Free SG1-17 Sunrise by J. F. Crane Page B

wider space.
    Sam followed, aware of the colonel falling in beside her. She didn’t look at him, afraid that in this place she might see another man looking back. To distract herself from the confusion of memories, she focused on understanding exactly where they were.
    The tunnel was rough-hewn, but with enough conformity to suggest that it had been excavated mechanically rather than by hand. The stone was gray and dry, cut on a gentle downward slope, and through the center of the tunnel ran three large pipes supported at intervals by struts. Her footsteps scuffed on the stone, but all was not silent and, in the distance, Sam could hear the hum and clank of machinery.
    She tried not to hear the steam-hiss of boilers.
    “We’ll go down here,” their guide said, stopping before what looked like a cage. It took a moment for Sam to interpret the shadows well enough to realize it was an elevator. Of sorts. Rhionna rattled open the door and stepped inside, lifting her lamp high. “It’s not far once we get down.”
    “How deep does it go?” Daniel asked as they all piled in.
    “Almost to sea-level.”
    The ride down was teeth-rattling and very fast; Sam had to brace herself against the side of the cage to keep her balance. Daniel’s eyes were wide, but the colonel just grinned.
    “Cool,” he said, as they juddered to a halt.
    “Indeed.” Even Teal’c had cracked a small smile.
    They followed Rhionna through another long tunnel, at the end of which, finally, crouched a heavy, barred door. It looked like an airlock and Sam couldn’t help wondering what it was designed to keep out.
    Rhionna slung the lamp’s handle over a peg on the wall, its light dancing wildly in the tunnel. From her pocket she fished a scarlet bandana, tied it low across her brow, then she tugged out a pair of makeshift sunglasses. “You have sunwear?” she asked, gesturing toward SG-1. “I noticed that you wore it when you first arrived here.”
    The colonel pulled out his shades. “Bright out there?”
    “Fierce,” she said. “Dawn has broken and we are beyond the dome. Cover what you can.”
    Despite her unease, Sam’s interest was piqued. “The dome acts as a UV filter?”
    Rhionna’s quick gaze fixed on her, assessing. “If you mean it protects the people inside from sun damage, then yes, that is what it does.” She turned toward the door and began to spin the wheel that kept it locked. “The Ark protects them from many harsh realities.”
    The first thing Sam noticed as the door swung open was the stark light. The second was a dry wash of heat, permeated by an unbearable stench. She put her hand to her nose. “God, what’s that?”
    “Come, in a moment you will understand.” Rhionna picked up a rock from outside, wedging it into the doorway to keep the door from closing behind them. Then she slipped on her sunglasses, hiding her bright, intelligent eyes. “My father would have his people bend their knee in worship to the Sun, but they are ignorant of their god’s ferocious nature. And he is happy to keep them so.”
    “Interesting,” Daniel said, pulling a hat out of his vest, apparently oblivious to the smell. “Maybe Ra wasn’t the only ferocious sun god around these parts.”
    “Perhaps.” Teal’c watched Rhionna as she walked away. “But the Goa’uld wear many guises. We must proceed with caution.”
    “Always,” the colonel agreed, donning his own glasses and tugging down the brim of his cap.
    Sam couldn’t see his eyes through the reflective lenses, only her own distorted mirror image. The flash of Thera looking back at her was disconcerting and she turned away, slipping on her own sunglasses. “We’re probably looking at UV levels way above those we’re used to on Earth—we should take care to minimize our exposure,” she said. “That includes you, Teal’c.”
    He eyed her hat, then Daniel’s, and said, “My symbiote will protect me against any damage caused by the sun’s radiation.”
    The