Planet PY3-333 was mountainous. The Stargate on the planet was at the bottom of what was probably the largest mountain there was, and the elevation was enough to make it cold, even though the sun was shining brightly down on them when they came through. Jack looked around with Daniel beside him, standing at the top of the little mound that elevated the Stargate while he got his bearings.
There wasn't anyone there to meet them, but he hadn't expected anyone – of course, he couldn't remember if a welcoming committee had been mentioned during the briefing or not. Sam was down on the level ground to the right, looking around for anything that might be out of the ordinary considering what had been discussed in the briefing, with Jaffer standing near at hand, guarding her while he pretended to look around as well. Teal'c was on the left with Jack, the Jaffa and the yellow lab looking intently into the trees that surrounded that section of the area, watching to make sure there were no surprises waiting for them.
"The area appears to be clear, O'Neill," Teal'c told him, looking back at Jack.
"Here, too," Sam agreed, turning around and facing the gate, her P-90 butt resting on her hip like a shotgun being held by a bird hunter.
"Let's go find the villagers, then," Jack said, stepping down off the little hill. "Coming Daniel?"
Daniel nodded, walking next to Jack with a slight frown on his face, but Sam couldn't tell if it were annoyance or if he was curious about something he'd seen or something else.
"The village is supposed to be at the bottom of the trail," Sam said, pointing to a path of dirt that was running in a fairly straight line through the trees and grass.
"Well, we'll go see if Snaky is there, then, and get you back in time for your coffee date." Jack said, taking point himself. He was in a bit of a hurry to get this day over with once he'd heard that Sam and Dotty were going to meet that evening. He didn't really dare hope that Shawn's mother had already figured out what was wrong with Sam, but if she was ready to meet up and talk, then maybe she had a few ideas, and just needed to ask Sam. Or something.
"Jack?"
He was brought out of his inner thoughts by Daniel's voice, and he turned to look at the younger man, who'd been walking next to him still, since Jack hadn't told him what other position to take.
"What?"
"I asked if you wanted me to take point." Daniel repeated, scowling slightly. Jack was annoyed that he hadn't been paying attention, but O'Neill wasn't completely there at that moment, either, and Daniel felt it was just a little unfair that he'd been told to get his head out of his ass, when Jack's was obviously someplace in the same vicinity. Besides, Jack needed to pay more attention to what was going on around him. Hadn't Xara told Daniel that Jack needed to be carefully watched, or something like that? Daniel couldn't remember her exact words at that particular moment, but it had been something like that. Jack should be paying better attention. Daniel couldn't be expected to watch his back and his front, after all.
"Daniel!"
The annoyance in Jack's voice brought Daniel's thoughts back to what was going on around him, just in time to see Jack scowling.
"What?"
"I just told you to take left flank. God damn it, why aren't you paying-"
Two snarls interrupted Jack's tirade, and both men turned toward the sound, just in time to see Jaffer and Jack both rushing towards them, Jaffer from the position he'd been in next to Sam, and Jack from the position he'd been in next to Teal'c. Jack turned towards the direction the labs were heading, and saw a form rising up from behind a huge tree stump. A form that looked a lot like a Jaffa holding a staff weapon.
There was no way the dogs would get there in time. Jack and Daniel both knew it instinctively.
"Watch out!"
The cry came from both of them.
Jack pushed Daniel at the same moment Daniel lunged against him, each trying to get the other out of the line of fire. The two stumbled, and Daniel got tangled in Jack's right arm, which held his P-90. Jack couldn't bring the weapon up to bear, and Daniel managed to get his up, but he hit Jack with the barrel.
The first Jaffa was joined by another, from almost exactly the same position, and then another from a few yards to the left. All three weapons fired, one bolt of light slamming into Daniel's upper leg, one crashing into Jack's chest, and the third going astray when Teal'c's own weapon fired and knocked the closest Jaffa back on his ass.
The two remaining Jaffa turned their weapons on Teal'c, ignoring the dogs, which turned out to be a mistake they'd never make again. Jack reached them first, being faster than his heavier, larger brother, and the yellow lab's teeth closed on the wrist of the Jaffa who'd shot Daniel. There was a muffled curse and the weight of the yellow lab dragged the Jaffa warrior to the ground even as Jaffer reached his chosen target – the one that had shot Jack.
Jaffer didn't bother to go for the wrist as he'd been trained. There was just a bit of skin showing between the helmet-like mask the warrior was wearing and the tunic that protected his chest, and with a lunge Jaffer crashed into the Jaffa, his considerable weight taking the man down. The motion caused the Jaffa's head to snap back, baring even more of his throat, and Jaffer went for it in an instant, fangs flashing. A sharp cry of pain and surprise ended in a gurgle as the black lab literally ripped the Jaffa's throat wide open.
"Jack!"
Sam had seen Jack and Daniel both go down, but because of the dogs being already in the line of fire, she didn't dare use her machine gun. She was sure of her aim, but the labs were everywhere in an instant, and she couldn't get a clear shot without risking shooting one of them. The machine gun simply scattered bullets too widely at that range. Teal'c's staff blast was far more affective, and she was moving forward even as Jack had downed his Jaffa and Jaffer was lunging at his.
Just as she reached Daniel, who was closest, another Jaffa appeared from behind a tree – this one to the right of the pathway. Sam opened fire immediately, mowing him down in an instant. Two more sprang out from their cover, though, and she knew things were going from very bad to even worse far faster than she could have imagined.
One of them pointed his weapon at Teal'c, and the other was raising his and aiming it at Sam. She yelled a warning to Teal'c, turning her weapon towards the closest one and out of the corner of her eye seeing two more Jaffa coming in behind them to completely seal off the ambush.
Then Jaffer was there. The black lab didn't even snarl this time as he slashed his sharp teeth through the leg of the closest of the two Jaffa that were threatening Sam. His fangs ripped through sinew and muscle right by the kneecap and with a cry of pain the Jaffa went down, his leg unable to support his weight. Jaffer didn't wait to see where he landed; he lunged at the other one, going for the wrist this time, and immediately joined by Jack, who was snarling furiously – pissed beyond measure that anyone had dared interrupt his exciting off-world adventure by shooting at his Teal'c. The two labs were a force to reckon with when they were on the offensive and with a scream the Jaffa went down under their combined attack.
At the same moment, Teal'c was dispatching the two that had tried to close off their retreat. Little did the two Jaffa know, Teal'c and Sam had no intention of retreating without Jack and Daniel. His aim was as deadly as the weapon in his hands, and the two went down, one with a large hole in his chest, the other with most of his head and mask missing.
Sam looked for another target, but when none presented itself, she fell next to Daniel, who was closest.
He was conscious, but already going into shock, she could tell. His face was pale, and his eyes were bright with pain and surprise.
"Jack!" He gasped through gritted teeth. "Sam! How is he?" Daniel tried to turn to look for himself, but the motion forced him to move his legs and he paled even further as pain lanced through him.
"Hold still, Daniel," Sam ordered, pulling off the bandana she'd had around her neck and wrapping it around his leg, trying not to hurt him further, but knowing she had to get the wound covered.
He made a pained noise, and closed his eyes, tightly for a moment, then opened them just in time to see Jack's nose coming at him, the yellow lab whuffling him to see if he was okay. Daniel's cheek was smeared with blood from Jack's jowls and neck – evidence of the ferocity of his attacks.
"Jack?" Sam turned from Daniel just as Teal'c dropped down next to O'Neill, who was lying incredibly still in the dirt of the path. The Jaffa rolled him over carefully while Jaffer came springing in, his black face smeared and bloody. The black lab whined softly. The force of the bolt had shredded Jack's vest, and his chest was a bloody mess of ruined shirt, vest, skin and flesh.
"We must return to the Stargate," Teal'c said, dropping his staff weapon and calling jack and Jaffer to defensive positions. Jack obeyed instantly, but Jaffer took a moment longer, looming over Jack until the Jaffa stood up, taking O'Neill's inert body with him and slinging it over his shoulder.
"Can you get Daniel Jackson?" He asked Sam. She shook herself out of her shock at seeing Jack so still, and nodded, knowing that they were still in a lot of danger. If there were more Jaffa – and there was no reason to believe there weren't – then they could still be ambushed and Teal'c was right. They needed to get back to the safety of the Stargate.
"I got him." She stood up, pulling Daniel to his feet and taking most of his weight against her so his ruined leg wouldn't collapse him.
He cried out in protest, even though he knew she was doing what she had to do, and Sam shifted her position just a little, trying to keep from hurting him any more than she had to.
"Come on, Daniel!"
"Jack!"
"Teal'c has him! Move!"
Stumbling, she turned, dragging Daniel beside her as she followed Teal'c towards the Stargate, the black lab and the yellow lab guarding their escape with lips pulled back and fangs bared, watching and waiting for anyone that might be foolish enough to get in the way.
There wasn't anyone there to meet them, but he hadn't expected anyone – of course, he couldn't remember if a welcoming committee had been mentioned during the briefing or not. Sam was down on the level ground to the right, looking around for anything that might be out of the ordinary considering what had been discussed in the briefing, with Jaffer standing near at hand, guarding her while he pretended to look around as well. Teal'c was on the left with Jack, the Jaffa and the yellow lab looking intently into the trees that surrounded that section of the area, watching to make sure there were no surprises waiting for them.
"The area appears to be clear, O'Neill," Teal'c told him, looking back at Jack.
"Here, too," Sam agreed, turning around and facing the gate, her P-90 butt resting on her hip like a shotgun being held by a bird hunter.
"Let's go find the villagers, then," Jack said, stepping down off the little hill. "Coming Daniel?"
Daniel nodded, walking next to Jack with a slight frown on his face, but Sam couldn't tell if it were annoyance or if he was curious about something he'd seen or something else.
"The village is supposed to be at the bottom of the trail," Sam said, pointing to a path of dirt that was running in a fairly straight line through the trees and grass.
"Well, we'll go see if Snaky is there, then, and get you back in time for your coffee date." Jack said, taking point himself. He was in a bit of a hurry to get this day over with once he'd heard that Sam and Dotty were going to meet that evening. He didn't really dare hope that Shawn's mother had already figured out what was wrong with Sam, but if she was ready to meet up and talk, then maybe she had a few ideas, and just needed to ask Sam. Or something.
"Jack?"
He was brought out of his inner thoughts by Daniel's voice, and he turned to look at the younger man, who'd been walking next to him still, since Jack hadn't told him what other position to take.
"What?"
"I asked if you wanted me to take point." Daniel repeated, scowling slightly. Jack was annoyed that he hadn't been paying attention, but O'Neill wasn't completely there at that moment, either, and Daniel felt it was just a little unfair that he'd been told to get his head out of his ass, when Jack's was obviously someplace in the same vicinity. Besides, Jack needed to pay more attention to what was going on around him. Hadn't Xara told Daniel that Jack needed to be carefully watched, or something like that? Daniel couldn't remember her exact words at that particular moment, but it had been something like that. Jack should be paying better attention. Daniel couldn't be expected to watch his back and his front, after all.
"Daniel!"
The annoyance in Jack's voice brought Daniel's thoughts back to what was going on around him, just in time to see Jack scowling.
"What?"
"I just told you to take left flank. God damn it, why aren't you paying-"
Two snarls interrupted Jack's tirade, and both men turned toward the sound, just in time to see Jaffer and Jack both rushing towards them, Jaffer from the position he'd been in next to Sam, and Jack from the position he'd been in next to Teal'c. Jack turned towards the direction the labs were heading, and saw a form rising up from behind a huge tree stump. A form that looked a lot like a Jaffa holding a staff weapon.
There was no way the dogs would get there in time. Jack and Daniel both knew it instinctively.
"Watch out!"
The cry came from both of them.
Jack pushed Daniel at the same moment Daniel lunged against him, each trying to get the other out of the line of fire. The two stumbled, and Daniel got tangled in Jack's right arm, which held his P-90. Jack couldn't bring the weapon up to bear, and Daniel managed to get his up, but he hit Jack with the barrel.
The first Jaffa was joined by another, from almost exactly the same position, and then another from a few yards to the left. All three weapons fired, one bolt of light slamming into Daniel's upper leg, one crashing into Jack's chest, and the third going astray when Teal'c's own weapon fired and knocked the closest Jaffa back on his ass.
The two remaining Jaffa turned their weapons on Teal'c, ignoring the dogs, which turned out to be a mistake they'd never make again. Jack reached them first, being faster than his heavier, larger brother, and the yellow lab's teeth closed on the wrist of the Jaffa who'd shot Daniel. There was a muffled curse and the weight of the yellow lab dragged the Jaffa warrior to the ground even as Jaffer reached his chosen target – the one that had shot Jack.
Jaffer didn't bother to go for the wrist as he'd been trained. There was just a bit of skin showing between the helmet-like mask the warrior was wearing and the tunic that protected his chest, and with a lunge Jaffer crashed into the Jaffa, his considerable weight taking the man down. The motion caused the Jaffa's head to snap back, baring even more of his throat, and Jaffer went for it in an instant, fangs flashing. A sharp cry of pain and surprise ended in a gurgle as the black lab literally ripped the Jaffa's throat wide open.
"Jack!"
Sam had seen Jack and Daniel both go down, but because of the dogs being already in the line of fire, she didn't dare use her machine gun. She was sure of her aim, but the labs were everywhere in an instant, and she couldn't get a clear shot without risking shooting one of them. The machine gun simply scattered bullets too widely at that range. Teal'c's staff blast was far more affective, and she was moving forward even as Jack had downed his Jaffa and Jaffer was lunging at his.
Just as she reached Daniel, who was closest, another Jaffa appeared from behind a tree – this one to the right of the pathway. Sam opened fire immediately, mowing him down in an instant. Two more sprang out from their cover, though, and she knew things were going from very bad to even worse far faster than she could have imagined.
One of them pointed his weapon at Teal'c, and the other was raising his and aiming it at Sam. She yelled a warning to Teal'c, turning her weapon towards the closest one and out of the corner of her eye seeing two more Jaffa coming in behind them to completely seal off the ambush.
Then Jaffer was there. The black lab didn't even snarl this time as he slashed his sharp teeth through the leg of the closest of the two Jaffa that were threatening Sam. His fangs ripped through sinew and muscle right by the kneecap and with a cry of pain the Jaffa went down, his leg unable to support his weight. Jaffer didn't wait to see where he landed; he lunged at the other one, going for the wrist this time, and immediately joined by Jack, who was snarling furiously – pissed beyond measure that anyone had dared interrupt his exciting off-world adventure by shooting at his Teal'c. The two labs were a force to reckon with when they were on the offensive and with a scream the Jaffa went down under their combined attack.
At the same moment, Teal'c was dispatching the two that had tried to close off their retreat. Little did the two Jaffa know, Teal'c and Sam had no intention of retreating without Jack and Daniel. His aim was as deadly as the weapon in his hands, and the two went down, one with a large hole in his chest, the other with most of his head and mask missing.
Sam looked for another target, but when none presented itself, she fell next to Daniel, who was closest.
He was conscious, but already going into shock, she could tell. His face was pale, and his eyes were bright with pain and surprise.
"Jack!" He gasped through gritted teeth. "Sam! How is he?" Daniel tried to turn to look for himself, but the motion forced him to move his legs and he paled even further as pain lanced through him.
"Hold still, Daniel," Sam ordered, pulling off the bandana she'd had around her neck and wrapping it around his leg, trying not to hurt him further, but knowing she had to get the wound covered.
He made a pained noise, and closed his eyes, tightly for a moment, then opened them just in time to see Jack's nose coming at him, the yellow lab whuffling him to see if he was okay. Daniel's cheek was smeared with blood from Jack's jowls and neck – evidence of the ferocity of his attacks.
"Jack?" Sam turned from Daniel just as Teal'c dropped down next to O'Neill, who was lying incredibly still in the dirt of the path. The Jaffa rolled him over carefully while Jaffer came springing in, his black face smeared and bloody. The black lab whined softly. The force of the bolt had shredded Jack's vest, and his chest was a bloody mess of ruined shirt, vest, skin and flesh.
"We must return to the Stargate," Teal'c said, dropping his staff weapon and calling jack and Jaffer to defensive positions. Jack obeyed instantly, but Jaffer took a moment longer, looming over Jack until the Jaffa stood up, taking O'Neill's inert body with him and slinging it over his shoulder.
"Can you get Daniel Jackson?" He asked Sam. She shook herself out of her shock at seeing Jack so still, and nodded, knowing that they were still in a lot of danger. If there were more Jaffa – and there was no reason to believe there weren't – then they could still be ambushed and Teal'c was right. They needed to get back to the safety of the Stargate.
"I got him." She stood up, pulling Daniel to his feet and taking most of his weight against her so his ruined leg wouldn't collapse him.
He cried out in protest, even though he knew she was doing what she had to do, and Sam shifted her position just a little, trying to keep from hurting him any more than she had to.
"Come on, Daniel!"
"Jack!"
"Teal'c has him! Move!"
Stumbling, she turned, dragging Daniel beside her as she followed Teal'c towards the Stargate, the black lab and the yellow lab guarding their escape with lips pulled back and fangs bared, watching and waiting for anyone that might be foolish enough to get in the way.