"General?"
George Hammond looked up at the soft words. "Yes sergeant?"
"The Tok'ra emissary is here, sir."
George sighed. The last thing he wanted was to explain to a friend that he'd lost his daughter. " Send him in." Hammond stilled himself, going over the speech he'd been working on for the past two weeks. "Jacob, it's good to see you."
Jacob Carter smiled. "Good to see you too, George, though I have to say the welcome was less than warm. What's going on?"
"We're having a problem. We tried to contact you sooner, but the High Council said you were gone.It concerns Sam, Jacob."
George watched as Jacob stilled, sinking slowly into a chair. "What happened?"
" Almost three weeks ago, we sent SG1 to a presurveryed planet. There were signs to indigenous life, but nothing close to the gate. On our end, eveything proceeded as planned, but something happened. As far as we can tell, Sg1 never reached their destination." George paused to let the information sink in. "We've sent three different teams to the planet, but there's been no sign of them, I've even sent teams to addresses along the flight plan and in the general vicinity. No sign of struggle...nothing."
"No communication?"
"None. I've put off declaring them MIA, but I'll have to soon. We've reached the end of our rope, and with the Asgard fighting their own war the Tok'ra are the only real allies we have now."
"What about the Tollan?"
George stemmed his anger at the memory of his meeting with the Tollan emissary. "They expressed their sincerest apologies, but declined to offer any assistance, and as usual also declined to offer any technical expertise that might explain what happened."
Jacob was silent for long moments, then his eyes flashed. " Is their any indication of a minor malfunction, General Hammond?"
George shook his head, shivering inside. No matter how many times he saw it, the tell-tale flashing would always unsettle him, not to mention the voice. "All we have is a change in the gate color from blue to purple, but it lasted less than a second. The only reason we found the glitch at all was because I had my people going over everything with a fine tooth comb."
"No disruption in electrical output?"
"None that our instruments could pick up."
Selmac sighed. "We will return to the Tok'ra and see if any of our scientists can discover what happened to your people as soon as we have leave to go, General."
"Of course," Hammond stood, gesturing for Selmac to walk ahead of him. "Can I speak to Jacob?"
Selmac shook his head. "Jacob does not wish to speak now, General. This news has greatly disturbed him."
George nodded as he walked the ex-general to the gate-room. He couldnt even think of what he'd do if someone told him one of his granddaughters was missing. He just hoped there was some light at the end of the tunnel they were traveling in.
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Jack tossed the P-90 on the ground, fighting the urge to kick it. The sunlight was harsh after walking for four days in darkness, and it only served to taunt him. They had been so close to escaping, less than five hundred yards from sunlight, from safety. A distance that had proved too far for one of them.
He turned around, doing an automatic head count. Twelve. One less than thirteen.
"Legolas, get them up!"
Aragorn's voice cut through his thoughts, bringing him back to the situation at hand. Stopping outside an enemies front door wasnt the best of moves, even if the things refused to travel in sunlight. It was too close to sunset to chance it.
"Give them a moment for pities sake!"
The colonel sighed at Boromir's words. As much as he wanted a moment, both for himself and his friends, they didnt have one. He looked at their faces, each one carrying an expression of shocked disbelief. He expected the old wizard to come out of the mines at any moment, asking why the long faces.
"By nightfall these hills will be crawling with orcs. We must reach the forest of Lothlorien."
Lothlorien. Golden Wood. Jack translated the words without thinking. Pretty name. Shaking himself, he turned around, leaving his gun on the rocks. He was out of ammo anyway, and he was sure everyone else was. All their supplies were still in the mines.
"On your feet, sir," Aragorn said to Sam, pulling him gently but firmly to his feet. The hobbit stood there for a moment before Daniel walked over to him, herding him to where Gimli was waiting with Boromir. Jack moved to help Legolas, who was having a hard time detaching Merry and Pip.
"We must leave now, while we still have a chance," the elf was whispering. "Else Gandalf's sacrifice will have been for nothing."
When this earned him no response Jack swallowed his pity, pulling Merry and Pippin up with the elf's help. "Come one, we can cry later. Now we move, or we may as well have died back there with him."
The harsh words got Merry's attention, and he wipped away his tears, staring defiantly at Jack. Pip looked up once before scrubing his face and following Merry down to where everyone was waiting, but that one look told Jack everything he needed to know. Pip was blaming himself for what happened. Jack squashed the small part of him that screamed that it was his fault. That if he kept his hands to himself, they would have made it out without anyone being the wiser. Gandalf made his choice. He'd stayed behind by choice.
But those thoughts didnt make it any easier.
"You guys all right?" He asked when he came on his team. Both Sam and Daniel looked closer to crying than he'd seen them in a long time, but they nodded without saying a word. Teal'c was wearing his usual stoic face, but Jack could see the small creases around his eyes that betrayed his emotions.
"What's our status on ammo?"
Sam chucked her gun. "I'm out of ammo, sir. Got two clips on me for my sidearm, and three grenades.
"Same here, Jack."
"I still posses my zatni'kata, O'Neill."
He fought the urge to curse but forced himself to look on the brightside; some ammo was better than no ammo. "Conserve what you've got. If we hit hostiles only shoot what you can hit," he knew he didnt need to say it, but he had to say something.
"Jack, are you ready?"
O'Neill found Aragorn, standing ready at the base of the hills. "Yeah, we'll take up the rear."
The ranger nodded before running nimbly down the rocks, Legolas and the hobbits following without difficulty. Boromir and Gimli were right behind them, following with only a little difficulty. Jack cringed as he started running after them. Their trip was already testing the limits to his endurance, and he wondered how Daniel and Sam were faring. There was one thing he knew for certain: he was really getting too old for this.
He breathed a silent prayer of thanks when they finished scrambling over the sun-heated rocks and began running across a flat plain. In the distance he could see trees, tall ones that looked like a cross between a redwood and an oak tree, and they got taller the closer they came. Jack wanted to ask if that was their destination, but kept quiet. Their run had been done completely in silence, a game of follow the leader. At the moment, he wondered if he could find somewhere where no one could see or hear him and puke. Ever since training he'd gotten sick after the adrenaline was out of his system. The docs said it was because his body couldnt process the excess hormone once it wasnt needed anymore. An unusual disorder, actually, affecting only one in about five million.
Lucky him.
O'Neill fought the urge to laugh when they finally reached the shade. They had been running almost non stop for the better part of three hours, and he wasnt sure if he was going to pass out or throw up. Daniel wasnt doing much better, and he'd never seen Sam turn that particular color before. It was at least ten degrees cooler under the trees than it was in the sun, and with a small stream trickling near by he wanted nothing more than to plunge his head in and sit there, but that was wistful thinking. More than likely they'd be ushered off somewhere before they could finish blinking.
Johnathan, your coming was foretold.
Jack stumbled, looking around. It felt like someone had taken a two-by-four and just missed a homerun swing at his head. No one else acted like they'd heard anything.
We are waiting for you.
If it had been up to him, Jack would have called a halt and turned everyone around. Something was definately not right about this place. He'd seen an image for a split second. Eyes. Cold, deep blue eyes that made him feel like they saw right through him.
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Aragorn breathed a sigh of relief when they reached the shade under the tall trees, slowing down from a fast trot to a crawl. They were safe, at least as safe as they could be considering their quest. He couldnt see them, but he knew they were being watched. Lothlorien had guardians that saw everything, and acted if they didnt like what they saw, and not all those guardians were elves.
You have traveled far, Ranger.
Aragorn didnt stop. He knew that cool voice better, it seemed, than he knew his own.
We know of your quest, and offer you sanctuary.
The ranger closed his eyes in relief. There had been a small part of him that feared his people would be ushered through the wood quickly. They all were in desperate need of rest, both mentally and physically, and he was now responsible for making sure they got it. He laughed to himself when he heard Gimli describing the Lady of the Wood. Elf-witch indeed. Elf, yes. Witch, no, but one of the most powerful beings he'd met in his long life.
"Halt."
The words were quiet, but the threat was very real. The watchers had made themselves known, and now his group was surrounded by elves, all of them with weapons drawn and ready.
"A dwarf breathes so loud we could have shot him in the dark."
Haldir. The elf hadnt changed in the fifty years he'd known him. "Haldir."
The elf bowed slightly to Aragorn, then moved his attention to Legolas. The prince stood, arrow ready to fly. It surprised Aragorn that the elf would respond this way to his own people, but he knew why. With their cargo no one could be trusted on sight alone, and for the moment, the elf's allegiance was to Frodo and the quest, no one else.
"Aragorn, I suggest we find another route. These woods are perilous."
Haldir scoffed at Gimli's words.
"You cannot leave. The only route left is foreward, and the lady awaits."
Aragorn nodded, gesturing his people to follow him, as if they had a choice. "We follow Haldir to the Great City. There we will find rest and medicine for those who need it."
"Are you sure this is wise, Aragorn?" Boromir asked quietly. The human didnt like elves. Like most of his people, anything that wasnt human was automatically suspect.
Aragorn chuckled bitterly. "Even if I didnt, we have no choice. We are outnumbered and too exhausted to fight a company of elves. Haldir and his people mean us no harm, Boromir."
Boromir nodded and Aragorn heaved a large sigh as they began to pick up pace again. The city was a few hours journey into the trees, but it was too close to sunset to attempt the trip at the moment. He hoped his companions wouldnt take the delay as a sign of something more sinister in the elves actions.
"It has been many years since I've seen something weigh so heavily on you, Aragorn,"Haldir said quietly as they trotted side by side.
"It has been many years since we last met, my friend," the ranger answered.
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Sam swore she was going to figure out how elves managed to move so quietly.They could put a group of Special Forces to shame when it came to silent running. She'd asked Legolas after he snuck up on her one night, and his reply was because elves were more intune with nature than other creatures, allowing them to move among it with little or no disturbance, much the same way the hobbits could plod along happily but seem to barely disturb the grass they walked on. Still, it had to be something that could be learned, because Aragorn managed the feat just fine.
Then again, he'd had over eighty years to perfect it.
She cursed when a tree root decided to get in her way. They were running again, trying to keep up with their 'escort', who she knew was probably going about a third of their usual pace. The major was on her way to having a personal meeting with the ground when a hand reached out and steadied her.
"Careful young one."
Sam cringed. The woman looked younger than she did, and was probably a whole lot older. Some people just had all the luck.
Just when she was wondering if Teal'c could carry her when she passed out, they stopped. It was then that she noticed that it was almost sunset. A shrill bird cry cut through the air, and was answered by another. A rope was dropped down from the tree closest to them, and she watched as the elves scrambled up it one by one without difficulty. Where they went was anyones guess.
"Please, lady," Haldir held the rope out to her, and she took it. Once she found a good grip and was still trying to find the strength to pull herself up, she felt a yank. The rope was pulled up so fast everything became a blur, and when it stopped she looked down. She had to be at least thirty feet above the ground.
"Wow," she whispered, taking the hand that was reaching out from the surrounding leaves. Another pull, and she found herself standing on a platform that twined around the trunk of the tree. Now that she was at their level she could see several other platforms, all attached by thick ropes.
One by one the rest of their companions were hoisted into the tree, and Sam sat down and watched, grateful for the break. Her legs and feet were on fire, and she would have sworn on a stack of bibles that someone was pouring napalm into her lungs.
"Here."
One of the elves handed her a water skin, and Sam took it, reminding herself not to drink too fast. No sense in throwing up on some unsuspecting person walking below them. The water was cold, crisp, and eased the dry rasping in her throat. "Thank you."
The elf smiled. " I am Nera. We have been watching you since you escaped the mines. We will rest here the night. Goblins and orcs have already left Moria to track you," Sam shivered, remembering the creatures that had swarmed them, but the elf smiled kindly. "You have nothing to fear. Few of their number would be so foolish as to venture into the Wood. Those orcs who have dared are never allowed to leave."
Sam started at the vehemenance behind the word 'orc'. It was the same heated anger that she'd noted in Legolas's voice in the mines. "What are orcs, anyway?"
The elfs blue eyes clouded over. "They were elves, long ago, before the dark one took them, tortured and mutilated them until nothing remained that was good or pure. They are a ruined form of life, one that should never have existed. They hate us, their closest relatives, and do not hesitate to harm us if they are able. It is their favorite sport." He looked away. "Many of our brethren have been killed or worse by them over the centuries."
Sam was puzzled. "Why do they hate you?"
Nera frowned. "They hate that we are what we are, that our people escaped when theirs didnt. I have been told that the life of an orc is filled with pain and suffering, one that cannot be cured. Their hatred eats them alive."
"Do you hate them?"
"I have lost two brothers to orc raids in my life. But I feel more...pity than anything else."
With that, he was gone, dissapearing among the leaves.
Frodo breathed a sigh of relief when he was finally sitting on the platform. Fear had kept him moving during the long run to Lothlorien. Fear of being caught in the dark with those creatures again without Gandalf there to aid them. Now he could feel every bruise and scrape starting at the soles of his feet and ending somewhere above his head. The worst was the fire seeping from his left side where the spear had pinned him to the wall.
"Are you well, Frodo?"
He wanted to scream at the soft question from Aragorn. No, he wasnt well, and he'd never be well again. His friends were dying, and it was his fault. "I'm fine, Aragorn, just tired."
The ranger stood back for a moment, then leaned in. "I wish to see your side, Frodo."
NO NO NO NO NO! He just wants the ring for himself. The moment you're not looking he'll take it, they all will!
Frodo blinked, the thought leaving his head before he really had a chance to understand. All he knew was a burning anger had passed through him, an indignation that left him weak and shaking in its wake. "Please, Aragorn. It feels like this armor is becoming a part of me."
Three sharp elvish words later Aragorn, Legolas, and another elf were leaning over him. The outer shirt was no problem, but the pain began when Aragorn tugged at the chain mail. It felt like the man was pulling his ribs out through his skin.
"Easy, Frodo, easy," Aragorn said something to the elf, who shook his head. The ranger sighed. "I fear there is little we can do for the pain, Frodo. The elves have nothing here, and it is too dangerous to go looking for herbs while we are so close to Lothlorien's borders."
Frodo nodded and braced himself, but he screamed anyway when the mail was pulled again. He looked down at the blood seeping through the mesh and winced. Only a small section had come loose.
"What's going on?" Jack's voice cut through the pain and the hobbit sagged in relief. He would have at least another few minutes before they tried to remove the mithril again.
Quiet words were exchanged above him, and Frodo watched as Jack pulled a case out of his vest pocket. He reached inside, and pulled out a small white object about the size of one of Bilbo's thimbles.
"Frodo? I need you to listen, okay?" Jack was leaning over him now, Aragorn and Legolas standing behind him like two guardians. "I need you to drink as much water as you can. When you're done I'm going to give you something for the pain. It's gonna sting, but then you'll start feeling sleepy, so dont fight it, just let it take you to sleep, okay?"
Frodo nodded, taking the water skin he was handed and drinking his fill. He nodded to Jack, who stuck him with the thimble. He was right, it did sting, but then he started to feel like he was floating, and everything was getting further and further away. The last thing he heard before he floated away was Aragorn asking if he was all right.
"Are you crazy, Jack? Do you have any idea what an opiate could do to his system? What if he's allergic? What about his size?"
Daniel was livid, but not without good cause. Jack could have just killed this worlds only hope for survival with one quick punch of morphine.
"Relax, Danny. I didnt even push it all the way. I'm used to giving kids a punch when they need it. He'll sleep until their done workin' on him."
Daniel looked down to where Legolas and Aragorn were carefully removing Frodo's chainmail. The chinks had dug deep into his side, pulling away most of the skin as they were removed. The result was a large, sluggishly bleeding mass that looked too painful. At least he was breathing all right, which meant no broken ribs, but that didnt keep them from being bruised, but Daniel found it difficult to believe that the small hobbit had ran such a great distance without a word of complaint.
Jack leaned down and lifted one eyelid, smiling when the pupil contracted slightly in the soft light. "He'll be fine. Probably sleep through the night and then some.He needs it."
"What is that you gave him? It worked right quickly."
"Daniel?"
Daniel sighed. Just like Jack to cause the question and leave him to answer it. "Its a medicine made out of a flower on our world. Many drugs are made from it, most of which are beneficial, but can also be deadly if taken too much or too often."
Aragorn's head shot up. "This will not harm him, will it?"
"No. It takes time to build up an addiction. Taking it only for pain isnt a problem."
The ranger sighed in relief, and Daniel had to fight the urge to be offended. "We wouldnt give him anything that would harm him, Aragorn."
"I know," Aragorn sighed. "It is just that you sounded so concerned, I feared the worst."
Daniel smiled. "Dont worry. Jack has more experience with this than I do. His heart was in the right place, which usually means his head was lagging behind."
The other man laughed. "Gandalf said that of me when I was young. It took long years to curb my impatience."
"How many?"
The smile widened. "Oh, about eighty or so."
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