Lara finally managed to fight her way through the fighting warriors to
where the man with the Beretta had just been standing, and saw him running
towards the way out of the valley. With a snarl and a muttered curse, Lara
took off after him. Jack was only a couple of steps behind her.
She urged her legs faster, and sprinted after the man. He was not getting away, not after all she had been through. She wanted to find Daniel like she had set out to do in the beginning and then help clear his name. But most of all, she wanted people to stop chasing her, hurting her, running away from her, and damn well not letting her get any sleep!
Minutes past as Lara sprinted after the man, slowly gaining, and trying to dodge all the trees and underbrush around her. She was starting to gasp and the breath was burning in her chest when she finally caught up with him. She put on a final burst of speed and tackled the man. They landed in the dirt with a grunt, and immediately the man tried to wriggle way.
Lara let him go, as she rolled fluidly to her feet, and lashed out with a kick to his stomach before the man could begin to run away again. The breath left his body in a whoosh, as Lara lashed out again, this time with a roundhouse kick to the jaw. He backed up a few steps, until his back was against a nearby tree. This time, when Lara's other leg shot out, it was more to pin him by the throat against the tree, than to cause any physical pain. But if it did, Lara wasn't sure she would be too upset.
"Where is he?" she snapped.
The man remained silent, and glared at Lara. She just grinned evilly, and pushed her foot even harder against his throat. He gasped for breath and growled something at her.
"What was that?" she asked. "You'll have to speak a bit louder."
"I don't know what you are talking about." The man said.
"Wrong answer." Lara said, and squeezed his throat harder, almost suffocating him.
As soon as Lara saw he got the message, she released the pressure on his throat so he could speak again. "What do you want, bitch?!" the man snapped as soon as he had caught his breath.
A black automatic was placed against the man's temple, and the sound of it being cocked echoed eerily around. "We want to know where our friend is." Jack said, the anger evident even in his even tone. "The one you got this from." Jack slipped the gun out of the man's belt.
"I don't know." The man said again.
"Or you won't say?" Lara asked.
"I . . . " the man broke off as Lara squeezed his throat again with her booted foot. The abruptly she let it drop, and a second later her fist connected with his stomach.
Jack nudges the man with his automatic. "Where is he?" he asked.
"Two miles east, in the cave by the crippled tree." The man said, at once scared by the look in Lara's eye and the weapon at his head.
"Thank you." Jack said, and knocked the man unconscious with the butt of his gun.
He looked at Lara. "Let's go." She said.
The pair took of at a jog, their sprint and the events of the past two days having drained them of strength. But both Lara and Jack were stubborn people, and they wouldn't stop until they had found their lost friend.
Fifteen minutes later, a surprised Jack and Lara stopped dead in their tracks. Mouths agape they stared at the figure walking towards them. "How did you . . . " Jack said.
"What happened to . . . " Lara began at the same time.
Daniel just grinned as he walked up to them. "You mean, get myself out of trouble?" he asked.
Lara and Jack just continued to stare at him, and he laughed. "I'm not completely helpless, you know."
Daniel watched his friends break into wide grins, and noticed that they had obviously run into some problems, too. Jack's clothes were dirty, and somewhere he had lost his jacket and vest. His cheekbone was bruised and he had a cut on his forehead. Lara, too, was dirty, and she was wearing a black T-shirt, her shorts and her guns. Her face was bruised and scratched, and there was a white bandage around her thigh.
"So, what have you two been up to, without me to keep an eye on you?" Daniel asked, grinning.
Jack's grin turned into a scowl. "A lot!" he growled. "We've been chased, shot at and captured, denied food and sleep!"
"Not to mention the fact that the SGC has been taken over by the NID, Jack was charged with your murder and we had to break several laws to get here." Lara added.
Daniel looked at his friend and team mate. "Wow. Jack, I . . . "
Jack looked at him. "You owe me, space monkey." He said. "So just turn you ass around, and go explain to Colonel Forrest that you're not dead, will you?"
Daniel smiled gratefully at him. "Sounds fair. You coming?"
"Right behind you, Danny boy."
* * *
There was a knock at the door. "General Hammond?"
"Enter." The General replied tiredly.
Janet entered the room and came to stand before the desk. "Sir, are you alright?" she asked when she saw his face.
"Just tried." Hammond answered.
"Yes, sir." Janet said in understanding.
She was tired too, but that wouldn't stop her doing what she had to do. "Sir, I would like to request permission to take a medical team to P9X-861. I believe whatever drug was used on Major Carter and Teal'c was found on that planet."
"I would also like to request the presence of Major Carter and Teal'c on the planet, sir." She added.
"Why?"
"Because I think if they were to go back, sir, they might remember more of their experiences, which would help us locate the drug that was used to manipulate them."
"Very well." Hammond said. "Gather your team. I'll send SG-3 to escort you."
"Yes, sir."
* * *
Slowly, because by now Lara and Jack were REALLY tired, the trio made their way back to the stargate, and hopefully to home. "You know," Jack said. "I half think we should stay here for a while. I could do with some sleep before all those questions."
Daniel nodded, knowing just how many questions were bound to be levelled at them when they got back - and that was just by the SGC. Then NID would probably want to question them too, as well as the Tok'ra and everyone else on the base.
Lara chuckled as they crested a hill. "You have no stamina." She said.
"Oh?" Jack asked.
"Yep." She said. "This isn't tired - come with me next time I save the world and you'll not what tired means."
Below them the stargate stood on its platform and Daniel began to head towards it, but stopped when he realised his friends weren't following him. "I've saved the world plenty of time, myself." Jack said.
"Ah, but you don't have to travel over five continents, explore seven tomb and have people attempt to kill you, roughly about twenty times a day."
"True." Jack agreed. "But then, I have to face the Goa'uld."
Daniel smiled at the good natured bickering - or at least he assumed it was good natured. But when he looked at the pair in front of him, he saw that they were grinning. He smiled thoughtfully. What exactly had they been up to?
The trio walked towards the stargate, and just as Daniel was about to dial home, the gate engaged. Lara and Jack went for their guns, and Daniel took a step back as they saw the familiar rush of 'water'. But then Jack grinned when he saw who was stepping out of the stargate.
"Right on time." He said to Lara, holstering her guns.
Then he took a step towards surprised looking Janet, Sam and Teal'c - as well as a grinning SG-3 - and said, "It's about time you got here."
"Sir . . ." Carter began.
"Hey, Sam." Daniel said cheerfully. "This really is a fascinating planet."
Janet grinned at Jack and Lara. "Ready to go home?"
"Oh yes." Lara said with feeling, and Jack laughed.
She urged her legs faster, and sprinted after the man. He was not getting away, not after all she had been through. She wanted to find Daniel like she had set out to do in the beginning and then help clear his name. But most of all, she wanted people to stop chasing her, hurting her, running away from her, and damn well not letting her get any sleep!
Minutes past as Lara sprinted after the man, slowly gaining, and trying to dodge all the trees and underbrush around her. She was starting to gasp and the breath was burning in her chest when she finally caught up with him. She put on a final burst of speed and tackled the man. They landed in the dirt with a grunt, and immediately the man tried to wriggle way.
Lara let him go, as she rolled fluidly to her feet, and lashed out with a kick to his stomach before the man could begin to run away again. The breath left his body in a whoosh, as Lara lashed out again, this time with a roundhouse kick to the jaw. He backed up a few steps, until his back was against a nearby tree. This time, when Lara's other leg shot out, it was more to pin him by the throat against the tree, than to cause any physical pain. But if it did, Lara wasn't sure she would be too upset.
"Where is he?" she snapped.
The man remained silent, and glared at Lara. She just grinned evilly, and pushed her foot even harder against his throat. He gasped for breath and growled something at her.
"What was that?" she asked. "You'll have to speak a bit louder."
"I don't know what you are talking about." The man said.
"Wrong answer." Lara said, and squeezed his throat harder, almost suffocating him.
As soon as Lara saw he got the message, she released the pressure on his throat so he could speak again. "What do you want, bitch?!" the man snapped as soon as he had caught his breath.
A black automatic was placed against the man's temple, and the sound of it being cocked echoed eerily around. "We want to know where our friend is." Jack said, the anger evident even in his even tone. "The one you got this from." Jack slipped the gun out of the man's belt.
"I don't know." The man said again.
"Or you won't say?" Lara asked.
"I . . . " the man broke off as Lara squeezed his throat again with her booted foot. The abruptly she let it drop, and a second later her fist connected with his stomach.
Jack nudges the man with his automatic. "Where is he?" he asked.
"Two miles east, in the cave by the crippled tree." The man said, at once scared by the look in Lara's eye and the weapon at his head.
"Thank you." Jack said, and knocked the man unconscious with the butt of his gun.
He looked at Lara. "Let's go." She said.
The pair took of at a jog, their sprint and the events of the past two days having drained them of strength. But both Lara and Jack were stubborn people, and they wouldn't stop until they had found their lost friend.
Fifteen minutes later, a surprised Jack and Lara stopped dead in their tracks. Mouths agape they stared at the figure walking towards them. "How did you . . . " Jack said.
"What happened to . . . " Lara began at the same time.
Daniel just grinned as he walked up to them. "You mean, get myself out of trouble?" he asked.
Lara and Jack just continued to stare at him, and he laughed. "I'm not completely helpless, you know."
Daniel watched his friends break into wide grins, and noticed that they had obviously run into some problems, too. Jack's clothes were dirty, and somewhere he had lost his jacket and vest. His cheekbone was bruised and he had a cut on his forehead. Lara, too, was dirty, and she was wearing a black T-shirt, her shorts and her guns. Her face was bruised and scratched, and there was a white bandage around her thigh.
"So, what have you two been up to, without me to keep an eye on you?" Daniel asked, grinning.
Jack's grin turned into a scowl. "A lot!" he growled. "We've been chased, shot at and captured, denied food and sleep!"
"Not to mention the fact that the SGC has been taken over by the NID, Jack was charged with your murder and we had to break several laws to get here." Lara added.
Daniel looked at his friend and team mate. "Wow. Jack, I . . . "
Jack looked at him. "You owe me, space monkey." He said. "So just turn you ass around, and go explain to Colonel Forrest that you're not dead, will you?"
Daniel smiled gratefully at him. "Sounds fair. You coming?"
"Right behind you, Danny boy."
* * *
There was a knock at the door. "General Hammond?"
"Enter." The General replied tiredly.
Janet entered the room and came to stand before the desk. "Sir, are you alright?" she asked when she saw his face.
"Just tried." Hammond answered.
"Yes, sir." Janet said in understanding.
She was tired too, but that wouldn't stop her doing what she had to do. "Sir, I would like to request permission to take a medical team to P9X-861. I believe whatever drug was used on Major Carter and Teal'c was found on that planet."
"I would also like to request the presence of Major Carter and Teal'c on the planet, sir." She added.
"Why?"
"Because I think if they were to go back, sir, they might remember more of their experiences, which would help us locate the drug that was used to manipulate them."
"Very well." Hammond said. "Gather your team. I'll send SG-3 to escort you."
"Yes, sir."
* * *
Slowly, because by now Lara and Jack were REALLY tired, the trio made their way back to the stargate, and hopefully to home. "You know," Jack said. "I half think we should stay here for a while. I could do with some sleep before all those questions."
Daniel nodded, knowing just how many questions were bound to be levelled at them when they got back - and that was just by the SGC. Then NID would probably want to question them too, as well as the Tok'ra and everyone else on the base.
Lara chuckled as they crested a hill. "You have no stamina." She said.
"Oh?" Jack asked.
"Yep." She said. "This isn't tired - come with me next time I save the world and you'll not what tired means."
Below them the stargate stood on its platform and Daniel began to head towards it, but stopped when he realised his friends weren't following him. "I've saved the world plenty of time, myself." Jack said.
"Ah, but you don't have to travel over five continents, explore seven tomb and have people attempt to kill you, roughly about twenty times a day."
"True." Jack agreed. "But then, I have to face the Goa'uld."
Daniel smiled at the good natured bickering - or at least he assumed it was good natured. But when he looked at the pair in front of him, he saw that they were grinning. He smiled thoughtfully. What exactly had they been up to?
The trio walked towards the stargate, and just as Daniel was about to dial home, the gate engaged. Lara and Jack went for their guns, and Daniel took a step back as they saw the familiar rush of 'water'. But then Jack grinned when he saw who was stepping out of the stargate.
"Right on time." He said to Lara, holstering her guns.
Then he took a step towards surprised looking Janet, Sam and Teal'c - as well as a grinning SG-3 - and said, "It's about time you got here."
"Sir . . ." Carter began.
"Hey, Sam." Daniel said cheerfully. "This really is a fascinating planet."
Janet grinned at Jack and Lara. "Ready to go home?"
"Oh yes." Lara said with feeling, and Jack laughed.
