Chapter II
The remaining members of SG-1 moved with surprising speed as they raced through the thick snow looking for Daniel, the more they moved in an Easterly direction the closer his voice sounded. "Down here!" he shouted as loud as his dry throat would allow. He began coughing and spluttering on clumps of dislodged snow as it fell into his mouth, his heart pounded in his chest and he was beginning to wonder if it really was possible for the organ to break out of his chest - it was beating that fast.
He was contemplating trying to pull himself up but he put an end on that idea when his fingers began slipping off the smooth surface of the rock as he put too much weight onto them. He wasn't an experienced climber - he wasn't even an amateur, he'd never climbed in his life but he knew he should push himself up with his legs. He couldn't though, had already tried that and had only succeeded in slipping further down the cliff…the very steep cliff. It was at that point he realised he was never going to get out of this latest 'fix' without help and he was extremely grateful when he heard footsteps.
"Hurry! I'm slipping!" still no one came. In fact the footsteps seemed to be moving away from him must be looking for something to pull me up with he thought, he reassured himself with the thought that they wouldn't leave him hanging. Guys!"
He heard the footsteps again and as he looked up he saw O'Neill and Carter move forward and step gingerly on the fragile ground then look over the edge. He sighed in relief then leant his head on the rock face as his neck started to ache from the position it had been in. He clung on desperately, his freezing fingers clutching tightly to the even colder rock. "Hang on we're going to get you back up here in no time" the Colonel called down.
Sam rolled her eyes and stepped away from the edge. "Great advice" she said sarcastically. "It's not like he can do anything else Sir."
Before O' Neill could come up with a retort Teal'c pulled him back as more of the snow covered ground collapsed. "You should concentrate on rescuing Daniel Jackson and not on verbally abusing each other." He didn't sound annoyed and his stoic features certainly gave no indication that he was angry but they weren't taking any chances.
"I was just gonna say that" the Colonel replied. Daniel once again began calling for their help, reminding the three why they were stood around in the terrible weather conditions.
Teal'c stepped carefully on the snow, testing the strength of the ground. When he was sure it was safe he knelt down and grasped the archaeologists arm. Daniel stretched up and grabbed Teal'c with his free arm and the Jaffa began pulling him up. Daniel hung on for dear life, his legs dangling in mid-air and his eyes tightly shut to prevent anymore loose ice falling into them. Only when he was back on terra (almost) firma did he allow himself to relax a little bit, there was a rock jutting up out of the snow and he gripped it as though it was his lifeline.
He tried not to dwell on the thought but he couldn't help but think that at any moment more of the ground could collapse, and he would once again fall - next time though his friends might not get to him in time. He breathed slowly and deeply, calming himself letting his thoughts wander away from what had just happened. He peered over the edge then leaned back and shuddered, "I really hate heights" he muttered.
"Are you injured?" Teal'c asked.
Daniel shook his head "I don't think so, though I didn't exactly fall gracefully and, my ankle's hurting a little bit."
"Think you can stand?" Jack walked forward and held out his hand to help Daniel get to his feet.
The archaeologist slowly rose then once on two feet promptly fell to the floor again "that really hurts…" he moved his leg with his hands to get comfortable and cringed as more pain seared through his broken limb.
"He will not be able to walk back to the Stargate without assistance" Teal'c informed them.
Daniel shook his head dolefully. "I can't walk at all guys," he announced. He wriggled around in the snow "I'm starting to go numb…" he looked around them and shrugged "I would suggest making a stretcher but the lack of trees puts a stop to that." Their current situation was dire but he tried to make light of it and stay in control.
O'Neill sighed in frustration. "One of these days on one of these planets at some point in this lifetime you will listen to me." He started walking away from them "Carter you're with me, Teal'c stay with Daniel and keep him out of trouble."
Sam nodded sagely and began to move out, she stopped when Daniel started to speak "I'm sorry about this…" he began.
She waved away the comment, effectively shutting him up. "It's not your fault – not completely anyway. We'll be back soon" she grinned. "And try not to get into anymore trouble."
O'Neill yelled at her to hurry up and she ran after him. None of them sensed, saw or heard the person that watched over them.
*
"Where's a guy with a pack of dogs when you need him?" After a terribly long walk with no conversation, no friendly banter and not even the odd sarcastic or flirtatious comment – the Colonel finally broke the awkward silence.
It was a rhetorical question but Carter answered anyway. "Probably staying as far away from us as possible."
"If he knows what good for him he won't even think about speaking to us again let alone actually doing it!" he replied hotly. They had been trudging along for three hours and still had another one to go before they reached the Stargate. Neither of them tried to think of the return trip - it'd just tire them out even more.
"So what happened earlier?" Jack dismissed her question with a shake of his head but Carter pressed on. "The two of you have had disagreements before but nothing to that scale…" The Colonel shrugged and stayed quiet. "Sir you'll have to tell General Hammond what happened later, so either you tell me now or I hear it then." With that Sam left the topic open for discussion.
They carried on walking while they spoke, their eyes trained ahead. "He was just getting on my nerves - I don't know why I snapped at him. I just did." Jack sighed. If he didn't understand his actions then nobody else would.
"Well if something's wrong Janet will find it" she reassured him.
*
A few long miles in the opposite direction Teal'c and Daniel where having a similar conversation, the only difference being that, - Teal'c's words were having the opposite effect. The archaeologist appreciated his friend's reassuring words and he was glad of his company, sitting in the snow alone for goodness knows how many hours, waiting for help would have been incredibly boring. But - something about the Jaffa was really irritating him at that moment, his kind words sounded patronising and it was really beginning to get on Daniel's nerves. "It is not your fault, you not have known the ground would collapse."
Daniel nodded "yeah I know." He smiled and looked to the floor and began rolling up some snow then tossing it from one gloved hand to another. "Oh I forgot to ask earlier…why did you come to the cliff then walk away again?" Teal'c looked at him in confusion "well maybe it wasn't you…I heard one of you walking around here when I was down there but you didn't help me right away."
The Jaffa stood and peered about them, looking along the ground for any sign of fresh footprints not belonging to SG-1. "It was not us that you heard - but there are no footprints indicating anyone else was here" he stated.
Daniel felt a wave of anger wash over him "so you're saying I imagined it" he said calmly - too calm. "There was someone there!"
"Perhaps you were mistaken, what you believed to be footsteps may have been nothing more than falling snow" he resumed his earlier position of standing beside Daniel.
The snow Daniel was tossing in his hands suddenly sailed through the air and over the cliff as the archaeologist tossed it in anger. "You know I may not be a soldier or warrior, trained to look out for anything out of place or…or listen for someone that might be spying on us and I may be the one that gets us into these messes - at times! But…that doesn't make me any less than you or Jack!"
He yelled then tried to stand, seeing the difficulty his friend was having, Teal'c moved forward to help him but Daniel waved him away "I don't need help. I don't need your help!" he was going red in the face with the effort of the simple task of standing up and he was getting extremely agitated.
"You should stay seated Daniel Jackson."
"Damn it! Why are you so calm! Is that a Goa'uld thing too" he stopped his ranting. "Uh Jaffa, I meant Jaffa" he sat down on the snow again with a bump.
Teal'c didn't show any indication that he was hurt or offended by Daniel's words - and that irked the archaeologist even more. If the Jaffa could act as though nothing could anger him then so could Daniel "you would be more comfortable inside" Teal'c interrupted his friend's reverie.
Daniel shook his head in answer "I'm fine right where I am thank you very much." The snow was really cold but he wasn't going to let Teal'c see that.
The Jaffa sensed Daniel's dark mood and knew he wanted to be left alone. "I will wait inside" he told his friend.
Daniel watched as Teal'c strode away from him, he grabbed a handful of snow and rolled it into a ball. He threw it at Teal'c and it hit him in the neck, short of getting a Zat and shooting the Jaffa, it was the only way Daniel could vent his anger. The archaeologist tried to look serious but as he saw Teal'c slowly turn whilst removing bits of the offending snowball from his collar with a frown, he couldn't help but laugh. "Do not do that again," Teal'c said seriously.
"That was funny…you shoulda seen your face!"
Teal'c's face was blank "I do not find it amusing."
Daniel ignored him and held out his arm "help me up. I need a drink."
Teal'c also had to admit he was thirsty and as he gulped down the liquid inside the canteen he was glad they still had water left to consume, even as he handed the canteen to Daniel he felt his eyes begin to droop but he fought to stay awake. The younger man watched as Teal'c laid his head on the table. He chuckled, "not all powerful and amazing after all" he said. He reached over and took the Jaffa's Zat "now who has the upper hand?" he whispered. Daniel at that moment in time did - but he couldn't do anything about it as he too fell fast asleep.