As he bursts from the temple the thermo goggles cut out after glaring light hit them. Luckily, the flare comp in his eyes kicked in just in the nic of time.

Swapping the thermo goggles for the tinted ones and putting the boonie hat back on, Chase scans the horizon while waiting for his turn on the board. The smell of burnt flesh still filling his nostrils and the ever opressive heat bearing down on him.

It sucks out here...

Two by two Cosmo's unconscious mind sends the board back for the runners. It doesn't take but a few minutes before the whole team is at the gate.

The equipment set up is still littered about the gate, 4 auto cooling tents, water, a burner for food. All the extra survival gear.

Ran is gently talking to the dwarf, trying to get him to come out of his comatose state when the boom of supersonic flight rumbles across the dessert. A high pitched whine can be heard in the distance, and getting closer.

Ghost Dragon takes cover behind the far edge of the gate, peeking out so he can maintain the spell he has on Torque, and trying to tell where the sound is coming from.

Moments after landing, Cosmo lifted his head up and looked at Ran. "Oh, like, groovy man." He stands up and dusts his boxers off, then looks kind of confused as he takes in his surroundings. "How'd we ge..."

"You were busy so I saved your hoop again, you bumbling bumpkin. Just hotwire one of the radios to send a message, then get ready to dial this address..." one rather innoculous looking coordinates appears in his image link "...then pack your things up as quick as you can. I've programmed the BigKahuna to ferry your pathetic little friends back here, so time is of the essence."

"Dude... what did you, uh, do and stuff? You didn't get me in trouble again, didja?"

"$#@?!... I'll explain it later, just do it."

"I'm so gonna, like, reprogram you when we get home, man. Your attitude is uhtr... utr... atro... yeah, atrocious or sumfin'."

"Uh, oh yeah. Okay," he finally finishes, his inner monologue taking less than a nanosecond to resolve. "I'm on it and stuff."

"Excellent. Just in time, it would seem," Ran replies, rolling to her feet in one fluid motion and peering in the direction of the ominous whine.

"I think we're going to have company. Find cover." She points one slender finger at Cosmo. "Except you. Get on that DHD."

Cosmo would have flailed if it didn't require effort, but 'quickly' turned his attention back on the DHD to dial the address. "Just make sure you, yanno, score my fridge for me."

When the gate opens, the little stoner decides to test one of his pet theories upon arriving and transmits a low-powered UHF signal through the gate to see if it helps it stay open.

One by one the chevrons lock in place with a loud bang and a orange glow. Mysteriously the gate does not rotate like the one on earth did. The last Chevron locks into place and the tremendous explosion energy shoots out of the gate, only to be sucked back in.

The quiet, calm shimmering pool of energy reflects the event horizon.

The screeching sound grows closer as the board drops of the last two runners. The entire team stands at the gate. Unlike on earth the gate does not close immediately. Cosmo's low powered radio signal seems to do the trick.

"Uhm, ta da. And stuff."

With that, Cosmo turns around and reclaims control over his BigKahuna™. He piles on as much stuff as he can before whatever that whirling sound is manifests into a more visual nightmare, then hops on himself followed soon thereafter by little Snoopy. "All ashore that's, yanno, goin' ashore or whatever. Dunno how long I can keep this open, so, like, hurry up."

Ghost Dragon steps through the gate after Torque and makes sure he is one of the last to go through. He drops his spell and steps calmly through the gate to parts unknown.

Ran pulls her blade from its sheath once more with a reassuring, steely slither. She smiles, and then, oddly, winks in Cosmo's direction before being the first one to plunge through the shimmering wall of water.

... into the fire.

James is the very last through the gate, weapons at the ready, duffels picked up and the Ares Alpha swapped in place of the MP5.

The ride is smoother than last time. No jarring or pain. It is quick and almost... pleasant. You are not hurled out of the gate, but merely step out as if you walked across a thresh hold.

This world is... Beautiful. A lush green tropical wonder land. The gate sits on a bluff, that over looks a white sandy beach with a unbelievable shade of blue water lapping in it's shores.

Two moons are visible in the sky, and the sun is slowly dropping behind the distant ocean. The sky is lit up with reds, greens, purples, and yellows.

There is something odd about the light, but it is hard to pin down. As you step down from the pedestal the gate stands on you look around. You are on a island, a large island. The bluff is the highest point, and for miles around all you see is a lush tropical wonderland.

The bluff stand about 1500 feet above the sea. A old, and beaten down path leads down it.

"Dude."

That's all Cosmo could think to say as he floated into this beachcomber's paradise. His skyboard was busy soaking in sensor data as he just stood on its back, staring off into the distance with a glazed but overwhelmingly happy expression painted on his face.

"Out of Egypt into Atlantis. Frag," floats over the radio. "Moisture is worse than dust on weapons."

Torque looks around at the area.
Torque: "Nice. Okay, before anything else shoots us I'd like to take a look at any wounds people have and fix them up. I'll start with myself so that certain people won't be afraid I'm going to mind control them with a bandaid."
Torque pulls off his jacket and opens his biotech kit. He grimaces in pain as he splits open a suit of FFBA grown thick with dried blood. Bits of skin come off with it. The kit makes a slight whirring sound as it produces it's own diagnostics. Torque removes a tiny pair of scissors, sterilizes them, and snips away bits of dead skin from around the wound, which starts to bleed slightly again. Then he spreads an analgesic cream and sighs as the pain is numbed away. Finally Torque injects himself with a broad-spectrum antibiotic and multivitamin, and applies a thin-sheet flexible bandage over the burn marks the staff weapon made.
Torque: "James, I believe I saw you take a hit. You want to come over here a second?"

Ran feels a palpable relief at the drop in temperature. The heavy, tropical breeze is a welcome change from the relentless, unforgiving heat of the desert. She carefully takes a look around, checking the path for recent travel, and the canopy below for signs of habitation.

A few seconds after the last of you come through, the gate whines and shuts down. Silence descends over the group for a few moments.

It is quickly replaced by the resident noise of the jungle. Strange barks, yelps, and squeaks float up on the wind. Nothing sounds familiar.

A few hundred feet away a large portion of the jungle trees shake violently for a few seconds. A massive amount of birds take to the air with whines and squawks as their lives are disturbed.

Chase steps through the Gate and turns to Cosmo, "Smooth ride. Good work, Cos." He takes a moment to marvel at the jungle.

Over the com: "Everyone make it? Roll call, sound off."

When the rumbling starts, Chase readies his weapon. Over the Com: "James, showtime....again."

"Right now, I'm more worried about whats moving the birds than who may have come through after me since I was the last one through. Take cover people."

The team scrambles around looking for places to hide. What little equipment anyone could toss through the gate is strewn about the grassy hill. After a few moments the shaking stops. A few after that the jungle returns to normal.

Ran looks around for a moment, eyes adjusting to the new light, a single thought runs through her mind. Wheres the DHD?

Ran takes cover behind the edge of the Stargate, peering around towards the source of the commotion.

"Coz. Can you get us home without that dial-a-thingy?"

Still suffering a glazed look at the beach from his hiding position, Cosmo's already scanning around looking for the DHD.

"Kinda doubt it unless, like, we find sumfin' I can build a nutrino cannon out of."

Looking at his sensor data in a bit more detail, he sort of scratches his head. "Dunno what that was that caused the noise... but whatever it was it was, like, yanno... big 'n' stuff. 'Bout six meters tall and about the same wide. Definitely alive, though. Maybe some kind of funky elephant or sumfin'? I dunno, man.

"As for the dial thingamabob, I think I'm pickin' up its signature thatta way." He points a chubby finger towards the heart of the jungle. "Or if not, it's something with similar tech."

Crouching by the side of the Gate, Chase activates the comm: "James. Chase. Whats the plan, chief?"

I wonder if this is how Odysses felt...

James looks around, searching for any defensible locations.
"First, I want us off this platform, that telephone on the other side might have a redial button we dont know about. Next, I want Cosmo to get us home. In the middle, Im not too sure."

"It's gonna take, like, a cou..." he pauses, checking out the beach scene again "...a few days to narrow this list down, man, and only if I find some peace and quiet to work on it. The more world hoppin' we do and stuff, the harder and longer it'll be to find the right one. Shyeah."

Feeling his tummy rumbling, he reaches into his fanny pack and pulls out yet another burrito. "Mmm," he thinks to himself, "seems like weeks since I had one."

A few tense moments pass as the team half expects the gate to open and spew forth more of the incredibly strong alien warriors. It does not.

The sun finally finishes it's trek and drops into the ocean. The temperature adjusts a few degrees downward but nothing life threatening. Probably around sixty-five degrees.

The jungle noises slowly shift as well. The caterwauls and screeches of the day give way to the louder, more bass noise of some form of cricket.

The two moons illuminate the sky with a mirky haze. One is white as Luna, the other a blood red.

Ghost Dragon finds a place to sit down and rest off the funk he put himself in with all those spells he cast. He doesn't participate in the discussion. He simply lays down against a nearby object and closes his eyes.

Os sits down, staying out from under any trees in case something lives in them, and shuts his eyes.

1 hour, he thinks as he goes to sleep.

James flips over to radio-only and lowers the volume.

"Chase, Os is going to sleep. You and Ran decide who's taking this watch with me, and we'll switch in 6 hours."

Ran watches the entire group more or less collectively collapse where they stand--Os snoring lightly, and Cosmo smacking his lips as he inhales his burrito. She finds a rock to settle down against, with a good view of the trail leading away from the Stargate.

"I think they need some time, J," Ran murmurs to James via the comm, "before we go charging off into adventures unknown. I'll take the first watch with you."

"Understood Ran. Chase, grab some Z's. Torque, if you want to work on me, now is your chance."

Sunrise. A more glorious sight earthly eyes have never seen. James dubbed the world Atlantis, but Paradise would be a better description. All night a warm, tropical breeze flowed off the water, keeping the group comfortable during their much needed slumber.

As the orange sun rose it lit up the sky like a fireball. Brilliant shades of un-earthly colors splashed around the island.

As most of the others started to wake up, they found Cosmo just sitting at the head of his board, watching the sunrise while munching on a breakfast burrito. It was pretty evident he didn't sleep a wink all night.

"Dude. I've so gotta catch a wave, man."

Ghost Dragon can be heard mumbling in his sleep. He sits up suddenly and says, "No!", following it with a malicious growl. "One day.." he says quietly.

Cosmo turns and gives Ghost Dragon a curious look. "Aw c'mon man, I ju..." he begins, not realizing he was talking to his dreams "...oh." His attention turns back to the waves.

At least it was a quite night

Chase wanders over to where Cosmo is spaced out. "Hey Cos, I forgot to tell you in all the comotion back there, I got that gauntlet thing right before we made it off the last word. Here." He hands the dwarf the device. "I figure even if you can't make any sense of it, the tech-heads back home'll be interested."

Chase scans the 'camp' area and turns on the mic. "James. Chase. Maybe we should take a look around since we're gonna be here for a few days. If you can spare Oz or Ran, we could do a recon of the surrounding area. Maybe we can find something useful. If nothing else, Cos said we need the Dial Home thing to, well, dial home."

"Huh? Guantlet thing? Whatchoo talkin' 'bout, man?" He looks at the device and his glazed eyes almost sparkle. "Dude... too cool."

The little stoner plops back down on his board and starts tinkering around with it.

Ghost Dragon brushes his hair back and stands up, feeling rested from the few hours of sleep.

Over the radio, he says, "Do we have a plan?"

In response to Ghost Dragon's question Chase turns off the mic, "Yeah, chummer. We got a plan: hurry up and wait." He smiles good naturedly and fishes around in his pouches until he comes up with a pack of Llama Lights. He looks at the cigarettes and sighs heavily deciding not to induldge that particular pleasure. Seeing Cosmo happily chomp away on yet another burritto does not help.

James flips over to voice radio. "James to Chase. Take whomever you want, I'll babysit the gate area for the first recon run, stay within a few hundred meters please."

"Rodger that. Ran? Oz? Who wants to go sight seeing?"

...and there are abundant sights to see. The morning reveals the lavish jungle that is spread before you. Behind you is an incredible beach that stretches on and on. With waves that seem made for riding.

Ran is on her feet in moments, strapping her sword back into place.

"I knew I should have brought a camera," she muttered, glancing over her shoulder at the alien sunrise. "Folks back home would get a kick out of this."

"Good idea," Chase takes out the digital camera and snaps off a few shots of the sunrise, the beach and the local flora. He looks up a Ran with a smile, "You want copies?"

While pushing buttons at random and scanning for the results, Cosmo let's a mellow "whooooooa" escape his lips as he produces a nutrino burst. After playing with it for a few more minutes, he decides to clamp it to his own arm for safekeeping.

Turning to those still in the area, he pipes up. "If we, like, don't find one of those phone home jingerthingies, it might not be too hard to rig sumfin' up afterall."

"Only we'll have to dial the gate, right?" Os adds.

"Yeah, but I think we can do that manually, man. That's, like, what they were doin' back home."

"Only we'll be doing it without the benefit of machinery."

"Can we do that by hand?" He looks back and forth between the two speakers.

Chase lets the question hang in the air for a moment and turns to Os and Ran. "So, who's comin' and who's staying? We're burning daylight here." He smiles and pulls down the tinted goggles to let them hang around his neck.

"If not, I'm sure I could totally work sumfin' out. But, like, it'd still be seriously better to find the thing... with the button crystal thingies... yeah."

Standing up and dusting off his boxers, Cosmo unloads his board and grabs it under an arm. How he manages to do this is a true mystery, but he does it nonetheless. "All right, dudes, I'm gonna go... yanno... focus on these addresses and stuff. If you need me just, like, let me know or sumfin'. Shyeah. Later."

With that, he starts heading down towards the beach.