"Daniel, come on, how many times have we gotten lost offworld?"
Daniel didn't answer, because he had to admit that they never really had. It was just that even though he thought he could usually find his way around well enough, he'd have gotten lost here in a second if it wasn't for Jack leading the way. The jungle was way too dense, too green and completely the same everywhere around. He got even more wary and worried once they reached the area with traps, near to the camp, but Jack just snorted at him, exasperated.
"We've already come this way twice, I know well enough were to step."
So, they made their way through the jungle and the traps to the green wall. It felt almost too easy. They went through the tunnel in the plant growth, and emerged in an eerily silent, empty camp.
"Okay, where is everyone?" Jack wondered aloud. "Gone to some morning ritual to greet the rising sun?"
"Grruarch didn't mention anything like that. And even if they had, there'd still be someone here."
As far as Daniel could see, the bushes about the boulders that marked one boundary of the camp were completely empty. There were no sentries there. He couldn't imagine the dinosaurs leaving the camp unguarded, unless they had abandoned it altogether.
Daniel and Jack looked around and walked deeper into the camp, but there really didn't seem to be anyone there. No dinos at all, elders or younger ones. Some of the fires were still burning, but that was all.
They found their tents intact in SG-1's corner of the area. "Doctor Ramsey?" Daniel called out, but got no answer. They checked Ramsey's tent. It was empty, albeit more than a bit messy. Once they got out, Daniel spotted something colorful on the ground, and grinned when he realized what it was. A toothbrush. Amusing as it was, it worried him. Ramsey wouldn't probably have dropped it on the muddy ground and left it there without a good reason.
They returned to the nearest canopy. There were half-eaten pieces of meat on the ground, and the cups on the table that contained some tea-sort-of-drink were still warm. Everything seemed to suggest that the dinosaurs had left in a hurry, taking Leo with them.
"Looks like they had to flee," Jack said softly, a worried frown on his brow. "And not long ago. It's only been, what, two hours, tops, since Carter and Teal'c left here, and considering that the cups are still warm..."
Daniel nodded, pursing his lips. "Okay, so, what do we do now?"
"Well. I guess we've got to try and find out what happened and where they went. Not that I'd give a rat's ass about what happens to Ramsey, but he's still one of our men."
"Yeah, not to mention we're not going to be able to ask anything from the elders if we can't even find them," Daniel added. "You sure it's safe?"
"Of course it's not. So, we'll just have to be careful."
Jack crouched to the ground, to take a look at the footprints. There were lots and lots of them, overlapping each other. Last afternoon's rain had without doubt erased everything from the time before that, so these had to be from last night, or newer. Most of the footprints were dinosaurian, with three toes and claw marks. The most recent-looking ones showed that the dinos had been running.
He located the trail left by Ramsey's boots, and followed it. They seemed to lead towards the passage between the two boulders. That was were most dinosaur steps went as well. They'd fled into that direction, then. Jack just hoped they hadn't been stupid enough to leave such a clear trail all the way to wherever they had gone. Though it'd make tracing them a lot easier for Jack, it would be all too easy to their enemies as well.
There really was only one explanation to what had happened that Jack could think of. The camp was free of any signs of struggle, so he didn't believe the dinosaurs had been attacked. They had probably found out that the Goa'uldosaurs knew where this camp was, and might be approaching, and then they had run away because of that. Maybe they had a second hideout somewhere else. If it was as well hidden as this one, finding it might be well nigh impossible.
"They went that way," Jack told Daniel, and pointed at the boulders.
As they both looked in the direction he was pointing, they saw and heard something moving there. Something was about to enter the camp through the passage. Jack prayed that it was just the dinosaurs returning from wherever they had been, but nevertheless, gestured to Daniel that they should take cover. They retreated to hide behind a bush at the foot of a thick tree.
A dino stepped into the camp, and right after it, another, and a third one, and several more. Jack counted eight, altogether. That seemed to be the standard size of a dinosaur party--there had been eight dinos in the group of rebels that had caught SG-1 when they'd first come here.
Jack only needed to take a good look at the first dino to figure out that these weren't rebels. The dino was wearing a belt with a zat gun in it. The first time they'd been on the planet, none of the dinos had had zats. That had to be one of the weapons SG-1 had been forced to hand over when they'd been captured in the temple, months ago. These were no rebels. These were Goa'uldosaurs, or at least those loyal to them. The ones the rebels had been smart enough to flee from-- unlike he and Daniel.
They didn't have much choice here. Trying to fight their way out was hardly an option, so they'd just have to stay out of sight and hope the dinos wouldn't notice them. Jack signaled this to Daniel with laying a hand on his back and pressing him closer to the ground. No matter how low they lied, though, they weren't perfectly hidden. Jack cursed himself for not taking the time to find a better shelter.
He peered through the leaves in front of his face, trying to see what the dinos were up to. A few had spread out to search the camp. The zat-carrying one that Jack took to be their leader was speaking in their guttural language with a few others.
One of the dinos scanning the camp was walking directly towards them. It seemed Daniel had noticed it too, considering the startled look on his face, and the fact that he was holding his breath.
The dino walked slowly closer, looking around, tilting its head, listening, sniffing at things that'd been dropped on the ground. It stopped less than ten feet away from them, near enough that Jack could clearly discern every scale on its snout as it prodded the items on a table. Jack realized he was holding his breath as well.
The dino seemed to have lost interest in the table, and turned its back to them, as if to go away. Jack heard Daniel sigh out of relief. The dinosaur stopped again, raising its head, listening. It couldn't have heard that--Jack had only heard it because Daniel's face was right next to his.
The dino put its snout to the ground, its sniffing clearly audible. It turned around and moved towards them, nose still near to the mud. Jack felt a chill run down his spine. The damn dino had picked up their scent. He shook his head at Daniel, who grimaced, and sighed again, this time with resignation.
They stood up as the dino walked around the bush and saw them. Jack aimed his P-90 at it, just to keep it from jumping at them. He knew fighting would do them no good. The dino didn't attack, but roared at the other dinos, who arrived instantly, forming a neat circle around the two humans. Talk about déjà vu, Jack thought sullenly.
The dino with the zat, the supposed leader, growled at them. To his dismay, Jack realized it was clearly addressing Daniel. That could mean only one thing: it recognized them from the last time they'd been on this planet, and knew that Daniel could speak their language. Jack could almost see Daniel pale at the dino's words. He clearly didn't like what he heard.
"What's it saying?" Jack whispered at him anxiously.
Daniel took a shaky breath. "He says that they've been searching for us ever since we caused the riot. He's amazed that he actually found us, even though we vanished without a trace earlier. He shall receive a royal reward for finding us. Rrragrathssh, the revered ruler, will question us and then we shall finally face the consequences of our outrageous actions."
Jack translated that further in his head. The ruler was pissed, and they were in for interrogation, torture and death. Shit. No wonder Daniel looked so startled.
The lead dino barked an order of some kind, and two dinos stepped closer to the two of them, as if waiting for something. "They want our weapons and radios," Daniel said, already offering his sidearm to the dino nearer to him, tired resignation on his face.
As much as Jack would've wanted to start shooting at the dinos, he knew Daniel was right. They were hopelessly outnumbered. They had no choice. He handed over his radio and gun.
Zat-o-saur barked again, and the dinos started moving, urging the humans on towards the passage out of the camp.
"They're taking us to the temple," Daniel said, and hung his head, staring at the mud at their feet.
Soon, they were out of the camp and in the jungle, marching ahead at the fast pace set by the dinos. Jack took his cap off and ran a hand through his hair. It was a day's walk to the temple complex. A day was a long time. They'd have to escape before they got there, before they were closed in one of those cages on the roof again. If he could just think of something. But the dinosaurs walked close by, making sure that they couldn't even consider escaping.
They walked on, and Jack kept trying to think about that something that'd allow them to escape. The dinos had the home advantage in the jungle. Trying to run would make no sense, they'd just get caught again, and probably hurt too.
Afternoon came, and with it, the rain, and Jack was still thinking. Daniel was trudging on by his side, silent and withdrawn. Maybe Daniel could say something to the dinos, talk them into... Into what? Jack had no idea. Returning to the temple with the two of them would probably give these dinos all the fame and glory a green scaly Goa'uldosaur could hope for. He couldn't imagine them wanting to trade it for anything Jack and Daniel had to offer. If freedom from the Goa'uld meant anything to these dinos, surely they'd have joined the rebels instead of sticking with their ruler.
Dripping wet from head to toes, Jack was still desperately trying to think of something when he spotted the pale stone wall of the temple looming ahead of them. They walked in through the very same doorway he and Daniel had found when they'd last been here.
He kept thinking as they were lead to an empty throne room and taken through the transport rings to the rooftop area filled with cages.
He only stopped thinking when the iron barred door was slammed closed behind them.
Jack kicked at the iron bars of their cage and swore loudly. Talk about déjà vu. Except that this was worse than last time. There was no cavalry on the way. No one back home knew they'd been caught. And this time, they'd be getting no help from the locals. The rebels had fled somewhere, and Barney might well be dead already.