Chapter 3

The local Marshall, Aloysius "Teaspoon" Hunter had returned to the station after a long day policing the town thus leaving the town in the hands of his deputy. He dismounted the horse as it was getting close to dinner time and the sun was starting to set. He found none of the riders were out and about as usual and wondered where the boys had gone. He secured his horse to the hitch and dusted off his brown trousers and red stripped shirt. He adjusted is suspenders and smacked the dirt from his tattered hat before entering the bunkhouse. Upon opening the door he found the house was very full with new faces and a table full of food as Rachel had cooked twice the normal amount to feed the guest.

"What's all this?" he asked looking about. The strangers were dressed in borrowed clothing and in the corner of the room was a wooden chest filled with folded green uniforms. He noticed the gun crate was also open and filled with some odd weapons. Black boots and tactical vest were laid on one of the bunks as SG-1 and Dr. Frasier were in the processes of storing the uniforms and gear.

Rachel was soon smitten by Daniel. She smiled to Teaspoon, "We have guest, Marshal. This here is Dr. Daniel Jackson and that man there is Colonel Jack O'Neill. They are here with their friends to audit the trail going through Shoshone territory."

The excuse made no sense to Teaspoon at all. He cocked his head and looked upon the strangers. "Just who sent you, Colonel?" he asked Jack.

Jack looked to Daniel, "Russell, Majors and…" he blanked on the third investor.

"Waddell." Daniel informed.

Jack held up and finger, "That guy!" Jack was now sporting clothing he borrowed from James Butler Hickok and he was in fan mode. He figured he could take a little time to bask in the presence of his childhood heroes as Sam would eventually get them home and there was no Goa'uld to deal with. He knew they had to return but in a way it was almost like a vacation for Jack. Only thing better would be to see a famous ball game.

"I wasn't told of any audit." Teaspoon found the whole situation very odd.

Jack came up with an excuse, "It's a surprise!"

Kid spoke up, "They saved my life, Teaspoon. Two scouts ambushed me. The Colonel and his friends saved me, Katie and the pouch."

The man looked upon the faces and then the uniforms. He asked, "What's that in the trunk?"

Jimmy explained, "That there is some kind of uniform."

Teaspoon walked over and picked the uniform up from the pile. He looked at the jacket and then at the patch. He picked at it and found it made a strange noise as it peeled off the sleeve. "Just how is this attached?" he wondered.

"Velcro." Jack told him. As he observed Marshal he realized the man must have had influenced the legends of the West.

Daniel winced trying to come up with an excuse, "It's something new. We're um…testing it."

"Right!" Jack cheered.

The Marshal was not buying the excuses. He turned sharply on his heels and walked over to Jack. He looked his dead in the eye and made his demand. "I'm not sure who you are or where you are from but you better start tell me the truth, Colonel." He challenged him. "Or I will run you right out of town."

Jack paused as he was challenged. The old cowboy impressed the man, "We're not here to hurt anyone." he assured him. "We just need a place to stay for the night. Some clothes…"

Daniel spoke, "Please, Marshal! You have every right to be suspicious of us and I don't blame you. Please, we really have no place to go."

Kid came to their defense, "The Colonel saved my life today. Let them stay."

Teaspoon spoke to his rider. "That territory is dangerous, Kid. You don't know what you will find in them there hills." He kept his eye leveled on Jack. He walked over to the other crate with his eyes. He looked down at the arms. "This one of them guns there that shoots bolts of light?" he asked.

The riders all looked rather confused. They never heard such a claim before.

Rachel huffed, "What are you talking about, Teaspoon?"

Kid stated, "Them guns shoot bullets but a lot faster and they have metal cartridges. Lot smaller than what we got though."

Daniel pressed, "You saw a weapon that shot a bolt of light, Marshal?"

"It was some time ago. In them there hills." he nodded. "Red bolt of light. Long staff." he motioned with his hands apart.

SG-1 traded glances most alarmed.

Daniel requested, "Tell us about it, Marshal."

"I was them there boys' age. Saw it myself in them there hills. These demons came out of them hills and took a injin boy. Them demons had a staff that could shoot bolts of red light from it." he informed.

Billy asked concerned, "What happened the Indian boy, Teaspoon?"

"Don't know. I never saw him again." he told him. "Many brave warriors fell that day. The demons came right into the camp, took the boy, killed the warriors and a bunch of other boys. Took women and girls back into the hills where they disappeared." He then added, "I was wounded by one of them there staffs. Burned my arm. It wasn't like a bullet wound. It was like being hit by fire."

Daniel gulped as he understood that Goa'uld troops would look behave in such a manner and look like demons to someone who had no idea they were faced with advanced alien technology. He suspected a Goa'uld had taken the victims. He asked, "Do you know what cave they went into?"

"You don't enter them there caves." he informed. "Them haunted." He then wondered if perhaps his employers had sent a special team to try to concur the demons in the hills but the strange weapons, clothing and vest were most bewildering to the man.

Daniel made his way to his pack. He retrieved his note book and opened a page of a drawing he made of a Jaffa guard in full battle dress. "Did the demons look like this?" he held the page up before him.

Teaspoon's brown eyes settled on the page as the memory rolled through his mind. He nodded, "Like that."

Sam asked her team, "Goa'uld?"

Daniel agreed, "Has to be Goa'uld."

Kid asked, "You here to battle them demons that Teaspoon saw?"

Jack confessed, "It wasn't our original mission." He soured at the thought of a Goa'uld coming to the Wide West.

Teaspoon eased his stance. "In that case, you and your fiends will need all the help you can get." He cocked his head, "But why wasn't I told you were coming?"

"We didn't even know we were coming." Jack miffed.

Buck spoke up, "The demons of the hills have attacked tribes for generations. I'm not sure if a white man's guns such as yours can stop them."

Kid countered, "But they seem to know a lot more about them demons than we do."

Ike motioned with sign to see the book. Daniel gave a nod of approval and handed it to him, "You can look, Ike."

The young man grasped the book and looked upon and hand drawing. It was most menacing to him as well. He flipped the page with Buck looking on as well. A hand made drawing of the Star Gate caught his eye.

"What's that?" Buck asked.

Daniel stated, "It's called a Star Gate."

"I've seen drawings of it in caves." Buck reported. "I could never figure out what it was." He took the book and handed it to Teaspoon, "See!"

The Marshal looked upon the drawing. "I have a stone carving of that." He reported. He walked to the back to a small room that housed his bed and dresser. He retrieved a small craved rock and brought it to the main room. He displayed it in his hand for all to see. "It was given to me by a Shaman. It's to protect you if you walk in the hills. Never really new what all them little symbols mean."

Daniel looked upon a piece of Native art work that was a hand carved replica of the little Gate in the cave. "That is how the demons come to earth." he told him.

Billy assumed, "I get it now! You fellas and ladies are here to cleanse the hills of them there demons for the trail."

Jack gave a hard nod and went with the suggestion, "Sure!" It wasn't what he wanted to do but he also knew of a Goa'uld was coming to Earth they needed to find out which one and why.

Lou asked, "Why keep that a secret?" She liked her new friends but did find the whole situation very odd.

Daniel came up with an excuse, "Well…it's not like demon hunting is something you hear about every day. And…we don't want to scare the people in town…"

Lou the turned and grabbed a bible from under bed. She then handed it to Daniel, "Well…in that case…ya all are gonna need this."

Daniel grasped the book gently as he understood the young girls was offering her best intention to protect them with the leather bound bible. He graciously took the offer, "Thank you, Lou."

Jimmy asked, "So…you all are like…demon hunters?"

Daniel went with it. "You could say that. But we use a lot of science to fight the demons."

Rachel asked, "Just what are these…Goa'uld…you mentioned, Dr. Jackson?"

He reached to explain, "They are 'demons' that are symbiotic in nature. They take a host against the will and posses them. They like to take young host. People that are young and attractive. They tend to have some vanity issues."

Teaspoon stated, "I have a question. Just how come you are borrowing clothing from the boys?"

Daniel excused, "We lost ours. You know…long trip here."

"How did you get way our in Shoshone territory?" the Teaspoon asked. "You got mounts?"

"Um…" he looked to Jack.

Jack paused as he tried to come up with an excuse.

Janet rolled her eyes, "Oh' for Pete's sakes. You are going to have to tell them. We have no backup here. No S.G.C., Colonel. No General Hammond. Just the Marshal and a bunch of Pony Express riders. We are in over our heads, here…sir."

"Tell us what?" Teaspoon asked.

Sam sighed, "The reason we have no clothing and had to borrow theirs is because we came through the Star Gate that is in a cave. We did not intend to come here. We were going someplace else with medication for ill villagers."

Daniel added, "We came here through the Star Gate." He motioned towards the stone carving. "There are more than one of those gates and they are on other planets."

Lou cocked an eyebrow, "Other planets! You from another planet?" It made no sense to her.

"No!" Daniel shook his head. "We are from Earth. Something went wrong. We were going to another planet with medication for people who are sick. Instead, we ended up still on Earth and in the hills. The reason why our weapons are so far advanced is because when the Star Gate brought us here it threw us backwards in time. We are from the future. We didn't think any of you would believe us."

The riders all paused and traded glances. The room fell awkwardly silent for a moment.

Rachel finally broke the silence, "Well…that is quiet a tale."

Teaspoon confessed, "I believe you."

Surprised Daniel asked, "You do?"

"I've seen what is in them there hills. Whatever them demons are…they are not of this world." he gave a firm nod.

Daniel assured, "There is a chance that that boy who was taken. He might still be alive…on another planet."

"It was so long ago." Teaspoon assumed the boy was long dead.

"Wait!" Kid spoke. "You mean to tell us the demons came from another planet and took those Indians to…another planet?"

Sam confirmed, "Yes."

Jimmy asked, "What planet did they go to? What's that one that was in the papers?"

"Mars!" Rachel spoke up about the recent article she read.

"I doubt it was Mars." Daniel told them.

Sam spoke up, "I can find out where they went to do that I would need to get back to the gate in the cave and analyze it."

Teaspoon told her, "Them caves is no place for a lady."

She squinted annoyed, "Would you approve if I wore pants?" She found the borrowed dress from Rachel was working against her.

He back tracked, "But there is always an exception."