gaze to settle at last on the concerned face of the general sitting at the head of the table. He didn’t meet her eyes, choosing to look at the tabletop in front of him. Jack kept silent, questions flitting around his head but the tension led him to believe that they would go unanswered.

Only a couple of minutes had lapsed before the door to the briefing room opened and Mage entered. She carried a small black case and nodded at Shado. “Everything is here, Shado.”

“Ok, George would it be possible to do this without an audience?” Shado asked. There was something in the way she said the words that made the hair stand up on the back of Jack’s neck. “This could get ugly if things don’t go well, and I would rather not have a bunch of people watching, if you get my drift.”

“I don’t see where that should be a problem Shado.” He agreed. “Can you give me about ten minutes to clear out the non essentials?”

“Sure thing, George.” She sat back in the chair as the General left the room. Jack and his team traded looks, curiosity eating at them. No explanations were forthcoming however as the circle shifted uneasily in their seats. Mage placed the small black case on the table and then sat staring at it, distaste in her eyes. Keeper waited a few moments then slammed his fist on the table, causing everyone to jump.

“You shouldn’t go, Shado.” He said softly, there was a tone in his voice that deepened it, making it husky. “I have a really bad feeling about this.”

Shado turned her gaze from the table to him. “I have to. We need the Intel, and I’m the only one who can get it.”

“He’s not the only one who thinks this is a bad idea, Shado.” Faln spoke just a whisper from Daniel’s side. “Something is going to happen.” Shado’s eyes shifted to Faln and then back to the table in front of her. She made a motion with her fingers and a playing card appeared. She fiddled with it for a few seconds, then flipped it to the table. It landed face up, showing the Queen of Spades.

“See things will be just fine.” She said grinning tightly. Keeper groaned and slouched.

“I really hate it when you do that.” He muttered. “Those friggin cards aren’t always right, you know.”

“They are when it counts.”

Jack reached out and picked the card off the table, He ran it through his fingers feeling that strange tingle as he did so. He knew that the tingle was the residue of the power that Shado and the others used, but it still made his skin crawl a bit. To him it looked like an ordinary playing card but he was beginning to know better. Things around these guys were not normal by any means.

“Cards?” he inquired raising an eyebrow. Brit giggled slightly, a brittle sound echoing her unease.

“Cards.” Shado answered. “I’ll explain later.”

The door to the room opened and Dr. Fraiser entered, followed closely by General Hammond. He nodded indicating that things were ready. Shado slid her chair back and stretched. She rested one hand on Jack’s shoulder for a moment, and he could feel the tension in her. She had managed to hide it during the briefing, but he had known she was tight even before the contact.

They walked into the control room, Carter taking her position in front of the dialing computer. Jacob and Shado strode to the large star map they used to track travelers. Jack stood at her shoulder as closely as he could. The others arrayed themselves around the room. Mage still clutched the black case tightly.

“Ok, Jake, show me where these places are.” Shado said. She brushed against Jack lightly, her fingers lingering on his hand. He stifled the urge to grab her hand and hold it. Jacob looked at the map for a second then tapped a planet with his forefinger.

“This is the closest planet to his that has a gate.” He then tapped one that was located a bit away from the first. “This is his world.”

“Hm.” She traced the distance between earth and the two dots. “This could get interesting. No place closer huh?” Jacob shook his head. “Ok, well, I think I got it.”

She turned away from the map, her eyes sought out the Stargate in the embarkation area. “I’ll need to center before I do anything.” She spoke mainly to herself, but her group nodded. “You all can hang here for a few while I get ready, then come on down and we’ll get this show on the road.” She touched Jack again. With a tense smile, she headed down to the embarkation room.

______

Shado stood alone in the embarkation room. She faced the monolith that was the Stargate, heart pounding, body thrumming. What she was about to do terrified her beyond belief. She hadn’t really thought about the enormity of this fork in her path until this moment. True, she had read the reports Hammond had given her, listened to the Briefing and knew the reality from the bond she shared with Jack. But to realize, to experience it for herself, made it all seem more fantastical. Her mind refused to settle. ‘Damn it,’ she thought angrily, ‘I need to get a grip.’ Ruthlessly, she grabbed hold of her wayward concentration and wrestled it into submission. Just as harshly, she squashed down the awareness of Jack. She took that warmth and the feeling that was him and locked it deeper in her subconscious. She would deal with that at a later date… a much later one-if she had her way.

Her mind under control at last, she nodded to the watching group, giving them the signal to join her. A few moments later, Keeper, Mage and, (damn him anyway), Jack came through one of the blast doors. They joined her in front of the gate, Jack standing slightly off to her left, hands scrunched deeply into his pockets. Shado knew him well enough to know that was a sign that he was troubled by something.

“I’m ready whenever you all are.” She said softly refusing to meet his eyes.

Jack couldn’t understand the change he felt happening. He had been hyper aware of Shado since their night together. He had been able to feel her every emotion throughout the day and it bothered him. Now suddenly that sense was gone. It was like someone had closed an open door, and he found himself wanting to pound until it opened. He frowned slightly. This was way too weird, there had to be some rational explanation for this. Now, standing next to her, he had to stifle the urge to grab her and carry her away somewhere safe, an urge so strong that he clenched his fists against it. He felt his mask of casual indifference settle into pace, but inside he felt anything but casual. Mage set the case she had been carrying down at the foot of the ramp. She opened it and began to remove items.

“Shado, what do you want to start with?” she asked without looking up.

Shado considered for a moment. “Nothing to begin with. I want to see what happens before we go adding anything to the mix.” Mage nodded her understanding. Shado looked up into the control room. “Faln, you all ready up there?”

The young woman’s voice came back, full of suppressed excitement. “This stuff is SO cool. I’m going to have to use it all somehow. But-um- yeah we’re ready.”

Shado chuckled. “You go right ahead, babe. I think it’s fairly cool myself.” She bent over the case for a moment. When she straightened, Jack recognized the form of a .9mm Beretta clutched in one hand, and the ammo clip in the other. Shado inspected the clip, slammed it into the breach and snicked a round into the chamber. She played with the weight in her hand for a moment, then reaching a decision she paced over to Jack. She looked deeply into his eyes for a moment. Then handed him the Beretta, butt first.

“If anything goes wrong, empty it.” She tapped her forehead, “Right here. Don’t argue, don’t hesitate. Just do it.” Jack started to protest, to say something, but the look in her blue eyes stopped him and he nodded mutely. “OK, Major, do your stuff!” She hollered to the room in general.

She turned to face the Gate as it began to power up. She was curious to ‘see’ what it would do. Opening her senses, she could see it begin to weave the wormhole. Almost to herself she counted off the chevrons. “Earth, Wind, Fire, Water, Spirit, Space and,” the last one, “Time.” Enthralled as she was by the melding of the elemental powers she was witnessing, the actual opening of the gate caught her off guard. The whoosh of the forming vortex unleashed power that staggered her. Jack, his reflexes honed by years of training, slipped an arm around her, steadying her. Distracted, she patted his chest and then straightened.

“Remind me not to do that again.” She chuckled. “Now for the fun part.” She pulled away from Jack and closed her eyes. She brought her hands together and Jack could feel the power begin to build. The itch increased until it became quite uncomfortable and he shifted from foot to foot. Shado opened her eyes again, their gaze unfocused and distant. She seemed to be looking beyond at something only she could see. As they watched there was a shimmer in the air in front of the gate, it slowly coalesced into a figure. The figure turned and gave them a cocky thumb’s up; it was Shado, but a subtly different one. She seemed to be formed of shadow and light, the colors slightly off like they might be viewed through a dark glass.

“Don’t worry Jack, I’ll be back.” She grinned a sly wolfish grin, and Jack was reminded of a feral beast. She pumped her fist into the air. “KICK IT!!” she hollered and music filled the gate room. Jack recognized the music and Keeper groaned.

“Sensei, please, something that we can listen too?” he begged. She just grinned.

“My mission, my music. I’ll be back. You know what to do.” And with those final instructions she walked into the event horizon. “Whoa! Someone should market this ride.” Jack was startled when the figure standing next to him spoke. The voice was thin and weak, but it was there. Jack looked questioning at Keeper. He looked back but offered no explanation.

“Oh man this is way fucking cool! Man you guys have got to see this!” Shado ‘said’. Her hands waved and suddenly against the event horizon they could see what Shado was looking at. It was the landscape of the planet they had dialed; three moons looming full against the iridescent velvet of a galactic spiral galaxy. Jack wasn’t so much fascinated by the view as the how they were seeing it.

“Keeper?” General Hammond’s question elicited the response Jack had wanted.

“Sir, Shado has done what we call splitting. She has sent an energy copy of herself to do the recon, leaving her physical self here. She can communicate with us via the established bond between body and soul if you will. For the same reason, she has used a little power to provide us with video feed if you will. It’s like your probes, Sir.” He explained in a perfunctory manner. He was obviously not pleased by this at all. “Yes sir, the experiment was a success. And one that will never be used for what you all wanted it to.” He added hostility in his stance.

“I agree.” Hammond said. He knew just from watching them the past few days that they were an asset that would be best forgotten after this. The Circle was something that the military would and should never be allowed to get it’s hands on. The potential for disaster was too great and the allure of all that power deadly. He was just grateful that they were so well adjusted, and that they had their own idea of how they should be.

“Ok, Houston, I’m going to make the transfer from here to the objective. Quick question for the peanut gallery… just how long can you all keep this thingy open?”

“Well, I’m feeling a bit stretched here. I have never Traveled this far from home, so I am not sure what to expect when it closes down.”

“Maybe not. I’ll let you all know if I think so. Don’t worry Jack. I have done this more times than you have gone through the gate.” She fell silent. “Ok, here goes. Second star on the right and straight on till morning.”

The video seemed to waver and shift, then it became a swiftly moving panorama of color and images moving too fast for them to identify. It was rather sickening the stimuli too much for the eye to translate. Then just a suddenly it settled into a dark landscape of trees. They could barely make out the form of the Stargate on the planet against the dark night sky. The shadows of trees could be seen at the perimeter of her line of sight.

“Kay, gang I’m here. Looks like it’s between rounds for the guards, hang tight let me do a quick adjust so we can all see.” She made a movement, Jack was getting used to the odd duality now, her hands coming up and then descending to her sides. They made a slight sweeping motion and the “video” was suddenly much clearer, as if she had turned on the lights or put night vision gear on. Only it was in grays and blacks, rather than shades of green. “Much better. Ok, I’m heading out, this place feels really weird.”

“How so?” Gem asked.

“The ley lines appear to be tied somehow. I’m having to use personal power, which is really not good, since it’s so far away. Makes it kinda hard to hold things here. Plus, there is also something seriously wrong here. My skin is crawling like crazy and I feel really sick.”

“Sensei, you ok to continue?” Mage asked.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Just a bit nauseous. Think it might have something to do with Anubis and the way this place is warped. Here, you all take a look and let me know what you think.”

The forest that she was moving through was overlaid for the moment with an odd luminescence. The trees and landscape glowed with various shades of green and brown but there were spots of sickly yellow, almost like a disease was slowly eating away at things. Jack noted that “Shado” avoided those patches as she moved through the area. She was moving quickly through the forest, and Jack got the impression that this was yet another talent of theirs that would go unexplained. Suddenly, she froze, the sounds of heavy footsteps audible to everyone. Evidently this feed went both ways, they could hear as well as see everything that she did. The patrol of Jaffa coming through the trees had Jack hissing in frustration as they moved right toward her.

“Mist.” She whispered, the scene fogged slightly as the Jaffa walked right past her. One looking right at her, his eyes seeming to see into the gate room, but he walked right past her and into the night. They all breathed a bit easier when the footsteps faded from her hearing. “Jeez, those guys are seriously in need of a fashion consultant.” Her comment made everyone laugh to break the tension, “Ok, now I know which direction to head. Let’s see what I can see.”

She was on the move again, this time moving much faster, they noticed that the scenery seemed to just flow past her as she went. It wasn’t anytime at all until she had reached the origin of the patrol. No one was happy to see what it was she had found. The tree line gave away to a valley view. Mountains formed the background for the mother ships that were resting in the valley below. There were six of them; their massive pyramid shapes gleaming in the moonlight,. The really big ones, Jack noted. That meant that there were more troops present than the Intel had given them. Rows of fighters on the valley floor, and the small city of the garrison also told them what they wanted to know. There was no way they could combat these numbers, not easily.

“Guys. I’m guessing that this is like, really not good, huh?” she said softly. There was no need to answer, she knew just by looking. “Ok, well, let’s see what else I can see. And if there isn’t some way of taking care of this power problem. He seems to have tied the lines, if I can untie even a little portion of them, we might just be able to do something about this. How much longer before the gate closes?”

“About twenty minutes.” Carter said surprising Jack. It felt one hell of a lot longer than just 18 minutes since she had stepped through the gate.

“All right, time to get creative.” Another set of gestures, and the video suddenly split into several different povs. “Faln, monitor this shit for me. I’m going to multi-task and won’t be able to keep it all straight.”

“Ok, how many?”

“Give me five on twelve, then we’ll go one and see what knots I can untie."Faln’s agreement instigated a flurry of images that like the previous ones flowed too quickly for any sense to be made. Jack really didn’t want an explanation at this point, he knew that this was something that hadn’t made Mage or Keeper happy, their body language screamed it. He had the feeling that whatever she had just done was dangerous, even more so than anything she had done before. He got the impression from watching the video, what did you call this anyway? he wondered distractedly; of various parts of the massive base; of hallways inside the mother ships; the Jaffa quarters, weaponry, and what could only be Anubis’ chambers. He caught the fleeting glimpse of a sarc and other things that he thought he recognized. Whatever Shado was doing she was definitely covering ground.

Suddenly the images halted and settled into one. She had finished and was now situated outside the base. They could see a portion of the base partially hidden by a small hillock. Once again that odd luminescence filled their view, this time they could see her hands as she crouched next to one of the sickly yellow patches. She poked at it with a finger and, in the gate room, a shudder wracked her body.

“God this shit is disgusting.” The revulsion in her voice was evident. “I don’t know what he’s done but….what the fuck is this guy? He’s managed to corrupt all the power lines here, they are so twisted. If I even so much as touch one, he’ll know. Damn… that means personal power all the way. And we’ll have to BE here. We can’t do this like I am now… the drain is too much.” She sighed. “Kay, gang on my way home. We’ll talk when I get there.” The scene shifted as if she was preparing to return. Then suddenly it froze. The music in the Gate room changed, going from the quiet sounds of Barber’s Adagio for Strings to Rob Zombie’s Never Gonna Stop Me in a split second.

“Shado? What’s up?” Keeper asked just as quickly. A feral growl erupted from the still figure next to Jack. “Shado?”

“How much time left?” she asked still growling deeply in her throat.

“Fifteen. Shado what is going on?” Faln said from the control room. The Shado standing next to him threw her head up and inhaled deeply as if scenting something. Another growl came from her.

”Something wicked this way comes.” was her answer. The view changed like she was moving. The horizon wavered then steadied, they could see into the valley once more. There, a line of Jaffa were moving from one of the motherships toward the main complex. They appeared to be guarding something. She moved a bit closer to get a better view. But couldn’t get too close, there were just too many of them. ”Damn,” she whispered. ”They’ve got some kind of box like thing, but I can’t see what it is. Obviously it’s something important.”

“Shado, I don’t care, just get your ass back here. We don’t know what will happen when the gate shuts down.” Keeper hissed.

There was a sigh but then she agreed. ”I just hate surprises, you know? Ok, I’m on my way.”

**Interlude One- The Phoenix ** Shado stood there on the planet just watching the activity below in the valley. She could hear Keeper telling her that she needed to return, and honestly, she really wanted to. This was more exhausting than she would have thought, traveling like this. Yet something held her there. Something that lurked and prickled at her consciousness, like an itch almost. She cocked her head “listening” for that itch. There. It tickled the edge of her mind, a faint brush of something against her natural shielding. Curious, she tuned out everything to listen for it again. Her efforts were rewarded when it returned a bit stronger this time. Carefully, she reached for it, catching it in her mental hand as gently as she would a butterfly.