The cool rain falling on his face woke him up. "Daniel? Carter? Teal'c?" he murmured, unable to speak above a whisper. He shivered, feeling disoriented and confused. Eventually things started to clear and he realized he had to move.
He grunted as he pushed himself up, managing to get on his hands and knees, although not without some pain and a lot of stiffness. He stayed there as he caught his breath, and then forced himself to stand.
He took some deep breaths, although that did little but make the pain increase. It did, however, work to clear his mind, at least enough to know that he had to figure out what had happened to him and to find his teammates.
After a few more minutes of slow breathing and trying to relax he was able to look around and determine where he was. He knew he must be on a mission, but other than that nothing was clear.
He carefully studied the area around him, frowning at the tents and then the cart and – what the hell? There were animals that looked something like horses but were different enough to not be that animal. Both were tied up, contentedly munching on the grass and bushes around them.
He suddenly realized how thirsty he was and tried licking his lips but let out a small yelp when discovering how chapped and sore they were. On top of that, the pain he'd felt on regaining consciousness had steadily gotten worse. What the hell had happened to him?
A picture of Sam flashed in his mind, a Sam who was hurt. She needed him and – yes, he'd gone to get help. He closed his eyes and tried to calm himself. He had to remember. Sam was counting on him.
The pieces started to fall in place when suddenly everything came back to him and the memories flooded his mind. He sat down, hard, and had trouble catching his breath as all the pain and shame washed over him. That was followed again by a thought of Carter. He'd left her too long. He knew she could already be dead, although he refused to let that thought linger. He had to save her. He had promised, he never left anyone behind – and he damn well wasn't going to start with Sam.
"Move your ass, O'Neill," he told himself. He could wallow in pain and anger later. First, he had to save his teammate.
He pushed himself back to his feet, trying to decide what to do first. His brain was so sluggish, but he had to hurry. Sam's life was at stake.
He looked around the camp again and realized he couldn't leave it as it was. There was no way he could be, would be associated with the three vermin who'd captured him. Removing every trace of them would protect him, but more importantly, would give him a slight sense of justice. Nothing at all would be left of the three men who had done such evil.
He began to gather his things, including his pack and P90. He wrapped up whatever food was available but then realized he needed to eat something now. He was verging on starvation, and couldn't tolerate much, but he had to try if he wanted to survive and find Sam.
Once he'd gathered everything that was his, and any supplies he needed, he pulled his Zat from the back of his pants and shot everything three times. The tents, all the remaining supplies and even the firepit were gone. The only thing he left was the cart. He knew he'd need it in a moment.
He next contemplated the horse-like things and knew he couldn't harm them as they were innocent animals. In the end, he decided to take both of the creatures - one to ride and the other to carry his supplies. As he contemplated the ugly beasts, he wondered what they were called. In the end he simply decided to call them horses. His brain wasn't too creative right then. He hoped they weren't offended.
Of the two horses one of them seemed gentler than the other so that was the one he decided to ride. He'd kept the alien harness and saddle and managed to get them on the horse, grateful that they weren't too different from Earth saddles and that he'd learned to ride when he was younger.
He began to lift his supplies onto the second one, although it was a struggle since he was so weak and dizzy. He knew he should be worried about his health, but he didn't have time. He had to save Carter. Nothing else mattered.
His next task was going to be even harder. The alien horse was taller than its Earth cousin and there was no way he was going to get on it without help. It was for that reason that he hadn't Zatted the cart.
"Come on Danny," he said to the horse. He hoped that naming the horse after one of his best friends might bring him luck. He then led the animal towards the cart and loosely tied the reins onto it.
"Okay, you can do this O'Neill!" He pulled himself onto the cart and then lay panting for a full minute. Once his heart had settled down, he stood up and moved towards the horse. It took a bit of time, and more energy than he had, but he was finally able to mount the animal. He leaned over and released the reins, then kicked his heals and headed to the other horse. He grabbed its reins as well and then faced the cart. He pulled out his Zat, and a moment later it was gone.
"Alright Danny, Teal'c (the other horse) let's go find Carter."
He headed back to the trail they'd been following. Although he'd been with the three men for a matter of days, they hadn't travelled that far. The cart moved slowly, and the men had acted as if they didn't really have anywhere they wanted to go. They'd also spent most evenings getting drunk, and the next day had hung around their camp, sleeping, gambling – and sometimes tormenting Jack. He didn't know how long it would take to get back to Carter, but he hoped it wouldn't take too long. It would also go faster with him riding than with dragging a cart. He kept telling himself that he would find her!
As the day went on Jack felt worse and worse until finally, he lay his head on the animal's neck and simply concentrated on not falling off. He couldn't let Sam down.
He had no idea how long he'd been travelling. Most of the time he was dosing or unconscious although every once in a while, he'd force himself to look up to determine if he recognized the spot where he'd left his 2IC. He'd make sure to drink as often as possible, and was able to eat small amounts of food, even though it made him feel nauseated. He also made sure to feed the horses, although that was a little challenging to do when he didn't want to dismount. He knew he'd never get back on the damn horse.
After travelling for many hours Jack had lost all sense of where he was. His fever was so high he had started to hallucinate. Through all this he only had one thought – he had to find Carter. The two animals kept walking along the trail back to where he'd begun.
He jerked awake, almost falling off the horse in the process. He realized that his horse had stopped, and the other one was standing beside him, looking at him as if he was insane – which he probably was.
His eyes had trouble focusing and it took him a moment to remember that he was on an alien planet, and he was searching for his teammate. When he finally remembered as much as he could, he reached down and took a sip of water to try and clear his head. His fever continued to rage, and he was on the edge of collapse, but he couldn't give up!
He had to blink to try and clear his eyes. Everything was distorted and out of focus. He poured some water in his hand and splashed it on his face. He told himself that had helped, but he knew he needed a lot more than a handful of water.
Finally, he looked around. It took him a few seconds to realize he recognized this place. This was it! This was where he'd left Sam!
"Sam," he croaked, but no sound came out of his mouth. "SAM," he tried again. With a snort of frustration, he went to lift his leg over the horse. A few seconds later he was in a heap on the ground, the world wavering around him in a swirl of nauseous grays and blacks.
Before he even had time to get himself back together he began to move towards the hidden campsite where he'd left her. He continued to call her name, but the only thing he heard was the wind rustling the leaves over his head.
"Come on Sam," he whispered, pulling himself forward. He knew he wasn't up to standing up, at least not yet. "I'm here and you're gonna be okay."
When he arrived at where he'd left her – she wasn't there. It took him a moment to realize she was gone. His mind was playing tricks on him, so he tried to see if she'd moved somewhere else. "Sam?" he croaked.
She was gone.
He could see where she'd been. There was a slight dip in the ground, some footprints and a few blister backs from pills and a small vial which had held morphine. There was nothing else.
Jack was too weak, too sick to think clearly. All he knew was she was gone and he'd been too late. He'd left her and he would never forgive himself. Tears gathered in his eyes, a feeling of hopelessness washing over him.
With a sigh he closed his eyes, rested his head on the ground, and finally let the dark overtake him. He lay still, two streaks of tears trailing down his face.
Jack continued to lie there through the long night, the two horses standing near as if on guard. It was the next day, when the sun was high in the sky, that he was found.