Author's Note: Yeah, I know not everyone likes this story. I don't write a lot of off-world stuff, and people have become accustomed to the daily lives of Sam, Jack and the others. This time I wanted to write them working. So if it's not your cup of tea, then just bear with me, and I hope you'll read along anyways, just for the story value. If not, just wait until the next story comes along, I suppose : )
.............
They didn't find Jack. Jaffer found them.
Sam, Daniel and Teal'c had gone back to camp and the Jaffa had cut Jack and Jaffer's trail leading out easily, even though he had to take a moment to decide which was the track from that morning and which was from the walk Jack and Jaffer had taken the day before. Then, with Teal'c leading the way, they'd moved out, this time making good time and going in the right direction.
They'd been walking at a steady clip for almost half an hour when a rustling in the brush ahead of them drew all their attention. The forest had been relatively quiet during their search – aside from their occasional calls for Jack – so the sudden noise brought all their weapons up. Then Jaffer's black head came out of the brush, followed by the rest of him, and the black lab rushed happily over to Sam.
Carter knelt down to meet Jaffer, and immediately saw the cuts and makeshift bandages. She ran her hand over his black hide, and frowned when she ended up smeared with the substance that had been spread on his open cuts.
"What's this?"
"He appears to have been injured," Teal'c said, looking down at the dog, but then looking around, immediately watching for whatever it was that might have hurt the lab.
"And taken care of..." Daniel murmured, leaning down and touching the bandages, frowning as well. "What kind of bandage is that?"
"I suppose Jack improvised..." Sam said, standing up and looking around. Where Jaffer was, O'Neill had to be, too. Unless something had gone wrong, and Sam didn't want to think about that. She looked down at Jaffer. "Where's Jack, Jaffer? Find him for us, will you?"
Of course he would! Jaffer wagged his tail, and headed back into the brush, looking over his shoulder to make sure they were coming. They only walked for a few moments before they came to a small clearing, and Sam saw Jack sprawled on the ground, not moving.
"Jack..." She rushed over, followed by Teal'c and Daniel, and knelt down next to the fallen Colonel.
"Relax, Sam..." His voice was soft, but steady, and he didn't sound like he was in too much pain. "I'm fine."
He was, too. Well, maybe not perfectly fine, but he hadn't collapsed. He'd just decided he'd needed a rest, and the soft grass had looked far more comfortable than resting his scratched back against the trunk of a tree. Walking wasn't so bad, but sweating was painful when your shirt was rubbing salt into an open wound, no matter how much salve was smeared on it.
"What happened?" Carter asked, reaching down and pulling the collar of his shirt back from the back of his neck. A set of four parallel scratches were running along the back of his neck and down under his shirt. It was covered with something slimy looking, and looked red and painful – although thankfully not life-threatening.
"Help me up, and I'll tell you all about it on the way back to camp," Jack said, getting his knees under himself and pulling himself upright so she and Teal'c could get hold of his arms and help him to his feet.
"What's this?" Daniel asked, reaching down and picking up the bowl that was lying on the ground next to were Jack had been.
"That, I think, belongs to the floating hand people..."
"What?"
Jack pointed at the spear on the ground, and told Daniel to pick that up as well. That one, he knew, belonged to the floating hand people. He'd seen the hand holding it.
"Come on," Jack said, draping an arm over Teal'c's broad shoulder, glad to have the support. "I want to get back to camp."
"We should probably get you back to the Stargate..." Sam said, noticing that his shirt was shredded below the Kevlar vest. She wondered if he had been cut there as well.
"Not a chance," Jack told her as they started walking, Jaffer falling in on O'Neill's other side. "There's a lot more to this planet than meets the eye, and I want to know more about it. You wouldn't believe some of the crazy shit I've seen today."
With that as an introduction, he started telling them about the attack.
..........................
"So these people came to your rescue?"
Jack nodded, but then shrugged. "I'm sure they saved us. I'm not positive they're people. I haven't seen more than a hand, although I did hear voices."
"Hearing voices isn't always a good thing, Jack..." Daniel told him, smiling slightly. He looked down at the spear in his hand, though, and shook his head. "This is a very primitive weapon. There's no metal involved in the making of it – it's basically a stick with a point on the end."
"It worked..."
"Well, yes... even primitive weapons can be effective," Daniel conceded. "You say these hands people left the bowl and the spear?"
"I'm assuming they did," Jack corrected, wearily. "I wasn't actually awake when they left, but they were sitting on my shirt and vest, and it was pretty apparent that they left them. Unless there's other people running around this crazy place, too."
"Leaving the spear makes sense," Daniel said, still speculating.
"How so?" Teal'c asked.
"If they were looking out for Jack's best interest – and obviously by bandaging him and Jaffer, they were – then they would also have wanted to leave him a means to defend himself. The spear."
"But I had my gun-"
"Look how well that worked."
Jack scowled.
"And the bowl?" Sam asked.
"Water for Jaffer," Jack answered, before Daniel could think of a reply. "He wasn't thirsty when I tried to give him a drink, so he probably had some water in the bowl. It was wet, now that I think of it."
"It's woven out of grasses," Daniel said, studying it carefully. "The problem is, lots of cultures made spears with sticks and wove grass into bowls, so I still don't have a clue what we're dealing with."
"There can't be that many people out there with no bodies," Jack said; glad to see their camp was coming into view. He was tired of walking, and tired of talking. He just wanted to soak away his aches, and get something to eat. "How are you coming with the translations?" The sooner they knew what the writing on the walls said, the sooner they might understand the folks around them.
"I'm almost done with the chips. I was hoping to get them done today, but... well, we were sidetracked."
"Just get it done as soon as you can, Daniel," Jack said. "Carter. Teal'c. You two help him."
"What about you?" Sam asked. She wanted to stick around and make sure Jack was really okay, and ascertain if they should take him back to Earth to get his injuries looked at.
"Jaffer and I are going to get some food, and then I'm going to soak away some dust. He'll probably sleep."
.............
They didn't find Jack. Jaffer found them.
Sam, Daniel and Teal'c had gone back to camp and the Jaffa had cut Jack and Jaffer's trail leading out easily, even though he had to take a moment to decide which was the track from that morning and which was from the walk Jack and Jaffer had taken the day before. Then, with Teal'c leading the way, they'd moved out, this time making good time and going in the right direction.
They'd been walking at a steady clip for almost half an hour when a rustling in the brush ahead of them drew all their attention. The forest had been relatively quiet during their search – aside from their occasional calls for Jack – so the sudden noise brought all their weapons up. Then Jaffer's black head came out of the brush, followed by the rest of him, and the black lab rushed happily over to Sam.
Carter knelt down to meet Jaffer, and immediately saw the cuts and makeshift bandages. She ran her hand over his black hide, and frowned when she ended up smeared with the substance that had been spread on his open cuts.
"What's this?"
"He appears to have been injured," Teal'c said, looking down at the dog, but then looking around, immediately watching for whatever it was that might have hurt the lab.
"And taken care of..." Daniel murmured, leaning down and touching the bandages, frowning as well. "What kind of bandage is that?"
"I suppose Jack improvised..." Sam said, standing up and looking around. Where Jaffer was, O'Neill had to be, too. Unless something had gone wrong, and Sam didn't want to think about that. She looked down at Jaffer. "Where's Jack, Jaffer? Find him for us, will you?"
Of course he would! Jaffer wagged his tail, and headed back into the brush, looking over his shoulder to make sure they were coming. They only walked for a few moments before they came to a small clearing, and Sam saw Jack sprawled on the ground, not moving.
"Jack..." She rushed over, followed by Teal'c and Daniel, and knelt down next to the fallen Colonel.
"Relax, Sam..." His voice was soft, but steady, and he didn't sound like he was in too much pain. "I'm fine."
He was, too. Well, maybe not perfectly fine, but he hadn't collapsed. He'd just decided he'd needed a rest, and the soft grass had looked far more comfortable than resting his scratched back against the trunk of a tree. Walking wasn't so bad, but sweating was painful when your shirt was rubbing salt into an open wound, no matter how much salve was smeared on it.
"What happened?" Carter asked, reaching down and pulling the collar of his shirt back from the back of his neck. A set of four parallel scratches were running along the back of his neck and down under his shirt. It was covered with something slimy looking, and looked red and painful – although thankfully not life-threatening.
"Help me up, and I'll tell you all about it on the way back to camp," Jack said, getting his knees under himself and pulling himself upright so she and Teal'c could get hold of his arms and help him to his feet.
"What's this?" Daniel asked, reaching down and picking up the bowl that was lying on the ground next to were Jack had been.
"That, I think, belongs to the floating hand people..."
"What?"
Jack pointed at the spear on the ground, and told Daniel to pick that up as well. That one, he knew, belonged to the floating hand people. He'd seen the hand holding it.
"Come on," Jack said, draping an arm over Teal'c's broad shoulder, glad to have the support. "I want to get back to camp."
"We should probably get you back to the Stargate..." Sam said, noticing that his shirt was shredded below the Kevlar vest. She wondered if he had been cut there as well.
"Not a chance," Jack told her as they started walking, Jaffer falling in on O'Neill's other side. "There's a lot more to this planet than meets the eye, and I want to know more about it. You wouldn't believe some of the crazy shit I've seen today."
With that as an introduction, he started telling them about the attack.
..........................
"So these people came to your rescue?"
Jack nodded, but then shrugged. "I'm sure they saved us. I'm not positive they're people. I haven't seen more than a hand, although I did hear voices."
"Hearing voices isn't always a good thing, Jack..." Daniel told him, smiling slightly. He looked down at the spear in his hand, though, and shook his head. "This is a very primitive weapon. There's no metal involved in the making of it – it's basically a stick with a point on the end."
"It worked..."
"Well, yes... even primitive weapons can be effective," Daniel conceded. "You say these hands people left the bowl and the spear?"
"I'm assuming they did," Jack corrected, wearily. "I wasn't actually awake when they left, but they were sitting on my shirt and vest, and it was pretty apparent that they left them. Unless there's other people running around this crazy place, too."
"Leaving the spear makes sense," Daniel said, still speculating.
"How so?" Teal'c asked.
"If they were looking out for Jack's best interest – and obviously by bandaging him and Jaffer, they were – then they would also have wanted to leave him a means to defend himself. The spear."
"But I had my gun-"
"Look how well that worked."
Jack scowled.
"And the bowl?" Sam asked.
"Water for Jaffer," Jack answered, before Daniel could think of a reply. "He wasn't thirsty when I tried to give him a drink, so he probably had some water in the bowl. It was wet, now that I think of it."
"It's woven out of grasses," Daniel said, studying it carefully. "The problem is, lots of cultures made spears with sticks and wove grass into bowls, so I still don't have a clue what we're dealing with."
"There can't be that many people out there with no bodies," Jack said; glad to see their camp was coming into view. He was tired of walking, and tired of talking. He just wanted to soak away his aches, and get something to eat. "How are you coming with the translations?" The sooner they knew what the writing on the walls said, the sooner they might understand the folks around them.
"I'm almost done with the chips. I was hoping to get them done today, but... well, we were sidetracked."
"Just get it done as soon as you can, Daniel," Jack said. "Carter. Teal'c. You two help him."
"What about you?" Sam asked. She wanted to stick around and make sure Jack was really okay, and ascertain if they should take him back to Earth to get his injuries looked at.
"Jaffer and I are going to get some food, and then I'm going to soak away some dust. He'll probably sleep."