Disclaimer: Not mine...never will be. All characters and recurring themes belong to MGM and their perspective owners. The only thing I claim as my own is the plot.

A/N: Ok, I have a couple of things this time. First of all, I realized that in Chapter 1, I said that it was April 13. That isn't true...it's actually NOVEMBER 13! Sorry about that discrepancy.

Secondly, this is un-Beta'd (seeing as how I, as of now, am still lacking one), so all screw-ups (including but not limited to grammatical errors, misspelling of names and places, and other mistakes) are mine and mine alone. So please don't go blaming anyone.

Thirdly, I have never written from Teal'c's point of view. In fact, he usually plays a minor character in all of my ideas and stories, seeing as I'm always afraid to write him (since he's SO different than me). So if anyone has any qualms with his character in this, please tell me and I will attempt to edit and fix it. I truly love the character and would love to have him as a more prominent figure in some of my other tentative story ideas, so I am honestly attempting to learn how to write his character.

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Chapter 3: Flight to Fight

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Teal'c strode quickly along the forest floor, his tread light despite his size and weight. Behind him, he could hear the pursuing tramp of a Jaffa patrol, their armor clinking as they ran. He mentally raised an eyebrow at their apparent lack of the ability for stealth, although that merely enabled him to stay out of their clutches all the easier.

Dusk was just falling, fog rising from the murky forest floor more thickly, shadows caressing the bases of the trees as the sun set, gilding the leaves high in the canopy a brilliant gold. Teal'c kept to the shadows, moving swiftly to keep ahead of the search for him.

He had sent Daniel Jackson to aid Colonel O'Neill and Major Carter, preparing to follow in his wake while he himself held off the attackers for as long as he could, giving the others a chance to break through the opposing ranks of Jaffa hindering their attempt at reaching the Gate. At which time, Teal'c had been planning on retreating, meeting up with the other members of his team as they neared the Chappa'ai and their escape to Earth.

However, the gunfire that he had been hearing in irregular intervals died away suddenly, the forest in the general location of where his team had been battling suddenly stilling. It was in that moment that Teal'c knew that, once again, things had not gone according to plan.

He had quickly broken off his attack, retreating back the way they had come, deciding that keeping out of clutches of the false god that had captured his friends would be the best course of action.

Thus, he had spent the last two hours leading the Jaffa patrols in meandering lines, attempting to formulate a plan on how to make his way back to the Stargate and back to the SGC, where he could enlist the aid of General Hammond to rescue his teammates.

Teal'c paused, looking up through the towering trees, his eyes following the outline of a rocky precipice that stretched a jagged finger up into the violet sky. Glancing over his shoulder, Teal'c broke into a jog, making his hurried way to the base of the cliff.

Gazing upward, his suspicions were confirmed and he slung his staff weapon over his back, securing it with his jacket folded and tied across his chest. Then, he began the difficult ascent up the craggy rock face. Approximately twenty feet up into the air, a small, dark opening shone darkly against the gray stone that made up the cliff, the only indication of the cave cut deep into the rock.

Although the enemy Jaffa could perhaps deduce where he was, Teal'c knew that he would have the upper hand in a fire fight, seeing as he would be much higher in the air than his opponents, and thus would be able to fire down upon their heads. Also, the Jaffa would be forced to climb the cliff if they wished to attempt a frontal assault, in which case he would merely be able to shoot them before they were halfway up.

With one, final heave, the large man pulled his body torso over the lip of the cave, swinging the staff weapon tied to his back parallel with the cave floor, sliding it out of its makeshift holster and into the shadowed hole. He brought his knees up to the ground as well, crouching down, his hear barely brushing the top of the cave, and moved farther back. The cave quickly opened up, the ceiling rising and the walls of the small stone chamber receding.

After giving the cave a quick once-over to ensure that he was alone in the chamber, Teal'c returned to the mouth of the cave lying on his stomach and peering out over the edge. In the fading light, he could just barely make out half a dozen Jaffa appearing out of the thick foliage surrounding the base of the cliff. He quickly withdrew, listening intently.

"He came this way, I know he did," said one with a low, deep, gravelly voice.

"Well, he's not here now," said a second man, this one with a higher, more melodic tone.

"There are caves in these cliffs," said a third man.

"They're too high," scoffed the second man. "No one would be able to scale those rocks, let alone in the amount of time it took us to get here. No way."

Teal'c heard some mumbling, and then the tramping of the Jaffa patrol past the section of the cliff in which he was hiding in.

He relaxed momentarily, allowing his muscles to rest after their prolonged exercise. He then moved farther back into the cave, out of sight of the ground, and settled back against the wall, closing his eyes and formulating a plan.

He was going to have to make it back to the Gate. That much, at least, was clear. How he was to accomplish that, however, was another matter. He decided he would attempt to navigate the forest after nightfall, when the Jaffa would likely expect him to take refuge someplace, and would therefore not be searching in the open forest. Now the most pressing matter would be to determine in which direction the Gate was.

He shifted, his staff weapon sliding off of his crossed legs, skittering across the floor. Teal'c was silently reaching over to retrieve his escaped weapon when he paused, listening intently.

The faint echoing of a small showering of pebbles hitting metal resonated from the floor. With a slight frown, Teal'c began to sift his fingers through the gritty dirt that comprised the floor of the cave. His fingers brushed against something he had not been expecting: metal bars.

Working more quickly now, Teal'c began to sweep the gravel away and off to one side of the cave. After only a few seconds of efficient cleaning, Teal'c was able to make out a metal grate, slats of metal resting at angles to keep dust and rubble out of the shaft beneath.

Teal'c stood, gripping onto the grate with both hands, and heaved, pulling the makeshift trapdoor upwards. It swung open, the hinges protesting loudly at their sudden use. Teal'c lowered himself to one knee, examining the tunnel beneath.

Metal rungs led straight down into the darkness, the gleaming handholds becoming lost in the murky darkness far below. Shifting his weight, the large Jaffa lowered both his legs into the hole, gripping onto the edge of the shaft with one hand, grasping the metal grate with the other. As he began to descend, he pulled the grate shut, effectively blocking out most of the already filtered light.

He descended quickly and was soon swallowed up by shadow. As his hands and feet moved methodically, he considered his actions. He hoped that this would help lead him to where his friends were being kept, for he distinctly recognized the shaft leading downwards as a Goa'uld escape tunnel.

His left foot hit something hard and solid – the floor. Teal'c lowered the rest of his weight onto the ground, the metal platform staying firm and steady. He trailed his fingers along the wall, finally finding what it was he had been looking for. With a twist, he triggered the door opener, a small cavity opening close beside him.

Lights flickered to life in the mostly rounded tunnel, illuminating the small earthen passage. Teal'c gripped his staff weapon with a steady hand and began to pace down it, his eyes constantly roving from side to side. His mind was a riot of thoughts and tentative plans. If it was possible, he was going to free his friends now and escape with them. If that would prove to be impossible, he would merely ascertain that they were indeed in this facility, then would retreat to the SGC to procure backup and return with a greater force and firepower.

Teal'c suddenly stopped so he could hear better. He heard the sound of hurried footsteps rushing down the dirt corridor as well as the faint clank of mail alerting him to the fact that they were foe, not friend. He quickly retraced his steps, ducking through the door and into the shaft again. He drew back into the shadows, realizing that it was too late and the Jaffa too close for him to close the door without alerting them to his presence. He could only hope that the Jaffa coming to investigate would assume that it was a malfunction in the machinery that had opened the door, not an actual human being.

Two men stopped in front of the open door, their staff weapons held tightly at the ready. They peered into the shaft, examining the interior. Teal'c froze, remaining perfectly still. Their eyes flickered over him, not truly seeing him, much to his relief.

The first man snorted. "Just a glitch I suppose," he said. "I'm not entirely sure why he reacted so violently to this. These things happen from time to time."

"Well, Lord Belenus did just capture three new subjects," remarked the second man casually. "Perhaps, then, Del'idren believed that this was a rescue attempt."

"Well, looks like he was wrong," sighed the first man, triggering the door closed again.

Teal'c moved, slowly at first, then with more assurance. He now knew that his friends were indeed being held prisoner here, and he also realized that he, alone, would not be able to penetrate deep enough into the facility to facilitate an effective rescue. Because of this, he decided, he would return to the Gate and gather reinforcements, especially since he now knew a back way into the compound.

~SG-1~SG-1~SG-1~

"Unscheduled off world activation," came Harriman's voice over the intercom. "It's SG-1's IDC sir," he said, looking over his shoulder at General Hammond, who was standing just behind him.

Hammond nodded, giving the order to open the iris. Walter leaned over, palming open the protective metal shield that covered the event horizon.

A lone figure exited the shimmering puddle, his size and weapon alerting Hammond to the fact that it was Teal'c. Behind him, the Gate deactivated, throwing the Gateroom into seeming darkness.

A slight frown creasing his eyebrows, Hammond descended the steps, entering the Gateroom as Teal'c descended the ramp.

"Where's the rest of SG-1?" Hammond asked Teal'c, a growing knot of anxiety forming in his stomach.

"The other members of my team were captured by a minor Goa'uld, General Hammond," Teal'c informed him with a nod.

Hammond nodded, not entirely surprised. When did anything ever go right for his flagship team?

"Request permission to return through the Gate to P3R-687 with reinforcements," Teal'c stated almost immediately, something else that didn't surprise Hammond greatly.

"Debriefing first," Hammond ordered. "We need to know what happened out there, Teal'c." The Jaffa nodded, relinquishing his staff weapon to the Airman that stepped forward to relieve him of his weapon.

"Go to the infirmary," stated Hammond. "We'll debrief in half an hour."

~SG-1~SG-1~SG-1~

"The mission to P3R-687 began as proposed," began Teal'c, who was sitting immediately to Hammond's left at the large oak table in the Briefing Room. Across from him sat Major Griff, the current leader of SG-2. Filling the remaining seats were the other members of SG-2, all of them watching Teal'c expectantly.

"Upon arriving, Major Carter took her accustomed soil samples. We then began to sweep the area, per your orders, General Hammond." Hammond nodded, watching Teal'c with his hands folded loosely on the table in front of him.

"Approximately three clicks south of the Stargate, Daniel Jackson discovered ancient ruins similar to those of an ancient culture called the Celts. He began to explore the ruins with Major Carter, while Colonel O'Neill and I secured the perimeter. As we were completing our perimeter sweep, however, a small squad of Jaffa exited the trees. They opened fire and Colonel O'Neill ordered us retreat back to the Stargate, not wishing to engage them in battle.

We were nearing the clearing in which the Stargate stood when we were ambushed by a second squad of Jaffa. Colonel O'Neill and Major Carter attempted to outflank them and attack from the rear, but it seems as if they, too, were met with secondary opposition. Daniel Jackson and I held the path until the sheer numbers were too much. Daniel Jackson retreated to inform Colonel O'Neill of our predicament.

However, as I was preparing to follow, the forest around me fell silent, and I could no longer hear the sounds of fighting. I attempted to make contact with Colonel O'Neill, but he did not respond.

I deduced that they had been captured, and thus decided to take evasive actions and attempt to return through the Stargate. I avoided the Jaffa patrols hunting me. Just before sunset, I discovered a cliff, in which there was a cave that I sought refuge in.

Due to luck, I discovered a Goa'uld escape tunnel leading down underground. I followed it, but upon opening the hatch, I undoubtedly set off an alarm. Two Jaffa guards came to investigate the open door, and I realized then that I would not be able to infiltrate the compound and rescue my friends alone. I affirmed that Colonel O'Neill, Daniel Jackson, and Major Carter were, indeed, in the facility, then retreated through the Stargate."

Teal'c fell silent, staring around with an impassive face. One of the members of SG-2 was staring slightly at Teal'c, apparently having never heard him speak so many words in a row before.

Major Griff spoke up. "Sir," he said, addressing General Hammond. "Requesting permission to lead a rescue mission to retrieve SG-1. It sounds to me like there's a relatively straightforward point of entry into the facility that is only minimally guarded." He opened his mouth to continue his argument, attempting to convince General Hammond to allow him to go.

General Hammond cut him off. "Permission granted," he said decisively, standing. "You leave at 1300 hours."

~SG-1~SG-1~SG-1~

Teal'c stood in the Gateroom, watching as the Stargate spun, the chevrons locking into place. He heard SG-2 entering the room and turned to look at them.

Major Griff accepted his P90 from the waiting Airman, turning to watch the Gate like Teal'c.

"You seemed most anxious to mount the rescue mission," Teal'c commented.

"Yeah, well, you four have saved me and my team's asses more times than I can count," he said, checking the magazine in his gun. He snapped clip back into place and snapping it to the buckle on his vest, looking up at Teal'c. "Just knocking off another debt owed," he said, smiling tightly.

Teal'c nodded understandingly as the seventh chevron locked and the Gate opened with its customary splash.

"SG-2 and Teal'c, you have a go," General Hammond instructed over the microphone. "Bring them home people, and Godspeed." Major Griff turned and saluted the leader of the base, Teal'c giving Hammond his customary nod of the head.

With that, the two mounted the ramp, the other three members of SG-2 falling in behind them.

With the strange feeling that always came with Gate travel, Teal'c found himself back on P3R-687, looking upon the exact trees as he had almost 24 hours previously.

Behind him Teal'c heard the Stargate disengage, then the thud of four pairs of boots tramping down the stone steps that lead to the dais upon which the Gate rested. Teal'c turned, his staff weapon held behind him.

"Which way, Teal'c?" Major Griff asked, stepping down beside the large Jaffa.

"The tunnel leading into the Goa'uld compound is this way," Teal'c said, indicating the direction of the cliff.

"Teal'c, you lead the way. Pierce, you watch our sixes," Griff ordered, and with that, the members of SG-2, with Teal'c in the lead, fell into step, making their way through the dense undergrowth, on their way to rescue the hostage members of SG-1.