O'Neill waited, hoping for some response from her promising she would hold on until he could somehow save her. But, she lay in his arms totally still and quiet. His gut clenched with the knowledge that time was running out. It seemed like she was shrinking away right before his eyes. Every time she came back from the outside, she'd been ever more withdrawn from them. At first he'd thought it was only from him...that she was still blaming herself for their capture and couldn't face him or that she held him responsible for not getting them out of this mess someway or another. He wished that's all it had been. Instead, he'd come to recognize it was pain that was walling her off, not only from him but also from all of them. He could have borne her anger; with the other's help he could have talked her out of her misplaced guilt. But, he didn't stand a chance against her pain.

Still, escape had looked so futile, so obviously hopeless, that he had held on, waiting and hoping for a break that would give them a fighting chance. He couldn't wait any longer...he'd rather die in the attempt then see this nightmare through to its inevitable end. He lifted his head and looked across the room into the worried eyes of Daniel Jackson. "We've got to get out of here," he said.

"How, Jack?" Daniel asked wearily.

"How's the least of our worries...when's the biggie. And that's right here, right now. Before they come back for her again 'cause I'm telling you, Daniel, she won't survive another trip out there." Daniel opened his mouth as though to speak and then grimly closed it.

"It's about time they brought Teal'c back. When they do whatever they do with that door or wall or whatever we've got to be ready. Near as I can figure the whole side goes up...we need to be right there so the second it moves we do too."

"And then?" Daniel prompted.

O'Neill shrugged. "Hey, why complicate my plan? It is elegant in its simplicity."

"Yeah," Daniel said, obviously unimpressed with the plan. O'Neill agreed with him, but he had nothing else to offer.

"Listen, Daniel, when the door opens we shoot out and run like our lives depend on it. If we're fast enough, we'll get past the couple bringing Teal'c back. If I know Teal'c, he'll use our distraction to take out those two. In the meantime, plow into one of those goons that are always lurking in the background. The ones with the big guns. Hit one hard and fast and get any ordinance you can. Then do as much damage as you can. I'll do the same. We'll grab Carter and make a run for the Gate."

"Jack, these guys are twice our size...how are we going to take their weapons?"

O'Neill shrugged again, "Surprise?"

"Sure, Jack."

"Got any better ideas? Do you really want to sit here and wait for them to finish off Carter and start on one of the rest of us?" He knew he was taking his helpless frustrations out on Daniel. The plan stunk, and the kid had every right to question its effectiveness. "Listen, if you want, get back there with Carter. You're right, it's a lousy plan, but I can't-I won't lie here and watch her die!"

The fight seemed to have gone out of Daniel. "I know, Jack. I'll take the left," he said moving into position against the wall/door.

O'Neill gently roused Carter. "We need you out of harm's way, Captain. Move to the back." Watching her make the attempt, he couldn't believe she could ever think herself the weak link in SG-1. Her movements were painful and slow, she couldn't even eat or drink; yet she was struggling to do her part. Seeing her like this hurt him somewhere deep inside, and he could have kicked himself for asking it of her. "OK, Plan B, I'm going to move you back against the far wall..." He expected her to protest, but she allowed him to gather her in his arms and move her out of the way.

There'd been other times, other places where for one reason or another he had carried her running through a StarGate, and she'd always been a substantial weight in his arms. But this time, even in his weakened condition, she felt as light and as insubstantial as Charlie had that day he'd scooped him up and ran with him bleeding and dying in his arms. It wasn't an association he wanted to make. "Okay, you just stay down. We'll clear the way and come back for you," he told her. She was already gone wherever it was the pain drove her and didn't respond.

He hurried back to get in position. His timing was right on; he'd barely flown back to the wall/door before it opened. One second it was a wall, the next it was just open space. "Teal'c!" he yelled as he propelled himself out and away from it as quickly as he could. He knew the Jaffa would understand immediately and only hoped he hadn't been kicked around so badly he couldn't react just as quickly.

He threw himself toward one of the twelve or so hostiles who were always lurking with weapons ready. He had a vague hope that with the right amount of divine intervention, desperation, and surprise he might actually be able to grab a weapon before being brought down. It might just work. Lately, he had given up showing his defiance and purposely overdone the cowed prisoner act, and, if they had bought it, he might reach one and grab a weapon before they had time to react. He wished he could see where Daniel and Teal'c were, but there wasn't time. He hit his target hard and fast and discovered to his relief that the alien couldn't stand against his charge...they both tumbled over, and amazingly he was the one who stood up with a weapon in his hand.

No time to determine if he knew how to fire the thing-he shot off several shots into the chest of an alien advancing on him and then another. They both went down and stayed down. More aliens were charging him, but the weapon was empty and useless in his hands. He grabbed up another from one of the fallen and began again. He heard Daniel cry out a word of warning, and then a vicious blow to his back sent him sprawling to the ground. He twisted as he fell and shot his attacker before it could do any more damage. Weapon fire was all around him, and he hoped it was coming from Teal'c and Daniel and that Carter was keeping her head down.

Carter. He needed to get back to that door before it locked shut and trapped her inside. He'd watched every move the aliens had ever made taking him back to their cell, and he'd never seen how they opened that door. Firing off the last rounds from his second weapon, he began to dodge back to the cell.

As he ran, he caught a glimpse of Daniel, taking cover behind the body of an enemy, dodging bullets and firing his own back. And then he saw Teal'c struggling against two of the aliens. He thought he saw the flash of a sword swiping at Teal'c as the Jaffa threw an alien off his back and tackled another to bring it down. Both aliens crashed to the ground, and O'Neill was relieved to see the Jaffa still standing his ground. Then he was through the open wall and to Carter.

Totally oblivious to the firefight going on just out the door, she lay where he had put her. "Time to go, Captain," he told her. He thought she was unconscious until he felt her put her arms around his neck and help him lift her. A soft cry escaped her lips, and then she went still and hung from his arms a dead weight. Only moments before she had felt almost weightless, but now his arms trembled with the effort to hold her. Everything that mattered in the universe was boiled down into her still body, and it was up to him to save it.

"Cover!" he shouted as he erupted from the protection of the cell and dashed as quickly as he could in the direction he guessed they'd find the StarGate. Weapon fire flashed out around them, but he ran on. He thought if he could just keep moving, they'd make it. "Head to the Gate!" he yelled over his shoulder.

This planet, like the others to which their captors had brought them, was hot desert sand with no cover, nowhere to regroup and hold off a hostile advancement. Where were the trees when he needed them? Behind him the weapon fire was becoming sporadic, but he could hear it nearing his position. He was losing steam and twice had stumbled and thought they'd both been going down. Please, let it be Teal'c and Daniel gaining on him.

It was. "O'Neill!" Teal'c called from behind his back. "Take the weapon and give me Captain Carter." Sure, Teal'c...let's pass the baton. Daniel did what he could to cover their sixes while the trade was clumsily made.

"Get to the Gate, Teal'c. Don't wait for us!" He didn't take the time to find out how many of the aliens were chasing them but started right after Teal'c. He knew immediately that something was wrong. Even burdened down with Carter, Teal'c should have pulled ahead of them by now, but he hadn't. O'Neill thought he must have been weaker than he had let on.

"How far is that Gate?" Daniel huffed beside him. "I'm out of bullets, Jack!"

O'Neill didn't waste his breath answering but just kept running. There!

"There it is!" he shouted and suddenly they were to the DHD. "Daniel dial us up!"

"Where?!"

"Come on, Daniel! Anywhere these guys aren't breathing down our necks!"

"Okay, p4D-569! There wasn't anyone on the planet, let alone guarding the Gate, and there are trees for shelter only a few yards back, remember?" O'Neill was too busy trying to catch his breath and watch Daniel's six to snarl an answer. Of course, he didn't remember. Every planet they visited was p something or another...they all sounded alike to him.

Five aliens were gaining on their position. His weapon fired only a couple more ineffective rounds before all his ammo was gone. Hurriedly, he and Daniel backed toward the Gate. When they heard it ka-whoosh behind them, they turned and made a desperate run for it. Any minute now, O'Neill thought the blast of that energy weapon would strike them down, but it was a barrage of bullets that sent them diving at high speed into the Gate.