Ah, trees, trees,
and more trees.
Whatawonderfully green universe we live in, eh?
Where's that village?
U.a.v. Found it southwest of here.
Ii?
Here.
This path is well—traveled.
Which means the Stargate is still in use by someone.
Or... something.
Carter: U.A.V. Photos were right. There it is.
Looks like a church.
Andthat would mean what?
That it is most likely christians who reside here, O'Neill.
Thank you, Teal'c.
Well, this is the first sign
of christianity we've encountered, sir,
in hundreds of missions.
Which means they probably had to have been taken
from somewhere in medieval Europe through the antarctic gate.
By which Goa'uld?
That's a good question.
Daniel: Most Goa'uld that we've encountered
that have enslaved ancient human populations
have taken on the roles of those cultures' deities—...
Ra, apophis, hathor from the Egyptian pantheon—...
O'Neill: Yeah, yeah, yeah. We got it.
Well, if these people were already christians
when they were taken from earth,
I suggestthatthis Goa'uld is playing—...
God, as in god god?
It's a bit of a stretch, don't you think?
Teal'c: I know of no Goa'uld capable
of showing the necessary compassion or benevolence
thati have read of in your Bible.
You read the Bible, Teal'c?
It is a significant part of your western culture.
Have you not read the Bible, O'Neill?
Oh, yeah. Yeah.
Not all of it.
Actually, I'm listening to it on tape.
Don'ttell me how it ends.
Man: That's it.
That's it, son.
Get inside!
Ohh!
Quickly!
Move!
Hello?
We're not going to hurt you.
We're peaceful travelers.
They're not buying it, Danny.
Is this English?
Middle english—— pre—chaucer.
"In their crucifixion and death, show mercy to those
who are about to be delivered unto the devil."
It's a derivative of the catholic prayer for suffering souls.
It's all right. It's all right.
I'll getyou out of this in a minute.
Spare her, please.
Oh, we're not going to hurt her or you.
We're friends.
I'm——I'm Daniel.
I am Simon.
You have come through the circle of darkness?
The Stargate, yes.
Then you must be of his brethren.
I beg of you, Mary is so young.
She did nothing to warrant sacrifice.
O'Neill: Whoa! What sacrifice?
If you leave her body,
the village can and may choose another possessed soul.
You think we're demons.
He thinks we're demons.
Uh—huh.
Well, we're not demons.
We're human, like you—...
From earth,
like you.
Do other demons come through the circle?
You know he does.
Uh, well, no.
We don't know anything about him,
but we'd like to.
What does he look like?
Mostly, he comes in his true form.
But demons can take many shapes.
Teal'c: Major Carter,
shield her eyes.
Into the house quickly!
Leave her body, please!
Come on. Get up.
Take me in her place!
Look, stop that, will you? Come on. Up, up
let's go. Come on.
Listen to me. We're not demons,
and Mary is not possessed.
From the looks of it, she's a little sick.
If you let us, we might be able to help
Chicken pox.
Trust me.
Her fever's pretty high.
It'll break.
Those spots will get itchy,
but that's about as bad as it'll get.
You'll be fine in a couple of days.
That will not be soon enough.
The time of sacrifice is at hand.
The elders will have to perform
the trepanning ritual tonightto cleanse her.
Oh, jeez.
What?
It was a procedure often done in the middle ages.
Th ey'd...
Well, they'd drill a hole in the person's head.
By drilling a hole,
the evil spirits are released,
thus saving the person from eternal damnation.
Thus saving the person.
Well, they didn't call them the dark ages because it was dark.
My Jesus, letthe sorrows you suffered...
Man: The demon comes!
The scourging...
The demon comes!
The demon comes?
Damn.
Unas?
You are correct, O'Neill.
The first host of the Goa'uld.
No, no, no, no.
We killed him. He's dead.
We only killed one unas.
I thought there only was one.
Unas, un0, one!
They are, in fact, a species.
The time of sacrifice is at hand.
My lord, Satan,
calls for 5 wretched souls
to be claimed as his.
Satan?
Sokar.
Gathering host bodies.
At sunrise
shall I return to claim the 5.
If you have not chosen,
I shall take whom I please
in far greater numbers.
Ithinkwe were wrong about this Goa'uld.
He's isn't playing god.
He's playing the devil.
The time is at hand.
Mary: No! No! No!
Simon.
The canon will return from his hermitage soon.
The creature that just sauntered
through your village is called an unas.
The time of sacrifice has been declared.
I fear it will be—...
Simon, listen to me!
We've run into this kind of thing before.
Now, it's not a demon.
It... it's demon esqu e, I'll Grant you,
but it's just a big, ugly creature.
Who's inhabited by a Goa'uld
that gives it great strength, intelligence,
and the ability to regenerate.
Yes.
It's a very smart, resilient creatu re.
In the service of sokar, who, for all intents and purposes,
is Satan to these people.
But it's not a demon.
No, it's not a demon.
My friends speak the truth, Simon.
This demon is nothing more than a parasite
that inhabits another creature.
Your fear is its greatest power over you.
You do not fear it?
We do not.
You say you have killed an unas
once before?
Indeed.
Then perhaps god has sent you.
Perhaps you are the answer to our prayers.
All my life I have asked god
to deliver us from this evil.
So what did the lizard say,
that he'd be back at sunrise?
Are you contemplating attack, O'Neill?
Yeah, sure. Why not?
An unas is difficult to destroy.
A couple of shots with the staff, we own him.
We hope.
It took Thor's hammer to kill the last one.
All right, a whole bunch of shots with the staff.
Daniel, how long have these people been living like this?
Well, I can't be sure without proper—...
A thousand years?
At least.
Yeah. that's long enough.
These people are being terrorized.
We have the power to stop it.
Sokar will seek revenge.
All right. So we'll have them Bury the gate after we've gone.
They could come in ships.
Ships?
I can't be sure, but the coordinates of this planet
are years away from any known Goa'uld homeworld,
even with their fastest ships.
Simon? Do you want us to do this?
Are we not in god's hands?
The canon has returned.
Bring the other one as well.
Man: The canon has arrived.
The canon will choose those for sacrifice tonight.
Why does he get to choose?
He is our spiritual leader.
It falls to him to determine those of us
whose souls are already possessed with evil.
You have come down the path
through the circle of darkness?
Something like that.
My name's Jack O'Neill.
And you gave them entrance to your home?
Yes. But I do not believe they mean us harm.
The tricks of Satan and his minions are many,
and only those weak of faith
are fooled by such deception.
By granting them entrance,
you have spilled the blood of your people!
We come as friends, sir.
This one bears the Mark of the devil!
If you are human, as you say,
then your souls are damned!
All right, that's enough.
He is not a demon.
He is ajaffa.
Satan is not involved here.
That creatu re that strolled
through your village a little while ago—...
It's called an unas,
and we have the power to stop it.
That means no more sacrifices.
All you have to do is give us
the chance to help. What do you say?
If they came th rough the circle of darkness,
then their souls are unclean!
It appears they do not desire our assistance, O'Neill.
Yeah, fine. Whatever.
Have a nice day.
You shall be struck down!
No. No, canon.
Get back!
Sir, I've been disarmed.
Yeah, I picked up on that, too.
Teal'c is gone.
Did we just get struck by a big bolt of lightning?
That's what it looked like.
It felt more like a zat blast to me.
He touched his ring
just before the lightning started.
Carter, if I ever getthe urge
to help anybody again,
feel free to give me a swift kick.
Yes.
I do not believe you are demons.
I've said as much to the canon,
but he refuses to hear me.
Where's our friend?
It has been decided he must endure the tests.
What tests?
Woman: He's evil! The devil...
Man: Burn him! Kill him!
Man: Satan has sent him...
To the stake with him.
Woman: He's evil!
Evil!
What have you to say for yourself?
That I do not serve those whom you would call "demon."
There are living among us demons...
Teal'c!
Who will not shrink from committing...
Say nothing more or they will kill him.
For this reason, we are commanded
by god
to seek out those spirits
and punish them!
The Mark of the devil.
What?
In the middle ages, one of the proofs of witchcraft
was a Mark on the body supposedly made by the devil himself
that was insensitive to pain.
The first proof
is given.
Daniel.
It's not good.
Man: Endure the secondtest.
Andthey went up
on the breadth of the earth,
and fire came down
from god
out of heaven
and devoured...
Th e water test.
What?
A common practice in the middle ages.
They weighted a person andthrew him in the water.
If he sinks, he's innocent.
If he floats, he's guilty of witchcraft
and burned at the stake.
It's a catch—22.
Forever and ever!
Archangel, Saint Michael,
defend us in battle.
Thrust into hell...
Satan...
And all the evil spirits
who prowl upon the earth.
Amen.
We'll go back where we came from!
He's innocent!
You sons of bitches!
God's will
has been done.
Your friend's soul is clean.
If you wish, he'll be given
a Christian burial.
What?
You're free to go.
I insist only that you remain in chains
until you return to the circle of darkness
to whatever dark place you reside
and that you never return.
Because, you know if I did return
that I would break your damn neck.
But, of course, you could just touch
that lovely ring of yours,
and we'd all be struck down again.
Ah, the ring.
It has been handed down through generations
of village canons who came before me.
And with it you maintain power.
With it I abide by god's will
as best I can.
Sacrifices must be made.
Why?
Do you deny the demon is real?
Do you deny that it could destroy us if it so wished?
The sacrifices allowed
the people of this village to survive
for generations.
Just as the wheat is separated from the chaff,
the unclean souls among us must be taken away
through the circle of darkness...
Forever.
And you decide.
Yes, I do.
Now go thy way.
Trouble me no more.
I am sorry.
You know, Simon... Your village canon has
an awfully interesting way of ten ding the flock.
Speak no more of this.
He maintains power by controlling
who gets sacrificed and who doesn't.
No more!
I have asked for this dispensation,
and he has granted it.
Where's our gear?
If I were to bring it to you,
would you help us?
Help you?
You can Bury the Stargate after we've gone th rough.
That should prevent the unas and anything else from—...
I can not do that!
There must be other people who are willing—...
Simon: I mean the circle.
We are not allowed to go near it
or even look upon it.
Simon?
We are ready.
I shall be there.
Daniel: Ready? Ready for what?
The trepanning ritual.
Mary's parents were taken
in a sacrifice a year ago.
They asked that I care for her.
If you're not willing to help,
it falls to me to try to cleanse her soul
before the canon chooses.
You can't do that.
I have no choice.
You'll kill her.
Better that she die among us
than at the hands of the devil himself.
Jack. No.
We can't condemn a young girl
just because one man has made a pact with the devil.
Teal'c will have died for nothing
if nothing good comes from this.
There shall be a great reward
waiting for you in heaven,
and the angels will welcome you with joyful hearts.
Andthere will be no more pain.
I know.
Ok, I'll tell you what.
You guys start back without me.
I'm just gonna go see if I can stop these people
from drilling a hole in the head of ayoung girl.
Wait!
We'll take you back with us.
Mary, too.
Where we come from, there are no demons.
Good choice.
Fever's down.
You feeling any better?
Yes.
Have you released that which possessed me?
You got better all by yourself, Mary.
There was never a demon inside you.
So, Simon.
You wouldn't happen to have the keys
to these, would you?
Keys?
Aah!
O'Neill: What was that?
I don't know.
Teal'c, you're alive.
It is so.
Way to go, junior!
My symbiote did sustain me.
Oxygen in the water.
It's the larval Goa'uld's natural environment.
It must have filtered the oxygen
and fed it into Teal'c.
You were out for a long time, Teal'c.
We thought we lost you.
When I realized they planned to immerse me,
I put myself in a deep state of kel'no'reem.
You'd think these folks never saw
a guy rise from the dead.
Simon,
I know this must look unusual,
but there is actually
Avery logical explanation for this.
Canon: Yes, there is.
There can be no doubt now they are evil——all of them!
O'Neill: What do you want from us? He passed your test.
These 4 shall be the first chosen for sacrifice.
Major, next time Daniel gets the urge
to help someone, shoot him.
And with them
shall be taken the woman
whose soul has been possessed.
Please. Spare her.
At least allow me to try the trepan ning.
You challenge my decision?
No.
Mary: Simon!
Simon, please help me!
Simon!
To your homes!
Do not letthe demon lay his eyes upon you.
I am sorry, Mary.
Don't apologize to her. Help her.
The canon has spoken.
What are you—— The village idiot?
The demon will turn her into a host.
You know what that means.
Of course you don't know whatthat means.
I can hear no more of this.
Jack.
Simon, get out here and do something!
Daniel: I don'tthink anything we say
is gonna make a difference,
especially not after Teal'c's resurrection.
Good morning.
O'Neill: So...
How long are you gonna keep this up?
The demon bit?
Don't get me wrong. It looks like a great gig.
You got the padre in your back pocket,
the hours are good,
probably get all the chicks, huh?
Aah! Ugh!
Oh, me apple.
If they truly are servants of Satan,
why does he resist?
You are not of this world.
No. No, we're not.
Um... unas,
what does sokar have on you
that makes you so dang cranky?
Ugh!
Mary, we're gonna take a little tumble.
So just scrunch up in a ball and roll with the rest of us.
Go! Go!
Simon.
You've always been quick to ask questions.
This weakness shall be your undoing.
If you persist,
I shall be unable to defend you
when the next sacrifice is called.
You cannot escape me.
Leave them!
You dare to challenge me?!
Shoot it!
You shall join them in hell.
Simon!
You will remain here
until I finish with this one.
Shoot it!
Mary: Simon!
Shoot!
Again!
Shoot!
For this you will pay with your life!
Simon!
O'Neill: Mary, the staff.
O'Neill.
Carter, Daniel,
head toward the gate.
Take Mary with you.
Yes, sir.
Shall we?
Canon: Simon!
Simon!
What have you done?
The demon comes. Release me!
Your god has abandoned you.
My god is with me always.
He's all right.
What happened?
Simon stood before it,
like David before Goliath.
The demon threw him aside,
and there he fell, as you can see.
It's a miracle.
The unas' wounds were too severe.
Even the Goa'uld within him could not save him.
So, not a demon.
As you said.
You've opened my eyes.
Bless you.
Yeah, well. Let's have the ring.
Yes, of course.
I'm alive?
Sokar will be awaiting the return of the unas.
He will send others.
Which is why you've got to Bury the circle of darkness
after we've gone th rough. Can you walk?
Mary: Simon!
I knew you would come.
Are you hurt?
I will be fine.
What happened?
The beast is dead.
Had I not witnessed it myself,
iwould not have believed it.
Thank you... all for showing me the way.
You're welcome.
Major, dial us home.
Carter?
It went into him.
What went into him?
Go no further.
Why?
I've done nothing.
My children.
Are you sure?
Positive, sir. I can sense it.
The unas host was dying. It had nowhere else to go.
It went into him.
Forgive me.
By the sorrows he suffered
in your agony in the garden
and the scourging and crowning with thorns...
The prayer for suffering souls.
In your crucifixion and death,
have mercy on the souls.
Deliver them
from the dire torments they endure
and admit them
to your most sweet embrace
in paradise.
Now the demon is truly gone.
Major.
O'Neill: You know what to do?
Yes.
We will do what you say.
We will Bury the gate immediately,
and there will be no more sacrifices.
Thank god.