By the time O'Neill and Teal'c made it to the locker room Daniel was struggling into his tactical vest, the unsecured bindings of the leg harness swinging free.
O'Neill walked over to his locker, his gaze settling on Daniel every now and then, watching the younger man's fits and starts as he tried not to over-extend his injured wrist.
"You sure didn't waste any time," O'Neill finally commented, pulling his folded BDUs from the top of his locker and shrugging off his sweater. Teal'c had stepped into the adjoining room for a quick shower, leaving the two men alone.
"What?"
O'Neill glanced over his shoulder, watching as Daniel fastened the final pieces of his gear together, tightening down the straps.
"I said—"
"I heard what you said," Daniel said, his clipped words interrupting O'Neill. "I'm just surprised by the comment. I thought you of all people would appreciate efficiency—especially when there's a team missing."
O'Neill could feel the flush of warmth on his face as he turned, his eyebrows drawing close, his forehead tight. "Me of all people? What's that supposed to mean?"
Daniel shrugged, refusing to meet his eyes. "I'll meet you in the Gate room in ten. Can't keep the General waiting."
Before O'Neill could say another word, the archeologist slipped out the door and into the hallway, leaving him standing shirtless in the locker room, his BDUs hanging from his hands.
This mission was going to be a pip.
Sighing, he turned around and tried to put his mind on the mission, on the missing scientists, but his thoughts kept circling back to Daniel's words and the coldness behind them.
When Teal'c finally returned a few minutes later, O'Neill was nearly completely kitted up, his face set in a military mask. It was the only way to get through the mission—otherwise he might end up punching one arrogant archeologist. Although if it was the only way to get some sense into the man's head…O'Neill shook the thought out of his mind. This was not the time or the place.
"Daniel Jackson is gone?"
O'Neill nodded once, tugging his tactical vest and clipping his P90 into place. "Yep. Headed to the Gate room already. How long you gonna be?"
"I shall be prepared momentarily," Teal'c said, already pulling on his BDUs.
"Good," O'Neill said, one hand on the door to the hallway. "I'm going to see if the General has any other information and I'll meet you in ten."
"I shall be there."
"Great," he said, pausing in the half-open doorway. "Make sure you grab Carter on the way."
Teal'c inclined his head, a simple gesture that held tremendous respect and meaning. With his temper simmering just below the surface, O'Neill knew the little things—like the tilt of Teal'c's head—went a long way in easing the pressure that was building in his head.
And it just emphasized the point that through everything, Teal'c was someone he could trust.
XXX
Twenty minutes later SG-1 was assembled in the embarkation room, minus one member—Jack.
Daniel paced at the bottom of the ramp, his arms crossed over his chest. Sam and Teal'c were off to the side waiting patiently, Sam double-checking her ordinance while Teal'c stood silently, his gaze sweeping around the room.
Looking into the control room for what seemed like the hundredth time, Daniel caught sight of Jack and the General deep in conversation as they walked down the stairs from the Level 27 briefing room. What was he doing with the General? A brief flutter filtered through his stomach, but he pushed it down. Instead, he pulled his attention away from the window and glanced at his watch again. What had happened to punctuality?
Jack appeared a few moments later, the large metal door sliding back as he strode in, finally stopping at the bottom of the ramp, a few feet from the archeologist. After a brief glance at Daniel, Jack turned, including Sam and Teal'c in his conversation. "Sorry about my tardiness. I wanted to make sure I had all the information from the General before heading out." Jack looked up, obviously catching the General's eye since the Stargate immediately started spinning, the chevrons locking into place one by one. "We're ready, Sir."
Following Jack's gaze, Daniel watched as Hammond leaned down, his hand holding onto the microphone. "SG-1 you have a go. Bring them home."
"Yes, Sir," Jack said, turning his attention back to the team. "The General sent another MALP through about fifteen minutes ago to get a reading on what was going on around the gate. He's going to have them scan the clearing again before we proceed through, but it seemed fine."
"Now there's concrete intel," Daniel commented under his breath, but apparently loud enough for Jack to hear since the older man flicked his gaze to him, his eyes narrowing, but ignored the comment.
"The scientists hadn't reported anything out of the ordinary during their last communication with the SGC," Jack continued, the locking chevrons providing a backdrop to his words. "No large predators, no signs of human or Goa'uld habitation for that matter. The General was about ready to approve the establishment of a scientific outpost on P3S-295 before their missed communications."
The ka-whoosh of the opening wormhole signaled an end to Jack's short briefing. It really wasn't anything he didn't already know. Unlike some people, Daniel read his memos.
"SG-1, the MALP indicates the area around the Gate is clear. Good luck."
O'Neill offered a partial salute to the General before turning on his heel and heading up the ramp, Sam and Teal'c not far behind.
Daniel sighed, but stepped in line, hard on Teal'c's heels.
Things were going to change. He could feel it in the air and he was ready to follow wherever it led him.
XXX
The cold of the wormhole helped to bring Jack's temper down a few degrees, but from the looks and the comments he was getting from Daniel it wasn't going to take much to set him off. And on a rescue mission the last thing he needed was a smartass.
He knew that from first-hand experience.
Sliding down the stairs from the Stargate, O'Neill's raised P90 tracked the edge of the clearing, the early morning sun filtering down through the leaves of the trees. The MALP sat in the middle of open area, just in front of the DHD. Three squishes behind him signaled the rest of his team's arrival. A quick glance around showed them all moving into position, Daniel heading to the DHD with Carter and Teal'c scanning the clearing in much the same way he was.
Daniel gave a thumbs-up at the DHD while quick nods from Carter and Teal'c confirmed his initial assessment. O'Neill reached for his radio, depressing the button to report back to the SGC. "General, we have all clear and are proceeding to the camp site. We'll report back in two hours."
Hammond's voice was clear through the earbud. "We'll be waiting for your call. SGC out."
The wormhole snapped shut, the blue tinge coating the closest trees changing to a more normal color.
"Carter, which way?"
A quick gesture with her head indicated the direction. "About an hour hike, Sir."
"Teal'c, take point, then Daniel, Carter, and I'll watch our six."
The Jaffa nodded his consent and moved immediately to the path Carter had indicated, his staff weapon at the ready. Everyone else fell into line, the silence of the forest settling upon them.
The hike was not difficult, an easy trail over flat terrain, but there was something missing—and it was more than the easy companionship of friends.
There were no birds.
No insects.
No animals.
The trees and the plants were plentiful, but without the sounds of the forest—the birds crashing through the leaves, the local equivalent of squirrels scurrying through the undergrowth—something was missing.
O'Neill was surprised by the camp when they arrived. Instead of the usual small tents SG-1 normally traveled with, there were several temporary buildings set up—a bunk-house, a mess hall, storage, and a complete lab. When the General said they were about ready to approve the establishment of a scientific outpost here, he wasn't kidding. Just moving all the crap back to the SGC would take a week.
The silence, though, was absolute.
"Everyone spread out. Let's make sure no one's home before we go crazy searching the area," O'Neill ordered, watching as Carter and Teal'c moved to opposite ends of the camp. Daniel, on the other hand, hadn't moved. What was it about civilian scientists?
"That wasn't a suggestion."
Daniel caught his gaze, his blue eyes cold. "Yes, Sir. Right away, Sir," Daniel said, sarcasm dripping from every word. He turned as if to go, but hesitated, swiveling around to look back at O'Neill. "I noticed you're very good at giving orders lately."
O'Neill's eyebrows drew close. "And that's different than normal? This is a military operation, Daniel, and I am the commanding officer, if you haven't already noticed."
"Yeah," he said glancing away, his eyes scanning the compound, "I've noticed."
"Well, from the way you've been acting it seems like you've forgotten a lot."
Daniel turned back to O'Neill, his eyes flashing. "What's that supposed to mean?"
O'Neill shook his head, trying to get his growing temper under control. His hand slashed across the air in front of him. "Look, it isn't the time or the place for this."
"No, it's not, but then again, there's never a good time for anything that doesn't fall into your personal set of preferred topics."
"What the hell has gotten into you?"
"Maybe I've finally come to realize what's important in my life."
O'Neill's voice dropped, words forced out through clenched teeth as he took several steps toward the archeologist. "What's important? What do you think we're doing? Do you think we're out here for our health? Do you think that I enjoy losing people, good people, to the likes of the Goa'uld?"
"No, I know you don't, but—"
"But what, Daniel? Right now, there's a group of scientists who need our help. If you're not going to start acting like a member of my team then you can hightail it right back to the gate and go home, because we have work to do."
O'Neill paused, narrowing his eyes as he watched Daniel's non-reaction. It actually looked like Daniel was considering his options, his eyes focused on something beyond Jack's shoulder.
"Am I clear?"
It took a few moments before Daniel finally nodded once, albeit reluctantly. "Have it your way," he replied and O'Neill could hear the unspoken words hanging between them.
'You stupid son of a bitch.'
Daniel's mouth tightened and he turned, heading down the path they'd hiked, the curving trail that led back to the Stargate.
At that moment, if Daniel had come anywhere within swinging distance of him, the rest of SG-1 would have found one unconscious archeologist flat on his back on the ground.
A brief flash through his mind nearly found him striding to grab Daniel's arm, to stop him from going. He couldn't just leave. They were already missing six scientists, the last thing they needed was to misplace an archeologist too.
But something stopped him from moving.
Daniel was a big boy. He could take care of himself. He'd been telling Jack that for years now. And you know what, Jack thought to himself as the younger man's figure blended into the foliage, let him go back home. Have him explain why he left. Hammond would sure get a kick out of that.
Taking a deep breath, O'Neill forced himself to turn away from the path and the man striding away from him, focusing instead on the mission and the camp in front of him. He had a job to do and, unlike some people, he'd get it done.
XXX
Carter circled around the west side of the camp first, checking the perimeter as Teal'c headed east. The camp and planet were quiet, unusually noiseless. There was nothing out of the ordinary, nothing out of place—except for the missing scientists.
She spotted Teal'c out of the corner of her eye and she gestured, catching his attention. She pointed toward the door of the nearest portable shelter, indicating that she was going inside. He nodded once, and proceeded on, his staff weapon poised and ready.
Sliding into the hut, her eyes adjusted to the dim light. From an initial glance around, it looked as if she'd found their lab. Various pieces of equipment were placed throughout, papers and files covering most surfaces. She reached out, testing the switch on the nearest microscope, the little light shining immediately. She switched it off as she felt the muscles in her jaw tighten.
Whatever happened wasn't sudden. They knew they were going—wherever it was—well enough in advance to turn off their equipment.
Moving closer, her fingers leafed through the nearest file, her eyes scanning their findings. High concentrations of minerals. Fertile soil. Moderate climate. Long growing season.
Moving from desk to desk, she skimmed the files, looking at their notes, trying to discover where they might be, where they might have gone.
Nothing jumped out at her as being unusual.
The opening door startled her, her head snapping up to watch as the Colonel entered followed by Teal'c.
"What did you find, Carter?" he asked, stopping on the other side of the table.
She shook her head. "Not much. They've been running standard environmental tests, as far as I can tell. It looks like Annette Wales and Mark Andrews headed up the biological studies. They'd spent a lot of time down by the river recently, about a half-hour walk from here. Collin Gibson and Naomi Dean spent a good amount of time in the caves just north of here, while Colonel Carpenter and William Page were filling in with supplementary tests and surveys in addition to making sure the SGC was kept abreast of their findings." Glancing up, she met the Colonel's brown eyes. "There's nothing out of the ordinary about the planet or their reports."
"Nothing about Sasquatch?"
The corner of her mouth twitched. "No, Sir."
His mouth set in a thin line and he glanced away, his eyes focusing on some of the equipment in the back of the room. Teal'c stood silently to his side, patiently waiting for his decision.
Daniel normally would have jumped in right about now. But, where was Daniel? Her eyes searched behind the Colonel until realization dawned: he wasn't there.
"Sir?"
His head snapped back toward her, his eyebrows draw together. "Carter?"
"Where's Daniel?"
"I, too, wish to know this information."
If she hadn't been looking, she would have missed it. Something had filtered across his face, a bevy of emotions, but they moved much too quickly for her to pinpoint any one of them. If she'd blinked, she would have missed the subtle changes in his demeanor.
His words, though, were not what she was expecting.
"Heading back to the gate."
"Sir," she began, not entirely sure how to continue. The air in the room had changed as well, tension building around the Colonel. "Is he okay? Is everything okay?"
"He's fine," he replied, much too quickly. "He thought it was best that he returned to the SGC."
"I shall accompany him," Teal'c said, already moving toward the door. "It is not safe for him to go alone."
"Teal'c," O'Neill said, his tone stopping the Jaffa mid-stride. "He's fine and we have a mission to complete."
"But, Sir, Teal'c has a point. We have no idea what happened to the scientists. Daniel shouldn't be returning to the Stargate by himself. Let one of us walk back with him."
"Absolutely out of the question. Have you forgotten why we're here?"
"No, Sir, but I think—"
"Carter, your concerns are noted, but we don't have time to argue about this. I had to make a choice between six scientists or one archeologist. I don't like it anymore than you do, but other than physically restraining him, I had no choice but to let him go."
"But, Sir. Daniel—"
"Can take care of himself. He knows the risks. He knows the dangers. He knows the mission and he made the choice. Most of those scientists out there haven't had a hell of a lot of off-world experience. I know Carpenter. He's a good man. That team is in trouble and it's up to us to find them."
O'Neill's gaze was penetrating, his tone deadly serious.
Before either her or Teal'c could react, however, a crackle echoed across their radios.
"Colonel O'Neill, do you read?"
The Colonel turned, thumbing the button on his radio. "Loud and clear, Sir."
"What's your status?"
"We've located the camp and nothing seems out of place. We're going to spread out and see if we can find any sign of them. There's a lot of ground to cover, so it's going to take some time."
She could hear the concern in the General's voice. "Do you need additional teams?"
"Negative. We still need to do more recon before I can recommend sending additional personnel to the planet. We may still be dealing with nothing more than the usual absent-minded scientists."
"Understood," Hammond replied. "Report in when you have more information. I'll have SG-3 and 5 standing by. If we haven't heard from you in six hours we'll make radio contact."
"Understood. SG-1 niner out."
O'Neill turned back to them, his brown eyes deep and Carter could swear that she saw the gears grinding away in his mind. "Carter, I want you and Teal'c to follow Wales and Andrews' footsteps to the river. Check out the surrounding area. I'm going to head north and take a look at the cave system, starting on the western end. When you finish up at the river work your way back to meet me. Keep in radio contact."
Carter nodded once. If only Daniel had stayed the Colonel wouldn't be forced to search on his own.
"Understood, O'Neill. We will endeavor to journey swiftly so as to return in a prompt manner."
"Don't hurry on my account, Teal'c," O'Neill said, pausing in his movement to the door. Something filtered across his face again, the emotion gone as quickly as it came. "The scientists need our best. Let's give it to them."