Seaworld…
It was night. The stars glittered like a brilliant sparkling blanket that had been thrown over the sky.
The sound of the low waves against the beach, near hypnotic, lulling all those who heard it to sleep. Two moons reflected their soft light onto the planet, giving Seaworld a near surreal atmosphere.
And in one of the idyllic beach huts a dim light glowed from the small window.
The light was coming from the screen of a laptop computer and it illuminated the unclothed form of Harry slumped in a chair with his legs hanging over the armrest, a slight frown of concentration marring his features as he stared at the screen. He had been unable to get into a deep sleep; his dreams lately had been…strange…for lack of a better word. It was always the same…a door, an endless white void flashing with a strange mist and within it Ancient text swirled and flew around in endless dimensions – the meaning of which he could faintly begin to understand before abruptly the dream ended with the vision of a tall stately looking woman, looking expectantly at him, as if waiting.
So in an attempt to distract his mind to perhaps getting some sleep he had untangled himself gently from Apollonia and pulled out a laptop he had brought with him from the SGC and started to work, but not before running a special conversion program he had loaded and suddenly everything turned to Ancient text (he found it easier to work in Ancient especially when it came to science).
A cross section appeared of the particle beam generator that had been instrumental in the return of a stranded Colonel O'Neill back to Earth.
Edora was a world forgotten by the Goa'uld, due to the fact that the naquadah mine had run dry thousands of years ago, and was populated by only a tiny agrarian society. But it was unique in that its orbit skimmed through an asteroid belt every year, and the locals were treated to spectacular display of 'falling stars'. SG1 had visited the planet and discovered substantial new deposits of naquadah in the soil, most likely due to the 'falling stars' hitting the planet every two hundred or so years. And as Murphy and the Fates would have it, another such event would occur the very next day.
SG1 had tried to evacuate everyone and two thirds of the villagers had agreed to temporarily evacuate to Earth, the rest chose to stay. However, Colonel O'Neill had been separated from the others in trying to rescue a teenage boy and before he could even hope to return to the Stargate a meteor impact hit right on top of the gate.
The result was the Stargate was buried under tons of rock and the super heated rock had melted the naquadah naturally present in the soil to form a natural iris over the mouth of the Stargate.
O'Neill had been stranded for over three months as Harry and Samantha raced to build the particle beam generator which would melt the hardened naquadah 'iris' and allow the unstable event horizon to form, which would excavate large cavity and eventually allowed Teal'C the task of going through and digging to the surface of Edora. Not long after the evacuees returned to Earth that the mining treaty had been formalized with the Edorans, and now for the first time Earth had a steady supply of naquadah to begin work on the X-project.
Harry was looking for a whole new use for the particle beam generator though…his fingers began to tap at the buttons, inputting energy equations and variations…
He didn't know for how long he had been working before he felt strong, yet still feminine hands thread through his messy hair. He couldn't help but let out a sigh of pleasure at the physical and mental presence of his wife. She began to slightly massage his scalp.
"Struggle sleeping?"
"Yes," nodded Harry, allowing his eyes to close for a moment and relishing in the bliss of her presence for a few moments. Her hands retreated and she stepped next to his chair, the light from the screen only allowing tantalizing hints of her nude form to reach his eyes; the curve of a hip, the tip of a nipple.
"You saw the light of our ancestors again?" she asked.
"Indeed, I did," answered Harry with a frown, he turned to look up at her. "Have you ever seen it?"
"I have also seen it, yes," she confirmed. "It first appeared to me a few days after Sparta was destroyed by the Goa'uld, but I have never approached that door in my mind again."
"Why not?" he asked astonished that she had never revealed it to him, there were very few secrets between them due to the joining and opening of minds that they shared.
"It frightens me," she said softly.
"It frightens me too, but it's the path we must all walk in the fullness of time."
A beeping sound suddenly erupted from within a kitbag to the side of their bed. Harry sighed wearily and stood from the chair and reached in the bag and pulled out an Asgard data pad, which had an attached subspace antenna.
"What is it?" asked Apollonia.
"Subspace signal from Earth. Hmph, figures the good Major would figure out how to use my transponder to send a message."
"What do they say?" she asked and walked behind him and threaded her arms around his torso, staring over his shoulder at the thin screen in his hands.
"Ab Infinitus Universum!"(1) cussed Harry with a scowl. "Apophis is still alive. That snakehead just does not know how to die."
"I thought you said he died aboard Sokar's flagship," she frowned at the screen.
"He must have managed to get to a transporter ring room before it exploded," groused Harry. "And naturally, he was in a perfect position to snatch up all of Sokar's ships and resources."
"That is…shit," said Apollonia bluntly, using an Earth swear word. Harry knew he shouldn't have let her watch that selection of movies.
"Quite, and his first act…was to attack Chulak," he said with disgust, chucking the subspace pad back into the bag. "The SGC is requesting my presence."
"Then you should go," she said, kissing his neck. "But first…" she directed him to the bed, "…I think you should lie down…"
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SGC, Earth…
Harry was startled as he walked into the briefing room to find General Hammond, SG1 and an old armored Jaffa seated around the table and apparently waiting for him. The Jaffa in question also had the gold encrusted snake tattoo on his forehead, clearly indicating that he had once been a First Prime of Apophis…his age and the fact that he was alive allowed Harry to draw an obvious conclusion as to his identity. Teal'C had spoken highly of the old Jaffa Master sitting at the table.
"Tek ma te, Master Bratac," bowed Harry. "It's an honor to finally meet the one who instructed Teal'C."
"Tek ma te, Ambassador Tyr," said Bratac, bowing his head slightly as Harry took a seat.
"So, what's the specific reason you summoned me?"
"We believe we may have found the location of Keb," said Daniel.
"Indeed," said Harry, his interest perked. "How?"
"Well, a combination of Ancient Egyptian legend, Master Bratac's knowledge, and by comparing the Ancient map of Stargates to the Goa'uld one," said Daniel, pointing to a computer screen that showed an enhanced MALP image. "This a picture from the planet in question."
"How can you be sure?"
"The story I've heard says that Keb is an untouched wilderness," said Master Bratac, "with great mountains and a single temple in a valley distant from the Stargate."
"If the Goa'uld are scared of Keb that would explain why they never mined this planet," said Daniel.
"If Amonet thought to hide the Harssisus child on Keb," said Teal'C. "Then Apophis could also make the assumption that she would do so."
"Well, Apophis is just nuts enough to go despite what happened to any Goa'uld in the past who set foot on Keb," commented O'Neill. "I would like some backup on this one, sir."
"SG2 will accompany you and due to the fact that we may be dealing with a big unknown that can rattle even the Goa'uld's cages, the Ambassador will go too," said General Hammond.
"As will I," said Bratac. The General nodded after a moments thought.
"Let's just hope we get there first," said Daniel worriedly.
Harry felt himself being hurled through subspace…the arching blue colored subspace path twirled in various directions…up and down, left and right, diagonally and through time and space itself. Beyond the path itself the stars of the galaxy rolled and tumbled until exactly 0.31 seconds had passed and he felt himself regaining substance and he stepped through the event horizon of Keb Stargate.
He kept his PR7 in hand and walked further away to make room for SG2, who appeared a few moments later…after which the subspace path collapsed with a flash. Colonel O'Neill, Bratac and the rest of SG1 was already waiting for them.
"Check in every thirty minutes," ordered O'Neill to the Major in command of SG2.
"Yes, sir."
"Hold the fort, Major," said O'Neill. "Ambassador, shall we go?"
Harry nodded and the group of six turned and headed in the direction of the treeline, Master Bratac and Teal'C taking point, while Harry, Sam and Daniel staggered the formation behind them and O'Neill took upon himself as rear guard.
They walked for over an hour in the valley, until they came across a small river. Teal'C and Bratac abruptly halted though when they passed close to the soft coarse sand on the riverbank.
"What've you got?" asked O'Neill as Teal'C kneeled down to examine the sand, while Bratac stood behind him. Harry caught up to see they were examining a grouping of footprints in the sand.
"A group of Jaffa passed through here recently," answered Teal'C in deep thought. "Six of them."
"Eight," corrected Bratac. "
"So we're not the first," said Harry rather ominously, scanning with his senses in all directions, yet finding no minds or energy within the immediate area. Nothing more could be interpreted from the grouping of tracks, so the group continued forwards, following the direction the tracks seemed to be coming from. It was immediately evident that the Jaffa had followed the path of the river.
They continued on until they reached another grouping of footprints.
"What is it?"
"Six of the Jaffa stopped here," announced Teal'C.
"Two went on ahead," continued Bratac, "they returned with another, a woman."
"How do you know that?" asked O'Neill. Harry felt it was a rather stupid question, considering the military skill of the Jaffa and in particular, a Jaffa Master as skilled as Bratac. But it seemed Bratac was patient with his Tau'ri allies.
"Here," said Teal'C, pointing his staff weapon at a set of footprints. "A third of the footprints are small and light. The shoe is an open toe sandal worn by Jaffa women."
"When they all met up again there was a struggle," said Bratac. "Then they headed into the forest. Each print is spread wide, they were running."
"He's good," said O'Neill, looking impressed.
"Extremely," smiled Teal'C.
"The woman may be the priestess entrusted with the child," said Bratac, before heading into the forest with the rest of them following his lead.
Inside the forest they spread out along the path of the fleeing Jaffa priestess, staring at the ground, looking for any sign or clue as to her fate. Harry found an acrid smell reaching his nose, like that of something that was totally overcooked in an oven. He stared around, hoping to find the cause when Daniel called that he found something.
It was indeed, something, three dead Jaffa bodies, all burnt to crisp. Their armor was blackened with carbon and withered down to become awfully brittle.
"This doesn't make any sense," said Sam, examining the bodies. "These bodies are burnt like nothing I've ever seen before, yet nothing in the surrounding area is even touched, almost like a directed lightning strike…"
"Or some kind of…" said O'Neill, he obviously wanted to say that it was a weapon, but Teal'C shot down his hopes.
"I've never before seen a weapon that could do such a thing," he said. But Harry was looking rather worriedly at the corpses. He could sense a faint residual power left in the corpses and it felt…familiar somehow. In the end, they counted eight dead bodies.
"Over here!" called Bratac. The group hurried to the sound of his voice beyond a copse of trees. They found him kneeling over the body of the dead Jaffa priestess they had been tracking, wearing rather beautiful robes. Bratac carefully turned the body. "She was shot in the back as she fled," he said, showing the obvious fatal wound from a staff weapon.
"So what happened here?" asked O'Neill.
"The priestess was being escorted back to the Stargate by two of the Jaffa," said Bratac. "When they met the others, she realized she was in danger. She attempted to flee; they chased her and shot her. Then someone or something attacked them."
"What about the child?" asked Daniel.
"She carried the child," said Bratac.
"How can you know that?" asked O'Neill in disbelief.
"Her hands are not bound," pointed out Teal'C, while Bratac lifted the poor woman free arms to show it.
"And they shot low," said the Master, and pointed to the wound right over the lower abdomen of the priestess.
"Then what happened to the boy?"
"That I cannot tell," said Bratac. "But they have been dead for over two days, and after they didn't return, Apophis should have sent more."
"Perhaps many more," said Teal'C darkly.
The group resumed their journey along the valley and through the forest until they broke through the dense foliage to find themselves on a high hill and there in the distance was a temple at the base of a high mountain. It reminded Harry distinctly of the Buddhist temples back on Earth; curved roofs, pagodas, everything was painted in shades of red, and high walls were built into the structure of the temple itself.
"Keb?" asked O'Neill.
"Keb," said Bratac, his eyes wide in awe.
Harry and Daniel automatically disarmed themselves and dropped their gear the moment the entered the temple's front reception garden, which was beautifully maintained as any Zen garden he had before seen on Earth. Nobody had arrived to greet them though, which was strange, considering the size of the temple itself.
"Daniel, Ambassador?" said O'Neill. "What are you doing?"
"This is a hallowed place, Colonel," said Harry. "We should not bring any instrument of destruction within its halls."
"He is correct," said Bratac, "this is sacred ground." He handed his staff and Zat gun to Teal'C. O'Neill grumbled under his breath and allowed Major Carter to unbuckle his backpack, but he would not relinquish his PR7.
"All right, you two wait here," he instructed to Teal'C and Sam. Daniel led the way by opening the beautifully polished oak door and entering. Inside was a beautiful understated room so typical of Zen architecture. Dark mahogany pillars lined the room and large scrolls of ornately scripted text adorned the walls. The room was lit with red wax candles strategically placed on each pillar and in the center of the floor was a perfectly flattened sand garden with a single candle in the middle…obviously an area for meditation.
O'Neill led them inside as they looked around. He turned around and missed the monk who had silently teleported a few feet in front of him. Harry's eyes widened at the display of power; the monk had to be a descendant of the Ancients, like he himself was one, he could feel it within the monk. The monk himself was clearly of Asian descent, wearing red Buddhist robes and short shaved hair.
"Whoah!" shouted a startled O'Neill as he caught sight of the monk. "Where did you come from?"
"I have been here for some time," said the monk calmly, his eyes glancing over them, and halting on Harry.
"No," countered O'Neill, "you weren't in here when we just came in."
"Here is everywhere you are," said the monk in turn.
"Excuse me?"
Daniel decided to come to his friend's rescue and began introducing everyone. "My name is Daniel Jackson, this is Jack O'Neill, Bratac and Harry. We're peaceful explorers from a place called Earth."
"Do you seek oneness with Desala?" asked the monk. The name struck a chord within Harry…in his dreams…the stately looking woman.
"I know that," said Daniel, "Desala, it sounds African…"
"Desala is everything, everywhere…"said the monk enigmatically.
"Nature," announced Daniel.
"The Universe itself," countered Harry. The monk smiled and nodded at Harry.
"Put no barriers between you and where you are," advised the monk.
"He wishes us to remove our shoes," said Harry with a smile in turn and also nodded at the monk. The AI of his chromesuit reacted to his desire and a moment later it retreated to reveal his bare feet. Harry winced slightly at the coldness of the floor. Daniel and Bratac also began removing their shoes, though it was a slightly longer process. Harry walked onto the sand garden and sat opposite the candle, folding his legs in a half-lotus position; Daniel and Bratac joined him at his side.
"Yeaahhh," said O'Neill to the monk, "I've been walking a ways today…"
"Your journey is only beginning," said the monk, amusement dancing in his eyes.
"I'm just saying I'll be doing us a favor if I keep this babies on," said O'Neill, a condescending smirk playing on his face.
"When the mind is enlightened, the spirit is free, the body matters not," said the monk and joined the others in lotus positions in the sand garden.
"Here's an idea," said O'Neill to the others, as if it should've been painfully obvious, "let's ask him if the boy is here." Daniel looked at him for a moment and turned back to the monk.
"We've come here looking for a boy," said Daniel.
"Lightning flashes, sparks shower, in one blink of your eyes you've missed seeing it," said the monk. Harry immediately nodded, the message of the monk was clear, at least to his mind.
"Lightning, you say?" asked O'Neill from the side. The monk turned his head to address him.
"I only know that a snowflake cannot exist in a storm of fire." Harry interpreted it to mean that the boy was the snowflake and could not have survived in the hands of fire, ie. The Goa'uld.
"What?" asked O'Neill looking baffled.
"Jack," said Daniel, shushing the Colonel.
"You know me," said O'Neill, "I'm a huge fan of subtlety, but that was downright encryptic."
"Sorry, don't worry about him," said Daniel to the monk, gesturing to continue.
"The sun is warm, the wind is wild, and the grass is green along the shores, here no bull can hide." Harry understood that to mean that everything was seen and taken cognizance of on this planet by someone, whom…he did not know.
"I don't know about that," said O'Neill.
"Jack, he's speaking in Zen coombs," said Daniel, looking fascinated. "Whatever theology he follows may be the original basis for Buddhism on Earth."
"Well, I'll be sure to give the Dalai Lama back home a call as soon as we get back," he said sarcastically. "But for now, how about why we came here."
"He's right," said Daniel looking distracted, but then asked, "Is there a child here?"
"There is a child in all of us," said the monk.
"Oh come on," said O'Neill exasperatedly.
"He means a real child, of flesh and bones," said Bratac.
"Those who seek oneness, find all that they seek." Bratac nodded that he understood.
"I think that this is going to take a while," said Daniel.
"Really? What gives you that idea?" said O'Neill sarcastically and walked out of the room.
The monk turned to Bratac.
"Within you is a being whose heart knows only darkness."
"Yes," nodded Bratac, obviously referring to the larval Goa'uld within him.
"You must renounce such evil if you want to achieve oneness with Oma Desala."
The name again resounded within Harry's mind…and he finally latched on to its association. His dreams…the woman, she was Oma Desala.
"Oma? What does that mean?" asked Daniel.
"Words cannot express such things, speech cannot convey the spirit, swayed by words one is lost, one cannot carry darkness on the great path," the stared meaningfully at Bratac's abdomen, where his symbiote pouch was.
"If I remove the symbiote within me, I will die," said Bratac earnestly.
"You cannot start the journey with it inside you."
"So a Jaffa cannot seek oneness before he is willing to die," concluded Bratac.
"When the mind is free, the body is no longer required." Bratac looked troubled and stared at the sand next to him. "I sense you are not ready to become one with Oma Desala."
"I am not yet ready to die," said Bratac. "But I take solace in the fact that journey is ahead of me."
Bratac nodded his thanks and sensed that his time was up, so he stood and gathered his boots and left. The monk turned to Harry.
"Oma Desala is calling to you…you have felt it."
"Indeed," said Harry.
"Stand and walk where the wind blows, there you will find oneness."
Harry thought for a moment then nodded and stood, opening his perceptions to the true universe around him…he felt his feet walking…yet it was almost as if he wasn't walking. He walked straight towards one of the walls in the room and without even hesitating walked through it.
"What just happened?" asked Daniel in confusion.
"The path to oneness is unique for everyone and not meant for others to know."
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Harry found himself in the now familiar white void of his dreams…all around him mist flowed ethereally and Ancient text drifted past and filled the void in infinite meanings and combinations. It was so powerful and overwhelming, yet at the same time comforting and soft as if he was in a mother's embrace.
"Harry Potter."
Harry turned to face the voice and out of the mist came the same stately looking woman he had been seeing in his dreams. Understanding flashed in his mind.
"Oma Desala."
"Yes," said Oma, looking delighted. "I must say I have been looking forward to this day for a very long time."
"Meeting me?"
"Oh indeed," she said.
"Why?"
"Because you are the last of us, as we were meant to be, to come from the secluded community of Alterans still living on Earth," said Oma.
"You're also an Alteran," stated Harry, as the knowledge flowed freely into his mind.
"Of course," she said, as if it should have been obvious. "Long, long ago, a plague was ravaging the Galaxy. In an effort to contain it…we shut down the Stargate network, but it was too late for countless worlds across this galaxy. So…to preserve ourselves, we learned to ascend to a higher plane of existence…and wiped the slate clean, so to speak. We were forced to eradicate all life in this galaxy to rid it of the plague…and afterward, we seeded the building blocks of life once more. However, there were some of us that did not want to ascend, so they left this galaxy for another. Of what transpired there is not for me to reveal, but suffice it to say, those Alterans were forced to return to Earth and it is from them…Harry Potter, that you are descended."
"Fascinating," said Harry with a frown. "So the wizarding communities are actually the descendants of Alterans interbreeding with humans of the Tau'ri."
"Yes," she nodded. "However, due to genetics passed down the generations, you are the first pure Alteran born in nearly a thousand years." She gazed at Harry for a moment. "Are you aware of the events your duplicate is involved in?"
"The Asgard have been keeping tabs on him," said Harry. "The last report, stated that my clone is on a quest of some sort to find artifacts of some significance for the purpose of defeating the dark wizard that killed…our parents."
"Yes," said Oma, her face contorting in disgust. "The objects themselves are pieces of the soul of this Tom Riddle. As long as they remain on your plane of existence…"
"…he can't be killed," said Harry.
"Your clone is fairing remarkably well, but understand this Harry, while he may be able to destroy the pieces of Riddle's soul, he cannot defeat Riddle himself…that is your task for when the time is right."
"And when will that be?"
"You will know when the time is right," said Oma enigmatically. "But let us turn to more immediate matters that concern you specifically. You have begun to slowly unlock your potential as an Alteran…in fact, this place we are in," she gestured her arms around them, "is not of my making, but is within your own mind."
Harry looked around him in astonishment and brushed his hands over a part of mist that was just gusting past and he felt the knowledge absorb into him instantly…in this case it was the minor minutia of high energy physics that was nothing like he had ever learned from the Asgard.
"I see what you mean," said Harry in awe.
"But beware," said Oma, "the more time you spend here…the more you understand…the more you will want to transcend your current corporeal plane of existence to mine. And your journey is but beginning."
At this moment the monk appeared in the void of white.
"Oma," he said in greeting bowing to her. "The Goa'uld have arrived. One ship has landed and over two thousand Jaffa make their approach."
"I know," said Oma, "they come to claim the child. Have you set Daniel Jackson on his path?"
"Yes," he bowed again.
"Then I must go and meet him, and show him the truth," said Oma. She turned to Harry again. "We will meet again Harry Potter. You have done well so far, keep to the path, and do not stray." She stepped back and disappeared from view.
"What truth is she talking about?" asked Harry of the monk.
"That despite his honest goal of finding the boy, that he cannot hope to protect it, only Oma can. Apophis will scour the galaxy for the child and to take the child back to Earth will be insuring its destruction; despite the protection of the Asgard."
"Apophis is crazy enough to send his whole fleet and call the Asgard bluff if that were to happen," said Harry. The monk nodded.
"Now, it is time I walk the path," said the monk, "I look forward to the day we meet again Harry Potter." He bowed and disappeared. Harry sighed and closed his eyes and with a will of resolve pulled his mind out of the Infinite Universe…
He opened his eyes to find he was back in the meditation room. Just in time to see Daniel walk out of the wall he had originally entered.
"Harry? Where were you?"
"The path," said Harry enigmatically. Daniel frowned for a moment, but understanding appeared in his eyes. "And you?"
"The path."
It was at that moment that the sickening all to familiar sound of a staff weapon being fired and hitting somebody reached their ears. Harry and Daniel rushed out of the door only to see that it was the monk who had been killed for standing in the way of the large group of Jaffa who had come to claim the child. The Jaffa wore the burnt red armor of Sokar and had lamps for illumination, as night had fallen…Harry had no idea so much time had passed.
"No!" shouted Daniel in despair, at the sight of the monk.
"Wait, Daniel!" said Harry and rushed to pull him back.
"Drop your weapons!" shouted O'Neill as the rest of the team popped up from cover to bring PR7s and staff weapons to bear. "Do it!" The Jaffa commander refused to back down.
"Drop your weapons," said Harry calmly.
"You heard him!" shouted O'Neill.
"I meant you, Colonel, drop your weapons," said Harry turning to Teal'C, Sam and Bratac. "All of you."
"What?"
"The reason why the Goa'uld fear Keb is still here," said Harry.
"The aliens, Jack," said Daniel. "The ones I thought had left…they're still here. All those things I thought I could do…it was them. And you do not want to fool with them."
"Sir, if we put down our weapons, we're as good as dead," advised Sam, staring down her PR7 at the Jaffa.
"You are outnumbered and surrounded," said the Jaffa commanded. "You are dead if you do not."
"Jack, if you're ever going to trust me, now is the time," said Daniel confidently, keeping his hands in air in a gesture of surrender.
"You must do it," said Bratac, who after a moment of consideration, lowered his staff, Teal'C following. O'Neill, with extremely reluctance, unslung his weapon and placed on the ground, Sam also doing so.
"Kill them," ordered the Jaffa commander. Staff blasts rang out from the group of Jaffa, screaming with lethal precision towards all of them. Harry stood unflinchingly in faith and trust as the orange energy came towards him…which started to slow down and eventually an ethereal mist drifted past and intercepted it…all of the blasts were stopped before they could even come near any members of the team. Lightning began to ominously flash in the skies above.
"Bye," said Daniel sadly, to the Jaffa.
A bolt of lightning flashed down into the garden and struck the Jaffa commander, who screamed in pain and agony…the lightning arced in a chain along the column of Jaffa and their screams were added into the mix. All of them fell to the ground…dead. Two Death Gliders that had just made their run over the temple was attacked by lightning as well and was destroyed instantly.
As the last Jaffa died, Harry could see multiple lightning strikes in the distance and he knew that Oma was busy destroying the Ha'tak mothership that had landed.
O'Neill and Sam came out of hiding, picking up their PR7s and walked forward.
"Well, that was cool," said O'Neill. "Ouch," he said staring at the dead Jaffa, who was now also burnt to a crisp, smoke still flitted over their bodies.
The dead body of the monk drew their attention now as it began to abruptly glow with a white ethereal light and soon a being of pure energy arose…the clothes of monk fell empty as the body disappeared. The being had multiple extensions of energy that coalesced like tentacles around it and it moved through the air as if it was in water. The ascended being rose into the air and disappeared from view.
Another ascended being appeared from the meditation room and approached them. Teal'C and Bratac were filled with awe at the sight and bowed their heads in respect. The being coalesced itself until the now familiar face of Oma appeared and within her 'arms' she cradled the Harsissus child; she approached Harry and Daniel.
"You're leaving," said Daniel.
"She has to," said Harry. "As long as the Goa'uld know that the child is here, they will keep coming."
"I'll see both of you again, someday, right?" asked Daniel with a smile. Oma smiled and graced an ethereal hand on Daniel's cheek and he had his answer. She turned to Harry and nodded.
"Be careful Harry." She spoke directly into his mind. "And take care of your wife. Do not force her upon the path…she will find her own way."
"I understand."
Oma decoalesced her form and the child disappeared from view and the ascended being flew down the garden and out of the temple.
"I take it, that was the Harsissus child she was holding," said Sam.
"Yes," said Harry.
"I thought we needed that kid," said O'Neill. "We are just going to let her…"
Harry and Daniel shot a sharp glance at the Colonel and he seemed to understand, of course, what Oma had just done was fresh in his mind.
"No choice, huh?"
"Exactly," said Daniel. The radio crackled as Major Coburn's voice came through.
"Colonel, backup has arrived."
"Take your time, we're secure," said O'Neill in reply.
"Sir, the Stargate just activated and there is a bright light approaching our postion."
"Do not engage!" said O'Neill urgently. "I repeat do not engage. Get out of the way. In fact, I'm ordering you all to put your weapons down until that bright light has gone through the Stargate, understood?"
"Yes, sir!"
It was a tense few moments until Major Coburn radioed that Oma had gone through the gate.
"You two all right?" asked O'Neill, staring at a distracted Harry and Daniel.
"Fine," said Harry automatically, his mind still rather trying to come to grips with the white void of the Infinite Universe that was within him. Daniel just nodded.
"Let's go home."