Lost and Found - by Pho
part - 01
"We're lost." There was no criticism in Daniel's voice; it was merely a statement of fact.
"We are not lost, Daniel. Just temporarily disoriented."
"Ah ha."
"The Colonel's right, Daniel..."
"Thank you, Captain."
"It's dark, cloudy, no moon. If this planet even has a moon. And it wouldn't really help us if the stars were out. We don't have star maps for PX7-384. Once one of the suns rises, we'll be able to find our way back."
Jack moaned silently. 'Overkill, Sam, overkill.'
"Indeed Daniel Jackson. Once I am able to see the trail, it will be no problem locating the Stargate again."
"Then you agree, we're lost."
Jack threw another log on the fire as shadows played on the trees of the small clearing that served as their temporary quarters. "Daniel, like Carter says, it's dark. We can't see more than a few feet even with the flashlights. I'm quite certain that the Stargate is just over that rise."
Even in the gloom, the colonel could see Daniel's eyes. "What rise?"
"The one just over there." Jack watched as three heads turned to follow the direction of his hand.
"Jack, how do you know there's a rise over there?"
"Because I saw it just before we made camp."
"Ah ha."
"I do not recall a small hill near the Stargate, O'Neill."
"I said rise, not hill, Teal'c."
"I do not understand the difference."
"Yeah, Jack, I want to hear this."
The older man sighed. "A small hill is uh, well, hilly. A rise is kinda like a ramp. You know, like what they use for Pinewood Derbies in cub scouts."
"Just what is a 'Pinewood Derby'?" The question, surprisingly, came from Daniel.
Simultaneously, Sam broke in. "Oh, I don't think that's a good analogy, sir. The ramp they use is over twenty-five feet long, and it's about five feet high at the starting line. That's ... not quite ... the... same as ... a rise...." Her voice trailed off weakly as she felt, rather than saw, all eyes turn to her. "What?"
"Captain, just how do you know that?"
"I have a brother, sir. We built Pinewood Derby cars together for years."
The colonel just shook his head. "Never mind. I'm sorry I asked. Where was I? Oh, yeah. Rise. Well, a rise is much smaller than a hill and isn't nearly as steep."
"I see." Teal'c paused for a moment. "There was no rise near the Stargate."
"Oh for crying out loud. The 'gate will be there in the morning. Carter, you've got second watch, Daniel, you take third. Teal'c, you take last. I'll take first watch. Now get some sleep."
******
Teal'c sat quietly, surveying his surroundings as the first of two suns peeked its head over the horizon, its smaller companion showing its face shortly thereafter. The colonel was the first to awaken, cursing under his breath as he removed a stone from his spine. He rose quickly, stretched, then joined Teal'c at the edge of the clearing. It was then, under the intense gaze of the Jaffa, that the stupidity of the day before hit home. Between the trees, and the mist, and the river, and the trees, they'd gotten lost. And quite uncharacteristically, Daniel had been the only one willing to acknowledge it.
There was no mist now, and the scene before him was astounding to say the least. Astounding, and terrifying. They'd come quite close to walking off the edge of a cliff. The small clearing, though encircled by trees, was no more than ten feet from the edge of a fall that would most certainly have been fatal. Only sheer dumb luck, and an abundance of firewood in the other direction, had saved one or more of them from death.
"Wow!" Jack spoke quietly, in awe of the scene before him. The canyon rivaled the Grand Canyon for depth, and stretched parallel to their campsite as far as the eye could see. As for width, the Grand Canyon was merely a line in the sand in comparison.
"Indeed, this canyon is quite impressive. We were extremely fortunate not to find this edge in the dark."
"Ya think?" Sounds behind him caught his attention and Jack turned back towards the duo still in their sleeping bags. "Rise, and shine, kids. We're lost."
"Now he admits it." Daniel grumbled sleepily from inside his bag.
Jack yanked the zipper of his young friend's sleeping bag down, ignoring Daniel's yelp as the chill of the air caressed his scantily clad body. "You were saying, Jackson?"
"Nothing! Nothing at all. Jeez, Jack. It's freezing!" Daniel quickly reached for his pants and struggled to work his way into them without getting out of the bag.
A stifled laugh came from the other side of the fire, and Jack shot a stern look in that direction. "Morning Captain."
"Morning, sir." Sam's voice held the hint of a giggle as she slid into her clothes and climbed out of her sleeping bag. "Need some help, Daniel?"
"NO! Thank you very much, I'm ... umph ... fine. Just ... fine. Oh to heck with it!" Daniel threw back the covers, and jerked his pants to his waist, shivering in the chill morning air as he did so. Sliding into his sweatshirt, he stood up, arms wrapped around his body in an effort to get warm. "What, no coffee?"
Jack stared, confused, at the non-existent fire, then looked at Teal'c. "Uh... fire?"
"It seemed circumspect for the fire to die, O'Neill."
"Uh... why?" Jack sighed, as his communication skills seemed to have deteriorated to monosyllabic words, and very short sentences.
The imperturbable Jaffa nodded toward the rising sun. "We are not alone."
His three companions turned to look. As one, they gasped, as they saw the Goa'uld pyramid-ship, hovering just above the horizon.
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part - 02 ↑
"Holy Hannah!"
"Oh for crying out loud." Jack silently counted to ten. "Teal'c, why didn't you call us when you first saw the ship?"
"It did not seem necessary, O'Neill."
"And, why not?"
"It was still dark when the ship arrived. I immediately doused the fire so that we would not be observed. Since we were in no immediate danger, and since we were unable to travel in the darkness, I saw no need to disturb your slumber."
"Oh." Jack studied the serious expression on the Jaffa's face. "I see. But, Teal'c," his voice held a hint of mild rebuke, "*I* need to know this sort of thing sooner, rather than later. You don't need to wake anyone but me."
Teal'c digested this thought for a moment. "I am sorry, O'Neill. I will remember in future."
"Thank you." Jack turned to glare at the large craft. "Which Goa'uld?"
"I do not know, O'Neill. There are no obvious markings on the visible portions of the ship."
"You recognized Nurti's ship and I don't remember any markings on it."
Teal'c tilted his head in agreement. "True, O'Neill, but Nurti's craft is unique in design. There are at least six System Lords who use the plain pyramid shape for their crafts."
"Well, Ra's dead, and Apophis is the only other one I know of. Who else, Teal'c?" Daniel was mentally reviewing his store of Egyptian Gods as he helped Sam break camp.
"Cherti, Dedun, Isdes, Neith, and Amun."
"Isdes? Lord of the West? I wouldn't have thought..."
"Later, Daniel. Teal'c, that's seven." O'Neill frowned at the Jaffa.
"Ra is no more, I saw no need to include him in the count."
"Oh, for crying out loud." Jack threw his pack over his shoulder. "Ready to travel, kids?"
"I am ready, O'Neill."
"Yes, sir, ready to go."
"Ah ha, but Jack, where are we going? We're lost, remember?"
Trust Daniel to point out the obvious. "Away from that." Jack tilted his head in the direction of the pyramid, floating lazily above the ground.
Daniel's second attempt to protest traveling with no destination was met by a typical Jack O'Neill, aka Mr. Air Force, hand signal. Jack's hand slashed across his throat while irritated brown eyes snapped at the archaeologist. Still not up on his military signals, Daniel assumed this meant he should be quiet. That or Jack was fixing to slit his throat, and seeing the ice in the colonel's eyes, the younger man wasn't really sure which. His mouth shut with an audible snap, and he fell into line behind Sam, Teal'c leading, with Jack bringing up the rear.
Thirty minutes passed in silence as the group moved away from the location of the pyramid ship. Jack watched with growing concern as Teal'c occasionally slipped away from the group, searching for their original trail. So far, he'd found nothing to indicate they'd ever come in this direction. This time, however, the Jaffa's face was more tense than usual. Not good. Frowning Jack called a halt. "Teal'c?"
"I find no evidence that the Stargate is located in this direction, O'Neill."
Jack noticed a slight hesitation in his voice. "But?"
"There is a trail, approximately 20 meters through the woods, that has been traveled recently. By Jaffa."
"Sweet." Jack lowered his voice. "How recently?"
"Within the hour."
"Holy Hannah! They're a long way from the ship."
Jack's outwardly calm demeanor concealed a silent scream that he was an absolute idiot! He'd allowed his team to get lost, nearly walk off a cliff, and take up temporary residence almost under a Goa'uld mother ship. Okay, not under actually, but too damn close. Had it been a mistake to backtrack the trail that had brought them to the cliff?
"Jack?"
"Yes, Daniel?"
"Why are the Goa'uld here?"
"I'm sorry?"
"Every indication is that this planet has never been populated. And the minerals we've found so far show nothing that should interest the Goa'uld. So why are they here?"
"Not now, Daniel, we've got to find the 'gate."
"And that's another thing, Jack, why not come through the 'gate? Why bring the ship?"
"I can answer that one, Daniel. The glyphs for this gate are not from the Abydos cartouche. We lucked across this one; there may be others out there."
"You're telling me they don't know about the 'gate?" The young archaeologist looked doubtfully at the Captain.
"Well, the Stargate and the DHD were both well hidden under a copse of what appeared to be giant evergreens. They wouldn't be visible from the air and there was so much underbrush that I doubt anyone would find them if they didn't know they were there. Also, if the 'gate and the DHD aren't used, their EM emissions would be so low, it could be mistaken for a natural phenomenon."
"But, but we came through the 'gate!" Daniel's eyes widened as he realized the implications.
"And if they were monitoring, then they would have picked up the signal."
"Sweet. Heads up, kids. Teal'c, which way were the Jaffa headed?"
"Toward the ship."
"Fine. We'd walked for approximately six hours before we made camp, correct?"
"That is correct, O'Neill."
"Then we'll continue on this trail for a while. It's likely we went in circles last night without realizing it. Either way, we've got a long way to go. Teal'c, with Jaffa on this side of the canyon, I'll take the lead. I need you to conceal our trail." Jack inwardly fumed, knowing he should probably have taken that step to begin with, and praying it was not going to be a fatal mistake.
******
A large cat, related somewhere along the evolutionary chain to the lion, purred in delight as an overlarge hand scratched its chin. The cat nuzzled the hand with affection as it slid up to scratch a particularly itchy section of fur behind its ear. The hand paused in its ministrations, causing a rumble of displeasure to escape the animal's jaws, when a deep, frightened voice made its presence known. "My Lord!"
"What is it, Deldrak? Titia is not pleased with this interruption." Chocolate colored eyes glowed irritably in a handsome face framed by a mane of shaggy blond hair.
The Jaffa eyed the large cat with no small amount of fear. He'd been witness to entirely too many feeding rituals involving his god's cats, and certain unlucky prisoners. Gulping, he responded, "We have not yet discovered the source of the disturbance yesterday. The energy output was of too short a duration to isolate more than a general location, but analysis has shown it was not a natural event."
"I am aware of that Deldrak. Please do not tell me the rest of your news will be also be old."
"I apologize, my lord. My men are, of course, still searching. However, one has returned just now with news that an encampment has been found on the edge of the canyon."
The Goa'uld removed his hand from his pet's fur, ignoring another rumbled protest. "There is no intelligent life on this planet."
"The footprints at the site indicate four humanoids. They made no attempt to hide their trail as they left their site."
"Were there any signs of a ship ... a Teltac, for example?
"No, my lord. But those ships have been known to have cloaking devices on them."
"And their crews have been known to be pirates. Increase the guards at the vaults, and, Deldrak?"
"Yes, my lord?"
"Find them quickly. I would know what they know. I would know why they are here! *Find them!*"
The First Prime of Dedun bowed repeatedly as he backed away from his lord, knowing full well that failure would end his life.
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part - 03 ↑
"O'Neill!"
Jack turned quickly toward the Jaffa's voice, running into Daniel as he did so. "Move dammit, Daniel. What is it, Teal'c?"
"I believe I have erred."
"I'll bite. What did ya do?"
"There is the possibility of one other Goa'uld who may be using pyramid ships."
"Okay?" Jack really hated dragging information out of the reticent Jaffa.
"Before I left the service of Apophis, there were rumors that several ships had been commissioned for Ra."
"Ra's dead."
"Yes, that is where I made my error."
"Just spit it out, Teal'c!" The colonel's patience was at an end.
The Jaffa's eyebrow rose inquiringly. "It is possible that Heru'ur gained control of the new ships."
"Sweet. Heru'ur, eh? Thanks." Jack took note of the Jaffa's solemn face. "Uh, anything else you want to tell me?"
"There is also this..." Teal'c motioned to the broken branches on what *might* have been called a trail. The mossy ground cover under their feet was moist and spongy, bouncing back into its original shape within moments of their passage. "...we have crossed here before."
The colonel knelt to examine the twigs. "Which way was first, the way we're going or that way?" He nodded up the so-called trail.
"The trail I have just found, O'Neill."
"Okay. I do remember walking down something very narrow for a while last night. Take the point, Teal'c. Carter next. I'll bring up the rear."
"What about covering our trail, Jack?"
A long-suffering sigh escaped Jack's lips, but it was his second in command who answered the question. "Covering only worked on the dirt, Daniel. This mossy surface conceals itself, and, unless they're very good, no one should notice the broken twigs."
"So don't go breaking a branch, Daniel." Jack gave a curt nod of approval to his second's explanation.
"Right. Okay. So this is why we got lost yesterday." Daniel stomped hard on the ground cover.
"What?"
"The ground cover bounced back, so we couldn't find our way back, right? And the night was too dark to see broken twigs?"
"You are correct on both assumptions, Daniel Jackson."
"Ya think? Teal'c, are all Jaffa as good at tracking as you are?"
"Yes, O'Neill."
"Sweet, then we'll just have to be careful. Okay, kids, up the new trail. And Daniel..."
"Yes, Jack?"
"Try not to break anything."
******
"Master Deldrak?"
The First Prime turned to face the younger Jaffa, glaring silently at the trembling form.
"My..My apologies for disturbing you, sir, but Master Chelkad reports he has found a fresh trail."
"Remind him that the prisoners are *not* to be harmed. He has ... forgotten ... in the past. It will not be tolerated this time."
"Yes, Master!"
Deldrak watched as the young Jaffa scurried away. The First Prime truly enjoyed the impact his words had on ... almost everyone. He relished the fear in their eyes when he was angry even more than he did the pleasure in their eyes when he was pleased. By his god's command, he held sway over all of his lord's retinue. His orders could not be challenged, only obeyed, unless, of course, Lord Dedun himself revoked them. A fact which happened very, very seldom to Deldrak. Too many reproaches by his master, and his status as First Prime, as well as his life would be forfeit.
******
Something was wrong. Okay, something other than being lost on a planet with a Goa'uld mother ship on the horizon. Senses born of many years in the Black Ops could not be denied, and Jack could tell from Teal'c's more-stiff-than-usual posture that he felt it as well. Even Carter was beginning to get a little jittery, her weapon shifting ever so slightly in her grasp. Only Daniel was unaffected. Well, maybe not. The young archaeologist was completely silent, an accomplishment Jack had only dreamed of occurring. 'Must be a blue moon. Either that or hell's completely frozen over.'
Teal'c's cry of warning came too late as the flames from a staff weapon kicked up sand directly in front of Daniel, spraying moss, dirt and sticks over both Daniel and Carter. Daniel's startled yelp coincided with Carter's "Holy Hannah!" as she fell to the ground gripping her calf.
"Carter!" Jack rushed forward only to be stopped by another staff blast.
"Kree!"
"Do not move, O'Neill!"
"*I'm* not the one you should be talking to. ... Dan-iel." Jack's warning went unheeded as the young scholar moved to help Carter. Brown eyes narrowed with worry as six Jaffa in full gear closed in on their position.
As Daniel reached out to give Sam a hand up, a staff weapon slammed into the back of his knees, then upwards, flipping the young man over backwards. His cry of pain was drowned out by a very angry command of "KREE!"
"Everyone stay right where they are. Carter, do .. not .. move." Obedience to command froze the captain in place just as she started involuntarily toward Daniel.
Daniel lay gasping for breath; his wind knocked out of him by the fall. Jack held his own, and prayed, as a stone-faced Jaffa thrust the business end of a staff weapon into Daniel's chest. All color drained from the younger man's face as the weapon suddenly primed.
"JAFFA KREE!" The command came fast and furious, much to SG-1's relief. The young Jaffa who had Daniel pinned snarled and reluctantly stepped backwards, relaxing the charge on his weapon as he moved.
A Jaffa in a lion helmet moved to the front, his headdress suddenly folding into his armor, revealing a harsh face framed by salt and pepper hair. He glared at the two downed members of SG-1 before issuing a demanding, "Krateck!"
Teal'c spoke softly, all too aware of the danger. "Daniel Jackson, Captain Carter, he is telling you to rise, quickly."
Sam and Daniel, his breath still coming in short gasps, rose carefully, watching the Jaffa warily as they did so. Sam winced slightly as she straightened her leg. Jack frowned as he saw bloodstains on the back of her pants. "Carter?"
"Scratches, sir."
Jack struggled to maintain his composure as a nod from the lead Jaffa caused another one to seize Carter's arm and twist her around. The leader frowned as a third knelt to survey the damage. Carter's protest died in her throat when the younger Jaffa threatened to backhand her. The other Jaffa slid her pants leg upwards to reveal bruised and scratched skin. Nothing more. Nodding with satisfaction, he allowed the material to fall of its own accord, and rose. Backing a little away, he looked to his leader for instructions.
Ignoring his men, the lead Jaffa studied his prisoners. His frown deepened as he examined Teal'c's tattoo. "You are in the service of Apophis?"
"I am not."
"You bear his mark."
"I have left his service. Permanently."
Nodding thoughtfully, the Jaffa glanced casually at the remainder of SG-1, then back at Teal'c. "With your personal slaves?"
"They are not slaves, they are my comrades." Teal'c carefully avoided mentioning the Tau'ri.
"You are the leader."
"I am not."
Surprise was born and died on the Jaffa's face in a matter of seconds. "Indeed. Then who commands your group?"
"I do." Jack kept his face carefully neutral as two Jaffa dragged him forward.
"Indeed. You do not look like much."
Only Teal'c's lifted eyebrow kept Jack from indulging in his normal sarcasm. "Nevertheless, I am in command."
The Jaffa shrugged. "Not that it is of importance, since, as the former servant of Apophis already knows, you are now the property of the God Dedun."
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part - 04 ↑
Glare from the twin suns blinded Jack as he tried to get a better look at the little craft hovering above them. A non-too-gentle shove from behind sent him stumbling forward. A booted foot moved swiftly into his path, sending Jack sprawling onto his face. Spitting dirt to one side, he pushed himself to his knees in time to see the rest of SG-1 being positioned near him. Sam was limping slightly, leading him to believe she'd received more than just a scrape while Daniel appeared to be deep in thought. 'So what else is new?' Teal'c on the other hand was even more expressionless than normal, if that was possible. Jack managed to scramble to his feet, wondering why they had not been bound, as transport rings settled around them. 'Oh. That's why.'
The guards on board the little ship quickly ushered their prisoners to the back of the ship where they were shoved into a very small holding cell. The door slammed loudly, leaving Jack very glad that he, for one, was not claustrophobic. "Carter? How's the leg?"
"Fine, sir."
"You were limping."
"The debris bruised my calf. I've had worse."
He nodded his acceptance of her statement. "So, Teal'c, what do you know of this Dunce god?"
"Dedun is a minor system lord. I am uncertain if he even holds that title among the more powerful Goa'ulds such as Apophis. I know very little of him. Apophis considered him to be no more threat than a solitary insect. A minor annoyance, nothing more.
"Sweet. Daniel, care to add anything?"
The younger man looked thoughtful. "Dedun was the Egyptian and Nubian god of wealth and incense. The images of him in the temples have been predominately human in appearance, unlike Anubis who is always shown with the head of a hound."
"What's Anubis got to do with Dedumb?"
"Oh. Sorry. Nothing. Just that sometimes Dedun is shown as a lion."
"Oh." Jack waited for Daniel to continue. When he did not, Jack looked at him anxiously. "Well?"
"Well what, Jack?"
"Where's the rest of it?"
Daniel cocked his head, and asked. "What 'rest'?"
"The ten page dissertation we get every time you see anything relating to one of the 'gods'."
"Oh. Well, except that he's usually associated with the southern lands of ancient Egypt, that's about it. He's pretty minor in the scheme of things."
"Okay, he's major enough to have a pyramid ship. I don't claim to know anything about Goa'uld economics, but those suckers can't be cheap."
"Daniel Jackson is correct. Dedun is very unimportant as far as the ruling class is concerned. But he is also rumored among the Goa'uld to be very wealthy. There are tales of vast wealth, gold, jewels, and other things unknown to your people, O'Neill, but valuable none-the-less."
"But Teal'c," Carter objected, "if he's so unimportant, how does he get the wealth?"
"It is said he is part of an alliance, a very loose alliance, of pirates who pay tribute to him for his aid."
"What does he give them?"
"The rumors are that he betrays merchant ships belonging to other wealthy Goa'uld. He does, however, take care not to antagonize the powerful lords. He is, therefore, almost an outcast among his kind."
Jack's eyes widened with surprise. "A Goa'uld that other Goa'uld don't like? That's kinda hard to believe."
Carter's eyes lit up suddenly. "That would explain why they asked if Teal'c was the leader."
"What?" Jack's eyes narrowed in frustration. He had *really* hoped that none of his team had picked up on that.
"Sir, he's ostracized from the rank and file Goa'uld. He doesn't know what a Tau'ri is. He may not even know about R---"
"Not now, Carter." Jack quickly interrupted. "Bugs."
Her mouth dropped open, then snapped shut as the reality of the situation hit home. As Tau'ri, SG-1 had value, redeemable in trade to a Goa'uld like, she shuddered slightly, Apophis. It also meant they would be kept alive until Apophis could arrive on PX7 384, giving them a chance to escape. But if Dedun did not know of the Tau'ri, and therefore did not know of SG-1, then this 'god' might view them as nothing more than a fresh supply of slaves. A low growl caught her attention as she realized for the first time that a large lion-like cat was pacing the hall outside the cell. Gulping, she also wondered if they might just have become a fresh supply of ... cat food.
******
Deldrak frowned as he watched the interaction of the prisoners on the monitor in the mother ship. Their behavior was abnormal to say the least. Chelkad had informed him that the Jaffa had abandoned the God Apophis to follow a mortal human. If nothing else, that indicated his master was correct. That these were indeed mercenaries, here to steal what they could from Lord Dedun. It would explain the lack of fear in the humans. The pirates his master dealt with were intimidated by very little. They relied on their swift, small spaceships to escape the wrath of the System Lords. But their behavior in the presence of his master was always subservient, respectful. As it should be. But these ... "Chelkad!"
"Yes, my lord?"
"I do not trust these ..." What was the word the female had used? Oh, yes, Tau'ri. "... these Tau'ri. Add two Jaffa to the escort to our God."
"Four? My Lord Deldrak, the two Jaffa who normally attend---"
"Will not be sufficient, this time. Two additional, Chelkad, no less."
******
The low humming noise Jack had been hearing rose to a high pitch whine as the small craft began to slow. "Heads up, kids. It's party time."
Teal'c frowned at O'Neill's choice of words, started to inquire as to his meaning, then decided the colonel was making another one of his, as Daniel Jackson had explained, infamous jokes.
The cell door opened to reveal six large Jaffa and one large cat. The cat rose lazily from its spot between two of the Jaffa and walked gracefully into the cell. Even Teal'c tensed involuntarily as the large animal sniffed each of the team members curiously. She circled the four prisoners, stopping only to eye Daniel as he sneezed violently.
"Dan...iel..." Jack tilted his head toward the animal.
"C...Achooo..at da...Achooooo...nder, Ja...Achoo...ck."
"Cat Chow, Daniel."
"Uh. 'chooo. ... Right." He choked back another sneeze as the cat walked imperiously from the room to stand, looking incredibly bored, between the two Jaffa again. The nearest of the Jaffa motioned imperiously for the four to position themselves in the transport rings.
Three pairs of eyes looked at Jack, who quietly ordered "Looks like we're playing center stage tonight. Let's go."
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part - 05 ↑
The four SG-1 members found themselves momentarily alone as the transport rings pulled them from a circle of six Jaffa, and one large cat. Jack waved an impulsive bird at his disappearing captors only to be shocked minutes later as the rings deposited them into a circle of six Jaffa, and one large cat. For one brief moment the colonel wondered if they'd actually left the little transport ship. Then he spotted the throne, and its opulently dressed occupant, and grumbled something to himself about megalomaniacs before being shoved to his knees, along with the rest of SG-1. He struggled to restrain himself when he saw Carter wince with pain as she was forced to the floor.
The cat rose lazily to its ... her ... feet, granting SG-1 an impressive view of her teeth as she graced them with a wide yawn. As if on command, she sauntered off the dais containing the throne and circled the prisoners twice, finally stopping beside Sam. The tawny head dropped to sniff the injured leg and Sam let out an involuntary yelp as a clawed foot kneaded her calf.
"Cart...ooooomp!" The pain filled gasp aborted Jack's concerned cry as the butt end of a staff weapon impacted with his stomach.
The Goa'uld's eyes glowed angrily as he rose from his throne. "An injury?"
The First Prime frowned and moved to stand beside the cat. "With your permission, my Lord?"
A brief nod followed by a short command drew the cat away from Sam - much to her relief - and the Jaffa knelt beside the female prisoner. Once again she fumed in silent annoyance as her pants leg was edged upwards. "A deep bruise, my Lord."
Another nod, and Sam was yanked to her feet. "Hey!"
She yelped in pain as he shoved her roughly forward, and not-so-silent growls of protest from her companions brought renewed attention to them.
"JAFFA KREE!"
All weapons jerked backwards with an audible snap as the guards resumed their positions. The Goa'uld rose gracefully from his seat as the First Prime pushed Sam to her knees on the dais. He was tall, very tall. From Jack's position on the floor, he estimated at least six-eight. And muscular. From the size of his muscles, the Goa'uld was obviously a fitness addict. 'Probably give Teal'c a run for his money in a one-on-one fight. Shit!' Surreptitiously watching the Goa'uld's actions, Jack's heart raced wildly, not knowing what the thing wanted with Carter.
With surprising grace, for a man of his size, Dedun knelt beside Sam's injured leg and, to the surprise of the prisoners, proceeded to use the healing device on it. The warm rays eased the ache in her muscles as damaged blood vessels and torn membranes healed. "Than..." Her thanks died on her lips at the look of absolute disdain she saw in the Goa'uld's eyes. As he returned to his throne, followed by the cat, she was dragged back to join her friends.
Dedun's eyes narrowed as he studied his prisoners. "A Jaffa? With Apophis' mark? How come you to be with these ... humans?"
Teal'c's own expression remained carefully neutral. "The benefits package was superior."
Jack choked back a laugh at the Jaffa's words, noting that both Carter and Daniel were having a similar reaction. God, had it only been three days since he'd overheard a personnel officer explaining next year's employment benefits to the alien? It now appeared the Jaffa had understood the concept better than he had. The Goa'uld, however, was not amused; his tightlipped frown coincided with a short nod, bringing instant retribution from his own Jaffa.
CRACK! The blow to Teal'c's back sent the Jaffa sprawling face-down on the stone floor. A sharp "JAFFA KREE" prevented another punishing blow from further injuring Teal'c.
"Where is your ship?" Dedun yawned slightly as he spoke.
"Our ... ship?" Jack's quick query blocked Daniel's surprised exclamation.
"Do not presume to lie to me. The planet is inhabited only by *my* chosen. There is no Chaapa'ai. I ask you again, where is your ship?"
Dedun's feral smile reminded the colonel of the cat at the Goa'uld's feet, but he shrugged anyway, a picture of nonchalance. "Can't really say."
"No matter." Dedun stroked the cat's head. "Titia and her sisters have not had this much opportunity for stimulation in quite some time."
"Girl's night out?" Jack asked impudently, earning himself a spiteful look from the Goa'uld.
"Silence, FOOL! I know you are here to rob my vaults. Others have tried, and like yourselves, been captured. Prepare them."
******
"My Lord?"
"What is it, Deldrak?"
"I am unfamiliar with the devices carried by the thieves and have taken the liberty of bringing them here." At the sight of the Goa'uld's frown, the First Prime added nervously, "... I...I hope I have not displeased you, my Lord?"
Dedun reached out and picked up a MP-5. "This is not the customary weapon of the pirates." Pointing the weapon at a far wall, he pulled the trigger, tilting is head in puzzlement as the bullets engraved abstract patterns on the wall. "This is a primitive projectile device. These mercenaries are poorly equipped indeed." He absently dropped the rifle to the floor and picked up a GDO. "This is more interesting. Electronic but still primitive. Where was this found?"
"All four wore one on their wrists, my Lord, but I do not know what they are for."
Dedun's forehead wrinkled as he replied. "Indeed. On their wrists? Deldrak, these devices gain entry to their ship. Each Riagla handler should wear one."
"I do not understand, my Lord."
Dedun lost interest in the SG-1 booty as he scratched Titia's chin. "The thieves will attempt to return to their ship to make their escape. When the Riagla," His hand moved to stroke the cat's head, commenting affectionately, "probably Titia, catch their scent, the prisoners will lead them to their ship. The handlers will be able to gain admittance using this device."
******
Jack moved restlessly in the small confines of his latest prison. Thick metal bars enclosed a three feet by three feet space, giving him enough room to know he wanted more. And it was barely tall enough to keep him from having to squat or otherwise contort his body. Thank goodness for small favors. Testing the bars once more, he found himself hoping that he was not expected to bunk with his teammates. Clamping down on that thought, he realized he'd be happy to share just to know where his team was. Rubbing absently at the bruise on his shoulder, gained when he'd protested being separated from his friends, he stared unblinkingly at the transport circles as a low familiar hum began.
The hum intensified and soon another cage, also three by three, appeared in the center of the circles and was wheeled to within a few feet of him. The broad shoulders of the Jaffa were a tight fit for the little prison, and the height was not right for him, forcing Teal'c to tilt his head at an awkward angle. Even his normally stoic expression was showing the strain of his confinement. Jack noted that, like himself, the Jaffa's SGC garments had been removed and replaced with much less substantial clothing.
"Teal'c, you okay?"
"I am well, O'Neill."
"What are we dressed for, Halloween?"
"The garments are those of a prisoner, usually a slave destined for execution."
"Sweet." Jack looked back toward the circles. "Carter? Daniel?"
"I have not seen them, O'Neill. It is possible they too will join us soon."
As the transport hum began once more, Jack smiled grimly. "Ya think?"
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part - 06 ↑
The four SG-1 members found themselves momentarily alone as the transport rings pulled them from a circle of six Jaffa, and one large cat. Jack waved an impulsive bird at his disappearing captors only to be shocked minutes later as the rings deposited them into a circle of six Jaffa, and one large cat. For one brief moment the colonel wondered if they'd actually left the little transport ship. Then he spotted the throne, and its opulently dressed occupant, and grumbled something to himself about megalomaniacs before being shoved to his knees, along with the rest of SG-1. He struggled to restrain himself when he saw Carter wince with pain as she was forced to the floor.
The cat rose lazily to its ... her ... feet, granting SG-1 an impressive view of her teeth as she graced them with a wide yawn. As if on command, she sauntered off the dais containing the throne and circled the prisoners twice, finally stopping beside Sam. The tawny head dropped to sniff the injured leg and Sam let out an involuntary yelp as a clawed foot kneaded her calf.
"Cart...ooooomp!" The pain filled gasp aborted Jack's concerned cry as the butt end of a staff weapon impacted with his stomach.
The Goa'uld's eyes glowed angrily as he rose from his throne. "An injury?"
The First Prime frowned and moved to stand beside the cat. "With your permission, my Lord?"
A brief nod followed by a short command drew the cat away from Sam - much to her relief - and the Jaffa knelt beside the female prisoner. Once again she fumed in silent annoyance as her pants leg was edged upwards. "A deep bruise, my Lord."
Another nod, and Sam was yanked to her feet. "Hey!"
She yelped in pain as he shoved her roughly forward, and not-so-silent growls of protest from her companions brought renewed attention to them.
"JAFFA KREE!"
All weapons jerked backwards with an audible snap as the guards resumed their positions. The Goa'uld rose gracefully from his seat as the First Prime pushed Sam to her knees on the dais. He was tall, very tall. From Jack's position on the floor, he estimated at least six-eight. And muscular. From the size of his muscles, the Goa'uld was obviously a fitness addict. 'Probably give Teal'c a run for his money in a one-on-one fight. Shit!' Surreptitiously watching the Goa'uld's actions, Jack's heart raced wildly, not knowing what the thing wanted with Carter.
With surprising grace, for a man of his size, Dedun knelt beside Sam's injured leg and, to the surprise of the prisoners, proceeded to use the healing device on it. The warm rays eased the ache in her muscles as damaged blood vessels and torn membranes healed. "Than..." Her thanks died on her lips at the look of absolute disdain she saw in the Goa'uld's eyes. As he returned to his throne, followed by the cat, she was dragged back to join her friends.
Dedun's eyes narrowed as he studied his prisoners. "A Jaffa? With Apophis' mark? How come you to be with these ... humans?"
Teal'c's own expression remained carefully neutral. "The benefits package was superior."
Jack choked back a laugh at the Jaffa's words, noting that both Carter and Daniel were having a similar reaction. God, had it only been three days since he'd overheard a personnel officer explaining next year's employment benefits to the alien? It now appeared the Jaffa had understood the concept better than he had. The Goa'uld, however, was not amused; his tightlipped frown coincided with a short nod, bringing instant retribution from his own Jaffa.
CRACK! The blow to Teal'c's back sent the Jaffa sprawling face-down on the stone floor. A sharp "JAFFA KREE" prevented another punishing blow from further injuring Teal'c.
"Where is your ship?" Dedun yawned slightly as he spoke.
"Our ... ship?" Jack's quick query blocked Daniel's surprised exclamation.
"Do not presume to lie to me. The planet is inhabited only by *my* chosen. There is no Chaapa'ai. I ask you again, where is your ship?"
Dedun's feral smile reminded the colonel of the cat at the Goa'uld's feet, but he shrugged anyway, a picture of nonchalance. "Can't really say."
"No matter." Dedun stroked the cat's head. "Titia and her sisters have not had this much opportunity for stimulation in quite some time."
"Girl's night out?" Jack asked impudently, earning himself a spiteful look from the Goa'uld.
"Silence, FOOL! I know you are here to rob my vaults. Others have tried, and like yourselves, been captured. Prepare them."
******
"My Lord?"
"What is it, Deldrak?"
"I am unfamiliar with the devices carried by the thieves and have taken the liberty of bringing them here." At the sight of the Goa'uld's frown, the First Prime added nervously, "... I...I hope I have not displeased you, my Lord?"
Dedun reached out and picked up a MP-5. "This is not the customary weapon of the pirates." Pointing the weapon at a far wall, he pulled the trigger, tilting is head in puzzlement as the bullets engraved abstract patterns on the wall. "This is a primitive projectile device. These mercenaries are poorly equipped indeed." He absently dropped the rifle to the floor and picked up a GDO. "This is more interesting. Electronic but still primitive. Where was this found?"
"All four wore one on their wrists, my Lord, but I do not know what they are for."
Dedun's forehead wrinkled as he replied. "Indeed. On their wrists? Deldrak, these devices gain entry to their ship. Each Riagla handler should wear one."
"I do not understand, my Lord."
Dedun lost interest in the SG-1 booty as he scratched Titia's chin. "The thieves will attempt to return to their ship to make their escape. When the Riagla," His hand moved to stroke the cat's head, commenting affectionately, "probably Titia, catch their scent, the prisoners will lead them to their ship. The handlers will be able to gain admittance using this device."
******
Jack moved restlessly in the small confines of his latest prison. Thick metal bars enclosed a three feet by three feet space, giving him enough room to know he wanted more. And it was barely tall enough to keep him from having to squat or otherwise contort his body. Thank goodness for small favors. Testing the bars once more, he found himself hoping that he was not expected to bunk with his teammates. Clamping down on that thought, he realized he'd be happy to share just to know where his team was. Rubbing absently at the bruise on his shoulder, gained when he'd protested being separated from his friends, he stared unblinkingly at the transport circles as a low familiar hum began.
The hum intensified and soon another cage, also three by three, appeared in the center of the circles and was wheeled to within a few feet of him. The broad shoulders of the Jaffa were a tight fit for the little prison, and the height was not right for him, forcing Teal'c to tilt his head at an awkward angle. Even his normally stoic expression was showing the strain of his confinement. Jack noted that, like himself, the Jaffa's SGC garments had been removed and replaced with much less substantial clothing.
"Teal'c, you okay?"
"I am well, O'Neill."
"What are we dressed for, Halloween?"
"The garments are those of a prisoner, usually a slave destined for execution."
"Sweet." Jack looked back toward the circles. "Carter? Daniel?"
"I have not seen them, O'Neill. It is possible they too will join us soon."
As the transport hum began once more, Jack smiled grimly. "Ya think?"
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part - 07 ↑
To Daniel's astonishment, the rings deposited him on the planet's surface ... without the cage. Blinking rapidly as his eyes readjusted to the strong sunlight, he took stock of his surroundings. He was standing on a stone circle, the same size as the rings. Expecting the rings to return at any moment, he jumped off the platform and moved away, looking with interest at the terrain around him. He appeared to have landed in an open meadow with grass about thigh high. Behind him, the meadow gave way to an uninviting, rocky, clay surface. Before him was a dense forest, which itself made a semi-circle around him, ending at the clay. Or whatever it was. The sudden cessation, or so it appeared, of life where the forest and meadow ended, made heading for the clay singularly uninviting.
He looked around miserably, hoping against hope to recognize some landmark, but nothing seemed familiar. "Don't be stupid, Daniel, you could be anywhere on the planet. Not to mention your glasses are gone." He glanced around once more. "Anywhere. Okay, now which way did Sam say the sun, uh, suns moved through the sky?
******
Dedun smiled as one of the symbols left the ship on his map and traveled to the planet's surface. It's blue tones flashed in contrast to the green and brown images. Back on the 'ship' a matching symbol flashed red as it was activated. Which Riagla was on the hunt for the first slave? Oh yes, Marjo. Such a lovely cat, so dark, so ... threatening. There was nothing fragile about her beauty. She would make short work of this ... Dedun checked his records ... this young male. Looking back at his notes, he frowned. Why had Deldrak chosen Opscocia for the female? The white cat was not as large as Marjo, nor as swift. The female might manage to escape. But perhaps that was preferable to her death. She was very lovely, and would make a good companion for a time. He laughed as he realized that, once again, Deldrak had known his mind before he did. He would have to be certain to communicate his desires to Marjo's handler. No, wait, Deldrak would have handled that as well.
Looking back at his records, he smiled with pleasure as he saw Vexica was to pursue the former servant of Apophis. Blood-red in color, the animal was twice the size of Marjo. She would need the extra size and stamina to match wits with the Jaffa. That left, Titia, his own personal favorite. She was to track the so-called leader of the group. What had he named himself? Oh, yes, Colonel Jack O'Neill. Odd the names these slaves came up with.
Unlike the other felines, who would make a meal of their victims as quickly as possible, Titia had retained some of the playfulness of her early days. This insolent slave would be her play thing, to capture and release, only to capture him again. She would play with him until he was exhausted and could run no more. Then she would kill him. Probably more swiftly at that point than his arrogance deserved, but that was beside the point. He would still be dead. And his beloved Titia would have had a marvelous outing, and a satisfying meal as well.
******
Daniel remained standing by the platform for a short time, waiting for the rest of the team to join him. As the minutes ticked by, his ever curious mind began to look for some distraction from the boredom of standing still. Circling the platform he noticed what appeared to be dried bloodstains on its sides. Kneeling he examined the marks more closely. Definitely dried blood. It extended slightly onto the platform, cutting off where the rings would land. He knew the energy from the transport rings would dissolve anything solid underneath them and supposed blood would vanish as well, but Sam would know for sure. Obviously some poor soul had become trapped at the ring location. Shuddering slightly, Daniel moved further around the platform, stopping again as he spotted some scratches along the lower portion, which his archaeologist's training told him was handwriting. Or in this case, it appeared to be a frantic scrawl by someone who was out of time. Possibly the same someone whose blood was not too far away. The language looked familiar, a hybrid of Ancient Greek and ... Hebrew? Yes, definitely Hebrew. Wondering if the reading direction was right or left, he studied the scrawl. The writing was so poor it was difficult to make any sense of the lettering but a few key letters soon told him the read pattern. As he sank unknowingly to the ground, his mind was busy with the translation, wondering why the first word appeared to be 'warning'.
******
"O'Neill. We are in motion."
"What!" Jack dragged his thoughts away from Daniel and concentrated on the sounds around him. The low hum that indicated movement was back. Grabbing the bars in front of him, he called out. "Hey ASSHOLE!"
"O'Neill, I do not believe this is a wise course of action."
"Teal'c's right, sir. Deldrak--"
"I know what I'm doing. Deldrak, eh?" Jack took a deep breath. "HEY STUPID! I DEMAND TO SPEAK TO THE JAFFA IN CHARGE!"
An angry Jaffa of unknown name and temperament rounded the corner and glared at the prisoners. "SILENCE!"
"I don't think so. Where's your boss?"
"Lord Deldrak has com--"
"That's the one. I wanta talk to..." Before Jack could finish the demand, Deldrak shoved his subordinate aside, and smiled at the prisoners. 'Not good, I do not like that expression.'
"It will do you no good to plead for your life." The First Prime's arrogant smirk infuriated Jack.
"I thought we were gonna participate in the hunt."
"You are."
"Then why haven't we been sent down to join our friend?" Jack snarled at the Jaffa.
The First Prime started to laugh. "Fools, did you really believe you would be released ... together?"
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part - 08 ↑
Carter and Teal'c were gone now. Transported to the surface to some unknown location, and followed shortly afterwards by a very large cat and her handler. Carter first, shortly after Daniel, then Teal'c soon after that. And as promised by Deldrak, the ship had changed location prior to each drop. Jack's fingers drummed an impatient tune on the bars in lieu of pacing, which was his preferred course of action. Actually, he would have preferred throttling one egotistical First Prime, showing him how truly insignificant he really was, but that was not possible. Yet.
Approaching footsteps pulled his thoughts from the fate of his team, and he looked up to glare at the First Asshole himself.
******
"Well, this really stinks." Sam muttered under her breath as she looked around. Upon hitting the transport pad, she'd lost no time in leaving the area, heading for the highest ground possible. If she had to defend herself from what for all intents and purposes looked like a lioness, she wanted to be well above her, not below. She'd thought briefly of climbing a very sturdy tree, then remembered the cats had handlers. No doubt there to prevent such an easy escape. For that matter she wasn't really sure what constituted an escape. Even if she got lucky and killed the cat, what about the handler? A lose-lose scenario as far as she was concerned. Then, of course, there was her current situation. The view in front of her was spectacular, but gave her no clue as to the whereabouts of the others. Nor did she have a frame of reference to find the Stargate. First things first, though. Getting rid of the cat and its keeper were the first orders of the day.
******
Teal'c also moved away from the platform as quickly as possible, but, unlike Sam, his position was much less tenable. The plateau was flat and barren as far as the eye could see. No trees, no place to throw a pursuer off his trail. The Jaffa studied his lack of choices for a moment, then decided to follow the larger sun. The increasing separation between it and its mate would at least give him something to mark distance and time against. And it was possible that the hard, dry surface would be a benefit. It would hold no easy trail for the handler to see, and the scent trail would also be limited since there was nothing close by to retain his scent. Perhaps they believed he would still be in sight when they arrived. If so, they had sorely miscalculated exactly how quickly he could run, a mistake he could use to his advantage.
******
"Warning, first doomed cat come..." Daniel tried to make sense out of the words. Maybe Teal'c would have some ide... first? Uh oh. Could that possibly mean that the others weren't coming? That the next thing off the platform would have a fur coat and lotsa teeth? He absently brushed the dirt off his clothes as he pushed himself to his feet. Which way? Which way? Okay. Fine. No clue. What was the first rule when lost? Oh, yeah. To stay put. Not a good idea here. Wasn't there a second rule? Maybe follow running water. That was better, but there was no running water in sight. Wait! Follow the path of the sun. Daniel squinted at the two suns above his head. Did that particular line of thinking still apply with two suns? Noting that the smaller sun was lower in the sky, Daniel opted to focus on the large one, reasoning it would be overhead longer. As he started to run for the forest's edge, he couldn't help wondering what idiot had come up with those stupid rules anyway.
******
"Colonel Jack O'Neill."
"What?" Jack was in no mood to mince words.
"It is almost time for you to be released."
"Terrific. Well, just wheel the old cage over there and let's get this show on the road."
"I do not understand your meaning."
"Get on with the hunt."
The First Prime frowned, then smiled his irritating little smirk as he motioned the Jaffa to position the cage. "I see. You do not wish to die. You truly believe escape is possible."
"My people have a saying - where there's life, there's hope."
"Interesting." Deldrak held up a small device which looked remotely like the DHD. "This is a Heln'rc. Strap it on your wrist."
"So you can track me? Thanks but no thanks."
"You misunderstand. We can already track you. A beacon is concealed within the clothing that you wear." Smiling more broadly as Jack looked askance at his slave's garments, Deldrak continued. "You will not be able to find it. The Heln'rc will show you where you are in relation to the other prey. It will also show you the locations of the Riagla which track your companions."
Jack stared in shock at the little device. "Why?"
"My Lord Dedun has decided that as the leader, it is your right to know the status of your companions. Since you will be unable to save them, at least you will know when they die, and can offer up appropriate prayers for their miserable souls."
"How ... How do you work it?"
Deldrak maneuvered a switch. "Like this. The red symbols are the Riagla." He added as three red symbols, and three blue ones appeared on the screen. Noting the obvious surprise on the face of the First Prime, Jack breathed a silent sigh of relief as it became clear that not only was Daniel not dead, he was well ahead of the cat in pursuit.
"Which symbol is which?"
"It does not matter."
Silently fuming, Jack chose to control his temper. "Just how do we 'win' this little exercise, anyway?"
Deldrak shrugged, a definite lack of interest obvious in his features. "I do not know."
"You ... do ... not ... *know*!"
"The rules of each hunt are never quite the same. My Lord Dedun is the only one who knows the rules. I believe he modifies them to match his vision of the prey. Therefore, I do not know how you can win. But I would not tell you, in any event. Good bye, Colonel Jack O'Neill."
Jack's last view of the Jaffa was a self-satisfied grin which the colonel definitely planned on removing at his first opportunity.
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part - 09 ↑
Jack blinked rapidly as the sunlight reflected back into his eyes from the water in front of the platform. Water? Whirling, he was not too surprised to see water in all directions, extending as far as the eye could see. Well, that wasn't quite true. He could see a narrow strip of land extending into the lake or whatever the hell it was. Terrific. There was only one way he could go. A quick glance at the Heln'rc brought him minimal relief as he saw that his team was still alive and running. It also told him that the pursuing cats were not close to his people. Yet.
Realizing he couldn't stay on the platform too much longer, he looked skeptically at the water. The murky substance refused to reveal its depth, nor did it give up the secret of any underwater denizens that might be lurking there. Then he remembered the cat ... and her handler. While the Goa'uld might risk the health of the Jaffa, the cat, Titia, was obviously cherished. No way would her safety be compromised, which meant the water couldn't be *that* deep.
Jack briefly thought about rolling his pants legs up past his knees, but negated that has impractical. Not to mention stupid looking. The material of the slave garments was some sort of linen-like weave. Wet it should weigh little more than it did dry and should not impede his progress. Raising his arm above his head ... just to be on the safe side, didn't want the Heln'rc thingie to get wet ... he plopped down on the platform and gingerly slid off the side.
It was cold. Very, very cold. Mountain spring temperatures. Jack shivered as the chill permeated his pants up to his hips. The sludge from the bottom slid between his toes, turning the less-than-comfortable sandals he'd been forced to wear, into a repository for the slimy goo. Hindsight being twenty-twenty, he regretted not removing the footwear while they were still clean. But, he consoled himself, the bottom could have been jagged rocks not sludge. Better to have silt between the toes, than slit toes, he reminded himself.
Pushing forward through the water, he glanced at the Heln'rc strapped to his wrist and was surprised to see four blue symbols. Somehow, he hadn't thought the device would show his location. As for the three red symbols, he really hoped that a fourth would appear when Titia arrived for the hunt.
He was less than twenty feet from dry land and still up to his hips in water, when he saw the disturbance in the water nearby. A small splash, followed by a larger one, followed by ... ripples. He paused in his forward motion for a moment, startled into inaction by the sheer size of the ripples. Belatedly, he realized that there was a suspicious looking fin-like thing in the center of the ripples, heading straight for him. Visions of 'JAWS' raced through his head and he briefly wondered how close the creature would be able to get to him. Knowing that running in water was next to impossible, and that very large sharks could attack in two feet of water, Jack opted to swim. Praying that the Goa'uld device was waterproof, he pushed forward with long, strong strokes that quickly brought him to the shoreline. To his surprise the water remained the same depth even at the shore. Pushing quickly upwards on his hands, Jack threw himself onto dry land, even as a nightmare vision of large, pointed teeth, lunged out of the water.
Gasping, Jack scrambled on all fours away from the water's edge, turning to see the creature leap after him onto the dirt. For one brief, horrifying instant, he was terrified that the thing was amphibious, then it slid backwards into the water. A few more unsuccessful lunges toward his position, and it gave up, submerging and gliding, disappointed, back out toward the platform.
He rose shakily to his feet, eyes wide at the thought that he'd been sharing the water with at least one of those things. Taking a deep breath, he glanced down at the Heln'rc, praying the device still worked. To his relief, four blue symbols and three red ones blinked on its face. His team was still alive, even Daniel. Jack frowned as he realized the young civilian's status worried him the most. From her records, Carter had graduated third in her survival school class. No small feat. As for Teal'c, well, he was more at home in the wilderness than most wildlife. Daniel, on the other hand, Daniel was a concern. Sure the young man had spent years working at excavations under primitive conditions, but Jack doubted Daniel had ever experienced a true survival situation. At least not alone, he amended, as he recalled the wide variety of environments SG-1 had experienced. Jack had insisted on rudimentary classes in just about everything, but the archaeologist was without a doubt, the most vulnerable. Glaring at the blue flashes on the 'dial', he really wished he knew where, or at least how far away, his people were, forgetting briefly the cat scheduled to arrive at any moment.
******
She was hot, tired, irritable, and more than a little nervous. Shit. Who was she kidding. She was scared to death. Sam glanced warily back down what passed for a mountain path, surveying the area she'd already passed. No sign of the cat or the handler. Of course, there was no guarantee that the handler did anything more than turn the cat loose, and pick up the pieces at the end of the hunt. Sagging beside the mountain stream, she eyed its offering suspiciously. It looked clean, but experience told her that it could be brimming with all sorts of alien bacteria, waiting to bring her to her knees with nausea, cramps, and possibly death. With no chemicals to test it for safety, there was simply no way to tell.
Wiping a hand across her sweaty forehead, Sam knew she had little choice. Drink or dehydrate. The latter was a certainty without fluids, the effects of the water only a possibility. She hated a choice which was no choice. Reaching forward, she allowed the cold liquid to run freely over her hand. It *felt* okay, as if that would mean anything. 'Shit. Now or never. Get it over with, Samantha.' Cupping her hands, she filled them with the water and drank deeply.
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part - 10 ↑
The water felt so cool and refreshing as it eased the discomfort in her parched throat and mouth. Still over warm, Sam dunked her head in the cold liquid, remaining under until her breath was gone. Gasping, she emerged, dripping, from the water and sat back on her haunches, straining to hear anything which might indicate her pursuers were close. While the local flora was plentiful, the local fauna appeared to be practically non-existent, at least in this area, virtually eliminating the possibility of a warning from that direction. Slapping at an overlarge bug attacking her neck, Sam grimaced. 'Pity the insect life isn't non-existent.'
Rising to her feet, Sam started to head further up the trail. Her mind couldn't quite wrap itself around the concept of being hunted, at least not by an animal. God knows, SG-1 had been pursued in the past. Goa'uld's, Jaffa, unfriendly natives, hell, even friendly natives. Seemed like every place they went someone eventually wanted a piece of SG-1. But usually it was because they *were* SG-1. This Dedun character apparently didn't even know what a Tau'ri was, much less what SG-1 represented. The defeat of Ra. And even though she hadn't been part of that original mission, she still found the idea vaguely insulting.
Stumbling over a rock, she cursed softly to herself, realizing that by losing herself in her thoughts she had wasted valuable time, and traveled very little distance. "Holy Hannah!" Sam's hand cracked against her forehead in disgust. "The stream. God, Sam, you are soooo stupid. Take the stream. Let the water throw the cat off the trail. I hope." She caught herself just before turning around. Twisting so that she could see behind her, she saw her tracks plainly in the ground behind her. Sighing heavily, she carefully moved her right foot over the nearest right footprint and stepped backwards. Doing the same for the left, then right again, she gained speed with practice as she once again approached the stream. In reverse. She supposed an experienced tracker like Teal'c would be able to tell she'd back-trailed, but with any luck, the cat's handler wouldn't know the difference. Right. Like they'd had luck so far. But, dammit to hell, their luck had to change sometime.
Knowing she'd wasted far too much time, she stepped into the water, shoes and all, shivering as the cold sent chills up her spine.
******
Opscocia sniffed the ground, growling softly at the Jaffa at her side. Obediently, the handler moved over as the animal paced from side to side across the 'trail'. The white cat was small in comparison to others of her species, but her sense of smell was much better than most. Even so, she appeared to be having difficulty. Circling a small rock, she cast in all directions for the trail. The handler followed her every move, puzzled and concerned that she seemed so confused. Finally, she dropped to her haunches, and yowled loudly, announcing her distress to anyone who might be listening.
******
Sam plunged through the water, heedless of the noise, knowing if the cat was within hearing distance, she was probably as good as dead anyway. The stream was heading up hill, but fortunately, her training enabled her to push forward without breathing hard. As she shoved her way through the underbrush, she wondered how her teammates were fairing or even if they were still alive. Teal'c, well, the former First Prime of Apophis, was probably more than suited to the complexities of this adventure. And Daniel had spent a year on Abydos, completely lacking in even the basic comforts of home. He was tougher than he looked. The colonel, she mused, didn't give him nearly enough credit. If by some miracle, he'd survived the arrival of the cat at the ring platform, Sam was sure he'd give the beast a run for its money. Try as she would though, she couldn't help a modicum of concern about the colonel. They hadn't been a team long, but it didn't take a rocket scientist, or in her case, a theoretical astrophysicist, to figure out that O'Neill was getting some age on him. Granted, his record indicated Black Ops experience, but by all accounts that was years ago. Would he be able to outrun the cat? She didn't know, but sincerely hoped so. She truly liked the man, sarcasm and all, but beyond that, it was really bad form to let your CO die.
******
Teal'c was barely over the rise in the distance when the faint hum of the transport rings reached his ears. He had been exceedingly fortunate that the ground eased its way upwards, then sloped suddenly down. From the platform, this phenomenon had not been readily apparent, giving an illusion of a straight path extending for miles. This would no doubt have disillusioned most, if not all, of the slaves released here in the past. Teal'c wondered if any of his predecessors had even made it this far, and considered himself truly fortunate that he had chosen this path.
Trees were now evident in the distance, and it would be a true test of his abilities to see if he could make the relative safety of the tree line before the cat found him. An angry roar in the background only served to increase his speed, as something akin to fear took root in his mind. Even the symbiont in his abdomen seemed to sense their plight, swimming in his pouch in rhythm with the Jaffa's footsteps.
An involuntary sigh of relief passed through Teal'c's lips as he slipped into the forest. Pausing to catch his breath, the Jaffa studied the gloom surrounding him. The forest was still, and heavy with underbrush. There was a trail of sorts leading in the direction of the larger sun. Convenient, almost too convenient, but he knew he had little choice but to follow it. Almost without thinking of it, Teal'c spied white blotches everywhere, and wondered, briefly, where they'd come from. A plop from above caused him to look upwards for the source. To his absolute shock, the trees were filled with birds, large birds. Large yellow birds.
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part - 11 ↑
A not-so-distant roar spurred Teal'c into motion. Uncertain of the temperament, as well as the diet, of the creatures overhead, the Jaffa took care to avoid making any more noise than absolutely necessary. The fact that the path itself was apparently well traveled did nothing to alleviate his feelings of unease. And just what exactly traveled the path was on his mind as well.
A pair of irritated squawks almost drowned out the much closer roar of the cat. Teal'c glanced upwards to find two large yellow birds ...discussing... a roosting location. The creatures were slightly larger than the eagles he had seen at the Colorado zoo. The arguing pair spread their wings wide, allowing him a good view of their eight foot wingspan. The twisting, turning heads contained beady little eyes, and sharp, pointed beaks ... obviously designed by nature for tearing meat, but whether the diet was carrion or fresh kill, he could not tell. The heads themselves were crowned with extremely small white feathers, making the creatures appear almost bald.
Suddenly one of the antagonists screamed loudly as it plunged a sharply pointed beak into the chest of its adversary. The latter bird, taken stupidly by surprise, over-balanced on the tree limb and flapped its wings frantically as sharply pointed talons sought purchase in the wood. A red stain appeared on its chest, making a sharp contrast, even in the dim light, to the yellow of its body. The bird's scream of pain echoed in the wood as Teal'c realized, to his chagrin, that all other sounds had suddenly ceased.
******
Dedun frowned as he studied the Heln'rc. This was not possible, the Jaffa had reached the forest. None of Vexica's prey had ever made it this far. Either the cat was ill or the Jaffa was better than he'd supposed. For a brief moment, the Goa'uld considered recalling the cat and her handler, but decided against it. Vexica would sulk for days if she were not allowed to finish the game. And her handler would prevent her from coming to harm in the forest. The Eipyt'wt were cruel hunters themselves, often ripping their prey to shreds with their talons. If Vexica was injured ... the handler would die. It was that simple, therefore, the handler would defend her with his life. The cat was too valuable to the Goa'uld to lose to the birds. Glancing back at the Heln'rc, Dedun realized the decision was out of his hands, Vexica had entered the forest.
******
Cursing his stupidity, Teal'c listened closely to the silence, then decided it was a false alarm. The non-combatant birds had not taken flight, as he suspected they would if the cat were nearby. Forcing himself to ignore the fighting birds, the Jaffa cautiously walked on down the path, increasing his speed as he put distance between himself and the birds. Sensing the cat was also well to his rear, Teal'c allowed himself to consider the plight of his companions. O'Neill would have no difficulty with either the terrain or the flight, and he might even survive an encounter with the animal. Daniel Jackson would have considerable more difficulty with the terrain, but O'Neill had forced him to improve his physical condition so the flight itself should be no problem. Teal'c firmly believed that the 6 am forced runs imposed on the young archaeologist could possibly serve to save his life.
Pausing briefly to listen for pursuit, Teal'c turned his thoughts to Captain Carter. The concept of a female warrior was unknown in Jaffa society, and he had had much difficulty in reconciling himself to it. Although she had proven herself to be a competent fighter on more than one occasion, Teal'c did not hold out much hope for her survival against the large cat. On Chulak, she would have been singled out at an early age and trained to become a priestess of the god Apophis. It was even possible that at a younger age, he silently conceded, she would have been chosen as one of the children of the gods. Somehow, he did not believe Captain Carter would find either of the prospects at all flattering. Nor would she be pleased to find that he felt she should be protected. So far, he had managed to conceal his concern, but alone in his meditation, he often questioned the wisdom of the Tau'ri in putting their females at such risk.
The forest path he was traversing suddenly branched into three, and he paused to review the possibilities. Two of the three appeared to be well traveled, the third was heavily overgrown and barely recognizable as a trail, and still there was no indication of just what actually used the paths. Teal'c briefly studied the two clear trails. One appeared to remain flat as far as the eye could see, while the other began a slow rise approximately one hundred feet from where the Jaffa stood. The sun appeared to follow the latter, making the decision easy.
He'd gone no more than three paces when a branch cracked in the underbrush. More alert now than he'd ever been, Teal'c moved away from that edge of the path. The cat had remained suspiciously silent for some time now, but he doubted something the size of these animals could make it through the dense undergrowth undetected. A blur of movement caught him unawares as he whirled in time to see a huge red cat leap for his chest. As her claws met their mark, Teal'c saw the handler rise, grinning, from the edge of the underbrush.
******
Daniel reached the edge of the woods and slid under cover just as the sound of the transport rings deposited a large black cat, and her handler, onto the platform. Silently congratulating himself for making the correct decision, he mentally shushed his stomach as it grumbled loudly. Regretting that he'd passed on the standard granola-bars-on-the-run for breakfast, he wished he'd at least eaten the Kit Kat chocolate bar he'd stashed in his bag. Grinning despite the situation at the irony of the candy bar's name, he quickly sobered as he realized, even without his glasses, that the cat's dark eyes were staring directly at him. Almost as if she could see him. Not good. Not good at all. Bother.
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Did cats hunt by sight or by scent? Daniel *really* wished he'd paid more attention in the biology class he'd been forced to take in college. Or was that zoology? Might as well have been quantum physics for all he remembered. Whatever. Probably didn't count here. After all, this *was* an alien environment, meaning earth rules didn't necessarily apply. Either way, he was grateful for the trees.
While he'd never shared Jack's annoyance at the appearance of trees, and the accompanying underbrush, he had to admit that the more barren worlds were easier to traverse. He hoped fervently that the thick underbrush was causing the cat, and her handler, at least as much difficulty as it was causing him. Combined with the rocky ground, the area was virtually impassible. "Ouch!" Jerking his hand up to his mouth, he froze as he realized where he was. His mindless flight had allowed him to run into what appeared to be a dead end. Yanking an overlarge thorn out of his hand with his teeth, Daniel started to turn around and retrace his steps, well aware that he'd just lost valuable time.
He'd taken three steps when he glanced back and realized that the thorny growth could be turned to his advantage. Tales of Br'er Rabbit, spun by a very old woman that his mind's eye could see, but could not recognize, came unbidden to his thoughts. A large, thorny thicket had been the means of escape for the captured rabbit. Perhaps he could do the same, provided the large cat hunted by sight, and he could make an escape from the brambles in time. Kneeling, he searched for and found a rock the size of his hand. Daniel quickly stripped off his top, well aware that he would probably burn badly, but deciding it was preferable to being lunch. Placing the rock inside his top, he tied the shirt around it. Praying this would work Daniel swung the rock as hard as he could toward the thickest part of the thorny underbrush. To his relief, and delight, his top snagged securely on a thicket, giving the appearance of a person in hiding. Smiling in satisfaction, he raced back the way he'd come, praying he'd miss those that pursued him.
******
Jack froze in his tracks and stared in horror at the Heln'rc. A second blue symbol had disappeared from the display. Two of his teammates, his responsibilities, were down, and he could do nothing. He didn't even know where they were. Or, for that matter, who they were, although he had his suspicions. The first blue mark had been obliterated by a red one. That one he presumed was Daniel. God, Daniel. The young civilian had little chance of escape since he'd been released first and was unaware that the cat, not his teammates, would soon follow.
The second could be either Teal'c or Carter. This time the blue mark vanished without being overtaken by a red one, leaving Jack confused. It was possible, he supposed, that someone had removed the portion of clothing that contained the 'bug'. That would mean Carter. If anyone found a tracking device, it should be the astrophysicist. But why had it gone silent? Jack hoped that the hidden tracking devices had to be within close proximity of the human skin to register. He suspected from Dedun's earlier comments that the bug was almost impossible to remove, perhaps even woven into the material itself. If that was the case, then Carter had probably stripped off the offending article of clothing, giving new meaning to the phrase 'out of uniform'. Shaking his head in frustration, Jack studied the Heln'rc. He knew where his position was on the device, and he'd pretty well reasoned out which blue mark was which team member, but could he reach Daniel in time? The decision as to which blue mark to head for first was never in doubt. The civilian was first, and foremost, the priority.
******
Daniel slid down a small embankment and dropped to his knees by a spring. Cupping his hands, he brought the icy water to his lips and drank, keeping an ear and an eye open for any sign of the cat. So far so good. No cat. He was safe for now, but what of the others? Jack, well, Daniel had no doubt that the colonel could survive anything, and Sam had proven her mettle in hand-to-hand combat on P-something. Why couldn't he think of the identification for that planet? He puzzled over his seeming lapse in memory for a moment, before guiltily remembering Teal'c. To his way of thinking, the Jaffa was in real trouble. Of all of them, the Goa'uld lord, Dedun, should loathe, and fear, the former servant of Apophis. Didn't matter that the Goa'uld lord didn't know Teal'c was a traitor. Dedun would see him as the real threat in their little group. That meant that the largest and most powerful cat would track Teal'c. Probably accompanied by an equally large and powerful Jaffa. And Teal'c would probably underestimate his danger, believing his own strength to be a match for just about anything. But, realistically, there was nothing he could do ... for any of his friends.
His thirst satisfied Daniel rose, and began following the sinking suns through the forest. Eyes looking upwards, straining to see the path the suns were taking, Daniel failed to notice that he'd run out of 'trail'. Losing his balance, he fell. Reaching out to catch himself, he was horrified to find nothing to catch onto. A choked off cry accompanied his impressive descent as he rolled, head over heels, down a steep slope.
******
Dedun gave an angry cry, bringing four nervous Jaffa into his rooms.
"My Lord?" The elder Jaffa's voice trembled as he spoke.
"One of them has disabled the tracking device! I will not know when Marjo has found him. This will not do!" The Goa'uld slapped the nearest tabletop hard with the palm of his hand. "Contact the handler. I will know when Marjo takes her prey. The handler is to contact you, Zleda, and only you. He will keep you apprised of the hunt. When Marjo is ready to feed, you will tell me."
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Jack watched the Heln'rc closely as he moved, praying he could gauge direction as he did so. 'Too bad I can't use it to judge distance, but maybe ... YES!' The little device plainly showed him to be moving toward Daniel's position. Thank God. He had little hope of finding the younger man alive, but he had to be sure. Glancing up, he realized that 'up' was the word of the moment. The ground followed a lightly sloping grade that grew increasingly steep as it disappeared into the trees. Trees. Shit. 'Deal with it O'Neill!'
Glancing back at the Heln'rc he was startled to see a fourth red symbol. Uh oh. He'd forgotten about *his* cat. Well this was a fine mess, but there wasn't anything he could do about it. He hoped he had enough of a lead to escape pursuit, but the way their luck was running, he doubted it. Maybe running was a good idea. Time to put those early morning jogs to use. Taking a deep breath, Jack headed up the side of the mountain, setting a brisk pace, and hoping his pursuers were *really* far away.
******
The red cat was much larger than the one he'd seen on board the Goa'uld's ship. Teal'c was absurdly pleased that the cat was red; he really preferred that color to any other, with the possible exception of black. The observation was cut off abruptly as the animal lunged for his throat, sending him crashing into the underbrush. Stifling a cry of pain as sharp claws shredded his shirt, and the skin underneath, Teal'c locked an arm between the soft tissues of his throat, and the cat's overlarge bicuspids. The cat used her advantage to sink her teeth deeply into the muscles of his arm. This time the Jaffa could not suppress a scream. Using his free hand, he pounded the head of the cat, stunning her momentarily into releasing his arm. Using his moment of freedom, he scrambled, crablike, away from the animal, the tatters of his shirt falling from his chest as he moved.
The cat recovered too quickly and leaped once more for her prey. But Teal'c was ready, throwing himself down onto his massive shoulders, he kicked upwards with both legs. Hard. He allowed himself a small smile of satisfaction as the animal screamed in rage, and pain as she was catapulted away from Teal'c. She collapsed to the ground, and remained motionless. An almost inhuman scream of horror assaulted Teal'c's ears as the handler burst from the underbrush and blindly charged the wounded man. Teal'c rolled to one side and came up on a knee as the handler hurtled toward him. The movement caught the other, less-experienced Jaffa by surprise, and a giant fist to the face was his reward for his efforts.
"Jaffa shrig'la!" The disgust in Teal'c's voice as he retrieved the Jaffa's zat gun was evident. "Stupid. Very stupid. But I will not kill you. Yet." Taking careful aim, he zatted the downed Jaffa one time. Turning to look at the cat, he frowned, oddly reluctant to kill the still-breathing animal. She was beautiful, ... and dangerous, but unlike the Jaffa, she had only been following her instincts. There was no malice in her intent. Smiling he zatted her once as well, then turned his attention toward binding his wounds.
******
Years of training with a rigorous exercise regimen allowed Jack to make it to the top of the not-quite-mountain only slightly out-of-breath. Resting his hands on his knees, he breathed deeply as he examined the trail. The trees and heavy underbrush continued, but the Heln'rc indicated he was headed the right way. And oddly, it was in the same direction as the locations of his remaining teammates. And those two seemed to be getting closer together. Or at least that's how it appeared. Were Teal'c and Carter really moving toward each other or was it an illusion caused by a three dimensional representation on a two dimensional plane? God. Where had *that* come from? He'd definitely been hanging around Carter too long. He grinned wryly before shaking his head.
Stalling was not getting him anywhere. As much as he dreaded the thought of finding Daniel's torn and lifeless body, he had to know for certain that the civilian was dead. Then he could go after Teal'c and Carter with a clear conscious. Yeah. Right. Gonna buy that bridge in Brooklyn when he got home, too.
First things first. There was a slight slope downwards, not nearly as steep as coming up but there none-the-less. Sighing with relief that this phase of the journey was downhill, Jack began to maneuver his way down the hill.
******
Teal'c barely restrained a wince as he rose from the ground. He'd bound his larger wounds with the remnants of his shirt. The smaller ones would be healed shortly by his symbiote. Or Junior, as O'Neill preferred to call the Goa'uld larva within him. Taking a moment to reorient himself in the darkening sky, the Jaffa glanced once more with contempt at his downed enemies. This Goa'uld, this Dedun, was obviously incredibly stupid to surround himself with such weaklings. The unconscious Jaffa would not have survived even a day under the control of Apophis. Teal'c started violently as he realized the pride he took in having been strong enough to survive in the violent, cruel world of Apophis. But that was, what had O'Neill called it, water over the bridge? That did not sound correct. Suddenly annoyed that he was wasting time, the Jaffa resumed his original course, secure in the knowledge that neither beast nor handler would bother him for quite some time. A noise behind him caused him to whirl, firing the zat as he did so.
******
This was getting old. Very old. Okay, so the thought wasn't new. Didn't make it any less true. The only redeeming feature so far was that his cat was nowhere in sight. Good thing. He was completely out of kitty litter and cat chow. He grinned as he realized what he really needed was catnip - the large economy size carried at those grocery warehouses. Would this damn path never end? Glancing down at the Heln'rc, he tried to get a mental image of where he was in relation to the closest red and blue dots. He was close - he was sure of it, but how close was a different question. So intent was he on the Goa'uld device, Jack failed to see the source for the red dot lying silently on the ground, just off the path. An unseen tree limb snapped under his foot, pulling his attention back to the trail in front of him. Just in time to feel, rather than see, the effects of a zat. As he lost consciousness, the surprised form of Teal'c appeared in his line of sight, leaving Jack's final conscious thought, 'Bad day.'
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Sam had finally given up her battle with the underbrush that almost completely concealed the stream. She'd managed maybe a quarter mile before the local flora became impassible. Praying it was enough, she climbed a tree and leaped as far away from the water as possible. Landing in a surprisingly clear area, she allowed herself a moment to look around. Trees, trees, and more trees. The colonel would love it here. Not! As for sounds, there were none. At all. Unless one counted the soft whoosh of the water as it eased its way down the mountain.
Sighing heavily, she pushed aside the underbrush directly in front of her. "Ouch!" Thrusting her injured thumb into her mouth, she glared at the thorns hiding under the large leaves of the nearest bush. Noting the size and texture of the leaves, she turned rapidly in a circle, looking at the shrubs. They were all the same. Frustration colored her tones as she muttered, "Great. Just great. Thorns everywhere, except the damn wat... Oh, wait." Walking quickly to her immediate left, she was relieved to find a plant that didn't appear to have thorns. For that matter, it didn't have foliage either. At least not a kind she recognized. The ebony colored bush sported a fuzzy covering along the branches. Matter-of-fact, it didn't look as if it ever had leaves.
Well, it wasn't quite the direction she wanted to go, but maybe she could turn uphill soon. Favoring the thorn-bushes with one last glare, she pushed the black bush aside, cringing as the fuzz tickled her arm.
******
The world spun crazily as Daniel attempted to tuck his body into a position that wouldn't be too easily damaged. It had been painfully obvious in his first desperate attempts to stop his descent that he wouldn't be able to get off this ride until it ended. At least his glasses were already gone; no need to worry about breaking glass. 'No, stupid, just breaking bones.'
The thought had barely ended when his rapid tumble came to a sudden stop. In a bed of soft sand. Carefully unfolding himself, Daniel took stock of his injuries, and found them minimal. Cuts and bruises told him he'd be very sore, very soon, but absolutely nothing seemed to be broken. Squinting as he looked back up the slope, he realized just what a miracle it'd been for him to land in this spot. The whole area was very, very rocky.
Rotating his neck to get the kinks out, Daniel stretched out his legs, and yelped in pain as he tried to straighten his right knee.
******
Pushing through yet another EF, or Ebony Fuzzy as she'd come to call them, Sam was delighted to find the way before her was comparatively clear. She'd noticed the trees were getting scarcer, but that hadn't impacted the shrubby plants that seemed to get larger as the trees gradually disappeared. Some of the shrubs were actually over her head in height, but they, too, were getting progressively smaller. The last tall EF had given way to a plateau that stretched on for miles, with foliage whose size diminished the further she looked. She stood for a moment and stared in awe at the mountains surrounding her little plateau. In another set of circumstances, she would consider this to be a true Kodak moment. The snow-capped peaks that rose into the sky reminded her of the beauty of the Rocky Mountains, while the treeless plain was reminiscent of the Alaskan tundra.
"Stupid Sam, really stupid. There's a very large cat with a very large appetite somewhere behind you, and you're admiring the scenery." Shaking her head in disgust, she started to jog, grateful to at last be able to pick up a decent pace. The air was thinner up here, causing her some difficulty in breathing and she really hoped she didn't have to go any higher. She absently scratched her arm, barely breaking stride as she did so, and failing to notice the bright scarlet cast that now dominated her skin tone.
******
Jack realized something was not quite right even before he opened his eyes. For one thing, he was bouncing, and it felt as if he were upside down. Frowning in confusion, he opened his eyes and saw black ... and white. 'What, no stars?' Even disoriented his sarcastic tendencies surfaced. Blinking frantically in an attempt to stop the world from spinning, it took him a few moments to realize that *he* was the one moving. 'Oh. Fireman's carry. Teal'c. Bad Teal'c. Put CO down.' He tried to speak but his voice didn't seem to want to work. Every nerve ending he had was humming, and the noise was drowning out his ability to speak. 'Damn! Hate it when that happens.' He cleared his throat, and tried again. "Teal'c?"
Almost instantaneously the bouncing stopped, and Jack found himself flying dizzily through the air as he was flipped upright and placed on his feet by the Jaffa. "O'Neill, you are awake."
"Ya think?" The hoarse croak didn't sound quite right. Jack cleared his throat again, and asked cautiously, "Zat?"
"Yes. I must apologize, O'Neill, my injuries prev..."
"You're hurt?" Jack was suddenly focused on the other man. "How bad? Where?"
"Do not concern yourself, O'Neill. My symbiote is doing an adequate job of healing me. Do you feel able to walk?"
"I'm fine, and I've got this wonderful little gizmo that..." Jack frowned as he looked at his wrist. "Where the ..."
"I am now wearing the Heln'rc. I suspected the ... Goa'uld would plant tracking devices on us. I did not, however, think he would do the same with the cats. How did you come by this?"
"He gave it to me."
Teal'c's dark eyes widened in disbelief. "He is indeed more stupid than I had at first believed."
"I think he thought he was torturing me by allowing me to watch all of you die. Hasn't worked out that way, though. Thank God. Now all we have to do is find the others. I don't know how to figure out distance, but..."
"Distance is determined by adjusting this control, thus." Teal'c manipulated a tiny button, which honed in on the nearest red mark. "I presume the red are the cats? This one is approximately one of your Earth miles behind us. The next is nearly three miles behind us. The other two are two miles and ten miles away. There are only three blue marks. Two are ours. The third is six miles away. "
Jack glared irritably at the little screen. "Yeah, one blue mark was overrun by a red one. I headed for that one first. I was kinda surprised when the blue mark came back. But since your tunic is now serving as bandages, I assume you lost the tunic?"
"For a short time, yes."
"Okay, one mystery solved."
Teal'c looked expectantly at the colonel. Jack smiled grimly. "I suspect the transmitter is in the tunic material and that it is activated by body heat. When you wrapped it around yourself, the signal returned."
"That is very astute of you, O'Neill."
"Yeah, well, don't tell Daniel and Carter. Wouldn't want them to think I actually know anything."
"I see." Teal'c glanced at the Heln'rc. "The cat ahead of us does not appear to be moving. Neither is the animal one mile behind us. I disabled both that cat and her handler when I obtained the zat gun. We must hurry, O'Neill, before they both wake. Are you able to walk?"
Jack looked indignant. "You already asked that. I'm fine."
"Then we should resume our journey."
"Fine by me. One conscious cat behind us, one directly in front. Two to two, I can do even odds. Ooops, handlers. Uh, let me do the math. That's four to two. Okay, not too bad."
"If we make haste, O'Neill, we should be in time to prevent injury to Captain Carter."
"What!" Jack pulled up short and stared at the Jaffa.
Teal'c nodded toward the ground. "Captain Carter has been this way. As has one of the large cats."
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part - 15 ↑
The sun had disappeared behind the mountains off to her right as Sam finally hit level ground. The brilliant reds, pinks, purples and blues spanned out over the peaks like a gigantic fan, providing what little light remained on the tundra. She allowed herself a five second mental break to admire the beauty of the sunset, but didn't slow her pace at all. Knowing she needed to be as far away from the cat as possible by nightfall, she pushed on. The mountains, sporting the spectacular sunset, showed no obvious way across their heights without using climbing gear she did not have.
This not knowing exactly where she was on this abominable planet majorly sucked. All she was sure of was that following the setting sun was at least the right direction, and she, dammit to hell, couldn't go that way ... yet. And what was with this accursed itching? Glancing down as her fingernails dug a small trench in her arm, she slid to a stop. Her left arm was a vivid red, and her right was an equally flamboyant shade of pink ... well on its way to being a match for her other arm. What the hell? An allergic reaction, but to what? She hadn't eaten anything ... her stomach was loudly reminding her of that ... and she didn't really think drinking the water would have caused this. So what? This rash looked a lot like poison ivy, but she hadn't touched anything with leaves of three.
"God, Sam. Alien planet. Alien plants, but I didn't touch... Oh, crap, the EF. The fuzz on the stupid plants, not the leaves, the fuzz." She jumped slightly as a cat's distant roar echoed between the surrounding hills. Faint as it was, the sound was still unnerving. "NO, NO, NO. Dammit, NO! I do *not* have time for this!"
******
"Crap, crap, crap!" Daniel cursed loudly as he examined his right knee. He cringed slightly as he found the kneecap had shifted from its normal position and was now decorating the side of his knee. As long as he didn't move it, he'd be fine. Right, he could stay right here and starve to death. Yep, *that* was a plan. Taking a deep breath, he held it, quickly jerking the misplaced kneecap back into its rightful position. "Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy. Ouch!" He fell backwards; gasping with relief as the pain slowly ebbed. After a few moments, he sighed. "Okay, I can lie here all night, admiring the sky, or I can get as far as I can before the light is gone."
Pushing tentatively to his feet, he balanced on his left leg and only gradually put his full weight on his right. So far so good. It was sore, and would probably go black and blue, but he could walk. Suddenly remembering the cat that should be on his trail, he amended his thought. He could run. Glancing warily over his shoulder, he realized he'd dallied long enough. The sky behind him was growing darker, and he could see the faint twinkling of stars in the sky. Taking off at an easy jog, he now found himself chasing the colors of the sunset.
******
"Noooooooooo!" Dedun hurled a heavy vase across the room, watching with undisguised anger as it shattered into small pieces against the wall. "Do *not* come in. I will see *no* one!"
A servant's head ducked back out the door as another piece of pottery impacted just inches away. Nervous chatter could be heard in the hallway, then a smooth voice warily called out. "My Lord Dedun, I have returned. Titia and her handler are in pursuit of the O'Neill. What are your instructions?"
"Enter Deldrak." Dedun glared at his First Prime as the Jaffa cautiously entered his lord's chamber, bowing continuously as he did so. "Oh stop groveling, it looks silly. We have a problem."
Deldrak moved closer to the Goa'uld and his tracking device. "My Lord?"
"The O'Neill and the Jaffa are together. However, Vexica is not moving, but is not dead. This leaves only Titia to deal with both of my prisoners. What do you suggest?"
Deldrak frowned. "Where is the other male?"
Dedun shrugged. "I do not know. Your assistant will tell me when Marjo's handler reports in."
"It appears the female has reached the plateau and will soon arrive at the rock quarry, just as you planned." Deldrak watched the movement on the Heln'rc for a moment longer, then turned to face the Goa'uld. "My Lord, I would recommend that Opscocia and her handler be diverted to assist Titia with the two males. If the female continues on her present course, there is no way she will miss the river. Once there, unless she is incredibly stupid, she will recognize her location. It will, however, take much time for her to cross the river."
"My thoughts exactly, Deldrak. The handlers will be able to assist in eliminating the males, and be able to reach the female before she can escape in the pirate's ship."
"You do not think she will wait on the others, my Lord? The group seemed ... close somehow."
The Goa'uld burst into laughter. "Mercenaries? Wait? Have you been drinking the sacred wine? No. The female will lead us to the ship, and we will know which of our enemies is threatening our domain. Do not damage her too badly, Deldrak, when you extract the information about the ship. She will make a most ... unique addition to my personal staff."
******
"Okay, nothing makes sense." Jack kicked a rock out of his way and turned to glare at his companion.
"The trail is comparatively easy to read, O'Neill, we should be able to overtake---"
"I know that." Jack snapped impatiently at the Jaffa, then shrugged contritely. "Sorry, Teal'c. No, what I meant is that three out of four of us have been dumped so close together that we actually find each other. Doesn't make sense."
"Indeed. That is puzzling."
"No ideas, eh?"
"Perhaps the planet has little inhabitable area?"
Jack shook his head. "No, I don't think so. Carter could probably give us the odds, but I wouldn't take 'em in Vegas."
"I do not understand."
"Never mind. It just ... Lord DumbDumb thinks we're mercenaries out to steal something, right?"
"That is correct, O'Neill."
"Shit. He's put us close to his ship, Teal'c."
"I do not understand."
"He wants one of us to lead him to our mercenary ship."
"We have no ship, O'Neill."
"The Goa'uld doesn't know that. That means we're close to the 'gate."
"Major Carter is probably closer to the 'gate as she is ahead of us."
"Good thought, but where the hell is Daniel?"
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part - 16 ↑
The rocks around him were amazing. Huge asymmetrical outcroppings with colors as vibrant as the sky at sunset lay scattered as if they had been tossed aside by the gods. For once in his life, Daniel really wished he'd added geology to his list of doctorates. He'd taken the requisite number of courses, enough to identify the various geological layers enveloping his digs. He'd learned early on that the individual strata could tell him a great deal about living conditions of the people he was studying. But he'd never been interested in just plain rocks. Contrary to what Jack believed.
Jack. Oh, God. Sam. Teal'c. He had no idea where they were, or worse yet, *how* they were. If they were alive, or ... not. If he could find them, or not. Or more realistically, if they could find him. Before the cat did. The thought of the huge black feline with dark yellow eyes sent shivers down his spine. He could only hope that his delaying tactic had bought him some time. Enough to make his sunburn worth the effort. As fair as he was, it hadn't taken long for his bare chest to turn red. He was quite sure his back was the same color. And his legs ached horribly. Not to mention his knee, which he was trying to ignore. Deciding he'd take a short break after passing the next outcropping of rocks, he redoubled his efforts, pretending the large rocks were his ticket home.
Daniel raced around the largest rock, and slid to a halt, blue eyes opening impossibly wide. Gasping out a startled "OH SHIT!" he ducked back around the rock, and peered cautiously from his hiding place. He only hoped he was hidden enough. Ahead of him, was a huge canyon extending for miles and hovering over it was a large pyramid ship.
******
Deldrak slipped unnoticed from his master's rooms, summoned by a frightened page who'd barely managed to escape the Goa'uld's notice. "What is it, Eldwan?"
"M...my lord, Zleda asks that you come to him quickly. Marjo's handler reports that she has lost her prey."
Deldrak paled dramatically and his stomach churned as he followed the child down the hall. The last time one of the cats had failed in her assignment, the First Prime had been executed. Deldrak himself had benefited by that occurrence, becoming First Prime immediately thereafter. Granted, Marjo was not the most experienced cat in the collection, but she showed much promise. The young male who'd been paired with the cat was obviously much more dangerous than he'd originally believed. The slave had looked so ... innocuous in his cell. More so than even the female. If he had made it to the river ... Deldrak's color worsened as he realized they had no way to track the male, his tunic, at least, was gone.
Zleda was waiting for him when he arrived at the handler's station. "My Lord, Marjo is most distressed, Laun may not be able to control her much longer. I fear for his safety."
"Never mind the handler, Zleda. I need a patrol on either side of the river at once. The young male must not get across the river."
"I will order them to the transpo---"
"No! Lord Dedun will know if the rings go down to the surface." Deldrak thought for a moment. "Have two patrols leave the vaults and head for the river. One will cross the river---"
"My Lord, the rapids close to the vaults will not allow crossing at that point."
"Then put the raft above the rapids, just get the patrol to the other side of the river."
******
Opscocia was hissing and rolling on the ground, trying to avoid being harnessed by her handler. A pain filled cry proved her claws had struck home, as the handler cradled his injured hand to his chest. Irritated and in pain, the Jaffa pulled out a little device which caused the large cat to cringe visibly. The Fx'ta was a rarely used correction device which was seldom, if ever, used on a trained hunting cat. Opscocia immediately crouched, with a growl lumbering in her throat, but she allowed her handler to attach the harness without further incident.
Issuing one last loud protest as she was pulled away from her prey's trail, she followed her handler back the way they'd come.
******
Sam felt her face heat up as the scream of the cat faded away. She knew, better than most, exactly how far an echo could carry in the right conditions, and the mountains on either side of her plateau definitely counted as the right conditions. The cat could be miles away. At least it didn't seem to be on top of her. Good damn thing, because right now, she had more immediate problems. The itching was growing worse, and the rash appeared to be spreading. To make matters worse, the light was fading fast, and she was nowhere near the other end of the plateau. And right now she'd *kill* for a bottle of calamine lotion, or an oatmeal bath. Preferably both. Her mental pitch rose to a crescendo with the last thought and she started to laugh.
Now that her silent tantrum was over, she felt really good enough to make it a ways further before it got pitch black. Of course, her luck could turn. It had been cloudy the night before and no moon had been visible. This evening's sky was clear, and maybe, just maybe, there'd be a moon. Then she could see to make her way across the tundra. If her luck turned. Yeah. Right. Fat chance.
******
Daniel studied the Goa'uld ship's position closely, looking for familiar landmarks that would tell him the ship hadn't moved. Of course, based on the sun's position in the sky, he'd been on the other side of the canyon when the ship had originally been spotted so the odds of finding a recognizable landmark were slim to none. At any rate, the river in the canyon below didn't exactly look hospitable. He could see rapids in the distance, and the area below ... What the hell? A raft? Straining his eyes in the fading light, Daniel gasped with delight. There were Jaffa on this side of the river, disembarking a raft. He watched, amazed, as the four Jaffa carefully concealed the raft, then started patrolling down river.
Sitting back on his haunches, he realized that things had just taken a turn for the better. If he'd been released close enough to the ship to find it, then the others probably had as well. Or at least he hoped so. He had the unpleasant feeling that there was some sort of logic equation he should be doing now, but for the life of him couldn't figure out what. Sighing with relief, he almost missed the low snarl, and the large black cat that had issued it.
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part - 17 ↑
Teal'c stopped suddenly, flinging his hand upwards in the universal gesture of 'halt', or 'give me your attention', neither of which Jack did.
"Ouch!" Stepping backwards slightly, Jack rubbed his nose. "Warn me next time, Teal'c."
The Jaffa frowned at the other man. "I will endeavor to do so, O'Neill, however, I seem to have misplaced Captain Carter's trail."
Jack's jaw dropped. "Misplaced? Oh. You mean lost. You lost Captain Carter's trail. ... What do you mean you've lost Carter's trail?"
Teal'c's puzzlement deepened. "Was I not clear?"
"Oh, for crying out loud. Well, yes, but I thought you said it was an easy trail to follow."
"Captain Carter has much intelligence." Teal'c knelt in the dirt near the stream. "Her trail ends there." He pointed to a spot three feet from the water.
"So we've lost her." Jack's frustration was obvious.
"We have not."
Taking a deep breath, Jack counted to ten, twice. "Okay, you said we lost her trail, so explain it to me."
"The deep impressions show that Captain Carter leaped from this point to the water. I believe she was attempting to confuse her pursuers." He pointed to a large paw print next to the human tracks.
"Did she succeed?" The colonel's voice was barely above a whisper.
"She did."
"Of course she did. So ... what's the problem?"
"It is not immediately apparent which way she went once in the water."
"Upstream."
Teal'c's eyebrow raised in an unspoken question.
Jack allowed himself a ghost of a smile. "Okay, it's a guess at best, but it's the way I'd go. Take the higher ground. Get above your enemy."
"I see. Then we will go upstream." With that Teal'c stepped into the water, turning to stare at Jack when he did not immediately follow.
"Is it cold?"
"Extremely."
"Sweet. It'll get colder when it gets darker" Jack glanced briefly at the setting sun, then sighed heavily as he followed Teal'c upstream.
******
Sam had never been so miserable. Not since a horrid bout with chicken pox had kept her out of school for almost three weeks. Nightmare memories made bearable only by her mother's gentle voice and soft touch. The itching had been horrendous, and even mittens had failed to prevent her scratching. It had taken a direct order by her father, in his best major's voice, combined with the promise of a telescope if she was good, to keep little fingers away from the blisters.
Sinking down on the ground, she sighed. What she wouldn't give for those mittens right now. Glancing up at the clear sky, she amended her thought to include the telescope. A plethora of stars were beginning to show themselves, twinkling brightly in the afterglow of the double sunset. Even without full darkness she could see red, blue, yellow and white. There were even a few which didn't sparkle, confirming the existence of additional planets in this system. If only she had a telescope. Crap, if only she had a coat.
Shivering slightly, she realized the light breeze that had kicked up when she reached the plateau was gaining momentum, and her lightweight clothing did little to dispel the chill. The open ground provided no real shelter from the elements. Grumbling under her breath, Sam pushed herself to her feet knowing she should keep moving as long as there was enough light to see, but God, she was tired.
******
"You were correct, O'Neill. The broken branches indicate someone has passed this way. We are probably safe in believing it to be Captain Carter."
"Ya think?" Jack ducked as a branched snapped at his face. "Hey! Careful, Teal'c, I don't have a Junior to heal me if an eye gets poked out."
"We are entering a clearing, O'Neill. You may move without fear of branches. But there is a problem." Teal'c turned toward the colonel, his eyes watching the Heln'rc intently. "The cats draw near."
"Cats? Wait a damn minute. I thought one was unconscious."
"She has begun to move, however, the cat assigned to you has apparently increased her speed. If I am correct, she has already reached the point where we entered the water."
"So what you're saying is that both of the cats behind us will catch up with us soon." Jack instinctively looked around for items that could be used as weapons.
"Indeed, but there is a third, the nearest cat in front of us has changed direction. Be aware, O'Neill, the Heln'rc does not give accurate readings within one hundred feet."
"Shit. Three cats, two, maybe three handlers, assuming the one you zatted is still out. Whoa." Jack paused by a thick vine. "Hold up a minute, Teal'c." Jack knelt and began feeling stones in the water. Finding a sharp edged piece of what looked like slate, he rose and used it like a knife against the vine. Successfully cutting off a section, he split it longways, opened it wide and scooped out the gelatinous material inside.
Teal'c watched in silence, once again fascinated by the antics of the Tau'ri. He cocked his head and found himself frowning in confusion. "O'Neill, what are you doing?"
Jack glanced up. "I need a weapon, Teal'c." He dipped the open vine into the water, rinsing it clean.
The Jaffa hesitated for a moment. "O'Neill, we have a zat'nikatel."
"Correction. *You* have a zat. I have nothing."
"This is true, but a zat'nikatel can eliminate our opponents quickly."
"And quietly?"
"No." Teal'c stared at the colonel for a moment, then nodded. "I understand. Unless all enemies approach at the same moment, we will have no element of surprise."
"Right. Don't want to get zatted in the back cause we don't know to look that way."
Teal'c watched for a few moments longer as Jack picked up small, smooth stones from the stream. "O'Neill, what manner of weapon are you constructing?"
"A slingshot. It's--"
"Ah. David and Goliath."
"What?" Jack dropped back on his haunches in surprise.
"Daniel Jackson recommended your Bible to me as enlightening. Did not David use the weapon to slay an evil entity, probably Goa'uld, known as Goliath?"
"Well, I'm not quite sure that Goliath was a Goa'uld, but it's an interesting theory, and yes, David killed him with a slingshot. But he also used it to kill wild beasts. I used to be very good with one of these." Rising, Jack placed a small round stone in the center of the smoothed out vine. Stepping into the center of the stream, he whirled the folded vine over his head and skillfully released an end. The stone impacted against a nearby tree with a resounding thud.
Teal'c nodded in satisfaction. "Excellent, O'Neill. May I safely assume you were aiming at that tree?"
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part - 18 ↑
Daniel's jaw dropped as he whirled to find a large black cat standing on a small ledge just behind him. His panicked thought of 'where the hell did she come from?' was accompanied by an almost uncontrollable desire to run away from the beast. Fighting down his terror, he struggled to remember everything he could about cats. Big teeth, claws, a natural instinct to chase anything that moved. Okay, so moving was *not* a good idea. Forcing himself to look at the cat, he was startled to see that the animal almost looked as if she were grinning. His subconscious sternly lectured, 'Don't anthropormorphize, Jackson!' But damned if she didn't look ... pleased to see him. 'Of course she's pleased, stupid, you're lunch.'
Big teeth, claws. No, wait, he'd covered those. What else? A rancid odor caused him to flinch backwards, adding bad breath to his list. Very bad breath, and he wasn't even that close. Although, from the way she was crouching, he'd be much closer very soon. Morbidly wondering what it felt like to be eaten alive, Daniel braced himself for her attack.
******
Sam looked with astonishment as a ringed moon appeared over the horizon. Appearing to be nearly as large as Earth's, its equator was delineated by a narrow band of brightly colored rings. Three, no four of them. Once more wishing in vain for a telescope, she moved across the plateau, eyes focused upwards at the vivid colors circling the moon. Without warning the ground rushed up to meet her as she tripped over a rock in the dim light. "Ouch!" Pushing herself to her knees, she cursed under her breath as she attempted to brush the grit off of her elbows and palms. "Stupid. Oh, that was stupid. And why won't this damn dirt..." Her eyes narrowed as she finally looked at her arms. The vivid red color had now been joined by narrow ridges with crusting white caps. But the itching had diminished to an almost bearable level. Rising slowly, she braced to continue her journey, wondering tiredly why she was pushing herself so hard. The gravel crunched behind her, and she spun, to find herself facing a leering Jaffa complete with primed zat. Too exhausted to think straight, she fleetingly wondered where the cat was as she fell victim to the energy of a zat blast.
******
Laun stared at the motionless form of the female. Kneeling beside her, he felt roughly for a pulse and was pleased to find it strong and steady. Shining his lamp over her body, he grinned. Opscocia and Jerdain might not have been able to damage her, but the grindle plant certainly had. Admiration for her stamina was foremost in his thoughts. The skin irritation the plant provoked was quite severe, basically incapacitating the victim in short order. That this female had traveled for many miles while infected was impressive. There was no doubt in his mind that she would make excellent breeding stock, producing many strong Jaffa before succumbing to the rigors of the birthing process.
A distant roar told him Marjo had found her prey. Good. Let the male suffer her wrath, he'd had enough. The jagged marks on his arms were beginning to heal thanks to his symbiote, but releasing her had been a good idea at the time. He only hoped Deldrak agreed. The cat was young, and not yet valued highly by their lord. Perhaps the First Prime would forgive his transgression. If he got the cat back ... but that would mean abandoning the female.
Pushing her unusually fair hair out of her eyes, he took note of the smoothness of her skin, the rosy color of her lips, the blueness of her eyes. The what?
******
"Asshole. My hand better not be broken!" Sam massaged her aching fist as she glared with undisguised fury at her unconscious assailant. Flexing her fingers, she quickly determined that the damage was minimal. She'd gotten lucky. She knew that. The punch to his jaw had been meant to stun. Being familiar with Teal'c's tough shell, she'd never thought it might disable. Who would've thought a Jaffa could have a glass jaw? Frowning, she wondered how long he'd be out. Kneeling she picked up the fallen zat, aimed carefully and hit the downed man once with an energy blast. Hopefully, *that* should ensure that he would be unable to pursue her for a while. Her frown deepened as she realized how quickly she'd regained consciousness. The moon had barely changed position in the sky. Her decision made, she yanked hard on the thin leather strap serving as the Jaffa's belt. It jerked free easily enough, and she proceeded to use it to hog-tie the man, grateful that there was enough strap to tie his hands and feet together. He wouldn't be freeing himself any time soon. Still, it would be wise to put as much distance as possible between them. Sighing with fatigue, but pleased with her new found weapon, she gave her prisoner one last disgusted look, then set back out, slightly astonished to find that she'd almost reached the edge of the plateau.
******
"Nice kitty." Daniel spoke softly, wondering if there was any truth to the saying about soothing the savage beast. Crooning "you're a pretty girl," he was surprised to see her head cock to one side as her posture relaxed, obviously confused by what he was doing. 'Keep her off balance, Daniel. Don't startle her, Daniel.' He gulped, and continued his sing-song tone as he started to edge backwards slowly. Her low snarl froze him in place until he realized she wasn't looking at him. She was looking back up the path he'd just come down, as if anticipating company. 'Great, either the handler, or another animal ... or maybe SG-1?' Perking up at the thought that Jack, or Teal'c or Sam might be close, he forgot to speak to the cat. Another low snarl riveted his attention to the beast, and he realized that once again she was crouching. Her back legs turned into springs as she launched off of the small ledge where she'd been standing. Simultaneously, Daniel, in a last ditch effort for survival, threw himself backwards as hard as he could. His gasp of terror became a groan of "Not again", as the ground disappeared from under him.
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part - 19 ↑
Sam slipped and slid and generally cursed her way down the rocky embankment. The only redeeming feature the place seemed to have was an indication that someone, hopefully one of SG-1, had preceded her down the hill. It was also apparent that same someone had not gone gracefully. Arriving at the bottom, she was relieved to find that the moonlight showed clear tracks, the size of which indicated ... Daniel. Of the male members of SG-1, he had the smallest feet, not much longer than her own, albeit wider than her extra narrow size. Her relief was short-lived, however, when a cat's tracks came into view, in some places obliterating her teammate's.
Suddenly the cat's trail diverged from Daniel's. Confused, Sam checked the two paths for a ways, before finding that the cat had taken the high ground, and was stalking Daniel from above. The higher path, however, had been completely concealed by thick shrubs. Only the animal's tracks disappearing into the greenery had told Sam the trail existed. She frowned as she realized that the cat's behavior indicated an all-too-frightening familiarity with the territory. Just how many poor souls had fallen victim to her claws?
Her frown deepened as she saw that what little light there was did not illuminate the tracks enough to know if they were minutes or hours old. Opting to follow Daniel, Sam prayed that the cat, not she, would get lost.
******
"At last! One's almost here." Jack spoke softly, as if fearing to be overheard.
Teal'c frowned as he glanced at the Helnr'c. The colonel was correct. The closest cat would disappear ... now ... from the view screen, placing her much too close to their location. "You are correct, O'Neill, but how..."
"It got quiet."
"It has always been quiet." Teal'c studied the other man with confusion visible on his face.
"It got quieter."
"I do not believe you have used that word correctly, O'Neill. I believe it should have been 'it became more quiet'."
Jack turned a dumbfounded face toward the Jaffa. "That's it. No more off-duty hours with Daniel. You're going out with *me* in the future."
"I would be honored." The words were no sooner out of Teal'c's mouth than a large red cat crashed through the underbrush toward them.
Whirling his makeshift slingshot over his head, Jack let the stone fly, and watched, thrilled, as the animal collapsed, blood streaming from a wound in her head. "Yes! Haven't lost the O'Neill touch!"
"You did not touch the cat, O'Neill, you struck her with a stone."
"Figure of... Look out!"
Teal'c whirled in time to get off an energy blast with his weapon. The handler collapsed bonelessly to the ground as his staff weapon landed with a dull thud in the dirt.
"Good shot!" Jack's praise took Teal'c by surprise.
"You are not angry? I may have given our position away. There will be no element of surprise." Teal'c's brow furrowed in confusion.
"Those two looked pretty surprised to me. And now *I* have a weapon." Jack tossed the makeshift slingshot to one side as he retrieved the staff weapon. "Time to *really* go on the offensive."
"How do you mean?" Sometimes Teal'c really wondered about his CO's choice of action.
"Like this..." Grasping the staff weapon tightly in his hand, Jack started to croon, "Here kitty, kitty. Here kitty, kitty."
******
Sam stumbled down the path, barely noticing that the itching had almost stopped. Her only thoughts were centered on getting to Daniel. The moonlight on the trail illuminated it better than she'd expected, and she allowed herself a grateful glance at the ringed wonder. Gasping she realized that two more smaller, less spectacular moons had risen. From their proximity to each other, she suspected they'd come up almost simultaneously. This planet had proven to be a wonderland of astronomical phenomena. If only she could get some pictures.
'Pictures?' She shook her head in disbelief. 'Get a grip, Sam, you'll be lucky to get out of here alive, much less with pictures. Besides, the equipment was confiscated by the Goa'uld's assholes.' A huge yawn caught her unawares, and she found herself blinking heavily, almost asleep on her feet. 'Gotta keep going. Gotta find Daniel.'
Sam pushed herself onward, listening to the sounds of the night, and hoping that the cat didn't know she had a pursuer. A loud roar startled her badly, causing her to jump. Stunned, she realized that at some point she'd actually stopped dead in her tracks. Dead. Another roar made that word seem entirely possible, at least where Daniel was concerned, and she forced herself into a faster pace.
Rounding a bend, she gasped as a trio of horrors came into sight. A very large, very black panther-like cat was framed in the light of the moons as she leaped for Daniel, who fell backwards over the edge of the cliff. And all-too-visible in the background was a very large, very ominous pyramid ship.
*****
The force of Daniel's impact with the ground stung like hell while knocking the wind out of him. But at least the cat was nowhere in sight. His ears were roaring and his breath came in short, wheezing gasps as he struggled for air. Almost completely unable to move, his hands flopped weakly at his sides. Finally able to look around, he felt the blood rush out of his face as he realized he was lying on a very narrow ledge, overlooking a very long drop into the canyon below. Once again, the fates had been kind. Right. He hadn't fallen off the cliff, well, at least not very far off, but any minute now a furball with teeth would peer over the edge, and drop down to join him for a midnight snack. Pushing himself into a sitting position, he searched in the moonlight for a rock to use as a weapon. He'd at least take a few teeth with him when he died.
A noise on the ground about six feet above him caused him to jump. Bracing himself for the inevitable, he gasped with relief when a blond head peered carefully over the edge. "Sam?"
"Daniel? Are you all right?" The concern in her voice was evident.
"I'm fine, are you okay? How did you find me? Do you know where Jack is? What about Teal'c? What happened to the cat? You need to look out for the handler, ya know. Why are you looking at me like that?"
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part - 20 ↑
Deldrak reentered his master's chambers warily. The guards outside had warned of ... noises ... inside the room, and the First Prime was in no way certain he had not been missed. His master was of uncertain temperament on his good days, and this was not one of those. If Deldrak had displeased him in any way, there could be a new First Prime by the time the first sun rose. Upon entering, he found Dedun slumped in a overlarge chair, head in hands. Gathering his courage, Deldrak spoke softly, "My Lord, what has happened?"
The Goa'uld's eyes glowed reddish-gold in barely suppressed rage as his head lifted. "Vexica is dead. They have killed her."
Deldrak carefully arranged his face into a mask of horror. "Vexica? There must be some mistake, my Lord, she is the largest of the cats. Surely..."
His voice faded away as the Goa'uld glared at him. "Her tracking implant is not malfunctioning. Her life force is gone."
"I am sorry, my Lord. What of the others?" Deldrak moved quickly to the Helnr'c.
"Where were you?"
Cringing inwardly, the Jaffa turned to face the Goa'uld. "I was called away to check some equipment, my Lord."
"You left without permission."
Deldrak bowed his head, praying he'd survive this exchange. "I am--" His words were cut off by a frantic beeping noise from the Helnr'c. "My Lord! Marjo is in close proximity to one of the slaves. I believe she is about to attack!"
Dedun swept the First Prime aside as he moved to stand in front of the tracking device. "What manner of deviltry is this? Marjo was not to pursue the woman!"
"P..Perhaps she is not, my Lord. Did you not, in your wisdom, notice that one of the males had lost his tracking device?"
Frowning the Goa'uld leaned closer to the Helnr'c. "It is possible. Marjo has much potential."
"Do you wish me to send Jaffa to their location?"
"Why?" Dedun was obviously confused as he glanced at his First Prime.
"Because of the female, my Lord. You wished her to survive."
"Then see to it that she does."
"Yes, my Lord."
******
Teal'c glanced at the Helnr'c. "We are equidistant between the two cats. Which do you wish to pursue?"
Jack responded without hesitation. "The one ahead of us. We know Carter went that way. Obviously 'her' cat was redirected at us. Can you still see her trail?"
"Not well. The trees block the light of the moon so tracking her will be very slow."
The colonel nodded toward the device on Teal'c's wrist. "What about that?"
Teal'c looked puzzled. "It shows the cats, our position, and the one remaining blue mark which could be either Captain Carter or Daniel Jackson."
"I know that. Can you get us to the cat from the position on it?"
"What of Captain Carter's trail?"
"Our primary concern right now is survival. We've eliminated one cat permanently. And the handler's pretty useless for all intents and purposes. If we take out the pair ahead of us, we've got time to pick up her trail again." Adding a silent, 'I hope', Jack looked expectantly at the Jaffa.
"An admirable plan, O'Neill. Follow me."
"You're the man, Teal'c." Taking note of the odd expression on Teal'c's face, Jack amended his statement. "Right. Follow you. I can do that."
******
Daniel climbed gingerly to his feet, making sure he was well away from the edge. Placing his hands on the ledge close to where Sam was crouching, he tested the strength of the ground. The edge crumbly slightly, causing him to cough violently as he searched for a handhold. Finally securing what appeared to be a stable point on the ledge above him, he took a deep breath and jumped, pushing upward with his arms. Muscles flexed in the moonlight as the archaeologist strained to pull his weight back to the upper ledge with Sam. She moved backwards quickly, resisting the urge to reach out and help him for fear the rash, which was so prevalent on her arms and hands, would infect the younger man. And with his allergies, the outcome of such contact could be extreme.
Gasping, he made it to the top, then rose shakily to stand beside her. The threat of the pyramid ship still hung over them and they darted quickly behind the rocks, hoping they hadn't been seen. His eyes narrowed as he caught sight of her rash. "What happened to your arms?"
"What happened to your shirt?" Sam's question coincided with Daniel's. The teammates grinned broadly at each other then Sam answered his question. "I ran into the local version of poison ivy. Thank God the itching is gone now, but for a while I really thought I'd rather meet one of the cats. Now, about your shirt?"
"I threw it into a briar patch, hoping to gain some time to get away from the cat over there. I got well ahead of her, I think. Don't know how she got so close."
"My guess is that she got away from her handler. I met him on the trail here. That's where I got this." She nodded at the weapon in her hand.
"What is it?"
"I think it's one of those zat'nikatel guns Teal'c told the military about when he was debriefed. I'd love to get one of these babies back to the armory."
"You used it on the handler?" Daniel asked quietly.
Sam looked at the archaeologist closely, recognizing immediately that he was afraid she'd killed the Jaffa. In the short time they'd worked together, his reluctance to carry a weapon of any sort had become obvious. He'd only consented when faced with a 'carry one and learn to use it, or stay the hell at home' ultimatum of the colonel. Daniel certainly didn't subscribe to the 'kill or be killed' school of thought. Neither, of course, did she. "Yes, Daniel, I shot him with it, and tied him up so that he couldn't chase us anymore. He was still alive when I left him, if that's what you're worried about."
Blushing slightly, Daniel nodded toward the ship. "We're on the wrong side of the canyon, ya know."
"I'd figured that out, thanks. I suppose you know we'll have to climb down to the canyon to get across."
"Then climb back up the other side. Yes, I'd figured that out, thanks. The Stargate's over there. But we also have to worry about the river in the canyon."
"River? I didn't see a river!"
Daniel smiled. "I got here before it got too dark to see. There's a river at the bottom of the canyon, but it looks pretty narrow."
Sam sighed irritably. "If it looks narrow this high up, the thing's probably pretty wide. That probably means undercurrents, hydraulics, that sort of thing. We're gonna need a boat, darn it!"
"I know where a raft is."
"Excuse me?"
"A raft. Some Jaffa hid a raft on this side of the river. I know where it is."
Sam stared wide-eyed at the younger man. Gulping she managed a strangled, "And do you know where the Jaffa are?"
"No, they got out and ... Oh!"
"Right. Oh. Ever do any night climbing?"
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part - 21 ↑
Opscocia froze in her tracks, standing motionless except for her broad pink nose that twitched with excitement. The Jaffa holding her leash smiled as he spoke into his tiny radio. "Opscocia has found them. Shall I release her, my lord?"
The device crackled loudly for a short moment, then the transmission cleared. "Be warned. Vexica is dead. Marjo is incapacitated. Titia has increased her speed and should be there soon. Restrain Opscocia at all costs. Our Master will be most displeased should he lose another cat today."
The handler frowned in irritation. Titia was to take the kill? This would limit, if not negate, his own reward. If the master's favorite slew the two males, he could easily end up with nothing more than the scratch on his hand for the trouble these ... thieves had caused. An angry "Jaffa Kree!" told him he'd held his silence far too long. "Yes, my lord, I understand. It will be as my God commands." His thought continued, 'and he has commanded the death of these thieves.'
Kneeling beside the cat, he idly played with the catch to her leash. To his ... dismay ... it came loose in his hand, and the cat, sensing her freedom, bounded into the brush. Smiling slightly, he called out softly, "Opscocia, no!" After all, Deldrak had not specifically stated to keep her pinned. His smile broadened as he hastened after the animal, intent on securing his just reward.
******
Daniel stared at Sam in absolute horror. "*Night ... climbing!* How about no climbing?"
Sam cocked her head and *looked* at Daniel. The younger man felt his face grow hot under her gaze. Squirming uncomfortably, he muttered, "Well, that's not exactly true. Jack made me take a beginner climbing course. Said that I needed to know at least the basics or I could just sit my butt at home. But you already knew that, didn't you?"
"I *am* the second in command, Daniel. I'm not privy to everything, but I am familiar with the training you've had since we've been a team." She slid closer to the edge, staring at the canyon's walls in the light of a near full moon. "Good. Lotsa shelves."
"Shelves?" The tremor in Daniel's voice did not go unnoticed by Sam.
"Shelves. Think of the mule trails in the Grand Canyon. Canyons are often various levels of shifting shelves and plates. Looks like this one may follow the pattern, at least from what I can see up here in the moonlight. We'll slide back onto the one you just left and see if we can follow it down."
"Think it goes all the way to the bottom?"
"No, but there should be others."
"But if they're connected ... Oh."
"Right. We may have to drop down to the shelves below us. And the path may take us miles away from where we want to end up. Expect to do a lot of back-tracking, particularly if we run into a dead end where the next shelf is more than a double drop."
Daniel asked weakly, "A double drop?"
"Sorry, twice your height."
"I see. ... Sorry, no I don't see. Why not?"
Sam's expression was somber. "Lack of control. Even with a double drop I always lower myself over the edge until I'm fully extended, essentially making it a shorter fall."
"Then you let go and land on the shelf below you?"
"Not exactly." Sam shook her head, emphasizing the negative. "If you land flat against the canyon wall, there's no room for your knees to bend and unless you're very, very lucky, you'll end up losing your balance and falling off the shelf. *Not* on my top ten list."
"So you push off and hope you don't miss?"
Even in the moonlight, Sam could see her teammate's face lose color. "What I do is slowly release one hand and let gravity and momentum spin me around so that I'm facing out. Then I push my, uh, rear away from the wall, and land facing away from the wall. That way I have room to fall backwards."
"Got it."
"Do you really?"
"I really hope so."
******
Teal'c again stopped abruptly, but this time Jack avoided a rear-end collision. Quickly congratulating himself for his lightening fast reflexes - yeah, right, Jack - he tapped the Jaffa on the shoulder. By unconscious consent the teammates knew they must communicate silently. Teal'c tapped the screen of the Helnr'c which plainly showed two red dots closing in on their position from different directions. Motioning Teal'c toward the one ahead of them, Jack indicated he would take on the one behind them. Teal'c's brow furrowed in concern, but Jack smugly patted the staff weapon he held in his hand, then pointed to Teal'c's own weapon. Nodding his understanding, the Jaffa unstrapped the tracking device from his wrist and handed it to Jack, who immediately understood the purpose. Teal'c's own highly developed sense of direction would lead him, unerringly, to a rendezvous with the cat approaching from the front. He, on the other hand, would need the locating blip on the Helnr'c to have a snowball's chance in hell of finding the cat behind them. Before it found him.
Giving a thumb's up signal to the Jaffa, Jack snapped the Helnr'c around his wrist, turned and disappeared into the brush, miraculously avoiding contact with the Ebony Fuzzies that had become the bane of Carter's existence for a while. Teal'c watched him disappear, then turned in search of his prey.
******
Sam frowned as she studied the unconscious cat. Lifting her weapon, she took aim, prepared to make a killing shot. Her momentary hesitation allowed Daniel time to cry out softly, "Don't!"
"Why...why not?" Sam asked tremulously, perfectly willing to be convinced not to kill the beautiful animal.
"She's not evil. She's only doing what her training and instincts tell her to. Will she be able to follow us on the shelves?"
"I don't know," Sam admitted, "probably. They don't call them Mountain Lions back home because the live in the desert."
"True, but you can always shoot her again."
Against her better judgement, Sam allowed herself to be swayed by Daniel's argument. Fastening the weapon as best she could to her skimpy tunic, Sam replied. "Okay. Let's get a move on. Back down to the shelf below, Daniel." She turned to smile encouragingly at the young man. "I know you've never done any pure rock climbing, Daniel, but there are two rules. One, do not look down. Two, no matter how high up you are, you're never more than two feet off the ground."
"Why," he replied sarcastically, "am I not feeling better?"
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A sharp gasp, punctuated by falling stones and a sudden thump, took Sam's breath away. When she could finally speak, her voice was a full octave higher than normal. "D..Daniel?"
"Yes?" The squeaky response was music to her ears.
"What just happened?
"I...I slipped." The squeak was gone, replaced by a slight stammer. "L...Landed on my butt."
Peering upwards, she frowned at the shelf above her. The first downward move from the top of the canyon had been so simple. The shelf was wide enough to allow both of them to slide easily onto it, without fear of falling into the gorge below. From there, they'd gone maybe a hundred feet before the path narrowed its way to an end. The moonlight had illuminated a narrow shelf less than five feet below their current position and Sam had backtracked a short distance until the span appeared to be slightly over six feet. No way did she want Daniel's first challenge to include having to compensate for his height. Going first had *seemed* like a good idea. "Daniel?"
"Yes?" The stammer and the squeak were gone, possibly a good sign.
"You looked down, didn't you?"
A brief moment of silence preceded a sheepish. "Yes." But before Sam could berate him for disobeying her instructions, he continued, "You went over so fast and there wasn't any noise. I mean, I couldn't hear you land, but you didn't scream so I didn't really think you fell, but I wasn't sure if you were okay, so I figured it wouldn't hurt to look, but I got too close and the stones slid, and my foot tried to go with them, but it's okay now, and you'd scream if you fell, wouldn't you?"
Sam stood perfectly still, mulling over the stream of words, amazed that adrenaline could produce the same effect as too much caffeine. Finally translating the question in his response, she belatedly responded, "Yes, Daniel. I can pretty well guarantee that, but I'm not going to fall and neither are you, not if you follow my instructions to the letter. Got it?"
"Yes." Daniel's voice had gone from high-pitched to barely audible.
Hating herself, but knowing she had to get his full attention, and cooperation, she put on her best annoyed captain's voice, barking out a stern, "Daniel! I cannot hear you!"
Startled by the severity of her tone, Daniel stiffened on the ledge
above her. "Sorry, Sam. I'm okay now."
Softening her tone slightly, she replied, "Then how about joining me. We've got a long way to go."
******
Teal'c emerged from the forest and carefully studied his surroundings. The trees had grown more scarce as he'd traveled away from O'Neill, being replaced by these very odd looking bushes. He frowned as he absently scratched his arm. The only cover in sight was the strange black bushes. At least they *looked* black, but he knew from experience that the night put its own slant on color. As a matter of fact, they seemed to be the only thing of any size on the plain. And they appeared to grow more scarce as he looked into the distance. If he stayed near the forest's edge, he might pick up Captain Carter's trail once more, but would he accomplish his mission to eliminate the threat of the hunters?
A shadow on the tundra caught his attention, and he watched with something akin to amusement as the cat's silhouette appeared in the moonlight. Tightening his hold on the zat'nikatel, Teal'c watched as the large white cat sniffed the wind. She turned slightly, and cocked her head in confusion, before growling softly and padding in his direction. He waited patiently until she was closer, then zatted her three times, her body disintegrating with the third shot. Earlier in this journey he had spared the lives of one cat and her handler. Regrettably, this was no longer possible. He now knew the whereabouts of his teammates and all threats to their safety must be dealt with. Absently wondering why it had not occurred to him to disintegrate the remains of the animal O'Neill had slain, Teal'c squatted in the embrace of one of the odd bushes to wait on the handler to catch up with his cat.
******
The moonlight turned the woods into a haunted forest. Shadows danced in the light breeze as Jack moved silently, he hoped, down the trail. He'd lost the red blip on the Helnr'c only moments before, which told him the animal, at least, was close. Fingering the staff weapon in his hand, he knew the cat would lose the contest, provided he saw her first. The snap of a twig alerted him to company, and he ducked quickly out of sight. He scanned the area around him until he saw two Jaffa. Shit, he'd forgotten there were two handlers behind them, but where was the cat? Studying the actions of the Jaffa closely, he realized that the taller one's face was filled with rage ... and grief, while the other was obviously searching for something. The cat, perhaps? Oh. How stupid of him. Two handlers, one cat. They'd obviously found the remains of the animal he'd slain. As the pair moved forward, studying the earth as they went, Jack tightened his grip on his staff weapon.
Knowing its limited range, he silently urged the Jaffa closer. A low rumble warned him too late that he'd discounted the cat much too soon. Whirling, he tried to fire his weapon, but the cat was quicker. Slamming an over-large paw against the staff, Titia balanced it with her claws, looking for all the world as if she would try to use it against him. She chewed on it for a short moment before ripping it out of his hands. The staff weapon landed a few feet away as the cat aimed the massive paw for a killing blow. Jack rolled to one side, involuntarily yelping as her claws shredded his tunic, barely missing his back in the process. Realizing he had moved close to the weapon, he scrambled madly toward it, but was thwarted by a blast from a handler's staff. The fiery blast barely missed him but had the benefit of frightening the cat. Leaping backwards to escape the flames, Titia's roar of protest shook the night. As additional blasts toyed with him, preventing him from regaining the staff weapon or making good an escape, Jack's only thought was that this had been a really, really bad day.
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As suddenly as they'd started, the blasts from the staff weapon ceased, and with the silence came the low, angry snarl of the cat. Jack rolled to his knees, automatically reaching behind him for his lost weapon. His hand connected with the staff even as a heavy weight descended onto his chest. Her hot, foul breath caused him to gag as he wrapped his hands around her throat in a desperate attempt to prevent her teeth from making contact with his body. A scream matching her own lifted toward the heavens as Titia clamped her jaws firmly around his left shoulder and started to shake him like a rag toy.
The pain was like nothing the colonel had ever experienced. His shoulder felt as if a torch had been applied to it, and daggers of agony raced down his chest, then spread backwards down his arm, virtually eliminating all feeling in his hand. And all the while, his free hand beat with reckless abandon against the animal's chest in a futile attempt to escape the torment.
"Titia! Kree!" The handler's command could barely be heard above the ear-piercing screams.
The slight release of pressure told Jack's subconscious that the animal was thinking about obeying. His brain warned his body to be ready to run, an idea that his body, under other circumstances, might have been willing to entertain. Instead, he found himself hanging limply from her massive jaws, as her flashing brown eyes indicated her desire to finish off her prey.
Moving cautiously forward, the handler knelt beside the snarling beast. Reaching out slowly, he clasped a leash to her broad collar. She watched his every move, relaxing only when certain the Jaffa would not try to take her prey. His voice was firm, with a touch of anger as he repeated the command. "Titia! Kree!"
With her master so near, the huge animal reluctantly released her grip on Jack's shoulder and moved slowly away from him, reaching out to bat angrily at her lost toy. The heavy paw impacted the colonel's damaged shoulder, and another scream escaped his already raw throat. Collapsing to the ground, the colonel remained frozen in place as the animal settled into a watchful position less than three feet from his head.
"You should have let Titia kill him. He is one of those who killed my Vexica!" The grieving handler's voice hissed angrily above Jack's head.
"Master Deldrak's most recent orders are to take the two males alive." A broad hand came to rest on the cat's head. "Easy, Titia, you may yet be able to continue your play."
An oddly familiar whirring noise teased at the edges of Jack's consciousness. As the blackness overtook his senses, he realized that the transport rings had descended around him.
******
"Well, now, that wasn't so hard, was it?" Sam's forced cheeriness was not lost on her companion whose expression belied his response. This was their fourth drop and each had been worse than the last.
"Oh, piece of cake." Daniel's smile did not reach his eyes as he attempted to cling to the rocks behind him. "These things should come with handles."
Sam stifled a laugh as she studied the younger man's face in the moonlight. He was sweating profusely, and looked deathly pale in the limited light. "Take a deep breath, Daniel. Take a couple of deep breaths. This shelf looks like it's heading downhill at a pretty steep angle. Translation, it's gonna be tough going."
"Terrific. Are...are we any closer to the bottom?"
"Yes. Now for the choice."
"Choice?" Daniel gulped. "I'm not gonna like this, am I?"
"Probably not. I checked the area beneath us. There's a narrow shelf slightly less than a double drop beneath us, so it won't be as easy to get a good foothold."
"So, we can go this way or go down one more level?"
"Right, but it angles back the wrong way. This one goes the right way but, like I said, it's steep. Backtracking will be really tough if we need to. It's your choice."
Daniel studied his feet for a moment, then sighed. "Sam, I really don't want to do another drop right now. Besides this one goes the right way, and I've got a feeling that we need to get to the bottom soon."
"I agree. The sooner, the better."
******
A stinging slap jerked the colonel back into full consciousness, a state he regretted immediately. His eyes watered heavily as the next blow struck home and he threw his arm up instinctively to ward off the next blow.
"Enough!" Dedun's crisp order was instantly obeyed. "He is awake. You surprise me, slave. I did not anticipate that you would join forces with your companions, even search them out, as you have done."
Jack remained wisely silent as the Goa'uld spoke, quietly assessing his condition as well as his surroundings. The presence of a healing device on Dedun's hand explained the absence of pain in his shoulder, but his overall feeling of malaise indicated he'd lost a great deal of blood. The gaudily decorated room told him he was once more on the pyramid ship. But where was his team? Confused and concerned, Jack pushed himself into a sitting position and glared at the 'God'.
"Vexica is dead." Dedun's voice was strangely without emotion. "Opscocia is also dead. Marjo has only just begun to prowl again and my Titia, my darling Titia, is safely with me."
Jack grimaced in spite of himself as the large animal padded to her master's side and nuzzled his hand.
"I ask you now, did you slay Vexica?"
"Big, red, dead cat?" Jack asked sarcastically.
"She was very large, and red."
"Yepper, I killed her."
"What of Opscocia? Were you the means of her death as well?"
"Yes." If it were possible to turn the Goa'uld's wrath solely toward himself, he would do so. Anything to save his team, who he hoped were still free."
A stinging slap rocked his head to one side and blinded his vision with the requisite stars.
"Liar. Opscocia died as you were attacked. Your companion, the Jaffa, disposed of her." Dedun shrugged. "He also disposed of her handler, thus saving me the trouble of executing him."
'Way to go, Teal'c!' Jack silently cheered his friend's success.
Dedun studied his recalcitrant prisoner. "I have tired of this game. You have cost me two of my cats, and three of my handlers. And while the latter are easier to replace, it will still be several days before their replacements can arrive, with three new, as yet untrained, hunting cats."
"Can't say I'm sorry." Jack barely retained his balance as an overlarge hand succeeded in loosening some of the teeth in his head.
"Enough! Bring him." Dedun moved quickly to the center of the transport ring circle, followed by his guards who unceremoniously dragged Jack into the circle and pushed him to his knees before the Goa'uld.
The rings quickly placed the group on a large boulder in the middle of the river. Even in the moonlight, Jack could tell the rapids were at least category six - skilled rafters need only apply - as the force of the water sent an occasional spray over the group. Daring a quick glance upwards, Jack found the pyramid ship to be almost directly above his position.
"Secure him."
Unable to do more than snarl a protest, Jack soon found himself spread eagle and tightly chained to the boulder's surface. Dedun knelt beside the man and, smiling knowingly, touched the colonel's face. "Of your companions, only the Jaffa and the female are left, and they are both heading for the river, although only the female will reach the edge of the river before dawn. She will either leave you to your fate and seek escape for herself, or she will drown attempting to rescue you. Either way, you will be bird feed by the setting of tomorrow's suns. The Eipyt'wt will feed well tomorrow."
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part - 24 ↑
'Daniel's dead. Daniel's dead.' The words kept circling in his head as Dedun delivered his farewell speech. The son-of-a-bitch Goa'uld had killed a member of his team! Dammit to hell, he knew he should have chained the young scientist to his desk. Daniel was ... had been a civilian, and it had been Jack's duty to protect him at all costs. The familiar whirring noise signaled the arrival of the transport rings, and Jack pulled himself out of his thoughts long enough to twist his head to glare at the departing Goa'uld. The Goa'uld, of course, took no notice.
It took more effort than he would have thought possible to return to staring at the huge ringed moon hanging high in the sky. Hadn't there been a couple of other moons? He really couldn't remember. It was so hard to think and the noise of the river didn't help his concentration. All that water, and none to drink. Odd, it wasn't hot so why was he so thirsty? Okay, he'd lost a great deal of blood, he could tell that from the stains on his tunic. How much was too much? Could someone die of blood loss if they weren't still bleeding? His addled thoughts suggested that the possibility was real, but he was really too tired to care. Hell, he'd been damn lucky the cat hadn't snapped his spine. At least he didn't think she had. Could a healing device fix that? Somehow, he really doubted it. God, he was so tired.
Too tired, and too damn cold, but that was probably as much shock as it was the chill of the breeze coming off the river. Shock. Shit! He knew shock could be fatal, so if shock and blood loss were combined ... Sweet. Death warrant. Had to be. Pretty place to die, though. God, he was cold. But not as cold as Daniel. Had the cat eaten him or merely left his body to rot where it lay? Had he suffered much before the end or had his death been mercifully swift? Jack knew, from his recent encounter, just how much the cat's teeth hurt as they sank into tender flesh. No time to think of that now. He had to get free. Had to help Sam. And Teal'c. Jack pulled feebly at his bindings, wondering momentarily if the tough material was made of naquadah. His energy spent, he collapsed against the cold stone, and stared once again at the stars, thinking of the Goa'uld's parting words, 'you will be bird feed by the setting of tomorrow's suns. The Eipyt'wt will feed well tomorrow.' Brow furrowed in confusion, Jack asked no one in particular, "What the hell is an Eipyt'wt?"
******
"They're gone. We...we can get up now." Relief was evident in Sam's voice as she whispered to Daniel.
"If they're gone, why are we whispering?"
Sam grinned in spite of herself and responded in a more normal tone. "I don't know. I'm just glad you spotted the rings before we started down the slope."
Daniel stared, puzzled, into the distance, replying absently. "Yeah. Wonder what they were doing in the middle of the river?" He strained to see in the darkness, but was hampered by the loss of his glasses.
Sam frowned as she looked toward the large boulder where the transport rings had suddenly materialized. Her eyes widened as she realized that there was something there. "Daniel, there's something on the rock."
"What?"
"I don't know. My eyes aren't *that* good. Whatever it is appeared to be moving, I think. There's no movement now, though. We'll be closer by the time we get to the bottom, maybe we can tell more by then." Sam glanced at Daniel who was now staring at her. "What's wrong?"
"You're kinda red."
"What?" Sam cocked her head to one side, suddenly aware that her face felt very warm.
"Your face is really red. I can see it even in the moonlight. It's kinda puffy too. Do you have a fever?" Daniel asked, concern lacing his tones, as he reached for her face.
"Don't!" Sam dodged his touch. "I told you, I picked up something akin to poison ivy. Trust me, you don't want it."
Daniel's hand dropped slowly to his side. "Oh. Yeah. Right. But do you have a fever?"
Sam sighed in resignation. "Yes, Daniel. I think I have a fever and I think it's rising slowly. We really need to get to the bottom of the cliff."
******
Teal'c was having a good night, but his good fortune did nothing to quell the rage he was currently feeling. He'd eliminated the cat and her handler with extraordinary ease, and finding a SG-1 GDO on the Jaffa's wrist had been an incredible stroke of good fortune. He could not imagine why the handler had been wearing the device. Surely the Goa'uld had not known what it was for? It was a puzzle he could not take time to decipher. Kneeling beside the body he searched for other items which might be useful, hoping to find even more of their confiscated belongings. He'd just begun to search, when the tatters of his own tunic caught his eye. He and the dead Jaffa were almost the same size. In a matter of moments, he'd taken the handler's tunic for his own.
Moving the body had the unexpected result of finding the dead Jaffa's staff weapon which, to Teal'c's disgust, had snapped in two as the handler had fallen, rendering it useless. Sighing in frustration, Teal'c then backtracked in an attempt to render aid to the colonel. The appearance overhead of a Goa'uld transport caused the Jaffa to increase his speed, slowing only when the small ship headed back toward the pyramid ship. With a heavy heart, Teal'c pressed onward, stopping only when he found the discarded staff weapon, cat tracks, and blood. A great deal of blood. Three sets of footprints merged near the cat tracks, telling him that the colonel had lost his battle. Two Jaffa, in standard footwear, had stepped into what could only be the imprint of a body rolling in the dirt. The proximity of the cat's tracks told Teal'c why.
Before he could regain his composure, a common Tau'ri curse escaped his lips, and Teal'c frowned. Master Bra'tac would be most displeased with this lack of control. Curses were, of course, everyday fodder among the Jaffa, particular those of the warrior class. No, what the old master would not condone is the anger, the rage, the absolute hate that was now blinding his protegee to his duty. Taking a deep breath, Teal'c made his decision. The colonel was beyond his assistance. Daniel Jackson was still among the missing. Captain Carter was the only member of SG-1 whose location he felt he almost knew. He hesitated for a moment, then tested the zat'nikatel charge. Frowning, he found it to be nearly exhausted. Tossing the gun to one side, he jerked the staff weapon from the ground and tested it. There appeared to be an almost full charge in the staff, telling him that O'Neill had not managed to get off even one shot in his own defense. Resolved to avenge what he believed to be the deaths of his two male companions, the Jaffa turn to retrace his steps to the plain. He would at least keep faith with O'Neill by ensuring Captain Carter was safely returned to the SGC.
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Teal'c absently scratched his arms as he studied the ground. The moons provided only limited lighting, but his vision was sufficiently enhanced by his symbiont's presence to allow him to see relatively well. He'd cast around for almost an hour before finally finding Captain Carter's tracks. Kneeling, he reached out to examine the ground around them, frowning as he realized her finer tread was almost obliterated by a larger, broader print of a Jaffa male. *Not* a good thing. The only redeeming feature was that no feline prints were anywhere in the vicinity.
Rising quickly, Teal'c started off at a pressing pace, one which he doubted his teammates could have maintained for very long. All the better that the colonel was no longer with him. A brief stab of something akin to guilt poked at his conscience, but he quickly dispelled the feeling. O'Neill was resourceful, and quite well trained ... for a Tau'ri. True, the amount of blood on the ground indicated severe injury to the officer, but the Goa'uld had apparently wanted him alive or Teal'c would have found only bone and bits of flesh. While this boded ill for his companion in the long run, Teal'c suspected it might work to O'Neill's advantage in the not-so-distant future.
Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, the Jaffa realized that his concern for the female member of the team had been well founded. The trail she blazed across the plain proved her to be unaware of the handler, and possibly the cat, behind her. If the Jaffa had found ... this could not be right. The colonel had killed one cat, then been taken prisoner by two Jaffa and a second cat. Two for two. And he had taken out a Jaffa and a cat who were between Captain Carter and himself. Logically these should be the hunting team assigned to the female. Perhaps...his attempts to rationalize the situation were halted by an obvious change in the pattern of the tracks he followed. The handler's tread suddenly turned, heading at a right angle from the captain's. Curious, Teal'c followed the new trail, and was rewarded with the discovery of feline tracks merging with those of the Jaffa handler. Smiling in satisfaction that the mystery was solved, Teal'c visually followed the pairs' trail back toward the woods, and away from Captain Carter. For now, at least, she was safe. There would be no further threat from *that* pair.
******
"YIPES!" Daniel barely choked back a scream as his knee gave way on the steep slope, planting him on his butt. Sliding for a good five feet before managing to grab a protruding rock, the archaeologist turned a too-pale face back toward the horrified captain.
"Daniel! Are you alright? What happened?" Sam's words almost ran together as she struggled to hide her fear.
"My bad knee gave out. With as much stretching and jumping and ... what's wrong?"
"*What* bad knee?" Sam moved cautiously to stand beside him on the downward slope.
Even in the moonlight, she could see him blush. "Oh, uh, well, I kinda rolled down a hill and dislocated my kneecap. I popped it back in place. It was doing okay until ... what's the matter?"
Her eyes flashed with anger as she glared down at the younger man. "You hurt your *knee* and you let me take you through those drops! What if your knee had given out on a double drop? There would have been no way to keep you from falling to the bottom of the canyon."
"That didn't happen." Daniel replied reasonably as he pushed himself upright.
"But it *could* have! Still could, for that matter. We've got a ways to go. If you'd told me earlier, I might have made different choices on this descent. Like not choosing this slope. It's much harder on the knees that a straight drop is and we're probably going to have to pick up speed soon. We've got to get off this cliff face before the sun comes up or else plan on being used for target practice by the local Jaffa."
Abashed, Daniel replied. "I'm sorry. But it's okay, really. I can make it down this without a problem."
Sam tried hard to retain her anger, and failed miserably. Not an uncommon happening where Daniel Jackson was concerned. The sad puppy-dog eyes with the long bangs dangling into them. The half-pouting lips, the contrite, humbled body posture. All combined to disarm the unwary, and the wary alike. The younger man looked so completely ... vulnerable and she suspected he used it, at least on a subconscious level. There was not an overtly deceptive fiber in his being. Sighing heavily, she held his eyes with hers. "You're sure?"
"Yes. Honest." Daniel squinted in the direction of the river. "Sam, I think it's moving again."
Turning to stare at the boulder in the river, Sam strained to see. "I think you're right, but I still can't tell what it is. Could be human, or not." She wiped sweat from her forehead as she spoke. "And this fever isn't doing a thing for my eyesight. We'll just have to get closer..."
A throaty growl from several shelves above them caused the SG-1 pair to moan in disgust. "Not the damn cat!"
"I shoulda killed it when I had the chance." Sam absently fingered the zat'nikatel, which had miraculously survived the downward trek so far.
Miserably, Daniel nodded. "I'm sorry. I should've let you."
******
There were several things Jack was now certain of. He was tired, cold, thirsty, and madder than hell. He'd slept fitfully for what appeared to have been several hours, if the position of the moons in the sky could be an indicator. And while he wasn't nearly as disoriented as he had been when Lord DumDum had abandoned him, he was still not in top form. If one of the cats should come along, he'd look like a prime cut of meat all laid out and ready to eat. Hell, he might as well have a dinner bell hanging over his head. The splash of an overlarge wave reminded him that he was in the middle of the river and thus immune to cat attacks ... thank God cats hated water. Except for tigers. He'd seen a National Geographic special ... with Daniel. Shit. Daniel. For a few moments, he'd managed to forget that he would go home - and go home he would, dammit-to-hell - with one less team member than he'd come to this stupid planet with. So much for the 'no one gets left behind' rule.
A spark of light almost blinded him, and he twisted within his restraints, realizing as he did so that it had probably not been a good idea to struggle so hard against the naquadah bindings. His new position aggravated the cuts he'd sustained trying to work the bindings loose. Frowning he realized that the sun or suns were beginning to rise. Crap. *Now* it would get too hot. Flopping back into his original position eased the pain in his wrists and ankles and allowed him a terrific view of the early morning sky. Complete with ... what the hell? Jack strained to see and finally focused on a very large, very yellow bird that was circling his position high in the sky. Terrific. Probably PX7-384's version of a vulture. Odd that it was yellow. All he needed now was a black kitty to chase the canary-colored creature. Make that creatures. Oh Oh. Why did he suddenly think that he'd found the Eipyt'wt or rather, they'd found him?
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Teal'c was not accustomed to vocalizing his amusement, so his sudden, but brief, fit of laughter surprised him as well as the Jaffa on the plain. The first rays of morning sunlight were peeking over the surrounding mountains when Teal'c spotted the writhing form in the distance. Immediately concerned that Captain Carter might be in some difficulty, the Jaffa increased his already rapid pace to reach her side. He was not, however, quite prepared for the sight that met his eyes.
Just ahead, a tall, thin Jaffa in the uniform of the god Dedun lay in the dirt, his uniform in tatters and his arms and legs bleeding from multiple scrapes. The thin leather strap which bound his ankles and wrists together was stained with the blood oozing from cuts caused by the leather. Dark blue eyes flashed in anger at Teal'c's amusement. A snarl, reminiscent of a cat's growl, escaped the bound Jaffa's lips. "You find this ... amusing?"
Teal'c cocked his head, his smile growing even more wide. "Indeed. It is apparent that Dedun does not value ... fitness and training in his ... servants."
"That's the God Dedun, to you, Slave! You will release me now!"
Moving to stand over the downed man, Teal'c wiped all traces of amusement from his face. "No."
"No what?" Confusion now interspersed itself with rage in the bound Jaffa's tones.
"No, Dedun is not a god. No, I am not a slave, and no, I will not release you." Teal'c frowned severely at his enemy. "Where is the female?"
A hint of a smile toyed with the edges of the Jaffa's mouth as he shrugged unconcerned. "She is dead. I eliminated her body with the zat'nikatel, after Marjo had ripped her throat out."
******
"Uh oh."
Daniel's back stiffened even as Sam muttered to herself from her position just around the bend in front of him. "Uh oh?"
Sam sighed slightly before she returned to face him. "This shelf ends around the bend."
"Oh." Daniel moaned slightly as he glanced back up the rise behind him. His first reaction was that the shelf dead-ended or there was no way down. Crap! Going down it had been nightmare enough, climbing up would be worse. His mood darkened as he suddenly remembered that there'd been no makeable drops visible from it either. "Does that mean we have to backtrack?"
"Not necessarily." She replied slowly. "Backtracking would take at least twice as long, cutting into our time. The sun's beginning to rise - you can see light over the mountains - and it'll be open season on SG-1 if the Jaffa you spotted last night see us. There's simply no place to hide. No, the only option is to go forward."
Daniel eyed his companion suspiciously. "I thought you said this shelf ended."
"It does."
Sam's sudden refusal to look him in the eye raised Daniel's suspicions to new heights. "Exactly how does it end?" Silently he was praying she wouldn't say a really long drop.
Taking a deep breath, she replied. "There's a shelf above us."
"How far above us?"
"Let's just say we wouldn't try it going down."
"Oh. But we can climb up to it?"
She nodded silently.
Daniel gulped. "So once again, the choice is up to me? Either we go back or we go up?"
"I'm sorry, but that's about the size of it."
"What aren't you telling me? I mean, if we do climb up, and the shelf ends, can we climb back down here again?"
"We won't need to. I can see that the shelf goes close enough to the bottom so that we could jump if we needed to. But what I wasn't telling you is that we have to climb over and up."
"Is this the part where I'm supposed to say, 'what the hell, let's go for it?'"
"Daniel..."
"No, really, 'cause if it is, I really don't want to let the team down by backing out now."
Sam's eyes widened at the younger man's unusual display of temper.
"Sorry." Her surprise caused him to blush. "I shouldn't have said that. But damn it, climb across to it? How far?"
"About five feet over and maybe fourteen feet up?"
"That's almost twenty feet of climbing!" Daniel was aghast at the idea.
"Actually, it's a little more than twenty. It's easier to step down onto a shelf than to pull yourself onto it. So we're gonna have to climb above the upper shelf and then drop..." Her words faded away as Daniel just *looked* at her. Wincing at the obvious fear in the eyes of the younger man, she continued quickly. "I'm sorry, Daniel. I just can't think of anything else to do. It's the fastest way to the bottom."
Sighing heavily, the archaeologist surrendered. "Okay. What the hell, let's go for it!"
******
Teal'c's eyebrows slid up his forehead. "And then you tied yourself up?"
A low laugh gave him room for pause. "No. That was another male. He overpowered me after her death, bound me, and took my weapon."
A thread of doubt began to weave its way through Teal'c's subconscious. If Daniel Jackson had found this ... Jaffa ... and knew that he had killed Captain Carter, he would have behaved as the Jaffa described. Was the young scientist alive? Teal'c knew he would rejoice if the young man yet lived. But at what cost? Even Daniel Jackson would not wish to live at the expense of Captain Carter. "Where is he now?"
"I do not know. He rendered me unconscious, then fled, like the coward that he is."
"Who are you?" Teal'c suddenly realized that the Jaffa had a name, and possibly a lineage he would recognize, one which would prove the man to be a liar or not.
"I am Laun of the Harpotlian Plains of Randow."
"I am unfamiliar with your lineage."
"I do not care. Release me."
A bird's angry cry pulled Teal'c's attention away from the bound Jaffa. Glancing upward, he saw the large yellow birds circling overhead.
Laun saw them as well, and panicked. "Please, you cannot leave me here for the Eipyt'wt. They will rip me to shreds, and pick my bones clean."
"Death is what you deserve for the murder of Captain Carter."
The Jaffa paled dramatically and watched with panicked eyes as Teal'c moved away from him, looking for tracks in the rocky surface. "Wait! I...I lied. She lives. She is the one who bested me, to my everlasting shame."
"So a female overcame you and you would lie rather than admit defeat at the hands of a woman?" Even as he asked the question, a heavy weight lifted from his chest. Daniel Jackson might yet be dead, but at least the death of Captain Carter did not lie on his conscience.
"Yes."
"Then I will leave you to your fate." Teal'c turned to walk away, concerned because the ground contained no trace of his teammate's prints.
"Wait. I can get you across the river. To your ship."
"Indeed." Teal'c stared with interest at Laun, trying to gauge the truthfulness of the other's words.
"Yes." Laun's words came quickly and desperately. He'd seen an attack by the Eipyt'wt and did not wish to be on the receiving end of one. "We're on the other side of the canyon where my Lord Dedun's ship is located. If the female has seen the canyon, she will surely be trying to get to the other side - if she has any intelligence, that is."
"She does. Continue."
"The ground grows increasingly hard and rocky from here, making it difficult for all but the most skilled of trackers to find a trail. I can guide you to the floor of the canyon. There is a trail hidden not far away."
"I can trail her." Teal'c replied with no small amount of arrogance in his tone.
"But what of the Eipyt'wt?" Laun was frantic with fear. "She is hours ahead of you. If she is climbing down the cliff, and does not fall, she will become prey for them. If you and I can reach her, we can aide in her defense."
"She has your zat'nikatel," Teal'c smiled slightly. "She is not defenseless."
"Unless she is proficient with it, she will be dead within twenty minutes. Once the birds decide on their prey, they are relentless."
Remembering his own encounter with the birds, Teal'c could well believe Laun's statement. "Very well. You will show me the way. Any treachery, perceived or real on your part, will result in your death."
Laun breathed a sigh of relief. "I understand. Now, please, we must hurry."
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'One little, two little, three little...' Jack paused in his count, squinting skyward at the circling yellow birds. 'Okay, maybe not so little.' In fact, they were very, very large and getting very, very close, whirling and swooping in the air currents above the river. God, the river. Once again his thirst told him in no uncertain terms that his blood loss had been severe. As for the birds circling overhead, he wasn't sure how many there were. He'd been trying to count them for who knew how long, and every time he'd come up with a different number. Probably because of the dizziness and double vision he was experiencing. Again, effects of blood loss. Thirst, dizziness, double vision - none of which could be considered to be good things at anytime. Add in a rising sun, or two, and the heat that it, no, they, would eventually bring and Jack really had to wonder how long he could survive.
First cats, now birds. Damned if he didn't feel like he was trapped in a Saturday morning cartoon. A stray yellow feather floated effortlessly through the air, and Jack followed its course until it landed inches away from his face. It was large ... very large, proving what he already knew - that the creatures above him were just too damned big, and planning on making him their morning meal. Why the hell did everything on this stupid-ass planet want to eat him?
******
Laun led the way through a maze of increasingly large boulders until they'd reached an apparent dead end. Teal'c followed cautiously behind him, ever mindful that his prisoner could be leading him into a trap. They'd turned away from where he 'assumed' Captain Carter's trail was to be found, but he'd made a mental note of landmarks which should enable him to return if necessary. To his amazement, Laun did not stop at the 'dead' end. Instead he continued forward until his body was concealed by an outcropping of rock. Teal'c's face remained impassive as he quickened his pace to catch up with the other Jaffa. Studying the rocks lining the newly revealed passage, Teal'c discovered that the surrounding area had been carefully sculpted to camouflage the passageway to a cave. With it looking more and more like a trap, he took a deep breath and gripped his weapon more tightly. Relaxing his vigilance at this point in time just might cost his remaining teammates their lives.
******
Dedun stood before one of the many view ports in his ship and watched with delight as the Eipyt'wt circled the canyon. They were greater in number than he'd anticipated and his pleasure was not lost on his First Prime. "My Lord?"
"Is it not wonderful, Deldrak? The thieves will be punished. All is going as planned." The Goa'uld then grew pensive. "You *do* still know where the female is, don't you, Deldrak?"
"Yes, my Lord. After vanquishing Laun, she has gone on to make her way down the cliff and is heading toward the river." The First Prime paused, obviously trying to gather his thoughts.
"Excellent, Deldrak, but what do you make of her descent?"
Completely caught off guard, the Jaffa barely managed to stammer out a confused, "Wh..what, my Lord?"
"Her method of descent is ... odd. It is my belief that she does not travel alone." Dedun turned to face the Jaffa. "I know where the O'Neill is. I know where their Jaffa is. I know where the female is. And I believe that I know where the young male is. Is that not correct, Deldrak?"
Deldrak hoped his trembling knees would support his weight. "I...I am uncertain, my Lord. I have sent Jaffa to scour the countryside to ensure that the young male does not reach his ship. If he is with the female, he will die."
The Goa'uld's eyes flashed with anger. "One day, Deldrak, you will go too far. Perhaps that will be today. You knew the young male was alive and did not so inform me. Do not endeavor to deceive me again. Bring me the female, and feed the male to the river."
******
"Breathe slowly, Daniel." Sam called encouragement out to the younger man following her across the cliff face. He'd done better than she'd expected when they'd first started this climb, but the further they got from the psychological security of the last shelf, the more uncertain he'd become. Trying to keep him focused had become almost as important as finding the right handhold.
Experience told her that this was a simple climb, up and over, then down onto the shelf, with a better than average supply of handholds. The Fates had smiled on them for a change. Too bad Daniel ... Daniel? She frowned as she glanced down at her teammate again. He really had to slow his breathing, if he hyperventilated she was in no position to prevent an almost certain fall. Hell, she couldn't even short-rope him - they had no rope. Crap! "Daniel, concentrate on the rock face in front of you. You're only two feet off the ground."
"No, I'm not!" His voice came out as a high-pitched squeak.
"Daniel!" Her reply was more snappish than she'd intended, and she struggled to soften her tones. "Daniel, we talked about this. You're only two feet off the ground, right?"
"Oh, yeah, I forgot. Right. Two feet." Daniel stared at the pale pink rock in front of his nose, trying to remember what licking a rock actually told geologists. As he concentrated on the rock, he noticed that the pink was actually an illusion, a combination of reds and grays gave the illusion of the pale pink color. Fascinated, he missed Sam's frantic voice calling his name. "Huh? What? Hey Sam, this rock is red and gray!"
Sam groaned under her breath, realizing at last why the colonel got so exasperated with the archaeologist. "Holy Hannah, Daniel. Can we study rocks later? We've got to get off this cliff!"
"Oh, yeah. I...I'm okay now." He closed his eyes briefly, praying he wasn't lying. "Just follow you, right?"
"That's right." Relieved that he was moving again, Sam kept a watchful eye on his progress, all-the-while moving toward their goal. He was further away from her than she'd like, but was now moving steadily across the rock face. Deciding that dividing her attention between Daniel and herself was detrimental to her own progress, she gave Daniel an encouraging grin. "Daniel, I'm gonna move onto the shelf, then I'll be able to guide you better."
"Gotcha." Daniel returned her smile, with a wan smile of his own. "Be there in a few minutes."
Sam maneuvered herself up the rock face with the ease that came with years of practice. Dropping down onto the shelf, she turned back toward Daniel. "Okay, this last stretch was a piece of cake. You're going to need to---"
"KREE!"
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'KREE? Damn!' Sam cursed under her breath as she watched Daniel's eyes widen in horror. There was at least one Jaffa behind her, possibly more. If only Daniel ... oh, good man! She smiled slightly in acknowledgement of his three upraised fingers. Must remember to teach him hand signals - he might need them someday. Actually, he could use them now. There might be three Jaffa behind her, but darned if she knew exactly where they were. 'Get a grip, Sam, the ledge isn't that wide. At least you know it goes all the way to the bottom.'
"Turn slowly!"
Was it her imagination or was the sonuvabitch laughing? Well, she'd have the last laugh if she had her way, he couldn't possibly know that she was armed. Now if she could just conceal the zat'nikatel before he saw it.
******
"Laun, halt!" Teal'c's stern command succeeded in stopping his prisoner's forward motion, albeit reluctantly. "How far does this cavern extend?"
"I have only been through here once."
"That was not the question."
Shrugging in defeat, the Jaffa thought for a moment before responding. "We must travel downward for approximately half a mile. We will come to a fork, and must take the left turn for another distance, perhaps not quite a quarter mile. We will then exit the cavern, approximately half a mile above the valley floor."
"Is there interior lighting of some sort?"
"There is not, however, there are torches in a storage area just inside the entrance. Come, I will show you." With that Laun moved abruptly into the shadows.
Alarmed, but not surprised by Laun's duplicity, Teal'c slipped backwards, quickly positioning the rock wall between himself and the cave opening. His prudence paid off as a blast from a staff weapon connected with the spot where he'd been standing, with a second blast following almost immediately. Noting that the second blast hit the wall at a point closer to the cave entrance than Teal'c had been, he concluded that Laun was moving deeper into the cavern. Bracing for the worst, Teal'c moved cautiously toward the cave.
For a few heart-stopping moments, he was defenseless against a staff blast from inside the cavern, but, to his considerable relief, nothing happened. Moving as quietly as possible, Teal'c slipped quickly into the cave, grateful once more for the speed with which his eyesight adjusted to the dim light, all the while knowing that he was an easy target for the other Jaffa. But once again, no weapon's blast came to claim his life. As Teal'c glanced defensively around the chamber, he easily found both the only exit and the cache of torches stored in plain sight by the door. Lighting a torch with an energy discharge from his zat'nikatel, he held the light over his head. In addition to the torches, there were several other weapons, including a stun grenade. As he disintegrated the remaining items with his weapon, Teal'c couldn't help but think that Laun, apparently, was not the most intelligent Jaffa in the breeding pool.
******
To say that Daniel was not happy was an understatement. Stuck on the side of a cliff, God only knew how far above the ground below, and only saved from death by Jaffa weaponry by the fact that Sam was physically between him and the Jaffa. Although he couldn't fathom why she hadn't simply been killed on sight. They *had* been sentenced to death. Sort of. What could possibly have changed that where Sam was... oh, no, no, no, no, no. No way. Surely Dedun hadn't ... well, the Jaffa were trying to take her prisoner, and were being very careful about it, obviously considering him no threat. Okay, that part at least was true, he was clinging for dear life to the rock face, and ... *turn around*? They want her to turn around. They *are* gonna take her prisoner! That means... Oh, wait. Sam's armed. They don't know that. If she can... Of course she can, she beat the heck out that Genghis Khan want-a-be. These *were* Jaffa, but hadn't she beaten one of them? Yeah, but now there were three of *them*. At least he'd been able to let her know how many were behind her, but that wasn't enough. Not nearly enough. Taking a deep breath, Daniel moved a hand carefully to the handhold he'd spotted as Sam dropped onto the shelf. 'Hang on, Sam, I'm coming!'
******
Apparently she wasn't moving fast enough for the Jaffa. Sam winced as a strong hand took a painful hold of her shoulder, whirling her to face him. Out of the corner of her eye, she'd seen Daniel start to move again. Hopefully the Jaffa hadn't noticed or perhaps they had? Terrific. No way to know for sure, but at least they hadn't blasted him off the cliff face ... yet. Sam mentally kicked herself as she suddenly realized that she'd been in the line of fire. Combine that with the fact that she was still alive, and the only conclusion possible was that she was not to be harmed. An arrangement which might, or might not, extend to Daniel.
Once again the Fates had smiled on them. She'd actually managed to stow the zat'nikatel underneath her tunic. The idiot with the excruciatingly tight grip didn't know that. Nor did he know that she was dangerous. Very dangerous. Something the colonel had already learned and used to his advantage on previous missions. Easing her hand under the tunic, she found the weapon. Remembering her own experience with the zat'nikatel, she twisted quickly out of her captor's grip, jerked the device from under her tunic, and fired at the Jaffa nearest her with all due haste.
His aborted cry alerted his companions, but only one could leap to safety as the downed Jaffa rolled gracelessly down the path taking down a second in a maneuver worthy of a circus clown performance. The third fired off his staff weapon as he dove to one side, dodging his tumbling comrades. Sam barely had time to sidestep as the fiery blast blew by her arm; its heat registering on her pre-occupied brain as it did so. A second shot from her weapon downed the second Jaffa, and sent the first into uncontrollable spasms, sending him off the edge of the ledge. Sam noted his passing with little regret; maybe later she'd react to the man's death, but not right now. There simply wasn't time. Firing another blast in the direction of the third Jaffa, she dared to glance over her shoulder at Daniel. He'd managed to make it almost two-thirds of the way to the shelf without her assistance, but he was still moving too slowly. Any moment now, if the Jaffa below her had any sense, Daniel would be blasted off the face of the cliff. 'Not if I have anything to say about it.' Firing a quick series of shots down the trail, she called out, "Daniel, we don't have much time."
"I'm getting there as fast as I can." His voice held a note of suppressed tension, not surprising under the circumstances.
"Not fast enough! I don't know how long I can keep him from shooting you!"
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Marjo moved gracefully from shelf to shelf along the canyon wall, frantically searching for a familiar scent. She'd followed her prey along the narrow shelves, losing them only when they'd taken to the cliffs. The dark coat glistened in the sunlight as she crouched low, cocking her head to one side, listening to the unusual noises coming from above. From her position she could see flashes of light, but it was the male moving slowly across the rock face who held her attention. Even from a distance, her sensitive nose told her *this* one was hers. She slowly stretched out an over-sized paw, reaching in vain toward the man on the wall. A loud series of squawks from overhead pulled her attention skywards. Her jaw dropped slightly, allowing the tip of a very pink tongue to poke through. Her attention riveted to the large, yellow birds circling overhead as their shadows danced along the cliff face. One swooped low and Marjo followed its dive downward with intense interest, but a sudden flash from the ledge above her caused the bird to screech in fear and flap strong wings, quickly turning skyward again. She rumbled in protest, then eyed the man on the cliff again. The birds were out of reach. The man, however, ... Rising quickly, the cat turned to retrace her path. There were other ways to reach her prey, and she knew them all. She had, after all, hunted here before.
******
Teal'c moved stealthily through the cave, ever vigilant for an ambush. As Laun had said, it was barely half a mile to a part of the cavern where the path forked. Kneeling and examining the hard floor in his torchlight, the Jaffa discovered that Laun had lied. The other Jaffa had not taken the left fork, instead, the right-hand turn showed faint signs of recent passage. With great care, Teal'c walked into the right-hand tunnel, moving cautiously toward a distant bend. If Laun were waiting to kill him, it would probably be there. Pausing at the maximum range for a staff weapon, Teal'c studied the floor of the cavern. Toward the end of the passage, the walls, floor and ceiling turned into a dark, black substance resembling onyx. Laun's trail would be difficult to follow for a while. Kneeling, the Jaffa picked up several small rocks and tossed them toward the bend. To his surprise, the rocks survived the trip unscathed. Was it possible that his enemy had foregone this opportunity to eliminate him? Teal'c shook his head in confusion, unable to comprehend such stupidity in a servant of a 'god'. Moving rapidly toward the bend, Teal'c leaped around the corner, weapon poised and ready for use, only to find himself facing a dead end.
******
"Female!" The lone conscious Jaffa on the ledge managed to convey his utter contempt for Sam in the single word. "Surrender. You are defeated."
Sam fired her weapon twice in the Jaffa's direction before a motion on the ledge in front of her caught her attention. She studied the still unconscious Jaffa on the ledge, noting that he was moving but not appearing to wake. Glancing back at Daniel, she was just in time to prevent a fatal fall. "*No* Daniel, *not* that one. Move your left hand up about six inches and over to your left about four. There. Don't grab the white stuff. It falls apart like chalk." A blast from a staff weapon hit barely above her head, showering her in rock fragments. Turning back to face the Jaffa, she fired at his protruding head. "Idiot." Another few minutes passed as they exchanged weapons fire, then Sam felt a presence scrambling tiredly onto the ledge behind her. She spared a moment to look at Daniel, taking in his wide eyes, and heaving chest in one short look.
The archaeologist leaned heavily against the cliff behind him, crouching low as another staff blast struck home. "I won't do that again."
"Duck?" Sam replied tensely.
"No. Climb. You haven't hit him yet?"
"No, Daniel. I haven't hit him yet. He is hiding, you know."
Before Daniel could respond, the Jaffa called out. "Female, you cannot save your friend."
Wondering where Dedun found this moron, Sam replied, mustering all the venom she could. "Sorry, he's safe. With me. I take this round."
"I am willing to concede that this one might yet survive, however, the one on the rock below will not."
Daniel's frantic whisper was too close and too loud, causing her to wince as he spoke. "Oh, God! Sam, we've got to do something!"
She responded as they both ducked to avoid more falling debris. "What exactly would you suggest?"
"You sure you can't hit him?"
"Daniel!"
"Oh. Right. Couldn't you drop a rock on him?"
"I tried. This ... zat'nikatel doesn't seem to have any impact on solid matter, just the nervous system."
"Oh. Well, what about a staff weapon?"
"Holy Hannah, Daniel, does it look like I've got a staff weapon?"
"What about the one out there on the ledge?"
"What?" Sam's eyes widened as she belatedly realized just how close the downed Jaffa's staff weapon was.
"You keep what's-his-name over there busy, and I'll slip out and get it." Daniel's voice was steady. Too steady.
"I don't think so. It's too risky." Sam fired three successive shots at the Jaffa as she spoke.
"Well, we've got to do something. Either Jack or Teal'c is dying down there! The vultures, at least I guess that's what they are, are circling above him. And you're a better shot than I am. You can pin him down while I get the staff and come back."
Sam's brow furrowed in frustration as she considered Daniel's arguments and could come up with nothing better. "All right."
"Sam, we don't have a choi... huh?"
"I said all right. You go on a count of three. Got it?"
"Got it."
******
Being tied to a damn rock certainly qualified as one of the most uncomfortable and incredibly boring moments of his life. Certainly nothing to write home about. The presence of the birds had livened up the sky for a while, but they were now too far away for Jack to distinguish much about them anymore. Something in the fog that had replaced his brain told him that this was a good thing, but for the life of him, he couldn't figure out why. Now the only thing of real interest was a light show on the cliff, and as light shows went, it was pretty dull. No patterns, no colors, just an occasional flash of fire. Fire? Staff weapon? Could it be... well, wouldn't that just beat all? That had to be it. He was seeing a staff weapon blasting away. And it was scaring off the vultures. Teal'c. Had to be. Good man. Jaffa. Whatever. He could relax and sleep now, it was just a matter of time before Teal'c got these damn shackles off of him.
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Laun laughed out loud as he raced unimpeded through the tunnel. The insolent slave he'd left behind would never be able to decipher his God's locking mechanism. The wall of black rock was so smooth as to appear solid. Had Laun not known the secret, he would have been trapped, but he had been fortunate. Having served his God for many years as a guard in the vaults, he was well acquainted with Lord Dedun's security measures. Granted, the mechanism of the wall was one of the more simplistic, it should still be sufficient to stop the progress of the slave.
His laughter died on his lips as he rounded a bend and found himself facing the way out. Sunlight shone brightly in the tunnel mouth, sending shadows down the walls towards his position. It was later than he'd thought. He'd have to hurry if he were to meet up with the vault guards and gain access to a communicator. He desperately needed to speak with the Lord Deldrak. If he were very careful with his ... explanations, he might yet survive this day.
Picking up speed, he continued toward the exit, only to stop dead in his tracks as the large black cat appeared in the opening. Marjo. She had returned to him and, by the Gods, she would obey him or die.
******
"Three!" Sam's countdown was punctuated by a series of rapid blasts aimed in the general vicinity of the Jaffa. Daniel dropped to his belly, and, Sam noted, did a reasonable impersonation of a belly crawl toward the staff weapon. Apparently, some of the colonel's 'lessons in warfare' had stuck with the younger man. His backward motion, however, showed none of the fluidity of the forward crawl, and, for a moment, Sam was afraid he'd been unable to free the staff from its owner's grasp. She allowed herself a longer glance in his direction and realized that his movement was impaired principally by his hold on the weapon. She fired a couple of more blasts as Daniel scrambled to safety.
"Ouch." He struggled to catch his breath even as he swiped grit from small cuts on his chest. Handing the staff weapon to the captain, he waved his hand in the air. "Here. Do something with it."
"Gladly!" Sam whirled and aimed for the rock above the Jaffa's location. Wondering again at his stupidity, she grinned with satisfaction as his startled yelp indicated the rocks had hit home. A low moan gave her the courage to stand slowly and move in his direction, ever mindful of a potential trap.
"Sam!" Daniel's cry of protest died in his throat as she slashed downward with one hand, a move the colonel used quite frequently, and usually directed at him. The one he *thought* meant shut-the-hell-up. Muttering "Shutting up now, Sam," under his breath, Daniel watched helplessly as she passed the unconscious Jaffa. She paused for a moment, assuring herself that he was still out, then moved on toward the boulder concealing the fate of the other one. Still whispering to himself, Daniel gulped back his fear for the captain. "Please be careful, Sam."
******
Teal'c studied the wall in disgust. Surely, this was not meant to deter his progress in any way? Such locking devices were quite common on the nursery doors in the royal palaces. Other than that, they had little use, being much too easy to disengage. Pursing his lips, the Jaffa quickly slipped a single finger beneath a small protruding rock on the wall near the center, next to a nearly invisible seam. Teal'c reluctantly admitted to himself that his teammates might not have been successful in finding the wall's secrets. With the exception of Daniel Jackson, that is. The archaeologist had surely seen similar mechanisms in the tombs he had excavated prior to his tenure with SG-1.
The Jaffa carefully avoided the needle under the rock, which, he knew, was more than likely poisoned. Depressing the release catch, he quickly flattened against the side wall as the 'door/wall' parted, leaving just enough room for him to pass. Only when no staff weapon flames passed through, did he deign to peer around the opening. The almost spacious chamber where he currently stood turned into a long, narrow passageway on the other side of the door. Standing perfectly still, he listened, and heard nothing. In the silence of the tunnel, if Laun had been close, he would have heard him breathing. Stepping through the doorway, Teal'c waited for the door to slide shut behind him, then moved deliberately down the narrow corridor. Through Laun's duplicity, this 'shortcut' had cost him valuable time, and he swore that Laun's life would be forfeit if anything had happened to Captain Carter.
******
"Keep alert, Daniel, we've got no way of knowing if there are caves around here. There could be more Jaffa somewhere close." Sam led the way, staff weapon held at the ready. Daniel clutched the zat'nikatel clumsily as he followed on her heels.
His eyes widened as they rounded a bend. "Sam! Wait!"
"What's wrong?" The captain whirled, alert and ready for attack.
"Those bushes down there." Daniel pointed to a patch of thick shrubbery along the riverbank. "That's where the Jaffa I saw last night hid the rafts."
"You're sure?" Sam peered intently at the shrubs, trying to ascertain the existence of the rafts.
"Absolutely! I know I don't have my glasses anymore, but the blurs are the right shape, and color. And they were really close to the river, by a sandy beach. If that's not the right spot, then it's doing a real good impersonation."
"Okay, since I can't think of any other way to get to whoever that is in the middle of the river, we'll head for those bushes. But I'll be honest, I haven't done any white-water rafting. Oh, I'm good with a canoe, and a kayak, but white-water is not something I've tried."
Daniel smiled shyly. "Believe or not, I have. Spent two weeks on the Grand Canyon, and many of the places I've gone have had rivers of one description or another."
Sam frowned. "Rafting? In Egypt?"
"Uh, Sam, ever hear of Victoria Falls?"
"Isn't that in Zimbabwe?"
"Yep, there are some fabulous rapids on the river. Beautiful country and quite different from the deserts surrounding the Nile near the Pyramids. Perfect for the archaeologist on vacation."
For the first time in what seemed like forever, Sam allowed herself to laugh. Dedun had sorely misjudged his adversaries. "Then, Daniel, I suggest we get off this ... cliff and onto the river. We have a teammate to rescue."
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For the first time in what seemed like forever, Sam allowed herself to laugh. Dedun had sorely misjudged his adversaries. "Then, Daniel, I suggest we get off this ... cliff and onto the river. We have a teammate to rescue."
A grin spread across Daniel's face as he followed her down the slope. It was steeper in some spots than he would have wished, but nothing like the terrifying descent he'd made earlier in the dark. No, the only problem he was experiencing were the twinges of pain in his overworked knee. Nothing he couldn't handle, but he'd be glad to get onto a raft and off his feet. Suddenly realizing he was not paying attention to the river, and its rapids, he called out, "Sam, slow down."
Concerned, she whirled in mid-stride, almost losing her balance in the process. "What's wrong?"
Smiling sheepishly this time, Daniel replied, "Nothing. I need to get a handle on how this river flows. Granted I won't be able to tell where the hydraulics might be exactly, but from here I should be able to tell where the worst whitewater is and try to find a way around it."
Frowning doubtfully, Sam glanced at the river. "Without your glasses?"
"Sam, look at the water by the three large rocks in the middle. I'd have to need a cane not to be able to tell that we don't take the raft between the rocks."
"True. But you can't tell where all the rocks are."
Daniel laughed at her concern. "Actually, neither can you and your twenty-twenty vision. Most of the rocks are underwater."
"But...But, what if we get stuck?"
"Then we get unstuck. It's usually not too difficult to get off a rock. The really tough part is handling a spot where the whitewater won't let you get away from a rock or tries to force you down into an obvious hydraulic."
"What's wrong with a hydraulic?"
"Nothing as long as you avoid it. They'll suck unsuspecting rafters to the bottom in a heartbeat and you don't get out."
"Ouch."
"Yeah, ouch." Daniel looked at the water again. "Let's spend a few minutes here. We're about halfway between the rafts and the rock where he's trapped. Whoever he is."
"It's the colonel, Daniel."
"How..."
"My vision's twenty-fifteen."
"Oh."
******
Deldrak cringed and tried to shrink from view as the wrath of his god was displayed in all its glory. Dedun's shaggy mane of hair whirled around his face as he stormed to and fro across the room, causing the Goa'uld to resemble the cats he so loved. Even his movements were cat-like as he paced. "They have gotten past my Jaffa. How is that possible? The slaves were just a female and the smaller male." Dedun took a deep breath. "The male must have more potential than I at first believed. Deldrak!"
The summons stopped the backward motion of the frightened First Prime. "Yes, my lord?"
"I have decided. The female is beautiful and must be captured at all costs. The young male must also be captured. He will make a fine Jaffa. A slave who can escape our finest servants deserves the opportunity to serve his god more closely. Once he has been sufficiently conditioned and trained, he will make a fine addition to our royal household."
"Yes, my lord. I will attend to it immediately." Deldrak resumed a slow backward motion.
"And Deldrak?"
"Yes, my lord?"
"Be very, very careful. You can be replaced. Perhaps even by our industrious young slave."
******
"Daniel, are you certain the raft is here?" Sam shoved aside another cluster of leaves.
"I was, but...AH HA!" Daniel dug frantically through a mass of branches. "I knew it was here. It was just hidden better than I thought."
Sam moved quickly to his location and helped him tug the camouflage off of a raft. "It's bigger than I thought it'd be. And I was expecting three of them."
"Three?"
"Three Jaffa. Three rafts."
"Oh boy." Daniel's face turned crimson.
"Daniel?" Sam's voice was laced with suspicion.
"Well, there were actually four Jaffa that got out of the raft. Not three."
"Four? Four! You mean to tell me we've been standing around without really paying attention to our surroundings and there were four!"
Daniel gulped. "That would be a 'yes'."
"Dammit, Daniel!" Sam tugged angrily at a stuck branch, slipped in the mud and promptly fell backwards into a nearby bush.
"Sam! Are you okay?"
"Just peachy, Daniel. How could you not ... what the..." Sam's eyes betrayed her frustration. It was incredibly difficult to remain angry with Daniel. If she hadn't known better, she'd have sworn he'd gotten an extra degree in 'contrite and apologetic'. Damn the man. Sighing, she refused his hand. "Remember my rash. You don't want to catch it." Rising, she dusted herself off.
The younger man was instantly contrite. "I'm sorry. How are you feeling? Still running a fever?" He studied her for a moment. "You don't look as red as you did before."
"The itching seems to come and go. For that matter so does the fever." Turning back to the raft, she sighed. "Let's get this thing in the water, Daniel. You're the expert. What should we do?"
"Okay, you take the front left. I'll take the back right. I'll be doing the steering. Unless we hit category five or above rapids, I should be able to guide the raft without a lot of help. I hope. Are you familiar with the basic strokes?"
Sam grinned. "You mean like 'back paddle'?"
"Been there, done that?"
"Yes." She shook her head as she looked at the rock they were aiming to reach. "We'd better go. I don't know how long the colonel's been tied to that rock, but the sun has to be getting to him by now. Not to mention we have another Jaffa around somewhere."
An angry growl, that was much too close, was followed by Daniel shoving the raft into the river. "And we won't even talk about that darned cat!"
******
Laun frowned as he rested a hand on Marjo's oversized head. "Easy, my darling. We shall catch them. If they survive the river, that is. Their companion is held captive on the Prometheus rock. If they succeed in freeing him, they will head for the nearest shore and we shall be there to greet them." Laun looked longingly down the wide, easy path to the shoreline. He'd much prefer to take that route to safety, but his master would put him to death for certain if he turned up empty-handed. No, the only course of action left to him was to take the narrow path away from the main beach and maneuver his way to the small beach closest to the rock. If he hurried, he could beat the slaves to that sanctuary. Feeling confident that between them, he and Marjo could handle anything or anyone, Laun moved swiftly toward his destiny.
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Teal'c growled in frustration as another tunnel ended in yet another dead end. Thus far he'd found two, with who knew how many left to come. The limited light provided by his torch had proven insufficient to show the route Laun had used to traverse the tunnels. Turning around he jogged back to the corridor where the original tunnel had branched off into three additional tunnels. The Tau'ri had a saying 'third time's the charm', which Teal'c was only just now beginning to understand. Skidding to a halt in the small open area where the four tunnels had intersected, the Jaffa took a moment to get his bearings. True, he'd marked the tunnel he'd started from, as well as the tunnels he'd already entered, but it paid to be careful.
O'Neill had often explained to him that well-placed paranoia was a good thing. Teal'c smiled slightly at the thought. Sometimes he did not believe his comrades truly understood the office of 'First Prime'. Constant vigilance combined with unrestrained suspicion and paranoia were the primary survival skills required. Trust, however, was another matter altogether. In the short time he'd been among the Tau'ri, he'd learned that some, like Daniel Jackson, trusted implicitly, often to their detriment. Others, like Colonel O'Neill, placed their trust sparingly, and oddly, this was also often to their detriment. Teal'c shook his head as he confirmed the correct and final tunnel. Perhaps one day he would understand these Tau'ri, but for now, he had an exit to locate.
******
Sam quickly grabbed the left side of the raft, splashing in the water as Daniel took hold of the right side. An unspoken count of three later, both of them climbed onto the raft. Sam's prior canoeing experience came in handy as she unconsciously maneuvered into a position that would balance the raft. Daniel managed a grin as he immediately used his confiscated paddle to guide the raft away from the shore. "Backstroke, Sam! I need to get us turned around."
Complying instantly, the captain used strong, easy strokes to help Daniel properly position the raft.
"Okay, stop for now." Daniel squinted as he studied the river, fighting the increasing current to stay in the almost still water of the cove. "From what I could tell up on the ledge, we've got two rather short rapids and a grouping of rocks before we get to Jack. The first rapids don't appear to be too bad. I want to stop at that smaller rock in the center of the rapids to get a better look at the rocks and the second set of rapids."
"I assume you'll want me to let you know if I spy rocks under water." Sam smiled nervously as she spoke.
"But of course. Now don't use the paddle until I tell you. Are you ready?"
Sam gulped as she studied the river for a short moment. "As ready as I'll ever be." She clutched the paddle tightly in her hands as Daniel guided the raft toward the first rapids. 'Holy Hannah! Now I know how Daniel felt on the cliff.'
******
To Teal'c's relief, there had been no more side-tunnels to misdirect him and cost him valuable time. This 'short-cut' had, so far, been much longer than he'd hoped. Keeping to a slow jog, he followed the winding tunnel toward what he hoped was the exit, worrying all the while about Captain Carter's fate. He'd sworn to himself to find the young woman and protect her from harm. Although, since he'd lost Colonel O'Neill to the Goa'uld, and Daniel Jackson to an untimely death, he'd doubted his ability to protect the young woman, even if he were so fortunate as to find her.
The sudden shift from rock to sand almost cost him his footing. Glaring at the floor, his expression changed from irritation to determination as he found Laun's footprints again. Picking up speed, he followed the footprints as they wound upwards in the tunnel. Soon he'd reached his goal. The cave exit was not far ahead, and he picked up even more speed, stopping only when he noticed a large cat's prints join the jaffa's. For a fleeting moment, he hoped that the cat was in pursuit of Laun. Kneeling to get a closer view of the tracks, he frowned as they confirmed that the two appeared to be together.
Rising he moved cautiously toward the exit, ever mindful that his adversary could be waiting for him. He stopped less then two feet from the exit, listening carefully for any hint that this was yet another trap, but there was nothing. Deciding that he'd wasted entirely too much time in the dark, Teal'c walked into the daylight.
******
"Three strokes, Sam!" Daniel called between clenched teeth. Controlling the medium-size raft with only one other person was much harder than he'd anticipated.
"Rock! Two o'clock!"
Sam's warning came in time to prevent a collision as Daniel lunged forward to use his paddle to shove them away from the large, submerged mass. The raft did a couple of rapid three-sixties, leaving Daniel fighting to regain control. Realizing the white-water churning in front of them probably meant another underwater rock, he screamed, "Backpaddle!" at the top of his lungs. Sam instantly complied and soon they were edging away from the hazard.
The raft suddenly stopped, sending Sam backwards into the bottom of the raft. She lay still for a short moment before calling out, "Daniel, looks like we're hung up on a rock... Daniel?" Twisting around, she gasped in horror at the empty spot where the younger man had been.
******
The choice of direction had been simple. Teal'c had moved toward the exit of the cave fully intending to find ... and kill ... Laun. Then he'd actually left the cave to find that Colonel O'Neill was bound on a rock in the middle of the river below. In the few short moments the Jaffa had watched him, the SG-1 commander had appeared to be unconscious. And the damned yellow birds were circling the river like the vultures Daniel Jackson had shown him on a ... National Geographic special.
The path Laun had taken went down river. Teal'c knew there was no way he'd be able to reach O'Neill from that direction. Turning to look in the other direction, Teal'c's eyes widened at the image on the river. There, in the middle of the river, was a raft manned by two people, Captain Carter, and ... Daniel Jackson. To the Jaffa's undisguised delight, the archaeologist was alive. An unaccustomed cry of joy died in his throat as the raft suddenly came to an unexpected stop, sending Captain Carter to the bottom of the raft, and Daniel Jackson into the river.
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For a brief moment Teal'c thought seriously of diving into the river. He paused at the cliff's edge, waiting to see where Daniel Jackson surfaced. Captain Carter's frantic movements in the raft indicated she, too, was searching for the young scientist. But even to Teal'c's superior vision, Daniel Jackson was nowhere in sight. The Jaffa growled in frustration when he realized that the woman would be unable to handle the raft by herself. Correction - refar'n. Teal'c knew that a refar'n, although similar to the rafts he'd seen in photographs on the Internet, was much, much heavier. The four man craft had been designed for just that ... four male Jaffas. In dire circumstances it could be managed by two ... males, but a woman? Never. And a woman alone ... impossible. Captain Carter would be at the mercy of the river if she should manage to free herself from the rock where the craft was imprisoned, and the refar'n was swept downstream toward who-knew-what.
To his astonishment, Teal'c had almost reached the beach, totally unaware of having begun moving in that direction. Frowning slightly at his unconscious decision to once more abandon Daniel Jackson, the Jaffa began searching for anything large enough to assist him in staying afloat in the river. Perhaps something he could float on and have a chance to control. Swimming unaided was not truly an option, not in white water. He would be at the mercy of the currents and would more than likely be swept past the raft.
His eyes widened as he threw aside a clump of loose brush and spotted a small one-man refar'n. From its position in the sand, the little craft had been hidden for quite some time. There was even a small shrub whose branches had grown through several of the rope hooks on the side of the raft. Noting that a single paddle remained in the bottom of the raft, Teal'c pulled it free of the underbrush and shoved it to the water's edge. Perhaps he would be able to keep his vow to Captain Carter after all.
******
The sight of the empty spot where Daniel had been terrified Sam. She lunged for his former position, blindly forgetting that she was in an unstable watercraft. The raft shifted position slightly, upsetting her balance, but bringing her to her senses quickly. Too much motion and the raft could free itself, sending her down river without a prayer of controlling the damn thing. Or worse, it could tip abruptly putting her in the same position as Daniel. Oh God! Daniel!
Forcing herself to move more slowly, she finally reached the spot from which he'd vanished. She leaned over the edge and breathed a sigh of relief as she spotted Daniel's hand clinging to the rope that dangled from the back of the raft. His head was above water, but he was expending too much energy keeping it there. The current was too swift to allow him to pull himself forward. "Daniel!"
Fear raged in his eyes as he held out his paddle to her. Recognizing the minor miracle for what it was, she grabbed the flat surface with both hands and tugged hard. Minutes seemed like hours as the young man inched toward the raft. Finally close enough to grab the side rope, he clung to the side of the craft for a moment, too tired to do more than hang on. Sam tried, in vain, to pull him into the raft. "Daniel, you've got to help me here. I can't do this alone."
"I will assist you, Captain Carter."
The deep voice startled both Sam and Daniel, almost costing the younger man his hold on the raft. Sam gasped, "Teal'c? How? Where?" Stunned that she hadn't even noticed him in the vicinity, she took a deep breath. "Can you push Daniel, while I pull?"
"No, that would overbalance this refar'n. I will come over."
Before Sam could respond, Teal'c maneuvered the smaller raft close to the side of hers, then slipped effortlessly into the larger raft. "Does Daniel Jackson have a good grip on the rope?"
She quickly checked over the side. "Yes, he's fine for now."
"Then please switch places with me and I will bring him on board."
Sam nodded, unconsciously clutching the paddle to her chest as she and Teal'c carefully changed places. Before she'd even settled into her old spot, Daniel lay gasping and shivering on the bottom of the raft. Through chattering teeth, he gasped, "Teal'c?"
"It is I, Daniel Jackson. I am pleased you are well." There was a hint of a smile in the dark eyes as he spoke.
"I'm pleased that you're pleased. Good to see you're okay, Teal'c!" Daniel struggled to sit up. "Crap. *That* was not fun."
Sam shook her head in amazement. "Daniel, you scared the hell out of me."
He grinned sheepishly, "Me, too." Turning to Teal'c, he nodded at the back of the raft, "Can you steer this thing?"
"Indeed, Daniel Jackson, I am most proficient in the art of steering a refar'n."
"Refar'n? Water bearer? Odd name for a raft. Probably dates back--"
Sam groaned, "Daniel, we haven't got time. Jack's still trapped."
"Oh yeah, right." Moving to sit behind Sam, he gratefully took his paddle back from her.
She smiled at him as she grabbed her own paddle, which had somehow stayed in the raft. Turning to face the Jaffa, she smiled even more broadly, "Good to see you, Teal'c. Let's go get the colonel."
******
Voices. He was hearing voices. Great, the damn yellow birds were talking now. What the hell were they, some sort of freaking, over-sized parrots? Frowning, he squinted in the sunlight as he tried to locate the talking birds. The ones still in the sky were much to far away to be heard. Unless they had blow horns - don't be stupid, Jack.
Groaning slightly, he twisted his head in time to see a mass of yellow appear above the top of the rock. It was followed by a hand... Hand? Birds didn't have hands, did they? But it was talking to something beneath it. Wait a damned minute! The yellow was... Carter? For crying out loud, it *was* Carter. He hoped. He could be imagining things. God, he hoped not. Even if she couldn't free him, at least he'd have company while he died. Now wasn't *that* selfish of him? He'd order her to leave. That was it. If it was Carter, he'd order her to leave. Yep, that was a plan. Her voice caused his eyes to snap open - funny, he didn't remember closing them again. And who the hell was moaning?
"Sir, take it easy, we'll have you free soon."
He'd been right. Carter. He tried to speak but was interrupted by a different voice.
"Don't move, Jack. Your wrists are already raw from the bindings. We'll have you loose in two shakes of a lamb's tail."
Confused, Jack lowered his head back to the rock. Daniel? Daniel was here too? And with a lamb. How odd.
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Sam hissed in dismay as she examined the cuffs around the colonel's wrists. Her expression of displeasure deepened as she ran her hand along the length of chain binding her CO to the rock, and noticed his wrists were raw from his struggles to free himself. The chain stretched from one wrist cuff to the next by way of two anchors designed to hold their victim's arms outstretched above his head. Similar conditions existed at his feet. Sam angrily slapped her hand against the rock. The faded red on the rock near the colonel's head told her that he was not the first victim to find himself, or herself, in this position. The four anchors were permanently secured into the rock. Result - only the length of chain needed to bind each victim needed to change to yield the most discomfort possible.
Daniel frowned. "What's wrong?"
"There's no way to get the cuffs off, not without hurting him more than he's already hurt himself."
"Can we get the anchors out?"
"No way. No how."
A low moan from the colonel pulled their attention toward the man.
"Sir, take it easy, we'll have you free soon."
Jack tried to speak, but was interrupted by Daniel. "Don't move, Jack. Your wrists are already raw from the bindings. We'll have you loose in two shakes of a lamb's tail."
Sam glanced incredulously at the younger man who shrugged and nodded at the zat'nikatel secured at her waist. "What about that gun thing of yours?"
She shook her head. "No, remember the cliff. The damn thing doesn't do anything to inanimate objects." Her eyes lit up as she snapped her fingers. "The staff weapon. Where's the staff?"
"In the raft. I wedged it under the seat." Daniel scrambled toward the raft. "Teal'c, can you toss me the staff?"
The Jaffa's voice was strained. "Regretfully I cannot, Daniel Jackson. It is very ... difficult holding the refar'n against the boulder.
Daniel was sliding toward the raft before Teal'c could finish his statement. Slipping carefully onto it, he pulled the staff weapon from under the seat. "Sorry, Teal'c. I should've known the current would be bad. If this works, we'll have Jack down in a minute. Can you hold the raft alone a little longer?"
"I shall endeavor to do so, Daniel Jackson."
******
"They have reached the rock." Dedun's voice was a combination of rage and disbelief. "Your *jaffa* have allowed them to reach the rock, Deldrak."
The First Prime gulped fearfully. His lord's rage had peaked and he knew his next words must be chosen with great care, or he would die. "As was my plan, my Lord."
The blow knocked him across the room. The enraged Goa'uld's eyes glowed bright red as he approached his victim. "*You* are not allowed to have *plans*, Jaffa!" Dedun lifted him off the floor and angrily tossed him to the far end of the room. The Goa'uld knelt beside his unconscious First Prime, and lifted the Jaffa's head with two fingers under his chin. "*You* are no longer in my service, Sho'va, but I have no time to properly dispose of you at this moment."
Dedun rose swiftly to his feet. Glaring at his unconscious *former* First Prime, the Goa'uld stormed from his chambers, screaming for his attendants as he went.
******
Daniel scrambled back up the rock face. "Move away from the chains, Sam."
The captain hastily complied. "Be very careful with that thing, Daniel."
His face was grim as he nodded, and his mouth tightened as he aimed the business end of the weapon at the chain at Jack's feet. Two quick blasts broke apart two links, as close to Jack's ankles as Daniel dared. Dual cries of "Yes!" resounded over the river. Daniel moved quickly to Jack's head while Sam threw the broken chain into the river. Another double blast freed Jack's arms. Daniel angrily kicked the remaining chain into the river, then moved to help the colonel sit up. "Easy, Jack. Sam, get him some wat... Oh. You have."
Daniel supported the colonel against his chest while Sam gently used her makeshift cup to dribble water into Jack's mouth. Jack gasped and choked as the first drops hit his parched mouth, then turned his face toward the stream, swallowing the liquid as fast as the captain dispensed it. An inarticulate protest left his lips when the water suddenly stopped.
"Sorry, sir. You'll get sick if you have too much too soon."
The colonel's head shook a denial even as he agreed with her assessment. A coughing fit left him speechless for a moment. "Right. Thanks, Carter. Daniel."
"Jack, do you think you can sit up without support?"
"Huh?" The confusion in the colonel's hoarse voice caused Sam and Daniel to frown at each other.
"Sam, does dehydration make you this disoriented?"
"Depends on how long you've been without liquids, but..."
"Big teeth. Better to eat you with." Jack's statement caused both of his teammates to stare at him in horror.
"Sir?"
"Black cat. Yellow birds. Damn Saturday morning cartoons." Jack opened his eyes then gasped. "Whoa." The brown eyes closed as fast as they'd opened, trying to compensate for the world that spun crazily around him.
"Jack?"
"Blood loss, too." Jack stiffened against Daniel's chest, then squinted at the world. He coughed violently, then managed a quiet explanation. "Attacked by that damn black cat. DumDum healed the wounds, but..."
Sam finished his sentence. "You still lost a lot of blood."
"More water?" Jack's scratchy voice was hopeful as he shifted slightly to face the captain.
Nodding, she held the 'cup' to his lips, allowing him to drink slowly. He drank deeply for a short moment, then weakly waved the 'cup' away. "Better. Thanks. Teal'c?"
"Holding the raft against this rock. Jack, if you're up to it, we need to get down there. Teal'c can't hold it forever, the current's really bad."
Jack tried to rise, and failed. Daniel and Sam joined forces to get the colonel to his feet, steadying him as he swayed. "Oh. Ouch. Give me a minute. Damn feet are asleep."
A whirring noise garnered their attention, resulting in groans of dismay as the Goa'uld transport rings brought them unwanted company.
******
Teal'c only half-listened to the conversation above him as he struggled to keep the raft in place. The current was bad, very bad, and the Jaffa suspected that the whitewater below the rock would be much worse than they expected. Still, he could see no other way. They would have to fight the current to make it to the opposite shore. Then, somehow, they'd have to climb the cliff. He didn't for one minute believe that they'd be lucky enough to find a shortcut to the top. A familiar whirring noise pulled his attention from the river. Transport rings? *Not* a good thing. Ducking as close as possible to the rock, Teal'c silently hoped he would remain unnoticed. Perhaps, then, he could be of use to his friends.
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Sam's desperate lunge for the zat'nikatel secured to her waist resulted in the weapon being knocked out of her hand and into the river before she could get it clear. Her cry of pain coincided with Daniel's cry of fear as the weakened colonel stumbled toward the edge of the rock. The younger man quickly repositioned himself to prevent the colonel's fall into the river, but lost his hold on the staff weapon. Blue eyes widened with dismay as the weapon clattered noisily off the rock. Struggling to support Jack, but concerned by Sam's cry of pain, he mentally shrugged off the loss of the staff. "Sam, you okay?"
Cradling her injured hand against her chest, she nodded briefly, but her reply was interrupted by an imperious, "SILENCE!"
To Daniel's relief, Jack's sarcastic "DumDum's baaaack!", was spoken too quietly to be heard by anyone other than himself.
The Goa'uld smugly studied his three prisoners. "Where ... is the Jaffa?"
"Lost. In the river." Daniel's attempt at a lie ended with a staff weapon up close and personal - mere inches from his nose.
Dedun looked bored. "Try ... again."
Enough was enough. Jack pulled himself to his full height, casually pulled out of Daniel's stranglehold on his arm, and, in his best angry colonel's voice, replied. "Bite me."
'Eloquent as ever, Jack.' Daniel moaned under his breath as the staff weapon changed locations. 'Though, that's probably what you had in mind all the time. Heroes. Shit!'
"I believe, O'Neill," Dedun replied dryly, "that my Titia has already done that. The Jaffa?"
"Here." The energy blasts from Teal'c's weapon dropped two Jaffa to the rock's surface. The third Jaffa's whirl was aborted by a blow to his vulnerable abdomen. His groan was terminated by a grunt as a kick to his knee sent him backwards, unlamented, into the river.
"Thought your arm was hurt, Sam?"
"Where'd you learn that move, Daniel?"
The startled captain and surprised archaeologist stared at each other in momentary shock as Teal'c turned his zat'nikatel on the Goa'uld. Ranting angrily, he assumed a position he no longer had. "You will *die* for this, slave! Slowly and pain--"
"Yada yada. Been there, lived through that." Jack took an unsteady step forward, shoving a finger in the creature's chest. "Let's see, DumDum, we've been chased by kitties. Really large kitties. Attacked by really large birds - isn't anything small on this planet? It ends now! You, Mr. Snakehead, are coming with us."
"Sir?" Sam's look spoke volumes about her thoughts on the subject.
A coughing fit left the colonel speechless as Daniel spoke up. "Jack, I'm not so sure..." His words faded away as Jack glared at him.
Clearing his throat, Jack continued. "Teal'c? It's good to see you. Can you control DumDum here?"
Teal'c eyed the less than enthusiastic Goa'uld with disdain. "Indeed, O'Neill. It will be my pleasure."
"Good. Daniel?"
"Yes, Jack?"
"Show Carter how to work the ring thingies, like you did on Abydos."
"No problem, Jack."
"Carter?"
"Sir?"
"I'm feeling a little woozy. Lend me your shoulder." His almost immediate sway heightened the concern of his team, causing a flurry of activity on the rock. Sam moved to support the colonel while Teal'c looked threateningly at the former god. Studiously avoiding touching Jack's bare skin with her rash covered skin, she allowed him to lean against her for support.
The close proximity to his 2IC caused the colonel to squint as he looked more closely at the woman. "Carter?"
"Sir?"
"You look terrible."
Sam rolled her eyes in dismay. "I *know*, sir."
Daniel pulled the transport control from the Goa'uld's wrist, noting with concern that the creature was not wearing the standard ribbon device on the other. "Uh, what's this? I've never seen one before."
Jack eyed the device dizzily. "It's a Heln'rc, used for tracking us. Teal'c can tell you all sorts of shit about it if you really want to know."
Daniel shook his head, grinning as he studied the ring control. "Sam, pushing this button brings the rings." She nodded as he spoke, swaying a little herself under the weight of the colonel.
Jack sighed heavily. "Now, give the device to Carter, and give me a hand here."
"Jack, don't you think it'd be a good idea if Sam and I both helped you? You don't look too steady."
Sam shook her head. "No. We're fixing to transport to the ship up there. There's no telling how many Jaffa are up there."
"So? We're armed, or at least Teal'c is. And we're holding their god as a hostage."
"Daniel Jackson."
The puzzled archaeologist turned to look at Teal'c. "Hmmm?"
"What were your scores in hand-to-hand combat in the last SGC training certification?"
"Oh, they were..." Daniel's eyes widened. "Oh!" Wordlessly replacing Sam as Jack's crutch, Daniel watched quietly as Teal'c positioned them for the trip to the ship.
"Whenever you're ready, Captain." The dark circles around Jack's eyes stood out plainly against a too-white face.
"Yes sir." Taking a deep breath, Sam summoned the rings, praying silently that this hostage drama would actually work.
******
Deldrak opened his eyes cautiously. Good. He was still alive. Dedun was nowhere in sight. And from a quick initial check of his body parts, nothing seemed to be either missing or injured. Pushing himself to his feet, he gasped and suddenly bent double as nausea overwhelmed him. He unwillingly vomited down the wall in front of him as the symbiote inside his belly screeched a pained protest. With nothing left to come up, the Jaffa leaned heavily against the wall and took a few deep breaths.
Moving to the door, he hesitated a moment before he turned the knob. A nearby guard gasped in horror. "My Lord Deldrak, what has happened?"
It was too good to be true. The stupid god, if god he was, had not disowned him yet. Although, Deldrak knew, it would probably not be long. But for now, he was still alive, and still First Prime. "A traitor lives among us. Where is our Lord Dedun?"
"He has gone to the surface, my lord. To retrieve the surviving slaves. He should return at any moment."
Deldrak hid his terror under a mask of concern. "Quickly, the traitor may be one of those with our Lord Dedun. Give me your weapon, then gather only loyal Jaffa of the third order. Come back and prepare to defend our Lord Dedun."
The guard left to do the First Prime's bidding without question. Deldrak smiled to himself as he walked warily toward the transport area. He sighed with relief when he realized that the stupid 'god' had taken the transport guards with him, leaving the transport room deserted. With luck, he'd be able to flee the ship before Dedun returned.
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The science behind the transport rings was well beyond Deldrak's ability to comprehend. He knew only two facts about them - one, that the ship had to be positioned directly over the landing zone, and two, how to operate them. Deldrak hastily repositioned the rings to take him to the top of the canyon, smiling as he realized that the slaves, who had cost him so dearly, had originally been found there. If his luck held, he would be able to steal enough to survive on from his *former* master's mines, then find the ship that had brought the pain-in-the-ass four to his world. Or perhaps it would be better to find their ship first. He'd decide that when he was safely away from the ship. He hit the controls and laughed out loud as the rings took him to safety.
******
Sam's eyes narrowed as the control failed to respond. "Daniel, are you certain this is the right button?"
"Hold still, Jack. Yes, Sam. It's the orange one."
"Well, it doesn't appear ... oh." She gasped as the whirring sound of the rings dropped patterns of light around them. They rose to the interior of the ship with dizzying speed. Within a matter of seconds, they were high above the river, staring at an empty room.
Dedun's scream of "Jaffa, Kree!" coincided exactly with Sam's rush to close the door. She'd barely gotten the electronic latches in place when thundering footsteps could be heard in the outer corridor. Angry, confused voices could be heard on the other side of the door. Dedun opened his mouth to scream again, only to grunt as Teal'c stuck his zat'nikatel into the creature's back.
Even Daniel gasped in astonishment as the former First Prime of Apophis dryly intoned, "Go ahead. Make my day."
"Uh, Teal'c?"
"Was that not the correct threat, O'Neill?"
Taking the zat'nikatel from the Jaffa without ever removing the business end from Dedun's spine, Jack responded quietly. "It'll do. Can you get us onto the cliff where we camped?"
"I can." Teal'c took the ring controls from Sam, even as he handed her the Heln'rc.
As Teal'c reconfigured the settings, Dedun moved slightly.
Jack's quiet, "Don't" was punctuated by a hard jab to Dedun's ribs. "I know *it* will make my day and I don't for a minute think you're immune to this ... thing."
"We are ready, O'Neill."
Sam moved quickly to stand next to Daniel. "And from the sound of that door, we'd better hurry."
Teal'c nodded as he pressed the controls. As the rings formed around them, the door burst open and a covey of Jaffa practically fell into the room.
******
Deldrak was safely hidden in a thicket of shrubs when the rings reappeared in the clearing. He knelt, hardly breathing, while his former employer appeared as a prisoner of the former slaves, who seemed remarkably healthy after all they'd been through. Grinning, he debated joining their party, but decided against it. The group had only one weapon among them, and would be no match for the numbers of Jaffa he knew would soon pursue them. But his own luck was improving by the minute. Dedun was in no position to denounce him as a shova, so that any Jaffa who searched for their god would follow his orders. And even better, the foursome would lead him to their ship. Dropping even lower, he watched intently, wondering what the slaves would do next.
******
Jack stumbled as the rings left the group in the clearing, allowing Dedun to move away from the weapon. The colonel reacted on automatic, firing the zat'nikatel once and grinning wickedly as the current sent spasms through the Goa'uld's body. "Told ya it'd work on you."
Daniel steadied the older man, then asked concerned, "What now?"
"Hmmmm?"
"Well, gee, Jack, we can't carry him, and we can't wait for him to wake up, so now what?"
"Shit!" Jack's foggy brain belatedly realized that he'd lost the opportunity to take a live Goa'uld back to the SGC. But perhaps that was for the best. He hadn't even contemplated the idea until it was too late to follow through. And the jaffa on the ship should be along any minute. "Teal'c, can you set this thing to explode?"
Teal'c nodded and took the weapon from him. "Indeed, O'Neill, there is an overload dampener on the handle which can be disabled if one so desires, but it will not explode until the trigger is pulled."
"What about if it's hit by an electrical pulse, like in the rings?"
The Jaffa looked thoughtful. "I believe that will work."
"Fine," He coughed lightly. "Do it. Okay, kids, anyone have any ideas on the direction we should take?"
"How about just away from here, Jack, and figure out the right way later?" Daniel watched as Teal'c set up the booby-trap where they'd formerly stood.
The older man smiled, tiredly, but before he could respond Sam looked up from studying the Heln'rc. "Sir, this is odd. There was a flash of some sort of signal in the upper right corner, and there are two images a short distance below it. I thought you said this thing was tracking us. If so, shouldn't there be four images?"
Jack nodded as he replied, his voice hoarse with fatigue. "There were four when I first got it. One vanished early on. Thought Daniel was dead."
Daniel looked over her shoulder at the little device. "I got rid of my shirt - long story - a good while back. And Jack's shirtless as well. You and Teal'c are still wearing one." He eyed the remnants of Teal'c's shirt warily. "Sort of."
Sam frowned. "Teal'c, take off your shirt."
Teal'c finished positioning the zat'nikatel, then tore off the rags he was wearing.
"You're right, Daniel. Now there's only one..." Glancing up, she saw the three men staring at her. Suddenly realizing what she'd said, she gasped, "Oh, no. No way. No how."
"We won't look, Sam, if that helps any." Daniel blushed as he spoke.
"No thanks, Daniel. I--"
"Captain--"
"No, sir. Not even if--"
"No, no. DumDum's wearing a shirt. Take his." Jack nodded at the recumbent form of the god."
The captain was obviously reluctant to touch the Goa'uld as she took a hesitant step toward him. To her surprise, Teal'c knelt beside the Goa'uld and easily removed his shirt. A slight smile reached his lips as Teal'c handed the tunic to the surprised, but grateful captain.
Sam's eyes showed her relief as she quickly put on Dedun's tunic, which hung almost to her knees. "Thanks, Teal'c!" The fourth blip vanished from the Heln'rc as she jerked the shirt out from under the tunic and threw it to the ground.
Daniel was thrilled. "Terrific! Now they can't trail us!" He paused, and glanced around. "But we still don't know which way to go."
Jack sighed and responded hoarsely, "Toward the blip."
"Oh! The MALP. We're overdue and General Hammond sent the MALP. That could be what the blip is." Sam's excitement was contagious.
"Well, whatever, I vote we go that way. I think I hear the rings." Daniel got a better hold on Jack as Teal'c led them in the direction of the blip.
Moving as quickly as the weakened colonel's condition would allow, Daniel suddenly realized that Jack was speaking. "I couldn't hear you, Jack. Do you want to rest?"
The colonel shook his head. "No. Fine. But Daniel?"
"Yes, Jack?"
"This team is not a democracy."
The puzzled young man glanced in confusion at his friend. "What?"
"No voting."
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Deldrak watched in confusion, and no small amount of horror, as the female stole his god's, correction, former god's tunic. This single act did more to convince the First Prime of Dedun's lack of godliness than anything else. Up until the tunic was ripped from Dedun's body, Deldrak had been more than a little suspicious that his god was faking his unconscious state, for reasons known only to the god. Shaking badly, his attention returned to the humming zat'nikatel. He quickly realized that the hum was the returning rings and that the position of the zat'nikatel would cause an explosion which would result in his death. He was far too close to escape. Moving with speed that astonished even himself, he seized the zat'nikatel, rolled quickly past the appearing rings and tossed the weapon into the canyon.
The arriving Jaffa cried out in horror as they caught sight of the recumbent form of their god. Deldrak's voice was grim as he spoke from behind them. "They have slain our lord."
A stunned Jaffa stared at the First Prime. "How...how is that possible? Lord Dedun is a god. He cannot be killed!"
Thinking quickly, Deldrak responded. "The slaves were agents sent by jealous system lords to steal our lord's fortune. They obtained weapons that are fatal to a god. I do not know where they had concealed them."
One of the Jaffa moved to touch the fallen Goa'uld. Deldrak's stern voice made him see the error of his ways. "Touch him and die, Mard'k. His body is sacred. Only the High Priest of Grishn'r or myself may touch him now. I will take his body to the ship and guard it. Death to the slaves!"
Mard'k asked quietly. "If the slaves carry weapons from the gods, how are we to defeat them?"
"It matters not how many Jaffa fall to their weapons, they must be destroyed. But fear not, Mard'k, they are still vulnerable to *our* weaponry. We have already proven this. Now go, avenge our lord!"
Mard'k's eyes narrowed in rage as he looked first at his dead god, then at his First Prime. The grief felt by Deldrak at the death of the Lord Dedun was obviously genuine and Mard'k felt a strong sense of loss as Deldrak knelt and pulled the lifeless body of their god into his arms. Nodding respectfully to his master, Mard'k led his guards on the trail of the slaves.
******
Moving as quickly as the colonel's weakened condition would allow, SG-1 headed for the site of the energy pulse on the Heln'rc. Teal'c suddenly slowed, then stopped altogether, causing Daniel and Jack to barely avoid running into him. Jack was too out of breath to speak, but Daniel's question was universal in nature, "Why'd you stop, Teal'c?"
"Something is incorrect. The transport rings should have detonated the zat'nikatel by now." The Jaffa looked back at Sam, who was bringing up the rear. "Captain Carter, have you heard even a muffled explosion?"
She shook her head vigorously. "No. Nothing even remotely like an explosion."
Teal'c looked concerned. "O'Neill, we are being followed. I will take the rear."
Jack's breath came in short gasps. "Carter ... can watch our ... six as well as you can, ... but she can't read the ... Heln'rc."
"I do not intend to observe anything, O'Neill. I intend to conceal our trail. And Captain Carter can be easily trained to interpret the Heln'rc appropriately."
"Thank you, Teal'c." Sam spoke up dryly.
"You are welcome, Captain Carter." Teal'c was only beginning to comprehend Jack's sarcasm. Sam's more subtle version was totally beyond him.
It took Teal'c less time than he'd allowed for to teach Sam to read the Heln'rc. Satisfied that she understood, he disappeared into the brush behind the weary group.
Jack gasped out an exhausted, "No!" only to find Daniel propelling him along behind his 2IC. Wondering exactly when he'd lost control of the situation, he tried to speak, but, once again, their pace prevented him from catching his breath. But if anybody wanted his opinion, PX7-384 was a wash. An absolute wash.
******
Deldrak cradled the form of Dedun in his arms as Mard'k and his troops disappeared into the trees. He'd been lucky, that idiot Mard'k had not noticed their 'god' Dedun was still breathing. Standing, he allowed the god's still unconscious form to drop with a heavy thud to the ground. Aiming his confiscated zat'nikatel at the god, he fired again, watching with satisfaction as Dedun's body quivered violently then stilled. A serpent's angry hiss startled the First Prime as a mature version of the symbiote he carried dragged its weakened form from the body of the dead host.
Staggering backwards, a terrified Deldrak fired at the large snake as it lunged toward him. Once, and its pain-filled screech almost unmanned the Jaffa. A second time and the snake went still, as immobile as the dead host. A third time and the serpent form vanished as if it had never existed. Shaking violently, Deldrak dropped to his knees, too frightened to realize he knelt in the spot from which the symbiote had vanished.
Heaving in huge gulps of air, Deldrak struggled to regain his composure. It would not do for other guards to find him like this. Too much was at stake for him to falter in his purpose now, and he had much left to do to cover his tracks.
******
Teal'c hurried through the underbrush toward the last clearing they'd encountered. Their only chance to fool, even temporarily, their pursuers would be to confuse them at that point. To his relief, he arrived at the clearing ahead of Dedun's Jaffa. He took a few moments to haphazardly push through the brush, which almost completely encircled the clearing, carefully backtrailing his own footsteps as he did so. When he was satisfied that enough false trails had been started, he reached into a mass of shrubbery and broke off a low branch. Using it like a broom, he raked the clearing clear of footprints, then cleared his own footprints as he moved backwards towards his team. Finally convinced that he'd done all he could to prevent their capture, he spun on his heels and raced toward what he hoped was the 'gate.
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part - 38 ↑
Sam kept her eyes on the trail, hoping she'd set the right course for the 'gate. Teal'c had determined the direction based on where they'd been and where she'd seen the blip on the Heln'rc. She wasn't really sure why she even needed to understand the device. After all, their images were no longer on it, so the only thing she'd see is another blip if the 'gate activated again. Thumping her head for stupidity, she laughed silently as she realized that even that image would tell her if she'd gotten off the trail.
Behind her, she heard low voices. Daniel was offering encouragement to the colonel. The older man's condition worried her greatly, the dehydration more so than the blood loss he'd obviously experienced. She really hoped he had the strength to make it to the 'gate. *If* that's where they were really headed. As it was, she was certain that they were not traveling nearly quickly enough. The length of Dedun's tunic was making it difficult for her to run, but even if she increased her speed, she was certain that the colonel could not keep up. Shit! And even if they made it to the 'gate, they had no GDO. A not-so-trivial detail that no one seemed to remember. But, what choice did they have?
She started violently as Teal'c called to her from a short distance away. "Captain Carter?"
Stopping dead in her tracks, she whirled to see the Jaffa bearing down rapidly on their position. Daniel, meanwhile, took advantage of the respite, allowing Jack to slide to a sitting position on the trail.
"What is it, Teal'c?" Sam looked over his shoulder, fearful of an assault they were ill-prepared to handle.
"We have not gained much by my subterfuge. But, I have noticed a certain familiarity with the terrain. I believe we must go that way." Teal'c nodded in the direction of a grove of trees, slightly off of the path Sam had been following.
Sam grinned broadly as she too recognized the trees. It had taken them a while to work their way out of the grove. "Sleeping Beauty's castle."
She didn't realize that she'd spoken out loud until Daniel's confused, "What?" reached her ears. Blushing slightly, she nodded toward the trees. "The old fairy tale of Sleeping Beauty. After everyone went to sleep, the castle was completely concealed by the local flora."
Daniel smiled. "And in our case, the castle is the Stargate, with the wicked witch being one pissed off Goa'uld?"
"Something like that." She froze as the sounds of a distant pursuit reached her ears. Nodding toward the trees, she continued. "We better hurry. Looks like they're closing and we don't know where the entrance is."
"On the contrary, Captain Carter, I believe I will be able to locate the entrance."
"Lead on, McDuff." Jack's bone-weary voice brought a sympathetic wince from Carter, and prompted Daniel to tighten his hold as he pulled the older man to his feet once more.
Teal'c looked at the colonel in confusion for a moment before moving toward the trees. Behind him, Daniel Jackson was struggling to explain the colonel's cryptic statement, but the Jaffa was finding it difficult to understand what an Earthbound, island nation had to do with their current situation. Deciding that he would require a more detailed explanation at a later date, Teal'c headed for the trees, determined to find a way through the underbrush.
Sam once again brought up the rear, knowing that Teal'c stood a much better chance than herself of locating the entrance. She paused for a moment, the tunic she wore wrapping itself irritatingly about her knees once more, and angrily seized the hem in her hands. If the whole damn thing didn't stuff into her pants, then she'd just rip ... what the hell? Something jabbed at her waistline through the material. Ignoring the fact that the team was out-distancing her, she folded the material back, and started to laugh. Surely it wasn't this easy. God! With all the bad luck they'd had - the unforeseen Goa'uld, the hunting cats, her rash, night climbing, white-water rafting, the colonel's injury - this was incredible. Why had Dedun hidden a GDO in a pocket? A cry of "Here!" pulled her attention back to the team. When had they gotten so far away? Lifting the tunic above her knees, Sam started to run.
******
"Here!" His single word announcement brought a sigh of relief to his teammates.
"Good job, Teal'c." Jack nodded approvingly at the Jaffa.
Daniel glanced around, looking for Sam. His eyes widened as he saw her running toward them. "Sam?"
Gasping out a "sorry", she held out the GDO. "It...was," she gasped, "... in the tunic."
Daniel gulped, "I'd...I'd forgotten about the GDO."
"As had I, DanielJackson."
"Good work, Carter." Jack smiled weakly. "Let's go home."
By silent consent, Sam took the lead this time, while Teal'c, ever vigilant for an attack, brought up the rear. As they reached the clearing surrounding the 'gate where a MALP stood alone near the DHD, Jack gasped. "Daniel, dial us home. Carter, the MALP." Coughing violently, he almost fell into Teal'c's arms as the Jaffa replaced Daniel as his main support.
Sam raced for the MALP and quickly moved the oddly shaped vehicle toward the 'gate. Shouts from behind them told her that they'd been discovered, and it was just a matter of time before the Jaffa found their way into the clearing. Positioning the MALP in front of the 'gate, she turned her attention to Daniel. "Ready when you are, Daniel."
He cast a confused look at the MALP, knowing full well it would be destroyed by the flux when the 'gate opened. He'd hit the third chevron when he realized that that was Sam's purpose. With the Jaffa this close, the MALP would never make it back to the SGC. Hell, they'd be lucky to get back. The destruction of the device would at least keep its technology out of the hands of the Goa'uld. Nodding in complete understanding, he hit the seventh chevron with a vengeance. As the 'gate sprang to life, incinerating the MALP, he screamed, "Go!"
Sam quickly entered the codes and waited only long enough to see that the team was behind her before diving through the 'gate, while Daniel moved to join Teal'c in supporting the colonel. As they leaped for the event horizon, Daniel couldn't suppress a grin as he heard Jack mutter, "See! Told ya we weren't lost."
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part - 39 ↑
Three days. Seventy-two hours. Four thousand three hundred and twenty minutes and who the hell knew how many seconds. No matter how it was counted, it had been entirely too long, but, Jack admitted to himself, he did feel much better. He'd been glad to get rid of the needle that had been pumping ... what? Oh, yeah, fluids into him. And those EKG thingies had not really allowed him to be comfortable in the infirmary bed. Now that was a laugh, equating comfort and an infirmary bed. He absently rubbed his chest where the EKG thingies had been affixed. Their removal had been quite ... painful.
He turned a bored eye to the rest of the infirmary. Nothing but empty beds. Thank God for that. Carter had been released forty-eight hours ago with orders to rest in her quarters. Even as out-of-it as he'd been, he clearly remembered his 2IC's protests as the doctor ordered calamine for the itching, antihistamines for the allergic reaction, and forced confinement to an infirmary bed for precautionary observation. He grinned at the memory - he hadn't realized that Carter even used *that* kind of language.
Daniel and Teal'c had been released almost immediately following the post-mission exam. Daniel, with instructions to keep the bandages on his multitude of scrapes clean, and to limit his mobility for a couple of days to take the pressure off of the weakened knee. Jack snorted a laugh. He really hoped that Janet hadn't wanted the knee elevated, because he could almost guarantee that the young scientist was pouring over some archaeological artifact or article in his lab. Probably without sleep.
Teal'c had been forced, once again, to listen to the praises of Junior. Jack grimaced in spite of himself at the thought of the squirmy, little son-of-a-snake that healed the Jaffa with such alacrity. The symbiote had been undamaged by their latest blunder into the world of the Goa'uld, and, by the time Teal'c reached the SGC, had almost completely healed the injuries resulting from the killer bird attack. Shit. Sounded like a Hitchcock movie.
"Well, Colonel. Everything's back to normal." To Jack's astonishment, Janet Fraiser had appeared by his beside without him even knowing it. "I'm clearing you for duty."
"Thanks, Doc!" Jack leaped out of bed, shoes and trousers in plain sight below the hem of the requisite hospital gown. Throwing aside the gown, he tucked in his uniform shirt as he raced for the door.
The petite doctor shook her head and smiled at his retreating back, "Pleasure doing business with you again, Colonel."
Jack raced down the corridor toward the gateroom, checking his watch as he ran. If his calculations were correct, he'd missed the transport of the MALP back to PX7-384. It was a risk, but Jack had argued successfully that if the Goa'uld had not found the 'gate, then the SGC would have an opportunity to spy on their enemies. The move was one that could potentially leave a valuable piece of equipment in the hands of the enemy. But with intelligence on all things Goa'uld being at a premium, Hammond, eventually, felt it was worth the risk.
The Stargate was shutting down as he entered the gateroom, and he frowned at the MALP still standing idly on the ramp. "What's going on?"
SG-1 turned quickly in his direction. Sam nodded, a slight smile playing on her lips, "Welcome back, sir. The 'gate to PX7-384 won't open, sir. Looks as if they've blocked it."
"Why?" Jack stared at his team.
Teal'c nodded briefly to the colonel. "It is good to see you well, O'Neill."
Daniel shrugged. "Ditto, Jack. And I have no idea why they've blocked it. From the look of it, we may never know."
"Ya think?" Jack frowned irritably at the now dead 'gate. Terrific, another source of information lost to them, but, he consoled himself, there would be other days. Other planets. Other Goa'uld. Now *that* was a scary thought.
******
"My Lord Deldrak, Lord Trandis of the Alruthian Alliance has agreed to your terms." Laun bowed deeply to the First Prime who now wore the late, unlamented Dedun's signet ring.
Deldrak looked up from stroking Titia's tawny head. "Indeed, Laun, that is good news. Make our ... guests comfortable. I will be along shortly.
The Jaffa bowed again and vanished, leaving Deldrak to his thoughts. Deldrak watched him leave, then smiled. The discovery of the Stargate through which his quarry had fled had been almost as unnerving as the murder of the Goa'uld. If the slaves could operate it to come to his world - and it was his world, now that Dedun was deceased - then other Goa'uld could also visit unannounced. Such an event would never do. The 'gate had been quickly sealed. There would be no danger, now, from that quarter.
All that had been left by Dedun was now in the Lord Deldrak's possession. And in spite of the story he'd fed *his* Jaffa, Deldrak knew that the System Lords had no interest in Dedun, one way or the other. Deldrak was not, however, so lost to reason to try to maintain the façade of a Goa'uld presence forever. To that end, he'd chosen to ally himself with the pirates. Together, they should have a long, and profitable, relationship. He smiled as he looked at the signet ring. Perhaps, one day, he'd once again run into the escaped slaves. He really had much to *thank* them for.
*The end*