Part Two
Host

It was getting late.

Well not terribly late as in that it was almost nightfall but it was nevertheless getting on in the day. He peered out the bat wing doors of the saloon and took note of the position of the sun in the afternoon sky and reminded himself that it was only ten minutes ago that he had last looked. He knew it was pure foolishness, that Mary was probably having the time of her life covering her story at the excavation. Although he displayed a laconic manner towards her career, often down playing her enthusiasm for things with his own cool, deliberate demeanour, Chris could not deny that he was inordinately proud of his wife. It often amazed him the things she could do when he had thought himself at the stage of life where nothing could catch him unawares.

From the moment he had meant Mary Travis, he had learn to expect the unexpected or else be prepared to spend a lot of time catching up to her heady pace. Inside her mind, were boundaries beyond his limited view of things. He was an avid reader but not even his literary self could take him the places that Mary went every day. She did not see things in one dimension but in facets that had more depth that he could imagine. Most people saw Four Corners as a town, she saw it as the future. When he and the rest of the seven had first arrived in town, Mary was the strongest supporter to their presence because she did not see seven men who would keep the peace. Not at all, Mary’s vision was broader than that simplistic idea. She saw Four Corners achieving stability that heralded the beginnings of prosperity and in many ways she had been right.

Certainly she wad idealistic and that naivete landed her in more trouble than she knew what to do with but he could not imagine her any other way. Seeing how she perceived life with so much hope had saved him in more ways than she knew. By loving her, Chris had been invited to share some of that insatiable hope when all that was left in the wake of Sarah and Adam’s death was a blackness that was slowly killing him, one bullet at a time, one glass of whisky at a time. From the moment he had met her, she aimed sunshine into his soul and Chris could not imagine life without her any more. It was even more unimaginable than going through life without Sarah.

"Judging from the way you keep glancing out the door Mr Larabee, I assume Mrs Larabee has yet to return from her latest feat of journalistic marvel?" Ezra Standish asked across the table where he was playing cards (as always) with JD, Buck and Josiah. Having no wish to get fleeced by the gambler but desiring the company, Chris had joined them at the table and had been content to observe the games only.

"She’s out at the site, ain’t she?" Josiah inquired. The archaeological dig a few miles out of town had been a source of great speculation among the population of Four Corners. Truth be known, most of them had no idea what an archaeologist did until Faulker and his team had come to town. However, ancient Indian relics often translated into mysterious treasure to the uninformed and before they all knew it, Four Corners was buzzing with the news that a great archaeological find had been discovered, the likes of uncovering Cortez’s non-existent El Dorado.

"Yeah," Chris replied, telling himself that it was not getting late even though supper was approaching rather quickly and he would have to get a move on if he wanted to surprise Mary by having dinner ready by the time she got home. "I expect she’ll be a little late though." He found himself thinking out loud. "Probably having the time of her life if I know Mary."

"Well it is a pretty nice feather in her cap." Buck admitted. "Lot of those reporters are spitting teeth that she managed to get Faulkner to even talk to her while he’s chasing the rest of them off. I think its nice that Mary showed those big city boys a thing or too."

"Well it could not have gone to a more deserving lady." Ezra said as he collected the discards in the middle of the table and meted out the appropriate number of cards to the complete the latter half of the game.

"When does Julia get back?" JD inquired, since they were on the subject of the women in their lives.

"Thursday," Ezra answered automatically as JD gestured at him for two cards and promptly placed the appropriate number, face down before him. "She apparently has a general dislike for conducting her affairs in town."

"She’s a lady with secrets." Buck declared and to that no one could disagree because it was true. Julia Pemberton guarded her past with almost fanatic determination, causing them all to wonder on occasion why she was so adamant that no one knew what she had been prior to her arrival in Four Corners.

"Aren’t we all?" Ezra shrugged off the remark. He trusted Julia and knew that when she was ready to tell him about her life before Four Corners, she would do so. He was in no hurry to prise the truth from her, particularly when there were enough unsavoury excerpts from his life that he did not wish disclosure to anyone.

Chris continued to wonder if he should be getting worried about Mary’s absence. Realistically, he knew that she was probably held up at the dig and that she would roll into town, all flustered with excitement and eager to relate to him and Billy what she had been doing all day. The part of Chris Larabee however, who knew when there was a shift in the wind for the worse, was edgy and restless. Something small and nondescript was working his calm reassurances with niggling persistence and that was making it difficult to be so reasonable.

"I heard some talk that Big Jake Holmes in riding into these parts on his way to Mexico." JD was saying, having picked up this piece of gossip when he had been at the bar. "Maybe he’ll come to town." There was enough enthusiasm in his voice for all of them to know that JD would love to encounter the notorious outlaw. It was easy to remember just how young he was when he spoke like this.

"I doubt it," Josiah remarked. "After robbing that bank in Eagle Bend, he ain’t that dumb to come near a town. Every lawman from here to the border has an eye for him and that $1000 reward that’s on his head."

"A man who robs a bank and kill three people doing it for less than his reward money ain’t necessarily a genius." Buck pointed out. "They say he’s a big man but ain’t the brain to match."

Chris was not paying much attention to their conversation in this regard because he did not think Homes would come into town either. The man may not be smart but not even a fool would ride into town when his face was pasted on every wanted poster fit to print on. Besides, it was with a certain satisfaction that Chris knew the seven’s reputation would keep the man away. One man on his own running from the law was not going to walk into town with seven formidable defenders.

Actually, his attention was focussed on something rather curious taking place outside of town. He could see people talking excitedly as they walked past the saloon, casting their eyes over their shoulders repeatedly as they stared at something coming down the street. Chris rose to his feet without saying a word and walked away from the table, his curiosity having gotten the better of him as he went to investigate. He emerged from the saloon in the afternoon sun and cast his gaze in the direction everyone was staring at. What he saw was enough to make him stare in stunned silence.

It was Mary.

At least he thought it was Mary. Everything about her was wrong. It had nothing to do with the fact that she was no longer wearing that yellow floral print dress that she had left for the dig this morning but was now clad in something that looked like leather and skins. Her new clothes clung to her skin, emphasising her figure to almost scandalous extent. However, it was not that which captured his attention the most. He could not articulate into words but it was there, glaring at him with blatant audacity.

Her walk was wrong. It was not the graceful movement she swept through town with, sashaying when she was in a good mood or stomping when she was mad. Instead, her mobility was laced with a stealth that would make even Vin proud. Suddenly, it came to him with a flash of insight even though he could not imagine how it was possible. She moved like a predator. She moved like a hunter stalking prey, sleek and menacing. If any of the seven had been with him, Chris would have been surprised to hear them say that she moving like him.

Like a killer.

Her blue grey eyes surveyed the town and once again, he saw those familiar eyes that had captured his heart from the first but like before, they were different as well. They were different in a way that sent a shudder of fear down his spine even though he could not explain why. After a moment, he found that he could identify what it was about stare that seemed so alien. Her eyes were hard, almost granite in their expression. He had seen killers with kinder eyes. Her gaze did not look, it studied everything about her, even him. When her eyes touched his briefly, it did so with no recognition before she continued walking.

He noticed that she was carrying a length of metal, almost like a pole. However, it did not look like iron or steel and while it had the colour of copper, Chris knew instinctively that it was not. Then there was the way she held it in her hands, positioning her fingers in very specific positions, almost as if she were poised to react at the slight provocation. The way he would if he were readying himself to fire his gun…..

It took a few seconds for Chris to realise that she was not alone. The woman at her side was dressed just as strangely in robes that flowed off her dusky skin like the silk underthings women wore. For a moment, he thought that she might have stepped out from one of those books he had seen about classical times, for she seemed that much out of place. They walked through town, oblivious to the curious stares they were garnering, with that same predatory look, exuding danger with each step they took. By now, Buck had emerged from the saloon, curious to see what had drawn Chris out of the place so quickly.

"Is that Mary?" Buck exclaimed in a hushed voice, just as mystified as he.

Chris did not speak, wanting to get to the bottom of this now. He was striding towards her when he realised that he had undid the flap of his holster and was mortified that he saw her as that much of a threat when she had done nothing to inspire it, merely being unusually garbed than he was accustomed.

Suddenly before Chris could reach her, Billy came running out onto the street. The boy had seen his mother and though she was dressed strangely saw nothing more out of the ordinary beyond the fact that she was his mother. Seeing him approach Mary hastened Chris’ pace, clenching the gunslinger’s heart in his chest as he hurried forward. Something very strange was going on and while Chris could not identify it exactly, his internal senses were screaming danger with every fibre of his being.

"Ma!" Billy called out cheerfully, pausing in front of Mary.

Her reaction stunned just about every body who bore witness to it except Chris who was expecting this even though he could not understand how. With speed he credited to some of the fastest gunslingers he had ever seen , Mary swung the metal rod at her son, like she was brandishing a weapon. Her reflexes astonished even Chris who had seen some of the fastest gunslingers in the Territory and was himself counted among their number.

"Mary!" Chris shouted.

His interruption was the only thing that kept her from proceeding any further for she looked at Billy like she had no idea he was her son. By now, Billy had judged something was wrong and had started to back away slowly to Chris, frightened by the unfamiliarity of what he was seeing in his mother. She stood in the middle of the street, her eyes regarding him for the first time and narrowing as if she were sizing up an opponent, not someone she loved. Her companion turned to her and spoke in an unfamiliar language with a voice did not at all sound feminine but hoarse and brutal like a man’s. Mary seemed to understand what was being said to her and looked up at Chris before twisting her fist around the shaft of the rod, moving into place what appeared to be a handgrip. The bulbous head of the rod snapped open and with it, something like blue energy cackled with lethal intensity.

"Billy, come towards me." Chris ordered and stopped walking.

"But ma…" Billy protested.

"Now Billy." Chris repeated. "Now."

That was enough since the boy was conditioned to obey that voice just as unquestioningly as that of his mother’s.

Mary glared at Chris with cold eyes and stated in the same unearthly voice that her companion had used, sounding nothing like the woman he loved. "You will withdraw or I will kill this child."

Those words made Billy stop in his tracks and he stared at his mother with the same astonishment that the entire town of Four Corners, not to mention his step father was currently displaying at his mother’s actions. Billy stared at Chris, waiting for the gunslinger to explain to him what was happening but was rewarded with nothing but silence. In the meantime, his ma was still eying him with that cold expression of unfamiliarity, while aiming that strange pole in his direction.

Chris did not know what to say because he was still reeling with the cold indifference of her words. What in God’s name had happened to her? "Mary, that’s your son." He stammered.

"Obey!" She shouted, ignoring his plea to reach her or the woman she might have been. "Do not meddle in our affairs or I will kill the child." To prove her point, she focussed her aim of the weapon squarely at Billy’s chest with no hesitation or conscience.

"This is insane." Buck found his voice in the face of the unbelievable drama unfolding before them. For all intensive purposes, this was Mary Travis Larabee, Chris’ wife and friend to all of them. "Chris, what’s happened to her?"

"I don’t know," he mused. "But do what she says, back away."

"Chris…" His old friend started to protest.

"Do it!" Chris hissed angrily, not willing to risk Billy’s life at any price. He did not know what was happening to Mary but the threat he saw in her eyes was real and the weapon she was carrying was indeed that, a weapon with the ability to deliver ugly death should she be provoked into using it. Slowly, the two men backed away, with Chris keeping close sight of Billy at all times. Mary had stepped forward while Billy was still racked with confusion and drew the boy to her, indicating to the men who would have interfered with her and her companion that Billy was still in danger.

The rest of the seven had emerged from the saloon, staring at the spectacle with similar shock and confusion. Outwardly, the woman before them was Mary Larabee but her actions were proving that she was a dangerous stranger.

It was at this moment that Vin Tanner and Alexandra Styles returned to town. As always, they rode together on Peso, with the doctor’s arm securely around her lover, inciting the more Christian folk of Four Corners to gossip with disapproval each time they bore witness to their behaviour. However, on this occasion no one was paying attention. Neither Vin nor Alex had any idea what was going on as they rode to the saloon but it was starting to appear that something was amiss.

"Is that Mary?" Alex whispered in his ears as Peso reached the hitching post in front of the saloon.

"I think so." Vin replied but like everyone else at present, he could no more understand what was happening then they could. However, he could tell one thing for certain because he could see it inexplicably drawn in Chris’ face. Fear. Anything that could make Chris Larabee scared was something to worry about immediately. He dismounted his horse and helped Alex down from the saddle, eager to find out what situation had developed in their absence.

Perhaps it was because Mary was at the centre of things that Alex did not feel any fear as she followed Vin closely, concerned about her friend and just as curious about what was occurring at the moment. Vin came up along side Chris and Buck, seeing now with absolute certainty that the fear he had seen earlier was no mirage. Something was spooking Chris badly. It was not just that Mary was dressed strangely, almost like a man but the way she was holding Billy to her, not to mention the odd staff that she was carrying.

"What’s going on?" Vin whispered as he reached Chris.

"I don’t know." Chris managed to say, glad to see Vin but uncertain of what to do. His hand was still poised on his gun but he could no more shoot her than he could comprehend what had become of the woman who left pie in the oven for him this morning from this alien creature that glared at him like he was nothing to her.

"Mary’s gone out of her head." Buck replied quickly when Chris could not. "She threatened to kill Billy."

"What?" Vin looked at them in shock and disbelief. "That’s crazy."

While Mary was keeping her eyes firmly on Chris and Billy, using the boy as a hostage to keep the others at bay, her companion in the robes was studying the faces before her as if searching for something. They had stopped walking because their presence had captured too much attention now to proceed any further. However, the quest for what they needed was not halted for there appeared to be numerous candidates present even if none were to her liking.

"Mary." Alexandra Styles called out to her friend, unaware that it was not Mary who was standing before them. "What are you wearing?"

"Something is wrong with her." Chris said automatically, gesturing for her to be silent because while what had happened to Mary was vague and undefined at the moment, the threat she had made to Billy’s life had not been. Chris had the feeling that she had no idea Billy or any of them were. He knew it was insane but the weapon she was holding went a long way to proving that something very bizarre was happening. He had experienced the impossible once before to know that there was much beyond the realm of understanding that took place in this world.

The other woman snapped her attention to Alex the moment the doctor had spoken. In fact, both Mary and she stared at Alex with interest. For the first time since the threat against his life was made, Mary no longer seemed interested in Billy, but was focussing her concentration on Alex instead. For some reason, that frightened Chris almost as much as Mary’s threat to kill Billy. The woman with her smiled and it was cold smile, devoid of humour and full of sinister intent. She opened her mouth and spoke in that strange voice again, in a language t

The other woman snapped her attention to Alex the moment the doctor had spoken. In fact, both Mary and she stared at Alex with interest. For the first time since the threat against his life was made, Mary no longer seemed interested in Billy, but was focusing her concentration on Alex instead. For some reason, that frightened Chris almost as much as Mary's threat to kill Billy. The woman with her smiled and it was cold smile, devoid of humour and full of sinister intent. She opened her mouth and spoke in that strange voice again, in a language that none of them understood.

"Jesus." Vin exclaimed at the unnatural sound coming from the woman's throat.

"What are they saying?" Buck asked as they watched Mary converse with the stranger in that curious tongue.

"I think its Egyptian." Alex declared.

"Egyptian!" Chris looked at her, wondering if this could get any weirder. "You can understand it?"

"Not really," the doctor shook her head. "I recognize one or two words from an old dialect the Bedouins used to speak when I was travelling with my father. It could be Egyptian."

Whatever Chris was about to say next was cut short when Mary pushed Billy aside and raised the weapon at them this time. Chris went for his gun, preparing to shoot even though he knew he could not pull the trigger. Vin and Buck were similarly confused at what to do. They could not fire upon Mary, no matter how odd she was behaving.

"We want the woman." Mary spoke suddenly. "Give her to us."

Vin was the first one to react, glancing anxiously at Alex instinctively. "Give you to her for what?"

"Give her to us or we will take her." Mary repeated herself, twisting her hand around the grip control of the weapon, creating more tendrils of blue energy to sparkle from its barrel.

"Alex get out of here." Chris warned, knowing he had no choice now. He did not know what Mary and this woman had planned for Alex but at this point he had no intention of finding out.

"But. ."Alex started to stay before Vin cut her off abruptly, knowing Chris would not issue such an order unless it was vitally important.

"Get going!" He shouted.

His harsh words made Alex jump but it was enough to make get her moving. She started backing away when suddenly, Mary swung the weapon in her direction and fired. A bolt of blue energy whizzed past her, striking the ground next to her feet. The impact set the ground on fire and Alex froze with terror as she saw the sand on the surface turn black and fused with heat.

"Christ!" Buck gasped at the charred earth before then, unable to fathom what it would do to skin.

"Stay where you are!" Mary ordered, turning the weapon on them again, capturing the attention of everyone now that they knew just precisely what they were up against. The expression on her face was one of pure menace and to their horror, her blue grey eyes glowed with sinister light. Chris felt his heart stop as he realized at that moment that there was something inside Mary, something had taken her just as surely as it intended on taking Alex right now.

"What do we do Chris?" Vin demanded. "We can't just let them take her!"

Unfortunately, that was precisely what was going to happen because they had no idea how to keep it from taking place. Chris did not know how to answer Vin because he did not know what to do. For the first time in his life, he was confronted with a situation to which he could not make a decision. Opening fire on Mary was not an option and even if he could give the order to do so, he knew that neither Vin nor Buck could carry it out, any more than Ezra, J.D. and Josiah who were watching with similar shock from the front steps of the saloon.

The woman with Mary stepped forward slowly, crossing the space between herself and Alex without fear of interference. She hardly cast her gaze in their direction as she approached Alex, whose instincts were to run but could not because the doctor was still horrified by the ground that was still sizzling from the blast of that strange weapon Mary was keeping trained on all of them.

"Chris. ." Vin started to say as the woman reached Alex, knowing that something terrifying was about to happen unless they stopped this now. Acting purely out a fear for Alex more than anything else, Vin rushed at the woman, attempting to keep her away from Alex when she swung to face him with surprising speed. Vin had not seen the bracelet that was coiled around her hand or the gem in the centre of her palm until she raised her hand in his direction. He was able to take no more than a step before something like a ton of bricks slammed into his with such force he was thrown backwards like a fly that was swatted away.

"Vin!" Alex screamed and the entire scene went to pandemonium.

Taking advantage of the momentary distraction, Chris rushed forward managing to get his hands on the weapon Mary was carrying and pull it away. It clattered on the ground as he flung it aside out of her reach when suddenly, he felt her fist smashing into his jaw with more strength that he thought her capable of producing. As Chris turned to her in stunned disbelief, he came to his senses just in time to see her pulling back to deliver another blow. He barely had time to block it when she threw a flying kick that landed squarely in his stomach and forced him to stagger back. The power of her movements was almost as astonishing as her ability to fight. Her attack was far from done and she came at him before he had a chance to recover. Sweeping his feet from under him with another low kick, Chris tumbled to the floor as Buck rushed forward to help, only to be halted with a powerful backhanded blow that sent him to the ground next to Chris.

In the meantime, Vin struggled to his feet, certain that he had broken a rib upon landing. He saw the stranger turn her back on him and return her attention to Alex who was trying to reach him when she found her away barred by his attacker. Alex was about to push her way through when suddenly the woman wielded that strange device on her hand once more. The gem glowed in the centre of the palm and suddenly all the fight in Alex dissipated as its light twinkled in her eyes.

Standing up, he tried to reach her as he saw her face change as all expression drained from her face. He got no more than a few steps when he realized that Mary had retrieved her weapon and was preparing to incinerate Chris and Buck. He shoved her hard, forcing her to drop the staff once again but his injury had made his slow and she was faster than he had ever believed possible. She slammed her foot into his knee, bringing him down as he groaned in pain. Before he could react to get out of the way, she delivered another kick to his face and left him dazed as she walked past him and picked up her weapon.

Chris got to his feet and saw Mary saying something to the other one in that strange language. The woman who seemed to have Alex in her power as the doctor stared transfixed at the gem stone in the middle of her palm responded in agreement to whatever was being said. When she lowered her hand, Alex was no longer looking at anything, her eyes seemed vacant and lost as if she was dazed or out of her head. Appearing as if they had come to a decision about something, Mary and her companion started walking again. This time, they headed towards a wagon and horse that was hitched up next to hardware store. Alex followed them, her arms hanging loosely at her sides as she wore that same empty look that he was certain registered nothing but what she had seen when the gem had taken her mind.

"Alex!" Vin called out after her but Alex did not respond. She barely heard him as she followed them compliantly and Chris had a sinking feeling that they had somehow lost Alex as Mary had been taken. The tracker had forcing himself to stand even though he clutched his side in obvious pain, determined to follow her.

"Stand down Vin." Chris ordered because they had to regroup. They were all reeling from what had taken place, him most of all and he knew that before they could formulate some kind of strategy, they had to understand what had happened to Mary and was now happening to Alex.

"We can't just let them take her!"

"Are you ready to shoot them down to stop them trying!" Chris turned on his friend fiercely. Did Vin have any idea how hard this was for him? That was his wife who had just taken all three of them on and won. His jaw was still stinging with pain as he watched the trio climb onto the wagon with Alex taking the reins with that same expression of blank obedience that was almost as unbelievable as everything that was happening now.

"What the hell is going on?" Buck roared as he watched helplessly with Vin and Chris, as Alex snapped the reins and sent the horses surging forward, spiriting herself and her companions away. "Where did she learn to fight like that?"

Chris could no more answer that question than the rest of it. As he watched Alex and Mary disappeared trailing a cloud of dust behind them, Chris knew that if he ever wanted his wife back, he was going to have to find the answers.

Alexandra Styles felt like she was dreaming.

It was an odd sort of dream where she was not quite awake but quiet asleep either. She could see things transpiring around her but was powerless to effect any of it. Through the haze of her memory she remembered vaguely that she had spent a glorious day with Vin where they had made love in the privacy of the wilderness and basked in the sun like teenagers stealing a day together. She could feel the warmth of his skin against her, the heady scent of his body and the sensual splendor of his fingers tips dancing against her flesh. Those were the things that remained close to the surface and she clung to it because she drowning in everything else.

Alex knew that she was in danger but she could do nothing to help herself. Her limbs felt sluggish and heavy and although she had not wanted to go with them when they beaconed her to follow, there had not been much she could do about it. She was compelled by something she could not explain, bound by the glimmer of what she had seen inside the facets of the sapphire stone. Even now, as she struggled valiantly to think clearly, she could only see the elegance of that powerful indigo shade, clouding her mind with its azure bindings. She sought for colour, tried to wade through the prison that had no walls but no doors either.

She found herself unable to refuse when she was told to take them from Four Corners and while she a fly caught in their web, helpless to do anything but obey, Alex had struggled to see if Vin was alright because she knew Mary had hurt Vin. What was it about Mary? Alex tried to think and found that image was also fading away into the mists. All that seemed to be clear was the swirling inside her head as they rode away from Four Corners. The one who trapped her in amber did not speak to her following that initial encounter in town. Instead, it was Mary who directed her at the reins of the horse and told them where they needed to go.

Alex keep thinking about Vin, wondering if he was safe even though it was hard to keep his face in her mind the further they continued away from town but he remained there, a permanent fixture she clung to for he was her only anchor to reality. They continued away from town for some time, until the brightness of day melted into the soft light of evening. As the sun began its rapid descent into the horizon, they came at last to their destination. She tried to remember it for what it was, having been certain that Mary had said something about what it was some days ago.

The structure was mostly underground with an entrance that led down to the depths of the earth. The sun had not quite set yet so there was no need for illumination as they progressed down the ramp that they took them deep into its innards. There were tools scattered about and but the laborers who might have utilized them were nowhere to be seen. They did not speak to her other than requiring her to follow their orders which was just as well for she was struggling hard to make anything out clearly. As the underground cavern swallowed her into its maw, things only became more confusing and Vin began slipping further and further away although when she felt fear, it was knowing there he existed somewhere that kept her from yielding completely to her terror. She wanted to so badly to be away from here but there was nothing in her spirit that would allow her to flee.

Finally, they arrived at the cavern through which the Goa'uld visitors had first entered this primitive world. Evidence of the violence that they had conducted was scattered around in the bodies of the dead workers who had died later on, when they confronted the duo after being attracted by the screaming of the woman whose body Sekhmet now possessed. However, their quest here had been accomplished. They had come for bodies and now bodies were what they had found.

Healthy, beautiful bodies that would survive for another thousand years or more if they so desired. It did not bother them that the world they left behind was now a dead husk of radiation. Isis had seeded many worlds where in them, her worship continued and would be renewed once her subject's Goddess walked among them again.

The host whose mind was her own, albeit temporarily was still trying to fight against the effects of the gem's confinement. As she struggled to fight the haze inside her mind, the Goa'uld decided that it was time to make the blending. It was time to leave this world and it was best if the joining took place sooner before they were confronted by more of the host's former compatriots. Sekhmet had taken up watch, waiting for the inevitable confrontation, while Isis performed what needed to be done.

"Undress." Isis spoke to her in that strange voice Alex found she could not ignore.

Fighting it valiantly even though she had not a hope in the world of chasing away this fog inside her mind, Alex felt herself obey her instructions. Without any resistance in her limbs though her mind was singularly focused on not carrying out what was being said to her, Alex began to undo the buttons that ran along the length of her dress. Slowly, she removed the garment, discarding the silken underthings until she stood before her captor, bare to the skin. Her mind recoiled at what she was doing but had no ability to stop what was happening.

She had begun to suspect something bad was about to happen to her but not even with her perception and determination, could Alex suspect what that might have been.

The woman circled her, her eyes moving over Alex's form as if she were appraising a fine ornament or something equally priceless. Inwardly Alex trembled even though to the casual observer, her expression was still vacant and unknowing of anything. The woman paused behind her and for a painfully long minute, nothing happened. She merely stood there behind Alex for such a length of time that even Mary had returned to see what was happening. Alex felt her heart pounding in her chest, wishing that if they were going to kill her to be just done with it because she could not abide the waiting.

Suddenly, she felt something against the skin of her back. It was wet and slithery, snaking up her back with a gliding movement. Alex started gasping because her terror had done impossible and sliced cleanly through her vague thoughts. Unfortunately, she was still rooted to the spot, unable to do anything but endure what was happening. Whatever was crawling up her back was alive, she could feel it pulsing against her skin as it travelled towards her neck. Its progress up her spine was painfully slow and Alex felt her fear mounting which every inch of its journey, trying not to imagine what would happen to her when it finally reached its intended place.

She felt it brush against her neck, whatever it was. It felt her skin like it was something to be savoured. Alex was starting to gasp in fear, knowing that she was not far from screaming outright in terror. She no longer paid any attention to where Mary and the woman were, only knowing that she stood poised on the edge of hell and it was coming for her with a wisp of slime against her skin. Suddenly, she felt it dig into her flesh, burrowing into her neck with a pain so fierce that it was beyond imagining. Alex could feel it tearing into her flesh, she could feel it snaking inside of her, moving through bone and tissue until finally, it wrenched free a damn of pain the likes of which she had never known.

As the dream began to dissipate, Alexandra Styles plunged headlong into the nightmare.

Chris was certain of one thing as he and the rest of the seven rode out of Four Corner, whatever had turned Mary into a violent stranger had originated from the archaeological dig she had been so eager to visit this morning. He knew it with absolute certainty because there could be no other explanation for it. When he had seen her eyes glow, he had understood at last that whomever it was standing before him may look like his wife and might be wearing her body like one would wear a suit of clothes but it was not Mary.

It was something else.

What that something else might be and why it had taken not only Mary but Alex as well was what he had to find out if there was any chance of saving either of them. Experience in the past had taught him that the world was a place of smoky mirrors, where reality as he perceived it was only as deep as the reflection on the surface of water. He cast his mind back to that other time, when he had been faced with something just as unimaginable and despite how he may have tried to deny its existence, the evidence and the situation was painfully real. Just as this was now.

Vin rode next to him, silent but full of worry. Chris, who had lost a wife and son, knew how to cope with the possibility of harm befalling his family even if living with it was another matter entirely. Vin was young and he was truly in love for the first time in his life and the bond between the tracker and his lady was strong and binding. So binding that if Vin were to lose her, Chris was not entirely sure how Vin could survive the loss. Deep down inside, what feared Chris almost as much as losing Mary was the fact that if Vin did lose Alex. Grief would eat him inside out as it had done Chris five years ago. The gunslinger did not want his friend to go down that black road, to feel nothing but a constant pain of longing that made the world grey and shapeless. He did not want Vin to end up like him.

"I am still at a loss to understand what has brought this about." Ezra exclaimed because like the rest of them, he was just as astonished by what they had seen. "We have seen some strange things gentlemen but I do believe this is a new realm of experience."

"Ezra shut up." Buck snapped, completely aware of how difficult it was for Chris and Vin who were barely holding on to the hope that they had not lost the women in their lives. Buck who had been right there alongside of Chris when Mary had taken them both down, knew what he had seen just as clearly as Chris had.

"I did not mean to offend. ." the gambler stumbled, his smooth voice faltering as he realized his tactlessness in bringing up the subject when they were all painfully aware of what had happened. Indeed the entire town had witnessed the debacle.

"Its okay." Chris spoke up, feeling generous because it was an extraordinary set of circumstances they now found themselves in and he was grateful for his friends for willing to ride by his side as they went to face God only knew what.

"Chris," Josiah replied as they neared the excavation. "What are we going to do?" The preacher asked.

"What do you mean?" Chris turned to him, wondering how he could even ask such a question. Obviously, they were going to retrieve Mary and Alex by any means necessary, even if it meant dragging them back to town kicking and screaming.

"I mean, we can't shoot them." Josiah retorted, reminding them of the limitations of the exercise they were about to undertake. "How are we going to bring them back without shooting them?"

"I don't know." Chris had to admit. "It's the weapons that Mary's has got that is half the problem." He replied. "We need to get it away from her."

"The other one had something else." Vin reminded. "It was something she wore on her hand."

"I saw that," Nathan nodded. He had been in his infirmary when he had heard the commotion and had arrived on the scene just in time to see Vin flying across the air as if an invisible hand had swatted him aside like a badly behaved child.

"She didn't even touch you." While that may have been difficult to explain, the injuries left behind were no flights of fancy. Vin had let him look at his broken ribs long enough for Nathan to see that at least two of them had been cracked. Even now, he could see the tracker wincing in pain each time he galloped forward in the saddle. Unfortunately, there was no way that they were going to convince Vin to stay behind when they had left town. Not while Alex was out there.

"I don't know you're going get that whatever its is Mary's got." J.D. confessed. Of all the seven, he had the hardest time dealing with all this because he was young and his mind still reeled at every new experience. This was so far beyond what he knew that a deep fear had set inside him that perhaps this was an enemy they were not going to be able to beat. "She's real strong now. I mean, she knocked all three of you down. It's going to take all of us just to get that thing away from her."

As pessimistic as J.D. might have sounded, Chris knew the young man was right. Unfortunately, that did not change things. They still had to reach Mary and Alex to help them. Beyond that, Chris was no closer to a solution than when they had left Four Corners. All he knew right now was that they had to find them first.

Hopefully, the rest would work itself out later. As they neared the excavation, Chris was able to see first hand what Mary had been calling the find of the century prior to this.

The structure was unlike anything he had ever seen before. It was certainly not one of those ancient mounds and while it protruded through the ground like one, the similarity ended there. As the seven approached, the structure appeared more triangular than anything else, almost like a pyramid that was buried underground.

"Oh my Lord," Ezra whispered. "It truly is an exceptional find."

The archaeologists had done a great deal of work with their earthmoving efforts until they had exposed much of the upper portion of the structure including an entrance that disappeared into the darkness where the sunlight could not reach.

"That ain't the word I'd use for it." Vin retorted.

The wagon that Mary had stolen stood not far from the entrance leading into the heart of the structure. However, there was no sign of its passengers. The horses merely waited in bored impatience, unable to flee with the wagon still hitched to the harness on their backs. They reacted with a mere snort of acknowledgment as the seven riders approached but did nothing more to give away the new arrivals' presence to those inside the pyramid.

The afternoon was rapidly descending into evening and very soon it would be dark. Chris did not like the idea of being here in the night, unable to explain why it was so imperative because he was not a man who was afraid of anything.

Predictably, he and Vin dismounted first and when the others did, Chris found himself coming to a very uncomfortable decision but realized he had no other alternative but to take this course of action. It was the one thing he had been unable to do earlier, the one thing that could have kept this from escalating into the nightmare it had now become. He did not voice it to Vin because the tracker was edgy enough as it is. Although Vin Tanner was his level headed best friend who could be counted on in any situation, Chris knew that when it came to Alex, all that restraint and cool deliberation was flung into the wind. His passion for made him unpredictable, not to mention downright dangerous. Right now, he needed Vin thinking straight and so he remained silent.

Chris Larabee did not tell him that it was likely that whatever had happened to Mary had most likely claimed Alex as well, all because they had been unable to keep the doctor from being taken out of Four Corners. "Listen up," he cleared his throat and faced his friends as they prepared to enter the lion's den so to speak. He searched the words that would convey to them that this was the hardest decision he had ever faced in his life but it was a necessary course of action, if either woman was to be saved. "If they're in there and its likely they are, they ain't going to be too happy to see us. I don't know what's happened to Mary but she's a lot stronger than she used to be. She took all three of us down easy and if she's still not herself, then we're going to have to forget that she's my wife or your friend."

It was Ezra who caught on what he was trying to say, even though he had trouble believing it. "Are you suggesting that we open fire on her Mr. Larabee?" Ezra asked with clear astonishment. There were not many things that had the power to move the gambler to such shock but he had to admit, hearing Chris Larabee insinuating this much had certainly succeeded.

"Not to kill," Chris replied quickly, finding it difficult to keep his voice measured because he was so terribly afraid of losing her but knew deep inside, that to save Mary, he had to be the man she loved, the one who could be counted to protect her from anything. "Enough to wound her so that we can find out what's wrong with her."

"Chris. ." Buck started to say but the remark died in his throat when he saw the anguish in the gunslinger's eyes and understood how hard it had been for him to give them the order.

"We also have to be prepared that Alex might be the same way." Chris admitted reluctantly. He had not wanted to tell Vin but now as they stood upon the edge of something dark and unknown, Chris felt that he had to warn them of his suspicions, no matter how terrible the implications.

Vin looked at him sharply. "We don't know that." The tracker said firmly. "There ain't no reason to believe that what got Mary has got her too." His voice had a tinge of desperation because he did not want to believe it.

"And no reason not to either." Josiah said, placing a hand on the younger man's back, trying to offer comfort in this dark time. "Vin, there are some very strange things going on here, you know that if something like that can happen to Mary, it can also happen to Alex."

Vin said nothing and although he did not want to believe it, he knew Josiah was right and so was Chris about using any means necessary to subdue them both. When he had seen her simply walk away from him, following Mary and the other woman obediently, Vin realized that Alex was under the power of something vile and terrifying. If saving her meant that he had to hurt her, then Vin had no choice. He would do anything for Alex.

Even this.

"All right," Vin nodded, meeting Chris' gaze. "I hear you, pard. We'll do it your way."

"Remember," Chris reiterated. "We're going to try and get that weapon or whatever it is away from Mary. If we can get it away from her, maybe we can take her down without having to shoot."

"What about the other one?" J.D. asked. "She's got some kind of a weapon too." The young man reminded them all that the older woman with Mary had managed to send Vin through the air like she was blowing away a feather.

"That's right," Chris nodded, not having forgotten that at all. "That's why you, Josiah, Buck and Nathan are going to keep her distracted. Don't kill her but fire everything you got at her. Me, Ezra and Vin will deal with Mary."

Chris had trouble believing he was talking about his wife as if she were the enemy. Unfortunately, that was exactly what she was. When she had turned her weapon on Billy, preparing to kill her own child, Chris knew that Mary Larabee was gone. Whoever remained in her place was a murderer willing to kill a child and that told Chris a great deal about the enemy he was facing.

He was facing someone who was willing to kill every one of them.

Isis was pleased.

Her new body was everything she wished it to be. Unlike Sekhmet who could tolerate fair skin and golden hair, she had preferred to remain in skin similar to the first human host she had taken for herself. Her host was young and healthy, not to mention extraordinarily beautiful. This met with the approval of Isis for the Goddess of All had to be beautiful. While Isis did not wish Sekhmet's form, she was impressed by it. The golden hair that cascaded past her shoulders was indeed breathtaking and seemed to shimmer each time Sekhmet moved. While it would take Isis some time to acquaint herself with Sekhmet's new visage, she supposed it was no different for her.

Her host's mind was strong. She could hear it crying and weeping, begging freedom in its prison as it struggled and fought despite the increasing realization at the futility of it all. Of course, the hosts always fought in the beginning and while this one had great spirit, it was not match for her. Isis was a psyche in the cultivation for almost four thousand years. She had spent all that time perfecting dominance over her hosts and this latest acquisition, despite its powerful determination, would be no different that any other she had crushed throughout the ages.

Isis slipped on the last of her clothing from her last host body, deciding she did not like the restrictive garments worn by the former. She snorted in derision at the ludicrousness of these female bindings, aware that only a male dominated society could induce the females of its populace to wear such things, as if the bindings were meant not only to hide their bodies but any semblance of self. Isis did not favour the male of the species. There were rules as old as time that even the Goa'uld had to adhere to in their aged culture which in truth was a matriarchy although it served the women of the species to allow the men to think otherwise. Men provided the seed for life, whether they be Goa'uld or human. He decided the form. Those were the rules. Her rule was far simpler and it was the rule of every woman who understood the real truth of nature about that which is called man.

Use him for your pleasure. Abuse him at your leisure.

She was an instrument of pain to every man she had encountered. Ra had sought to make her his queen, not realizing that it was he that she had chosen to make consort. When enough of them had been spread throughout the stars, she discarded him although it served his vanity to think that it was he who had hunted her into hiding. Sekhmet was one of her children and her greatest pupil. The Lion Goddess and Eye of Ra as the humans had once called her, had made inflicting pain more than just a chore, she had made it art. She thrived on it and the lust of blood, particularly male. Through four millennia of existence, Sekhmet had been the standard for all warring goddesses of popular mythology. She had been Artemis, Diana, Kali and even mistaken for Mut although in truth, Isis was more Mut than Sekhmet but there came a point where their destinies were so intermingled, they were often mistaken for each other.

She was in need of new clothes but for now the robes she had would have to do. It was time to leave the world of the Tau'Ri since it appeared that time had made them somewhat of a threat, albeit a small one. Smoothing her dress, she secured the ribbon device around her hand and searched the cavern for Sekhmet, glancing momentarily at the dead form she had worn for so long. The body had started to shrivel. Without the Goa'uld inside it, its decay would come about rapidly. In a matter of hours, it would be dust, like the rest of the things in this place.

"Are you ready?" Sekhmet emerged from the shadows. Always the warrior, she remained hidden in case of attack. "I grow weary of this world. My hosts attachment to this place is. .disconcerting."

"She feels the bindings of a husband and child," Isis replied. "Such folly has lasting connections. You will feel its stirrings for some time, I fear."

"Not for long." Sekhmet said with a cold smile. "I know how to drive it away."

"We should have taken one of their males with us." Isis remarked as both of them walked to the Chapaii's dialing device. "We will need the code of life to create new Jaffa."

"Yes," Sekhmet agreed. "I would like to have taken the one in black. I believe it was the host's mate. It might have proved an interesting lesson in who controls this body."

"He would not have made a good specimen," Isis said as she reached for the dialing device. "I sense much will in him. You would have killed him forcing him to obey."

"We will find one when we have passed through the gate." Sekhmet said with a tinge of disappointment. She would have really have enjoyed breaking the hosts mate but Isis was right. It was time to leave this world. After so many years of confinement, she wished to be worshipped again. She wanted to luxuriate in the pleasure of male suffering. Perhaps Netjer, one of Isis' many bastions scattered throughout the universe, could offer such diversion.

"No doubt." The Goddess of All mused when suddenly; a loud eruption of sound tore through the stillness of the air. Taken off guard, Isis dropped to the ground but there was no situation to which Sekhmet could be caught unaware for very long. She was the eye of the hunter and she smelled blood in the water.

"Why is Alex dressed like that!" Vin shouted as he and Chris circled the edge of the cavern, moving through the shadows inspired by twilight that was fast approaching outside. They could see the shimmer of Mary's hair as she tried to run for cover once Josiah, J.D. and Nathan opened fired on the woman clad in the robes. It was only after they started shooting and saw her drop to her knees did they realize that it was Alex whom they were firing at.

Chris did not answer Vin because the answer was rather obvious. The same thing that had taken over Mary had now claimed Alex as well although Chris could not fathom how it had been done. All he knew was Alex was now as dangerous as Mary, possibly even more. Her surprise lasted only seconds because in a moment, she rose to her feet. She appeared not at all afraid of the bullets and as she raised her hand, they all saw what she was wearing around her wrist.

"You know why!" Chris snapped angrily because this was not the time to discuss it.

"Mr. Tanner," Ezra spoke, knowing that both men were riding on a wave of emotion and now was the time to be alert with all their faculties intact. The creature that had been Mary Travis Larabee was somewhere in here with them and she had proven once already that she was capable of taking them all on and winning. "We need to focus."

Vin did not want to imagine that Alex was as lost to him as Mary now appeared to Chris. As he watched the woman he loved, her eyes glowing as she snarled in almost feral rage at the men shooting at her, fearless of the bullets that could end her life at any second, he knew that she was not Alex. He did not know who it was that was facing them with such power, he just knew it was not Alex.

Slowly she raised her hand and the gem in the centre of her palm started to glow again. Vin knew what was coming just as surely as he had felt the ribs crack when she had flung him aside.

"Josiah, get down!" He shouted, trying to warn them.

They had been taking refuge behind a boulder but when that invisible force she commanded struck, the large rock, which easily stood over Josiah's head shattered like sand. Debris sprayed forth in all direction, raining the men behind it with rocks and shards of jagged rock. As Josiah, J.D., Buck and Nathan scrambled out of the way, covered with fine grains of pulverized rock and dust, Alex took another step forward, this time there was no doubt she had meant to finish them as completely as she had obliterated the boulder moments ago. As much as he pained him, Vin had to stop it. He knew if he just talk to her, he could reach her.

Without thinking, he rushed forward from his hiding place into the centre of the cavern where she could see him.

"VIN!" Chris shouted angrily, unable to believe that the young man could do this stupid, stupid thing! "Goddamn it! Get back here!" He almost went after the tracker when he felt a firm hand pulling him back before he too gave himself away.

"Chris you cannot go after him, we still have another problem!" The gambler reminded and Chris realized what he was talking about. Of course, Mary. She was still here somewhere, lying low for the moment, the way a smart hunter would do. She was watching in the darkness, waiting for them to show themselves so she could track them. Chris stared after Vin, unable to help his friend and feeling his heart die a little because he knew what was coming even if Vin did not.

In truth Vin did know how dangerous an act he had committed. However, at the time, he could think of no other way to stop Alex from using that terrible weapon on the others. At least now, she would just focus her attack on him and perhaps if he spoke to her, try to reach that part of her that knew who he was, maybe she would remember that he loved her and she loved him. "Alex," Vin said slowly, holding his ground now that he was before her. "Its me, Vin. Please darlin'', you know me."

She looked at him and lowered her hand.

Vin felt his heart pound as she stared at him for a few seconds with an expression on her face, he could not fathom. If anything convinced him that she was another person, it was that inability to tell what she was thinking. Vin had always known what was inside Alex's heart by just staring into her eyes. She moved towards him slowly and even though she was dressed strangely, Vin could not deny how beautiful she appeared in her strange robe even if she did seem somewhat mercurial. He felt his heart pound as she approached him because she had not tried to attack. Instead, she was studying him as if trying to decipher what he was.

"Its me," he continued to say. "Its Vin. Come on Alex, try to remember." He pleaded. "You're wearing my ring on your finger."

She obviously had not realized that it was there because she instinctively looked at her hand as he spoke. The band of gold remained around her finger and she observed it for a few seconds before her eyes raised to meet his again.

"Vin," she whispered.

"Yeah darlin'," he grinned hearing her voice not that awful stranger's using her lips to speak. "Its me."

"Vin," she mused again, as if it was hard to speak. She was close enough to touch him now and Vin felt a surge of hope flare in his chest because she knew him! She recognized him!

"Vin! Get away from her!" He heard Chris shout again.

Chris could only watch with rising horror as Alex reached for Vin, placing her hand on his cheek as she drew him close. For a minute, he dared to hope that perhaps Vin had reached Alex and with that the possibility that the same might be done for Mary as well. Vin was drawn to Alex's lips as their mouths met in a kiss of passion. Chris and Ezra stared as they all did as Alex continued to kiss Vin, her hand sliding around his neck, slipping past the strands of hair until finally, she reached skin.

And then it all went to hell.

The gemstone came to life as she clenched her fist around his throat and there was one frozen moment in time when Chris heard Vin choke as the loud squelch of snapping bone screamed loud in all their ears. The tracker's body went limp in her grip and she withdrew from him with a smile on her lips that was almost beatific in its exultation at the death just caused. Without saying another word, she viciously pulled the ring from her finger and dropped it on the ground about the same time Vin tumbled to the dirt.

"VIN!" Chris screamed, seeing the unusual angle of his neck and knowing with absolute certainty that it was broken. He might still be alive but the red haze of rage running through Chris' mind did not permit him to believe it. He was about to run out there and face her, not caring whether or not she could do the same or who she might have been when suddenly, something slammed into his back.

Chris felt forward into the dirt, gasping in pain from the blow delivered to his kidneys. His legs felt weak and he tried to turn around when suddenly, he was hit with the most mind numbing pain he had ever felt in his life. He tore through him like hot tendrils until all he could do was scream mindlessly from it. He heard Ezra calling out his name, trying to help but for some unknown reason, the gambler seemed very far away after a few seconds.

Sekhmet watched the man in black writhing in pain as she delivered to him one discharge of her weapon and then turned around to repeat the procedure on his companion. She regarded the smaller man and decided that he might do for what Isis required and perhaps she would entertain herself with him when the breeding was done. His agony made him easy to handle and she dragged him easily towards the Chapaii, leaving the other to suffer his agonies.

Isis was keeping the others at bay with the ribbon weapon at her disposal, blasting everything in sight until they were scrambling like children. How fortunate Sekhmet had found the Zat'nuk'atel weapon among the relics left behind during their time in this enclave. It made this entire engagement pass all the swifter since she had no desire to remain in the world of the Tau'ri for very much longer.

"I have your breeder." Sekhmet declared. "It is time to go."

Isis looked over the new acquisition briefly for there was little time for a prolonged inspection before nodding in approval. "He will do."

While their attacker scrambled to gain their bearings, Isis activated the Chapaii, entering the glyphs that would take them to Netjer.

Nathan watched them bringing the strange device to life, illuminating each panel they touched. He did not know why he was studying them, only knowing that it was important if Ezra was to come out of this alive. He could hear Chris groaning in pain and he knew Vin was dead, somewhere behind him, Josiah was coughing out dust and J.D. was struggling to stay on his feet. Suddenly, the ring of stone they had previously ignored, gushed to life in a sight Nathan would not forget until his dying day. The connection that the strange symbols and the order they had been delivered on the smaller device had someone created this gateway, flared in his mind. Nathan quickly memorized the sequence as he watched Alex and Mary disappear into the shimmer in the centre of the ring, taking Ezra with them.

He had to remember or they would never see Ezra Standish again.

TO BE CONTINUED