Daniel rubbed his sprained ankle and glared at the darkness above him. He
had been following Jack, Sam, and Teal'c when something that looked like an
artifact caught his eye. He had moved forward to inspect it, but right
before he reached it the ground opened up, swallowed him, then closed again
before he could so much as call out, much less prevent it.
It was pitch black, and Daniel couldn't tell whether he had fallen into a pit or a tunnel, and didn't particularly care. He opened his mouth to call out and hope the others heard him when he saw a flickering of light from a torch. It was being carried down the tunnel by a figure- so it WAS a tunnel- and Daniel almost allowed himself to be relieved. Then he saw who bore the torch. A Horus Guard. No, five Horus Guards. Wonderful. Simply wonderful. Oh joy divine.
It was a simple dirt tunnel, and there was no way he could huddle at the side and not be seen. Daniel noticed a ladder leading up to where he had fallen from, but it was much too late to try that now- he would need to limp as quickly as he could before the quintet (ooh- Quintet.) and hope to get enough of a lead to use a ladder later on.
So that's what Daniel did, splendidly quietly and quickly for an injured klutz like himself. 'Come on, ladder,' he thought grimly, his ankle sending painful jolts up his leg with each step. The angry red welts caused by the alien bugs were beginning to complain as they were stirred by adrenaline, and Daniel fought to ignore them, biting his lip as he hurried on. Suddenly he came to a lighted- NOT a good sign- three-way fork. Daniel paused, painfully aware of the five armed guards bearing down on him, as he squinted down each tunnel in turn, hoping, hoping- yes! Ladder, left tunnel! He hurried forward, but stumbled on his bad ankle and went down with an incredibly audible thud.
There was the none-too comforting sound of five staff weapons being charged and Daniel, all stealth forgotten, scrambled back to his feet and began climbing. He was biting his lip to the point of bleeding as his ankle and broken finger screamed as he moved up the ladder- just as the five Horuses came around the corner.
Their leader didn't pause. "Jaffa! Kree!"
The Horus Guards, caught unaware, made panicked, poorly-aimed shots, but one nonetheless blasted Daniel full in the shoulder of the arm that possessed the broken finger.
Daniel made an interesting noise that was a blend of a cry of pain and a snarl of rage, but he didn't fall. Instead he displayed an incredible amount of strength for a skinny little scientist and pulled himself up with only one arm and one good ankle.
The Bird Brains, as Daniel decided to call them, were right on top of him as he escaped the tunnel and ran bad ankle, welts, nasty terrain and all, through the march. Suddenly he skidded on a patch of some sort of slime or another, and knew instantly that there was no way that his head could avoid being brutally bashed into that particularly large and rough tree branch.
'That's it. I'm screwed," Daniel thought dazedly, his one good arm- now broken, bent beneath of him at an awkward angle. Blood trickled into his eyes from the gash bestowed to his forehead from the tree branch; he blinked it away. An uncomfortable burning itch told him that he was lying in some sort of plant that he was allergic to.
A Horus Guard appeared over Daniel, who peered up at him blearily through his cracked and bloody glasses lenses. "Hi," he said thickly.
A second Guard appeared. "What's the point?" he asked the first. He spoke in his own language, but Daniel, being the amazing super-genius that he is, understood. "He does more torture to himself than we would do!"
"You're right," the first answered. "He is a Kretcha-Ordo. Even the Sarcophagus would not cure him of his curse! He would be a damnable host."
They both laughed and walked away.
They WALKED AWAY.
Daniel was almost insulted. "It's not my fault I'm clumsy," he muttered grouchily. He tried getting up, but he couldn't so much as move, much less stand. Daniel couldn't see much walking in his near future. He wished he could at least get some weight off the staff burn- that was by far the most painful, but it was just as well. To do that he would need to completely roll over, and then he would just get a face full of that allergic reaction- inducing plant.
"Okay," He spoke out loud to himself, "Ow. I just need to-ow- wait until Jack, Sam, and Teal'c-ow- get here. Shouldn't take too-ow- long, right?"
A half hour passed.
"Any minute now. Ow."
Another half hour.
"Yup- ow. Any-ow- minute now."
"OW! Yup, any minute-ow- now..... Ow! Stupid optimism. It's not-ow- working!"
Finally he heard the rest of SG-1 calling for him.
"What TOOK-ow- do darn long?!!" Daniel yelled.
"Well, you weren't here before," Jack retorted, jogging into view.
"Great. Ow! By the way, watch out for our Horus friends. OW!"
"Horuses did THIS to you?" Sam said in disbelieving horror as she finally neared enough to see the extent of Daniel's injuries.
"Well, -ow! - um, er, they shot me, but that's about all I can pin on them," Daniel said apologetically.
"YOU did this to you?" Jack demanded. "Fercryinoutloud, Danny! Horuses- Hammond might have let this slide. But the gash, the welts, the ALLERGIES! For CRYING out LOUD!"
"Are you going to help me or are you going to add "death by hypothermia" to my list of maladies?" Daniel grouched. " Because I can't move and I am COLD! OW!"
"Are you in much pain, Daniel Jackson?" Teal'c asked.
"Stupid question," Daniel said through his clenched jaw. "If I wasn't, I wouldn't be sounding so much like Jack."
Jack stopped by Daniel's feet. "Is there anything wrong with this leg?"
"Yeah, the ankle's sprained."
"How about the other one?"
"It's fine."
Jack nodded. "Good." And he kicked him.
"Ow! What was that for?"
"You said that sounding like me was a bad thing!"
"No I didn't!"
"Boys!" Sam broke into their argument. "Daniel?"
He glared at Jack. "I'd be better if certain persons would refrain from kicking me. Honestly, I'm fine as long as I don't move."
"I do not believe that is an option," Teal'c warned.
"Horuses- Noon O' clock! Jack warned.
"Noon O' Clock?"
"Shush Spacemonkey."
The Guards, however, stopped when they saw Daniel on the ground. The leader laughed, called to the Stargate team in his own language, and signaled his group away.
Sam and Jack stared open-mouthed as Teal'c stood by, unfazed.
Jack rounded on his Jaffa friend. "Well?? What'd he say?"
"He said, Colonel O'Neil-"
Daniel cringed. "Teal'c, do you have to?"
Teal'c ignored him. "-That all who associated themselves with one so cursed-" everyone's eyes flicked to Daniel- "Could never be worthy enough to become hosts."
At this message, Sam almost laughed.
"See, Danny Boy?" Jack asked with an air of one who had known something all along, "There's an upside to being a time bomb!"
"Shut up, Jack," Daniel groused. "PLEASE someone get me out of these plants? I'm getting a rash."
It was pitch black, and Daniel couldn't tell whether he had fallen into a pit or a tunnel, and didn't particularly care. He opened his mouth to call out and hope the others heard him when he saw a flickering of light from a torch. It was being carried down the tunnel by a figure- so it WAS a tunnel- and Daniel almost allowed himself to be relieved. Then he saw who bore the torch. A Horus Guard. No, five Horus Guards. Wonderful. Simply wonderful. Oh joy divine.
It was a simple dirt tunnel, and there was no way he could huddle at the side and not be seen. Daniel noticed a ladder leading up to where he had fallen from, but it was much too late to try that now- he would need to limp as quickly as he could before the quintet (ooh- Quintet.) and hope to get enough of a lead to use a ladder later on.
So that's what Daniel did, splendidly quietly and quickly for an injured klutz like himself. 'Come on, ladder,' he thought grimly, his ankle sending painful jolts up his leg with each step. The angry red welts caused by the alien bugs were beginning to complain as they were stirred by adrenaline, and Daniel fought to ignore them, biting his lip as he hurried on. Suddenly he came to a lighted- NOT a good sign- three-way fork. Daniel paused, painfully aware of the five armed guards bearing down on him, as he squinted down each tunnel in turn, hoping, hoping- yes! Ladder, left tunnel! He hurried forward, but stumbled on his bad ankle and went down with an incredibly audible thud.
There was the none-too comforting sound of five staff weapons being charged and Daniel, all stealth forgotten, scrambled back to his feet and began climbing. He was biting his lip to the point of bleeding as his ankle and broken finger screamed as he moved up the ladder- just as the five Horuses came around the corner.
Their leader didn't pause. "Jaffa! Kree!"
The Horus Guards, caught unaware, made panicked, poorly-aimed shots, but one nonetheless blasted Daniel full in the shoulder of the arm that possessed the broken finger.
Daniel made an interesting noise that was a blend of a cry of pain and a snarl of rage, but he didn't fall. Instead he displayed an incredible amount of strength for a skinny little scientist and pulled himself up with only one arm and one good ankle.
The Bird Brains, as Daniel decided to call them, were right on top of him as he escaped the tunnel and ran bad ankle, welts, nasty terrain and all, through the march. Suddenly he skidded on a patch of some sort of slime or another, and knew instantly that there was no way that his head could avoid being brutally bashed into that particularly large and rough tree branch.
'That's it. I'm screwed," Daniel thought dazedly, his one good arm- now broken, bent beneath of him at an awkward angle. Blood trickled into his eyes from the gash bestowed to his forehead from the tree branch; he blinked it away. An uncomfortable burning itch told him that he was lying in some sort of plant that he was allergic to.
A Horus Guard appeared over Daniel, who peered up at him blearily through his cracked and bloody glasses lenses. "Hi," he said thickly.
A second Guard appeared. "What's the point?" he asked the first. He spoke in his own language, but Daniel, being the amazing super-genius that he is, understood. "He does more torture to himself than we would do!"
"You're right," the first answered. "He is a Kretcha-Ordo. Even the Sarcophagus would not cure him of his curse! He would be a damnable host."
They both laughed and walked away.
They WALKED AWAY.
Daniel was almost insulted. "It's not my fault I'm clumsy," he muttered grouchily. He tried getting up, but he couldn't so much as move, much less stand. Daniel couldn't see much walking in his near future. He wished he could at least get some weight off the staff burn- that was by far the most painful, but it was just as well. To do that he would need to completely roll over, and then he would just get a face full of that allergic reaction- inducing plant.
"Okay," He spoke out loud to himself, "Ow. I just need to-ow- wait until Jack, Sam, and Teal'c-ow- get here. Shouldn't take too-ow- long, right?"
A half hour passed.
"Any minute now. Ow."
Another half hour.
"Yup- ow. Any-ow- minute now."
"OW! Yup, any minute-ow- now..... Ow! Stupid optimism. It's not-ow- working!"
Finally he heard the rest of SG-1 calling for him.
"What TOOK-ow- do darn long?!!" Daniel yelled.
"Well, you weren't here before," Jack retorted, jogging into view.
"Great. Ow! By the way, watch out for our Horus friends. OW!"
"Horuses did THIS to you?" Sam said in disbelieving horror as she finally neared enough to see the extent of Daniel's injuries.
"Well, -ow! - um, er, they shot me, but that's about all I can pin on them," Daniel said apologetically.
"YOU did this to you?" Jack demanded. "Fercryinoutloud, Danny! Horuses- Hammond might have let this slide. But the gash, the welts, the ALLERGIES! For CRYING out LOUD!"
"Are you going to help me or are you going to add "death by hypothermia" to my list of maladies?" Daniel grouched. " Because I can't move and I am COLD! OW!"
"Are you in much pain, Daniel Jackson?" Teal'c asked.
"Stupid question," Daniel said through his clenched jaw. "If I wasn't, I wouldn't be sounding so much like Jack."
Jack stopped by Daniel's feet. "Is there anything wrong with this leg?"
"Yeah, the ankle's sprained."
"How about the other one?"
"It's fine."
Jack nodded. "Good." And he kicked him.
"Ow! What was that for?"
"You said that sounding like me was a bad thing!"
"No I didn't!"
"Boys!" Sam broke into their argument. "Daniel?"
He glared at Jack. "I'd be better if certain persons would refrain from kicking me. Honestly, I'm fine as long as I don't move."
"I do not believe that is an option," Teal'c warned.
"Horuses- Noon O' clock! Jack warned.
"Noon O' Clock?"
"Shush Spacemonkey."
The Guards, however, stopped when they saw Daniel on the ground. The leader laughed, called to the Stargate team in his own language, and signaled his group away.
Sam and Jack stared open-mouthed as Teal'c stood by, unfazed.
Jack rounded on his Jaffa friend. "Well?? What'd he say?"
"He said, Colonel O'Neil-"
Daniel cringed. "Teal'c, do you have to?"
Teal'c ignored him. "-That all who associated themselves with one so cursed-" everyone's eyes flicked to Daniel- "Could never be worthy enough to become hosts."
At this message, Sam almost laughed.
"See, Danny Boy?" Jack asked with an air of one who had known something all along, "There's an upside to being a time bomb!"
"Shut up, Jack," Daniel groused. "PLEASE someone get me out of these plants? I'm getting a rash."
