Darkness Hides the Hunter - Part Four
Jack collapsed with only the barest grunt of a sound.
Daniel's gaze followed his body down to the ground, before dragging it back up again to where Teal'c stood, wavering, blood dried in a long slick stream down his stomach and legs, his staff weapon still raised as if he was unsure if the sweeping blow had been sufficient to halt the Colonel.
Time seemed to stand still.
"Quickly!" Sam's cry broke the impasse, and before Daniel could work out what she meant, Teal'c had fallen to his knees, grabbing the discarded ropes at the base of her tree. Still without speaking, he shuffled the short way to where Jack lay, dropping his staff weapon as he did so. With a few practised twists he had the unconscious man's hands tied behind his back and his feet bound together, before climbing laboriously to his feet once more, Jack's knife in his hand. Daniel held his breath as his teammate staggered, but sighed in relief as he righted himself again. He reached the Major's side, thrusting the weapon into her waiting hands.
It was the work of a second for Sam to cut the bonds holding her feet, and she stepped away from the tree trunk just as Teal'c began sliding slowly to the soft soil of the forest floor. She gave him a quick, concerned glance before heading straight to Daniel, knife in hand, her intention obvious. Daniel was both thankful and worried at Sam's urgency to release him, though not a little unnerved by her almost complete disregard for Jack, and the stumbling Teal'c.
"Sam?"
She glanced up at him, and he saw the soldier in her eyes. "Daniel, watch the Colonel while I untie you and see to Teal'c."
She moved closer, hesitating for a second and picking up something from near the log Jack had used as a seat. Daniel understood as soon as he felt the familiar touch of his glasses on his face. Blinking, his eyes slowly focused. The relief he felt after so long in the blurry half-light was immense.
The ropes were soon cut and Sam left him to return to their injured colleague. Ignoring his painfully numb arms, Daniel hurried to Jack's side, thankful to see the steady rise and fall of his shoulders.
"Daniel - be careful! Don't go too close."
"He's tied up, Sam." He couldn't help feeling irritated at her words.
"Major Carter is correct. We must not underestimate O'Neill's skill." Teal'c's normally dark face was pale, a frown the only sign of his distress
"Teal'c." Sam knelt beside him, ignoring her own state of undress as she carefully lifted his blood soaked T-shirt. "What happened?"
"I made the error of underestimating O'Neill and almost paid for it with my life."
"So it was the Colonel that injured you." Sam didn't pause as she spoke, and Daniel felt his own face pale in response to the sight of the deep wound in Teal'c's stomach.
"Indeed. I must admit to surprise at the ease at which O'Neill ambushed me." He grimaced slightly as Sam moved the stiff cloth from his skin. "We must be vigilant. It is obvious O'Neill is not himself, but that does not make him a less dangerous adversary."
Then his large hands pushed her away. "See to O'Neill, Major Carter." The concern was evident in his voice.
Sam gave a quick glance to where the Jack lay, unmoving. "He's okay, Teal'c, and it's obvious that you aren't. Let me check your injury." Her voice was raspy, the result, Daniel surmised, of her near strangulation.
Daniel saw the way Sam's eyes skidded across her CO's form, without really looking at him.
Jack looked so uncomfortable, face down. Daniel leaned nearer, seeing the gash where the head of the staff weapon had connected with the base of his skull. Already the area around it was clearly bruising. He reached out a hand, only to snatch it back at Sam's annoyed shout.
"Don't go any closer, Daniel. Weren't you listening to what Teal'c just said?" He rocked back on his heels, glaring at her. "Why don't you see if you can find our packs and weapons? They might be around here somewhere and I need the medical kit to treat Teal'c's wound."
"And what about Jack's wound, Sam? How are we going to treat that if you won't go near him?" Daniel pushed himself off the ground, suppressing a moan as his awakening arm muscles cried a protest. "I'll look for the packs, but then I'm going to check Jack properly."
Sam nodded, already turning back to the Jaffa.
The packs were neatly stacked just within the tree line, along with their weapons. Daniel hauled them back into the clearing and found the medical supplies, handing them to Sam. For a moment he watched as she began binding the ugly wound, before returning to his friend.
Jack hadn't moved. If anything he seemed even paler than Teal'c now, beads of sweat slowly edging their way down his forehead.
"Be careful, Daniel Jackson."
"For god's sake, Teal'c!" Daniel couldn't hold his anger back any longer. "This is Jack here. There was something wrong with him before, making him act that way, and now he looks like he has a serious injury on top of that. What do you want me to do? Just leave him?"
Surprisingly, it was Sam who answered.
"No, Daniel. Let me look at him, just wait a moment until I finish here." She gave Daniel a tremulous smile. "I'm sorry. I guess I was a bit more shaken up by all this than I thought."
Daniel looked at the dark line around her neck where the rope had cut in, intersected by the thin scratch, and the way her clothes were cut. He knew he couldn't really blame her for being upset. She had a right to be.
xoxoxoxoxoxo
Sam turned back to her task, winding the long bandage around Teal'c's body. The wound was a serious one, in fact she realised that if the Jaffa had still had his symbiote it would probably have been killed by the slash of the knife and Teal'c along with it. As it was, the site of Teal'c's pouch was probably one of the few places in which he could have sustained an injury of this magnitude and survived. It was obvious to her that the Colonel had struck to kill, only luck saving their friend's life.
Daniel was right. She would check Colonel O'Neill thoroughly as soon as she was able, but at the moment Teal'c took priority. There was no way she was going to allow Daniel anywhere close to their commander. Of course she knew the Colonel would never have done these things if he had been in his right mind, but that was just it - he wasn't. Maybe it was a posttraumatic stress, but she doubted that. There had been no warning, no sign that there was something wrong.
Tying off the bandage, she sat back again, only to find Teal'c's dark eyes staring straight at her.
"Thank you, Major Carter." Before she could stop him, he was up, listing to one side like an ancient sailing ship, but on his feet none-the-less. With a short grunt he bent and took up a zat, moving to stand over the unconscious man.
"You may check O'Neill now."
"What are you going to do if he tries anything?" Daniel indignantly asked. "Zat him?"
"Indeed." The weapon didn't waver. "He is awake and listening to us even now."
She jumped back as the Colonel's eyes snapped open, and suppressed a shudder at the derision she saw in them. With a supreme effort of will, she came forward, bending, and carefully turning down the collar of his jacket to expose the now livid bruising. As her hand touched his bare skin she felt a shiver run through him, a glimmer of pain showing momentarily in his face before it was quickly concealed.
"Sorry, sir, but there isn't much I can do about this until we get back to the SGC." She kept her voice as normal as possible, looking up at the others. "I don't like moving him, but we really don't have a choice. With you injured, Teal'c, I'm not prepared to risk someone going back for help." She shook her head, making the decision as she spoke. "We go together."
"I concur." Teal'c inclined his head slightly. "We should travel together. We should be able to reach the gate by tomorrow afternoon."
"But what about Jack?" Daniel protested.
Sam took another look at the supine man. "He'll just have to walk."
xoxoxoxoxoxo
Afternoon
He took another step, the dull throb in his head pounding in counterpoint with his movements. There was no way he would let his captors see any weakness. It was bad enough that he hadn't made sure of the big man when he had the chance, but to let him sneak up on him like that...there was no excuse.
They were heading for the enemy's main force, getting nearer by the hour if what he overheard was true. There would be an opportunity to escape. There had to be. He could not allow himself to be interrogated.
He raised his head and looked behind, to see the large dark man watching him, his weapon unwavering despite his obvious injury.
Teal'c.
He was wounded.
How had that happened? It looked bad, the tell tale signs of distress plain for someone who knew where to look, and after so many years together as friends and teammates, Jack knew how to interpret every small nuance.
But he knew how it had happened.
He had done it. Stabbed his friend and left him to die alone.
He should have made sure of him. There was no excuse.
The pain in his neck was matched by the itchiness of the scratches across his scalp, like small creatures burrowing into his skull. He shrugged and rotated his shoulders as much as possible given his tightly bound hands, attempting to ease the muscles.
"Jack? You okay?" That was the younger man. Daniel.
"Hurts." He hung his head slightly, peering up sideways, keeping his eyes half closed.
"Sam. We should take a break. Jack doesn't look too good."
The woman stopped and turned back, her weapon raised.
"Colonel?"
With a groan, he fell to his knees, shutting his eyes against the stab of pain that washed over him.
"Sir?"
Cold fingers clutched his wrist, and he just lay there, savouring the delicate touch.
Antarctica.
Carter's hands had been freezing, but he hadn't said anything, more concerned with pushing down the pain inside himself than complaining. She hadn't been able to stop the pain there either.
Bitch.
He groaned, willing her to come closer.
The big man was the only real threat. If it weren't for him, Jack would have been back with his own men by now.
Crap, but it hurt!
That's it - just a little closer.
He tensed his legs, feeling the slight pull from the old injury to his knee.
She was almost there.
"Major Carter! Step back."
This time his moan was more from frustration than pain, as the blond woman rocked back on her heels, letting his wrist go with a jerking motion. The big man was glaring down, his face close up to him, his intention clear, and Jack knew he had seen the signs, had known what he had planned.
Just a few seconds more and the woman would have been dead, her neck crushed, and he would have been gone.
His cry of agony was unforced as the large hand came down and pulled him to his feet once more. A push against his back sent him moving up the trail and further away from freedom.
xoxoxoxoxoxo
Evening
He was bone weary. It was hard to remember a time when he had felt so exhausted, and the lack of the restoring powers of his symbiote more keenly felt.
Teal'c bit into the ration bar Daniel Jackson had handed him moments before, making himself swallow. He needed to be alert, and to be alert he needed food - or at least what the Tau'ri called food on off world expeditions. He could never understand how a race that seemed so concerned with the welfare of each individual warrior saw dry, barely digestible bars, more suited to feeding cattle, as edible.
O'Neill was resting, propped up uncomfortably against a rock, his eyes shut.
Teal'c watched him carefully, not positive his commander was asleep. Several times during their trek to the chap'pai Teal'c had been aware of O'Neill's calculating gaze upon him. The man was not himself, that much was obvious, but despite their efforts at reasoning with him, he still saw them as the enemy. Teal'c had known that O'Neill was a formidable warrior, but just how formidable he had not before appreciated. He berated himself for his complacency, for his easy dismissal of the experience of this man. The knowledge of the years he had spent training and fighting as a Jaffa in the service of Apophis had given him a false sense of his own worth when placed beside the short lived Tau'ri. Now he knew better, and that knowledge had almost cost the life of not only himself, but also those of his companions.
O'Neill's chest was rising and falling in a steady rhythm. Teal'c could feel his own eyes shutting, fatigue and his injury catching up with him, and he sat straighter trying to bring himself back to full alertness.
"Teal'c?" Daniel Jackson's soft whisper came as a shock. The fact he had not heard the other man approach spoke volumes. "How are you feeling?"
The situation warranted complete honesty. "I fear I am not well." He placed a tentative hand on his abdomen, feeling a tightness as he did so.
"Should I get Sam?"
Teal'c looked to where the woman was curled up next to the fire. "No, let her sleep. There is nothing more she can do, and we will be back at the SGC tomorrow." He looked at the young man in front of him. "I fear I will not be able to stay awake. It is up to you, Daniel Jackson, to guard Colonel O'Neill." Daniel nodded, his face serious, but Teal'c felt compelled to speak again. "You must remember that you can no longer consider this man your friend. Until he is back at the SGC he is a dangerous enemy. He has already shown that he is prepared to kill to escape us."
Daniel's eyes flickered over to the apparently sleeping man. "I just wish we knew what was wrong with Jack."
Teal'c felt for his teammate. Despite his experience over the last seven years, nothing had prepared him for this. But they needed to focus. It was imperative they reached the SGC as soon as possible, and Teal'c knew he was on the edge of sleep.
He spoke firmly, dragging the other's attention back again. "Are you prepared to do what you must to prevent Colonel O'Neill from escaping?" He held out the zat.
"Yes." The one word answer was accompanied by a look of determination.
He nodded, and closed his eyes, his hand clasped protectively over his wound.
xoxoxoxoxoxo
Finally.
He didn't allow any sign of satisfaction to cross his features, but inwardly he was elated.
The next hour was spent feigning sleep. A couple of times the young man walked around their tiny campsite, coming close, and he was careful to keep his eyes closed and his breathing even. When sufficient time had passed, he let out a soft groan. Although he couldn't see the result, he heard a rustle as the other stood up, and the quiet footsteps as he came nearer.
Jack stayed still. After a while the footsteps retreated.
Thirty minutes later he turned his head, gasping as he did so.
Again the footsteps approached. This time he let his eyes open slightly before shutting them again.
He ignored the softly whispered "Jack?"
His next move came more quickly. He lifted his bound hands to his head, moaning. He felt the other man kneel beside him, a hand on his shoulder.
"Jack?"
Another moan. He opened his eyes, the pain in them not completely acted. He saw the worry in the other's eyes, and for a moment wondered at it.
Then he struck.
He stabbed outwards with his clenched hands, catching the other across his nose, and followed through with an elbow to the stomach. The man dropped as if he had been poleaxed. No time for finesse here. No time for a final, and fatal blow. He had to get away.
He was almost into the cover of the trees when the blue light engulfed him, his cry of agony echoing through the night.