Distant Murmurs

The sounds of the yelling beat insistently in his mind causing him to groan aloud at the pain it caused him as he once again regained consciousness. Lying curled up in the fetal-position on the floor, Daniel hazarded to open his eyes once more. Last time he had tried, the piercing pain in his head at the effort had caused him to immediately cease the attempt. The only thing that had registered then was the darkness. Night again, he had thought. How many days had it been? Now as he blinked his eyes into focus, though the pain was still excruciating, he was able to stand it for a few moments.

The cold rock of the floor beneath his cheek and the dank smells of the cell he was in mattered little to him compared with the yelling. It was fierce and angry and knowing who it was directed at caused him more turmoil than his own physical pain. Sam. Hearing signs of a struggle made him sit up painfully and grab his head in protest as he felt like his brain was going to explode. The sporadic blows he heard continued, interspersed with grunts and soft moans of protest till finally there was a silent pause and the dripping of water somewhere was magnified hundredfold. Heavy-throated laughter floated in the air followed by the clank of a cell door as the two distinct voices with their weighty footsteps moved off and away.

Crawling towards the bars of the cell, Daniel licked his cracked lips wearily as he laid his head against the metal. A sharp pain reminded him of his own wounds and he reached one hand up to feel for the gash on his forehead. It was long and seemed to begin in his hairline working down ending in his eyebrow. As his finger traced the jaggedness and dried blood of it, his mind worked back in time to how he and Sam had gotten here.

The people of PX3-389 were a gentle people at first glance; without any show of force once the team stepped out of the event horizon on their routine reconnaissance mission. Their leader had stepped forward and introduced himself warmly without any fear or hesitation, taking them back into their small town and making them feel quite at home with plenty of food and servants to meet any need they might have. Jack had jokingly lifted an eyebrow at Daniel's translation of 'anything' but Sam's warning look had him quieting down instantly. The people proved to not only be peaceful, but quite advanced considering their humble outward appearance. After a few days spent getting to know them and their world, trade negotiations between the two had begun.

With an urgent call from General Hammond though, Jack and Teal'c had elected to return to Earth, leaving Sam and Daniel to finish things up and head home themselves in a few days. That's how it should have gone. Instead, on their last night there while the people celebrated with a great banquet in their honor with music, readings and dancing, Jaffa had stormed through the entrance of the long, low, stone building catching them all unawares. They didn't have a chance. Staff blasts in all directions and the pandemonium that followed resulted in many people dead and or dying. It seemed no prisoners were taken as even women and children were killed to theirutter horror. Daniel himself had dived behind an overturned table all the while hoping Sam had found safety as well.

When the shooting hadceased, Daniel and Sam were both discovered, to the unpleasant surprise of the Jaffa Guard and henceforth mercilessly punished for their elusiveness. Sam had put up a fight though; which seemed to amuse the Jaffa and her spirit was one they had taken great delight in crushing. Despite his attempts to communicate and stop the abuse, for every word he spoke in her defense, another blow was given to Sam. By the time they had thrown them both into the prison, Sam was unconscious having been dealt several blows. He only wondered now what, or who they were waiting for.

"Sam…" Worriedly calling out, Daniel had to believe that she was still alive. Her crumpled form was quite still and this is what scared him the most.

A low groan sounded in response and Sam slowly turned over onto her back.

Elated, Daniel pried his head between the bars a bit more ignoring the pain it caused him. "Sam, tell me you're alright."

Sam, with pain edging every word responded, "Well, I'm definitely not up for a night of line dancing anytime soon, but I'm alright for now. I have a couple cracked ribs for sure and feel like death dragged in, but I'm holding my own. I can't take another round of their kind of fun though. We need to get out of here."

Daniel, feeling hopeless to answer positively, leaned back against the bars and looked around. The building thatthey were imprisoned in was one that he hadn't noticed beforehand. One that he never would have thought the people of PX3-389 would ever even have a need for. Obviously he was wrong and never would he find out their reasoning's. It was too late for that now.

The stone building was built from the same local quarried rock of the town, but time's hand was definitely upon it. The deplorable conditions that abounded throughout attested from its use too. It was damp with moss claiming the cracks and crevices of the walls and the smell seemed to be permeating out of the rock, so embedded it was.

"Daniel!"

Shaken out of his reverie by her voice, Daniel moved closer to the bars once again. "Sam..?"

"Daniel, look in the corner. The opening there! Do you see it?"

Twisting around, Daniel peered into the corner in the dim light. The pounding in his head began anew with the effort but squinting his eyes carefully he saw what Sam was indicating.

"Yeah, I see it."

In the far corner on the ground, inconspicuous to his first perusal of the cell, the opening was inlaid into the floor with the most basic of coverings laid over the top. It was covered in the same earthy creeping of time as the entire walls of the building were, but he knew immediately where she was going with it and wished she hadn't. Without proper facilities in which to relieve oneself when nature called, the pipe in the floor served its purpose in the most basic of ways.

"That's our escape. We need to crawl down and through it to the outside."

Despite the pounding in his head and their present circumstances, Daniel had to jokingly add, "You couldn't do any better?"

"Well, we could wait and try overpowering the Guards on their next round, steal their zats and staff weapons and hold the ranks of Jaffa at bay while one of us goes for help," Sam countered breathing out the words with difficulty, "or perhaps just waiting to see what they had in mind for us might be better."

"Sam, I…," Daniel began immediately remorseful as he looked and saw the pain etched across her face and how she held her side tenderly. He felt responsible for her pain. He had always been one to reason with his intellect when a situation arose and for the most part he had been able to sidestep the seriousness of the consequences. Maybe it was dumb luck. Maybe it was just fate. Whatever it was, it didn't happen this time though and Sam took the brunt of his decision.

"Don't Daniel. It's fine."

o-O-o

As the light dimmed toward evening, Daniel made ready. The escape had to be timed right as the Guards still made their rounds inside. The pounding in his head had lessened to a bearable pain which was good too and now they just had to wait.

Hearing the heavy footsteps returning, Daniel laid down quickly to feign sleep knowing Sam would be doing likewise. Remaining inconspicuous and thus not drawing any attention their way was key to their plan working. Let the guards believe they were asleep. They wouldn't be back until the morning then anyways and when they did they would find two empty cells.

He expected to hear their angry yelling, but instead the Guard's unusual tones as they went about their duties had him translating more earnestly for some unknown reason that he couldn't understand. Perking up immediately as he heard the word 'Earth,' he strained his ears for more. As he listened though he wished he hadn't. Gone. Apophis had finally done it. Moving in with his fleet quickly, the Goa'uld had overpowered their defenses powerfully. Rolling over and staring at the ceiling in shock and disbelief, Daniel tried to comprehend the incomprehensible. Could it be true? He didn't want to believe it and yet a part of him couldn't deny it. Earth was no more. Their families were gone. He knew it couldn't be some odd plan of deception of the Guards though he desperately wished it was so. Their words were proud and for this reason he knew without a doubt that they weren't speaking for their benefit, but for their own alone.

The SGC and every effort they put in through the years to make sure Earth was safe and even leading up to the destruction had been for naught. Processing this information in his shock, Daniel waited for the Guards to leave.

Hearing a low whistle, Daniel turned over and crawled once more to the bars where Sam was looking in.

"Time to move if we're ever gonna get out of here. Let's Go!"

Hesitating, Daniel looked down as he licked his lips. "Sam, there's something the Guards said that I must tell you first."

"Can it wait?"

"No, I don't think so."

Telling Sam was difficult and relating all he had heard as the Jaffa gloated over the fate of the Tau'ri only caused grief to rise up and mix with all the other emotions he was feeling. His mind began to spin and the pain in his head increased. As he finished, Daniel knew the news would hit Sam equally as hard. He wasn't wrong. Hearing a quiet sob, Daniel reached through the bars and grabbed Sam's hand as he closed his eyes. Minutes passed and still they did nothing as both he and Sam mourned for all they had lost.

Finally, what seemed like hours later, Daniel heard Sam's strained whisper, "Let's go Daniel. We need to get the Alpha Site. We have to believe that everyone made it there before it was too late. It's the only place we have left to go anyways..." Her last words, spoken more quietly, trailed off as the enormity of this fact weighed on them both now.

o-O-o

Squeezing through the narrow opening, Daniel felt a sneeze coming on and desperately tried to hold it in. Failing, he turned his head into his shoulder hoping it would be muffled enough so as to not draw any attention from the Jaffa above. Just a few more feet, he thought. He and Sam had been moving laboriously through the pipe feeling their way in the dark for a time. It was smelly and damp and he decided that he should be thankful for his inability to see exactly what slick substance lined the pipe and kept dripping on him.

What worried him more though was Sam in front of him. After they had crawled down the few feet of their respective drain pipes, he had made sure she went first so he could keep a good eye on her and help her if she so needed it. Other than her occasional low moans of protest at the impossible tightness of the pipe they were crawling through which he was sure didn't help her ribs any, she was doggedly moving forward at a decent pace considering everything.

Running a hand over his face and blinking his eyes once again to clear the moisture there, he suddenly felt a liquid beginning to soak through the front of his BDU's and groaned inwardly.

"Just great…" As they inched their way nearer the exit, the incline of the pipe had dropped considerably thus making the stagnate water there more pronounced. He liked to think it was collected rain water, but he couldn't be too sure.

"Not far Daniel. I can see the end already."

She was right. After another few feet, the drain suddenly stopped and they both tumbled to a inglorious heap at the bottom of a small incline. The ferns and vegetation surrounding had cushioned their fall to an extent but, Daniel couldn't roll over quick enough and get to Sam to make sure she was okay. Helping her to her feet, he worriedly looked her over from head to toe.

"I'm fine Daniel. A little worse for wear and definitely stinky, but that's better than any alternative we might have had if we had stayed."

Nodding in agreement, Daniel swept his eyes around. They were on a hillside above the town and by his best assumptions, the 'gate had to be two or three miles southeast of where they were now. Sam thinned her lips determinedly, "We'll make it."

With that, they slowly picked their way downwards through the dense trees into a narrow ravine to get out of earshot of any Jaffa that might be roaming the grounds around the prison. The footing was uncertain, especially in the darkness, but the vegetation provided ample cover and it wasn't long before they were well away.

Feeling relatively safe for a moment, Daniel turned back to ascertain that Sam was keeping up. He had a pang of regret for the pace he had set but knew it couldn't be helped. Swiftness was vital, especially if by chance they were already discovered missing.

One of the planet's moons ghosted out from behind a bank of clouds at that moment; illuminating the surrounding area. Sam carefully swung one booted foot over a large fallen trunk of a tree and let go of her left side long enough to help guide her up and over. She groaned inwardly at the pain this caused and fought to keep from vomiting. The nausea had been intense even back in the prison, but for the most part she had been successful in curbing the urge. She knew she needed to rest but getting to the 'gate was imperative.

Resting against the trunk for a moment, she looked upwards hoping to see some stars between the branches of the trees to locate their coordinates. Breathing unsteadily, she nodded toward Daniel as she noticed the expression on his face.

"I'm fine. The 'gate shouldn't be too far I think. We've been heading southeast for sometime now…"

Hearing the snap of a twig behind her, Sam froze for a split second before her and Daniel both dove for cover behind the fallen tree. The sound of the staff arming and the resulting fire exploded inches from them as they narrowly escaped. Shards of the tree and dust fell upon them and with a mutual look of understanding and Sam's quick hand signal, they took off through the woods. Without a weapon, their only hope was to keep moving as fast they were able.

As Daniel followed behind Sam, dodging and jumping over vines and branches, he couldn't help feeling responsible for her realizing she wouldn't be so bad off if he hadn't tried to reason with their captors. He mentally berated himself. His failures, for the most part, always seemed to affect others. He had tried to save Sha're, but had failed. Her suffering and death would forever haunt him. If something happened to Sam now…

Daniel shook his head; he didn't want to go there. He didn't want to listen to the ghost of his thoughts. Pushing them aside with some effort, he and Sam burst through the edge of the forest and onto an open plain. Knee-high grass and wildflowers was their last obstacle to get through and without a moments hesitation they took off. With the 'gate within sight now, they could only hope they had put some distance between them and the Jaffa following behind. The openness of the area now, combined with the moonlight would only make them an easy target he knew.

"Daniel! Dial it up!"

Out of breath, he came to a running stop almost bypassing the DHD in his haste. A blast hit the ground nearby and was soon followed by a barrage of more as the Jaffa broke through the tree line. Hitting the last glyph for the Alpha site, the Stargate roared to life with a loud kawoosh outwards before settling into a shimmering plane of blue. A blaze of fire out of the corner of his eye followed by a spark and intense pain which hit Daniel in the shoulder caused him to stumble backwards. Gazing down in surprise, he realized the staff fire had rebounded off the DHD. His jacket was torn and singed around where the blast had hit him and his skin was charred. Placing a hand over it, Daniel looked up blankly at Sam.

Dodging between the fire and praying they would make it in time, Sam grabbed Daniel and pushed him toward the 'gate. It was done without a thought and the effort she knew she would pay for later. Stumbling the last few steps, they fell into the wormhole leaving the sounds of combat behind.

o-O-o

Squinting his eyes open, Daniel looked around. He couldn't remember where he was but the softness of the bed beneath him felt good for some odd reason. He realized he was dressed in one of those unappealing hospital gowns and felt momentarily confused.

One the bed next to him was Sam reading some papers. Noticing his gaze, she laid it down and smiled.

"Ah so your finally awake. How are you feeling?"

"Uh, what happened? Where are we?" Feeling sore all over, Daniel swept a hand across the bandage on his shoulder and flexed. Feeling the pain this action caused, he sucked in his breath quickly.

"The Alpha Site…" Trailing off, Sam looked at Daniel more closely.

Closing his eyes, his thoughts slammed to the forefront as everything finally came back to him. The reconnaissance mission gone wrong, the prison… Groaning and lifting a hand to cover his face, Daniel didn't want to remember any further but the full weight of the Earth's destruction brought back all the pain of when he and Sam had first found out.

"It's really gone isn't it?" Turning to Sam with defeat in his voice, Daniel new what her answer would be before she even spoke a single word. The look in her eyes spoke volumes.

"Yes." Looking down at her fists that were bunched up in the sheets, Sam could say no more. Not yet at least. It was still hard for her to believe. So many people lost. So many loved ones she would never see again. So much effort and struggle against an enemy they thought they could stand against, but in reality was more than anyone could have fathomed.

Daniel remained quiet for a time in his own little world where his thoughts spun and his failures featured like a prime time movie before his eyes. Finally, looking up again, he took in Sam's own bandages as well as the bruises that spotted up and down her arms and across one cheek.

"Sam, I'm sorry. I should have just stayed quiet. You wouldn't be so hurt now if I hadn't tried to talk our way out. I'm always doing something I shouldn't or not doing something I should and instead of my paying for my own mistakes, I seem to hurt others instead. I don't know what I'd do if something more serious had happened…"

"Daniel, stop. It's not your fault. You know me, I wasn't about to take being caged up lightly," Sam added ruefully in an attempt to lighten the mood.

Gazing at her in all seriousness, Daniel knew the truth to this comment underneath it all. It would go against Sam's very nature to give in so easily, but he still couldn't shake the thought of his own personal failures. He finally nodded but turned his gaze downward to his fingers.

"Daniel, I don't know that it will help any, but in everything that you've ever done it was to help others. You've only had others best interests at heart. You can only do what you know is right and hope for the best in it all. You can't blame yourself for things that fly out of your control."

Leaving it at that, Sam awkwardly held her bandaged ribs as she reached across the bed and gave Daniel's good shoulder a gentle nudge. Looking up, he gave her a thankful smile in acknowledgment for her words. Sam knew that only he could work through this on his own and in his own way, but having his own cheering section behind him, no matter how small at the moment, she was certain he would make the right choices once again.