Sobek the Immortal [Closed]

[hi_there_aliens]

Planet Designation: Kalimba Status: Terrestrial, H-class.
Non-sentient life: Extensive flora and fauna.
Semi-Sentient Life: Unknown
Sentient Life: Ruins and step pyramids suggest the presence of intelligent life at some point. Currently: Unknown.
Water: 70.2% of the planet's surface. Heavy rainfall/monsoons.
Climate: Earth-like.
Landscape: Primarily jungle and swamp, some plains, severe arctic conditions in northern and southern poles.
Air: Type I (breathable)
Sky: Blue-green.
Warnings: Medium to high levels of megafauna. Watch your step. Conditions in the atmosphere make several forms of orbital scans and equipment unreliable.
Mission: Archaeological investigation of step pyramids and ruins, investigate for signs of source of abnormal energy signature in target area.

The first thing the group would notice was that Kalimba's air was humid and heavy, with a light breeze. The morning had long since burned off most of the mist, and in the distance, clouds lazily drifted onwards towards the horizon. The typhoon season was a long ways off.

The undergrowth was tangled and dense, seemingly impassable in places. Vibrant flowers and vines took up residence where some of the tree cover faltered. With limited sunlight available, it was every plant for themselves. Disturbed by the archaeology group, "birds", each easily half the size of a person and more salamander than avian suddenly took to the air in a flash of brilliantly colored wings. They were gone almost instantly, slicing through the air and leaving only the ear-splitting shriek behind.

The hill sloped down. The cover of trees broke as they came out onto the stone remains of path that must have once been heavily used. Now, just like everywhere else, massive roots and tanglers tore at the ground, slowly swallowing any signs of civilization back within itself. There were trees of all shapes and sizes as far as the eye could see, a rolling wave of jungle and rainforest. Tan and dirty gray step pyramids, all more massive than those found on Earth, and the occasional obelisk rose through the canopy cover like claws, dotting the landscape.

Stac's scans indicated much of the planet was covered in these structures, with the largest in this location. Aside from the archaeological mission, her scans also indicated the presence of an abnormal power that may be of interest.

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[hi_there_aliens]

Vala fell heavily to the ground and Sobek followed her there, crouching easily on the balls of his feet whereas she'd fallen unceremoniously, the long, half shendyt fanned around behind him like a magnificent peacock's tail.

His vessel could only watch, stunned. Stop, Daniel's mind whispered. Stop. Vala was strong, took a bar fight without even batting an eye; physical injury was something she could deal with, joked about even, but going after her in psychological warfare like this, he was ripping off limbs and letting her bleed out slowly. He'd figured there was something past the confidence and pain in the ass, hard not to especially after her drunken confession, but to have that night used against her without a second thought was horrific.

The hand with the ribbon device resting on his thighs, Sobek toyed with her hair, metal talons tangled in the black mass. The touch was gentle. Barely there for now. The threat remained: he could easily grab and jerk her head back, maybe past the spine's breaking point if he so chose. A thread of power sang through Daniel and Sobek's mind. Not quite touching her but breaching her personal space finally, despite the earlier abandonment. So like Sha're's hair when left unbrushed. Vala's face was different, more angled and hawk-like, fine bones and eyes that once matched Sobek's.

"Honestly though... I'm relieved I'm done," 'Daniel' confessed. Done having to go through the Stargate, done having to hope Sha're was on the other side and at the same time, hoping she wouldn't be. Done laying awake at night running through ever scenario he could think of.

[valaunbound]

He was running the hideous metal talons through her hair as if it were a sign of affection and all she could do was let him. She could feel the heavy lethargy swimming in her head, urging her to pass out as if she were drunk. She needed to fight this and stay alert and not let the lack of oxygen to her brain affect her judgement. But even as she thought it, Vala's eyelids grew heavy under his touch, her own mind played tricks on her. This was Daniel. Daniel was stroking her hair and for a few moments she let herself drift into the false security of it and then he spoke. Defeated, Daniel was giving in.

"Don't give up." Was she talking to him or herself, she wasn't sure. Maybe both. It was enough to snap her out of her mind's tricks. She had to turn this around, make it right. Maybe then he'd believe in her, it would be too late for her but this wasn't the end for Daniel.

The glint of the light refracted off the ribbon device resting on his thigh and in a flurry of sudden movement from seemingly nowhere, her head sprung forwards in one sharp swift movement in an attempt to headbutt the bridge of his nose and she simutaneously scrambled for his hand. One hand attempting to grip his wrist as tightly as she could manage and the other pulling at the metal caps on his fingertips. If she could just get her fingers into the caps, that was all she'd need.

[hi_there_aliens]

"I haven't given up. I've been given freedom." The words sounded dreamy, a little too dazed and fake. Sobek's command of Daniel's mannerisms weren't quite solid at this point, but he was learning, getting better at it the more he did it. He'd turned his head to the side, Daniel didn't always look directly at people when he was lost in thought, and it was this that cost him. He didn't see her retaliate until it was too late. Her head struck the side of his face, knocking him off balance, stunning both the Goa'uld and Daniel. He slid back on all fours, fingers clawed into the ground, back arched and shaking his head, in that moment looking more like an animal than an intelligent being. All he needed were raised hackles.

Vala found herself holding the hand device in her hands, and Sobek getting to his feet, fury written across his face. His eyes blazed.

[valaunbound]

This was it, her one chance. One moment she'd been scrabbling to pull the thing off him, despite not having done as much damage as she'd have liked and the next she was kneeling there with the torture equipment clutched in her fingers. Vala fumbled to insert her hand inside it clumsily, missing a couple of fingers and not having time to correct them as she saw him already rising to his feet.

It would have to do. She concentrated all her energy into the device, not even considering the possibility of failure. This would work, she could hold him hostage under its power, keeping him just on the brink until the Jaffa met her demands. They wouldn't see their God killed. The naquadah she channeled into the device was taking too long, awkwardly she shifted the missing fingers into the empty caps whilst the jewel in it's centre shone faintly. It was so long since she'd used one, it was taking too long. The jewel finally glowed stronger and she held up a shaking hand towards him.

Focus Vala, she had to make it stronger. Still on her knees, every last ounce of her depleted energy reserves needed to be channelled into the weapon to stand a chance against him.

[hi_there_aliens]

Sobek saw the intent in her eyes and saw his kara-kesh on her hands. The energy blast came hurtling at them and even he wouldn't be able to get out of the way. Daniel jeered at him, how did it feel now to have a human get the upper hand, followed by relief that Vala acted.

The System Lord acted fast, millenia of combat and reaction ingrained into him. Right before the blast hit them full on, he pushed Daniel to the forefront, let him have full control, using his host to insulate himself from the brunt of pain. He increased the pain centers in the brain and redirected it solely for the host. The blast hit them both in the chest, with all the power Vala put into it. Sobek thought he felt their ribs crack, the blow shuddering through them, burning them, but for the System Lord, it was like thunder off the distance, real but an echo, inconsequential, sparing himself the full effect.

Sobek made sure to let the vessel have full control of his vocal chords this once.

What came out was a very wounded, very animal cry that would never come from a Goa'uld. Unprepared for having control back or the intense pain, Daniel was taken completely by surprise. He staggered back several steps and collapsed. Daniel lay there wheezing, one hand limp, the other clawing at his chest, eyes fluttering as he sobbed for breath. The pain at intolerable levels for the host, he couldn't do anything but lie there.

[valaunbound]

Vala's victory was shortlived and completely empty, she'd barely had chance to register that she'd made it work in time before Daniel was crying out in pain and clutching at his chest. The shock and panic inside her rose like bile in her throat almost immediately. There was no time to work things out and fathom what had happened here. That was Daniel screaming out, no blast in her weakened state could possibly cause that much pain to a Goa'uld.

God, what had she done? It was sheer instinct alone and concern for Daniel that made Vala scramble over to him desperately, the hand adorning the weapon dropping limply and impotently at her side. "Daniel, I'm sorry," she pleaded. "I didn't think... I didn't know he'd..."

[hi_there_aliens]

He couldn't think. His world shattered. The hell of Sobek's life and feelings, all those before him, his worry about the crew, his wife, Jack and Vala vaporized, his past and present stripped from him. Even his languages were gone. It was just physical sensations. He'd been reduced down to desperately trying to breathe.

Someone came at him. They stood taller than him, saying something. He couldn't understand them, only understood they were the source. It didn't matter, it felt like his chest had collapsed and his heart was beating itself frantic. Each breath seemed shorter and shorter.

Daniel managed to shakily get a hand against the ground and tried to push himself up with it or drag himself away from his attacker. His arm shook and he fell heavily against the ground, tears running unnoticed down his face. He was barely aware that he was shaking on the ground, cheek scraping against the floor.

[valaunbound]

Whatever had happened she had no idea, but this was Daniel and Daniel alone, and she'd all but killed him. The surge of energy she'd emitted from the device was far too much for a human to withstand. It would kill him. Vala didn't have the time or the presence of mind to properly figure things out, but she assumed that Sobek had left him to avoid the blast. The pool he'd been bathing in could easily have been the liquid used to preserve larval Goa'uld in. It would have been easy for him to simply slip away.

Gently she cradled his head, knowing there was nothing she could do. There was no healing device, no sarcophagus, nothing. "Don't move Daniel." It was a futile instruction, Daniel was convulsing and he had no more than minutes left. Vala held his head so gently, so that he wouldn't hurt it as his body spasmed and she wept. Salty tears spilling onto his face as she watched him die, wracked with grief and guilt.

"I'm so sorry."

[hi_there_aliens]

Thread continued:

http://trans-9.livejournal.com/869171.html?thread=72974131#t72974131