Time and Motion
Chapter 6
"This is just nuts!" Jack had repeated the same mantra so many times now he'd lost track. Rushing headlong into a cyclone was not his idea of an ideal mission, but then again nothing about this particular mission was ideal. Glancing back over his shoulder, he caught sight of Teal'c's bulky form struggling his way through the thick underbrush, carrying Daniel safely in his arms. Shaking his head, Jack had no idea how Daniel could sleep through the deafening sounds of Mother Nature in her bad mood.
With his eyes on the horizon, Jack flinched, multiple lightning strikes arcing through the sky leaving a latent image on his retinas. "Damn," raising a hand to rub his eyes, he muttered, "that was bright." Checking Teal'c was still with him he set off again, shoulder into the wind and head down. "Couldn't see the enemy if he sat on me in this weather."
Following the well-worn path, Jack called for a brief stop, guiding Teal'c to a sheltered outcropping of rocks. Laying Daniel down in his sleeping bag, he ran his hand through the boy's hair and whispered, "The kid could always sleep through anything."
"He has been talking in an unknown language in his sleep."
"He does that a lot, T." Pulling the sleeping bag up higher, Jack stood up and stretched. "Grab something to eat while you can, I'll sit with Danny."
Teal'c tilted his head and nodded briefly, moving away a short distance and leaving Jack with his sleeping friend.
"Carter, come in." Jack hunched into his jacket, the wind whistling around his ears. "Come on, Major, wakey, wakey."
"I hear you, Colonel."
Sam's voice was thready and Jack could hear her tension, "Major, what's your position?"
"Heading your way, sir. Wind speed has picked up in the last hour. I estimate we are approximately one mile from your location. Strong head winds are hampering our movement."
"Teal'c and I have taken shelter in a rocky outcropping on the edge of the forest tree-line. We'll rest here for a few minutes before setting off again."
"Acknowledged, sir. Janet wants to know Daniel's condition."
Taking a quick glance down at Daniel, Jack placed a finger on the pulse point of his neck. "Tell doc he's sleeping, Carter. Pulse is a little fast but he's been coherent the last few times he's been awake. Seizures have stopped for now but we've seen a definite connection between their frequency and the changing weather conditions."
Tapping his foot impatiently at the delay in responding, Jack lifted the radio back up to his mouth. "You still there, Carter?"
"Sorry, sir, Janet was asking me a question. How does Daniel look physically?"
With a frown, Jack wondered how in hell he'd answer that, so pulling the sleeping bag down a fraction he shone his penlight slightly away from Daniel's eyes. Flinching, he saw Daniel looked about the same age as Charlie had been before his accident. "Crap," he murmured, "not now, O'Neill."
"Roughly eight years old, Carter." Eight? Was that right? Daniel was lying on his side and Jack reached down to rub the back of his neck, turning the small head gently in his direction, "No, more like ten. I don't know. I don't do the kid thing well."
"That's okay-," Suddenly the radio hissed and Jack tapped it out of habit, knowing full well it was the weather jamming the signal, not anything mechanical.
"Carter?" Jack snapped, yelling above the rising din of the storm. "Carter!"
"Sor.., Sir. Elec...cal act….y in…asing-," When the radio hissed once more, Jack knew there was trouble, "Aw crap!" Tugging the sleeping bag back up around Daniel he ventured out to the edge of the outcropping. Looking at the night sky he was bathed in a brilliant blue hue, a bolt of lightning striking the ground barely one hundred feet from their position. Staggering backwards, Jack reached out behind him, breaking his fall as he hit the ground butt first. "Holy hell," he bellowed, "Teal'c?" Shaking his stinging hands, Jack twisted his body sideways and scrambled back to where he'd left Daniel, sucking in lung-fulls of ozone-heavy oxygen along the way.
"Here, O'Neill!"
The relief on Jack's face was evident as he saw his friend stagger towards Daniel, scooping up their discarded packs as he went. Watching as Teal'c turned Daniel over, Jack flinched when the boy suddenly screamed, his legs thrashing violently inside the confines of the sleeping bag, "Hold on to him!" Jack yelled, ignoring the pain in his knees and hands as he scrambled across the rocky, broken ground.
"Noooo!" Daniel's pain-filled voice filled the air, his body twisting and contorting.
"Crap," Jack muttered, cursing every weather god he could think of as he threw himself down next to Daniel and fought to hold onto his flailing arms and legs. "Watch his head, Teal'c. Help me get him back on his side,"
Moving a seizing body was not an easy task, even when that body was only ten years old, but with the unpracticed skill of a soldier not trained to be a medic, Jack neatly placed Daniel in the recovery position. "There you go, buddy," he whispered, locking his knees into Daniel's back to stop him from turning over.
Several breath-holding moments later the seizure was over, leaving small tremors coursing through Daniel's overtaxed body.
"Whoa." Jack leaned forward, unzipping the mostly discarded sleeping bag and ran his eyes across Daniel's body. His Lhavanian's robe was tight across his chest. Once reaching down to Daniel ankles, it now sat slightly twisted above his knees.
"I believe DanielJackson has endured another growth period," Teal'c declared, letting go of Daniel's shoulders.
"That would be an understatement." Sliding back onto his butt, Jack massaged his temples, the ghost of an impeding headache adding to his list of aches and pains. "I'm guessing a couple more years." Rubbing his tired eyes, Jack looked up at the inky black night, "Lets get him covered up and-,"
"Nngh." Daniel's voice was barely audible.
Leaning in close, Jack brushed the sweat-soaked bangs gently. "Hey, kiddo, you okay there?"
Jack watched Daniel shake his head, the fog of sleep lingering. Running his tongue across his dry lips, Daniel turned slowly onto his back. "Thirsty!"
"I know, Teal'c's got some water. Do you think you can manage some?" A glance in Teal'c's direction told him the Jaffa was already one step ahead of him, holding his canteen out ready to assist. Threading an arm behind Daniel's neck Jack helped him sit up and pressed the canteen to his lips. "Just a little, Daniel, don't want you bringing it straight back up."
Satisfied Daniel had taken enough water, he withdrew the canteen. Watching a stray dribble running down his friend's chin, he thumbed it away. "Better?"
Daniel nodded slowly, and wincing at the motion, he let out moan. "Uh huh."
Jack chuckled and grabbed a safety blanket from his pack. Wrapping it securely around Daniel's lean shoulders, he asked, "You sure? Doesn't sound like it to me."
Furrowing his brow, Daniel opened a lazy, bloodshot eye and looked at Jack, a small look of confusion flashing across his face. "Jack?"
"That's my name."
"Home?"
"No, not yet but we're getting there. Do you remember where you are?"
Daniel shook his head. "Not really." Opening up his other eye, he held up his arms and frowned. "Not a dream?"
"Not this time. You touched a device and all hell broke loose." Jack watched as Daniel started to list sideways, his eyes drooping, barely able to fend off sleep, "Wanna lay down again?" he asked, gripping Daniel firmly by the shoulders.
"No! Just tell me, what was this device supposed to be?" The chubby, boyish curves of Daniel's face had disappeared, and Jack could see the man Daniel would be.
"O-okay, this might be tricky." With an apologetic shrug, Jack scowled, thinking how to explain to a kid, what he didn't understand himself. Deciding defence was the best offence, he neatly lobbed the ball back into Daniel's court. "Don't you remember?" Crouching down, Jack watched his young friend's face crinkle with confusion.
"No, I don't remember anything. Well, except you! I think." Sitting up and reaching for the canteen, Daniel took another long drink and sniffed loudly. "Ah, so, what are you exactly? Military right? Not my dad? No, you don't look the scholarly type!" With a grin at Jack's grunt of outrage, Daniel laughed softly. "Sorry, you look real smart!"
"Yeah, well, I get by, Doctor Smart Ass." Standing up slowly, and casually ruffling Daniel's already messy hair, Jack nodded at Teal'c. "Hey, T, can you believe this kid? We carry him miles through this crappy weather and this is the thanks we get!" Shaking his head, he complained, "I'm hurt!"
Jack was a man of outstanding intuition. A sad smile crossed his face as he felt Daniel's pain and uncertainty. He knew the boy wanted to trust him, to know he was safe, but understood Daniel's trust was hard won.
Seeing Daniel's eyes brim with unshed tears, his fists bunching tightly, Jack held his hand out. "Hey, come on." Dragging him to his feet, he hugged the trembling body tightly. "We'll be okay, and Carter will fix this." Swaying back and forth, Jack sighed softly.
~oOo~
"We'll be okay, and Carter will fix this."
Jack's nut-brown eyes met Daniel's, willing him to believe in him. With a slight nod, Daniel's head dropped to his chest, as if unwilling to let the older man see the tears in his eyes. Distracted by Daniel's misery, Jack took his eyes off the ball. A cardinal sin. With a start, he cursed under his breath as one of the Lhavanian's hissed behind his ear.
"I don't think your female companion will be fixing anything."
"What the hell?" Jack's reactions were too slow, and as he turned in the direction of the voice, he cursed as his weapon was snatched away. "Bastard!" Grim faced and dangerous, Jack made a step towards the priest. "Big mistake!"
"Oh, I don't think so." With a look Jack could only describe as feral, Zahur kicked out expertly, felling Jack cleanly.
Jack hit the ground hard, and as he twisted his head, he saw Teal'c restrained by three more priests. Wheezing, desperate to suck in air, he caught his friend's gaze and gave his head a quick shake. They were outnumbered and he had underestimated the priests' fighting abilities. They were powerful, and Jack knew instinctively they wouldn't hesitate to kill.
Twisting, Jack fought to throw Zahur off balance. He needed to find Teal'c and Daniel, but Zahur was stronger than Jack gave him credit for, applying more forward pressure than Jack anticipated. Grabbing hold of Zahur's foot, he arched his back off the ground and tossed the man backwards, barely sparing him a second look as Zahur cried out in pain.
Making good his escape, Jack spotted Daniel off to the right, thrashing around under the weight of two of Zahur's priests. "Get off him!" Jack roared, running and throwing himself at Daniel's handlers headfirst. Grateful his aim was true, Jack grunted as the momentum of his body knocked the two men off balance, sending them sprawling several feet away. "Run!" He yelled, rolling to his feet.
A flying kick hit him hard. Grunting with surprise, he felt his arms yanked behind his back. Forced to his knees, Jack hissed, "Bastards," his face bleak and cold.
"You are dead, Zahur." Jack's eyes bored into the priest's. "If you harm Daniel I will make your dying breath excruciating."
"Colonel, enough, you make this harder than it needs to be."
Following Zahur's gaze, Jack suddenly felt totally useless. Daniel was lying face-down on the muddy ground, a trickle of blood oozing from a cut on his temple. "Oh for Christ sake, he's just a boy!"
Zahur released Jack's hair, and sighed again. "The boy is stunned, he is not harmed. None of this would be necessary if you'd just left him with us." Clicking his fingers, he ordered Daniel to be brought to him. "He is ours." Bringing his hand back, Zahur slapped Jack's face, "Do not throw your life and that of your companion's way, Colonel." Taking Daniel by the arm and ordering Jack and Teal'c be restrained, Zahur said softly, "This is not our way; you have forced this upon yourselves."
To be continued…