Chapter 4

The sun was sinking by the time Ptahsennes reached the edge of the western desert. He could drive - after a fashion - though it wasn't something he liked to admit. One thing he had changed his mind about though, was his concept of time. He now understood why everyone rushed everywhere. He didn't know where Death was, but he knew where he was going. And Ptahsennes intended to be there, waiting.


"If I never saw another desert again, I could die happy," O'Neill muttered as they topped the last rise and headed down toward the ship.

Methos grinned. "It's not so bad once you get used to it. At least it's-" He stopped abruptly as he sensed the presence of another Immortal.

"Time to die, Horseman!"

Weapons came up as everyone turned. Except for Methos, who closed his eyes and took a deep, painful breath.

"Hello again, Ptahsennes," he finally said, turning to face his accuser. "I'm very busy right now, do you mind if we do this later?"

"I am not laughing, carrion. I will have your head. Tonight!"

"Uh, hold up a minute here," Jack raised his hand. "No one's head is going anywhere. Especially not his," he jerked a thumb at Methos. "Unless you haven't noticed, your friend here is wearing U.S. Government Issue. Which means," he pointed out. "That his head belongs to us - along with his ass. And we're not fixing to let either of them go any time soon."

Ptahsennes stared in disbelief. "What have you done, Methos?! One mortal who knows our secret was not enough? You must tell the whole world?!"

"Shit happens," Methos said bluntly.

Ptahsennes nodded slowly. "So be it. Then you must all die."

"No!" Methos shouted as O'Neill and the others instantly cocked their weapons. The sound of heavy machinery suddenly sounded in the distance and lights from several dozen vehicles appeared on the distant horizon.

"Oh, man!" O'Neill complained loudly. "You woke up the Russians!"

"It's a bit of a crowd for this, Ptahsennes!" Methos snarled in disgust.

"It matters not," the Egyptian said. "Fight me now, coward. Or I will hunt you down - if I have to leave Egypt to do it!"

Methos compressed his lips and nodded slowly. "Get in the ship, Jack. Go! All of you!" he shouted when they made no move to leave.

"We are so not doing this now," O'Neill shook his head.

"No. We are not," Methos agreed. "I will take care of Ptahsennes."

"The hell you will!" Jack told him angrily.

Methos frowned deeply. "When I agreed to this I made it clear to General Hammond that I would not tolerate interference in a fair challenge. Well, fair challenge is given and accepted. Now, go!"

"Fine!" O'Neill retorted. "But if you're not in that ship in three minutes I will kill you. Repeatedly!"

Ptahsennes laughed. "You will not have the chance, mortal. This one belongs to me now."

O'Neill glared at the Egyptian then turned to Methos. "Just kill his crazy ass!" he told the Immortal angrily.

"Not if I can help it," Methos murmured softly as the colonel stalked off followed by the rest of the team.

The lights on the horizon were drawing closer and Methos estimated they had only a few minutes before the place was crawling with Russian troops.

"Come, old friend," he finally nodded as he shrugged off his pack and drew his sword from the sheath at his back. "Let's do this where-"

Ptahsennes didn't bother to let him finish, rushing forward as soon as his sword was free. Methos back peddled, drawing his old friend away from the oncoming soldiers and around the other side of the ship.

"You don't understand what's happening here, Ptahsennes!" Methos called as he hurriedly deflected a parry, answering with a thrust of his own past the other man's defenses which was easily countered. "Just let me explain!" Maybe reason would help, Methos hoped, though he doubted it.

"I have all the explanation I need," Ptahsennes growled. "You're in my desert. Stealing. Again!" he shouted. "I saw those bodies you left behind. Murdering rogue!"

"That wasn't us!" Methos ducked and Ptahsennes' sword passed far too close to his hair.

"Lies! More lies!"

The blows came more quickly and Methos no longer had time to think. Ptahsennes had always been good, even in practice. And right now, Ptahsennes wasn't practicing.


"We up and running yet?" O'Neill called over his radio from where he and Daniel guarded the main hatchway. He fired on a squad of Russian troops as Daniel used Teal'c staff weapon to break up their advance.

"Momentarily," the Jaffa called back.

O'Neill cocked his head as he heard a dangerously familiar sound. "Incoming!" he shouted as he and Daniel hit the deck.

The ship rocked as a mortar exploded against the hull. Then another and another, until it suddenly dawned on O'Neill that the Russians planned to destroy the ship rather than let it take off.

"We got any shields?!" he called desperately as he heard an explosion from within the ship itself.

"We have nothing!" Teal'c responded a moment later as he and Carter came running down the corridor.

"That last round hit the engine core," she reported. "We can't stop the power build up."

"We have little time, O'Neill," Teal'c added. "This ship will soon be destroyed."

"Oh, that's just beautiful!" the colonel snapped disgustedly.

"Sir," Carter said as the ship rocked again. "We can still use the Stargate to get out."

"I thought we couldn't do that!" he responded testily, firing several rounds out the hatch. "Only one gate on Earth opens at a time."

"Technically, sir, this gate isn't on Earth," she explained. "It has a different address entirely. I'm guessing it's like all the other ship based Stargates we've seen. Its system should automatically compensate for the differential."

"Daniel," O'Neill ordered. "Secure the gate. Get ready to dial us home."

"What about Adam?" the archaeologist demanded. "We can't just leave him!"

"We're going! If he wants to play Knights of the Round Table with his buddies we can't help him."

Daniel looked furious, but he headed for the Stargate nonetheless.

Another round of mortar fire struck the ship and O'Neill ordered the others back. "Seal that door," he told Teal'c. "Carter, see if you can locate Pierson. Find a hatch close to where he is. If you have to, shoot him and the bastard he's fighting with and drag Pierson's ass on board. You have two minutes!"

"Yes, sir!" she answered smartly and took off running down the corridor.


The ground shook again as Methos felt the bite of Ptahsennes' blade in his thigh. Sand was lousy footing to begin with, but this was ridiculous. Still, his opponent was just as bad off, bleeding from nearly as many wounds as Methos.

On the other side of the ship the fight raged on, a strange counterpoint to the ancient clash of steel. End it now, Methos' inner voice told him as he saw another opening in Ptahsennes' defenses. He could make a straight cut to the shoulder and an upward thrust to the neck - just as Ptahsennes had tried to do to him that morning. Or, he could use this opening to disarm and disable. He lunged to take advantage of his luck just as another mortar exploded behind them. Unable to compensate, Methos flew forward, his sword rising upward to spear Ptahsennes' throat.

"No!" he shouted as he saw the light of Ptahsennes' Quickening gleam brightly against the Egyptian's dark skin. Ptahsennes' eyes widened in surprise and Methos shook his head sadly. "I'm sorry," he whispered, furious at the fates which had never meant for two such disparate forms of war to come together. Shutting his eyes Methos yanked his sword free, partially cleaving the neck to let the head loll sideways. Sloppy work, he thought as the body dropped to the ground, but he could do no better by his old friend now.

As Methos fell to his knees someone called his name. A woman. Carter, he thought bleakly, ignoring her as he raised his sword and waited to receive Ptahsennes' Quickening.

Suddenly, there was a hand in his hair and he flinched as sharp nailed fingers painfully pinched his earlobe.

"Move it, Pierson!" Carter ordered, dragging him toward an open airlock. "We're leaving!"

If he hadn't been so shocked Methos might have fought, but if she'd meant to get his attention Carter had succeeded completely. Even before he realized he was moving Methos was up and running for the hatch, following his twisted ear.

The first wave of the Quickening caught him at the door, knocking the pair forward as it loosened Carter's hold.

"Go!" he shouted, shoving her toward the corridor. "I'll follow!" Then he couldn't speak for the pain as the lightening seared his flesh. Staggering forward, Methos rounded the corner to see the others waiting impatiently near the gate. He gasped, falling to his knees as several bolts of energy pounded him in quick succession. Debris rained down as the strikes shot around the room, exploding against every available surface. Dimly through the haze of his vision, Methos saw Daniel punching in the address. The Quickening was dying, he realized gratefully as the last few discharges went wild, dancing across the face of the Stargate.

The outer track turned, the chevrons locking into place as Teal'c and O'Neill grabbed Methos, pulling him toward the gate. Then several mortars exploded against the hull, sending most of what was left of the ceiling crashing down. They sheltered as best they could, but it seemed to take forever for the gate to open and when it did, the vortex turned multi-colored, undulating weirdly as the gate crackled with energy.

"What the hell?!" O'Neill gasped.

Even as he spoke the vortex settled back to normal and another explosion, this time from within the ship, savagely shook the room.

"Let's go!" he shouted. And they flung themselves into the light as the world behind them was suddenly blasted to pieces.

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