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| Stargate Fan Fiction What would we do without fan fiction? It\'s a way for those so inclined to add a little something of their own, answer a question that has been nagging at them that wasn\'t addressed in one of the episodes, or offer another glimpse into the people and |
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20th August 2001, 02:30 PM
| #1 (permalink) |
| Trivia Goddess  Join Date: Sep 2000
Posts: 2,856
| new story : understanding the enigma whatta you know, i actually wrote somethign that could be posted here without causing an international incident  here's part 1 of 6 Title- Understanding the Enigma Author- Denise E-Mail - skydiver119@hotmail.com Category- Missing scene(sorta) A/A Archive Heliopolis, Stargate fan, anyone who wants it, just let me know so I can come visit Season- 1 Spoilers - COTG, The Enemy Within Rating- PG Content Warning- Little violence, little language, all in all pretty tame Summary- Wonder what that first mission was like? Disclaimer Stargate Sg-1 and its characters are the property of Stargate (II) Productions, Showtime/Viacom, MGM/UA, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Productions. This story is for entertainment purposes only and no money exchanged hands. No copyright infringement is intended. The original characters, situations, and story are the property of the author. This story may not be posted elsewhere without the consent of the author. Notes- Many thanks to Mq. for the beta. Her work is much appreciated. And to Trish for helping the plot bunny hatch. See I can get them together and keep their clothes on <G>. Understanding the Enigma By Denise Sam walked through the sparse, coarse grass on P3575 fighting the urge to pinch herself. She was on another planet. Holy Hannah! This wasn’t some fantasy or some game of ‘let’s pretend’. It was real. As real as the light from an alien sun beating down on them. As real as the three men walking with her. Colonel O’Neill was on point. Despite the mission reports she’d memorized he was nothing like she’d imagined. His accounting of the Abydos mission had been precise and cold. Nothing like the man that was now her superior officer, odd sense of humor and all. She’d been grateful for that sense of humor after their first meeting. She cringed every time she recalled her speech over the briefing room table. A string of sleepless nights, jet lag and one hell of an adrenaline high had left her feeling decidedly loopy. Fortunately he seemed content to forget it ever happened. Which was just fine with her. Doctor Jackson, it’s Daniel not Dan or Danny please, was walking behind the colonel, his eyes darting around like a kid on his first trip to Disneyland. Once she’d heard that the man had figured out how to work the gate she’d wanted nothing more than to meet him. In fact she’d been well on her way to getting transferred to Colorado when word had come of his death and the Abydos gate being destroyed. Meeting a very alive Daniel Jackson a year later had been a huge bonus on top of finally going to another planet. NASA eat your heart out. She felt a certain kinship with the man largely due to him being one of the few people that she’d encountered lately whose brain worked in intuitive leaps like hers. He also had this sense of wonder and discovery that was all too rare in the jaded military circles she was used to. She fought the urge to turn and look at the fourth member of their group, Teal’c. The alien turncoat who had nearly killed them just a few weeks ago that was now an ally. She hadn’t had a problem with the colonel giving the man sanctuary. Given his betrayal he was doomed to die on Chulak. She hadn’t even minded the idea of him living on Earth. He was a valuable source of intelligence, assuming he was telling the truth and not playing the double agent. But a member of her team? That was one hell of a large step, traitor to comrade in arms in one fell swoop. What exactly did the colonel see that she didn’t? Yes he did turn on his men to save their lives. And he did give his knowledge of the Goa’uld freely, though it had yet to be proven the knowledge he was giving was the truth. He had helped them with Kawalsky but how could they know he had really helped? Perhaps the he and the Goa’uld had been in collusion and he only helped kill it to cover his tracks after the goa’uld revealed himself. Or maybe his help had been sincere. She may never know the truth. She just had to trust that the colonel was a good judge of character. So far the Jaffa had maintained his distance, keeping himself reserved. He wasn’t reluctant with any information, but he wasn’t exactly spouting off at the mouth either. Enigmatic. That was the word. A riddle wrapped in an enigma surrounded by a conundrum. A six foot tall puzzle who could kill with his bare hands. Fun. “Ok kids. Decision time,” O’Neill said, stopping his steady march through the thin vegetation. “Sir?” she asked as they gathered close. “Well the MALP may have shown favorable conditions but it doesn’t know squat about distances. I reckon we have about 5 hours of light left and there’s no way we’re gonna get both your samples and look at your ruin before we’re due back and I am not staying the night here,” he said pointing at Sam and Daniel in turn. “So, do we get to look at rocks or pick them up?” “Jack, our only clues to who lived here is in those ruins…” “Colonel, if I collect no samples then we’ll have no idea of the resources this planet could offer…” Jack responded by pulling a coin out of his pocket. “Aah.” He held up his hands to silence the pair. “Heads or tails?” Neither Sam nor Daniel looked happy at the prospect of leaving it all up to chance. “Why do we not accomplish both goals?” Teal’c spoke up. The trio turned mildly surprised. In truth they’d sort of forgotten he was with them. “Captain Carter and I can retrieve her samples while you travel with Daniel Jackson to the ruins. If we do not tarry we should have sufficient time to attain our objectives then regroup and return to earth within our allotted time.” //What? Go off alone with him? Alone with an alien on an alien planet? What was he...Nuts?// “Carter?” O’Neill’s voice broke into her thoughts. “Sir?” “That cool with you?” he asked giving her a meaningful look. She saw that he had at least an inkling of her insecurities and was almost asking her permission. That more than anything swayed her mind. “Yes sir,” she said, giving a small nod of her head. “Ok. You two go thatta way; we’ll go thissa way. RV at the gate in two hours. Check-ins every 30 minutes.” <><><><><> Sam scooped up a bit of dirt and slid it into the tube. As she pushed on the stopper she cast a glance at her companion. Teal’c was about ten feet away his eyes scanning the horizon. P3575 was an arid planet, reminding her of the American Southwest. The few trees they’d seen were stunted and warped by the wind. Most of the vegetation were hardy succulents or an occasional cacti. During the walk here Teal’c had been quiet. A constant presence at her side but not one that required attention. She didn’t know if his silence comforted or unnerved her. It was nice not to have to worry about making small talk…what do you talk about with an alien warrior anyway? Her single attempt at ‘how’s the weather’ had lasted about thirty seconds. But his silence also made her feel slightly uncomfortable. She wondered what thoughts were swirling under that enigmatic façade? It had been a relief when he’s spied the caves she’d picked as a site to take her samples. His guess was that it had been an abandoned mine and therefore likely to contain bits of minerals that might have been brought up from under the surface of the planet. The chance to gather her samples had given her the opportunity to gather her thoughts. She decided to try conversation again. “I wonder what they were mining for?” she asked, getting to her feet. “It had to have been something pretty valuable to make it worth packing it to and from the gate.” “The goa’uld do not worry themselves with such trivialities. Such tasks are one reason they take so many human slaves.” He paused and cocked his head. “What?” she started then stopped as he raised his hand. “There is a storm approaching,” he reported pointing his staff towards the horizon. Sam looked and saw with dismay that he was right. ‘Carter? Teal’c?’ Her radio crackled to life. ‘Sir?’ ‘You guys keeping an eye on the weather?’ ‘Yes sir.’ Sam shot a look at her companion. Well one of them had been paying attention. ‘We’re on our way back now,’ she said picking up her sample case and shoving it into her pack. ‘Us too…No arguments Daniel. Let’s get home before this hits. I’m too damn old to bivouac in the rain.’ ‘Yes sir.’ She stood still as Teal’c slipped behind her and attached her pack to her vest. They started retracing their steps both keeping a wary eye on the billowing clouds. more later..... |
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20th August 2001, 04:50 PM
| #3 (permalink) |
| aka Padfoot  Join Date: May 2001
Posts: 3,424
| Nice start Skydiver! i like the title as well. Sets a kind scene for it. though you'll have to have a pretty good fic to live up to with that kinda name. but i'm sure you'll do fien. You've already got a great start! Jessa:blpaw: |
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20th August 2001, 06:36 PM
| #4 (permalink) |
| Trivia Goddess Join Date: Sep 2000
Posts: 2,856
| <><><><><> “1:1,000…2:1,000…” she started to count after a particularly brilliant flash of lightening. As the storm grew slowly closer it also intensified. If they had been on Earth the National Weather Service would be issuing warnings. “Captain Carter?” She ignored him and continued to count stopping only as she heard the roll of thunder. “Ten miles,” she said earning a curious look from her teammate. “Light travels faster than sound. So if you count the seconds between when you see the lightening and when you hear the thunder and divide it by five you get about how many miles away a storm is. Of course this is assuming that the speed of sound and light are universally constant,” she explained, finishing with a shrug, taking off the bothersome helmet and hanging it on her belt. Vaguely she wondered what her chances were of leaving it behind next time. He started to tell her they had a similar practice in battle but refrained, settling for a simple nod. He was sure that she wasn’t interested. The information had no strategic value. And that appeared to be all the Tau’ri were interested in. Few seemed to see him as a person rather than a resource. Much like the Goa’uld. He couldn’t miss the captain’s discomfort with him. Her wary looks were nothing new. It was much the same with many other of the Tau’ri. In fact only O’Neill appeared comfortable with his presence. The man treated him more as an equal rather than a vanquished foe. The simple fact that O’Neill trusted him with the safety of one of his own spoke volumes to Teal’c. It was a trust few seemed to feel. Teal’c could empathize with Daniel Jackson’s reluctance and cool reception. After all it had been his choice that had condemned the man’s wife to a living death. But he did not understand the captain’s cautious behavior. He had hoped his surrendering his staff weapon to her would have been sufficient proof of his position. Among Jaffa the day a warrior received his staff weapon was a day of honor. The staff was a symbol that he was the chosen of his God, the elite. Every Jaffa actually had two staffs. One he used in battle and another to be used for ceremonial purposes. The latter was often passed from father to son, a cherished family heirloom. . When he surrendered the weapon to Captain Carter he was offering his allegiance to her as the next down the chain of command to O’Neill. It was a pledge she hadn’t comprehended. . When she’d stepped forward he’d thought she’d understood, that he was promising to fight at her side until his death. That he was putting his life in her hands. But he had been wrong. She looked upon him with a wary eye, almost as though she expected him to harm her as soon as she let her guard down. Perhaps it had to do with her being female? He’d never fought at the side of a female warrior before. Among jaffa females were wives or priestesses. And only the priestesses carried prim’ta. He wondered about the Tau'ri, and why there appeared to be so few females. Most of the people he’d seen at the SGC had been male. O’Neill said there was much more to his world. Maybe the rest of the females were segregated from the warriors as wives were often segregated from their fighting husbands. Or perhaps there was a shortage of women. But that did not make sense, if women were a rarity why risk the life of one in battle? Her presence was a puzzle he could not figure out. Perhaps Captain Carter’s family owed a debt to society? Maybe she had been given in service to the SGC as reparation for wrongs committed by her family? There was a practice among many races to give their children in reparation for wrongs committed upon their rulers. He wanted to ask her yet refrained. If she indeed had such a stain upon her honor it would be the ultimate in rudeness to inquire. “Whoa!” He centered his attention back to his surroundings, ashamed to realize he’d been less than vigilant. Bra’tac would have had him punished for such inattention. On their trek to the site they had crossed a small stream, the only sign of water they’d seen. The waterway had been shallow and placid. They had been able to cross it without even getting their feet wet, simply skipping from rock to rock. If he could not see his own tracks leading from the stream he would think it was a totally different waterway and that they had gotten lost somehow. It was now easily four times as wide as it was had been before. The once-clear water was now muddy and roiling. ‘Carter? Teal’c? What’s your status?’ ‘Sir we’re almost there. We’re about two clicks away,’ she reported into her radio, eyeing the water warily. ‘OK. You want to pick up the pace a little. So far this storm’s been keeping its distance but if it does decide to switch directions we’re toast.’ ‘Yes sir. We’ll be there in about thirty minutes.’ she released the radio and looked again at the stream. “You plan to ford here?” “I guess. I mean it doesn’t look that deep. I did worse in basic training. And we don’t exactly have all day to look for a better spot,” she said, pulling her rifle strap over her head so she could keep it out of the water. He looked speculatively from her to the water. It was running quickly but was not too deep, perhaps slightly below his waist. However it wasn’t the depth that concerned him, rather the sheer presence of the water. He had spent most of his life serving his God, striving to attain his goal of avenging his father. He’d witnessed miracles on a dozen planets and had seen some truly amazing and indescribable things. There was little that would shock him. However in his near century of living there was one thing he had never learned to do…Swim. Chulak’s few bodies of natural water were far too cold to bathe in. And his status as one of Apophis’ jaffa and later First Prime assured his access to indoor bathing facilities. He found the prospect of wading across the stream a distasteful one. He looked at his companion and saw annoyance rather than fear on her face. That made him keep his reservations to himself. If a Tau’ri female could do this, so could the ex-First Prime to a false god. She waded into the muddy water with a small curse. “Captain Carter. Is something wrong?” Were there predators in the water? “What? No. I ….I just HATE soggy boots,” she complained with a resigned smile. He followed her as the water got deeper and the current more powerful. She stumbled a bit and he shot out his arm to steady her. He did not know if he was imagining things or if the water was indeed getting deeper. “Just a rock. Sorry,” she said, turning back to glance at him. “Oh my God!” she said, looking upstream. He followed her gaze and felt his stomach sink at the sight of a wall of water speeding towards them. With the silent communication of survival and fear they both tried to run fighting the water to escape it. He made it about three paces when his foot slipped into a small depression in the streambed throwing him off balance. He flailed as the rushing water further compromised his balance, pushing him off his feet. With a cry he felt himself fall, the force of the current pushing him downstream. He jerked to a halt, the water rushing over him. He forced his head through the surface and saw that Captain Carter had abandoned her rifle and instead grabbed his staff weapon, which he’d kept a hold of. He could see that she was leaning back a bit attempting to contradict the force of the current, which was now buffeting her as well. The water was now up above her waist and he knew she would not be able to fight it much longer. He tried to put his feet beneath him but not even his strength was a match for the water; it kept sweeping his feet out from under him. Perhaps in time he could save himself. But time was not something they had right now. If the captain did not make it to the shore in the next few minutes she too would fall victim to the torrent. He had sworn to protect the Tau’ri, not cause their deaths. With a silent prayer to a real deity for mercy he opened his hands, abandoning himself to whatever fate the water had for him. “NO!” Sam screamed in horror as her teammate let go of the staff weapon. The sudden loss of weight caused her to lose her balance just as the wave of water rushed over her, sweeping her off her feet and into the torrent. She turned her thoughts from her companion’s survival to her own.  hate when that happens!!! don't they ever watch rescue 911???? |
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20th August 2001, 10:50 PM
| #7 (permalink) |
| Trivia Goddess Join Date: Sep 2000
Posts: 2,856
| three guess which part coffee wanted to be doing???? <><><><><> ‘Carter? Teal’c? Where the hell are you guys?’ Jack called casting a worried eye at the sky then back at the all too empty clearing he and Daniel were standing in. He was no meteorologist but he knew that being in the middle of a clearing standing next to a twenty foot tall metal ring in a lightning storm just wasn’t a good place to be. Being struck by lightening was one experience he could live without. This intergalactic exploring was great, but it had been more than a few years since he’d done any real fieldwork, not counting Abydos. Right now he just wanted to go home and crash in his armchair. And if Carter and Teal’c would just get their butts here…he could debrief and get home in time enjoy the evening. “Maybe they went back already?” Daniel suggested with a shrug. He wouldn’t think so but who knew how the military did things? “No,” Jack declared. “That’s not procedure. I said RV at the gate. Carter’s enough of a soldier to know better.” He studied the ground. There had been no signs of sentient life and he’d seen no other footprints than their own. Which was good. He sighed and checked his watch. He called on the radio again and received the same response. “Dial it up,” he ordered. “What? You said they’re here. We can’t just leave them because they’re late,” Daniel protested. “We’re not. I just think it might be a good idea to let the SGC know what’s going on in case we pull a Houdini too. Now dial it up.” <><><><><> Damn. She must have left the window open. Maybe that’s why it was so cold. She needed to find the blanket. That would work. Then she wouldn’t have to get out of bed to close the window. She kicked her legs frowning as they moved freely but felt heavy. Where was her blanket? And her pillow. She had these nice down pillows…just then a wet earthy smell permeated her senses. Her fabric softener didn’t smell like this. With a small moan she dug her fingers into the sand…sand? What the? Memory rushed back in with the force of the flash flood. The water…struggling to keep her head above the surface, trying to avoid the boulders and rocks and not always succeeding. The cold, so cold water pulling her down as she struggled to stay afloat. With a startled cry she pushed herself up only to fall back as her left arm gave out from under her. Biting her lip she rolled to her back picking up her left arm with her right and laying it across her stomach. Now she could feel warmth seeping onto her belly. Gingerly she looked down and wasn’t surprised to see the olive drab material stained dark. She was bleeding. Great. Moving more slowly this time she sat up cradling her arm in her lap. Taking a couple of breaths she unzipped her jacket and struggled to slip out of it, noticing almost as an afterthought that her pack was gone, likely a victim of the current. “Oh man,” she whispered as the damage was revealed. There was a gash about four inches long across her forearm, still bleeding steadily. At least she could still feel and move her fingers so there seemed to be no permanent damage done. Ok. All she had to do was get Teal’c to put a pressure bandage on and head back…Teal’c…Where was Teal’c? She scanned her surroundings her heart sinking as she saw a still green figure amongst the mud and rocks. She pushed herself to her feet and staggered over to him. He was lying face down in a small pool of water. “Teal’c?” She rolled him over, struggling a bit with his bulk. She leaned over and cursed as she realized he wasn’t breathing. Handicapped with only one workable hand she tipped his head back and pinched his nose shut. She took a deep breath and breathed into his mouth, relieved to see his chest rise. Getting no response she breathed again. “Come on.” She breathed a third time and he responded with a shuddering breath of his own followed by racking coughs as his body fought to free itself of the invading fluid. She rolled him to his side and watched in morbid fascination as he coughed up what seemed to be a gallon of water. [yep, right here...coulda made a million selling the rights to cpr the t-man...missed opportunities] As the spasms eased he laid on his side still breathing harshly. “You ok?” she asked, laying her hand on his shoulder. If he was too out of it they were in serious trouble because there was no way in hell she could move him more than a few feet. He responded by throwing out his arm and pushing her back with a growl. “Rhe’u!” he snarled, struggling to sit up Startled, Sam scooted back, her hand fumbling for her sidearm and realizing it was gone, going for her knife. She held it up before her with hands she wished weren’t shaking so much as he struggled to his feet, then collapsed to the ground as his right leg gave out from under him. She may not understand his language but the tone of his voice screamed ‘get the hell away from me’. Sure, no problem. I’ll stay here, you stay there. Plenty of sand to go around. He cried in pain and she was torn between the desire to help and her own sense of self-preservation. Even had she been 100% it was unlikely she could best him. He moved feebly both hands clutching his hip. “Teal’c?’ she asked cautiously after several silent seconds. He turned his head toward her. “Captain Carter?” he asked frowning at the sight of the knife in her hand. “Yeah. You ok?” she asked, still keeping her distance. “I am…not,” he admitted. “Thought so. I’m gonna…come over there,” she said, getting to her feet. He watched her approach, lowering but not sheathing the knife. Was there some danger he had not seen? She knelt beside him sticking the knife in the sandy soil where it was readily available. “How bad is your leg?” “It is not broken but…I believe I struck a boulder with it.” She nodded. “That had to hurt.” “Indeed. Your arm?” Sam looked down almost as if she had forgotten the injury. Adrenaline was a wonderful thing. “Ooh. I…I think I hit a rock with it,” she finished with a rueful grin. “We should stop the bleeding,” he said, slowly sitting up a grimace crossing his face. “Well the first aid kits are in our packs which are…somewhere,” she said with a shrug eyeing their barren surroundings. It was almost as though the creek bed had spread out so far that it was no longer a bed but rather a large flood plain. Which was likely the reason they’d survived. The water had just spread out becoming shallower and shallower until it all just soaked into the ground. She’d seen a documentary about the Colorado River once, how it just trickled out into the desert and disappeared. “This will have to suffice,” he said, removing his jacket and taking off his t-shirt. She glanced away, slightly unnerved by her first sight of his pouch. Uggh. That was what he had to live with? And there was a goa’uld living in there? He tore the soggy material and deftly bandaged her arm with gentle fingers that belied their size. “I do not know how far we were carried but it is likely if you walk upstream you will encounter O’Neill and DanielJackson,” he said, slipping his soggy jacket back on and lying down with a barely audible groan. “You mean if WE walk.” “It is doubtful that my leg can withstand the strain of such a journey.” “Then we’ll just wait here.” “No. You will go for assistance and I will remain here. If my larva heals me soon enough I will catch up with you. Or you can send a rescue party for me,” he stated, closing his eyes. “No.” He opened his eyes and raised his eyebrow. It had been years since someone had dared tell the First Prime of Apophis no. “You stay. I stay,” she stated, crossing her arms across her chest in the age-old gesture of defiance. It lost some of its effect however when she grimaced as it jarred her arm. “Captain Carter. We have no supplies. The most logical course of action is for you to leave me. I am barely mobile and my presence would greatly decrease your chances of reaching safety,” he tried to explain. Did she not understand? It was not appropriate for one warrior to risk his life for another. It was better to lose just one than two. “That may be how Jaffa do it but not we primitive Tau’ri. You go. I go. You stay. I stay,” she declared plopping to the ground beside him. “I could teach you tic-tac-toe while we wait. Do you want to be x’s or o’s?” she said, drawing lines in the sandy soil. He looked at her stubborn countenance and knew it was an argument he could not win. “Women,” he muttered in his native tongue. “Very well, we shall attempt to make it back to the Stargate.” <><><><><> Jack walked slowly through the sparse grass, his eyes scanning the faint trail left by Carter and Teal’c on their way to the site. He silently berated himself for allowing them to be split up. He should have known better, especially since the god Murphy ruled his life. A whole range of ‘what-ifs’ streamed through his brain complicated by the fact that they were on an alien planet where anything could go wrong and they had no idea what was normal and what was deadly. And add to that he’d paired off an alien warrior and a slightly green captain both of whom he’d only met a month ago he was starting to get a really bad feeling about the whole thing. “Oh boy.” Daniel dragged Jack’s attention back to his surroundings. They were at the edge of a small drop off, maybe five feet down. But it looked like they were standing at the banks of a river whose water supply had abruptly been turned off. The area before them was desolate, nothing but rocks and wet looking sand with a small stream winding in the middle. There were a few tiny tufts of vegetation but they were battered and abused. “I haven’t seen something like this in years,” Daniel continued, kneeling at the edge. “Like what?” “It’s a wash. One hell of a big one.” “Excuse me?” “In desert environments the sandy soil just can’t hold water so whenever it rains all the water just rushes down into these washes and turns into a flash flood. They can be incredibly violent but don’t last long. I’ll bet in normal conditions that stream out there is even smaller. But when it rains like it did up in those mountains,” he said pointing at the dissipating clouds. “Then it swells up until…heck this one looks to be at least half a mile wide.” Jack looked down at the tracks leading to the gully and the lack of tracks returning and got that sinking feeling all over again. “So they could have crossed a tiny creek and came back a little bit later and found the Mississippi?” he asked, trying to get some perspective. “Yeah. Or…” “Or?” “Daniel grimaced. “They’re called flash floods for a reason. They could have started to cross this when it was totally dry and got hit by a wall of water.” “A wall of water?” “Well that’s what it looks like. When I was on this dig in New Mexico there was a flash flood. This huge wave, just like a baby tsunami came sweeping down the ravine. It washed away three cars.” Jack nodded. “If we go down there, how much danger are we in?” “Huh?” “Let’s say Carter and Teal’c went body surfing. What are the chances we’ll end up the same way?” It wouldn’t be much of a rescue if they all ended up missing. Hammond had promised to send a team to help them search for their MIA teammates as soon as they could be rounded up and briefed…that was something they needed to talk about, maybe having a rescue team on stand by 24/7…and the last thing they needed were two more people to look for. Daniel shook his head. “As long as it doesn’t rain we should be fairly safe.” “Ok.” Jack jumped down and started to cross the wash followed by Daniel, both men keeping a wary eye and ear upstream. the last 3 parts to come tomorrow |
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fic Sky!
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21st August 2001, 01:45 PM
| #14 (permalink) |
| Trivia Goddess Join Date: Sep 2000
Posts: 2,856
| <><><><><> “Let’s take five,” Sam gasped maneuvering towards a large rock. She helped Teal’c sit then plopped herself to the ground at his feet. She pulled the T-shirt out of her waistband and bent over to mop her forehead. It hadn’t been this hot before. Or maybe the humidity was just higher now due to the rain. She scanned the horizon looking for anything familiar, or better yet the other half of their team. They were at least an hour overdue for their check in and since their radios were waterlogged the colonel had to know something was wrong. The big question was if he could find their trail and figure out what had happened. Originally she’d thought they’d been carried a mile or maybe two downstream, but it had to be much farther than that. She could still see the mountains in the distance but she also knew how deceptive that could be. Heck you could see Pikes Peak fifty miles away in clear weather. She idly swatted at a few fly type bugs that seemed attracted to the perspiration on her body. “You know, I’d almost like it to rain again,” she said trying not to think about how thirsty she was. The few puddles that had been left by the flood had evaporated quickly and there was no sign of the stream. Both of them had lost their canteens along with their packs along the way. She’d also lost her rifle and luckily that annoying helmet. They still had their jackets but the heavy material was damp and likely to do more harm than good if this desert had cool nights like deserts on Earth. Her companion slowly edged himself off the rock and sat beside her. She frowned as he stuck his hands into the soil and began to dig a small hole. “Teal’c?” “This sometimes works,” he said, digging deeper. She watched as the ground grew darker and wetter. Once the hole was a foot or so deep he stopped digging and waited. She watched in amazement as the bottom of the hole began to fill with water. Slightly muddy and discolored but water none the less. “Now that is a trick.” “Many soft bottomed waterways have an accompanying subterranean system with them.” He held out a hand to still hers that was reaching for the precious fluid. “I should drink first to determine if it is safe.” “Won’t it make you sick too?” “If it is contaminated it will make me ill but to a lesser degree than you. My primta will provide some protection.” She quelled the desire to push him aside and take a drink. She didn’t like the thought of using him as a guinea pig. But he did have a point; the larva he carried did give him some advantages. She already suspected that if it had been one of the others with her they’d be sitting back where they’d woken up waiting for rescue or worse one of them might not have survived. “Aliens first,” She said, making a gesture. She watched him drink; frowning as handful after handful disappeared until the hole was dry. Surely this hadn’t been some trick to get all the water? He sat there for a second, his eyes closed. “Aah Teal’c?” He was OK wasn’t he? He wasn’t going to keel over and die on her now? “It is…flavorful but safe,” he said. “It will replenish itself in a few moments. We are fortunate it did rain otherwise the water would likely be several feet below the surface.” She looked down and saw that the hole was indeed filling back up and this batch was a tiny bit clearer than the previous one. She drank and they both took turns until their thirst was sated. He looked at the horizon. “We should continue. Dusk is approaching and this is not a safe place to sleep.” She got to her feet and pulled him up feeling slightly refreshed. “About how much further do you think we have to go?” “I am not…” he broke off as a baying wail drifted to them. “What the hell?” Sam asked scanning the horizon. “I do not…” They heard the wail again, this time it seemed a bit closer. With a sick feeling he recognized the sound. “We must go,” he stated urgently. “What is it?” Sam asked alarmed. “An animal. A hunter used by the goa’uld to track escaped slaves.” “What? There are goa’uld here?” Great, this kept getting better and better. “We do not have time for explanations. We must go. Now!” If nothing else the urgency in the enigmatic man’s voice made her shove her curiosity aside and grab his arm. She pulled it over her shoulder and they set off as quickly as his leg would allow. <><><><><> Daniel followed Jack down the wash, his eyes searching for any sign of his companions. If Carter and Teal’c had been able to survive for just a bit they might have made it until the water started to dissipate. Maybe. But he also knew just how powerful rushing water could be. He’d been on searches for flood victims a time or two. The ravages a seemingly benign thing like water could visit upon its victims was horrifying. And this one had been very powerful, if the scattered bits of flotsam and debris was anything to go by. He could see signs where some of the boulders had been moved by the sheer force of the water. He glanced over at Jack’s taciturn face and knew the man was worried. They had safely crossed the wash and found four sets of prints on the other side, two coming, and two going. This combined with the single set on the near side confirmed that the pair had run into trouble. Jack had tried the radio one more time before conceding that the water had most likely ruined theirs. Neither of them offered the option that the radio could be working, but there could be no one alive on the other end to answer it. Something caught his eye and he stepped over to it. “Jack!” he called, bending down and pulling it out of the ground. He held up the damming evidence. Teal’c’s staff weapon. “Damnit,” Jack cursed quietly. The Jaffa was a warrior to the bone. There was no way he’d just set his weapon aside. “The good news is that the wash is starting to widen,” Daniel said, looking at the dwindling stream they had been following. It was now just a foot wide or so, more a trickle than a stream. He figured it would soon disappear entirely. “How so?” Jack asked, running his hands through his hair in frustration. “The wider the wash the more spread out the water flow. Which means the less violent the flood and the faster it dissipates,” Daniel explained, brushing bits of damp sand off the staff. “Imagine if you had to evacuate Colorado Springs. The difference between using all four lanes of I-25 or trying to squeeze everyone onto one lane of Highway 24.” Jack nodded. “So you’re saying this is a good thing.” He waved downstream at the widening walls of the ravine. “It gives them a better chance.” Daniel refrained from telling his friend that of all the searches he’d participated in, no one had survived. “Ok. So…” Jack paused as they heard a faint wail. The colonel raised his gun in a flash. “Whatever that is I got a funny feeling it ain’t good.” He jogged forward. Daniel trotted after him switching the staff to his left hand so he could more easily reach his pistol. He could think of a dozen animals that could make that kind of sound and none of them he’d like to meet without a gun. ooh.....monsters.....hate it when folks leave their strays runnig around.... |
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