Jack collapsed with only the barest grunt of a sound.
Daniel’s gaze followed his body down to the ground, before dragging it back up again to where Teal’c stood, wavering, blood dried in a long slick stream down his stomach and legs, his staff weapon still raised as if he was unsure if the sweeping blow had been sufficient to halt the Colonel.
Time seemed to stand still.
“Quickly!” Sam’s cry broke the impasse, and before Daniel could work out what she meant, Teal’c had fallen to his knees, grabbing the discarded ropes at the base of her tree. Still without speaking, he shuffled the short way to where Jack lay, dropping his staff weapon as he did so. With a few practised twists he had the unconscious man’s hands tied behind his back and his feet bound together, before climbing laboriously to his feet once more, Jack’s knife in his hand. Daniel held his breath as his teammate staggered, but sighed in relief as he righted himself again. He reached the Major’s side, thrusting the weapon into her waiting hands.
It was the work of a second for Sam to cut the bonds holding her feet, and she stepped away from the tree trunk just as Teal’c began sliding slowly to the soft soil of the forest floor. She gave him a quick, concerned glance before heading straight to Daniel, knife in hand, her intention obvious. Daniel was both thankful and worried at Sam's urgency to release him, though not a little unnerved by her almost complete disregard for Jack, and the stumbling Teal'c.
"Sam?"
She glanced up at him, and he saw the soldier in her eyes. “Daniel, watch the Colonel while I untie you and see to Teal’c."
She moved closer, hesitating for a second and picking up something from near the log Jack had used as a seat. Daniel understood as soon as he felt the familiar touch of his glasses on his face. Blinking, his eyes slowly focused. The relief he felt after so long in the blurry half-light was immense.
The ropes were soon cut and Sam left him to return to their injured colleague. Ignoring his painfully numb arms, Daniel hurried to Jack’s side, thankful to see the steady rise and fall of his shoulders.
“Daniel – be careful! Don’t go too close.”
“He’s tied up, Sam.” He couldn’t help feeling irritated at her words.
“Major Carter is correct. We must not underestimate O’Neill’s skill.” Teal’c’s normally dark face was pale, a frown the only sign of his distress
“Teal’c.” Sam knelt beside him, ignoring her own state of undress as she carefully lifted his blood soaked T-shirt. “What happened?”
“I made the error of underestimating O’Neill and almost paid for it with my life.”
“So it was the Colonel that injured you.” Sam didn’t pause as she spoke, and Daniel felt his own face pale in response to the sight of the deep wound in Teal’c’s stomach.
“Indeed. I must admit to surprise at the ease at which O’Neill ambushed me.” He grimaced slightly as Sam moved the stiff cloth from his skin. “We must be vigilant. It is obvious O’Neill is not himself, but that does not make him a less dangerous adversary.”
Then his large hands pushed her away. “See to O’Neill, Major Carter.” The concern was evident in his voice.
Sam gave a quick glance to where the Jack lay, unmoving. “He’s okay, Teal’c, and it’s obvious that you aren’t. Let me check your injury.” Her voice was raspy, the result, Daniel surmised, of her near strangulation.
Daniel saw the way Sam’s eyes skidded across her CO’s form, without really looking at him.
Jack looked so uncomfortable, face down. Daniel leaned nearer, seeing the gash where the head of the staff weapon had connected with the base of his skull. Already the area around it was clearly bruising. He reached out a hand, only to snatch it back at Sam’s annoyed shout.
“Don’t go any closer, Daniel. Weren’t you listening to what Teal’c just said?” He rocked back on his heels, glaring at her. “Why don’t you see if you can find our packs and weapons? They might be around here somewhere and I need the medical kit to treat Teal’c’s wound.”
“And what about Jack’s wound, Sam? How are we going to treat that if you won’t go near him?” Daniel pushed himself off the ground, suppressing a moan as his awakening arm muscles cried a protest. “I’ll look for the packs, but then I’m going to check Jack properly.”
Sam nodded, already turning back to the Jaffa.
The packs were neatly stacked just within the tree line, along with their weapons. Daniel hauled them back into the clearing and found the medical supplies, handing them to Sam. For a moment he watched as she began binding the ugly wound, before returning to his friend.
Jack hadn’t moved. If anything he seemed even paler than Teal’c now, beads of sweat slowly edging their way down his forehead.
“Be careful, Daniel Jackson.”
“For god’s sake, Teal’c!” Daniel couldn’t hold his anger back any longer. “This is Jack here. There was something wrong with him before, making him act that way, and now he looks like he has a serious injury on top of that. What do you want me to do? Just leave him?”
Surprisingly, it was Sam who answered.
“No, Daniel. Let me look at him, just wait a moment until I finish here.” She gave Daniel a tremulous smile. “I’m sorry. I guess I was a bit more shaken up by all this than I thought.”
Daniel looked at the dark line around her neck where the rope had cut in, intersected by the thin scratch, and the way her clothes were cut. He knew he couldn’t really blame her for being upset. She had a right to be.
**********
Sam turned back to her task, winding the long bandage around Teal’c’s body. The wound was a serious one, in fact she realised that if the Jaffa had still had his symbiote it would probably have been killed by the slash of the knife and Teal’c along with it. As it was, the site of Teal’c’s pouch was probably one of the few places in which he could have sustained an injury of this magnitude and survived. It was obvious to her that the Colonel had struck to kill, only luck saving their friend’s life.
Daniel was right. She would check Colonel O’Neill thoroughly as soon as she was able, but at the moment Teal’c took priority. There was no way she was going to allow Daniel anywhere close to their commander. Of course she knew the Colonel would never have done these things if he had been in his right mind, but that was just it – he wasn’t. Maybe it was a posttraumatic stress, but she doubted that. There had been no warning, no sign that there was something wrong.
Tying off the bandage, she sat back again, only to find Teal’c’s dark eyes staring straight at her.
“Thank you, Major Carter.” Before she could stop him, he was up, listing to one side like an ancient sailing ship, but on his feet none-the-less. With a short grunt he bent and took up a zat, moving to stand over the unconscious man.
“You may check O’Neill now.”
“What are you going to do if he tries anything?” Daniel indignantly asked. “Zat him?”
“Indeed.” The weapon didn’t waver. “He is awake and listening to us even now.”
She jumped back as the Colonel’s eyes snapped open, and suppressed a shudder at the derision she saw in them. With a supreme effort of will, she came forward, bending, and carefully turning down the collar of his jacket to expose the now livid bruising. As her hand touched his bare skin she felt a shiver run through him, a glimmer of pain showing momentarily in his face before it was quickly concealed.
“Sorry, sir, but there isn’t much I can do about this until we get back to the SGC.” She kept her voice as normal as possible, looking up at the others. “I don’t like moving him, but we really don’t have a choice. With you injured, Teal’c, I’m not prepared to risk someone going back for help.” She shook her head, making the decision as she spoke. “We go together.”
“I concur.” Teal’c inclined his head slightly. “We should travel together. We should be able to reach the gate by tomorrow afternoon.”
“But what about Jack?” Daniel protested.
Sam took another look at the supine man. “He’ll just have to walk.”
**********
He took another step, the dull throb in his head pounding in counterpoint with his movements. There was no way he would let his captors see any weakness. It was bad enough that he hadn’t made sure of the big man when he had the chance, but to let him sneak up on him like that…there was no excuse.
They were heading for the enemy’s main force, getting nearer by the hour if what he overheard was true. There would be an opportunity to escape. There had to be. He could not allow himself to be interrogated.
He raised his head and looked behind, to see the large dark man watching him, his weapon unwavering despite his obvious injury.
Teal’c.
He was wounded.
How had that happened? It looked bad, the tell tale signs of distress plain for someone who knew where to look, and after so many years together as friends and teammates, Jack knew how to interpret every small nuance.
But he knew how it had happened.
He had done it. Stabbed his friend and left him to die alone.
He should have made sure of him. There was no excuse.
The pain in his neck was matched by the itchiness of the scratches across his scalp, like small creatures burrowing into his skull. He shrugged and rotated his shoulders as much as possible given his tightly bound hands, attempting to ease the muscles.
“Jack? You okay?” That was the younger man. Daniel.
“Hurts.” He hung his head slightly, peering up sideways, keeping his eyes half closed.
“Sam. We should take a break. Jack doesn’t look too good.”
The woman stopped and turned back, her weapon raised.
“Colonel?”
With a groan, he fell to his knees, shutting his eyes against the stab of pain that washed over him.
“Sir?”
Cold fingers clutched his wrist, and he just lay there, savouring the delicate touch.
Antarctica.
Carter’s hands had been freezing, but he hadn’t said anything, more concerned with pushing down the pain inside himself than complaining. She hadn’t been able to stop the pain there either.
Bitch.
He groaned, willing her to come closer.
The big man was the only real threat. If it weren’t for him, Jack would have been back with his own men by now.
Crap, but it hurt!
That’s it – just a little closer.
He tensed his legs, feeling the slight pull from the old injury to his knee.
She was almost there.
“Major Carter! Step back.”
This time his moan was more from frustration than pain, as the blond woman rocked back on her heels, letting his wrist go with a jerking motion. The big man was glaring down, his face close up to him, his intention clear, and Jack knew he had seen the signs, had known what he had planned.
Just a few seconds more and the woman would have been dead, her neck crushed, and he would have been gone.
His cry of agony was unforced as the large hand came down and pulled him to his feet once more. A push against his back sent him moving up the trail and further away from freedom.
**********
He was bone weary. It was hard to remember a time when he had felt so exhausted, and the lack of the restoring powers of his symbiote more keenly felt.
Teal’c bit into the ration bar Daniel Jackson had handed him moments before, making himself swallow. He needed to be alert, and to be alert he needed food – or at least what the Tau’ri called food on off world expeditions. He could never understand how a race that seemed so concerned with the welfare of each individual warrior saw dry, barely digestible bars, more suited to feeding cattle, as edible.
O’Neill was resting, propped up uncomfortably against a rock, his eyes shut.
Teal’c watched him carefully, not positive his commander was asleep. Several times during their trek to the chap’pai Teal’c had been aware of O’Neill’s calculating gaze upon him. The man was not himself, that much was obvious, but despite their efforts at reasoning with him, he still saw them as the enemy. Teal’c had known that O’Neill was a formidable warrior, but just how formidable he had not before appreciated. He berated himself for his complacency, for his easy dismissal of the experience of this man. The knowledge of the years he had spent training and fighting as a Jaffa in the service of Apophis had given him a false sense of his own worth when placed beside the short lived Tau’ri. Now he knew better, and that knowledge had almost cost the life of not only himself, but also those of his companions.
O’Neill’s chest was rising and falling in a steady rhythm. Teal’c could feel his own eyes shutting, fatigue and his injury catching up with him, and he sat straighter trying to bring himself back to full alertness.
“Teal’c?” Daniel Jackson’s soft whisper came as a shock. The fact he had not heard the other man approach spoke volumes. “How are you feeling?”
The situation warranted complete honesty. “I fear I am not well.” He placed a tentative hand on his abdomen, feeling a tightness as he did so.
“Should I get Sam?”
Teal’c looked to where the woman was curled up next to the fire. “No, let her sleep. There is nothing more she can do, and we will be back at the SGC tomorrow.” He looked at the young man in front of him. “I fear I will not be able to stay awake. It is up to you, Daniel Jackson, to guard Colonel O’Neill.” Daniel nodded, his face serious, but Teal’c felt compelled to speak again. “You must remember that you can no longer consider this man your friend. Until he is back at the SGC he is a dangerous enemy. He has already shown that he is prepared to kill to escape us.”
Daniel’s eyes flickered over to the apparently sleeping man. “I just wish we knew what was wrong with Jack.”
Teal’c felt for his teammate. Despite his experience over the last seven years, nothing had prepared him for this. But they needed to focus. It was imperative they reached the SGC as soon as possible, and Teal’c knew he was on the edge of sleep.
He spoke firmly, dragging the other’s attention back again. “Are you prepared to do what you must to prevent Colonel O’Neill from escaping?” He held out the zat.
“Yes.” The one word answer was accompanied by a look of determination.
He nodded, and closed his eyes, his hand clasped protectively over his wound.
**********
Finally.
He didn’t allow any sign of satisfaction to cross his features, but inwardly he was elated.
The next hour was spent feigning sleep. A couple of times the young man walked around their tiny campsite, coming close, and he was careful to keep his eyes closed and his breathing even. When sufficient time had passed, he let out a soft groan. Although he couldn’t see the result, he heard a rustle as the other stood up, and the quiet footsteps as he came nearer.
Jack stayed still. After a while the footsteps retreated.
Thirty minutes later he turned his head, gasping as he did so.
Again the footsteps approached. This time he let his eyes open slightly before shutting them again.
He ignored the softly whispered “Jack?”
His next move came more quickly. He lifted his bound hands to his head, moaning. He felt the other man kneel beside him, a hand on his shoulder.
“Jack?”
Another moan. He opened his eyes, the pain in them not completely acted. He saw the worry in the other’s eyes, and for a moment wondered at it.
Then he struck.
He stabbed outwards with his clenched hands, catching the other across his nose, and followed through with an elbow to the stomach. The man dropped as if he had been poleaxed. No time for finesse here. No time for a final, and fatal blow. He had to get away.
He was almost into the cover of the trees when the blue light engulfed him, his cry of agony echoing through the night.
His first instinct was to run to where his friend lay writhing on the ground, but he didn’t. Instead, he stayed where he was, his weight supported by one hand, while with the other he held the zat, still trained on the figure.
“What the hell just happened?”
He didn’t look around at the sound of Sam’s voice, all his attention fixed on Jack.
She repeated her question as she hurried forward. “Daniel? What happened?”
To Daniel it seemed like hours before Jack slumped unconscious, the tremors still coursing through his body even as his limbs relaxed and his staring eyes closed. Sam was at Jack’s side now, her hands pressing him down, searching for a pulse.
“Daniel Jackson?” This time it was Teal’c, and he let his white knuckled grip relax as the weapon was gently removed from his hand. “Are you injured?”
Sam’s body blocked his view of Jack, and at last he found he was able to speak. Was he hurt? He took a moment to consider his answer, not sure of anything except the ache from his nose and stomach where his friend had hit him. Nothing seemed too serious. Probably just some bruises and maybe a black eye or two, nothing worth adding to the long list of injuries he had sustained over the years.
“I’m okay. How’s Jack?”
Sam turned to look at him, her expression worried. “His pulse is extremely rapid, and the effects of the zat seem to be lasting much longer than usual. Why didn’t you wake us? Goodness knows what this might have done to him.”
Daniel cringed at the obvious censure in her voice. Why had he let Jack lure him close? Sam was right – he should have woken them. What if Jack died? It would be his fault.
“I’m sorry, Sam. I thought he was sick. He was moaning and looked like he was in pain. I didn’t think.” But he knew there was no excuse for what he had done, the stupidity of it made clear by the consequences.
“We should proceed to the gate as quickly as possible.” Teal’c’s deep voice interrupted Sam’s reply. “It is almost dawn and Colonel O’Neill needs urgent medical assistance.”
“Yes.” Sam stood, brushing the dirt from the clean BDU’s she had exchanged for the ones ripped by Jack. “Daniel and I will carry him.” She put up a hand to forestall the Jaffa’s protest. “You’re not in any condition to be carrying him, Teal’c. Daniel and I will manage.”
Teal’c nodded, and Daniel could clearly see that he was unable to argue with her reasoning. After a momentary pause, he reached a hand out to help Daniel to his feet.
"Oh, crap!" He had barely left the ground, when a sharp spike of pain shot up his leg, almost throwing him back into the dirt. Teal'c caught him, a simple wince his only reaction to suddenly becoming the sole support of the other man's weight. Daniel staggered, levering himself onto one foot.
“What is it?” Sam came over and grabbed an arm, helping to hold Daniel up.
“My ankle. Damnit, I must have twisted it when I fell.” He touched it back down again, gingerly, only to yelp again as fire shot up his leg.
Suddenly, realisation of what this meant hit him. “Damn.” He swore under his breath. This was all his stupid fault. Now how the hell were they supposed to carry Jack?
Daniel stared at his unconscious friend as Sam and Teal’c manoeuvred him into a comfortable sitting position. Jack had finally stopped shaking and his body was at rest, but his skin was almost translucent in the light of dawn, pale, lines of pain furrowing his brow. Almost wincing in guilt, Daniel shut his eyes against the sight.
**********
What had he done to himself this time? There wasn’t a single part of his body that didn’t hurt – from the nail on his little toe to the tip of the hair on his scalp. He couldn’t help the groan that escaped him, hoping that wherever he was there was no need for silence.
“Colonel?”
“Carter? That you?” He knew it was, he would recognise her voice anywhere, but somehow the ability to open his eyes or speak in full sentences had deserted him when his brains had leaked out his ears.
He wondered why she didn’t answer. He managed to wrestle his eyelids into submission, the resulting slit of vision enough to show him that he was outside.
He tried again, his voice little more than a whisper. “Carter? You there?”
“I’m here, sir. So are Daniel and Teal’c.”
Good – his team was safe. But there was something in Carter’s tone. Something off. He tried to sit up, but only succeeded in a weak twitch of his shoulders that sent him straight back down again. He tentatively tried to pull his hands apart, recognising the telltale tug of ropes on his wrists.
He shut his eyes again, thinking. Maybe they had been captured. He wished he could remember. A blow to the head perhaps?
A scrabbling sound nearby had his eyes open again, this time almost completely, and he was pleased to see Daniel’s face frowning down at him, a spectacular black eye peering out from above a painfully swollen nose.
“Jack. You’re awake.”
Good old Daniel. He could always be relied on to say that, be it in the infirmary, at home in front of the television, or in some Goa’uld cell somewhere.
Jack grimaced. “Seems that way. What’s going on? Why am I tied up? And what happened to you?”
There was that silence again.
“For crying out loud! Will someone get me out of these ropes and tell me what’s going on!”
“I am afraid we cannot do that, O’Neill.” Teal’c wasn’t looking too hot either. In fact, he looked like Jack felt. “You have not been yourself, and we have bound you for your protection, as well as our own.
“And just what is that suppose to mean?” Jack tried again to sit, but gave up just as quickly as before as the world tipped sideways on its axis. “Carter!” He searched for her, feeling his pulse beginning to race. “Report. And that’s an order!”
“Calm down, sir.” There she was, at last. Now he would get some answers.
“If you aren’t going to untie me, at least sit me up.” He instinctively struggled against the ropes, and was shocked to see her flinch away. “Carter?”
“What do you remember, sir?”
He searched his mind, the sound of wings in the darkness vying for dominance with images of the forest at night.
“Well, to be honest, not much. I seem to recall falling down some sort of hole, but that’s about it.”
“That was two days ago, Jack. You went completely darkside on us.”
He stared up at the archaeologist, unbidden thoughts nibbling at the edge of his consciousness.
The look of fear in those eyes.
Digging his knife into the warm flesh of his opponent. Watching him as he bled on the forest floor, his dark face leeching of colour as his life drained away.
Oh god!
He flung himself sideways, ignoring Daniel’s squawk, and emptied the contents of his stomach onto the grass.
It slapped him in the face. The feeling. The sensation. God. He had enjoyed it. The feeling as the knife parted the skin. Pushing past the resistance of muscle, blood spurting.
Warm liquid on his fingers.
Yes, he had enjoyed it, and he would do it again in a heartbeat. One moment of distraction was all he needed. They were weaker now, the younger man also injured. That would make it harder for them to get him back to their base. He would take advantage of that weakness.
Jack looked up at his enemies and smiled.
**********
“How much longer?”
Sam looked at her watch, calculating distances, and frowned. It had taken far too long to reach this point, and if they didn’t pick up the pace they would be faced with another night on the planet. She looked over to Colonel O’Neill, seeing the thin line of his lips, the one twitching eye. The prospect of guarding him after dark filled her with dread, but she didn’t allow any of what she was thinking to show on her face.
“At least four more hours, Daniel. How are you holding up?” She could see that he was tired, the makeshift crutch not much help in walking on what had proved to be a badly sprained ankle. Teal’c wasn’t faring any better. She had insisted on several rest stops, despite his protests, and at each one he had needed to be woken and helped to his feet. He wouldn’t let her check his wound again, saying it was fine, but Sam knew that it was anything but fine, dark stains on his shirt in places he thought she couldn’t see belying his claim.
And through it all, the Colonel slipped between episodes of lucidity and paranoia.
“Carter?”
She shut her eyes momentarily, before opening them to meet his.
“Sir?”
“What’s going on?”
“We’re heading back to the gate, sir.”
“Why?”
“You aren’t well, sir.”
She wasn’t sure how much more she could take of this. His next words took her by surprise.
“I need to sit down.”
She didn’t have time to catch him before he hit the ground. Even if she had, she wouldn’t have.
She was too scared to go near him.
She held her breath as Daniel hurried to the Colonel’s side, her P-90 ready. She didn’t need to look to see Teal’c had his staff weapon primed, the sound of the tip opening had been enough warning.
“Daniel.”
“I know. Sam, I know.” Her teammate was approaching cautiously, zat in hand. They had all learnt their lessons.
“I don’t like the look of the injury to his neck.” Out of the corner of her eye Sam saw Teal’c flinch slightly at Daniel’s words. ”It’s badly swollen.”
She came in closer. Daniel was right, the spot where the staff weapon had hit was red and inflamed. She carefully placed her weapon on the ground near Teal’c, before gesturing Daniel back.
“Colonel, I’m going to check your injuries. Don’t try anything. If you do Daniel is under orders to zat us both.”
There was no response to her words, and he remained still as she carefully lifted the black T-shirt, wincing at the livid bruise running in a diagonal line from the base of the Colonel’s skull, between his shoulder blades, and across his back. It must have been agony for him walking all this way. Then she looked to where Teal’c stood, and with a quick motion pulled the shirt back down. The Colonel wasn’t the only one with injuries from this experience.
She took the opportunity to check for further damage, some small cuts to his scalp and hands all she could find.
He would have to do.
“Seen enough, bitch? Done groping?”
She leapt back, standing and wiping her hands on her trouser legs. The eyes that looked up at her were dead and soulless.
“Why don’t you come back down here, and untie me? See what a real man is like.”
Teal’c’s outraged voice came sharply across to them. “Desist, O’Neill, or I will be compelled to gag you.”
The only reply was a low laugh.
**********
They were leading him like a dog now, a rope from his hands, tied in front of him after the last break, to those of that blond bitch. He had tried falling, pulling her off balance, but it hadn’t worked. That big bastard was watching him like a hawk.
Now he was concentrating on words to get them off guard. Make them angry. If he could get Teal’c to come over here, he could take him on. He was weak. Daniel wasn’t a threat to him, he could barely limp. And Carter – okay he shouldn’t underestimate Carter. He thought of the many times she had saved his butt. Couldn’t ask for a better teammate.
The ache in his back was killing him. He’d call a rest break, ask Carter to have a look at it. He might have pulled a muscle. He’d get Doc to give him something when they got home.
“Hey, guys, time for a break. Let’s take five.”
“No, sir,”
He looked at Carter walking in front of him. “Hu’h? What do you mean ‘no’, Major?”
She stopped and turned, glaring at him. “We can’t stop, sir.”
It was then that he realised he was tied up like some sort of animal.
“What’s going on?”
“Oh shit! Not again!” Something suspiciously like a sob came from Carter’s throat, and he stared in consternation.
“Come on, Sam. We have to keep moving.” Daniel had come up and placed an arm around Carter’s shoulders. He seemed to be limping.
What was happening?
He staggered as the rope was pulled tight once more, dizzy, and completely bewildered.
********
They had had to stop, none of them able to travel the few miles left to the gate. Their nerves were stretched to breaking point. Sam had stopped reacting to Jack, ignoring him completely, her face set into an emotionless mask.
Jack had been weaving drunkenly, slipping, the occasional groan punctuating each near fall. When they agreed to camp, Daniel had helped him down, trying to make sure he was comfortable, totally disconcerted by his whispered thanks.
That had been an hour ago.
“I won’t tell you anything. You might as well kill me.”
Daniel wrenched his eyes open.
He felt the eyes of the stranger in Jack’s body staring at him from out of the darkness.
“You know I’ll hunt you down for what you’ve done to me. I don’t forgive easily.”
He could hear the truth in the words.
“You aren’t a soldier. Why don’t you untie me and I’ll let you live. You could come with me. You’d be well treated.”
He stood, turning his back on the fire and staring into the blackness, the whispers following him.
“Surely you don’t want to die? Because I can guarantee that is what will happen if you don’t free me now.”
“Ignore him Daniel Jackson.”
Daniel shot Teal’c a grateful look. He could see that both his companions were awake.
“I am, but it’s hard. I know it’s Jack, but it’s hard to remember that sometimes.”
“Guys.” Sam gestured for them to move away, and he followed to the opposite side of the fire. “We have a problem.” She kept her voice as low as possible, making Daniel strain to hear. “We can’t stay awake all night. Daniel had no sleep last night and I only got a few hours. None of us are in any condition to stay awake, but we need to constantly watch Colonel O’Neill. Any suggestions?”
“We cannot zat him again. The effects of the last blast were very severe.”
“No, Teal’c we can’t do that.” Daniel thought for a moment, mentally running through their supplies. “What about the medical kit? Is there something we could use in that?”
“Morphine.”
“But he’s sick, Sam. We don’t know what effect it would have on him.”
“I know that, but what other choice do we have? Can you think of anything else? I’ll give him a half ampoule now and another when we start again in the morning. That should keep him drugged enough to be docile, but still allow him to walk.”
Daniel shook his head. “I don’t like it. We could make whatever he has worse.”
Her answer was clipped. “I don’t like it either, Daniel, but I’ll ask you again - what other choice do we have?”
When he had no answer, she stood, getting out the kit and taking the morphine from it. “Okay, let’s do this.”
They approached him together, Teal’c and Daniel taking an arm each. He bucked against them, his sudden strength almost too much. Daniel ignored the shouted obscenities, surprised at the variety of languages spewing from his friend’s mouth, and held on grimly.
“Done.” Sam stepped back, the empty needle in her hand.
“You fucking bitch. I’m kill you slowly and enjoy every second of it.” Jack shook his head, his shoulders slumping, his words spat out at them. “I’ll kill you all…” His voice trailed off into silence.
Teal’c bent forward, examining his bonds. “He had almost freed himself.” He held up the now limp hands, showing them the frayed ropes and equally frayed skin. “We have done the right thing.”
The soft voice took them by surprise.
“I hurt you. I hurt you all. Oh God! What have I done?” Daniel leaned forward, taking the long body in his arms and felt it shudder against him. “I’m so sorry.” Slowly Jack’s eyes shut, his last words loud in the silence, a pray as well as a plea. “I don’t know what’s happening to me. Oh God, help me, please!”
Daniel waited, his two teammates beside him, as Jack slipped into a drugged sleep.
He knew they had done the right thing.
But why did it feel so wrong?
Teal’c watched the stumbling man with concern as they approached the slight rise that concealed the chap’pai from view. O’Neill’s eyes were unfocused, staring into the distance. Throughout their journey this morning he had appeared to be unaware of their surrounding, off in some internal world of his own.
Teal’c wondered at the wisdom of administering the second portion of morphine, given his commander’s condition, but he had not voiced his doubts. As Major Carter had stated as she had injected the drug into the unresponsive man’s arm, they had no choice in the matter. O’Neill was much too formidable an enemy for them to handle given their current state of health.
“Teal’c!” Daniel Jackson’s cry of warning brought him back from his thoughts, but he was unable to prevent O’Neill from falling face forward into the high grass.
The Major dropped to her knees. “Damnit! His pulse is racing. Give me a hand here, Daniel.”
They turned Colonel O’Neill onto his back, and Teal’c was surprised to see his eyes were wide open.
“Hey, guys.” It was only a hoarse whisper, but they were the first words that their friend had uttered since the night before and Teal’c couldn’t help the sense of relief he felt. His relief was short lived however, dispelled by the next words. “I don’t feel so good.”
“Just rest for a minute, Jack. We’re almost home.” Daniel Jackson brushed a strand of sweaty grey hair from the other’s eyes. “Janet will fix you up, don’t worry.”
The nod was so slight that Teal’c almost missed it. “K”, and the lids shut over the glazed eyes.
The remaining members of SG-1 exchanged worried looks. It was obvious to them all that Colonel O’Neill’s condition was deteriorating rapidly, the only positive note as far as Teal’c was concerned, being that there had been no sign of the cold blooded warrior that had so easily bettered him.
He rested his weight on his staff weapon, reluctant to sit for fear of not being able to stand again. His companions slumped on the ground beside O’Neill, Daniel Jackson rubbing at his damaged ankle, his face set in a frown of anxiety. Major Carter remained alert, as he would have expected, her gaze fixed on the unconscious man.
“He’s a lot worse.”
Teal’c felt compelled to reply, the guilt heavy on his soul. “Indeed. I fear the injury from my staff weapon is to blame.”
The other man was quick to answer. “You don’t know that. It could just as easily be the effects of the zat blast.”
He wasn’t the only one with a burden of guilt.
“There is no point to this. For all we know it could be the original illness.” Major Carter spoke firmly. “Or even the effects of the morphine, and it was my decision to give him that. Let’s not try and second-guess Janet, okay. Whatever the problem is with the Colonel, she’ll figure it out. We need to concentrate on getting him home.”
“Indeed.” Teal’c bowed his head to the woman, acknowledging the wisdom of her words. “However, it will be difficult given his current condition.”
**********
They had given him something, that much was obvious, drugged him to keep him docile while they took him back to their base. He had been walking for what seemed like hours, unable to protest, unable to fight. The drug had sapped his will.
He didn’t remember much of the last hours, but now, as he lay there, he knew he was coming back to himself. His hands were still tied, but the journey had loosened the bonds slightly, giving him some degree of movement in his hands.
He heard them talking, discussing options. They were close to their goal now.
Might as well make it easy for them.
With a supreme effort of will, he threw off the ache between his shoulders, forced his brain back into some semblance of normal activity, and pushed down the intruder in his mind that was clamouring for attention.
He opened his eyes.
“Colonel?”
“Carter? Where are we?” He kept his voice low, and the woman leaned in.
So close. So tempting. His hands itched to act, but he restrained himself. Now was not the time.
“We’re almost at the gate. How are you feeling?”
He allowed his lips to turn up slightly in a small smile. “Better.”
“Do you think you can walk?”
He waited a beat before speaking, careful to slur his reply. “Try.”
The stumble wasn’t feigned, and he knew the drug was still coursing through his veins, twisting his thoughts. Once again he forced it back.
The younger man took his arm, supporting him, and he let his weight rest against the other. Together they set off up the slight incline.
They were still watching him, but not as closely. This time he didn’t moan, just stayed silent and kept his head down. He would only have one opportunity and he must not waste it.
There it was. The gateway to their base. He could tell the moment when they thought they were home safely. When they thought they had won.
They still hadn’t learnt their lesson.
He allowed his face to show a small tremor of pain as he was lowered to the stone steps. The young man they called Daniel looked at him with concern in his eyes, then moved to press at the locking device. The big man was behind them, and Jack could see the woman’s attention was on him as he staggered, fresh blood gleaming on his clothing.
Now was the time.
He leapt – throwing himself at Daniel, pushing him forward, his arms locked around the other’s neck, his loosely bound hands clenched in front.
The sudden surge of sound at his back took him completely by surprise, and he turned to see a blue liquid shoot out from the circle.
He felt rather than saw it. The large body connected with his back, bringing with it sharp agony as he staggered and fell.
Straight into the doorway, his last thought one of despair.
They had won.
**********
“It’s SG-1’s IDC, sir.”
General Hammond nodded in acknowledgement of Sergeant Davis’ words. He didn’t allow his concern to show, but they all knew that Colonel O’Neill’s team wasn’t due back from PX5-23F for several hours, and the General could feel the eyes of the Control Room staff on him.
“Open the iris.” As he gave the command Hammond pondered whether to alert a medical team. Perhaps there had just been nothing of interest on the planet. Maybe they needed some extra supplies. The weather could have turned bad. There were any number of reasons for SG-1 to return ahead of schedule.
“Medical team to the Gateroom.” Yeah right, and Texas wasn’t the finest state in the union.
The words were barely out of his mouth when the first bodies hit the ramp. There was a jumble of green and black, and the figures of Teal’c and Colonel O’Neill rolled together down the incline, coming to a halt at the bottom. To the General’s horror, he could see blood covering the front of the now motionless Jaffa’s uniform.
He leant into the microphone. “Colonel?”
With relief he watched the long limbs of his second in command uncurl. He stood, albeit wavering on his feet.
A guard hurried forward to support O’Neill, as the medical team entered the room, Janet rushing immediately to Teal’c side.
Hammond looked towards the still open wormhole as the sound of two more people existing caught his attention. Thank God! There were Major Carter and Doctor Jackson; looking a little the worst for wear, but nowhere near as badly off as Teal’c.
It was then that everything turned into a crazy kaleidoscope of action.
“Sir!”
“Jack!”
The shouts from both throats coincided with a grunt as Doctor Jackson flung himself at his CO, taking him to the ground, along with the confused guard. The fight didn’t last long, several other guards joining the fray to pull the antagonists apart.
“Hold him! General, there’s something wrong with the Colonel.” Major Carter’s frantic voice came clearly to him.
“Colonel O’Neill?” The General turned puzzled eyes to his officer, finally noting the ropes around his wrists. “What’s going on?” He bellowed his question through the mike, demanding immediate answers.
Then the Colonel turned his face up, as if searching for the source of the voice. The dark eyes fixed on his, and he shivered at the other man’s smile.
“You may as well kill me now, I won’t tell you anything”
The words made no sense.
**********
Doctor Fraiser knelt at the side of SG-1’s fallen team member, trying to make some sense of what was happening. While one part of her brain was dealing with his obvious injuries as best she could, the other was analysing the Colonel. His eyes were slightly glazed and his words were definitely slurred, as if he had been drugged. Could that be it?
Had he been captured on the planet?
Whatever the cause, it was clear that the Colonel was not himself. His defiant words were echoed by his rigidly held posture, as if he was holding himself up by sheer will alone.
“Jack. We’re home.” Daniel shook himself against the hold of the two guards on each side of him. He looked up at the General, and Janet caught the nod of acknowledgement from Hammond.
“Release him.”
The doctor in her diagnosed an injured ankle as the dirty, dishevelled man limped forward to stand in front of his friend.
“Jack. Look at me. We’re home.”
The hooded eyes shifted, holding the younger man’s. For a second there was a flash of something in them so violent and primeval that Janet shuddered, but in the space of a fraction of a second it was gone, replaced by a look of puzzlement.
“Daniel?”
With the single word, the eyes turned up until only the whites showed, and the tall form crumpled in the guards’ arms.
**********
“Come on, Janet, it’s obvious we’re okay.”
The voice of the CMO came to her through the microphone set into the isolation room’s wall. “I’m sorry, Sam, you know I can’t risk it. Just another ten hours, then if you’re still clear of any symptoms I’ll release you.”
Sam turned to sit back on the single bed, and glared around herself at the sterile surroundings. Ten more hours in here and she’d be showing symptoms alright. She’d be stark raving mad.
She gave a resigned sigh. “I know, Janet. It’s just so frustrating. How are the Colonel and Teal’c?”
She saw her friend through the observation window, bending forward to speak. “Teal’c is fine. The surgery to repair the stab wound was relatively straight forward, and once we replaced his lost blood volume, he was in no danger. He’ll make a full recovery.”
”Thank God!” Sam felt some part of the stress of the last few days slip away at the news. “And the Colonel?”
“The news isn’t quite as good there, I’m afraid. Colonel O’Neill has had bouts of extreme violence and has had to be restrained.”
“What’s causing it? Have your tests revealed anything?”
Janet shook her head. “Not yet, but we’re probably dealing with an off world illness, and it will take some time to run a full series of tests and study the results. His aggression isn’t helping any either. I don’t want to risk giving him any medication without knowing what’s going on.”
Sam swallowed, her mind racing ahead of Janet’s words and reaching a conclusion she really didn’t like. “Did the morphine make it worse?”
“No. No, Sam, don’t even think that.” Janet shook her head emphatically. “From what you reported, you didn’t have a choice.”
“That’s what I kept telling myself back on the planet, Janet, but somehow I didn’t find any comfort in it then either. I should have been able to think of some other way to get the Colonel to the gate. He wasn’t well. Even when he was acting out of character it was obvious he was hurting. I shouldn’t have drugged him.”
Sam pulled her knees up to her chest, feeling cold in the flimsy hospital gown. “What about the injury from the staff weapon? And the zat? He seemed to be really sick after those.”
She saw Janet hesitate.
“What is it, Janet? What aren’t you telling me? It can’t be any worse, surely.”
The doctor bent into the microphone once more. “Promise you won’t get upset.”
“For god’s sake, just tell me.” Sam finally let her anger and frustration show plainly.
“Okay. X-rays revealed that the Colonel has a hairline fracture of the left scapula – probably from the staff weapon blow.”
Sam felt faint. She shut her eyes, tightening her arms’ grip on her legs. “You’re telling me that I dragged a man with a broken shoulder around on a rope?”
“You see! That’s exactly what I meant by not getting upset.” Janet paused for a second as if considering her next words. “Answer me truthfully. If you hadn’t tied him, would you have gotten him home?”
Sam thought about it. The Colonel had almost escaped several times despite his injury. She had to be honest with herself – there was no way, with Teal’c wounded, that she and Daniel could have stopped him. She looked back through the glass at the other woman and shook her head.
“No.”
“There you are. The main thing is that you did get him home. And when he’s better, he’ll thank you for it.” Janet smiled in at the Major. “You know that, don’t you, Sam.”
Sam gave a tiny smile in return in answer to her friend’s optimism. “Yes, you’re right.” She sighed. “As soon as he’s better the Colonel will probably be making jokes about it.”
As soon as he was better.
She wondered when that would be.
************
There were two parts to him.
One part was the ruthless killer of the past, the other was the man he had since become. The killer knew he existed in unreality, but he also knew he was the truth. It was as if he was split in half, each half leading a separate existence, yet knowing that his hold on that existence was tenuous at best.
Jack O’Neill walked in a dream from which he couldn’t wake.
*************