Chapter Eleven

 Thor retired to his ship. Morpheus and Ares went in search of Poseidon’s remains and to gather any information they could, both promising to return by sunrise in Colorado. Upon returning to Colorado, courtesy of Thor, SG-1 discovered more time had passed than they originally thought. They left in the early evening and, to them, had stayed no more than an hour, two at the most, in Ares’ cave but it was near six in the morning when they returned to the SGC.

“Time moves differently on the Islands,” Calla explained to Jack while she, Daniel, Duncan and he waited in the hall for Dr. Adams to come in. Daniel insisted she see him before going home. The kids were already safe and warm back at the Jackson homestead.

“Yeah, it’s a lot slower.” Daniel said.

Against Daniel’s better judgment, Calla offered Duncan MacLeod the guest room in the Jackson house for as long as he needed and Duncan gratefully accepted.

The good doctor finally arrived and ushered her into his examination room. “That looks nasty,” he intoned looking at her side.

“What?” Calla looked down to see the long jagged scar where Ares’ wound had once been. “Oh, that shouldn’t happen.” The blade was forged of Xerinium so then again she didn’t know if that should happen or not. Calla frowned at the new scar. Not that long ago all of her scars had finally gone away and now she had a new one to bear.

“Hop up, I want to listen to the baby’s heart beat.” He patted the exam table and Calla did as requested. The stethoscope was cold but the doctor was smiling. “Sounds good, want to listen?”

“Yes,” Calla took the ear pieces and listened to the baby’s heart beat with a happy smile.

Dr. Adams began feeling her stomach with his experienced hands. “While you’re here let’s do a quick internal, ok?” Calla lay there rolling her emerald eyes and letting out a hearty groan. “After that we can do another sonogram and you can see the baby again.” He offered. “Then I want you to go home and get some rest.”

“Deal. Can Daniel come in for the sonogram?” Calla was exhausted and she was sure that Daniel wouldn’t hear of her going off to Avalon tonight it would all have to wait for morning. Still, she should be with her Father and Morpheus tonight. She should be there to give Poseidon a proper send off. Daniel wasn’t going to go along with that either so she wouldn’t bother broaching the subject with him.

“Sure, I’ll get him when we’re done here. Put your feet up for me.” He said as he adjusted the stirrups. Once more he made sure she saw him put the glove on the left hand and heard noises which indicated he was also putting one on the right. “Ready, take a deep breath for me.” Dr. Adams said from between her legs. “That’s it, good girl.” He intoned while he slid two fingers of his ungloved hand into her. “Very good,” he sighed. One gloved hand on her stomach feeling the baby’s position and size he smiled down at her. “Another deep breath, please, dear, this might get a little uncomfortable for a moment.” Calla drew in the breath and he entered another bare finger into her.

It was uncomfortable and she naturally tried to move away from him, that’s when she noticed she felt his fingers against the sides of her walls and he had not used the speculum. Maybe, she thought, maybe it would interfere with whatever he was looking for.

Staring down at her something in her eyes told him he should stop she was catching on. That information didn’t stop the growling in his slacks and before he knew it the hand which had been measuring the baby dropped to his fly and Dr. Adams was freeing his cock. If he could just dip it in just for a minute he’d be happy, yes, just one little teeny-tiny minute, surely that couldn’t do much harm.

“Are we done yet?” Calla asked. “Is something wrong?”

“All done,” Dr. Adams said slowly removing his three fingers from inside her. “Everything seems fine, we’ll just get a quick peek to be sure then you’re on your way home.”

“Daniel?”

“I’ll get him.” He said with a smile as he walked off through the exam room, through the infirmary—licking his fingers tip to knuckle—and fetching the good Dr. Jackson. That is so fucking sweet. Damn! “Daniel, you want to come in for a minute?” Dr. Adams asked as he poked his sandy head into the hall. “Don’t worry everything looks just….peachy.”

“Thank God,” Daniel sighed rising to follow Adams into the infirmary then to the exam room.

“The internal went well so we’re just going to do a quick sonogram to be sure and then she can go home.”

In the exam room the sonogram went well and the doctor pronounced Mother and Son doing just fine. Calla climbed into a borrowed uniform as the two men talked the situation over in Adams’ office and when she was ready she came in to get him. Daniel held out his hand to say good night, they shook and then Daniel sneezed. “Sorry, I don’t know where that came from.” He apologized and raised his hand to his nose to clear it. Daniel was met with a very familiar scent.

Yeah, right, whatever. If he did the internal with a glove on you wouldn’t be smelling that.

Daniel grabbed Dr. Adams right hand and before Adams could stop him, Daniel raised it to his nose to get a good sniff. “I don’t believe you,” he hissed dropping Adams hand and grabbing him by the collar. “You’re a doctor, how could you do that?”

“Daniel, what are you doing?” Calla asked in shock. Daniel backed Adams up across the room and into his desk which made a very loud thud when he hit it. The look on his face or rather the lack of an expression on his face caused her great alarm. “Help!” Calla cried out. “Someone please help!”

Jack and Duncan burst into the room to see Daniel punching Adams in the face. Blood flew from Adams’ jaw while spittle flew from Daniel’s. “You son of a bitch!”

“Stop it!” Calla shrieked.

“Daniel let him go!” Jack pried Daniel off Adams while Duncan pulled Adams away. “What’s goin’ on?”

“He molested my wife!” Daniel shouted as he swung one more time but didn’t connect.

“Excuse me?” Jack said looking directly at Adams.

“He called it an internal examination.” Daniel growled. No one did anything. “If you don’t believe me smell his hands!” Daniel roared and struggled to get at the doctor once more.

Jack’s head whipped around to face Daniel. “EX-CUSE me?” Jack said louder as the though of Daniel’s request and what it inferred wafted through his mind.

“I can explain…” Adams stumbled hiding his hands behind his back. “It’s really quite simple actually…..”

Calla who stood there not knowing what to do or why everyone seemed so angry suddenly understood what all the commotion was about, she ran out of the room with her hands hiding her face.

“Oh really?” Jack asked. “Maybe you’ll want to explain to the Medical Board once the Air Force is done with you.” He picked up the nearest phone. “This is General O’Neill get security to Dr. Adams’ office, I want him arrested.”

“Don’t you ever come near my Wife!” Daniel threatened. “Not ever.”

“Well then who’s going to monitor her pregnancy?” Adams inquired and had just enough to duck as Daniel swung at him for the last time. “Not me, got it.”

“Go after her.” Duncan said. “We’ll make sure the good doctor here doesn’t go anywhere.”

Daniel took off after her. The MPs arrived and clasped handcuffs on Dr. Adams before escorting him to the brig. “You don’t understand,” Adams said forcefully to Jack, “I’m the one who knows the most about her and the baby, who’s going to take care of her if you put me in jail?”

“Somebody better ‘n you.” Jack said. Adams really thought that justified whatever he did to Calla and that he should be allowed to continue with her. “Take him away.”

Once out in the corridor Sam told Daniel that Calla disappeared right in front of her. “She must have gone home.”

“What’d he do?” Sam asked in hushed voice while they escorted Adams from his office with his hands clasped behind his back.

“Something a doctor shouldn’t.” Daniel said. “I gotta go home I’m sure that’s where she went, call me if anything….develops.”

“Yeah, sure, no problem.” Sam said wanting to know more but not crossing the line and asking. Behind Daniel Duncan MacLeod came out of the office. “What about him?”

Daniel turned around. Now he liked the idea of another man staying in the house even less than he did twenty minutes ago. “Not my day,” he mumbled to Sam then said to Duncan, “C’mon, it’s time to go, we’ll come back later.” In his head there was the piercing sound of a ringing telephone. Hello.

Calla just wanted to be someplace safe and warm, that’s all, so that’s where she went. In front of the soldiers in the corridor and Sam who was just calling out her name, Calla disappeared and materialized in her bedroom.

Cole, Nick and Annie were sitting in the living room discussing current events—well Nick left out the small part about being naked in the bathroom casting spells—when the house suddenly grew cold and everything seemed to droop. “Mom’s home,” Coley said, “she’s crying.”

Nicholas got up from the couch where he’d been holding Annie in his arms. “I’ll go see what’s…”

“Yeah, not this time, big brother,” Coley cracked with a knowing look in her eye. “I’ll find out what’s going on.”

“Maybe something’s wrong with the baby.” Annie said and then bit her lip. “Oh, I shouldn’t have said that, I’m so sorry. There’s nothing wrong with the baby, of course not, the baby’s fine.” Annie knocked her little fist against the oak coffee table.

“You and my Mother you’re both so damn superstitious.” Nick chided his wife. “Fine, you go. I bet Dad don’t know she’s here I’ll tell him.”

“You do that.” Cole said with a toss of her pretty red head and then sprinted up the stairs. “Mom?” She said easily opening the bedroom door. “Hey, Mom.” There was an SGC issue uniform on the floor. The light on Callas’ side of the bed turned on and there she was under the covers which were drawn up tight to her chin, just like her knees. “Mom?”

“Hi,” Calla mumbled. “I’m fine, the baby is fine, I’m sure your Father will be home soon.”

“What happened?” Cole asked quietly as she sat down on the side of the bed. “If everything’s ok why are you crying?”

“I’m not….”

“You are, your face is puffy and your eyes are red.” Cole interjected.

“I’m tired of being afraid of the men around me.” She admitted and wiped away another tear. “It was so good for so long and now….now it’s bad again and…and…and…”

“And what? What are you talking about? Why are you afraid of them?”

There no indication that Calla was actually listening to Colleen. “I never thought it would be like this again,” Calla said sorrowfully as she reached for Coley’s hand. “I can’t do this.”

“Again?” Cole struggled to understand what Calla was saying and to make any sort of sense out of it but she wasn’t having much luck. “What can’t you do?”

“If I can’t say…HER…name again then I can’t cast the spells, If I can’t cast the spells then I can’t help them and if I can’t help them then who will help me?”

“Help who?” Coley kept hold on Callas’ hand while trying to explore her Mother’s thoughts but she couldn’t get in to Callas’ mind it was spinning too fast and Cole was growing impatient.

“Ares, Duncan, Jack, Teal’c,” a look crossed her face and Coley was certain Calla was going to vomit all over the quilt. “Dr. Adams.” Calla swallowed hard, the palm of her hand grew clammy against Coley’s.

“What about Adams?” Coley asked. Noticeably missing from that little list were her Father and her Brother. “What about Dad and Nick? Mom, what’s got you so spooked? Tell me, I can help you.”

Calla had an epiphany. “Yes! You do it!” Calla cried out. “Yes, you can do it with Duncan and Jack.” The excitement in her voice faded as her tone dropped low. “Perhaps Adams. Will you?” It wasn’t that she forgave Adams or even the fact that she understood what he’d done but that the baby needed him to ensure a safe delivery.

“Do…WHAT?” Coley said trying to keep her voice down and hold back the rising feeling of dread in her heart. “Why not Umpa? What about Teal’c?”

“Not your Grandfather, no, he’s too strong.” Calla said with half a smile and patted Cole’s hand. “Maybe Teal’c later. You can do it with Duncan and Jack.”

“I’m tired of asking so I’m just going to do it this…one…more….time…Mom,” She said slowly drawing her Mother’s eyes to her own with her hand as she spoke. “What do you want me to do with them?”

“A spell.” Calla whispered. Opening her mind so Cole could gain access she showed her Daughter everything she wanted her to do.

Daniel and Duncan drove home from the SGC talking about Calla and Hecate all the way. Duncan never met Hecate, she’d been banished eons before his own Faery Queen Mother had been born and didn’t know much about her but he did know where the Faery Realms were and Avalon. More than that, he was willing to go off on this little adventure.

“You don’t trust me, do you Daniel?” Duncan asked as they drove toward Greenbrier. “Not that you really have much reason to, in light of what just happened, I understand that, and you don’t really know me. What has Ol…Calla…” Duncan smiled, “told you about me?”

“Not much,” Daniel said to him. “Other than you’re Immortal, she stayed with you some times as a little girl and, oh yeah, you’re the first man she ever met.”

“Ares still hates me for that,” Duncan grumbled, “that’s all right, he hated me well before that, I assure you.” Duncan said with a cheery wink “I take it she believes the story of my Immortality is…”

“Your secret to tell.”

“Took the words right out of my mouth.” Duncan said with an easy smile. “She may have grown up but she doesn’t really change too much.” He snickered and then weaved the tale of his own Immortality while Daniel drove them home. When he was done, Daniel decided it was his turn at this little game of Truth or Dare, and told Duncan about the Darkness and the pheromones Calla was putting off, that he needed to be wary of them.

“You know I don’t think it will affect me, Daniel.” Duncan said thoughtfully as he gazed out the window to see the early morning hours passing by. “I was married once, well, twice actually. Her name was Sarah.”

“Which wife?” Daniel asked.

“Both,” Duncan replied. “Both of them were Sarah. It s a long story, my first wife died on our wedding day. The second Sarah and I were married less than a year before she died as well.” His voice was distant and low. Ollie didn’t know about this and there was no reason to go into detail with Daniel now. Still, even now so many years later, in his mind he saw both of them dying right in front of his eyes. Now just as then, there was nothing he could do to stop the blade from severing their heads from their shoulders. “Anyway, I know what you’re talking about…this Darkness. It’s a need, isn’t it, Daniel? Not a choice, not something you want to do, just something that pulls you along and makes you aggressive.”

“Yeah,” Daniel muttered. “Maybe you shouldn’t be around her.” Suddenly he was getting angry, he didn’t want to drive anymore, in fact, he wanted to pull over to the side of the road and continue this little conversation.

“I know what it is because I felt it with both of my wives,” Duncan admitted. “But not since and not in between them. Immortals like me, we aren’t supposed to be able to have children, but when they came along and took her head, both Sarah’s were pregnant with my child.” Duncan choked back the tears in his voice. “It was a long time ago. But I remember with my second wife, I couldn’t stand to have any man within ten feet of her or I’d start going crazy and when we went to bed at night….oh,” Duncan let out a low growl. “I knew she was mine and no one else’s.”

Now Daniel did pull over to the side of the road. “Maybe you shouldn’t be around her, Duncan.” He reiterated. “Maybe you should stay in a motel or something.”

“I’m sorry, Daniel, I’m getting a wee bit off the point here.”

“Which would be?”

“I didn’t feel anything like that standing next to Ollie and she was completely naked. That Darkness it’s a drive, like we said, a need, to….to….breed, to protect and control her until she brings the baby forth.”

“Then it will go away, that’s what Ares said.”

“That’s what I hoped.” Duncan said in a wistful voice. “I hoped it would go away once my children came but I never go the chance to find out.” He turned his head to look at Daniel and give out a sad smile. “Look Daniel, I can’t breed with her, but you, Nick, Ares, Jack, all of you can that’s why you feel it. I swear to you, you don’t have to worry about me. I know what you’re talking about but I don’t feel it, this Darkness when I’m around Calla. You can trust me.”

Hum. “She trusts you.”

“You still don’t?”

“I love her but she’s not the best judge of character that I’ve ever met. She still can’t bring herself to say a cross thing about Eros never mind Ares.”

“Nice painting I saw that.” Duncan mumbled. “Well, if you don’t trust me and you don’t want my help, just let me know right now and I’ll be on my way.” Daniel sat there looking at him with a puzzled expression. “Hey, you don’t need me. Oll…Calla can get into the Dark Kingdom and Avalon and Valhalla, all you need is her.”

“She can’t go alone.” Daniel said. “I can’t get in to any of those places.”

“Neither can Colleen,” Duncan countered. “I don’t know why you’re sending her with us other than to chaperone.”

Yeah, well, that was the only reason he was sending Colleen along.

“I see you don’t trust your son either or you’d be sending him to keep an eye on me, wouldn’t you?” Duncan asked. “Do you have reason to be this suspicious of me or is it just your nature?”

“I know my wife…and the power and she can hold. She never even realizes it.” Daniel muttered. “How long is this little trip to Avalon and such going to take?”

“Not long,” Duncan assured him. “I’m sure she’ll just whisk us both to Scotland and then, maybe a day to convince them to join us. It may take less time for her and Thor to free the Valykrie.”

“A day?”

“Well, we don’t have much travel time to consider, Daniel, and once they see the light—which I’m sure won’t take long—they’ll be eager to help out anyway they can. They’re rather fond of the planet, you know.” Duncan chided. “You really don’t trust me to go off for one day with her?”

“After what Adams just did? I don’ trust anyone that much.” Daniel pulled onto the road again. “It’s not just you, Duncan, don’t feel singled out.”

“Look, Mom,” Coley said holding Callas’ hands, “I might do this with Mr. MacLeod but I ‘m not going to do with Umpa.” She said firmly.

“You don’t trust your Grandfather?”

“I know you love him, I don’t have any freakin’ clue as to why, but I know you do.” Coley stuttered. “After everything he did how can you ask me to help him?”

“Not him, help me, help your new brother.” Calla stroked her tummy. It seemed that every member of the Jackson family except for her was still pissed off at Ares. They had their reasons even if Calla didn’t see them as being justified they were still there. “Colleen, I need Ares now more than ever but if you’re afraid of him I understand that and it’s all right.”

“How can you not be afraid of Umpa?”

“He’s my Father,” Calla said earnestly. “Are you afraid of yours?”

“No,” Coley stuttered. “I love Dad he’d never….I see your point.” She mumbled. “But Dad never did anything to me like Umpa did to you and he never would.”

“Can’t we all just forget about that?” Calla patted her Daughter’s hand and smiled wanly for her. “It’s all right, my darling Daughter, I’m a little tired and I wasn’t thinking straight just out loud.” She explained. “I’m not even sure the spell would work if you did it on my behalf, I’m fairly certain that I have to do it.”

“What happened?” Cole asked in a softer voice. “What started all this, Mom?”

The eyes looking at her with such concern were so much like Daniel’s, Calla wished he was home. “Dr. Adams,” she began slowly, “he, ah, he took advantage of a liberty afforded him and your Father is quite livid over it I’m afraid.”

“Took a…” Coley’s head bounced up and down as she tried to sort it out, “you wanna put that in English for me, please? What did Adams do?”

“Nothing to be so angry over it was just a small indiscretion,” Calla explained and scooched down under the fluffy blankets. Even though she knew she should shower it was comfy and warm under the covers, Calla didn’t want to move from the safety of her bed.

Unless either Colleen, Nicholas or Daniel made some accomplishment—no matter how small—Mom always downplayed everything. Small indiscretion. “Did Dr. Adams hurt you?” She asked rising from her Mother’s bedside.

“No,” Calla said as her eyes cast away from Cole’s. “You will send your Father up when he comes home, won’t you?” She lay back against the pillows and began closing those distant emerald eyes.

“Sure, Mom. Get some rest.” Reaching over Colleen made to turn out the light by the bed.

“Leave it, will you, please?” Calla asked.

Aw, fuck. “Yeah, sure.” Cole bent down and kissed her Mother’s forehead. “Dad’ll be home real soon, you’ll see.” She walked out of the bedroom leaving the door slightly ajar and the hallway light on as she went down the stairs.

“What’s goin’ on?” Nick asked when his sister came into the living room. “How is she?”

“I dunno, Adams did something.” Coley muttered and sat down hard on the couch next to him. “She wants me to do some spell with Mr. MacLeod and Uncle Jack and Umpa.”

“I don’t fuckin’ think so.” Nick said in a deadpan voice.

“That’s what the two of you were doing before the shit came down? This spell?”

“Yeah,” Nick’s teeth grit close together. He wished Annie wasn’t in the room.

“And you had to take your dick out of your pants to do it?” Coley shot with a toss of her red head and the snotty voice only a pissed off younger sister can muster.

Nick, 6’8 and climbing, felt about as tall as Poppa Smurf. “Yeah,” it was much more a forced rush of air through jaws that wouldn’t open than the actual utterance of a word.

“What?” Annie gasped and covered her mouth with her hand. Her blue eyes grew wide as she focused on her husband. Without uncovering her lips she asked; “What did you do?”

The Cat was out of the Bag now. “That’s why you’re not doin’ it, not with none of ‘em, Cole. I don’t care what she needs.”

“Nick….”

“She done it with me and she done it with Dad and that’s enough.” Nick huffed at his sister. “Nuttin’ happened Annie, it’s just with Ma’s rituals and spells, just sometimes, just, ya gotta be naked to do ‘em. It’s not bad or anything.” He tried to assure her. “I didn’t do anything bad.” He tried to assure himself. “Believe me?”

“Cole?” Annie asked looking for a second opinion on the subject.

“Yeah, Annie…some times.” Coley took it down a notch as she measured Nick, he was holding something back something that was eating at him from the look on his face maybe she didn’t want to push him about it right now in front of his wife. “Not all that often.” She clarified. “There’s nothing, I mean…they didn’t have sex, ok?” She rushed it out in a light sweat. Oh, for cryin’ out loud! Normal people must think we’re fucking INSANE!

You can say that again, Sister. Nick quipped in her thoughts. Thanks.

“Anyway she changed her mind about it said I couldn’t do it that it had to be her.” Colleen took a deep breath, pulled her knees up under her chin and rested it on them. “We’re in some real pretty shit, aren’t we, Nicky?”

“I guess so,” Nick agreed in a hushed voice. “Annie you should go and pack a bag to take to the SGC. Cole you should pack a big one for Lilly.”

“Where are you going?” Annie asked. “Why can’t I come with you? I’m scared, Nicky.”

Nicholas thought about it for a moment. “Well, until Mom and Mr. MacLeod come back from Scotland, I guess we’ll just hang out at the SGC for a while. After that Cole and I might have to go somewhere or do something and you’ll have to take care of Lilly.” He said seriously. “Cole’s right, we are in some real purty shit, Annie. We gotta do somethin’ about it. We can’t just sit here.”

“But that’s what you want me to do!” Annie complained loudly. “Just sit here and do nothing while you go off and get yourself killed! I’m too young to be a widow, Nicky. Don’t go.”

There she was staring at him with those big blue eyes wet with tears and shaking, she was begging him to stay with her. That was all he wanted to do but couldn’t. “If they need me, Annie, I gotta go.” Nick pulled her close in his big arms resting her head against his brawny chest.

“What about school? We’re supposed to start class in two days and….” Annie started to cry. “our new little house? Our life?”

Colleen shook her head and got up, she went upstairs without saying anything. Nicholas watched her go. “I love you Annie, you won’t be a widow and we’ll still have all that stuff, honest...we’re gonna have everything.”

“I hope you’re right.” Annie was still crying and trembling. Nick did the only thing he knew, he held her as close as he could and just kept telling her that she and Lilly would be safe at the SGC if he had to go away and that he loved her.

Ares and Morpheus stood on a high precipice above the Venezuelan Stargate watching the enemy and gathering information. If Hecate was on Earth she wasn’t in this exact spot, nothing but a horde of henchmen. Riff-raff all of them, from the looks of it, she’d managed to gather half a million of the most venomous dregs of society the universe had to offer. Hiding in the hot steamy bowels of the volcano guarding the Gate was large filthy camp of them. They were dancing and drinking around Poseidon’s corpse.

“What do you think?” Morpheus asked.

“Vile beasts.” Ares said sharply gazing down upon the members of the many different alien races taking part in their victory celebration. “Look at them, no Honor. What do I think? I think they’re fools and I should bring the volcano down upon them.”

“God of Fire, you can do this.” Morpheus encouraged. “Then we would only have to meet them on one front.”

“IF this is all the ground troops she’s brought through the Gate.” Ares said thoughtfully stroking the beard at his chin. “She’s no Fool, Morpheus, the bitch knows better than to keep all of her troops in such a precarious place.”

“Still, it will put an end to her use of that Stargate.”

“We promised to bring Poseidon home to his Kingdom, go and get him, be swift about it.” Ares ordered spitting small fireballs into the palms of his hands as he warmed up for the event. “You don’t want to be caught in this.”

“I see that.” Morpheus returned. The King of Dreams and Illusion turned himself solid taking the form of one of the ruffians he saw below them. “You will wait for me to get out of the way, won’t you now?”

“I’ll give you one minute,” Ares sneered, “Sixty, Fifty-nine, fifty-eight,” Morpheus disappeared from their place on the precipice and appeared by Poseidon’s mutilated corpse below.

No one down there gave Morpheus so much as a second glance. He walked over to where Poseidon lay, took the old Olympian up in his arms, signaled up to Ares with a light nod of his head and disappeared from the cave.

Time to party. Ares smiled wide as he too disappeared from the high precipice only to reappear in full battle regalia on the floor of the volcano below. “Hello, Kiddies.” He bellowed. “Let’s play!”

To Lord Ares dismay no one had time enough to accept his most gracious invitation. Massive fireballs shot like automatic weapons fire from the palms of his hands while he smiled and laughed and took them all down as they reached for the weapons or ran for cover. Being a God really did have its advantages! Great mounds of fire crashed into tents and the rock walls around them, the cavern shook as dirt and debris fell down upon them as it had in Ares’ own home not that long ago. Now there was no great rush of cooling water, no there was the thunderous swelling of molten lava as Ares focuses his fireballs on the ground below. The lava rose up from the ground and the crown above began to totter and sway. Rising up to the precipice he’d stood on with Morpheus and out through a small crevice Ares flew up into the air to continue raining down fire from above. The alien troops ran blindly for cover and he picked them off one by one and in small groups as they tried to make their way out of the cave. A continuous barrage of fireballs rained down on the volcano's cap until it rumbled and roared with all the force of Zeus. In a great thunderous crash it collapsed in on itself bringing the mountain down to sea level. Great heated boulders, molten lava and sulfur filled steam gushed forth from the bowels of the volcano. It flooded the forest floor in a glowing red carpet of heat and destruction, the dry forest burst into flames, trees, grass and flowers burned spreading the destruction far and wide. Where the cone of the volcano had once stood was nothing but a deep crater in the Earth.

An uneasy silence fell over the forest as fire stopped raining down from the sky. Surveying his work with a thoughtful eye taking in the depth of the destruction he’d wrought down upon the primitive part of the world, he considered his job well done. The Stargate was destroyed and a few thousand of Hecate's troops went with it. Just the lava alone spread out more than a three thousand yards anything in its path was instantly turned to ash. After that ring of blackness fires burned bright in the night sky consuming the dry forest being carried forward by the wind and small creatures whose fur was on fire.

The seismic activity registered by geologists all across the globe was off the Richter scale. Villages of frightened people running away from the chaos reported strange lights and fireballs in the sky, some even said they’d seen a flying man with fireballs shooting from his hands. Although the geologists, journalists and reporters all thought the story interesting, there wouldn’t be enough time to pursue it. In two days time the entire planet would be under attack, no one would be safe, and no one on Earth would ever deny the existence of extraterrestrial life again.

End of Chapter Eleven
The Cradle Will Fall
Continue to
Chapter Twelve

This story and all stories in the Cradle Will Fall series are copyrighted to Lisa Beth Darling these stories may not be transferred outside of this URL in any fashion.