Section 2: Follow the Yellow Brick Road
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"Uh...hi." O'Neill was not happy, not happy at all. The alien stood about ten feet away from them. He, at least it looked like a he, was a little taller than Jack with long black hair set high on his head. Two eyes, a nose, and a mouth were where they were supposed to be on a pale white face that had brown lines sectioning it into pieces. A vertical bisector ran from his hair line to his throat, while horizontal lines ran over his check and jaw lines. Rather an ugly piece of work to look at.
The alien garbled out a few words, glaring at the trespassers. His gun never wavered.
"Daniel?"
"Your guess is as good as mine, Jack," the linguist replied. The alien spoke to them again, louder this time, gesturing at their own guns.
"I think he wants us to put down our weapons, sir," said Carter.
"Yeah, I can see that," Jack told her testily, running through options in his head. The gate out of the courtyard was a good twenty yards away. There was a chance they would make it, but with Daniel carrying the girl Jack didn't want to risk it unless they had to. Which it looked like they would with Mr. Fun-and-Games getting more agitated by the second. On the other hand, he hadn't shot them yet, and from the noise he was making it didn't look like he wanted to. Oh, Jack had no doubt that he would as soon as they tried anything, but for the moment they were okay.
But as soon as Jack thought that, another alien stepped out of the building. Angrier than the first one.
"Get ready to run," said Jack quietly, his eyes intent on the second alien as it stormed towards them . . . and cuffed the other one on the back of the head. The alien shouting got even louder as the two yelled at each other, ending in the second one angrily gesturing at SG-1 to leave already. Jack wasn't about to question orders. "Let's go."
Jack brought up the rear as his team ran for the outside world. Not followed, they heaved a collective breath before turning to the world around them.
The street beyond was about as bad as O'Neill had guessed from the junkyard. The streets of the slum, while not packed, were definitely not empty. People like the junkyard guys roamed in tattered clothing, jumping out of the way of the occasional car - it worked like a car anyway - that sputtered by. Grimy like the industrial side of any Earth city, the buildings looked like they were barely standing. Garbage and its smell littered the gutters, leaving little to the imagination about where it had come from. Even in the partly overcast daylight, the neighborhood was in shadows.
No one seemed to take note of the five non-natives, or if they did, they didn't gaze long. Eyes slid off them like oil, too troubled by their own miseries to care about them.
"Which way now?" asked Daniel as he glanced around to get his bearings.
"I believe that way," Teal'c pointed across the street and to the right, "leads to the center of the city."
"Then that's the way we'll go," O'Neill decided. He looked at the girl in Daniel's arms and hoped she would last till they found her some help. She still looked barely alive; the dressings Carter had put over her wounds were soaked in blue blood.
The alley they followed to the center of the city led to another main street that led to another couple of dark alleys. Jack felt for sure someone was going to jump out and mug them, but no one did. The people on this planet obviously had learned to steer clear of strangers. He watched as Carter approached a woman in a doorway, but she shuffled off throwing suspicious glares over her shoulder before the Major could say anything.
"I wonder why know one will talk to us," Carter murmured when she rejoined them. Off Jack's look she said, "No really, sir. A lot of these people have weapons. You would think someone would get curious as to why four aliens are walking through their neighborhood carrying a half dead girl."
Jack shrugged. It was kinda strange when she put it like that, but still . . . "Maybe they just don't want trouble," he suggested. "I for one am glad for the lack of a welcoming committee."
"I guess." Carter glanced around them, taking in the shabby buildings once more. "I just wonder what's so bad about strangers that we're being avoided like the plague."
"Let's not borrow trouble," O'Neill replied, really wishing she hadn't brought that up. They had other problems at the moment, like finding a hospital. "How's she doing?" he asked Daniel who had settled the girl on the pavement for a breather.
"She's still bleeding but it doesn't look as bad. If she were human she would be dead from the blood loss." Daniel looked up with his mouth set in a grim line. He didn't have to say the rest. Jack nodded. He helped Daniel carefully gather the girl back into his arms and they set off again for the center of the city where hopefully they would find some help.
Almost half an hour and half the city later, the smattering of people in the streets gradually grew, bursting into the throng of an open market. Unlike the darker streets they had left behind, the market was loud and chaotic, thriving with life and spirit. To Jack it looked like the fish market in Chicago, except with more people jostling each other for space and haggling back and forth. And they all were aliens with black hair and lined faces that . . . moved?
Jack stopped short in surprise as the face of the guy in front of him actually split along the lines like a stage curtain, revealing five more eyes inside his head like a second face. That was just too creepy.
"Oh wow," said Daniel softly behind him, clearly as impressed as Jack was. And there were more doing it to. An old lady leaned down to inspect something, her face opening right up.
"A most interesting feature," said Teal'c. Jack could only nod in agreement.
Since they were standing like rocks in a river, the four of them quickly pulled themselves together and headed into the maelstrom. And this time they weren't ignored. They recieved curious looks, but the vendors were just as quick to shove goods in their faces in an attempt to sell, sell, sell. Every now and then, as they wove through the crowd, Jack saw other offworlders trading at various stalls. There weren't many, but enough to show that they were a regular presence. Nearby, one such alien, a tall guy dressed in red was leaning so far over the table, Jack thought he was going to fall over. The vendor had backed up as far has he could - which wasn't far given the cramped space he was allotted.
They were just passing behind them when suddenly the offworlder spun around, his long, pale hair making a whipping sound as it cut through the air. Startled eyes met Jack's, then raked over his teammates, stopping on Daniel. Before he could so much as blink, Jack found himself, once again facing the business end of a gun. This just really wasn't their day.
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"Uh...hi." O'Neill was not happy, not happy at all. The alien stood about ten feet away from them. He, at least it looked like a he, was a little taller than Jack with long black hair set high on his head. Two eyes, a nose, and a mouth were where they were supposed to be on a pale white face that had brown lines sectioning it into pieces. A vertical bisector ran from his hair line to his throat, while horizontal lines ran over his check and jaw lines. Rather an ugly piece of work to look at.
The alien garbled out a few words, glaring at the trespassers. His gun never wavered.
"Daniel?"
"Your guess is as good as mine, Jack," the linguist replied. The alien spoke to them again, louder this time, gesturing at their own guns.
"I think he wants us to put down our weapons, sir," said Carter.
"Yeah, I can see that," Jack told her testily, running through options in his head. The gate out of the courtyard was a good twenty yards away. There was a chance they would make it, but with Daniel carrying the girl Jack didn't want to risk it unless they had to. Which it looked like they would with Mr. Fun-and-Games getting more agitated by the second. On the other hand, he hadn't shot them yet, and from the noise he was making it didn't look like he wanted to. Oh, Jack had no doubt that he would as soon as they tried anything, but for the moment they were okay.
But as soon as Jack thought that, another alien stepped out of the building. Angrier than the first one.
"Get ready to run," said Jack quietly, his eyes intent on the second alien as it stormed towards them . . . and cuffed the other one on the back of the head. The alien shouting got even louder as the two yelled at each other, ending in the second one angrily gesturing at SG-1 to leave already. Jack wasn't about to question orders. "Let's go."
Jack brought up the rear as his team ran for the outside world. Not followed, they heaved a collective breath before turning to the world around them.
The street beyond was about as bad as O'Neill had guessed from the junkyard. The streets of the slum, while not packed, were definitely not empty. People like the junkyard guys roamed in tattered clothing, jumping out of the way of the occasional car - it worked like a car anyway - that sputtered by. Grimy like the industrial side of any Earth city, the buildings looked like they were barely standing. Garbage and its smell littered the gutters, leaving little to the imagination about where it had come from. Even in the partly overcast daylight, the neighborhood was in shadows.
No one seemed to take note of the five non-natives, or if they did, they didn't gaze long. Eyes slid off them like oil, too troubled by their own miseries to care about them.
"Which way now?" asked Daniel as he glanced around to get his bearings.
"I believe that way," Teal'c pointed across the street and to the right, "leads to the center of the city."
"Then that's the way we'll go," O'Neill decided. He looked at the girl in Daniel's arms and hoped she would last till they found her some help. She still looked barely alive; the dressings Carter had put over her wounds were soaked in blue blood.
The alley they followed to the center of the city led to another main street that led to another couple of dark alleys. Jack felt for sure someone was going to jump out and mug them, but no one did. The people on this planet obviously had learned to steer clear of strangers. He watched as Carter approached a woman in a doorway, but she shuffled off throwing suspicious glares over her shoulder before the Major could say anything.
"I wonder why know one will talk to us," Carter murmured when she rejoined them. Off Jack's look she said, "No really, sir. A lot of these people have weapons. You would think someone would get curious as to why four aliens are walking through their neighborhood carrying a half dead girl."
Jack shrugged. It was kinda strange when she put it like that, but still . . . "Maybe they just don't want trouble," he suggested. "I for one am glad for the lack of a welcoming committee."
"I guess." Carter glanced around them, taking in the shabby buildings once more. "I just wonder what's so bad about strangers that we're being avoided like the plague."
"Let's not borrow trouble," O'Neill replied, really wishing she hadn't brought that up. They had other problems at the moment, like finding a hospital. "How's she doing?" he asked Daniel who had settled the girl on the pavement for a breather.
"She's still bleeding but it doesn't look as bad. If she were human she would be dead from the blood loss." Daniel looked up with his mouth set in a grim line. He didn't have to say the rest. Jack nodded. He helped Daniel carefully gather the girl back into his arms and they set off again for the center of the city where hopefully they would find some help.
Almost half an hour and half the city later, the smattering of people in the streets gradually grew, bursting into the throng of an open market. Unlike the darker streets they had left behind, the market was loud and chaotic, thriving with life and spirit. To Jack it looked like the fish market in Chicago, except with more people jostling each other for space and haggling back and forth. And they all were aliens with black hair and lined faces that . . . moved?
Jack stopped short in surprise as the face of the guy in front of him actually split along the lines like a stage curtain, revealing five more eyes inside his head like a second face. That was just too creepy.
"Oh wow," said Daniel softly behind him, clearly as impressed as Jack was. And there were more doing it to. An old lady leaned down to inspect something, her face opening right up.
"A most interesting feature," said Teal'c. Jack could only nod in agreement.
Since they were standing like rocks in a river, the four of them quickly pulled themselves together and headed into the maelstrom. And this time they weren't ignored. They recieved curious looks, but the vendors were just as quick to shove goods in their faces in an attempt to sell, sell, sell. Every now and then, as they wove through the crowd, Jack saw other offworlders trading at various stalls. There weren't many, but enough to show that they were a regular presence. Nearby, one such alien, a tall guy dressed in red was leaning so far over the table, Jack thought he was going to fall over. The vendor had backed up as far has he could - which wasn't far given the cramped space he was allotted.
They were just passing behind them when suddenly the offworlder spun around, his long, pale hair making a whipping sound as it cut through the air. Startled eyes met Jack's, then raked over his teammates, stopping on Daniel. Before he could so much as blink, Jack found himself, once again facing the business end of a gun. This just really wasn't their day.
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