"I would like to join the fighting, Jack O'Neill." Teal'c waited for permission from the SG-1 commander.
Jack saw the yearning in his friend's eyes and couldn't deny him the opportunity that he wanted for himself. "Go for it, big guy. We'll wait here like good boys and girls, promise."
Bra'tac spoke up at Jack's jab at Kali's refusal to allow them to fight. "O'Neill, once you have witnessed her fight and the aftermath, then you will understand. Do you accept your test?"
"All right already, I get it. I'll stay put and watch. Look, Sam and Daniel have my permission to use any means necessary to stop me if it looks like I'm going to interfere."
The two Jaffa soldiers nodded, before leaving the team to join the others preparing for the subsequent attack.
Daniel stepped away from the others, still playing his conversation with Kali over in his mind. He watched the scene below, trying to find her among the thriving masses. How she disappeared only to reappear was a puzzle that he was determined to solve. The Asgard, especially Thor, proved themselves as allies, and Daniel wasn't going to take the word of this strange creature over his friends. There was more at work here, he could almost taste it, and wouldn't stop until he solved the puzzle named - Kali.
Sam and Jack stepped beside him. What happened next took their breaths away.
Kali's eyes darkened the closer she got to her prey. The pull to rain vengeance down on the ones responsible for this abomination screamed at her. Her blood pounded in her ears until a haze surrounded her vision. It was time. The aura gave her what she needed to cull out the ones to save versus the ones judged evil and beyond her aid. Judgement was final.
A black blur shot from the cliffside straight through the heaviest concentration of Jaffas. Arms seemed to grow from her body as she moved. Screams rang out when the Jaffa soldiers tried to defend themselves. They fell like dominoes, some never to rise again, while others were only stunned.
Bra'tac led the army, with Teal'c by his side. His deep, majestic voice rang out giving orders. The slaves were the first order of business, and quickly removed from the area. Teal'c led the group protecting the slaves back up the hill. Kali's death dance kept playing through his mind's eye; several people were hurt in the rush to escape the fighting. The small child resting her head against his large chest filled him with a sense of purpose. He couldn't find the words to explain the emotions that ran rampant through his body.
Jack's heartbeat raced and the urge to join the fighting throbbed through his body. Pictures flashed through his mind of another time, another place where similar fighting took place. A woman fought viciously with weapons in each of her six arms, blood covered her body turning her skin and hair from sun-kissed gold to the darkest black. Fists clenched, then unclenched, his knees bent ready to jump down the cliff and a fine sheen of sweat broke out on his brow.
"Are you okay?" Daniel couldn't fight the urge to step away from his friend. The wild look in the dark eyes was reason enough to give a sane person pause.
Sam did the opposite, stepping forward with hands in a ready position; whether to defend or help, she wasn't sure, but she was prepared for either. "Sir, calm down." The tone was calm even though her heart slammed against her breastbone.
Jack's head spun around at her voice, his nostrils flared, his eyes darkened to pools of the deepest black and flames burst from the pupil's depths when her scent hit him. His body language changed, it became boneless, feline and predatory. The prey was in sight. He stalked her, moving in closer until his hand brushed her back. Sam didn't realize it, but Jack was marking her, putting his scent on her to warn others that she was his.
Daniel understood what was happening, just not why it was happening. The noise level below dropped to an eerie silence. It broke the trance-like state Jack was under. Daniel watched the brown eyes return to their normal warm color, but some spark of fire remained. He noticed that Jack didn't step away from Sam, like he normally would in these types situations either.
They turned to see what was happening in the valley below.
Kali moved swiftly through the pyramid, the personification of a storm's fury, battering down everything in her path. Stepping into the throne room, an Angelus worthy smirk crossed voluptuous lips. It seemed a sin for the face of death, destruction, and re-birth to have such a beautiful face. Her movements slowed to their natural predatory grace. Xibalba sat surrounded by women, who created a veritable rainbow of age, race, coloring, and beauty. Gold eyes flashed as his deep voice vibrated through the room. "Who dares to enter without permission?" Never saying a word, she continued walking across the stone floor with silent footsteps. If he wasn't watching it with his own eyes, he would say she was a wraith, a harbinger of death. He didn't know how right he was. The scythe appeared from thin air, causing Xibalba to sit further back in his throne. Using the sharp edge, Kali once again offered her blood to the creature trapped inside a human host. He shot up, scattering his harem. The Goa'uld pushed the body forward. Its eyes burned brighter at the sight of the rich black blood dripping from the cut. Kali turned to walk out the door, knowing that he would follow wherever she led. She stopped at the top of the temple steps. Looking down, Kali saw the Jaffa soldiers surrounded by her army.
"Your god is false. I will show you what you followed blindly."
Pumping the injured fist to increase the bleeding, the Goa'uld shot from its host's mouth. Kali caught the snake-like creature. It was larger than a symbiote and more menacing in appearance. The Goa'uld burrowed into the opening drinking the life giving blood. It bathed in its richness, swam in the power. Plans for dominating the galaxies ran through its mind, before coming to a screeching halt. It tried to back away from the terrifying scene. There stood a creature unlike anything it had ever seen before. The power radiating from her caused fear to race through its system. It knew it faced its final death, that here stood Death personified. She opened her arms to it as a mother welcoming a child. Xibalba walked into the dark embrace, to be no more.
Kali walked down the steps, then opened her fist to pour a black powder onto the ground. "Xibalba is gone. Do you wish to follow blindly as puppets, or walk freely as men? The choice is yours."
They shouted in unison. "Freedom, set us free."
Signalling her army, a soldier stepped behind the captured Jaffa. Kali walked down the steps until she stood before the first kneeling man. "Teal'c, would you help me?" She asked the newly freed Jaffa.
He walked forward, unsure what she would ask him to do, but knew that he would help her nonetheless. Teal'c watched silently while Kali stripped down to a small top and briefs.
"Stand behind me with your arms outstretched."
He held his large arms out to the side as she requested. Kali stepped closed to him, her back to his front.
The SG-1 team moved down from the cliffs to watch the ceremony. Daniel couldn't pull his eyes away from Kali's lithe form. He wondered how long it would take to transform this many symbiotes. He stopped in his tracks causing Jack to run into his back.
"Ya wanna warn a guy before ya do that, Space Monkey?"
"What's the matter, Daniel?" Sam noticed the change and knew something was wrong.
"She can't; it will kill her, no one is that strong. What is Bra'tac thinking? I have to stop them." He muttered to himself before starting to run forward.
Jack quickly caught him. "Stop right there. Who is the one that is always telling me that we can't go running in half-cocked?"
They watched Bra'tac pick up the scythe, then in five smooth movements slice into Kali. Long diagonal cuts marred dark golden skin, one down each arm, one ran down each leg and one straight across her stomach, black blood called forth the symbiotes.
The creatures burst from the Jaffa soldiers to attack Kali like locusts. She was covered from the neck down in mere seconds. Emerald eyes darkened, before growing heavy lidded.
"They're killing her, we have to help her." Daniel struggled in Jack's grip.
Sam watched in fascinated horror. Her voice came out as a hoarse whisper. "I don't think Kali would do anything she didn't want to, Daniel. You have to stay out of this."
He stopped struggling with a resigned sigh.
The symbiotes' bodies filled with the dark blood until they started to flake. They shattered one by one into a fine powder, before the powder could hit the ground, time stopped. Kali gathered the withered symbiotes from the air then released time.
"Open your mouths and take back what is yours. Let the old die away to give birth to the new."
A soldier tilted each Jaffa's head back. Bra'tac took one side while Teal'c took the other. Kali walked unaided, but knew they'd catch her if she faltered. She stepped in front of each Jaffa soldier, pouring the powder down their throats. More soldiers stepped forward to carry them away.
Finally, the last one was seen to before Kali leaned against Bra'tac's side. "Make sure that they rest, they won't heal as quickly as Teal'c did." She pulled away from the small comfort to walk away.
Daniel approached first, followed by Sam and Jack. The concern in his eyes caused Kali to stop. "Are you all right? Why did you do that? You could have died."
Her lips tilted in an almost smile. "Not until they're through with me." She walked around them without another word.
Sam felt like she was watching a Sci-Fi movie in slow motion. She didn't know the plot or the main characters, but knew she just saw an important clue. Something odd about Kali caught her eye. Looking the other woman over she realized what it was. The cuts were gone, no marks remained to mar the deep golden skin.
"Teal'c, you doing okay, buddy?"
"I am fine, Jack O'Neill. What is the matter with Daniel Jackson?"
"He didn't like the show."
"Indeed."
"Look at this, Jack." Daniel pointed at the ground. The previously brown dirt was now a rich black soil where Kali's blood dripped on it. Daniel looked back to the place she first stood and made a strange gurgling sound. Jack slapped him on the back, thinking that he was choking. He fell to his knees, then peered more closely at the ground.
"Daniel, space monkey, you still with us? Didn't mean to hit ya so hard."
Sam joined the exploration of the dirt causing Jack to throw his hand up in aggravation. "Is this from what I think?"
"Yes."
Two pairs of blue eyes watched in wonder as rich black soil gave birth to new life. A seedling burst forth unfolding then stretching toward the noonday sun. It continued to stretch and grow as if it were in a time lapsed film.
"Why are you two going gaga over a weed?" Jack pulled his cap off to wipe his forehead.
"It's growing from Kali's blood, Jack. Turn around and look at the temple."
There in a snake-like path stood a line of trees. The tallest stood in the very spot Kali poured Xibalba's remains out.
"Where, the hell, did those come from?"
Bra'tac stepped forward to answer the question. "Watch the tallest sapling, and I will answer your question in a moment."
The tree continued to grow until it was taller than the temple. It started tilting, its roots weakening until it toppled over crushing the temple. The other trees continued growing strong and straight.
"Nothing the Goa'uld touched will prosper here. The Jaffa will be given the choice of staying here to start a new life, or returning to their home planets. Every slave will have the same choice. Kali believes that each person deserves the right to choice. She spreads re-birth wherever she goes. Her blood brings life to many things, as you can see. We will leave when the men recover enough to be moved." He left them with those words.
SG-1 stepped onto Thor's battleship. They felt frazzled from the things they'd seen the last few days. The one thing they hadn't seen was Kali. No one seemed concerned by her disappearance, but Daniel and the other's questions seemed to grow daily.
"Welcome aboard, my young Earth friends." Thor inclined his head.
"Hey, Thor." Daniel greeted him with a smile.
Jack didn't make with the niceties, he wanted some answers and he wanted them now. "Listen Thor," his voice was heavy with sarcasm. "We want some answers, straight answers this time. Do you know some of the things that - that woman told us?"
"It's called the truth."
SG-1 watched in curiosity as the Asgard leader reacted to Kali's words. They weren't aware that the Asgard could make facial expressions, but Thor did a remarkable job of emoting trepidation.
Kali stalked forward to stand in front of the small alien. "Yes, Thor tell them how I've lied to them about your plots and plans. I could tell them so much more than I already have, should I enlighten them?"
A small grey head swung from side to side. "Leave him alone. He hasn't done anything to you." Daniel pushed her away from his friend.
She threw her head back and laughed, a dark hollow noise. "Ask him exactly what he's done to me, Daniel. You think that you know so much, but you don't know anything. The things that you've seen don't even begin to touch what they've done to me. All that you believe you know about the Ancients, the Asgards, the Nox, and the Furlings wouldn't fill a thimble."
Kali walked around Daniel and Thor, glaring at the Asgard leader, who looked away. She laid her hands on the cool glass.
"What is she doing?" Sam broke the tense silence.
"Moving us to the next planet."
"Thor, what did I say about straight answers?" Jack gave him a hard glare of his own.
"Watch," was the cryptic reply.
Emerald eyes closed, the long dark braid whipped behind the still body, as the spacecraft shot through galaxies to stop several universes away. All eyes peered out the front deck to gaze at a large planet that glowed an ethereal blue. It was beautiful to look at; making them wonder what horrors lay hidden on its surface.
"Where are we?" Daniel tried to run through planets in his head, but still couldn't place this one.
Kali turned to look directly at Thor. "This is where the Goa'uld hide their embryos. Didn't you ever wonder why you couldn't stop the number of Goa'uld? Why there was always another one rising after a great defeat? The Asgard aren't the only ones who worry about reproducing."
"But, they are forbidden from having children. Harcesis are hunted down; we know that for a fact."
"Daniel, have you heard of Hitler? The reason that they can't create a child is because the bloodlines are monitored. They are trying to create a perfect race. Any children created outside the program are considered abominations."
"How do you know this? Why didn't anyone tell us? We could have stopped them a long time ago!" Jack screamed in frustration.
"Ask your good friend that question. We won't be setting up camp while we're here. If you want to join the fighting, we leave in an hour." She left before anyone could say a word.
SG-1 turned in sync to look at Thor. Surprisingly, Teal'c was the first to ask. "To what does Kali refer, Thor of the Asgard?"
Thor stepped away from Daniel. He knew this day would come, but didn't realize that Kali meant for it to be today. "Ka had been known to the Asgard for some time. It was part of the treaty to keep the Goa'uld from attacking our allies, including Earth."
"Wait a minute, what about before we were part of that treaty? You could have taken out the snakeheads and you didn't, because you don't interfere, right? But, you sure seem to pop up every time we turn around. You've helped us and we've helped you, so what's the big deal here? Why don't ya'll get off your scrawny grey butts and do something every once in a while, before the world ends?"
"Because he ain't allowed to do more, unless the committee agrees." There stood a strange looking man in an ugly green suit wearing a brown bowler hat. He talked with a heavy Bronx accent. "Name's Whistler, before ya ask. Listen up; you're part of this ride to help the kid. She's going to need it when she wakes up."
"What the hell are you talking about? Doesn't anyone just say what they mean anymore?"
"That's a good question," Kali leaned against the wall, looking at the newest guest with hard eyes.
Whistler paled before pulling his hat off and crumpling it in his hands. "Uh, hi, Kali. Thought you were seeing to the troops." He gave her a pained smile.
"I felt you arrive. Do they think she will wake up and send me away?" She looked from Thor back to Whistler. "You have no idea what you've created do you? The pieces are set in motion; time doesn't run backwards. She will wake when she's ready, but I won't ever sleep. Go back and tell them that if they interfere, I will destroy their carefully created plans. They," she pointed to the SG-1 team, "are here and can stay, but what happens is up to them. They choose from here on out. Tell them to stop playing with SG-1's minds and emotions, or I will start playing for real. Ask them what my blood would do to them, how would it change them after all the things they've been through? Leave before I see what my scythe can do to you."
"Kali, she's a good kid. Don't keep her asleep too long." Whistler left before she carried out her threat.
"Who is he talking about? Who is sleeping?" Daniel looked from Kali to Thor, trying to make the pieces fit together.
"Tell them Thor or I will, let them know who they're dealing with, then give them a choice. They can join my army with an option to leave any time, or return to Earth." Her eyes turned from green to twin pits of fire and brimstone, the threat of retribution burning brightly.
Thor's small shoulders slumped as a sigh escaped from his lips. The others watched the mental tennis match in fascination. The Asgard leader wondered how things had gotten so far beyond his control, beyond their control. All those years ago when they decided to interfere, putting plans in motion. which culminated in the creature standing before him, but no one dreamed this would happen.
"We created the first of Kali's line." He began his explanation, only to be interrupted by Jack.
"Who is 'we'?"
"The members of the Great Alliance, we saw what was happening on Earth. What the Goa'uld were doing. We decided to create a counter to them in the hope of stopping them without directly interfering. It was decided that each member of the high council would offer part of themselves. The offering was successfully implanted in a host. She resolved the problem, but we did not foresee that the offering would transfer to a new host upon her death."
"Let me get this straight, you mixed up some Ancient, Asgard, Nox, and Furling super-strength DNA and shot a human girl up with it. This girl kicked all the Goa'uld's asses, they left Earth, and when she died she passed her super-duper power on to someone else."
The SG-1 team looked at Jack with shock and surprise on their faces. "What? I'm not just another pretty face."
"Tell them the rest, Thor." The grey alien all but squirmed from the sharp command.
"You mean that's not enough?"
"The ones in charge of the offering revealed that they left dormant markers should the host reproduce. The markers would become active if the proper host were found and the need were great enough."
"You mean that they couldn't keep their grubby little hands out of the soup. They left a ticking bomb that would go off somewhere down the line. Did they even know that it would have that effect?" He pointed at Kali. She gave him a smile that made his blood freeze in his veins. "Uh, I'm guessing, no. So, you let Death out of the box and now it won't go back in."
"Not exactly but close. They want me to take care of all the bad they've allowed to grow unchecked, then turn back to the obedient toy. What they've failed to realize is the toy they thought they could manipulate slipped through their hands long ago. They thought they could mold her into their creature because she had nothing else to lose, but they didn't realize that she lost herself. It is time to tear away the blinders from your eyes. The reason that you run away from interfering when you should is that you did it before, and weren't happy with the results. You never came back to clean up your mess, until it proved useful to you again."
"What you say is true, we were not happy with the results of our interference on Earth. It was not because we weren't happy with your ancestor. The hidden markers worried us. We felt that less interference was best after the information surfaced."