Authors note: After being gone for two years, I came back to Stargate to realize that I was way behind in character development, so here is my new and improved version of my story, cutting out any references that are no longer valid in the stargate world. As usual...stargate characters belong to the stargate creators...blah... blah...

Spoiler: Heroes 2

Kiatra By Katherine Kongos

Dr. Daniel Jackson struggled through the underbrush as he surged toward the stargate. The sounds of weapons firing vibrated off the trees and shook the earth beneath his feet. Goa'uld ships sliced the sky above him, their fireballs destroying the rapidly depleting surroundings of the forest. Smoke billowed in clouds around him, hindering his sight. He blinked rapidly, trying to make out the forms in front of him. Arms out, trying to keep his bearings, his foot caught something in its grasp, and he sprawled onto the ground. His forehead bounced off a bed of rocks conveniently placed nearby and lights danced beneath his eyelids. Darkness threatened to consume him. He forced his eyes back open, wincing with the effort, and debated with himself whether or not to get up.

A moan from beneath him gave him his answer.

Muscles protesting, he scrambled onto his knees. Squinting, he saw a small body curled into the fetal position, face tucked underneath a straw thin arm. It was dressed in rags; the tattered remains of a dirt-streaked cloak its only protection. Gently, he raised the arm away from the body to reveal the gaunt, pale face of a young woman. A wave of compassion enveloped him and he bent over her, placing two fingers in the crook of her neck, searching for a pulse. He held his breath until he felt the soft flutter of a heartbeat. Decision made, he cradled the small form to his chest, and got to his feat, shook also by the featherlike weight in his arms.

Eyes stinging from the smoke, he looked around him, suddenly at a loss as to which direction to take. Hearing a shout behind him, he tensed, heart pounding with fear. Muttering a prayer to whoever was listening he slowly turned to see Colonel Jack O'Neil barreling at him like a football player. His relief whooshed out of him. "Jack! Where did you...?"

"No time Danny boy," Jack hurled at him before grabbing his upper arm and shoving him rather forcibly forward. Needing no more hints, Daniel tightened his grip on the woman and ran, following Jack as he tore through the trees, dodging falling debris.

Through the screen of smoke, the stargate emerged, a guiding light in the growing chaos around them. A surge of adrenaline coursed through Daniel's body at the sight and his speed kicked up. Ahead of them, Teal'c laid down cover fire while Major Samantha Carter waved frantically at them to hurry. As he pushed himself on, arms burning with exertion at the extra weight, though slight, in his arms, a sharp blinding pain exploded in his right shoulder. He stumbled. He felt Jack beside him, gripping his other arm and supported his weight as they leapt through the stargate.

They landed on their knees on the other side. Unable to bear the burden any longer, Daniel slowly released the woman who rolled from his grasp onto the cold metal of the ramp leading to the stargate. His body shrank into himself, pain coursing through his body. Stargate Command's medical team immediately surrounded him and the rest of SG-1. The new doctor in charge, Captain Emma Meyers, knelt next to him, examining his injury with a critical eye before nodding to another member of her team. "Get him to the infirmary." The enlisted man hurried to comply as, white coat flapping around her; Dr. Meyers quickly assessed the rest of the team. Satisfied that there were no other injuries, she requested they report to the infirmary after the debriefing for a close check-up, then settled next to the woman Daniel had brought with him.

Jack and Sam headed down the ramp towards a bewildered General George Hammond. "What happened?"

Sam shot a glance at Jack who shrugged his shoulders. She turned back to General Hammond, eyes wide with puzzlement. "We're not exactly sure what happened, sir."

"And that?" he asked, nodding his head towards the small group surrounding the unconscious woman.

Jack's eyebrows rose. "Mystery to me, sir."

"O'Neill."

Jack turned towards the voice to see Teal'c standing slightly away from the woman and studying her intently. Tossing a nod at Sam and General Hammond, he made his way to Teal'c who nodded his head slightly towards his point of interest.

Jack's eyes fell on the still figure, taking in her appearance. She was small, maybe only a few inches above five feet. Her hair was a long dull brown color that hung in an unkempt mass around her shoulders. Her clothes were in rags, a cheerless green that just barely covered her and revealing the frail, waif of a woman beneath them. Her skin was washed out; the only color the shades of black, grays and browns of the dirt and ash that covered her. A washed out gray clock, billowed out from her, the end frayed and worn. Jack's eyes settled on the woman's wrists and ankle where intricate tattoos of swirling black lines were located.

"Cool tattoos," he remarked, looking back up at the Jaffa.

"Do you recognize them?" Sam asked, coming up behind Jack. Teal'c nodded again.

"Indeed. These are the marks given to those unworthy of receiving a symbiote." Jack's eyebrow's furrowed in disbelief.

"Unworthy? Since when are the Goa'uld picky?"

His question went unanswered as a piercing shriek trembled through the gate room. The source of their conversation reared up, struggling against Dr. Meyers and her team as they attempted to calm her down. Her eyes were wide with alarm, her movements frantic. Her cries grew louder as Dr. Meyers labored to give a sedative while continuing to keep hold of a thrashing arm.

There was a shout above the commotion, and Jack turned in time to see Daniel forcing his way through the crowd, a determined look about him. Kneeling next to the distressed female, he grasped her face in his hands, ignoring the pain in his shoulder at the sight of the pure terror in her eyes.

Daniel whispered softly, soothing, his thumbs tenderly stroking her wet cheeks. Catlike amber eyes focused on his face. Her rapid breathing started to slow, fading into low hiccups. "Let her go," he said, voice still soft, eyes never leaving her, and as they released her, her small hands immediately reached up to clutch his face, mimicking the way he held her. Her fingers explored his face, searching for the comfort he offered her.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw Dr. Meyers readying a syringe. With a flicker of a glance towards Daniel, she quickly injected the sedative. He continued speaking in soft tones as he watched her eyes slowly drift shut, and the weight of her body settled down into the arms of the waiting med team. He released her and rocked back on his heels as he watched them lift her onto a liter and head out of the room. Pushing his glasses up on his nose he finally noticed the silence that had descended on the gate room. Coloring slightly, he cleared his throat.

"Well, ah..." he started, reaching up to rub the back of his neck and wincing as the pain in his shoulder made itself known. Dr. Meyers swooped down, shaking her head disapprovingly at him as she hustled him away towards the safety of the infirmary.

Jack's eyebrows were raised again as his gaze met Sam's. He smiled with false innocence before following Daniel out. All Sam could do was shake her head.