Status: Complete
Pairing(s): N/A
Additional Categories: Canon, One-Shot, Song Fic,
Genre: Adventure, Angst, Friendship,
Season/Episode/Book: Post-Season 6
Rating: K+
Warnings: Mild Non-graphic Violence
Spoilers: N/A
Series/Sequels: N/A
Author's Note: This is the edited version of the story so that it will not break the site's TOS regarding song fics. If you wish to read the version with the lyrics inserted throughout the fic, then you can read it at my LJ. Link is in my profile.

Wanted Dead or Alive

His breath was heavy as he scanned the trees around him, searching for anything out of the ordinary. Every now and then, he could hear the sounds of birds and sometimes the local wildlife. Daniel shifted the grip on his gun, the strap digging into his neck. Hearing nothing, he slowly crept forward, placing his feet as softly as he could. The wind rustled gently in the leaves. He stopped.

Flattening himself against the trunk of tree, he peeked around. Yup, there was one of the hunters. Daniel breathed a sigh of relief. Luckily his black clothes blended with the forest around him. The regular olive drab clothes were too noticeable in this forest. Shifting his gun to his shoulder, he aimed carefully. He stilled as the hunter stopped moving. Unconsciously he regulated his breathing, watching as the guy searched around him. Just as the hunter's back was turned, he squeezed the trigger. He heard only a grunt as the hunter went down, his weapon slipping from his fingers.

Daniel stayed where he was, listening to the sounds of the forest. For five minutes he waited when he saw the leaves of a bush move. He retreated, moving around the tree to another position. Taking another peek, he saw the hunter's partner. It was female. She was picking up the weapons from the dead hunter. He couldn't have that. Lifting his gun again, Daniel shot the female in the back. Moving from his position, he walked over to where the two hunters were on the ground. Keeping one hand on the trigger, he collected the dead hunters' weapons. Making sure he had taken everything that could help him survive longer, he jogged off down the path winding through the forest.

His mind went back on events earlier in the day. His team had been walking through a clearing, feeling their mission was easy and simple. No Goa'uld to deal with or Jaffa. Should have been. They had stopped to refill their canteens when suddenly Jack and Teal'c had been shot. They fell to the ground and didn't move. Sam and Daniel quickly headed back into the trees just as the hunters rushed from their places in the hedge line. They were running along a steep incline when Sam yelped before falling down the slope and landed on ledge. She yelled at him to continue on. He was about to say no when the ground at his feet erupted up, sending dust and him on their way. The last he had seen of Sam was her entering the forest on the ground with a group of three hunters on her tail.

Daniel was a faster runner then the hunters behind him so by the time he had hit the steep path he had a good distance on them. He circled back, coming up behind them. Out of the three hunters after him, Daniel had already shot off two. That was pretty good for an archeologist. Right? At the moment, he was trailing the third.

His eyes caught something in the brushes. He slowed down and crept over to where he had seen the glimpse. His eyes widened as he caught sight of Sam's body, the shot clearly mortal. He clamped down the urge to go over and check still but he knew a hunter was nearby. He retraced his steps, circling around. Yup, there he was, hiding behind a boulder. One shot and the hunter was on the ground. Daniel checked the hunter's body, looking for any thing. Jack pot. A radio fastened to the guy's belt.

He couldn't stay anywhere for too long. He didn't know how many Sam got before she was killed. Right now, he had an extra three guns, and a good amount of ammunition. He was set. All he had to do now was track the others. He froze as the radio crackled to life. He listened onto what the hunters were saying. From what he could gather he surmised there were only two left. They could be anywhere in the forest and the Stargate was on the other side. Safety and home seemed far away but not impossible. His friends had been taken out but he was going to go down fighting if he had to. He came up with a plan. He quickly turned the volume off on the radio, making sure it wouldn't give away his position.

He settled down, lying as close as to the edge of the cliff as he could get without being seen. Below him, in the middle of the clearing was a campfire he had made hastily, using one of the bodies to make it look like he had fallen asleep next to the blaze. All he had to do was wait for the hunters to show. Minutes ticked by, the hand on his watch racing around and around the face. He was beginning to lose hope that the last of the hunters had seen the fire and hoping against that they had uncovered the ruse. Adrenaline coursed through his body as he saw two hunters creeping toward the fire, weapons drawn. With a grin on his face, he leveled his sight on the leader first. Soon after, the two hunters were on the ground. That was it.

Daniel carefully stood up from the cliff and began walking down the slope to the clearing. He was so engrossed in the sight before him that he didn't see the loose rock before him. He lost his footing just he felt the air near his face whiz by. The second his body hit the ground, he rolled behind a boulder that was sticking out from the cliff side. Flipping the safety off, he leaned around the boulder and shot off a couple of rounds into the forest. He heard a yell as one of the hunters was caught. He ducked behind the boulder as the hunters shot back. Here he was, all by himself, with one, two, three, four hunters hiding in the forest, bent on killing him and bringing the death toll up to four. Damn. He still had to go through more hunters. He wondered if there were more out there.

As he told Jack in the lockers, he was never going to give up. Never. He looked down at the weapons he had collected. He could outrun them and he had four guns in total with about two clips for each. Feeling little self-conscious, he let out a barrage of bullets as he ran toward them and to the left. He dove for the next boulder, rolling forward as the hunters reacted too late to get him. Sweat was beginning to trickle down his face and neck, the heat of the day finally getting to him. Next time, he wasn't going to wear black. The vest he was wearing was starting to get heavy. Running as fast as he could, he headed toward home.

His footfalls were coming down hard as he jumped and dodged in and out of the trees. A long time ago it seemed he had gotten rid of two guns, using the clips to get another hunter that had gotten too close for comfort. You'd be thinking since they were hunters they would have gotten him by now. He grinned. Yup, this archeologist sure was unpredictable. He jumped down the small incline, running through the stream. He heard the cracking and breaking of twigs as one hunter stumbled into view, not expecting the incline before him. Daniel quickly turned and took care of the threat. Two down and two more to go.

Daniel took off the used clip, throwing it away as he continued to run, replacing it with another one. It was supposed to be fun today. But instead it was becoming ironic for him. Without thought, he suddenly turned right, trying not to make a sound that would give his position away. Turning again, he retraced his steps. The sound of running made him pause. It soon faded. He still waited. Not a minute later, the second sound of footfalls were coming. Daniel stepped out and before the hunter could react, Daniel shot him in the heart. He collected the weapons and ran off again. One more hunter and he was home free. Running as fast as he could, he could see the shadow of the last hunter before him. He lifted the gun and released a barrage of bullets. The hunter let out a shoot as a line of hits ran across his back.

Daniel slowed down and stopped at the fallen hunter's feet. Keying up his mike, he reported back. "All clear, all eleven hunters have been neutralized." He smiled down at the astonished face of a Marine recruit looking up at him, the paint on his uniform already beginning to dry. "Lesson number one, never underestimate the opposition. It could get you killed as well as your men." Daniel offered a hand. The Marine took it and Daniel helped him up. "Come one; let's head back to the starting point."

Embarrassed that he had been caught by a civilian, the Marine followed him back to where the others had gathered. He smiled at Sam and Jack. "How is it that I survived this little exercise when you are a Black Ops colonel and fighter pilot major?" He asked them.

Jack shrugged, taking off his helmet and wiping at the paint on his lip. "You just got lucky, Daniel. If this had been a real mission, you would have been limping back to the SGC."

"We almost had you." The last Marine mumbled, glancing at his fellow teammates. Him and his teammates were covered in the blue and red paintballs Daniel had wielded in his massacre of the armed forces.

"You almost had us?" Jack looked at them. "The eleven of you guys couldn't take down a civilian archeologist but you could take down a Black Ops colonel, Air Force major, and a First Prime. Yet, an Archeologist took you out with no problem."

"Jack, don't be harsh on them. I used the tactics I learned from you and Teal'c." Daniel said.

Jack sighed, shaking his head. He had never expected this outcome. Out of all of them, Daniel was the only one that made it out alive through the chaos. He looked up to where the JCS, the president, and Hammond stood watching. It had been a training exercise for the new recruits. Astonishment was on all of their faces except for Hammond. On Hammond's there was a look of pride. He was going to get an earful from the guys back at the base. If they found out.

"Plus, I've had practice running, hiding, and escaping from very determined Jaffa." Daniel huffed as he moved to the equipment truck. He pulled off the gun, chucking it into a bin along with the large plastic shells used to house the dozens of paintballs. He took off his helmet, wiping at the sweat collecting on his face.

"You sure got that right."

"I can't believe I got shot in the back." Sam told Daniel as she took off her gun and left over clip. "I didn't hear him. I was about to walk forward when I got hit."

"They were a hard bunch to get." Daniel commented, taking off his vest. Compared to Sam's, it was looked new. "Good thing, I learned from the professionals."

"I believe you have passed us all in defeating your enemies, Daniel Jackson." Teal'c said, placing his weapon on the rack.

"Ha! I doubt it. If we did this again, I'll go down in the first few seconds." Daniel snorted.

"Well, if its anything Spacemonkey, you did a great job." Jack reached over and ruffled the archeologist's hair. Irritated, Daniel only sent a glare in the colonel's direction.

The group quickly packed up the equipment. The big dogs had already left for the SGC. While they were climbing into the trucks, Daniel looked over to Jack. "Jack?"

"Yeah, Daniel."

"Victis honor." Jack grinned, understanding what Daniel had said. He turned on the radio as he slowly pulled from the site of the training grounds. He laughed as he listened to the song currently on. Daniel just stared at him.

"Listen." Jack watched as the scholar tilted his head, listening to song. He gave a chuckle too as he heard the music. Looking at each other, they started to sing the song together. "On a steel horse I ride. I'm wanted, dead or alive."