Chapter Nine
Jack stepped out of the wormhole and glanced around at the new surroundings, taking in every nuance of the scene. He could hear Sam exit the wormhole behind him and do the same, followed by Sloane and finally Teal'c. Jack frowned slightly at the thought of Sloane. Something about the man set Jack ill at ease, but he couldn't figure out what it was.
Subtly, Jack examined SG-1's temporary member. Sloane was gaping openly at their surroundings, focusing more on the strange purple flowers that were growing near some trees than on any possible threats to their position. The fact that Daniel would have done almost the same thing sent another wave of anger through Jack. It felt wrong without Daniel. The whole team's dynamic just felt off.
"Sloane!" Jack barked. At least he had an outlet for his frustrations. "I thought I told you we weren't going to be frolicking through the field! Sit rep, now!"
Sloane glanced around, finding the eyes of his new team focused on him. He cleared his throat. "Er . . . there appears to be trees . . . no signs of anyone around . . ."
Jack rolled his eyes. "Carter?"
"Footprints and a well marked path leading to and from the 'gate, sir," Sam reported briskly. "Evidence that the 'gate is under heavy usage on a regular basis."
"T?"
"I detect no major wild animals in the vicinity, O'Neill," Teal'c replied. "There does, however, appear to be a canyon of some sort just through the trees about fifty meters ahead. The trail Captain Carter noted appears to be leading towards that general location. I believe that is the direction we should go."
"Then go we shall." Jack turned sharp eyes to Sloane. He stepped closer until he was almost nose-to-nose with the lieutenant. "If you want to play with the big boys, Sloane, you're gonna have to do better than that."
Staring hard at Sloane to drive his point home, Jack finally waved at the rest of his team. "I'll take point. T, you cover our six. Let's go, campers."
Sloane fought down the flush of embarrassment as he scrambled into place behind Sam.
***
The team spent the majority of their time in silence. When they discovered that the gorge overlooked an impressive palace, Sam couldn't help but comment on how much Daniel would have loved to see it. The innocent comment cast a dark cloud over the team, causing them to slip into silence once more.
They followed the trail from the stargate, which continued on a winding path down the side of the gorge. The path was obviously well-used, but the continued lack of alien life set Jack's nerves on edge. They should have encountered someone by now.
Jack signaled for Sam to take point, then fell back to walk beside Teal'c. "Anything yet, big guy?"
Teal'c grunted. "I believe we are being observed, but have been unable to see any sign of life around us. I will remain alert, O'Neill."
Jack nodded. "Same here, T. Let me know if the situation changes."
Another fifteen minutes passed before the team reached the bottom of the gorge. The silence and lack of activity was grating on the experienced SGC members' nerves; it was too quiet. Jack beckoned his team to a small grove of trees just off of the main path.
"All right, first things first," he said. "Teal'c; do you recognize anything about this palace that might tell us who these people are?"
"I do not, O'Neill," Teal'c stated.
"With all due respect, sir, there's not much to look at," Sloane spoke up. "It's a palace. Probably run by some big important king or something with a bunch of guards. With a wall like that, the most dangerous thing they probably own are some spears and a couple of catapults. We clearly have superior fire power. Let's just walk in and introduce ourselves, and if they have a problem with us, well, there's not a whole lot they can do about that."
Jack and Sam stared at the lieutenant with open looks of disbelief. Teal'c's stare, as always, remained even.
"What?" Sloane asked.
"Have you actually read any of our mission reports?" Sam asked. "Or any mission reports at all?"
"I've skimmed a few, but they all were pretty much the same to me," Sloane replied. "Why?"
"Because we've learned that some of Hollywood's movies might have been made up, that's why," Jack said scathingly. "You have no idea if the people in there are aliens or just transplanted humans. You don't know if they can walk through walls or can't figure out how to make alloyed metals. Hell, you don't even know if that place even has people in it or if it's been abandoned for a hundred years. So unless you have some intel with solid evidence to support it, shut up and let us do our jobs."
Sloane flushed, but did not reply.
"Here's the plan." Jack turned to look at Teal'c, dismissing Sloane from his mind. "T, you still feel we're being watched?"
"I do," Teal'c confirmed.
"Okay," Jack said. "Carter, Sloane, and I are going to keep heading toward the castle, but we're going to do it quietly. I'd like to see if we can get a visual on someone before we knock on the door. Teal'c, I want you to circle around and follow us. See if you can find out who might be watching us. I don't like surprises, and I have a feeling I won't like this one."
Teal'c bowed his head, then melted back into the surrounding trees. Sloane watched him go, impressed with Teal'c's stealth in spite of himself.
"All right, then, let's press on." Jack hefted his P90 and led the remainder of his team back onto the trail and towards the palace.
***
Teal'c watched his team members and Sloane continue on their way to the palace, his eyes lingering on Sloane for several moments.
Though he did not pass judgments on most of the new recruits without having worked with them, he trusted his instincts, and his instincts were telling him not to trust Sloane. The Tau'ri soldier was brash and overconfident for one, and such qualities did not bode well for survival through the stargate.
Then there was the matter of his attitude towards Daniel Jackson. When Teal'c had first joined the Tau'ri, he had observed how some of the soldiers had disregarded the young man due to the fact that he was not a member of the military, but he had, over time, earned and won the respect he deserved. To see Daniel having to prove himself again to soldiers who did not know him triggered Teal'c's protective instincts, and Sloane was one of the main people who was responsible for that. When SG-1 returned to Earth, he vowed to personally instruct Sloane and the other new recruits on just how valuable Daniel Jackson was to the program.
Even if the instruction needed a physical demonstration.
Spying slight movement near his teammates, Teal'c changed direction and circled back the way he'd come for a better view.
***
When the attack came, Jack almost felt relief that the waiting was over.
The trunk of a tree right beside Sam suddenly exploded, sending the three humans scattering for cover. Jack was already behind a tree and firing several shots in the direction the blast had come from. The familiar sounds of zat guns firing and staff weapon blasts filled the air, as well as the answering call of automatic weapon fire.
"Can you see anyone?" Jack yelled.
"I've got two by the trees at ten o'clock!" Sam shouted back.
"Another one dead ahead!" Sloane reported.
"I make three at one o'clock and two more at two!" Jack told them. "They're flanking our position!"
"They don't have to!" Sam suddenly yelled. "Colonel, the main gate of the palace!"
Jack looked and saw the large wooden gate opening, releasing close to thirty Jaffa armed to the teeth. "Maybe a strategic retreat is in order! Fall back!"
Before any of them could get very far, several Jaffa appeared behind them. Jack swung his gun around at the nearest Jaffa, hoping to give Sam and Sloane time to escape. The Jaffa blocked the blow easily and used his staff weapon to sweep Jack's legs out from under him. Jack landed hard on his back with a grunt, but leaped back up and continued to fight. Out of the corner of his eye, he watched as another Jaffa sent a forceful punch at Sam's face, sending her to the ground. Sloane was already on his knees, hands behind his head with a staff weapon pointing at him.
The Jaffa Jack was fighting used his staff weapon to strike Jack across the face, sending the human to one knee. The Jaffa lifted his foot and forcefully kicked Jack the rest of the way to the ground, then used the same foot to grind down on Jack's knee. Jack let out an aborted yell, biting down hard on his lip to silence it. Through tears of pain that he refused to shed, he saw the rest of his team being restrained by several Jaffa and finally ceased his fight. As the Jaffa hauled him upright, he sent a silent prayer that Teal'c was aware of what had happened and was going for help at that very moment.
***
The sound of staff weapons firing drove Teal'c into a brisk run. Pausing behind a tree, he quickly observed a squad of Jaffa stretched out among the foliage, taking careful aim at his friends. Bringing his staff weapon up to bear, he fired off a shot.
The other staff weapons disguised the sound of Teal'c's weapon, shielding Teal'c from discovery. The Jaffa nearest him fell, a smoking hole in his armor. His partner beside him had enough time to look at the dead Jaffa and glance up for the cause before he, too, fell.
Teal'c moved closer and took out one Jaffa after the other, trying to not break cover and be discovered. His luck held out for a short while as one Jaffa after the next eventually fell, but as SG-1 ceased firing and began to fight hand-to-hand, Teal'c's staff weapon fire was discovered. Several blasts headed his way, striking nearby trees and sending splinters of wood flying through the air around him. With a glance to his defeated teammates, Teal'c began to withdraw.
The Jaffa, however, were relentless, and began to pursue Teal'c through the trees. Teal'c paused every once in awhile to send return fire, but focused his energy more on making it back to the stargate for help. There were too many men for Teal'c to fight alone, but perhaps with some help, he would be able to rescue his teammates.
Spinning around, Teal'c fired a shot that sent one Jaffa tumbling to the ground, but not before the Jaffa had released a return volley. His shot went wide, but not wide enough. The blast struck Teal'c high in the chest. Teal'c staggered back, shocked, before falling to the ground, bleeding heavily.
The sound of more Jaffa approaching drove Teal'c to his feet. Staggering unsteadily, Teal'c moved through the brush towards the wall of the gorge, searching for a place to hide. As darkness tinted the edges of his vision, he spied a small opening in the gorge wall partially obscured by some brush. While not completely concealing, if Teal'c didn't move, then it might be missed by the Jaffa. Stumbling more than walking, Teal'c all but fell into the opening and drew himself into a smaller form. Excruciating pain flared up in his chest, creating dark spots in his vision. As the dark spots grew larger, Teal'c could hear the Jaffa getting closer.
Then everything went black.
***
Jack allowed himself to be dragged into the palace, surreptitiously taking in the lavish décor surrounding him. As the group moved through a pair of large, ornate wooden doors, Jack took note of large tapestries depicting soldiers in the midst of a bloody battle. Severed limbs being raised triumphantly in several images triggered a small wave of unease in the pit of the colonel's stomach. Whoever was in charge of the palace, Jack hoped they weren't as prone to dismemberment as the former leader appeared to be.
Jack, Sam, and Sloane were dragged to a very tall man sitting in a throne, flanked by several guards. As they were forced onto their knees before the tall man, Jack took note of the golden tattoo on his forehead.
"Hey, nice place you got here," he remarked. "Does your boss know you're keeping his seat warm for him?"
Something struck Jack in the back of the head, causing him to see stars.
"Silence!" the Jaffa behind him barked.
The tall man held up a hand and stood. Approaching Jack, he looked down at his prisoners. "My master has left control of his kingdom in my capable hands until his return. Who might I tell him has trespassed on his land?"
Jack looked up defiantly. "The fashion police. We've come for your interior decorator. Blood and gore is so last season."
The First Prime struck Jack across the mouth. Jack dropped to his elbows, spitting blood onto the floor.
"Take them to the dungeons," the First Prime ordered his men. "I'll send for them when our lord returns from his journey." Dark eyes traced over Jack to Sam's stoic form before finally landing on Sloane. "For your sakes, you had better find your tongues while you are there. Your god will not suffer your insolence lightly."
"Didn't think he would," Jack muttered as he was forced to his feet and led away.
***
"Incoming wormhole!"
Hammond rushed out of his office and hurried into the control room, staring at the 'gate as it began to spin. "The only team off world right now is SG-1, and they aren't due back yet."
Blue light flickered behind the iris. "I'm getting SG-1's remote code, sir," Harriman stated.
Hammond nodded. "Open the iris."
Work slowed, and time seemed to slow as everyone's eyes focused on the shimmering wormhole, waiting for someone to emerge. Hammond sent up a silent prayer that his premiere team was all right.
After several agonizing moments, a figure stumbled through and landed heavily on the metal ramp. No one moved, eyes trained behind the figure waiting for more to arrive. Hammond was already moving away from the control room for the stairs, and barely acknowledged the wormhole closing.
"Teal'c!" Hammond knelt at the Jaffa warrior's side, taking in the blood splattered on the alien. Teal'c was clutching at his shoulder and grimacing. Hammond took in the bloody mess that was the Jaffa's chest and grimaced. Turning to Harriman in the control room, he called, "Get Dr. Frasier down here on the double!"
"Already on her way, sir," Harriman replied.
Hammond nodded and turned back to the lone member of SG-1. "Teal'c, what happened? Where's the rest of your team?"
Pain-filled brown eyes locked onto Hammond. "Jaffa . . . ambush . . . SG-1 was taken prisoner . . . I . . ."
Whatever Teal'c was going to say was lost as he finally succumbed to his injury. Hammond barely had time to react as he managed to support Teal'c's weight and gently guide him the rest of the way to the ramp.
Frasier and her nurses arrived moments later, descending on the unconscious man. Hammond stepped back and watched them work. "Doctor?"
Frasier barely spared Hammond a glance. "Too soon to tell, sir, but it looks like a staff weapon. I don't think it's too serious, but I'll know more once I get him to the infirmary."
Harriman's voice echoed in the 'gate room as Teal'c was lifted onto a stretcher and rushed away. "Shall I notify Dr. Jackson, General?"
Hammond heaved a deep sigh. "That's all right, Sergeant. I'll inform him myself. Let me know if anyone else comes through."
Squaring his shoulders, the general headed out of the room.
Okay, so I finally finished mapping out this story. I have 14 chapters in all. I have one scene left to write in chapter 10 and one scene left to write in chapter 11. Chapters 12-14 have been finished. As soon as I finish those last two scenes, I will publish the rest of the story. Yay! Almost there! :)
