It was amazing, but the kiss seemed to settle him down completely. He stopped muttering and tossing and turning. Maybe it was the shock, she giggled, punch drunk in relief. She was just thankful the Colonel wouldn't remember this little episode.
For the rest of the night he was quiet, although his fever continued to burn hot. She tried to wake him up at one point, to take more antibiotics, but she couldn't get him to respond. She really worried that the infection was taking over. Suddenly, her decision to stop and wait didn't seem so good. The Colonel needed medical attention, and soon.
By the time morning came she was exhausted from worry and lack of sleep. She'd been afraid that if she did sleep she'd lose him. She knew that was unreasonable – it's not as if she could really do anything for him anyway. Still, she would only manage to doze for a few minutes when her eyes would pop open and she'd have to check on him.
After deciding it was time to forget about trying to sleep, she sat up fully and fixed herself a tea and ate a power bar for breakfast. She had enough water for now, but would try to make her way to the stream in a little while. She also had to pee, although she could ignore that for now.
She sat for a while, trying to decide what to do. She assumed the bandits – or whoever they were – were on their way to the Gate. She hoped that when they didn't find Jack they'd turn around and leave. Maybe they'd assume they had made it through already, especially since they had the black box.
That reminded her – she still hadn't really looked at it, having been too worried about the Colonel to even think about alien technology.
She pulled it out of her pack and turned it over in her hand. It was made of some kind of composite material, although she couldn't tell what it was. At first she had thought it was smooth, but when she looked at it closely, she could tell it was covered in some kind of symbols, or writing. It was too dark in the cave to determine whether she recognized the script or not. She'd have to take it outside and see.
She eventually determined that six of the sides were smooth, except for the writing, but the sixth had three small indentations. When she touched them nothing happened – at least as far as she could see. She assumed they were what powered the box, although she couldn't tell without some kind of visible reaction. She then tried to see if it came apart but, outside of breaking it, she didn't see any way to get into it.
After a while she put it away in frustration. It hadn't really told her anything. If she could recognize the writing she might be able to figure it out but for now there was no point in examining it any more.
Just then the Colonel groaned and moved his head. "Colonel? How are you Sir?" she moved closely beside him when she noticed his eyes open.
"Carter?" he asked, his voice so soft she could barely hear.
"It's me Sir. How are you?"
"Where -?"
"We're in a cave Colonel – don't you remember. You were captured and wounded but we got away yesterday and we're waiting here until you're better."
"Better?"
"Yes – you were shot with arrows."
"Oh", he answered, his eyes unfocused and moving aimlessly.
She wondered how much of anything he was taking in. He didn't seem at all coherent and she worried that whatever was affecting him was getting worse.
"Sir, do you understand where you are?"
"Huh? Carter? That you?"
"Yes Sir, it's me. Do you know where we are Colonel?"
"Where? I – no – where?"
"We're in a cave on the planet with the ruins – you know P7X 3Y9."
"Oh." He lay quietly for a long time. Sam had actually wondered if he'd fallen asleep when he spoke suddenly. "Not – uninhabited Major."
"No, it's not Sir. I'm sorry."
"Nothin' – to be – sorry – for. Not your – fault."
"No, I know, but I should have been more careful. We should always assume a planet could have hostiles on it. I grew careless."
"You – me – both. Should -na sent Danny – Teal'c back."
"Colonel, how are you feeling now?"
"Like – crap", he attempted to smile. "Really – want – Janet and her – honkin' – needles."
"Wow Sir, I've never heard you say that before!" she tried to smile, knowing he was attempting to cheer her up.
"Don't – tell her – Major."
"I promise Sir. My lips are sealed."
"Lips?" he frowned, as if trying to remember something. "Had a – strange – dream", he said softly.
"Yes Colonel?" she asked.
"Dreamed you -"
"That I what Sir?"
He looked at her out of eyes which were glassy and filled with pain. "Nothin' Major." He'd almost told her that he'd dreamed that she had kissed him. He'd thankfully realized, at the last minute, that it probably wasn't the most appropriate thing to say to his subordinate. It would make her uncomfortable. It was a nice dream though. He just wished it hadn't been a dream. He'd bet anything that Samantha Carter was a great kisser!
Stop that Jack, he said to himself. Don't be thinking things like that. Suddenly he felt a sharp pain in his chest and gasped. He'd been feeling slightly better, but now the pain and fogginess was returning. He knew something was very wrong with him and was starting to feel worried.
"Colonel! What is it? What's wrong?"
"Hurts – chest", he groaned. "Feelin' funny." His head flopped over to the side and he looked as if he was in a kind of stupor. She felt his forehead and he was still burning up, although it didn't feel any hotter than a moment ago.
His eyes remained open, which she found eerie, although he didn't acknowledge her at all now. Damn, why didn't she give him the antibiotics when she'd had the chance? She knew she wasn't going to get anything down him now! After a couple of minutes his eyes drifted shut and he seemed to be sleeping. She hoped so.
Finally realizing there was nothing else she could do for now, she decided to take a look outside. Very carefully, she squeezed through the opening but stayed totally still once she was out of the cave. After a few moments she moved slowly to the trees and looked over to where the men had been camped the night before.
Of course she couldn't see anything – but she was still worried. She assumed they had gone towards the Gate, but it was also possible that they were looking through the forest. She finally decided to go and fill up her canteens quickly and use the 'latrine' and then she'd climb back in the cave and stay there for awhile.
She had just finished zipping up her pants when she heard the sound. It sounded like someone or something had stepped on a branch. She froze, barely daring to breathe, while she listened for further sounds. It didn't take long before she heard more footsteps and then a voice could be heard clearly.
Oh God Jack, she thought, please be quiet!
Two men were coming through the forest towards her location. She heard them talking and laughing, although she had no idea what they said. She debated whether to stay where she was, or try to make it back to the cave.
The decision was taken out of her hands when she saw movement through the trees and knew they'd arrived sooner than she'd expected.
She stayed completely still, hoping and praying they wouldn't look in her direction and see her standing there. At least she had her zat with her. The first rule the Colonel had drilled into her head is never to go anywhere on a mission – bathroom included – without her weapon.
The men continued to talk and laugh and strode directly into the clearing in front of their little cave. She knew the entrance wouldn't be visible from where they were standing and she kept her fingers crossed that the little mammal from before wouldn't decide to investigate its previous hiding place – or that the Colonel would start his talking or tossing and turning.
She knew, if worse came to worse, she could zat the two as she had done with the others. She didn't want to however, as neither of these men had offered her any harm. They had been part of the group that kidnapped the Colonel – that she could tell – but for all she knew they were decent men.
"Hara tre parabole zina", one of them said. He seemed to be pointing in the direction of the Gate.
"Ne. Tes tauri parabole nachta." Okay, she'd caught 'Tauri' so they must still be searching for the Colonel. She wondered if they knew she was still on the planet or whether they thought she'd left. She just wished these guys would leave – and soon!
Unfortunately, right at that moment one of them turned towards her. For a moment there was no reaction and she thought maybe she hadn't been seen. Then she saw the man's expression slowly change.
"Tes Tauri!" he yelled and pulled out his weapon.
That was all she needed as she raised her zat and shot the bandit. He fell to the ground, writhing and soon passed out. She turned immediately to the other one but he dove behind a tree and began to return fire.
"Damn!" She should have been quicker. She returned fire but was unable to get a clear shot. After a couple of minutes, she heard rustling and saw the back of the man as he ran away. She attempted to hit him with another shot, but missed as he zig zagged wildly through the forest.
She quickly scouted the area but when she could see no one else she rose and moved towards the cave. She stopped when she got to the fallen man and decided that she should take the time to tie him up. He might come to any moment and the last thing she needed was to be surprised!
She tore strips off of his shirt – "sorry", she muttered, and quickly tied him up. Once that was done she made her way into the cave.
"What's – goin' on?" Jack was awake although he looked half dead.
"Trouble", she said. "A couple of the hunters or whoever they are just showed up. I managed to shoot one, but the other one got away. We're going to have to head out because I'm afraid they'll be back."
"Kay", he said, and began to try and push himself up. She was relieved he seemed a bit more 'with it', but he was still terribly weak and in pain.
"Can you make it Colonel?" she asked.
"No choice", he grunted. "Give me – a – hand Major."
She helped him to sit up all the way although it was difficult since she wasn't able to stand up completely. "I think it's best if we crawl out of here Sir."
"Crawl? Don't think – I like – that. Not – dignified for – Colonel."
"No, it may not be dignified, but it's better than cracking your head open!"
"True", he tried to grin. "Kay – here – goes."
It took a long time, and by the time they were out they were both sweating profusely. The Colonel collapsed flat on the ground and just lay there, breathing heavily. "Next time – Major – a little bigger – cave."
Just then the little animal that had first alerted her to the cave ran past them and back into their hiding place. The Colonel looked at it in confusion.
"I thought it kind of looked like a cross between a squirrel and a cat", she said.
He looked at her, his eyebrows raised. "A squat?" he said.
She giggled, loving the fact that even as sick and hurt as he was, he was still able to make her laugh.
"Come on Sir – we'd better get moving." She stopped once more to check the prisoner and added a gag. She felt badly, and just hoped that someone would be back to check on him. Unfortunately there was nothing else she could do unless she killed him, and that was just too cold-blooded.
She helped O'Neill stand up and, with her arm around him, they began to make their way through the forest. She knew they had to keep off the main path, so it was hard going. Still, they were headed in the direction of the Gate and, with the small box they'd stolen, she hoped they'd be able to make it home, or at least unjam it and allow the SGC to send help.
For the first little while the Colonel seemed to be doing well. She hoped that the time resting had allowed him to gather some strength. She knew he still had a fever but he was more coherent and able to communicate, albeit in short sentences. After they'd been walking for a while, she began to notice him slowing down. Shortly after that she heard him begun to mutter short phrases. At first she'd tried to answer, or figure out what he was saying, but it soon became obvious that he was delirious again and his words made little sense. When he started to talk about accretion disks and black holes, she definitely knew he was out of it. It's not that she didn't know he was smart and knowledgeable about astronomy; it's just that normally he wouldn't show it.
He continued to talk about all sorts of things – from globular clusters to anchovy pizza. A couple of times she had to laugh at his strange words, although she knew it wasn't really funny. At least he seemed to be able to keep walking but, as they continued, she started to worry again about the noise he was making. Mostly they were soft phrases, but every once in a while he would say something loudly.
"Carter", he said at one point. She thought he'd regained some awareness, and turned to answer him, but he was staring off into the distance.
"Gorgeous", he then stated. "Long legs, beautiful eyes", he continued. "Can't have her."
She grew increasingly embarrassed, knowing that the Colonel wouldn't want her to hear these things. At the same time she was quite flattered. When, a few minutes later, his words became a bit more crude she could feel herself grow red although she knew there was no point in getting offended. These weren't the things he would ever say out loud, and she knew that one's personal thoughts could be less that politically correct. She thought briefly of some of the things she'd thought about the Colonel and was glad she wasn't the one who was delirious. She thought about the times she'd admired his butt – and other parts of him – but stopped there.
They walked for a while farther when he began to falter. He was growing increasingly weak, and she knew they had to stop. Unfortunately there was no cave at hand, so she had to find a place with some shelter. So far she hadn't seen or heard any sign of the hunters, so hopefully this would be a good place to stop.
"Colonel, we're going to stop for the day. Just hold on and I'll fix up your bed, okay."
He didn't answer but he did stand quietly. She managed to pull some soft grass and leaves into a pile and again laid out the tarp. "Okay Sir, you can lie down now."
He didn't so much lie down as fall down. His head had barely touched the ground when he was out like a light. She hoped he was sleeping and not unconscious, although either could be true. She felt his forehead and grimaced. His fever was up.
She walked a short distance to the stream and filled their canteens and wet a small absorbent towel she carried with her. Returning, she began to wipe his face with a cool cloth, trying to bring down his temperature.
After a while she fixed herself something to eat and tried to wake the Colonel in order to give him something. She did manage to get him to take some more pills and some water but he refused any food. He was almost instantly asleep again.
She looked at her watch and saw that it was about 4:00. It was too early to go to sleep and the day was relatively warm. They appeared to be safe here, although she wasn't going to take any chances by lighting a fire, even when it grew colder. They'd just have to sleep closely to preserve heat. The coolness might even help bring O'Neill's temperature down.
Knowing there was nothing more she could do here, she finally decided that she would chance looking around. She tried to hide the Colonel as best she could by moving some dead branches to hide him and then hiding their pack. "Sir", she called softly. After a couple of more attempts he opened his eyes.
"What – Carter?"
Good – he was coherent – at least for now. "Sir, I'm going to do some reconnaissance. I'll be back as soon as possible. Just stay here and stay quiet okay?"
He looked at her blankly for a moment and then nodded slightly. "Weapon?" he asked.
"Here's my knife but be careful and only use it if one of the aliens comes."
He nodded again and put it down beside him. She was really worried about leaving him with a weapon, in his state, but at the same time didn't want to leave him completely defenseless. There was no way she felt comfortable leaving him with a gun. He could end up shooting her or himself.
"Okay – I'll be back shortly. Just try to stay quiet Sir."
"Kay Carter. Care – ful."
"I will be – don't worry Sir."
With a final smile she stood and headed away from their little camp in the direction of the Gate. She travelled as swiftly and as quietly as she could. She'd travelled for about 45 minutes when she again heard voices. She stopped and moved into the denser brush and sidled slowly towards the men who were speaking.
There were four of them altogether. They were missing the two she'd encountered outside their cave and one other. She wondered if the man she'd shot at had returned or not. He may have gone back with someone to either save their comrade or to find her.
The leader of the group was here and he was gesturing angrily. He pointed towards the Gate and she could hear the word 'Tauri' again. They knew who they were and were clearly desperate to keep them from leaving the planet. She really wondered why that was.
She watched for a few more minutes, convinced the group was heading towards the Gate as well. That would make things much more difficult she knew. She really wished she had more information – and back up. She felt very much alone right now. If it had just been her she could have handled it, but with the Colonel wounded and in need of help, she felt a sense of desperation to get back to earth.
Without warning she saw movement to the side of where the four men were standing. Not thinking too much about it, she glanced over to the side – just in time to see new arrivals.
The person in the lead was dressed lavishly and walked with extreme arrogance. Following him and to his right and left were extremely large, imposing figures – and they all had marks on their foreheads. The one directly beside the elegant man had a gold tattoo. Jaffa and the First Prime.s
The Goa'uld had arrived. That explained the fact that they knew about the 'Tauri'. It also explained why they were desperate to capture them.
She turned and quietly made her way back towards Jack. Things had suddenly grown much more complicated!
