Thanks for the great reviews, everyone. I'm sorry that I haven't sent individual thanks as I normally do, but I've just got back from a two week holiday and now I'm recovering from a really bad cold, so I'm a bit snowed under on the feedback front.
Thanks again, and I hope you enjoy Part Six.
Flatkatsi
Morning
Teal'c watched the stumbling man with concern as they approached the slight rise that concealed the chap'pai from view. O'Neill's eyes were unfocused, staring into the distance. Throughout their journey this morning he had appeared to be unaware of their surrounding, off in some internal world of his own.
Teal'c wondered at the wisdom of administering the second portion of morphine, given his commander's condition, but he had not voiced his doubts. As Major Carter had stated as she had injected the drug into the unresponsive man's arm, they had no choice in the matter. O'Neill was much too formidable an enemy for them to handle given their current state of health.
"Teal'c!" Daniel Jackson's cry of warning brought him back from his thoughts, but he was unable to prevent O'Neill from falling face forward into the high grass.
The Major dropped to her knees. "Damnit! His pulse is racing. Give me a hand here, Daniel."
They turned Colonel O'Neill onto his back, and Teal'c was surprised to see his eyes were wide open.
"Hey, guys." It was only a hoarse whisper, but they were the first words that their friend had uttered since the night before and Teal'c couldn't help the sense of relief he felt. His relief was short lived however, dispelled by the next words. "I don't feel so good."
"Just rest for a minute, Jack. We're almost home." Daniel Jackson brushed a strand of sweaty grey hair from the other's eyes. "Janet will fix you up, don't worry."
The nod was so slight that Teal'c almost missed it. "K", and the lids shut over the glazed eyes.
The remaining members of SG-1 exchanged worried looks. It was obvious to them all that Colonel O'Neill's condition was deteriorating rapidly, the only positive note as far as Teal'c was concerned, being that there had been no sign of the cold blooded warrior that had so easily bettered him.
He rested his weight on his staff weapon, reluctant to sit for fear of not being able to stand again. His companions slumped on the ground beside O'Neill, Daniel Jackson rubbing at his damaged ankle, his face set in a frown of anxiety. Major Carter remained alert, as he would have expected, her gaze fixed on the unconscious man.
"He's a lot worse."
Teal'c felt compelled to reply, the guilt heavy on his soul. "Indeed. I fear the injury from my staff weapon is to blame."
The other man was quick to answer. "You don't know that. It could just as easily be the effects of the zat blast."
He wasn't the only one with a burden of guilt.
"There is no point to this. For all we know it could be the original illness." Major Carter spoke firmly. "Or even the effects of the morphine, and it was my decision to give him that. Let's not try and second-guess Janet, okay. Whatever the problem is with the Colonel, she'll figure it out. We need to concentrate on getting him home."
"Indeed." Teal'c bowed his head to the woman, acknowledging the wisdom of her words. "However, it will be difficult given his current condition."
xoxoxoxoxoxo
They had given him something, that much was obvious, drugged him to keep him docile while they took him back to their base. He had been walking for what seemed like hours, unable to protest, unable to fight. The drug had sapped his will.
He didn't remember much of the last hours, but now, as he lay there, he knew he was coming back to himself. His hands were still tied, but the journey had loosened the bonds slightly, giving him some degree of movement in his hands.
He heard them talking, discussing options. They were close to their goal now.
Might as well make it easy for them.
With a supreme effort of will, he threw off the ache between his shoulders, forced his brain back into some semblance of normal activity, and pushed down the intruder in his mind that was clamouring for attention.
He opened his eyes.
"Colonel?"
"Carter? Where are we?" He kept his voice low, and the woman leaned in.
So close. So tempting. His hands itched to act, but he restrained himself. Now was not the time.
"We're almost at the gate. How are you feeling?"
He allowed his lips to turn up slightly in a small smile. "Better."
"Do you think you can walk?"
He waited a beat before speaking, careful to slur his reply. "Try."
The stumble wasn't feigned, and he knew the drug was still coursing through his veins, twisting his thoughts. Once again he forced it back.
The younger man took his arm, supporting him, and he let his weight rest against the other. Together they set off up the slight incline.
They were still watching him, but not as closely. This time he didn't moan, just stayed silent and kept his head down. He would only have one opportunity and he must not waste it.
There it was. The gateway to their base. He could tell the moment when they thought they were home safely. When they thought they had won.
They still hadn't learnt their lesson.
He allowed his face to show a small tremor of pain as he was lowered to the stone steps. The young man they called Daniel looked at him with concern in his eyes, then moved to press at the locking device. The big man was behind them, and Jack could see the woman's attention was on him as he staggered, fresh blood gleaming on his clothing.
Now was the time.
He leapt – throwing himself at Daniel, pushing him forward, his arms locked around the other's neck, his loosely bound hands clenched in front.
The sudden surge of sound at his back took him completely by surprise, and he turned to see a blue liquid shoot out from the circle.
He felt rather than saw it. The large body connected with his back, bringing with it sharp agony as he staggered and fell.
Straight into the doorway, his last thought one of despair.
They had won.
xoxoxoxoxoxo
Home
"It's SG-1's IDC, sir."
General Hammond nodded in acknowledgement of Sergeant Davis' words. He didn't allow his concern to show, but they all knew that Colonel O'Neill's team wasn't due back from PX5-23F for thirty hours, and the General could feel the eyes of the Control Room staff on him.
"Open the iris." As he gave the command Hammond pondered whether to alert a medical team. Perhaps there had just been nothing of interest on the planet. Maybe they needed some extra supplies. The weather could have turned bad. There were any number of reasons for SG-1 to return ahead of schedule.
"Medical team to the Gateroom." Yeah right, and Texas wasn't the finest state in the union.
The words were barely out of his mouth when the first bodies hit the ramp. There was a jumble of green and black, and the figures of Teal'c and Colonel O'Neill rolled together down the incline, coming to a halt at the bottom. To the General's horror, he could see blood covering the front of the now motionless Jaffa's uniform.
He leant into the microphone. "Colonel?"
With relief he watched the long limbs of his second in command uncurl. He stood, albeit wavering on his feet.
A guard hurried forward to support O'Neill, as the medical team entered the room, Janet rushing immediately to Teal'c side.
Hammond looked towards the still open wormhole as the sound of two more people existing caught his attention. Thank God! There were Major Carter and Doctor Jackson; looking a little the worst for wear, but nowhere near as badly off as Teal'c.
It was then that everything turned into a crazy kaleidoscope of action.
"Sir!"
"Jack!"
The shouts from both throats coincided with a grunt as Doctor Jackson flung himself at his CO, taking him to the ground, along with the confused guard. The fight didn't last long, several other guards joining the fray to pull the antagonists apart.
"Hold him! General, there's something wrong with the Colonel." Major Carter's frantic voice came clearly to him.
"Colonel O'Neill?" The General turned puzzled eyes to his officer, finally noting the ropes around his wrists. "What's going on?" He bellowed his question through the mike, demanding immediate answers.
Then the Colonel turned his face up, as if searching for the source of the voice. The dark eyes fixed on his, and he shivered at the other man's smile.
"You may as well kill me now, I won't tell you anything"
The words made no sense.
xoxoxoxoxoxo
Doctor Fraiser knelt at the side of SG-1's fallen team member, trying to make some sense of what was happening. While one part of her brain was dealing with his obvious injuries as best she could, the other was analysing the Colonel. His eyes were slightly glazed and his words were definitely slurred, as if he had been drugged. Could that be it?
Had he been captured on the planet?
Whatever the cause, it was clear that the Colonel was not himself. His defiant words were echoed by his rigidly held posture, as if he was holding himself up by sheer will alone.
"Jack. We're home." Daniel shook himself against the hold of the two guards on each side of him. He looked up at the General, and Janet caught the nod of acknowledgement from Hammond.
"Release him."
The doctor in her diagnosed an injured ankle as the dirty, dishevelled man limped forward to stand in front of his friend.
"Jack. Look at me. We're home."
The hooded eyes shifted, holding the younger man's. For a second there was a flash of something in them so violent and primeval that Janet shuddered, but in the space of a fraction of a second it was gone, replaced by a look of puzzlement.
"Daniel?"
With the single word, the eyes turned up until only the whites showed, and the tall form crumpled in the guards' arms.
xoxoxoxoxoxo
"Come on, Janet, it's obvious we're okay."
The voice of the CMO came to her through the microphone set into the isolation room's wall. "I'm sorry, Sam, you know I can't risk it. Just another ten hours, then if you're still clear of any symptoms I'll release you."
Sam turned to sit back on the single bed, and glared around herself at the sterile surroundings. Ten more hours in here and she'd be showing symptoms alright. She'd be stark raving mad.
She gave a resigned sigh. "I know, Janet. It's just so frustrating. How are the Colonel and Teal'c?"
She saw her friend through the observation window, bending forward to speak. "Teal'c is fine. The surgery to repair the stab wound was relatively straight forward, and once we replaced his lost blood volume, he was in no danger. He'll make a full recovery."
"Thank God!" Sam felt some part of the stress of the last few days slip away at the news. "And the Colonel?"
"The news isn't quite as good there, I'm afraid. Colonel O'Neill has had bouts of extreme violence and has had to be restrained."
"What's causing it? Have your tests revealed anything?"
Janet shook her head. "Not yet, but we're probably dealing with an off world illness, and it will take some time to run a full series of tests and study the results. His aggression isn't helping any either. I don't want to risk giving him any medication without knowing what's going on."
Sam swallowed, her mind racing ahead of Janet's words and reaching a conclusion she really didn't like. "Did the morphine make it worse?"
"No. No, Sam, don't even think that." Janet shook her head emphatically. "From what you reported, you didn't have a choice."
"That's what I kept telling myself back on the planet, Janet, but somehow I didn't find any comfort in it then either. I should have been able to think of some other way to get the Colonel to the gate. He wasn't well. Even when he was acting out of character it was obvious he was hurting. I shouldn't have drugged him."
Sam pulled her knees up to her chest, feeling cold in the flimsy hospital gown. "What about the injury from the staff weapon? And the zat? He seemed to be really sick after those."
She saw Janet hesitate.
"What is it, Janet? What aren't you telling me? It can't be any worse, surely."
The doctor bent into the microphone once more. "Promise you won't get upset."
"For god's sake, just tell me." Sam finally let her anger and frustration show plainly.
"Okay. X-rays revealed that the Colonel has a hairline fracture of the left scapula – probably from the staff weapon blow."
Sam felt faint. She shut her eyes, tightening her arms grip on her legs. "You're telling me that I dragged a man with a broken collarbone around on a rope?"
"You see! That's exactly what I meant by not getting upset." Janet paused for a second as if considering her next words. "Answer me truthfully. If you hadn't tied him, would you have gotten him home?"
Sam thought about it. The Colonel had almost escaped several times despite his injury. She had to be honest with herself – there was no way, with Teal'c wounded, that she and Daniel could have stopped him. She looked back through the glass at the other woman and shook her head.
"No."
"There you are. The main thing is that you did get him home. And when he's better, he'll thank you for it." Janet smiled in at the Major. "You know that, don't you, Sam."
Sam gave a tiny smile in return in answer to her friend's optimism. "Yes, you're right." She sighed. "As soon as he's better the Colonel will probably be making jokes about it."
As soon as he was better.
She wondered when that would be.
xoxoxoxoxoxo
There were two parts to him.
One part was the ruthless killer of the past, the other was the man he had since become. The killer knew he existed in unreality, but he also knew he was the truth. It was as if he was split in half, each half leading a separate existence, yet knowing that his hold on that existence was tenuous at best.
Jack O'Neill walked in a dream from which he couldn't wake.
xoxoxoxoxoxo