CHAPTER TEN

Weapons fire was ringing out all over the compound when Jack finally yanked open the door that gave him what he was looking for. The sight that met him physically knocked him back a half step and caused his stomach to retch involuntarily for just a second.

His dearest friend lay broken and bloodied on the floor. He wasn't moving. He very much looked dead. Jack stood perfectly still, and for just one second, he heard and saw nothing other than Daniel Jackson. Beautiful, brilliant Doctor Daniel Jackson…lying on a cold stone floor like so much refuse...bloodied, covered in vomit and urine, flies already beginning to hover over him.

"Oh, Daniel…" The words came out unbidden, and seemed to snap Jack out of his trance. He ran to his friend, knelt, and checked for a pulse. At first, there was nothing…but then…ever so faintly, a small throb repeated itself twice, then three times, under Jack's fingers. Daniel's chest moved ever so slightly in a shallow breath. He was alive! Jack's heart did a somersault, and his objectives changed dramatically. He had to get out of here, so he could get Daniel some help. ASAP.

A small scuffling sound behind him stopped Jack's elation and froze him in place. He slowly turned to see what was there and was met with a crushing blow of knuckles across his face. His weapon was knocked away, and he found himself in hand-to-hand combat in a matter of seconds.

Jack recovered his balance quickly and rolled on his shoulder to prevent a bad fall. He came up spitting mad and fighting hard. The short little man across from him was made of venom and acid, but he never stood a chance beside Jack's unbridled rage and certain knowledge that this piece of shit had tortured his friend. The fight was short, but vicious. Both men landed a few blows, but O'Neill gained the upper hand with a leg sweep that brought the smaller man down in a heap. The General was on him instantly, and before he knew it, his bare knuckles were scraping the stone floor while tears streamed down his face and profanity streamed out his mouth. There was nothing left of the enemy's neck. Jack had chosen his point of attack well, and had simply beaten the man to death in an emotional release that was apocalyptic in its magnitude. After several minutes of blind violence, Jack gradually wound down and stopped hitting the lifeless corpse, but he seemed incapable of movement. He sat on the non-moving chest and stared, unseeing, into space.

An explosion outside made him jump and suddenly he remembered why he was here.

Daniel.

He scooped his friend up with some effort and lifted him into a fireman's carry. There was no more time to waste on these sadistic, pathetic excuses for human beings.

As Jack made his way out of the complex, he didn't encounter resistance. It surprised him, but he was grateful. Daniel wasn't a featherweight, and the older man was struggling a little to carry him. If it hadn't been for adrenaline and an overwhelming sense of panic that he might still lose Daniel on the way, Jack knew he wouldn't have been able to carry his friend at all.

He was almost out of the building when two guards appeared in front of him in a long hallway. Jack stumbled and nearly ran into the men as they popped out of a side passageway, directly into his path. With a curse, Jack realized his weapon was still laying on the stone floor in Daniel's cell, for all intents and purposes miles away. He knew this was the end. There was nowhere to run. The guards carried menacing spiked staffs and crossbow-like weapons. Jack didn't have a chance, but he refused to give up. His head began to swivel quickly, looking for anything he could use to defend himself and his friend at this close range. There was nothing. No options. Jack prepared for the worst, and lifted a silent prayer for help to anyone who was listening.

Suddenly, blue lightning danced across the guards and froze their features into masks of perpetual surprise. When their bodies fell to the floor, O'Neill was puzzled. There was no one around. No source of the zat fire. He decided it didn't matter, though, and began to step over the fallen enemies. As he did, a hand brushed his thigh and a laughing voice rang out.

"Ray guns, too??? That's CRAZY!"

Burke. He was holed up in a recess in the wall about five feet from where the guards had appeared. Blood was freely flowing from the wound in his right leg, and his face was pale and sweaty. He took in the condition of the man draped across Jack's shoulder and asked the obvious question.

"Still with us?"

Jack's answer surprised him. "Yeah. Barely. Can you walk? I can't help you…did you see Reynolds?"

Burke shook his head. "No, but I think he's out. I heard too much fire outside for him not to be. I couldn't hold my position after you guys headed out, so I tried to move around, causing as much damage as possible. Guess I was just in the right place at the right time to save your skin, though, huh?"

"Thanks. Come on…let's go." Jack handed Burke one of the spiky staffs that was obviously not meant to be a crutch, but that would work fine in that capacity, and kept going. With him carrying Daniel, he was about the same speed as the injured Burke, and they made slow progress, but they eventually made it outside again.

It was obvious that the firefight had followed Carter and Reynolds and Teal'c into the woods. By the time Jack and company had to cross the open space around the compound to get into cover, no one was around. They made it into the brush without any more trouble, but couldn't go any farther without a rest.

"Jack?" Burke's voice was labored and far too quiet.

"Yeah?" Jack didn't sound so good, either.

"I don't think we're going to make it, realistically…it's too far for us in this condition."

"Shut up, Burke. Sit down for two minutes, then let's go." O'Neill set Daniel gently on the ground and leaned against a tree as Burke collapsed in a heap. When Jack caught his breath, he stated the obvious. "We can't stop again. You know as well as I do that if we stop, we'll never get up, and none of us can afford that."

Jack's eyes traveled the length of Daniel's body, assessing his injuries, and he knew time was still of the essence. O'Neill checked his friend's pulse again, and was glad to see it was a little stronger, somehow.

The two men started their journey again when exactly two minutes had passed. They were still slow, but even the brief rest had recharged them enough for them to be a little more optimistic about their odds. Jack was still carrying Daniel over his shoulders when a small noise made him stop suddenly and change his friend's position.

Burke watched as Jack shifted the body from a fireman's carry to a forward grip that one would use for a small child. The bloodied man was murmuring quietly to himself and Jack was murmuring back. Burke couldn't hear the words, but he didn't need to. Jack O'Neill had once limped back to base with him in tow from a mission gone wrong, and Burke could imagine what was being exchanged between the two men. He was still worried that the archeologist he'd met once before might die, but he was glad that if it happened, the young man wouldn't be alone.

Jack was still worried, too, but his friend's voice, broken as it was, helped to quicken his steps and lift his spirits higher than they had been since he first found out about this mess. Daniel's spiky, rough, blood soaked hair ground into Jack's cheek, rubbing it raw, but he didn't notice as he whispered anything that came to mind to help his friend stay with him.

"Sh…Dannyboy…it's gonna be ok. I got ya. Don't worry. Stay with me, ok, buddy?"

Jack's voice was surprisingly soft and gentle as a warm breeze despite his effort to carry Daniel and double time it to the gate. While his words made no sense and weren't understandable for the most part, a small smile twitched Daniel's lips, and Jack knew he understood. He was going to be ok, and Jack knew it…if only he could get him home.

Jack's whispers continued, becoming a mantra, repeated as much to himself as to Daniel. He was chanting softly, keeping himself going. "I got ya, Danny. We're gonna make it. Just a little farther, ok? Hang in there. I got ya. We're gonna make it."

Neither O'Neill nor Burke knew how long they marched like that, but they didn't stop again, and suddenly they could see the stargate through gaps in the trees beside them.

Jack's radio crackled to life just as new explosions rocked the landscape.

"Jack, this is Reynolds! Where the hell are you?! We've got hostiles all around us. Open wormhole, but Siler's down. We're ok, but we can't hold the gate for long!"

Burke answered on his own radio, filling in for Jack, who had his hands more than full. "We're coming in now, Reynolds, just hold on a few minutes more!"

Jack looked behind him then, and realized Burke had fallen a little behind.

Jack yelled over his shoulder while trying to speed his own steps as much as possible. "Step on it, gimpy! We've got company!"

Despite his injuries, Burke did catch up and took cover next to O'Neill as the older man slid to the ground near the MALP, which had been abandoned by the other team members for a better position. Carter, Teal'c and Reynolds were holed up behind a large rock formation just slightly diagonal to the gate and about ten meters from the wormhole. The rocks were taking quite a beating from all sorts of weapons fire. Shards of gray grit sprayed down on the warriors continuously, but the trio fired back with determination. It seemed like their enemy was all around them in the woods, and they probably were, but the bad guys had a hell of a fight on their hands. The MALP was about thirty meters from the gate, in roughly a straight line from the rocks. This made the rocks a good step in cover for getting to the gate. Jack and company only had to get there.

Jack thumbed his radio, setting Daniel down on the hard ground. "Reynolds-O'Neill here. We have IDC confirmation?"

"Yes, sir. Landry is transmitting radio signal to hold the gate open for us."

If O'Neill was puzzled by Landry's involvement, he didn't show it. "We're at the MALP. Can you cover our approach? I've got Daniel. He's still alive, but hurt bad. I'll have to carry him. I found Burke, but he's got a leg wound. It won't be a quick run, Reynolds."

"Hold on one sec, Jack…ok…we've got you…go on my mark…three, two, one, MARK!"

Reynolds and Teal'c, who seemed fully recovered now, began to lay down cover fire, while Carter covered their position, taking out as many hostiles as possible to keep them from noticing the change in firing pattern and the men now approaching. Siler was down about fifteen meters from the group, laying in a pile of brush near the DHD. Jack couldn't see where he was hit, but he didn't have time to look. He took off as fast as he could go, carrying Daniel and making right for his comrades.

He made it, but barely. As the General slid behind the rocks, a staff blast tore up a chunk of dirt where he had been only a second before. Only when he got to the others did he realize Burke wasn't with him.

Reynolds looked wildly around for the missing man and cursed. "Shit! Where's Burke?"

Jack's radio crackled again.

"Jack?" The voice was unmistakable, and strong again. Jack answered, and two men began a conversation they'd had many times before.

"Burke?"

"Yeah. Get the hell outta here."

"Where are you?"

"With the sergeant. He's alive. I've got him. One of us was going to have to come back for him if we all made it to your position. I did it now to save us the trouble. Get everyone else back. I've got him."

Jack squinted through the hazy smoke of battle towards the DHD. He could barely make out the two men, but as he looked, Burke's head came up briefly, and his eyes met Jack's. Burke nodded once before he went back to his task of dragging Siler up against what little cover the DHD provided.

"Burke, you're injured. You are in no position to help Siler…"

A light laugh punctuated the static before Burke answered. "Yeah, well, maybe not…but I'm here and you're not. Get everyone out of here. I got this. Really. GO!"

Jack realized they were running out of time and options, and that Burke was right. As much as he didn't want to, he was going to have to leave and trust Burke to take care of Siler, or none of them would get off this rock.

"Alright, people, you heard the man. Move out. Let's go. Two at a time…three in the first group, with Daniel. Those of us remaining will lay down cover fire. GO!"

Teal'c looked briefly at his former CO, seeing fatigue and several cuts and bruises, before offering his strong shoulders for the most important job that needed done. "O'Neill. I believe it would be best if I carried Daniel Jackson. You have done your part. I am recovered. Let me help you."

Jack was still clinging tightly to Daniel, and made no movement to change that for several long seconds. A look of panic came into Jack's eyes, and he tightened his grip, feeling that letting go would somehow cause Daniel's tenuous hold on this world to slip. Teal'c saw the expression, and the movement, and crept to O'Neill's side. He laid a large hand on the General's shoulder, and spoke calmly.

"O'Neill. It is best. I will return Daniel Jackson to Earth."

Jack blinked twice, slowly, while turning to look at Teal'c. He gradually realized his Jaffa friend was right. Teal'c was stronger and faster than the General, and he was Daniel's best chance of getting home. Jack hugged Daniel tightly to himself for a half second, and almost imperceptibly rocked back and forth a few times before burying his face in the unconscious man's neck. Daniel's days old stubble, stiffened with blood and sweat and tears, ground into Jack's face like tiny razors. Jack's eyes squeezed shut tightly for a heartbeat, while his hand cradled the battered skull of his friend, fingers digging in as deeply as he dared. Only after several deep, calming breaths did O'Neill reluctantly release his grip, thus ending the embrace and relinquishing Daniel to the big Jaffa.

The first group through the gate consisted of Teal'c, Carter, and Daniel. O'Neill recovered a P-90 and fired with Reynolds until the trio was through. As soon as they disappeared, Jack looked back over his shoulder toward the DHD. Burke was already making an uncoordinated dash for the open wormhole, half carrying and half dragging a now semi-conscious Siler with him. Jack couldn't help but wonder at the younger man's unflappability in this new, strange situation. Burke looked like he'd been sprinting toward Stargates for years. Jack stifled his amusement quickly, however, and turned to join Reynolds in providing cover fire for the pair.

When Burke and Siler were halfway to the gate, Reynolds flicked the briefest glance at O'Neill. Jack gave the tiniest nod back. It was all the communication the seasoned soldiers needed. Both men heaved themselves over the rocks in front of them and ran for the gate with every ounce of strength they had. They ran with their torsos twisted around backwards in order to point their weapons at the pursuing attackers. Streams of deadly ammunition spiraled out of the barrels of their guns, and enemies continued to fall. As the officers overtook the struggling Burke, neither stopped to help. Both knew that they were more useful as sources of firepower than as shoulders to lean on in this particular situation.

When Jack and Reynolds reached the gate, they immediately knelt on either side of the ring, facing outward and spewing death in two sweeping fan shapes from their positions. Burke and Siler continued to limp toward the gate in the center of this protective funnel. When the wounded men reached the top step of the little deck that supported the Stargate, Burke looked up and met Jack's eyes for a fraction of a second, then yelled out.

"GO!"

Jack immediately judged the distance to the gate and knew Burke was right. He, Reynolds, Burke, and Siler would hit the event horizon simultaneously if they all ran now.

Reynolds turned toward the wormhole.

Jack followed.

The two officers hit the liquid ice nearly in unison, but Reynolds was spun around suddenly as he slipped through the event horizon. Jack knew the movement was the mark of a bullet that had hit its mark.

As P5X-462 dimmed from sight, Jack thought he saw Burke stumble a half step behind him. He reached an arm backwards to catch the falling man, but he was too late. He was pulled into the vortex of the wormhole, unsure if Burke and Siler would follow. Seconds later, he came tumbling down the ramp at the SGC like he had countless times before. He knew enough to keep dodging enemy fire even after back on Earth.

O'Neill was greeted by a scene of organized chaos. Medical teams, SFs, officers, Marines, and technicians all crowded the gate room, doing their specific jobs. Reynolds was not badly wounded, if his loud arguments with the medical staff trying to treat him were any indication. Jack was only looking for two things, though, and one had already been wheeled off to the infirmary, so he settled on watching for the second. While still in a crouch after rolling to avoid the occasional weapons fire that found its way through the stargate, Jack riveted his gaze on the still open wormhole. 'Burke', he thought. 'Come on, buddy, come on. Bring Siler back. We need him, and I think I just might want you around, too. Come on.'