Author's note:
This chapter is probably not all that funny, but it's necessary, so you
have to read it, or you're going to miss out when we get to the next one.
So there!
~~~*~**~~
Dinner was, as it had been the day before, the noisiest meal of the day. The talk of the tables that evening was the rotten luck of the counselors from China. Jack had taken a boom to the face and looked awful, Daniel had fallen off his horse and broken his arm, and everyone was speculating about Murray's absence. It seemed as if the men in China must be cursed.
The girls from France were discussing it, too. Mainly because Daniel looked so miserable as he tried to cut his food one-handed. Simon had offered to help him, but the boy wasn't all that coordinated with a knife and had cut his own hand, prompting a quick visit from the nurse to make sure it wasn't serious. Sally had stepped up, and without comment had walked over to Daniel's side and had cut his food for him. By then, Daniel was so thankful for the help that he didn't even mind the looks of the girls as they watched. Being one-armed, even temporarily, stunk.
After dinner was over, it was announced that tonight the entire camp was going to be playing Capture the Flag. The cabins were divided up, but this time France and China were going to be on different teams, which made Shawn scowl, since he didn't really want to go up against Sam. He didn't care about the other girls, but he didn't want Sam to lose. Almost as much as he didn't want to lose, himself. They were dismissed to their cabins, and told to wear dark clothes and to bring flashlights of they wanted to.
Teal'c had arrived during announcements, and once the boys explained what capture the flag was and how to play it, he found that he couldn't see anything wrong with the game. After all, it was basically what he did every day; only now sloppiness wouldn't get him killed. The boys from China were really excited about the game, especially when Jack went to his truck and pulled a couple tubes of face paint from the glove box and brought it up to the cabin. They were really going to look like Air Force Seals! They lined up in front of Teal'c and Jack and waited for their turn to be turned into camouflaged mean lean fighting machines.
Jack was just finishing up Shawn's face when the horn sounded, telling them it was time for the two teams to meet and get ready. They met up with the boys from Germany, and the girls from Morocco and Switzerland. They would be the blue team, Gary told them, handing them their flag and standard. They were told to elect a leader, and then go hide their flag somewhere on their side of the campground, which had been divided equally in half for the game.
Teal'c was elected Blue Team Captain. The big Jaffa was in his element, now, and as night truly fell, he placed all his team in their rightful spots. Some would be scouts, who'd be crossing 'enemy' lines to try and find the other team's flag. Others would be guards, who were solely responsible for guarding their own flag, and since China was wearing the camouflage faces, the three guards were three of their boys. Still others would be in charge of the 'prison' where captured enemy soldiers would be brought until they could be sprung by their teammates. Jack was given a position as a scout, and he set out with a couple of girls from Switzerland and three of the boys from Germany, and Simon.
It was so dark that even if the kids had known the hand signs he wouldn't have been able to use them, so he simply gave them verbal orders to look everywhere they could and capture as many of the enemy as they could. Then, reminding them that he didn't want anyone lost in the forest, he told them to stay close to the clearings and that if they became disorientated to just flash their flashlights until someone came and got them.
Once both teams had their people in position, the horn sounded and the game began.
Sam was devastating for the Red Team. She was stealthy and had great night vision, and she had managed to single-handedly capture four of Jack's scouts in only minutes. Jack was equally effective for the Blue Team. Sam's scouts were finding themselves captured by shadows. Teal'c had the advantage in this; he knew how effective both Carter and O'Neill were, and to counter Carter, he sent Jack out on his own with orders to find Carter and capture her, thus clearing the way for the remaining Blue scouts to find the Red flag.
Throwing Teal'c a salute, Jack accepted his orders, and went out on his own. He knew Sam. Knew how she'd operate. Knew what kind of cover she liked best. He avoided the other Red scouts, letting them go past him in the dark as he watched and waited for the only one he really had to be worried about catching him. Patiently, knowing that she was just as stealthy as he was, Jack finally hid behind a large rock and waited, knowing that where her scouts were going, she was going to go, too.
He heard some yelling off to the distant side, but couldn't make it out, and he didn't go investigate. Becoming even more still, he watched, wishing that the moon was a little brighter so he could have some light. Finally, though, his patience paid off, and Jack saw the faint gleam of moonlight off a blonde head. He tensed, but remained still, and watched as Carter approached, looking around carefully. Not carefully enough, though. The moment she stepped past his rock, Jack stepped out from behind it, and stood behind her, putting his finger in the small of her back, almost like a gun barrel.
"Gotcha."
~~~*~**~~
Dinner was, as it had been the day before, the noisiest meal of the day. The talk of the tables that evening was the rotten luck of the counselors from China. Jack had taken a boom to the face and looked awful, Daniel had fallen off his horse and broken his arm, and everyone was speculating about Murray's absence. It seemed as if the men in China must be cursed.
The girls from France were discussing it, too. Mainly because Daniel looked so miserable as he tried to cut his food one-handed. Simon had offered to help him, but the boy wasn't all that coordinated with a knife and had cut his own hand, prompting a quick visit from the nurse to make sure it wasn't serious. Sally had stepped up, and without comment had walked over to Daniel's side and had cut his food for him. By then, Daniel was so thankful for the help that he didn't even mind the looks of the girls as they watched. Being one-armed, even temporarily, stunk.
After dinner was over, it was announced that tonight the entire camp was going to be playing Capture the Flag. The cabins were divided up, but this time France and China were going to be on different teams, which made Shawn scowl, since he didn't really want to go up against Sam. He didn't care about the other girls, but he didn't want Sam to lose. Almost as much as he didn't want to lose, himself. They were dismissed to their cabins, and told to wear dark clothes and to bring flashlights of they wanted to.
Teal'c had arrived during announcements, and once the boys explained what capture the flag was and how to play it, he found that he couldn't see anything wrong with the game. After all, it was basically what he did every day; only now sloppiness wouldn't get him killed. The boys from China were really excited about the game, especially when Jack went to his truck and pulled a couple tubes of face paint from the glove box and brought it up to the cabin. They were really going to look like Air Force Seals! They lined up in front of Teal'c and Jack and waited for their turn to be turned into camouflaged mean lean fighting machines.
Jack was just finishing up Shawn's face when the horn sounded, telling them it was time for the two teams to meet and get ready. They met up with the boys from Germany, and the girls from Morocco and Switzerland. They would be the blue team, Gary told them, handing them their flag and standard. They were told to elect a leader, and then go hide their flag somewhere on their side of the campground, which had been divided equally in half for the game.
Teal'c was elected Blue Team Captain. The big Jaffa was in his element, now, and as night truly fell, he placed all his team in their rightful spots. Some would be scouts, who'd be crossing 'enemy' lines to try and find the other team's flag. Others would be guards, who were solely responsible for guarding their own flag, and since China was wearing the camouflage faces, the three guards were three of their boys. Still others would be in charge of the 'prison' where captured enemy soldiers would be brought until they could be sprung by their teammates. Jack was given a position as a scout, and he set out with a couple of girls from Switzerland and three of the boys from Germany, and Simon.
It was so dark that even if the kids had known the hand signs he wouldn't have been able to use them, so he simply gave them verbal orders to look everywhere they could and capture as many of the enemy as they could. Then, reminding them that he didn't want anyone lost in the forest, he told them to stay close to the clearings and that if they became disorientated to just flash their flashlights until someone came and got them.
Once both teams had their people in position, the horn sounded and the game began.
Sam was devastating for the Red Team. She was stealthy and had great night vision, and she had managed to single-handedly capture four of Jack's scouts in only minutes. Jack was equally effective for the Blue Team. Sam's scouts were finding themselves captured by shadows. Teal'c had the advantage in this; he knew how effective both Carter and O'Neill were, and to counter Carter, he sent Jack out on his own with orders to find Carter and capture her, thus clearing the way for the remaining Blue scouts to find the Red flag.
Throwing Teal'c a salute, Jack accepted his orders, and went out on his own. He knew Sam. Knew how she'd operate. Knew what kind of cover she liked best. He avoided the other Red scouts, letting them go past him in the dark as he watched and waited for the only one he really had to be worried about catching him. Patiently, knowing that she was just as stealthy as he was, Jack finally hid behind a large rock and waited, knowing that where her scouts were going, she was going to go, too.
He heard some yelling off to the distant side, but couldn't make it out, and he didn't go investigate. Becoming even more still, he watched, wishing that the moon was a little brighter so he could have some light. Finally, though, his patience paid off, and Jack saw the faint gleam of moonlight off a blonde head. He tensed, but remained still, and watched as Carter approached, looking around carefully. Not carefully enough, though. The moment she stepped past his rock, Jack stepped out from behind it, and stood behind her, putting his finger in the small of her back, almost like a gun barrel.
"Gotcha."