Don't go Out in the Woods Tonight
Stargate SG-1
by Wendy Harper
It should have been a routine mission.
Planet P194
As the team of SG-1 passed through the gate they all were
struck by the density of the growth around them. This looked
to be either an untouched world or one so long abandoned by
any form of intelligent tool making life that the natural
forests had taken over.
Three days the team stayed camped at the base of the Stargate,
unaware that they were being watched. The watchers came from
the dawn of civilisation on Earth and were old then. They
were both known and unknown, familiar and alien to mankind.
Only the old stories told of their presence. It had been
long and long since they had last been seen on Earth. The
memories had faded.
A decision was made, mankind had survived. Mankind had
changed, grown, learnt new ways, now was the time to remind
them of the old stories. To remind them of who were their
enemies and who were their friends. During the night a piece
of equipment was removed here, a piece hidden there. In
their old forms a little room was enough, they could
shape-change later when needed.
The armament that mankind had brought to the world caused
comment but no obstacles, by dawn not one weapon would be
working.
Eyes watched unseen as those members of mankind that had come
to their world made ready to return. They envied the
delights that awaited those who were going back to mankind
and smiled in anticipation of the delicious experiences
that reopening the gate would give them. Mankind HAD
survived and mankind would provide.
EARTH
The mission had been so routine, so dull and boring that
Colonel Jack O'Neill was unprepared for the klaxon siren that
sounded soon after they came through the Stargate. He looked
up bewildered at the reaction for a second until the words of
General Hammond sounded over the intercom.
"SG-1 stay where you are! Repeat stay where you are. We have
detected multiple alien life forms detected returning with
you. Repeat SG-1 stay where you are."
Daniel echoed Jack's confusion. "How can we have brought back
any additional life forms when we didn't see anything except
trees and plants for the last three days?"
"Our detectors show an anomaly in Captain Carter's pack." The
general explained.
"It's okay Daniel, probably some lizard or something has
crawled into Sam's pack and had kittens." Jack had had time
now to think and was resigned to this as the most probable
solution. He knew their crude detectors could not tell the
difference between intelligent life and a jellyfish.
As he said this both he and Captain Carter stripped off their
packs, and taking their guns from their holsters positioned
themselves to cover the pack. Teal'c and Daniel stood back,
Teal'c with his staff ready. Jack nodded to Sam then bent
slowly to flip open the pack. No sooner had he opened the
catch when the top flew open and four bright lights exploded
into the room. As per Standard Operating Procedure, a squad
filed in from the next room and lined the walls, guns at
ready.
Like the legendary Will'o'the'wisp the lights circled the
room, crawling over the Stargate, skipping along the
observation window and dancing over the door controls. The
rapid movement of the lights was dizzying. They were too
fast to be able to see details but each time one came close
to a person the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end.
take " Oh! My God! Sir! They are opening the outer doors.
They will be through into the rest of the citadel in
minutes!"
The next few minutes were chaos as people attempted to swat,
hit or trap the swiftly moving globes. The globes in their
turn almost seemed to enjoy the game weaving in and out of
people and diving under clothing racing along the outside of
the skin to emerge and circle.
still and try to communicate with the aliens. It was almost inevitable that someone would use a gun.
Perhaps it was the eerie sensation the fox fire globes
caused, perhaps it was being confronted by an enemy too fast
to track, perhaps it was the sight of the shield doors
opening, perhaps it was the youth and inexperience of the
trooper and perhaps it was the underlying fear that each held
that one day the gate would deliver Earth's destruction but
as the fox fire lit the barrel of the young trooper's gun he
fired. The effect was instantaneous. Alll four globes of
fire descended on the hapless trooper, spinning around and
around his body darting in and out of equipment and clothing.
In minutes they had finished.
As soon as they had finished with the soldier the two globes
darted out the partly open door and into the citadel. General
Hammond's voice came over the intercom. "Sound General Alarm
- we have alien intruders repeat sound general alarm - we
have alien intruders."
Daniel started to move toward his assigned place for the
emergency when he was stopped by one of the globes coming to
rest six inches from his face. As his eyes adjusted to the
intensity of the light it started to coalesce into a shape
and he could finally make out details of what had been loosed
upon the unsuspecting world. Disbelief fought with wonder as
he called out " Sir! Don't Shoot! .......
End Part 1
