"Damn it to hell." Cussing wouldn't get Jack anywhere at this point but he was beyond caring. He knew better than to risk his own safety by traveling at night on an unsafe world, and he also knew without a shadow of a doubt that he was only delaying his return to camp because he didn't want to be there.

Up ahead, at the top of a small rocky incline, was the ledge he'd seen earlier. Sweeping his flashlight up the slope, he caught sight of what resembled a staircase, roughly hewn into the underlying rock. Thick scrub covered the slope, and behind the ledge, Jack could see a wall of tall trees, their craggy limbs swaying in the light breeze. Overhead there were two moons, neither of which offered much in the way of moonlight. The first moon was simply too far away, its light virtually indiscernible within the dense star field. The second moon was in a lower orbit, and if he squinted, Jack could just make out craters dotting its dull-grey surface. The orbit was too low though, and tall trees blotted out the weak light it threw off, making its usefulness in guiding his way mostly negligible.

Jack didn't know what he was trying to achieve in climbing up to the ledge. It was far too dark to be scrambling about on such unstable terrain, and he'd almost decided against the added hike in favor of a warm campfire. The staircase had been the clincher. Roughly hewn, yes, but even in this dull light, Jack could see it had been purposefully built. He guessed it really shouldn't have surprised him; after all, there was plenty of evidence to show that the planet had been inhabited at some point. The Tok'ra operative who led them to this world had said as much in his briefing. Still, the ledge stuck out as an oddity that Jack wanted to investigate.

Jack tested the first step cautiously, and finding it solid enough, started slowly up the stairs. Wind whistled through the trees and stirred up the underbrush. The climb wasn't long, but it was awkward. The steps were small and rather close together, almost as if they'd been made for a child.

Jack pulled his collar tight around his neck as the wind picked up. Turning, he quickly looked down at the ground he'd covered, wondering for a moment if it would be wiser to head back down. Looking up, he shone his flashlight ahead to the row of trees above that marked the flat plateau. The ledge was definitely closer than the ground, so he decided to keep heading upwards.

With his next step, the ground shook again.

"Crap," he muttered, deliberately falling forwards and catching himself on the rocky staircase to ride the tremor out. Twisting to sit down, he shone his flashlight out over the ravine and up towards the side of the mountain. Even at this distance, he could see boulders slowly sliding downwards, collecting other debris along the way to form a rock slide. The earlier tremor had loosened the top layer on the southern slope of the mountain and turned the whole area into a potential avalanche zone. This ravine and another that ran parallel to it, were now serving as catchment areas to tons of soil, rock, and trees.

"O'Neill!" Jack's radio sang out.

"Yeah, I'm here. You back at the camp yet?"

"We have returned. A small crevice has opened up along the base of the mountain and stretches northwards towards the Stargate."

"Roger that. Is it going to cause a problem?"

"Major Carter believes not. The crevice has stopped at the site of an old quarry and progressed no further."

"How far?"

"Approximately two kilometers from the Stargate."

"The camp?"

"It is heading away from the camp. However, it would wise to delay returning to the Stargate until morning. We are unable to determine if other crevices have opened up within the remaining distance."

Another tremor washed up the ravine and Jack felt his grip on the stone step tighten. "I'm just gonna ride out these aftershocks and return to camp."

"Do you require assistance, O'Neill?"

"No, I'm good, Teal'c. Hopefully this is just the ground settling again and they'll pass quickly. I'll check in again in fifteen minutes. O'Neill out."

Decision made, Jack clicked off his radio and turned back towards the path as a massive clap of thunder roared across the land. The ground heaved, tossing him off the path and into thick underbrush. He groped blindly for the stone steps, looking for purchase to stop himself sliding down the slope on his belly. With his free hand he swiped at his radio, grunting as his knuckles dragged across the jagged rocks.

"Teal'c!" he called out, sure he had opened a com line. Around him, the ground seemed to pitch. Trees appeared to float in the air, straining their roots, before crashing back into place. The moon that had been sitting low and just above the horizon was now above him, smiling at his helplessness.

He rolled onto his back, one hand gripping the rocky stair, the other slapping the ground, searching for his flashlight. His radio blared out at him. First Teal'c and then Carter, their voices strained and slightly distant. He was helpless to answer them. Suddenly the ground above him was bathed in a brilliant white light. The ferocity of the flash left an imprint of the trees on his retinas, and had him blinking furiously to clear his vision.

The shock wave from the quake finally rode off into the distance, leaving a path of destruction in its wake. Jack rolled back over onto his front and scrambled to his knees, swaying drunkenly as he tried to find his equilibrium. Pushing to his feet, he picked up his flashlight and shone it up towards the treeline. Curiosity won over common sense, and tossing his hesitation to the wind, he stole up the last few steps to the ledge.

The ledge wasn't very wide. Trees ringed it like an amphitheater, creating a wind break and concealing the area from curious eyes. Jack hovered on the top step and swung his flashlight over the area. There was nothing, save for some fallen rocks and tree litter.

Shrugging, he turned to leave, only to be stopped by the sound of a moan being carried on the wind.

"Hello?" He shone his light in the direction of the cry. "Anyone there?"

Movement near a pile of branches caught his attention, and he instinctively reached for his weapon. "Just so you know, I'm armed," he warned. The likelihood of it being some animal that had been injured during the quakes registered high on Jack's list but he wasn't taking any chances. Flashlight in one hand, weapon in the other, he kicked away several branches.

"Daniel!"

Daniel was lying on his side, one arm outstretched, the other held tight against his chest. His face was a mess of cuts and bruises. Blood flowed freely from a scalp wound hidden somewhere beyond his hairline.

"Daniel," Jack called again, more softly this time, as he secured his weapon and dropped down by his teammate's side.

Daniel shuddered under Jack's touch and tried to move onto his back. Taking in a deep breath, he forced one eye open and smiled weakly. "Asgard," he mumbled, and lifting his arm up, dropped the small rune stone into Jack's hand. "Good guys."

"Good guys… what?"

"Watchers," he chuckled feebly, clearly the only one who understood the reference.

"Okay." Jack shrugged off his jacket and wrapped it around Daniel's shoulders. "Long story, huh?"

Helping Daniel to his feet, Jack thumbed his radio and informed the rest of his team that he was on his way back to camp. He deliberately "forgot" to mention that he wouldn't be making the trek alone.

Look what followed me home, kids… can we keep him?

To be continued…