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When they finally reached the back-up site, Jack immediately fell into an exhausted heap, napping while Carter took watch.

It seemed like only seconds when she nudged him lightly, waking him.

"Calvary's here." Her tone was amused, which was confusing.

He sat up, rubbing his eyes. "How long was I out?" She handed him a cup of coffee, which he took, thankfully.

"Four hours. It's 1300."

"Ah." He stood up, looked down into the wash, and suddenly understood Carter's reference. There were two men on horses, two pack horses behind, below them.

"You Jack O'Neill?" The leader looked up at them, his tan uniform and cowboy hat merging with the cliffs. He was as bland as his outfit. 5'10" or so, perhaps a 160 in weight, probably around 45, 50 years old from posture and expression. Jack noted the weapon on his belt, carefully holstered, and decided to hold on an opinion.

"Oy." He glanced at Carter, and grinned, then hollered into the wash. "That'd be me. We'll be right down."

Carter and he scrambled down the cliff to the wash.

The men had dismounted by the time they made it down. The lead man extended his hand. "Sgt. Don Johnson, no jokes about the name."

He gestured towards his companion, as a sort of introduction, a tall, fit man with high cheekbones and dark black eyes with a penetrating glance. "Officer Nakai. You said you found a body?"

OK, at least the man was to the point, all business. Jack shook his head in acknowledgement. "Yes. About half a mile up canyon and about one hundred and fifty feet up."

"OK." Johnson turned to his horse, which was restless, and adjusted the bridle. "Now, what are you doing here?"

Jack stared at the man. "Excuse me?"

Johnson turned around and stared back at Jack. "Why are you and the … lady… here?"

Jack took a sudden dislike to Johnson. "The lady is Dr. Samantha Carter."

Johnson looked startled and turned to Sam. "Sorry, ma'am. Medical?"

Sam shook his hand. "Physicist. That's alright."

Jack interrupted. "We were just hiking."

"Uhuh." Johnson didn't look impressed. "Sure you were. And climbing in Butler Wash and Whistler's Draw. For fun."

"Yep."

"A physicist and a …"

"Jack of all trades."

Johnson grimaced. "Funny." He stared at Jack comprehensively. "You look military to me."

Jack ignored him and started treking through the wash.

Johnson caught up with him, walking his horses, and said ironically, "So…not searching for cave 7 or pot hunting, I'm sure."

Jack turned, stopped and stared him down. "Haven't a clue what you're talking about."

Carter broke in. "I asked … Jack…to bring me out here. I'm a … geophysicist… and I've never seen the canyon country. The rock formations are incredible. This area alone includes Jurassic aged Navajo Sandstone, the Kayenta Formation, Wingate Sandstone, and Chinle, Triassic Moenkopi and the Permian Organ Rock Formations."

Johnson stared at her and then looked at Jack, his expression slightly more friendly. "Geophysicist."

Jack wanted to continue to ignore Johnson, but he also wanted local info and to get that, he had to get the man talking. "Yeah. Brilliant geophysicist."

Johnson swallowed. "Okay, then."

Jack started to dig for intel. "What's cave 7 anyway and why are you worried about pot hunters out here?"

Johnson looked like was going to refuse to answer, and then said, mildly, "Cave 7 was part of the Hyde Expedition in 1894. They took out hundreds of artifacts and then forgot where it was. People have been looking for it ever since, especially pot hunters." He glanced at Jack, his expression unreadable behind his sunglasses. "When we get the chance, we chase them out of the canyons around here. It's illegal to remove artifacts from BLM*( see below), but lucrative enough that some are willing to risk it."

Jack shrugged. "Ah. Well, we've got nothing to do with it."

"Sure you don't." Johnson turned again, to maneuver the horses through a rocky section of the wash.

Jack gave it up and walked in silence until they reached the coordinates where they had to climb. He pointed up.

"There's a ledge about a hundred fifty feet up that to get to is slickrock climbing. The body's there."

Johnson hobbled his horses in the shade of an old cottonwood, by the last trickle of water running through the wash. He glanced at Nakai. "We'll need to bring the body down with the portable halter."

"Yes, sir." Nakai began dismantling their gear.

Johnson grabbed some of his own equipment and stuffed it in a backpack, and glanced at Jack. "Lead the way."

Jack nodded at Carter and she started the climb quickly. Johnson's eyebrows rose up his forehead. He stared at Jack, back to Carter, and then back at Jack. Jack clenched his jaw, ignored the asshole, and followed Carter up the cliff.

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An hour later, Johnson unhooked the tarp and stared down at the body, crouching. "Looks like he's been here at least three weeks, probably more from the desiccation, but there's been rain recently. Slows down the process."

Nakai broke in. "It's Frank Begay, Sergeant. That turquoise watch band has been in his family for years."

"Yeah, not surprising. He was headed for trouble one way or another. But this is bad. It's going to hit Daisy hard." Johnson looked around. "Why the hell was he up here?"

Jack broke in. "Who is he?"

Johnson grimaced. "Local jack of all trades."

"Funny."

Johnson looked up at Jack, his thoughts clearly elsewhere. "In this case, it's accurate. Begay's been on and off the Hopi and Navajo reservations all his life, picking up odd jobs on occasion." He paused, staring at Jack suspiciously. "Pretty sure he's done some work for the pot hunters, but we've never caught him at it."

Nakai broke in. "Doesn't make sense that he'd be hunting up here. He knows enough not to go searching for cave 7. The Hyde expedition looted everything. He'd know that."

"Yeah, unless he was hired by some outsiders to find the site. The academics are still interested." He glanced at Sam. "Could be when he didn't show, someone might have decided to go looking for him."

Jack broke in. "We had nothing to do with this. We just found him."

Johnson shrugged. "So you say. Still, I think it'd be best if you came down with us to the regional Monticello offices so we can check out your story when we're done here."

"Are we being detained?"

Johnson grimaced. "You're being politely asked to assist the local authorities with their investigation. You got a problem with that?" His tone was mild, but his hand was on his weapon.

Jack sighed and glanced at Carter, shaking his head in the negative. He and Carter could take the two out in seconds, but that wouldn't get them anywhere. They needed more information. "Nope, no problem with that at all. We're not pot hunters." It was getting tiring repeating himself.

"Okay, then." Johnson moved his hand away from his weapon.

"Sergeant, there's a rope here." Johnson got up to investigate. Jack noticed that the man always kept his back away from Jack's position. So, pretty well trained. "You go up there to investigate?"

"No. I've told you, repeatedly, we were hiking, found the body and called it in. That's it."

Johnson stood, thinking. "So Begay could have fallen and dragged himself to where he died."

Nakai grimaced. "Frank was a skilled climber."

Johnson interrupted. "Accidents happen."

Nakai paused. "Sure they do. We've seen it before. But we should still check out what's up there, Sergeant."

"Yeah." Johnson glanced at Sam. "Dr. Carter, are you up for more climbing?"

"I'll be fine, Sergeant."

"I'll take point." He looked at Jack. "Then you two." He pointed to Sam and Jack's packs. "Leave the gear here. Nakai, keep an eye on them and then follow after they're up."

"Oh for crying out loud. We're not going to do anything stupid. We called you in. Think about it."

Johnson shrugged. "Wouldn't want any more accidents, climbing or… other."

Jack grimaced and watched Sam follow Johnson up cliff face, thinking. There was something way off about Johnson. Both policemen were excellent climbers, which he supposed wasn't that unusual in this area, but Johnson was too suspicious and Nakai was spooked about something. If this wasn't going to turn into a mess, they were going to have to be careful.

He sighed. So much for a simple meeting with the locals to get rid of the body. He should have just made sure it disappeared. And he would have anywhere else in the galaxy. He hated missions on Earth, really, really hated them.

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Johnson was last into the cave. Jack grimaced when the man saw the pots and glanced at the floor. "Footprints."

"Must be Begay's."

There was scrambling from below. Jack watched as Daniel's head appeared over the edge of the cliff. "Jack? You and Sam up there?"

Sam broke in before he could say anything. "Damn it, Daniel, you have the worst sense of timing."

Jack raised his eyebrows. Carter seemed to be reading his mind a lot these days. He watched as Nakai pulled Daniel up over the ledge.

Johnson had his gun out. "Who the hell are you?"

Daniel lay on the ground, breathing heavily. He looked at Nakai. "Thanks." Then he saw Johnson, with a gun pointed at his head. "Uh.. okay. Dr. Daniel Jackson. I'm an archaeologist."

Jack groaned. "Shut up, Daniel. Now."

Teal'c arrived moments later. Johnson had his back against the cliff, his gun pointed at him. Jack sighed. This was totally FUBAR.

Johnson gestured them all into the cave with his weapon. "Not pothunters, huh. I suppose you weren't looking for those."

Daniel stared at the pots, wiping dust off his jeans and shirt. "Of course not. They're fakes."

"What?"

Daniel bent down next to the pots, examining them. " Well, my expertise is really the Middle East, but it's easy enough to recognize that they're of modern origin, although really good replicas by the way they've been trench-fired. The red and black is probably a replica of San Juan Orange ware, which was produced around here from 700 – 900. The other is a replica of McElmo Black on White, produced further east and south, by Cortez, around 1100. Unusual that they'd both end up here; it's actually incongruous given that this was a Basketmaker site, populated around 500, far earlier than the pottery, and the Hyde expedition … appropriated everything that was here anyway."

"Who the hell are you people?"

Jack just shook his head, disgusted.

Carter finally broke in. "You might as well explain, sir. I think Sergeant Johnson and Officer Nakai understand the word classified."

Jack stared at her. "Explain what?"

She gazed back at him. "I think it's alright, sir. May I?"

He shrugged. "Have at it, Carter."

She turned to Johnson, and pointed at Jack. "Colonel Jack O'Neill. I'm Major Dr. Samantha Carter. You've met Dr. Daniel Jackson. And this is Mr. Murray. Two more of our team members, Captain Jim Alire and Major Hank Jemez, should be here shortly. The Colonel is leading a survival training exercise prior to our deployment."

She gestured to Jack and he handed Johnson his credentials.

Johnson looked down at the documents. "Air Force."

"Yes."

"Why here?"

Jack broke in, exasperated and used his command voice. "Put down the damned gun. You're more likely to hurt yourself, not us. The Major alone could take you both out in thirty seconds without breaking a sweat and I'm starting to feel a bit testy myself."

Johnson put the gun down.

Jack waved away his annoyance, or tried to. "Thank you." He stared at Johnson. "If you're half-way decent at your job, you know that the Air Force uses this area unofficially for training that's strictly off the record. Have done for years."

"That's usually further east and south."

Daniel broke in, picking up the scenario. "Well, the location would be my fault. Jack… uhhh… the Colonel wanted the exercise to include a target. As lost locations go, cave 7 and the Solomon Mines are the most famous. And the latter is most likely legend."

Jack broke in. "Look, Johnson, this is all classified. The Air Force doesn't want people to know that teams are training out here. Makes the locals nervous." He glanced at the man, pointing out the obvious. "And if you're still not sure, you can contact Colonel Charles Harrington at White Sands. But you might just want to wait. I'm sure my Command will be at your office ready to debrief you before you get back." He pulled out a piece of paper, wrote down a number and handed it to Johnson.

He gave the man a bone. "It's exactly what I told you. We were out hiking, the Major is an expert in geophysics and wanted to see the area, and Dr. Johnson, as he mentioned, located an interesting target. When we found the body, we called it in to the local authorities. That's it. Now if you're done with us, we have other places to be."

"Colonel?" Jack could hear Jemez' voice calling from the ledge below.

Jack responded. "Yeah, we're up here. Stay below." He looked at Johnson. "I'll have my men help you bring down the body."

Johnson stared at him, angry. "You could have explained who you were to begin with."

"Need to know, Johnson. I explained what you needed to know, that's all."

Johnson grimaced. He looked at Daniel. "Are you absolutely sure those are replicas?"

"Positive. Why?"

"Why the hell would anyone salt a site with fakes? Especially cave 7?"

Jack broke in. "What does it matter?"

Johnson looked at him. "Might not matter to you, but it does to me. Begay's dead, probably because he fell after salting the site. I don't like unanswered questions, especially those that caused a man to lose his life. Not on my watch."

With that, Jack admitted Johnson had a point.

Daniel commented, "We might be able to trace the origin of the replicas for you."

"How?"

"Various techniques including radiocarbon dating for the dyes, archaomagnetic dating for the firing, rehydroxylation dating, thermoluminescence dating…"

"Daniel. Enough." Jack broke in.

Daniel looked up from the pots. "What? Oh, sorry." He turned to Johnson. "Essentially, the Air Force has labs that can identify the likely origin of the clay, the paints, time of firing, location of firing, and other things. Maybe that would help."

Johnson looked slightly less annoyed. "It might give us a lead. But Nakai and I will bring down the pots. We can give them to your Command if they do show up to debrief us."

Jack had had enough of Johnson and his suspicions. "Let's get your body down the cliff, Johnson. We all have better things to do."

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* Bureau of Land Management. A U.S. governmental organization that manages millions of wilderness acres in the West.