Chapter 26
The Worst of Times
Leaving their small water source behind was hard. However, they couldn't stay there.
Jack made the kid and the puppy drink and allayed his own thirst. Daniel, who had been hollow-cheeked and anxious most of the previous day, seemed to have recovered amazingly overnight. He looked fresh and rested and drank much less than Jack wanted him to.
"I don't need anymore. You haveta drink it," he told Jack in a stern voice, which would've been cute if Jack wasn't so worried.
After making sure the kid drank a little more, Jack finally bundled his jacket, and they moved on.
The times of singing and playing games to make their hiking more entertaining seemed far away. The little kid who had once wandered along with Jack, so full of chatter and life, had changed into a quiet, detached boy.
He still seemed to sense Jack's feelings and Cupcake's needs. He insisted on breaks whenever Jack felt like he'd drop dead where he walked any minute. Daniel knew when the puppy was going to whine, even before she started. He scooped her up to carry her or asked Jack to please pick her up then.
But as the day moved on, Jack realized more and more that Daniel had stopped angsting While the boy had been worried for his friend and puppy before, he just acknowledged Jack's exhaustion and Cupcake's weakness now, and tried to slow down. Daniel himself was less and less affected by the heat, the lack of water and the steep ravines they climbed and skidded down.
He was changing and he was changing fast.
His face closed more and more. The blue eyes, once so open and vulnerable, now held this dreamy expression, like Daniel was faraway in his mind and his body was functioning on autopilot.
Like a puppet.
Guided on invisible threads.
Nirrti's threads.
Jack balled his hands into fists and regretted the movement immediately because his palms were still sore.
Daniel didn't even turn around when Jack hissed a curse.
Three days ago the kid would've been at his side, fretting over Jack being hurt and feeling pain.
On a more rational level, Jack actually welcomed Daniel's newest changes as they helped the kid to go through this part of their journey unharmed. O'Neill had to admit he'd had no idea how to keep the boy from dehydration in their current situation. Yet, he felt angry and frustrated for being so helpless. And the knowledge it wasn't him but the alien shrink-machine that was helping Daniel to adapt and survive, made him sick.
The bottom of the canyon came closer, and Jack could see small bushes and cacti covering the ground. It gave him hope because where there were plants, there had to be water.
Looking through his binoculars, Jack also spotted a small path leading through the massive rock face on the opposite side of the valley. Maybe once they'd walked through there, they'd reach a river or a waterfall.
He could dream, right?
"Are we getting closer, yet?" he asked Daniel.
"Yes. Don't be afraid. You can drink soon," the kid said absently.
"Daniel..." Jack began, wiping sweat from his brow and scrubbing a hand through the stubble on his chin and cheeks.
"Soon," Daniel said and walked faster.
They had covered the worst part of the trek down. But Jack was past any feelings of relief. All he felt was the numb ache everywhere and the nagging thirst making his gut clench and his throat dry. The thirst had outranked the hunger.
###
Once they reached the first cactus, Jack pulled out his knife and cut the cactus into half, carefully avoiding the spikes as he carved out big chunks of the flesh. Handing a piece to Daniel, he said, "It has fluids. Eat."
"Thanks," Daniel said and nibbled at his piece while Jack sucked and bit into his own, savoring every drop running down his sore throat. He carved out another piece and pressed liquid out like a lemon, trickling the milky fluid into his palm and letting Cupcake lick it off.
"Good girl," he coaxed her. "Come on, baby. This'll make ya feel better."
The puppy slobbered the cactus milk, and Jack went for more until her eyes dropped closed and she fell asleep.
Daniel stood a few feet away and gazed over the deserted valley.
"We're taking a break," Jack decided and sat in what little shade the cactus provided. "And Daniel... we need to talk."
"About what?" Daniel mumbled.
"About what's happening to you."
That got his attention. He spun and stared at Jack through narrowed eyes, the dreamy gaze replaced by careful alertness. "I told you I don't know what's happ'ning to me."
"Okay," Jack said. "I believe you." But he stood and went over to Daniel. Taking him by the shoulders, Jack lowered his gaze to the small serious face. "I still think you shouldn't shut me out."
"I'm not shutting you out," Daniel said, blinking. "I..."
"Talk to me, buddy," Jack almost pleaded. "I need you to stay with me, okay? Don't let Nirrti or her shrink-toy get control over you. I need you here. And I need you to be yourself, Daniel."
Now it was confusion that met Jack's gaze. "I try," Daniel mumbled. "But it's strong. It makes me strong, too. An' I need to be strong, right? Need to be strong and help us through the evil mountains."
"It makes you strong," Jack agreed carefully. "But what else does it do to you? How do you feel?" He gently tightened his grip on the bony shoulders, suddenly sure the physical connection grounded Daniel. "Do you remember telling me about the water?"
Daniel nodded. "The water's callin' me. Need to go there."
"You told me not to let you go into the water. Any idea why?"
Shaking his head, Daniel tried to turn his head away, but Jack released his right shoulder and grabbed his chin in a gentle but firm grip. "Daniel."
"I... I'm not sure. I keep thinkin' 'bout the water an' dreaming 'bout it. But it scares me, too."
"Why? What's going to happen in that water?"
"Dunno. It's deep an' dark an' cold." Daniel shuddered. But at least he sounded more like himself now, and when Jack let go of his chin, Daniel took his hand and traced the cuts on his palms. "I'm sorry I can't heal you, Jack. I hate feelin' you hurt an' I can't do anything 'bout it."
"It's just a scratch," Jack said, aware they both knew his hands were the least of his problems.
"It's not too far now," Daniel whispered.
"Okay."
"You'll get help," Daniel assured him, and then his arms came around Jack's body. "I love you, Jack."
"I love you too, Danny," Jack said as he hugged him back. "We'll fix you."
###
They walked past bushes and cacti while the sun was setting. Jack had cut more of the cactus so they had an evening meal and fluids. He fed the milk to Cupcake, and the puppy was much more agile now, trotting next to Daniel, who had fallen into silence again.
The cramps started just as they found a ditch to sleep in.
It was half-covered by a large thorny bush, and they had to duck under it and lie flat on their backs to avoid being stung. But Jack didn't want them to be exposed to the night-creature. And since they were crossing the canyon, there weren't any ledges to hide under.
Daniel, who was lying next to him, raised his head as Jack grimaced at the first wave of pain hitting his gut.
"You're sick."
"Shouldn't have ordered cactus milk." Jack snorted.
Then he had to leave their shelter fast, feeling Daniel's worried eyes follow him.
O'Neill managed to get rid of his footwear and pants before he'd ruin them, and he didn't put them back on that night. He spent most of the following hours emptying his bowels behind a large cactus, trying not to get poked by it or falling flat on his ass into his own crap.
The darkness didn't help either, and the stench would have made him hurl had there been anything left to hurl. Instead, he dry-retched, and his sore throat hurt even worse. Jack tried not to think about how vulnerable he was right now and just forced himself to get through this mess somehow.
So much for trying to beat dehydration.
His gut felt like liquid fire, and he knew he was running a fever when he started to either sweat or shiver with cold as time went on. When he wasn't crouched behind some cactus or bush, he tried to escape his own mess without losing the direction to the shelter.
At one point, he realized Daniel had managed to light a fire, probably with stones and the many bushes surrounding them.
Gratefully keeping his eyes on the yellow-orange light, Jack struggled through his ordeal. Finally the pain eased off, and he crawled more than walked to where he had dropped his clothes.
He found his underwear next to his pants and used them to clean himself up as well as possible before he ditched them. He staggered to the spot where he had dropped his pants and managed to put them back on.
When Jack reached the fire, he dropped on the ground next to it like a fallen tree and tried to fight sleep, but his body had given out, and not even the knowledge that he was exposed to the screaming hunter could make him move one more muscle.
He came to as little hands stroked and patted his cheeks and Daniel's voice reached him through a fog of dizziness. The first things Jack felt were his pounding head and the still-bruised shoulder.
"Jack!? Jack, come on. You haveta wake up. I found leaves to eat. You haveta eat 'em. They'll help!" Daniel kept telling him.
Whoa, the night still wasn't over...
Jack tried to sit up but slumped back down. His head had decided moving fast was a bad idea.
"Jack, open your mouth." Something was shoved between his lips, and he spit it out, turning his head away.
"Nonono, you havta eat," Daniel insisted. And again he felt something bitter and slippery pressed against his mouth.
Jack forced himself to open up and chew the leaves Daniel forced into him. His stomach revolted, and he started to heave, but continued to chew and then swallowed, which almost caused him to throw up.
"Good, good. You haveta eat 'em. Ashu showed these to me, telling me they help with nausea."
If Daniel said so, Jack trusted him.
###
When he reached consciousness again, the fire was almost out and Daniel was curled up next to Jack, one hand latched onto his like an anchor.
Jack felt slightly better, and this time he was able to sit up, massaging his skull with one hand.
"Oy," he groaned to no one in particular. "Tough crap."
Carefully extracting his hand from Daniel's, Jack picked up a pile of the leaves. He couldn't make out their color in the little light the fire gave, but as he sniffed them, he knew they were the ones Daniel had fed him. Tentatively Jack took a few into his mouth and chewed.
He hoped they would help him to get rid of the lingering sick feeling.
Jack longed for a bath and a shave, hating the way he reeked like sweat and dirt. He still had the sharp odor of his own shit in his nose, too.
He wanted to put his boots on but couldn't find them in the pitch-black darkness of the night. He'd have to look for them in the morning.
He was trying to decide if he should let the fire die and get them back into their shelter, when the now-familiar screams echoed through the canyon.
Close.
Too close.
Jack shook Daniel awake and told him to crawl back into the ditch. There was no time to put out the fire properly. Jack hit his big toe on a large stone, so he picked it up and threw it onto the burning tinder, hoping it would kill the flames.
Pushing Daniel forward, Jack heard the flapping of what seemed to be huge wings. The following screech was even closer.
They scrambled down into their ditch beneath the thorn bush. Jack wasn't sure if it was the right decision, but at least they were out of sight.
He could hear and feel the rush of air as the creature circled the night sky above them.
The next scream was triumphant, and Jack knew it was coming down...
"Cupcake," Daniel yelled, and like a slippery eel, he managed to crawl out from under the bush before Jack could get a secure hold of him.
"No! Daniel, get back here!" He followed the kid, feeling a thorn ripping his t-shirt along his back and cutting deep into his flesh. Instantly Jack felt warm sticky blood running down his spine, soaking his t-shirt.
Jack didn't care. He scrambled after Daniel, who was somewhere in the darkness...
"Leave her alone!" Daniel screamed, outraged, and in the first silver light of day, Jack could make out the little boy throwing stones at a giant...
giant...
giant...
O'Neill stopped dead in his tracks, gaping at what appeared to be a mix between a raptor and a huge parrot, with a sharp bowed beak and huge claws. It was as large as O'Neill, and while Jack wasn't able to see more than its outline, the monster seemed to have feathers and widely spread wings.
It was holding something between its murderous claws.
Something squirming and squeaking...
"Daniel," Jack yelled again. He searched the ground frantically for a stone, found one and threw it at the bird.
Monster Bird screamed indignantly and taxed Jack with its golden intense eyes.
There was a flash of light in those eyes.
A horrible familiar glow.
"Dan...," Jack croaked, running over to the boy. But without warning, his legs gave out, and a cold numbness spread through his body, paralyzing him completely.
He couldn't move.
Helpless, he had to watch the scene unfolding in before him, not even able to crook a finger.
All he could do was yell at the boy to run.
"It has Cupcake," Daniel cried, throwing another stone.
"Get away from there! You can't do anything for her!" Jack barked.
The Goa'uld-bird opened its beak and let out a sound between a cawing and metal screeching on metal. It turned its head to look at Jack, but only for a second. When Daniel threw another stone, it released Cupcake and moved its massive body between Jack and the boy.
Daniel didn't make a sound, and only Jack's yells echoed loudly from the mountains when the creature's claws closed around the small figure and carried him away.
"You bastard," Jack howled as he was lying there on his back, not feeling the deep cut from the thorn bush or the bruise in his shoulder anymore. He stared at the silver sky, bleary-eyed, as the large shadow of a Goa'uld-possessed raptor bird soared higher and higher and finally vanished beyond the other end of the canyon. "You son of a bitch..."
But his outraged screams stayed unanswered.
After a while, a deadly silence settled over him.
The sun crawled over the mountain's buckle like an orange spider, sending her morning rays over the hard, fissured landscape of rocks. The night chill was immediately replaced by the heat.
Despite his knowledge that it was useless, he continued to search the sky, trying to estimate where that thing had taken Daniel.
Over the other rim of the canyon.
And then god knew where.
He tried to move his numb body without success.
Jack closed his eyes, white lights dancing behind the lids. His tongue felt like cotton wool, like something had crawled into his mouth and died there.
Hot anger surged through him, soon replaced by a tired resignation.
All these days they had managed to survive...
Three weeks of struggling...
In the end, they had lost the fight. All the bravery and courage of that little boy, all the ways Jack knew to protect them and make their travel safe...
Pointless.
Some time later he opened his eyes and blinked into a merciless sun.
Jack's biggest regret was that he'd never be able to talk to Big Daniel again.
That he didn't get the chance to tell Big Daniel how much he meant to Jack. Always had. Always would.
Sweat trickled down his brow and into his eyes though he still felt numb. He managed to raise his head, staring down the length of his outstretched body, like it was something foreign.
He lay back and tried to swallow his own saliva. His throat was dry and sore. Jack felt a single tear run down his sunburned face before gentle darkness carried him away.