A/N: If you haven't read the revised chapter one, please read that first. Thank you for all the reviews, keep them comming.
Chapter 2
They had been ambushed. It was that simple. These people knew the meaning of stealth. They would have to know stealth in order to get past Teal'c's guard. There was no rustle of leaves or snapping twigs. Just the stun grenade exploding! Teal'c had collapsed instantly; the rest of them never woke up.
The ground was hard. That was the first thing that Jack noticed. Not that their bedrolls were soft, but they were a hell of a lot softer than the rocks he was now lying on. Everything was dark. He kicked his legs out, making contact with something soft and instantly hearing a faint groan. Teal'c didn't groan. Carter would have kicked him back. So by process of elimination, "Daniel?" Jack asked.
"Jack," Daniel's, voice straining, "Where are we?"
"I was hoping you could tell me. Can you see anything?" Jack knew he probably couldn't, but it was worth a shot. You never know when that ascended ancient stuff might have given Daniel super powers or something.
"No, nothing. Ouch!" Daniel replied as he shifted to a sitting position, in the process bumping his head on the low ceiling.
"Teal'c!" called Jack.
"I am here, O'Neill. I believe we were attacked by a Goa'uld stun grenade." Teal'c said.
"Ya think!" replied O'Neill. Leave it to Teal'c to state the obvious.
"Carter, I thought you said there weren't any Goa'uld on this planet. Carter?" O'Neill called. He got no reply. O'Neill started reaching around the small room, grabbing at things that might belong to his Second in Command. First he found Teal'c's leg, (too big). He then rolled over to reach behind him, kicking Daniel, again. Daniel groaned, but this time it was stronger and angrier.
"Jack, would you stop that already!" Daniel added to his groan. He got no apology, but wasn't expecting one.
"Sam!" They all began to call, feeling around the room, which barely held the three of them. There was definitely no Carter.
Daniel said despairingly, "She was sleeping between us Jack. They would have had to grabbed her, too."
"I know that, Daniel, but if they grabbed her, then where–" Jack was cut off by the sound of grinding metal to his left. There was a soft moan just before something was thrown across his lap. The room shook, as the door was slammed shut. Dirt and gravel fell from above their heads. The creatures outside were talking to one another in hushed tones. Their voices growing fainter as they walked away from the cell. The three of them were left, again, in silence. Jack reached down, still more or less blinded from the blast, but his fingers knew the feel of a combat vest. "Carter!" Jack gasped. He pulled on the shoulder straps of her vest bringing her upright. Behind him he heard Daniel and Teal'c moving closer. "Carter!" He shouted this time. Shaking her hard. He could see the outline of her head and shoulders. She wasn't moving.
"My vision is returning," Teal'c said from somewhere in front of him. For a big guy he sure moved quickly. It was only seconds ago that he was on the other side of whatever they were in and now he was at the door trying to pry the bars apart.
"Mine too," Daniel chimed in, still behind Jack and leaning against the wall. "Is she alright?"
"She does not appear to be conscious yet, Daniel Jackson." Replied Teal'c.
Jack didn't hear their conversation. He was focusing on the blurry images in front of his face. Fighting off the flashbacks of the last time Carter was thrown back into a cage at Nirti's little shop of horrors. "Carter!" Jack yelled as he shook her again. This time she gripped his forearms.
"Stop." Sighed Sam, barely able to speak. It was weak, and Jack wasn't exactly sure she had even said it. He stopped shaking her and she fell forward onto his chest.
Daniel's hands went quickly around her waist, guiding her to her back and down to the floor. He looked at Jack, and then down at Sam. She didn't look hurt. There were no bruises or cuts that they could see. Her clothes were all still on and even clean, except for the dirt floor she was now lying on.
"What do you think they did to her?" Daniel asked. "And why didn't they do it to us?"
"I have no idea, Daniel. And we don't know that they didn't." Jack responded.
The room was dark--a cave of some sorts. The dirt floor was damp; the ceiling was made of rock. Daniel hadn't stopped sneezing in over an hour, only occasionally stopping to interject some theory of who these creatures were. Cave dwellers, Daniel had thought, possibly a primitive human race that, for whatever reason, had never evolved. A lesser Goa'uld. Yes, that would explain the weapons. Jack was trying to look like he was listening. Teal'c was still attempting to break down the door by prying the bars apart or by digging underneath–the man was nothing if not persistent.
"Sir." The voice from the floor made everything stop, except Daniel's sneezing. Sam started to sit up slowly. Her head was throbbing and the room was spinning. O'Neill managed to lean forward enough to grab her arm and help her upright.
"Jack, watch her...(sneeze)–" Daniel tried to warn him.
"Ouch!" Sam cried out, leaning back into O'Neill after smacking her head on the rocks above. "So I guess we're in a cell, a small cell?" She shifted herself so that she was leaning against the wall, between O'Neill and Daniel. Teal'c remained by the door. "What happened?" She asked.
"Oh, the usual." Answered Daniel.
"We went to sleep on a peaceful, uninhabited planet and we woke up in a prison cell, guarded by unknown creatures with mysterious weaponry and no clear motive?" Said Sam sarcastically.
"Yeah, that about sums it up. You took a little field trip though." Added O'Neill.
"Really? Where did I go?" Sam asked eagerly.
There was no longer enough light for Jack to see her face, but he could tell she had been drugged. Her speech was slurred and she was sounding a little to perky for their current situation.
"Don't know. They brought you to us about an hour ago. You've been out ever since." O'Neill explained.
Sam felt her arms, legs, stomach, and then head. "Everything is still attached, Sir."
"I can see that, Carter, thank you." O'Neill said amused. So this is what Carter is like drunk. Part of him wished he had his video camera.
"Who are they?" Carter asked.
"What?" responded O'Neill- thinking Carter really wasn't making sense at this time.
"You said 'They brought you back'. Who are they?" Carter asked again.
"Don't know. Ozians, I guess. Gotta call 'em something right?" O'Neill answered.
"Have you met the wizard yet, Sir?" Carter said looking at O'Neill.
"Nope, no one but the guys that brought you in here, and we didn't see them."
Sam huffed; thoroughly annoyed with the lack of information she was getting from her Commanding Officer. She was tired. The room was still spinning. Something had happened to her, but no one knew what that something was, and at the moment her head was too cloudy for her to care. "Sir." Carter yawned. " Wake me up when you know something." She leaned to the left and flopped heavily against Daniel's shoulder. He sneezed again, and she shot him the how-dare-you-disturb-me look.
"Sorry, Sam. Aller–" Daniel sneezed again. Sam sighed and flung herself to the right, taking O'Neill's shoulder as her pillow instead.
"It would appear, Major Carter has been drugged," Teal'c observed as he looked back at them from the cell door. Jack and Daniel stared at him in disbelief. Yep, thought Jack, Teal'c had a knack for stating the obvious.
General George Hammond walked into the control room of the SGC. "Has SG-1 reported in yet?" he asked.
"Not yet, Sir," Walter answered from his permanent seat at the control panel.
"Dial P4X-985. Let's see if we can get in touch with them." Hammond sighed and rubbed his head. Just once he wished that SG-1 would have a routine mission, just once!
"Worm whole established, Sir." Walter informed him.
"SG-1, this is Hammond. Do you read?"
"SG-1, come in." The creature held the radio in his large hands, turning it over and over. Staring at it curiously. More of them came over. They passed if from one to another, each inspecting it inquisitively. "SG-1, what is your situation?" The creature now in possession of the radio walked away from the group, the others followed.
"Shut it down, Sergeant. Get the UAV ready to launch. I'll go call the President." Order General Hammond. Just once! Just once a normal day! He rubbed his head against the on-coming migraine.
"O'Neill, they are returning." Warned Teal'c.
"Carter, get up." O'Neill said as he lifted his shoulder once, twice.
"Hmmm." Was the only response he received from Carter.
"Oh, for crying out loud." Jack mumbled to Daniel. "Catch." He pushed Carter off his shoulder and she fell across Daniel's lap.
"I'm up, I'm up. Sorry, Sir, still groggy." Carter said as she tried to sit up. Daniel, helped her upright as the door to their cell opened.
"SG-1." The creature said, holding up the radio. He looked strangely proud, like he had just solved a mystery. His green skin was smooth; his yellow eyes alert. He gestured for them to follow. His hands were entirely out of proportion to the rest of his body.
"Where we going?" Jack asked suspiciously. But the creature only smiled and continued making movements with his hand.
"I think he wants us to follow him, Jack." Suggested Daniel.
"Ya, think, Daniel? I'm just not sure I wanna go wherever he's going." Responded Jack.
"It's has to be better than this, Sir." Carter said.
"So, you're making sense now, are you Carter?" asked O'Neill.
"Sir?" Carter said looking at him strangely.
"Nevermind. Okay, lets go see the wizard." O'Neill commanded his team.
The creature was still smiling and looking at them curiously. "SG-1." The creature said again. And again he motioned for them to follow. They crawled, one at a time, out of the cell. The cavernthey entered was enormous. There were tunnels going off in every direction and the ceiling was quite high. Jack guessed they were at least ten stories underground. The creature motioned again, and SG-1 stiffly followed him. Carter had to lean slightly on Daniel, her muscles still not quite responding as well as they should. They had been walking for quite a while, their escort turning around every few minutes to make sure they were still behind him. Jack couldn't help but think his team looked like some kind of orphaned pets, the kind you would bring home to Mom and Dad. He really hoped that the Ozians didn't want to keep them.
They came to a stop just inside the entrance to the enormous cave. The creatures came from all directions, surrounding them.
"Ah, Jack." Daniel started to say.
"Talk to them, Daniel, this is your specialty." Jack suggested.
Daniel walked toward their escort, or at least whom he thought was their escort. He thought the Asgard looked alike, but these guys had to be clones. "Hello. My name is–" Daniel started to say.
"SG-1." The creature replied.
"Yes, um, yes, we are SG-1. We're from a planet called–" Daniel tried to explain.
"SG-1." The creatures all echoed in response. They came closer, encircling them.
"This does not seem to be working, Daniel Jackson." Said Teal'c stating the obvious.
The team stood shoulder to shoulder, each facing a different direction. It was a tactical defense that they assumed naturally. They had no weapons, and were outnumbered at least twenty to one.
"Any ideas?" O'Neill asked as he backed up, tightening their circle. "Anyone? Don't be shy."
Suddenly the mob of creatures started to move. SG-1 was forced to move with them. The team knew they were now outside of the caves and walking in the middle of the Ozians, but none of them could see their surroundings.
"Sir," Carter said, pointing to the ground. They were on the yellow brick road. "Maybe they're taking us back to the gate.
"Always the optimist, Carter." Said O'Neill.
"Always, Sir." Affirmed Carter with a smile.
"She might be right, Jack. I mean they've had plenty of chances to kill us, if that's what they wanted to do." Said Daniel.
"O'Neill, the Stargate." Teal'c observed.
"Well then. Carter, click your heals. Lets go home." Ordered O'Neill.
"I thought you were Dorothy, Sir." Answered Carter, again with a smile.
Jack winced. He was never going to live that down.
Without warning the Ozians stopped. The circle of creatures started to split into two groups. SG-1 team remained in the center, ready to make a break for it. The creature in front of them, perhaps the leader, began speaking. The other's joined in, hundreds of voices repeating the same phrase over and over.
"Any ideas, Daniel?" Jack asked while resisting the urge to cover his ears.
"It's nothing I've ever heard before." Daniel answered.
"This reminds me of the inhabitants of PJ2-445, O'Neill." Teal'c said.
"That's nice, Teal'c." Jack shouted above the chorus that was growing louder and louder. "Carter, who did we meet on PJ2-445?"
"Little bald white guys, Sir." Carter answered. O'Neill still looked confused. Carter continued. "Big pink flowers, we almost killed them all with the UAV," annoyance was creeping into her voice. The man couldn't remember anything.
"I remembered, Carter. I just wanted to see if you did." Said O'Neill while looking right then left. They had to be clones, they were all exactly the same, and all spoke with the same tone.
"Sir!" Carter screamed.
O'Neill turned suddenly when Carter screamed. Carter didn't scream. The left half of the Ozians had completely surrounded her. The right column began slowly driving Daniel, Teal'c, and himself toward the active Stargate. He could no longer see or hear her. Carter was buried deep within the mob. The chanting continued. "Major Carter!" Yelled Teal'c, as he lunged at the creatures, knocking four of them down, but before he got to his feet, five more of them had begun dragging them closer to the gate. There was nothing they could do.
"Carter!" Yelled O'Neill over the chanting. "Hang on!" The words echoed in her head as she was pulled away from them. "We'll be back!" O'Neill kept shouting over the mob. "No one gets left behind!"
All Carter could do was nod. She knew he couldn't see her, the Ozians (O'Neill's term-- that's all she had to call them), had her completely surrounded, but she hoped he knew that she heard; that she would hold on to his words. Those words would be all she had left to hold on to for many days to come.
More to come. Might takea little longer, I have papers due for classes, but it will be here. Thanks, Brenda!