A/N: my thanks go to my royal reviewers, you guys are wonderful. And everybody who is reading..... thanks, I hope you are enjoying this! Okay, ready for some action? Here we go....
Ferretti and his men were closing in on the guards. Hearing the sounds of the battle and the sight of the death gliders in the sky in front of them told them they were about to walk into a Goa'uld conflict.
Stopping to assess the situation, they considered their next move.
"Captain?" Ferretti hissed at Carter.
"Could be any Goa'uld against Ra, Sir," she said, remembering the information gained from the Tok'ra. "Hathor, Apophis…"
"Teal'c, do you think you can approach without being discovered and survey the situation?" Ferretti asked.
Teal'c slightly nodded. "I can, Major Ferretti." With that short comment, he left, leaving Captain Carter to check upon her CO. Only five minutes later, Teal'c suddenly appeared out of nowhere, informing them briefly about his discoveries.
"There appears to be a battle going on between Ra and Apophis. Colonel O'Neill and Daniel Jackson have been captured by five serpent guards and they are hiding out in the forest, as Ra seems to be in control of the battle."
"What's the condition of the Colonel and Daniel?" Sam asked, concerned.
Teal'c looked at her, frowning. "I do not know. Both appeared to be unconscious."
Ferretti weighed his options and calculated the risks. It was getting dark soon. Knowing time was running out, he made his decision.
"We need to free them before the guards move them further away from us. We need a diversion. Teal'c, take the Lieutenant with you and place some blocks of C-4 north of the serpent guards and set the timer for ten minutes. Captains, you do the same to the south. When they blow, we move in, take the guards down, free our men and run like hell."
"If they are in any shape to run, Sir," Sergeant Winston added, arching his brows.
"They will be," Ferretti snapped, immediately regretting his outburst. He also knew he made it sound easier than it would be, but there really wasn't much of a choice, nor did they have more time to plan a different attack. "It just has to work. Go!"
Watching as four of his team left to set the timers on the C-4, he wiped the sweat from his forehead, feeling the heat radiating under the palm of his hand. He mentally prepared himself for the upcoming attack and the running he would have to do afterwards. He could only hope that the Colonel and Dr. Jackson were not severely injured and would be able to make it back to the Stargate. Both remaining airmen checked their weapons one final time, waiting for the explosives to go off. Ferretti threw a glance at his watch and knew it was time. Teal'c and Lieutenant Spikes would approach the serpent guards from the left, the Captains from the right, so he would attack them from behind along with Sergeant Winston. He staggered to his feet. "Let's get this show on the road."
And then all Hell broke loose.
Apophis had launched more death gliders in the air, attacking Ra's guards.
Ra had ordered one of his pilots to fire a shot to the forest, noticing the five serpent guards were not coming out to cross the valley, hoping it would force them out.
The packages of C-4 exploded, setting the fringe of the woods on fire.
Colonel O'Neill, although weak and injured, took benefit of the situation, jumping to his feet and knocked one guard out before the Jaffa even knew what happened to him.
Teal'c and Lieutenant Spikes opened fire from one side, Captain Carter and Captain Johnson from the other, taking out two of the remaining serpent guards.
Daniel yelled, "rescue party!" at Jack, while also getting to his feet.
The First Prime lunged forward and grabbed O'Neill, intent on using him as a shield, pulling him backwards towards the valley.
He almost managed to get away as the Colonel's knees buckled and slipped out of his grip. Bending forward, the First Prime tried to haul the human up, as Ferretti took him out with one well-aimed shot before his injured leg gave out and he fell sideways.
Daniel rushed forward, grabbed Jack by the arm and pulled him up and out of the line of fire, having assessed the situation and already knowing where to go.
Carter shot the last serpent guard and covered by the forest on fire, they all pulled back. Winston had grabbed a staff weapon from one of the fallen Jaffa and was hauling Ferretti up, dragging him along. Sam quickly ran beside Daniel, supporting the swaying linguist, as Teal'c had taken over assisting the injured Colonel. The remaining members of the rescue party also gathered staff weapons and covered their backs as they moved deeper in the forest.
Their escape had not remained unnoticed. A couple of death gliders had left the fight, flying over the forest, searching for the dodging Tau'ri. A group of Jaffa, or Horus guards were chasing them through the dense forest.
Breaking their own trail through the tangled forest and back to the Stargate, they moved on, non-stop. The darkness of the falling evening made it difficult for them to keep going, but it was also what kept them from being detected by the searching death gliders. They made good progress, but it was difficult to outrun a bunch of healthy guards with three injured men.
Ferretti glanced at Teal'c, exchanging looks of understanding. Calling for a brief halt, he quickly gave his orders.
"Teal'c, take Johnson and Spikes and lead those guards away. Meet us on the other side of the river."
Teal'c nodded, he also had realized that they were not succeeding in their escape. The guards had the advantage to move at greater speed and were gaining. By providing a false trail, he would buy the others time. Teal'c and the other two members of SG-2 quickly disappeared into the darkness of the forest.
Carter had taken over Teal'c's role of supporting Colonel O'Neill. Winston was still helping Ferretti and Daniel Jackson stumbled along on his own power, with nobody else left to help him. Hindered by darkness and unfamiliar territory, it took twice as long to reach the river. After scanning the sky for death gliders, they crossed the river safely.
Protected by the trees on the other side, the group stopped for a brief rest. They were all completely out of breath and exhausted but relieved to have gotten this far. Apparently, Teal'c had managed to distract the pursuing guards, as they could no longer hear them in the quiet forest.
The Colonel sagged to the ground, moaning and gasping harshly for breath. He glanced approvingly at the rescue team present. "Perfect timing," he said through clenched teeth, one arm clutching his chest, his eyes closed. "Thanks."
Ferretti, sliding down next to the Colonel, smiled tiredly, taking in the features of the man lying next to him. "You don't look so hot, Sir."
O'Neill eyed him, started, "and you…" but then took in the bandage around the Major's right thigh, the sweat covering his forehead and the glaze in his eyes. "You DO look hot yourself, Major." The concerned expression on the Colonel's face took the sting of the sarcasm from his voice.
Meanwhile, Sam had quickly checked Daniel out, taking in his battered chest, knowing he suffered from broken ribs along with the cuts and bruises from who knew what.
"How are you?" she asked, eyeing the archaeologist's pale face.
"I'll live," he answered briefly, staring at Jack from his position. "I'm worried about him. He nearly drowned, Sam. He's got lots of cuts and bruises from hitting rocks under water. He got too cold and has been coughing and vomiting... Probably pneumonia..."
Sam patted his shoulder reassuringly, although she was also concerned. Handing him a canteen of water and some pain pills, she moved over to check on the Colonel.
The stubborn CO of SG-1 waved her off. "I'm fine," he cracked, his appearance proving the opposite. "Take care of Ferretti."
Shaking her head in disbelief, she still did as asked, knowing it wouldn't take her long to check if the Major's leg was bleeding or not. Glad to notice the bandage was still securely in place, she knew she could do nothing more for him than inject another dose of morphine.
She moved again towards O'Neill, waving one finger in front of him before he could utter another protest. Already having noticed the burn of the ribbon device on his forehead and the damaged wrists, she noted the extensive cut and bruising that was becoming visible. She suspected that was not what she would have to be worried about. The Colonel was shivering continuously, his entire body shaking. His skin was cool and clammy and his clothes were still damp.
After helping him up into a more comfortable sitting position, reclining against a tree, Carter took his pulse and it was irregular and weak. Probing his chest, ribcage and back, she felt him brace himself, witnessed him biting on his lip while methodically using his fist to repeatedly hit the ground. Hearing the harsh sound of his breathing, she knew he wasn't fine; in fact he wasn't even close to that.
Exchanging worried glances with Major Ferretti, she realized there wasn't much that she could do for him in the short term, except treat his gashes and rope burns with disinfectant and return him as soon as possible to the capable hands of Dr. Fraiser. She pulled a blanket out of one of the backpacks and draped it carefully over his shoulders for some additional warmth.
Jack soon had enough of her ministrations. "How much longer to the Gate?" he rasped, looking over his shoulder to the river, scanning for possible pursuers.
"In the dark? At least three to four hours, Sir," she said worriedly, noting a wheezing sound in his struggles to breathe. Hopefully, Teal'c would join them soon, so they would have more help in supporting the injured men. Sam wasn't sure how long the Colonel would be able to stay on his feet, let alone move.
"Let's get the hell out of here, then," he croaked, attempting to get up but failing, not strong enough to manage on his own. Sam gently helped him up. Pulling one of O'Neill's arms over her shoulder she placed her arm solidly around the Colonel's waist. Another coughing fit suddenly took all air out of him, forcing him to bend forward, one hand pressed tightly against his mouth. Sam waited patiently, rubbed his back and exchanging a worried look with Daniel she confirmed his earlier suspicions; afraid the younger man was probably right about the pneumonia.
Startled, she almost jumped when she heard some sounds coming from behind. Turning, she was relieved to see Teal'c returning with Captain Johnson and Lieutenant Spikes. Teal'c immediately rushed to her to help her supporting their CO. Johnson softly updated Major Ferretti as they waited for the coughing fit to subside so they could move on.
"Oh, God," Jack cursed, his throat and chest sore from the latest abuse. He was shivering all over as he straightened and nodded at the waiting group. "Let's go."
They moved on, making slow progress in the dark, but unwilling to wait until the next morning. They couldn't risk one of the Goa'uld to reach the Stargate before them and heavily guard it, making it impossible for them to gate out.
Ferretti cursed silently, as he repeatedly tripped over some roots, relying heavily on Sergeant Winston. Winston was barely able to keep the Major from falling over. Ferretti peered over his shoulder and noticed that Carter was supporting Dr. Jackson now and that Teal'c and Johnson were almost carrying the exhausted Colonel.
Carter bit her lip out of frustration. She hated being unable to do more and listened to every harsh and shallow intake of breath from her CO, as she half-carried Daniel along. She knew that although Daniel hadn't complained, he wasn't in good shape either and she hadn't failed to notice the Major's stumbles as well. Hopefully they all managed to stay on their feet long enough to make it back to the Stargate. Sam couldn't think about staying longer on this planet, with an infected blast wound on the Major's thigh, Daniel's broken ribs and the dangerous condition the Colonel was in.
Major Ferretti was about to ask if they had to stop for another rest, when O'Neill's legs buckled, his strength finally gone as he passed out with a soft moan. Teal'c managed to stop him from crashing to the ground, lifted him up and draped the blanket around him. Carter immediately was by his side to check the Colonel's pulse. It was too weak and too rapid for her liking and she motioned the others to carry on. The group silently continued their trek through the dark forest.
It took them another two hours to reach the open field, which led them to the Stargate. The huge ring stood fiercely, lit by the moon above it. The group stopped before crossing the field, looking for signs of trouble or approaching death gliders. In the distance, they could already hear the group of guards approaching them once more.
"We better go," hissed Ferretti, drops of sweat rolling down his face. "Winston, your job is to dial us home. Johnson, Spikes, keep your eyes open and cover us if needed."
The Colonel stirred, awakened by another coughing fit. He struggled weakly until Teal'c gently lowered him to the ground and rubbed his back.
"Almost there, Sir," Carter said, noticing him silently assessing their situation.
The Colonel determinedly hooked his eyes on the Gate and gathered his strength for the final part. "And I SO loved this planet," he panted and dropped the blanket. "Let's not keep the Doc waiting."
They ran, stumbling and staggering the last part, no longer covered by the trees. It was only a couple more yards to the Gate when they were alerted by the sound of the death gliders. Three men turned, aiming their staff weapons at the two approaching aircrafts. The others pushed on, jumping to the left and right to avoid being hit by the firing death gliders.
Carter frantically hauled the Colonel back up after they had stumbled, thankful that Daniel and Ferretti managed to stay on their feet. Teal'c was helping Johnson and Spikes fire on the death gliders when a loud explosion lit the sky as a shot made contact. The other aircraft flew over the Stargate and turned, preparing to fire another round on them again.
The Sergeant dialed frantically and Daniel stumbled on the steps leading to the Stargate as the wormhole opened up. Pausing, Daniel looked over his shoulder, then Ferretti yelled, "Go!"
Daniel jumped through the Gate with Winston on his heels. Carter attempted to assist the Colonel towards safety, but he struggled lose, waiting for the rest of the team to follow. Ferretti limped closer, glancing at O'Neill.
"Go, Sir. I'll make sure they all make it…" he said, knowing why the Colonel was hesitating. Teal'c was still firing; the other airmen were almost there.
O'Neill threw one last look over his shoulder and only when he was satisfied they were all close behind, he allowed Carter to support him through the wormhole. Johnson and Spikes jumped after them. Teal'c grabbed the tumbling Major by the shoulder for support and they closed the line.
A/N's: I got them home! Did you doubt me? **grin**