Chapter Three- A Winter Wonderland

SG-2 and the Search and Rescue teams stepped onto the planet, the snow crystals frosting their goggles. "Well isn't this a winter wonderland?" Ferretti commented, adjusting his hood.

"MALP reports its 23 degrees. Wind: ESE at 41 mph. Visibility: Poor." Guzman announced as he read the controls on the drone.

"Anybody found the DHD yet?" Ferretti called out in his comm.

"OOF! I think I found it sir." Major Thomas yelled out, using his ice pick to hack at the ice covering the DHD.

Colonel Sanchez shuffled over to Ferretti. "Who will be in command of the mission, major?"

"We'll follow your lead, colonel, as this isn't a battle situation." Ferretti said.

"Okay, we have a missing man on a big planet during a blizzard. Colonel O'Neill said that they fell into a river that was approximately 500 yards from the gate and were washed down the terrain. They came up near a hot spring and Dr. Jackson was last seen being sucked underneath the ice floes. River was pretty swift according to the major."

"It would depend how long he stayed in the river and how long he could hold his breath." Mendez pointed out, her hand on Sparky.

"Dr. Jackson is smart. I'll say he's already heading back now."

Colonel Sanchez thought. "I'd say we stay together and follow the river to the hot spring areas. We can hope one of the dogs will pick up a scent."

"That chance slims down with every foot that's added to the ground."

"So what are we waiting for?" Rivera remarked.

"You're right. Get those dogs moving!" Sanchez ordered. Rivera, Mendez, and Hayes used their whistles to order the dogs to start. The thirteen searchers moved to the river and followed the dogs as the scent trail moved downward.

Janet Fraiser scribbled down the figures that were lower than she would have liked down onto her clipboard. The two lumps on either side of her were the two officers in her care for the time being. Even though they had four thick blankets on them, she could still see that they were jumped when a cold hand touched hers.

"Daniel?" The colonel's voice was thick and slurred.

Putting her clipboard down, Janet took his hand in hers. "I'm sorry, colonel. He isn't here. General Hammond has sent four teams after him along with three dogs. They'll find him, colonel."

"Carter?"

"She's right here, safe and sound. And Teal'c is in his room, preparing to lead another team to find Daniel."

"Should've be out there." The colonel's voice was getting clearer.

"Not in this condition. You won't make it a second out there in that blizzard."

"Should've known it was ice."

"Even Teal'c was fooled." Seeing that the colonel's eyes were beginning to droop, she pulled the blankets in closer around him. "Go to sleep." Jack's eyes slid close as he slid into an uneasy sleep. "You better come home, Daniel." She whispered to nobody.

Snow crunched beneath his feet as he moved over the frozen terrain. Three hours since he got up from his little nap. He had seen what he thought of as squirrels but with fangs and horns. Wonder what Jack would have said if he had seen those. Daniel thought to himself.

Reaching up, he pulled the hood further down over his face. A Daniel-popsicle. He could see the indentation where the river was. . He wasn't shivering as much now. The only thing he hoped was the Stargate was close and that river didn't take him far.

He walked forward, not seeing the giant roots of the trees sticking up from the ground. He let out a yell as he started his descent downwards. Pain shot through his arm and ankle as the bones broke as the ice covering the river cracked beneath the impact, the dark water of the river coming up to engulf him.