A/N: I keep struggling with just how to make Teal'c possesive... Teal'c's just doesn't look right, but I can't think any other way it would make sense. I guess its just so alien looking. Heh. The next chapter is ready to go for tommorrow, but I'm evil, and enjoy the suspense type thing. Besides, I need time to work on later chapters, but I have enough nearly done for the next few days at least. That is if any of you that have actualy read the first chapter decide this story is worth coming back to. I will say that I had a LOT of fun writing Chapter 3. Well... enjoy.
"One.... Two.... THREE!"
On three Daniels hand shot out grabbing a handful of black t-shirt pulling if from the pants, and revealing the occupant. Daniel jumped back, Teal'c and O'Neill with their weapons raised and aimed at... a small yellow cat?
Chapter 2
The three men stared in shock. Jack broke the silence first, with a muttered "What the hell?" Daniel returned to Sam's clothes and the unmoving cat as Teal'c and Jack lowered their weapons, but kept their grips on them, ready for anything. Jack nodded to Daniel to proceed, and Daniel cautiously reached out a hand towards the cat, which was sprawled out on the pile of clothes.
The cat was a rather unusual color, something like a yellow, well more precisely a blonde color, with darker yellow or blonde stripes. It appeared to be sleeping. Daniel gently touched the creature, but it didn't stir. He carefully felt its side, and could feel rhythmic movements as the cat's sides expanded and fell with breathes. It was warm. He moved his had around to the creature's chest and could feel a strong rapid heart beat through the soft fur. He didn't know much about cats, or animals in general, but he thought it should wake easily at his touch. This one hadn't even twitched a whisker. He looked up at Jack, "It's alive, but I think its unconscious."
"Well we can all see that Daniel!" Jack replied sarcastically. "But why the heck is it in Carter's clothes? And where the hell is Carter? Who would take Carter, leave all her stuff, and dump an unconscious cat in a pile of clothing? All right people, leave the cat, lets fan out. She can't be far."
"O'Neill." Teal'c was still frowning at the cat. "I do not believe we should leave the animal. Its appearance seems most unusual."
Jack frowned. Maybe there had been something in that flash after all. "I agree Jack," Daniel spoke up, still crouched down beside the yellow cat, his hand on its side. "Something isn't adding up. I can't explain it. Maybe these inscriptions will tell us something, but there has to be a reason the cat was left here."
Glaring at his teammates, than at the machine and back to the cat as if he could make the cat suddenly wake up and lead him to his missing Major, Jack had to grudgingly agree that Daniel and Teal'c were likely right, even if they had decided to gang up on him. While the appearance of the cat at the same time as the mysterious disappearance of Carter didn't seem to make any sense, it was just too much of a coincidence to ignore the possibility that the two events were somehow connected. But how? Or better yet, why?
Jack sighed. "Alright Daniel, Teal'c and I will look for Carter, you stay here with, uh, furball there. Don't let it wander off. You'd better get as much of this stuff on film as you can, it's getting dark soon. If we can't find Carter in the next hour I want to head back to the SGC and get better lights and a search team back here." Jack could see by Teal'c and Daniel's expressions that they didn't like the idea of leaving Carter behind. To be honest, neither did he. It went against every moral fiber he possessed. Never leave anybody behind. Not on his watch anyway. "Hey," Jack said, as much to convince him self as the others, "we'll find her."
An hour later, and Daniel had filmed and photographed every inch of the large room they'd been exploring. He took pictures of the device, and close ups of the inscriptions on the panels of the machine, and took pictures of the writing on the walls of the room, and photos of Sam's stuff and the yellow cat, still lying unmoving on Sam's clothes. He'd checked on it frequently, laying his hand on its warm body making sure it still breathed. So far it hadn't even stirred.
After recording absolutely everything he could possibly record, including the floor and ceiling, (just in case) Daniel decided to pack up, Jack and Teal'c would be back soon. He hoped they found something, but looking at the cat he just didn't think so. They were missing something, but his mind refused to make the connection. Daniel saved Sam's things for last, and moved carefully around the small cat, leaving the t-shirt and its sleeping occupant; he neatly folded and packed everything else. He left out Sam's weapons and her dog tags. Just as he packed the last of the things away, he heard Teal'c and Jack's footsteps, as the two men rounded the corner into the room. Daniel could tell immediately by Jack's scowl, that the search hadn't turned up anything.
"Anything Daniel?" Asked Jack. Daniel shook his head, and wordlessly passed Sam's tags over to Jack, who accepted them with a deep frown, and pocketed them. Jack sighed. "We didn't find anything either."
"Indeed Daniel Jackson, we appear to be the only beings here" added Teal'c.
Daniel's shoulders slumped. He'd expected as much, but still. "Jack, these inscriptions are like nothing I've ever seen before. I'm going to need to get to my references back at the base. If I can translate them, they might give us a clue as to what that machine is and what it does. Than maybe we can find out where it sent Sam." As Daniel finished speaking, Jack opened his mouth to reply, but stopped as he was interrupted by a soft sigh from below.
All three looked down, to see the cat stirring, an ear flicked forward and back, and its nose and whiskers twitched. It stretched and made a soft mewling sound, almost of pain. Its eyes opened to reveal startling blue eyes that were vaguely familiar. The cat blinked owlishly and seemed to be having trouble focusing its eyes. It gave itself a shake and struggled to turn over and place its feet under it, rising partway but seemed to get tangled up and collapsed back onto Sam's t-shirt with a startled "Mmwwrrffff"
Jack couldn't help it, the cat looked so silly, almost like it was drunk, and he chuckled out loud. At the sound of his voice, the cat looked up startled, and blinked at Jack as if trying to focus. "Mrrow?" it said, and than its eyes widened and its ears flattened back to its head. "Mrow!" It said. It almost sounded surprised, its head turned around, looking at itself, as if in shock. Naaaahhhh.... Jack shook himself. He was just imagining things.
Time to call it a wrap and than hustle back to the Stargate. Sooner back, sooner he could commandeer a search team and equipment to get back here and find Carter. "OK kids, let's blow this popsicle stand. Daniel, take furball there, lets head back to base so you can start working on those scribblings and Teal'c an I can come back with a team to look for Carter." Jack bent down and picked up Carter's p-90 and slung it over his shoulder, than started to stow the rest of Carter's weapons. Behind him he heard Daniel sneeze suddenly. He turned back to Daniel to find the archaeologist blowing his nose, and the cat staring at him, ears flat to its head. "Let me guess Danny boy, allergic to cats too?" He asked. Teal'c looked on, an eyebrow raised. Daniel looked sheepish. Jack rolled his eyes. "OK, Teal'c you take furball, Daniel, you take the rest of Carter's gear. Teal'c, take Carter's Zat, and I'll carry your staff weapon." Teal'c merely nodded his assent, passed his weapon to O'Neill, and stooped, quickly wrapping the cat in Carter's black t-shirt. Before it had time to process what was going on it found it self wrapped securely and tucked under one of Teal'c's massive arms. It let out a startled "Meh!" at the treatment, its wide uncanny blue eyes searching, craning its head to look around. It wriggled at first but quickly realized it wasn't getting away from Teal'c and held still. "I am ready O'Neill." Teal'c said.
"Let's move out" Jack ordered, "Daniel dial us up. There's no place like home." SG-1 minus one Major Samantha Cater, and plus one four footed feline soon made their exit through the stargate.