Chapter 2

Bumps in the road.

The Griffin charged in, skimming the top of the grass.

"Shoot it" O'Neil ordered as Carter, Teal'c, and he began shooting. Daniel held back however.

The shots missed the creature, that is until Teal'c's staff weapon hit it with precision. What happened next surprised everyone. The Griffin disappeared, as if dispersed into energy. For a few moments, SG-1 stood there, almost dumbfounded.

"Did that just-" O'Neil broke the silence.

"Yes, sir, it dispersed." Carter responded. "I don't know why."

"Jack" Daniel said "I think I noticed that the bullets went through it while you guys were shooting."

"Not that you tried that yourself, Daniel." Jack snapped.

"Jack, I just didn't feel right about attempting to destroy a creature that could be near extinction."

"Even if it means your own life!"

"O'Neil" Teal'c interrupted "you should come see this."

O'Neil pointed at Daniel "We'll deal with this later." and walked over to Teal'c and Carter. "What is it guys" he signed.

"Here, sir." Carter pointed, "it left tracks where it landed."

"So it wasn't a hologram." O'Neil clarified.

"It would appear not." Teal'c affirmed.

"So could it have carried off the M.A.L.P.?" O'Neil thought out loud.

"The problem with that is the M.A.L.P. never left any tracks." Carter pointed out, "Also the creature's tracks are remaining stable, so the grass isn't extra resilient or anything, so the tracks should still be here, or at least marks where the M.A.L.P. sat until we got here."

"So in other words, Carter." O'Neil remarked, "We've got another weird situation."

"So it would seem, Sir."

"Great" O'Neil sighed, "Ok the top priority is to get home, any ideas."

"Well, Sir" Carter said, "without knowing what is wrong with the Stargate, I don't see how."

"Alright, so Daniel, is there anything different in the symbols or anything on the Stargate?" Jack looked around, "Daniel?"

"It appears he might have walked away." Teal'c remarked.

"Great" O'Neil grumbled "Daniel!"

"Over here." Came Daniel's voice from the woods, "I found something."

The rest of the team walked in the direction of Daniel's voice until they found him in front of a wall with strange symbols on it. "I found this here, it appears to be based off of Aztec, but is defiantly different."

"So you decided to translate, we don't have time-" O'Neil began

Carter interrupted, "Sir, there might be some kind of information here that we don't know, perhaps from the natives who were probably brought here from Earth."

"Yeah," O'Neil said a little flustered "Ummm That is true" he looked around a bit "So what does it say?"

"It will take me a bit." Daniel responded, "The language isn't exact."

"We should probably camp here. It is an easily defendable position." Teal'c pointed out.

"So I guess you have become the tactical expert suddenly," O'Neil snapped.

Teal'c raised an eyebrow as he looked at O'Neil, "Perhaps I should be, the stress seems to be getting to you."

"I am just saying there could be more of those griffins-"

"All the more reason to consider our defenses, O'Neil"

"Guys," Carter interrupted, "there is no reason for this, let's get it together and work our way out of here."

O'Neil stared at both Carter and Teal'c for a moment "I'm getting some firewood."

Jack trudged off, gathered some wood, and began building the fire. After an hour, carter walks over to him and sits down. "Nice fire" She remarks.

"Just a fire" O'Neil responds.

"True"

"Want to cut the small talk, Carter, you came over here for some reason."

"Alright, Sir, but I hesitate to say anything."

"You think my attitude on this mission is a bit over the top."

"Well," Carter responded stunned at O'Neil's frankness, "in a word, yes, but I am not sure I would have said it like that."

"How you say it doesn't matter, Carter." O'Neil said almost sullen, "It's the truth, I am not sure why but I have been really tense since I got here."

"You might be upset about the situation we are in."

"That's part of it, but-" he paused as he put more wood on the fire "it seems like I can't think straight cause of the frustration. I know I am normally a little more with it."

"Well to be honest-" Carter paused as O'Neil looked at her sternly "Yes, Sir, you are right. Could something here be affecting you?"

"Why not everyone else, Daniel seems normal, as does Teal'c, and you-."

"Maybe the effect isn't as obvious in us yet."

O'Neil sat and thought about that statement for a second "Maybe, but even still what could it-"

"O'Neil," Teal'c shouted, "Come here quickly."

Carter and O'Neil raced to Teal'c's location and were met by Daniel.

"What is it, Teal'c." O'Neil asked.

"A noise in that brush over there, something is coming this way." Teal'c responded.

"And your shouting revealed our location" O'Neil pointed out.

"Sir, bigger problem, not now." Carter interrupted.

O'Neil nodded in approval.

Soon the bushes shifted with noise. "The sun is going down," Teal'c pointed out, "limiting visibility slightly."

"Keep focused." O'Neil said as he took aim "it's coming."

Soon something came out of the bushes, to see the SG-1 team pointing their weapons at it.

"What the-?" O'Neil said stunned.

"It looks like a cockatrice." Daniel said.

"I bet it is just like the griffin." O'Neil said, "but only one way to find out, Teal'c"

"Yes, O'Neil." Teal'c said as he took aim with his staff weapon.

"No wait, Jack." Daniel shouted but it was too late, Teal'c fired.

The cockatrice dissipated just like the griffin. "See Daniel it was just a hologram or-"

But the blast of a staff weapon interrupted him. "Get down!"

Jack shot in the direction of the blast. "Teal'c see anything!"

"Several Jaffa warriors, O'Neil."

"Can you get a shot off." O'Neil ordered.

"Probably" Teal'c took aim, but then hesitated "But I will not fire upon my own people."

"WHAT!" O'Neil shouted, "they will kill us if you don't" a blast went off behind O'Neil.

"If I do I am no better than the Goa'uld."

"Fine-" a Blast interrupted him "Fine, but let me defend myself, my bullets won't get through the armor."

Teal'c thought a moment then tossed his staff weapon to O'Neil. O'Neil shot the staff weapon, and was shocked at the result. Just like the griffin and the cockatrice, the Jaffa dissipated.

"What the-?" O'Neil said.

"Jack they, just dissipated." Daniel pointed out.

"I know that Daniel, what I want to know is why." O'Neil got a hold of himself. "Sorry Daniel, I don't know what is wrong with me today, I am just strained."

"Understood, Jack, Maybe Samantha can figure this out."

"Yeah," O'Neil said "Speaking of which, where is she?"

The team looked around for a bit, until Teal'c saw something. "Over there, O'Neil."

Jack looked to see Carter still down a few meters back from the rest of the team's position.

"Carter, get up, they're gone." Shouted Jack, "Carter1" Suddenly Jack realized something was wrong and got into a defensive stance. "Carter, you alright?"

Jack, Teal'c and Daniel cautiously approached her. Jack was there first "Carter." He said as he nudged her "you hurt, can you speak." Jack leaned down and turned her over. "Oh God."

"It would appear that she is dead." Teal'c said stoically.

"But she has been hit by bullets, a lot of bullets." Daniel pointed out.

"That's impossible, she was behind us, she should have been hit by a staff weapon blast."

Teal'c looked at Daniel "At the time I could not see where you were firing at, O'Neil."

"I was unable to see you too, Jack, but all I have is a pistol." Daniel pointed out.

"You can't seriously be suggesting-" Jack said stunned, but it appeared they were believing that he had shot Carter, and probably on purpose, if not just simple negligence.

There wasn't even time to morn a comrade and SG-1 was falling apart.