Part 4
Something had changed. The search had intensified, causing Sam and Teal'c to move location several times, staying just ahead of the hunters. They had managed to remain close to the gate, knowing that their only hope was to contact the SGC. As their expected report in passed and time ticked on, they edged closer to the circle, careful to stay out of sight.
The sound of the gate activating had Sam reaching for her radio. She held her fingers up, crossing them, and smiled at her companion's raised eyebrow.
"SG-1 report." General Hammond's clear voice sounded from the radio.
"It's Major Carter, sir. Teal'c and I are concealed near the gate. Colonel O'Neill and Daniel have been captured and are being held in the town. The gate is heavily guarded. We need backup, General."
"Understood, Major." The reply came immediately. "How large is the force at the gate?"
"Approximately twenty-five men, armed with knives and cross-bows."
"Is your position secure, Major?" They could see the MALP camera turn, the General obviously trying to get a better idea of the situation.
Sam exchanged glances with Teal'c, getting a nod of agreement, before answering. "Yes, sir. For the moment, but we may have to relocate without warning."
"I will send SG-2 and SG-10 through as soon as they are geared up."
"Thank you, sir." Sam concluded the transmission, glad that they would soon have enough help to permit them to search for the Colonel and Daniel. It had been hours since they had last seen their teammates and anything could have happened in that time. For a second, her heart sank, then she gave herself a mental shake – it was no help to think the worst.
They were probably sitting comfortably in a cell somewhere, waiting to be rescued.
They weren't being chased all over the countryside.
At least she hoped so.
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo
The darkness was oppressive, pushing in around him, and it made the torch flame seem small and insignificant. The passages twisted, turned, branched, forked, and almost seemed to mutate as he watched. Daniel felt as if he had been walking for hours, but the frequent glances at his watch reassured him that it had only been a relatively short time.
His first torch was beginning to burn down, so he lit a second one. When that was half way down he would turn back. Hopefully by then he would have found something a little more promising, perhaps even an exit to the outside.
Daniel wandered on, his hand extended, tracing the rough surface of the wall. His steps faltered occasionally, as the dizziness came and went. He rubbed the back of his head with the other hand. The lump still felt as big as an ostrich egg to his probing fingers.
His headache was worse, if anything, despite the amount of time that had gone by since he woke. His feet were starting to drag, their weight leaden.
Maybe it was time to be getting back.
He looked at his watch, expecting only minutes to have passed.
Christ! How had that happened? That couldn't be right.
One glance at his torch confirmed his suspicions. It was almost burnt out. He lit the final torch with trembling hands. Somehow he had drifted, allowing much too much time to pass. He would be lucky if he made it back before the torch went out.
Daniel turned back, retracing his steps with as much speed as he could muster. He didn't want to be lost in the dark, even imagining it had him scared. Anyone lost in these tunnels could be lost forever, doomed by darkness and confusion.
He had to get back to Jack.
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo
It was easier to walk if he shut his eyes and let himself feel his way along the corridor. There didn't appear to be any one else here. No one had responded to his calls.
At least he thought he had called.
Who was he calling?
That's right – Daniel. Daniel was looking for him. Or was he looking for Daniel? He couldn't have gone far, so why didn't he answer?
Maybe he should ask for help. Teal'c and Carter would help. He should go find them first.
Or the Doc. The Doc might be good. There was something not right, something he should tell the Doc about.
Jack leant against the wall, panting. One part of his mind was screaming for him to stop – telling him to go back before it was too late. The other part was happy to just go with the flow, ignoring his body's protests. Both parts knew he needed help urgently. They just didn't agree on the best method of obtaining it.
So he stopped like a run down toy, and slumped against the wall, his head bowed, eyes closed. Slowly he slid down until he was sitting on the dirt encrusted rock floor.
Daniel would just have to find himself for a change.
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo
Major Ferretti pushed past the medic, his gaze searching for Sam Carter. He had lost sight of her in the confusion of the last few minutes.
"Sir, I need to check your injury." The young lieutenant was indignantly trying to stop him from going anywhere, already pulling at his bleeding arm.
Ferretti shook him off once more. "It's just a scratch. You can stick a bandaid on it later." He caught sight of his quarry. There was Sam, talking to Major Hartfell. He strode quickly over to them, noting that they both seemed to have got away with only slight scratches in the battle at the gate.
"Lou." Sam acknowledged him with a worried smile. "You okay?"
"Sure. Not a problem. Which is more than I can say for Stephens." The three officers looked over at the man on the stretcher, and watched as it was carried back through the gate. "He should be alright, once the Doc gets her hands on him." He hated seeing one of his team hurt, it may be part of the job, but it was a part that he could never get used to. He wanted to go back with Stephens, check that he really would be okay, make sure that everything possible was done for him. He knew it would be, but it didn't stop him from worrying.
He turned away as the gate shut.
He had a job to do.
They agreed that the first order of business was to interrogate the prisoners and see if any of them knew where Jack and Daniel were being held. There were twenty survivors of the skirmish, most with varying degrees of injury. They had fought fiercely, refusing to surrender even when it was obvious they had been defeated. They had finally been subdued by zatfire.
Teal'c had been guarding the group and watching them closely. He kept his eyes fixed firmly on them as the three majors approached.
"I believe I should assist in any questioning." He raised an eyebrow at one of the prisoners and Lou saw the man visibly blanch.
Very interesting.
They began by picking the obvious leader out of the group. He was a middle- aged man, dressed in nondescript brown trousers and shirt, with a sharp pointed chin and small eyes. He had been the last zatted, fighting furiously until overcome. Now he stared at them defiantly as they pulled him forward.
Ferretti began with the question that was on all their minds. "You took two of our men, Colonel O'Neill and Doctor Jackson. Where are they?"
The reply came much easier than they expected. The man's face fell into a scowl. "You know full well where your master is, but be sure of this – he will be found and he will repent."
The listening group exchanged puzzled frowns. Teal'c moved to the front, his normally impassive features finally showing the frustration of the last two days.
"Speak plainly. Where is Colonel O'Neill?"
"I will not speak to your demon!" He reared back, his eyes averted.
Demon? Lou watched the emotions flitter across the man's face – defiance, worry, anger – but the predominant one was terror. Absolute terror. This was not just a simple case of fear of the unknown. There was also something else in the man's eyes, something that spoke of fanaticism. He looked at his clothes, his shoes, his appearance, and he suddenly latched onto the rough molded form of a cross hanging from a simple chain around the man's neck.
Could it be?
Could it really?
He raised a hand to his own chest feeling the shape of his own crucifix through his clothing. Perhaps he could play a hunch. He moved up to the man, and whispered in his ear, as if making sure that the others couldn't hear.
"I will order the demon removed from your sight, but he will be angry." Lou reached down and pulled out the small crucifix he always wore. The other man raised astonished eyes to his. "Give me some information. I will tell them that you are cooperating." He watched a calculating look grow in the other's eyes and knew that he had made the right move.
"Why are you with them?" Suspicion was still evident in the voice.
Lou bent closer before answering. "I will explain later." He raised the crucifix to his lips. "But God watches over us, of that we can be certain."
"Praise God! We saw them come from the Devil's Circle and recognized that one" he nodded towards Teal'c, "as a demon. He obeyed the man you call Colonel, as did his servant and the witch. The Pater planned to trap them in the town, but the demon and witch escaped."
Lou was finding it very difficult to stay calm. He grabbed the other's arm, pulling him further aside and gestured to the others to stay back. Sam nodded, the circles under her eyes standing out in her too pale face, before moving away to sit down nearby.
"What did the Pater do to the Colonel and his servant?"
His heart sank as the lips turned up with a satisfied smile. "He begged the master to repent, and when he refused, the Pater used the power of the Lord to discipline him. The Pater is experienced in these matters. Fully thirty souls have been saved from Satan since the Pater took up his post here as Inquisitor."
The cold feeling griped Lou's heart.
Inquisitor.
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Teal'c did not allow any emotion to show. Despite the distance, he could clearly hear the prisoner's words as he spoke to Major Ferretti, and he was becoming more and more concerned. He was not sure of the meaning of 'inquisitor' but one look at the Major's pale face, and he knew with certainty that it did not bode well for his teammates.
Given his time again, there were many things that he would do differently.
He should have attempted to enter the town after dark. He may have been able to find them, the town was not that large. He should have rescued them. Instead he had run and hidden.
He stayed where he was, standing silent and still. Playing a part. But inside he was in turmoil. He needed to be doing something.
He allowed himself to glance over to where Major Carter was now sitting. She was still watching Major Ferretti's conversation like a hawk, her tired eyes flicking between the two men. The scratches on her face and arms were testimony to their struggle to elude the hunting parties. She had kept up with him the whole time, never once admitting to fatigue. Never allowing pain or despair to sway her from their goal.
And suddenly he knew he had made the right decision.
That he had done the right thing, staying with her.
Together they were stronger. Together they would find their missing teammates.
They had to.
He owed O'Neill his life many times over.
Teal'c kept his eyes on the prisoner, pinning him with his stare.
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo
Daniel stumbled, exhausted, towards the fire, the last torch barely flickering. He had been terrified the light would die leaving him to wander around in the dark, lost. It hadn't been one of the more pleasant moments in his fairly eventful life, but finally he had made it back.
He could relax now.
But first he had to check on Jack.
His tired mind had registered that something was wrong from the moment he entered the room, but it took a few seconds for it to properly sink in.
Jack.
The room was empty, with no sign at all of his friend.
Jack couldn't have gone anywhere without help, he was in no condition to be able to sit up, let alone walk. Someone must have found him.
Pater Yleek. The Inquisitor.
Daniel grabbed a new torch and began to run down the passage towards the concealed doorway into the dungeon.
He had to stop them. They couldn't take Jack again.
They couldn't.
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo
Sam stared at Ferretti in disbelief. She could hear him talking with the prisoner. One word stood out above all the rest. Inquisitor.
She must have been mistaken. She must have misunderstood.
She knew she hadn't.
She sat on the grass, feeling faint and nauseous. While she had been hiding here with Teal'c the Colonel was being tortured. They should have gone into the town as soon as their teammates disappeared. They should have saved them, got them out, made a run for the gate.
Instead, she had opted for the 'safe' plan. Gone for backup, leaving the others to face who knew what.
She heard footsteps in the soft grass and looked up to find Teal'c towering over her. What must he think of her? He had obeyed her orders, but she knew that it had been reluctantly, although he had never come right out and said it.
"Major Carter, you should see the medic. Your wounds need tending." Someone who didn't know him as well as she did would have thought the words unemotional, but she could hear the underlying concern.
"They aren't anything to worry about, Teal'c." she answered wearily.
"I agree. They are minor, however you must be at your best for the task ahead."
She questioned him with a look and he continued, "We will be leaving soon to rescue our comrades. Already Major Ferretti has requested that another team be sent through the gate. We will leave the prisoners guarded and enter the town in force." He paused as if considering his next words before speaking. "We could have done nothing else, Major Carter. It would have been foolhardy to attempt a rescue without more men. With the help of the others we will rescue Colonel O'Neill and Daniel Jackson and bring them home safely. I am certain of this."
Sam nodded. If Teal'c was certain they would rescue their friends, then it must be so. He had a confidence about him that would allow no other outcome.
She climbed to her feet, gratefully accepting the helping hand held out to her, and dusted off her uniform. She would get her injuries seen to, and try to eat something in the few minutes while they waited for the other team to arrive. She needed to keep her strength up, the two days of staying just ahead of their pursuers having taken its toll. She would allow herself a few minutes rest.
Then they would rescue the Colonel and Daniel.
There was no other possible outcome.
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo
Daniel pushed the heavy stone door aside, trying to calm his racing heart. The sudden glare of the torches made his eyes blur, blinding him for a moment as he strained to see into the large room.
The rack was empty.
Where was Jack?
He moved forward, staying concealed in the alcove, keeping as close to the opening as possible. There were men here, over on the far side of the dungeon, men bending over something. It was that accused chair! They had Jack in the chair.
Daniel didn't stop to think, the horror of what he had already seen reverberated in heavy accompaniment with the pounding of his head. He rushed forward, his torch raised high, logic nowhere in sight.
The crouching men turned in surprise, leaving the chair exposed.
Empty.
Daniel came to a screeching halt, the cloths and bucket self-explanatory even to his addled brain. They had been cleaning it, washing Jack's blood away.
So where was Jack? What had they done with Jack?
The familiar voice cut through his thoughts as he stood there, the torch slowly dropping from his hand.
"God has delivered the servant into our hands once more. He will lead us to his master."
The realization that he had made a dreadful mistake sunk in as the hands grabbed Daniel, pulling him forward to face the white face of the Pater.
He had failed.
He had left Jack alone in the dark.
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo