mine

Stories for a Rainy Day:

I, Me, Mine

by Travelling One

http://www.travellingone.com

"I think we can see why the UAV didn't pick up any life signs in this area." This area, only one kilometer down the gravel road from the stargate.

The entire stone city was crumbling; its tallest buildings, formerly five or six storeys high, lay in a fallen, broken mess. Giant holes were ripped out of the walls of most of the structures, mounds of rubble covered formerly wide boulevards, and dust lay in thick coats over the dead lawns and cracked sidewalks. There was an eeriness brought on by the familiarity with Earth's own daily news reports, yet lack of either vehicles or people far removed this place from anything Earth had witnessed in recent decades.

"Earthquake, Carter?"

"Looks like it, sir. That must be why the population moved south."

"And that's where we're heading, right?"

"Yes sir, it is." The UAV had shown the nearest populated area to be only six clicks away.

"After I've had a look around." Daniel's suspicious glance at his CO accompanied his gentle reminder that Jack had agreed to let the archaeologist do some scrounging around the ruins first.

"Relax, Daniel. The general wants this place checked out too." Snooping around in someone's old dwelling or workplace might not be such a hot idea, but walking all the way to the new town just for permission seemed even less enticing. "We'll spend today here, and head out tomorrow. Just be careful."

_____

Daniel spent the afternoon traipsing through the least damaged of the buildings, his teammates backing him up for safety. They were the lookouts for falling stones, caving walls, and other unannounced dangers… including the few wild dogs scavenging the area.

Roaming dexterously over broken stones, Daniel picked his way through the rubble on the bottom floor of the building. Venturing up the first relatively intact staircase, much to the apprehension of his team leader, while Teal'c remained on guard at the building's exterior, the rest of SG1 found only darkness and broken furniture in the rooms above. Further exploration brought forth only the knowledge of building materials and decorative preferences, not enough to warrant further exploration in unstable conditions.

"This place gives me the creeps, Daniel."

"Well, these aren't normal ruins, Jack; everything's too new and much of it is almost intact. This building couldn't have collapsed more than a few years ago."

"These were living quarters, Daniel. Someone's home. And we don't know how stable it is."

"The colonel's right, Daniel. I don't see what we could find to make it worth searching in these conditions."

"I just thought there might be s… Oh!" Daniel jumped away from the skeletal arm that appeared under the blanket he'd lifted.

"What?"

Catching his breath, Daniel again peered under the thick fabric. It wasn't as though he was not used to seeing skeletons and human remains; he'd encountered more than he could remember in his excavations. He just preferred to be expecting them.

This had been a woman, and the tattered dress she wore had been made of a fine silk.

Jack stood behind the archaeologist, his flashlight illuminating the bony remains.

"My guess is that people were trapped throughout these ruins, Jack."

"Daniel, let's leave them alone. We'll go find the survivors tomorrow."

So by the onset of twilight, Daniel hadn't uncovered much of value. This society, like Earth's of present day, did not tend to write on walls or carve their history on stone. Any documents that may have proven useful to SG1 seemed to be well and truly buried.

Finding a cleared area out of the way of fallen debris, SG1 set up partial camp. The eeriness of sleeping in the middle of an earthquake zone, surrounded by a fallen, abandoned city, led SG1 to unpack the minimal amount of equipment necessary as well as to abandon the idea of firelight. The debris and shadows were disturbing enough without the glowing reminders and additional illumination. The air was warm and the barks of wild dogs were muffled among the ruins.

_____

Morning brought a hazy, foggy type of sunshine… and quiet observers. The team had barely begun to continue down the road leading through the center of the abandoned city, past the devastation, when they realized they were being watched. Not far ahead a group of children clothed in loose-fitting pants and shirts stood in the street, staring.

"Hi," Daniel smiled, moving forward cautiously. As one, the children took a step backward.

Daniel tried again. A slow movement, a single step, but the seven children backed away once more, allowing the distance between the two groups to remain constant.

"Okay, you don't want to talk, that's good too." Daniel glanced over at Jack, who shrugged.

It almost seemed as though SG1 had personal guides down the otherwise deserted street, the children keeping paces ahead of them. It wasn't long before they were all out of the destroyed area and meandering down a potholed roadway, nothing but open fields of wild grasses on either side.

Soon, however, the youngsters appeared to grow bored of walking backwards in silence, of these unexciting strangers, and resumed the toss and catch game they'd been playing before their attention had been absorbed elsewhere. It was not possible to see from this distance what their ball was made out of, but Daniel surmised it was reeds of bamboo. The team walked on along the road, and the boys played seven-way catch.

"This is the way to that village, right Carter?"

"Yes sir."

"Good." Holding his hands up, Jack shouted. "Here!" As the boys turned, he motioned with his fingers for them to throw him the ball. They ran farther ahead, ignoring him.

"I don't think they trust us," Daniel stated.

"Which is what I was trying to get them to do."

It was when the teammates had sunk into a monotonous pace, their thoughts drifting in the warmth of the sun, that the ball came sailing towards them.

"O'Neill!"

Intercepting the ball before it could sail over his head, Jack returned the throw. Back and forth, the game soon became eight-way catch, then nine as Daniel joined in, ten with Carter. One hand on his staff weapon, even Teal'c agreed to a turn as well.

The game continued faster, both teams keeping up their pace as one threw to the other, forward and back.

"Whoa!" The toss that had been meant for Jack overshot its intended catcher's outstretched palm, bouncing into the field bordering the side of the road just beyond SG1. As Jack stepped back towards the field of high grasses, intent on retrieving the ball, a cry went up.

"Iba!"

"Iba!"

SG1 turned towards the shouts. The children had their eyes on O'Neill, gesturing and yelling. Left fingertips touched right; arms then opened wide in a circular motion. "Iba!" Looks of alarm fringed their faces.

"Daniel?" Know what they're saying?

"I have no idea what that means, Jack."

Jack slowly turned again towards the field. "The ball hasn't gone that far. I'm sure I see it."

"Wait, Jack!" Daniel ordered, motioning.

Jack turned to see one of the youngsters rushing towards him. Grabbing onto his sleeve, the boy urgently pleaded, "Iba! Iba!" Then fingertips meeting fingertips, the boy swung open his arms.

"They do not seem to want you to retrieve the ball." Teal'c looked questioningly at Jack.

"It doesn't seem so, Teal'c." Jack watched the odd behaviour.

"Perhaps these are sacred fields, O'Neill."

"Or maybe what looks to us like weeds, Jack, are valuable crops."

"Alien weed?"

"Maybe."

Jack held his palms up, offering the child a smile. "Okay, the ball's gone. We don't care if you don't."

Once the team had continued their forward march, the children seemed to settle and relax. Stopping at the edge of the roadside, they hesitated, looking despairingly into the field before continuing on up the path.

"Iba. Don't?" Jack asked Daniel curiously.

"It would seem so," Daniel agreed.

Around forty minutes of further walking brought the teams to an open clearing in the land, a place where more recent village structures had been constructed. Not a city the way their old one had been, this habitation was small, the houses built of stone in single storey fashion. Perhaps this had been a quickly erected refuge after the earthquake. Maybe these were the last of the survivors, or perhaps this was just one of many villages scattered towards the south. The bulk of refugees may have wanted to get as far away from the epicenter as possible.

At the sight of the newcomers, action drifted to a stop. There had been those dining on their front lawns, if one could call the brushed dirt a lawn; those who had been lingering under the odd tree, attending to personal items or menial tasks. Groups of women had lingered by their doorsteps, chatting. One by one the villagers stood, word going out in silence that there were strangers here.

"Hello," Daniel spoke out tentatively as the team drew near and the children raced to their attending adults, quiet in their vocalizations. Surely the kids were recounting how they had drawn the newcomers along with them from their strange camp in the ruined city.

There was no reciprocation from the adults, who continued to stare in silence. No one moved but SG1, drawing nearer still. Finally Daniel stopped, about five meters from the nearest home.

Surveying the scene, one could not tell where homes left off and commerce began. There were simple wares in front of several of the tiny houses, but if these were for sale or barter it was unclear. A few trees scattered in the otherwise dusty blank environment were growing nuts of some sort. The women wore simple coverings hanging loosely off their shoulders and reaching to their ankles and bare toes, the men and boys wearing the loose-fitting clothing of the children. But it was obvious to all of SG1 that this present population consisted mainly of women. Only four old men, their beards hanging white and skin creased, and adolescent boys as well as young children created the male populace. Perhaps all other adult males were off attending to business elsewhere or working in the fields. Wherever they had gone, it had not been in the direction of the ruined city, at least not that morning. SG1 had passed no one, seen no one but the seven children, who, had they been back on Earth, would have been in school.

"They don't understand me. Maybe we can show them we're here to trade?" Daniel suggested, taking note of the dogs and rabbits lounging in their large open pens. Scanning the area, he looked for some sign of writing, some indication of what language he was up against here.

Jack motioned outwards with his hand. Be my guest. "Go for it."

"Um, okay." Biting his lip, Daniel dropped his pack to the ground and kneeled. There had to be something in there he could interest them with, something he wouldn't need for the next few hours. "I wish I had a ball for the kids. Or a frisbee. Don't suppose you brought a yoyo."

"What, you didn't pack any toys this mission?" Jack grinned slyly. "Teddy bears, Barbies?"

"Perhaps you can make such a sphere, Daniel Jackson."

Daniel looked up inquiringly at Teal'c.

"You could, Daniel," Carter agreed. "Roll up a wad of paper from your notebook, bundle it in some gauze and bind it with tape."

Giving her a smile, Daniel got to work.

"Here." Jack stooped to retrieve a stone, then held open his palm. "Give it more weight."

Crumpling the paper around the stone, the odd-looking ball was completed by Daniel a few minutes later. "Here." He tossed it to Jack.

"Make a couple more and I'll juggle."

It took no more than five minutes before Jack was attracting a group of children and adults alike, all of them still keeping a short distance but appearing friendlier, more at ease. The women were pointing and laughing, speaking amongst each other in their unknown language, watching the strange man deftly swirling balls in the air. The children were jumping around, slowly approaching, closer and closer to the now infinitesimally more interesting strangers.

"Want to try?" Jack motioned towards one of the older children. The teenager came forward and reached out. Showing him how to begin, using two balls and transferring them first from one hand to the other, Jack handed the paper and gauze balls to the boy. Soon each of the twenty or so boys and girls were all vying for another lesson from the juggler.

Daniel eased his way to one of the women. Standing beside her he remained quiet, allowing the trust and confidence to grow.

In the hands of one small child, one of the newly created playthings flew just out of reach, its fate sending this ball rolling as well into the field of high weeds bordering the roadside. Suddenly all motion ceased, along with the chatter and laughter. Worried eyes looked up at Jack, waiting for a reaction. Waiting for anger.

"Hey, it's okay. It's right there, not too far in." Making a move to retrieve the homemade toy, Jack felt multiple arms once again pulling him back, urgent voices calling "Iba!" The accompanying circular motions were like a dance of hands, all villagers choreographed as one.

"Déjà vu," Jack muttered.

"Stay out of the field, Jack. We don't want another Taldor incident." No trespassing, no breaking of unknown laws. No social gaffes, if they could help it. No Hadante prison. Not that it looked like a light was capable of coming out of the sky to swallow them up, but one could never anticipate nor underestimate the retribution handed out by innocent-looking alien races.

"Got enough paper for one more ball, Daniel?"

"Um, yes."

The sounds began to return, the playfulness and cheeriness as Daniel made one more spherical plaything. For a moment, attention was diverted to an escaped rabbit jumping through the group, as a few of the smaller children ran after and caught it, patting it gently while the meek creature sat amongst them. As Daniel tossed the newest ball to his comrade, most of the children returned to the game. The rabbit was momentarily forgotten as it dashed out from the arms of the four-year-old girl holding it and hopped off into the tall grasses, lured by the temptations of mouthwatering greenery. Murmurs carried towards the teammates, but no vocalizations were comprehended. Several of the women and children stared after the now-free animal, having given up on its retrieval.

"Well, it seems they don't get angry at rabbits that trespass," Jack commented.

"They don't go after them, either." Daniel was watching another scene play out in the nearby compound.

The small girl was mischievously removing yet a second rabbit from the pen, and Daniel smiled at her across the short distance. Two of the nearby women chatted loudly in apparent exasperation before heading towards the pen themselves. Seeing them coming, the child ran, giggling, and sat herself down under a tree, the little furry animal perching comfortably on her lap, contained in the folds of yellow fabric. Gaining the child's attention, the women motioned with their hands to replace the small pet, or perhaps their evening meal, back into confinement, but the little girl continued to ignore them.

Someone was speaking to Daniel. Looking up from the scene curiously, he realized this woman was pointing to her own ears, and then motioning to the child.

Ah, he understood. The girl was deaf. He nodded in comprehension, in communication.

"Here, Daniel!" Jack caught his archeologist's attention, tossing the paper balls to him, one rolling as it fell from Daniel's grasp.

"What? I can't juggle, Jack."

"I know. Show them how badly some Earth people do it. Make them feel better."

Daniel scooped up the three balls, the children cheering him on, and tossed them to Teal'c. "Here, you…"

The blast shook the ground, SG1 jumping into defensive position, weapons readied and teammates covering 360. A thick stream of smoke rose from the field, not more than forty meters away.

"Iba." This time the word was uttered sadly, the children touching fingertips to fingertips, forming outward circles with their arms. "Iba."

"Iba. Not stop," Daniel whispered, comprehension dawning.

"Danger?" Carter stood staring out at the wisp of smoke still trailing into the air, lingering and fading.

"Bomb." Jack stated matter-of-factly, his expression tight and hard.

"It's a mine field." Daniel pried his gaze from the grasses, instead locking stunned eyes with his CO. "They're living in the middle of a mine field."

"No wonder the animals are penned up. Do you think only this cleared area is safe?" Carter looked at her teammates in disillusionment. "God; that ruined city, sir. It wasn't demolished by an earthquake, was it?"

"No." They destroyed themselves. Bombed themselves out.

The teammates glanced to one another in silence, unaware of the scrutiny of the townsfolk. People who, no doubt, had been wary of these four strangers - mostly men - coming to … to what? Invade their new village? Until, that is, the newcomers had made them laugh.

Roving over to one of the groups of women, Daniel tried to figure out a way to ask what had happened here, what had gone wrong. These people hadn't shown fear of Teal'c, so it wasn't the Goa'uld they had been at war with. But he understood none of their words, and neither sign language nor body actions made communication any easier.

"Okay, kids. I don't think these people have anything left that we want." Which really meant, in Jack's language, we're outta here.

Digging into his pack one final time, Daniel tore up the last of his paper. With three more balls quickly made, he left all six in a pile, marking where he stood and from where SG1 was now leaving. Nodding his head in respect towards the watching women, Daniel offered a sad smile. "Take care of yourselves. I wish you good fortune, long lives, and happiness." As he turned to follow the rest of his team, Jack and Sam already steps ahead, something caught Daniel's eye.

The second rabbit had also gained its freedom, hopping across his path and disappearing into the tall grasses of the deadly field. Daniel cringed, waiting for the poor animal to meet its untimely fate. But what chilled his blood was the flash of yellow that darted after it and was gone, hidden in the reeds, a fleeting spectre of impending danger.

"Give me this!" Daniel vaulted over to Teal'c, grabbing his staff weapon and heading across the path, now directly in line with the direction the child had taken into the field. He could see grasses rustling up ahead, whether from child or rabbit he couldn't be certain. Behind him, he could hear the girl's young mother scream.

"Daniel!" Carter shouted from her position in the road, watching her teammate half swallowed up by the tall reeds.

"Daniel!" That was Jack's voice, and Daniel called back. "There's a kid in here!" They could see a small head in the near distance, bobbing in the reeds, following the path made by the small furry animal, and Daniel trailing more slowly behind.

Reaching out with Teal'c's weapon, Daniel prodded the ground three feet in front of him. If he were to set off a landmine, at least he could be a few steps away. Whether or not that would make any difference he had no idea. If it came to death versus injury, he would choose the latter.

Tamp the ground, take a step. The soil was caked with dried mud, still sloppy in spots. It must have rained recently, or a body of water lay somewhere nearby.

Tap the ground again, take a step. It was a laborious process, and the child was tottering through the grasses ahead, oblivious to the danger, unmindful of the pace. Daniel could only follow the movements of the grasses and reeds, and the motion was still several yards ahead of him.

He kept on. Step by step, both child and animal were gaining in distance, and this time the youngster was not giving up her pet so easily. Determination drove her on, and determination drove Daniel.

They were deep into the field by now. Was luck keeping them all safe? Daniel swore softly, knowing that luck could not long be counted on.

"Daniel?" He could hear Jack over the radio. Not taking time to stop, Daniel kept moving, jabbing the ground just ahead of him with the staff. No telling whether he was stepping in the same tracks as the youngster, or what lay in between. "I'm not coming back without her, Jack."

And now she was changing directions, turning into the shrub on her left. Daniel had to wonder whether she had even felt or seen the explosion, or whether she knew what dangers lay in here. Surely she had been taught not to enter the grasses, but did she know why? By the look of this growth, the mines would have had to have been planted years ago, perhaps even before she was born, and the field then left to nature.

"Damn." Daniel followed the child and animal into thicker brush, certain that the rabbit must have long since darted away and that the youngster was just out on an adventure. Could she see it? Was she following the movement of the reeds ahead of her? Or was she wandering aimlessly, finding herself lost?

And then the scrub partially opened up, revealing the small child only a dozen meters ahead, looking happily onward. For just ahead of her was the rabbit, sitting motionless, munching obliviously on some growth.

The child saw the movement, and she saw Daniel, and began her restricted onward marching through rough weeds. This was a game now, catch the rabbit before the adult caught her. Daniel knew she couldn't hear him, but still he was compelled to softly call out, "Iba." He took one step forward.

Suddenly the grasses were exploding, knocking Daniel to the ground, the vibration and heat of the blast jolting his senses and momentarily banishing all thoughts from a stunned awareness. For only a second, nothing entered his mind.

And then a semifraction of a moment later a second blast shattered the echoes of the first, keeping Daniel flat on the ground before even having risen, mud raining down upon him. Smoke trails cut the air, now alongside as well as in front of him.

For a moment he was unable to move, his senses overwhelmed with uncertainty, limbs numb from shock.

"Daniel!"

Still he lay unresponsive, unable to force taut muscles to function.

"Daniel!"

Then Daniel was reacting, his breath coming harshly and tears stinging his eyes. He heard the sounds from his radio but the only thought pervading his mind was whether the trigger had been child or rabbit. The calls came again, and again, as Daniel sat dazed, trying to clear his head.

"Daniel! Damn it, answer me!"

He realized he was scaring his teammates. "I'm… I'm okay." Right?

There was a pause, Carter's "Thank God" in the background heard before Jack's voice sounded again.

"Get out of there."

"Not yet."

"Daniel!"

Reaching into his inner place of self-trust and safety, Daniel steadied his nerves and rose to his feet, grabbing around for the staff weapon that had flown out of his hand, setting off the second explosion. He noticed it lying several feet away, its head blown off. Not trusting the ground around it, he left it to rest there in its muddy crater.

Smoke clearing, Daniel realized he could see the child, sitting upright on the ground, staring at the hole where her rabbit had once sat munching. She was eerily silent, and Daniel knew it wasn't from lack of hearing. Shell-shocked, she couldn't even cry.

"Daniel! I want you back here. NOW."

"I see her, Jack. She's not moving."

And now there was complete silence at the other end.

Heart racing, Daniel used his instincts to move his way forward again. Only now did he realize how much security that staff weapon had given him. The girl was still motionless, in shock but hopefully uninjured. Slowly, placing every footstep down carefully on the sodden ground, he finally reached her, and sank weakly to his knees. The girl was covered in mud and bits of blood and fur, but none of the blood seemed her own. Her eyes were wide, now staring at Daniel in terror. Daniel lifted the child into his arms, cradled her to his chest. "We're getting out of here," he whispered. She couldn't hear, but maybe she could feel the vibration of his words, of his breath. Maybe she could sense his protection.

But as Daniel stepped out of this open patch of muddy flatness, remains of the staff weapon lying too many dangerous feet away, he felt his nerves freeze in fear. There was no clear trace of flattened grasses, no immediately visible footprints. He had no idea which path through the growth he'd already taken, and terror at attempting a new trail with the child in his arms was inducing an abrupt panic attack. Perhaps his mind was playing tricks, but the ground everywhere seemed disturbed, seemed to be calling out, danger, proceed at your own risk, where only the foolish dare to tread. He could hear the warnings mocking him, laughing at him, calling to him to trust his life to a gambling arena. He couldn't move.

"Daniel?"

Couldn't move.

"Daniel." The voice was softer, intense, filled with concern. Daniel was too far in the distance, the grasses too tall at that end, to be clearly seen by his teammates. Jack's voice brought him slowly to awareness. "What's happening?"

"Jack… "

Jack misinterpreted the anguish in Daniel's voice, the hesitation. "You found her?" Dead?

"Yes. I have her."

"You have her?"

"She's in shock. We're not hurt."

Daniel could hear the relief, silent as it may have been. Maybe he could sense it in the air. In himself.

"Follow your steps back here. Take it slowly."

"I can't."

After the pause, "What?"

"I can't see my path, Jack. I can't find any prints, the growth is too high." Daniel was growing increasingly breathless, knowing he was beginning to panic but not knowing how to regain control. There had to be tracks, he had to have broken the reeds. How could he not see his own trail? It had to be there; why couldn't he see it? The child against his chest was another restriction of his vision, and her weight was tiring him.

"I'm… I'm sorry." Ashamed of his cowardice, Daniel knew if he lived to regret it, all will have turned out well.

"Follow the broken bits, or the flattened areas. There must be mud prints, Daniel."

"Jack…" the voice was pleading, tearful. He couldn't do this.

Something was happening out there, of which O'Neill was becoming intensely aware. Daniel was in shock.

"I can't."

"You can, Daniel. You have to." Jack's tension was increasing, knowing his teammate could lose his life with one misstep. He had to retrace his path, as carefully as possible. But Daniel was in no condition to do that.

Closing his eyes, Daniel tried unsuccessfully to calm himself. Maybe if he had had to do this alone he could have, but he was responsible for the child's life, now. He was well aware of the options, and yet knew he would never be able to force his body to move through that mine field again.

The next voice soothed his state of being to the point he could almost cry, cold relief settling in his shoulders and abdomen. He was shaking.

"Do not move, Daniel Jackson. I will approach cautiously."

"Teal'c will find your tracks, Daniel. Hang tight."

Slowly entering the path where Daniel had taken his first steps, Teal'c studied the ground. If this growth had been undisturbed for years, the signs of passage must either be those of Daniel Jackson, the child, or the rabbit. Either way, it would be a safe course to follow. Agonizingly slowly, Teal'c made his way into the field, his journey being viewed not only by two anxious teammates but by a swarm of villagers as well.

Two dozen meters up the path Teal'c stopped, turning. "O'Neill. Come to my position."

Without questioning his teammate's intent, Jack followed the steps Teal'c had just completed. With brows raised, he asked the silent question.

"Remain here, O'Neill. I will continue on ahead."

Another dozen meters, Teal'c called for Jack again. "Meet me here, O'Neill."

Markers.

"Carter? Come stand where I am right now."

So Sam took Jack's spot as Jack moved into Teal'c's.

Thus, Teal'c continued on, calling forth both O'Neill and Carter as need be. Subsequent posts were willingly occupied by village women.

"Daniel Jackson. I will soon reach you."

Finally, using human markers to map out the exact route that they all knew to be relatively safe, Teal'c reached a thankful and unsteady Daniel, the child now whimpering into his shoulder. Attempting to relieve the archaeologist of the young load, Daniel shook his head, holding the girl tighter. Teal'c bowed his head, granting his teammate this single satisfaction. The child was his to save. "Daniel Jackson. Follow directly behind me."

Confident now that Daniel was safely on the correct path, Teal'c moved with more agility and greater speed. Daniel kept pace, wanting nothing more than to rid himself of this field.

One at a time the markers backed up, relieving each other of their positions and each returning to the waiting crowd. Daniel was the last one out, dazedly passing the child to the arms of her sobbing mother. Daniel lowered himself to the road, and lying flat on his back, closed his eyes and waited for his heart to return to his body.

Sitting cross-legged beside him, Jack studied his disquieted teammate, covered in mud but thankfully no blood, and then turned to look out at the field. "Iba," he said softly. "Damn iba."

Carter had remained standing beside the spot where they'd all come out, herself in a mild state of shock and relief. Staring down at Daniel, she realized how scared she'd been. And now that it was over, she was willing to admit it.

The villagers congregated in groups around mother and child and SG1. Respecting their space, the women watched, patiently waiting, smiling at Sam and Teal'c. They brought bread, tea, but none of SG1 was ready to ingest anything. Nerves were still too raw.

Daniel finally opened his eyes to see villagers everywhere, almost motionless, speaking quietly to each other, awaiting the next move from SG1. He turned his head, eyes meeting the dark ones of his team leader who was staring at him intently from above.

"You okay?"

Daniel nodded, accepting help from Jack as he tried to sit up. He could feel himself trembling. "Yes. How's the girl?"

"Alive." Jack sighed. "She'll be okay, she's just scared. Hard to tell with no one speaking English."

"I'm sorry."

Jack eyed his teammate. "For what?" But Jack thought he already knew.

"I froze out there." Daniel kept his gaze on the ground.

"It happens."

"Not to me."

"Daniel." Jack rubbed Daniel's shoulder. "Look at me."

As the younger man slowly lifted his eyes to meet those of his team leader, Jack continued. "You saved a little girl's life today, Daniel. I don't call that freezing."

"I couldn't move. I panicked."

"You were in shock."

"I'm on a first contact team, Jack. I can't go around doing that."

"You were caught in a bomb blast. You needed time to unwind, time you didn't have."

"I'm ashamed of myself."

"Look over there, Daniel." Jack motioned to the woman, cradling her little girl. "You risked your life to save her. Then Teal'c helped you out. We're a team. You never had to do that alone in the first place."

Daniel raised grateful eyes to the man he trusted most in his life, the friend he admired and respected. "Thank you."

Jack nodded. "Any time you're ready."

Daniel rose to his feet, the eyes of the locals upon him. The concerned frowns turned to smiles, and Daniel made his way over to where the mother sat, holding her little daughter. "How is she?"

The woman knew what Daniel was asking, and she wiped her eyes in order to give him a smile. Taking one of his hands, she enclosed it in her own.

"Beten eserda. Mabina." She bowed her head and gently squeezed his hand.

"Don't mention it." Daniel smiled. He turned to Jack. "I'd like to get the hell out of here now, if it's okay with you."

_____

As SG1 picked up their gear for the second time, Daniel felt a tap on his arm.

He turned, coming face to face with one of the elderly men, white beard flowing to his chest. In the man's upturned hands rested a heavy book, bound with a woven cover of dried reeds. The gentleman pressed it into Daniel's arms.

SG1 looked on wordlessly as Daniel met the man's gaze, then flipped through the introductory pages. They were covered in an unusual script, one Daniel knew looked only vaguely familiar.

"I can't read this," he shook his head, refusing the offering. Reclaiming the book the man clutched it tightly, but instead of turning back to the dwellings, he leaned over and deposited it into Daniel's backpack. Reaching into the aprons of his own loose-fitting garments, he then pulled out something else, something bright with the glow of daylight.

The low whistle was uttered from Jack. "Silver? That's got to weigh two kilos."

As they watched, the old man placed this, too, deep into Daniel's sack, ignoring the linguist's attempted protests.

"I believe you have just been given a gift, Daniel Jackson," Teal'c proudly addressed his teammate. "Most likely in return for saving the life of the child."

Not wanting to offend, Daniel smiled at the man, bowing his head. "Thank you," he said simply.

The man himself returned the gesture, then watched as SG1 set off down the road, this time without their young local guides.

He had wanted to follow, had wanted to know for sure that the brave young one was free from the trappings that had led his own world to its demise. But he could not have shadowed the visitors without their knowledge, and it was not safe to send the children. Not this time.

How much of a load would they choose to bear, to return home with their new treasure?

Still, he had hope. For if the visitors were indeed of the trusted ones, the clean of heart, they would some day come to know the words in that book, the one he had never written in again since the day their war had ended. That book had been with him since childhood, a history of his people; it had been with him since the days of glory and development. The only item to have been salvaged by him in the war, he could only hope that its words might someday benefit the young man's own homeland. A race of individuals willing to risk their lives to save that of a single stranger, certainly they would not make the same mistakes his own people had paid so dearly for, would they? If they only knew how easily needs and desires could get out of hand, if his words and urgings could aid another land, his war would not have been in vain.

But first they must pass the test. The young ones would be the messengers of his verdict. He would not allow that book to fall into the wrong hands.

The others would have ostracized him, had they known what he had done. Yet he had been responsible for far worse in the war, and had long since paid his dues in sorrow. He had to know inside the minds of these strangers, had to have his vision of humanity either restored or destroyed before the last of his waking days.

Come morning he would make his journey to the old city, where he would discover either the remains of a mock silver rock weighted with sadness and guilt, or those of a brave young stranger deceived by the lure of false temptation. For when the silver device became too heavy, too bloated with built-up tension and energy, it would react, and be the final deed in his own private war.

____

Along the path, Daniel struggled with the increasing weight of his load; he could only imagine this exhaustion had resulted from the tension of his ordeal.

SG1 passed through the ruins of the broken city, now seeing it in another light. Once majestic and advanced, there was nothing left here worth saving, the remnants of a developed society proving their flaws and flaunting them. Perhaps the lessons would stay in view, to be learned by future generations. Perhaps not.

"Any indication this was destroyed by the Goa'uld?"

"I didn't see signs of Goa'uld rule in any of the structures I was studying yesterday," Daniel responded quietly. "The people didn't speak Goa'uld or show any fear of Teal'c."

"So they did this to themselves?"

Daniel couldn't answer that, so he remained silent. They all knew what they believed.

"We don't really know what went on here, sir."

"Other than the usual greed, religion, or political territory? No, we don't." Jack acquiesced. "But it doesn't look like anyone got much of anything."

"Should I poke around some more?" Daniel inquired of his teammates, needing to drop the pack that was growing heavier by the minute. "Now that we know a bit more of what to look for?"

"Probably not such a good idea, Daniel." More of the skinny dog-like animals were still wandering around the rubbish piles, sniffing and scratching. "Keep your distance, kids. Alien wild dogs and diseases are not high on my list of get-to-knows. Not to mention they look hungry."

SG1 cautiously gave a wide berth to the animals. Knowing that if they were to take a total detour around the old city they would only end up in more mine fields, they kept on through the broken city streets, keeping a lookout for the wild dogs. Animals that may even have had comfortable homes here, as puppies. Animals that were refusing to leave their birthplace, even though nothing was left and their owners had long since disappeared.

"Oh jeez." Daniel stopped, staring across the way to where two of the dogs were pulling something out from under a broken segment of wall - and out came an entire tibia connected to a bony foot.

"Come on." Daniel felt a tug at his sleeve, and pulled his eyes away from the human remains being unearthed. Jack's face was pinched. "Let's go ho..."

The explosion rocked the ground beneath them, rattling walls and sending debris flying. As the building beside them crumbled, both dogs and man were thrown violently into the street. Daniel vaguely heard howling as he lay stunned where he'd been tossed, face down.

For a moment there was no movement, and no sound other than the wailing of injured and frightened animals.

"Carter? Daniel? Teal'c?"

One by one, the teammates sat themselves up, feeling for blood and scrapes and contusions. Besides the bruises and minor cuts, they had come out relatively intact.

"Just a bit banged up sir. Nothing's broken."

Jack made his way over to Daniel, unsure of the psychological damage of yet another close call. "Hey. You okay?" The archaeologist had wicked scrapes down the left side of his face.

"Yes. You're bleeding."

Jack held his sleeve to his forehead. Head cuts always bled a lot. "It's just surface."

Carter and Teal'c found their way over to the pair. "Was this not the building in which you had been taking observations yesterday, Daniel Jackson?" He was well aware of that fact, as were O'Neill and Carter. And now Daniel realized that as well.

Daniel stared at the structure he'd thought to be safe, just twenty-four hours ago.

"Close one." Jack focused on his companion as Carter wiped the blood from his face, draping two bandaids above his right eyebrow. Even knowing about the minefields in the scrub, they had thought this city had been destroyed solely by strategic bombs, either from ground level or from air assaults. They had been complacent that mines had not been placed inside these structures, and had been walking back amongst them freely. "I don't know about you, but I think I'll pass on the rest of the entertainment here. What do you say we get the hell home?"

"Jack? Wait."

"What?"

"Listen." The moans and wails were coming from within the new debris.

"It's a dog."

"It's trapped."

"Daniel -"

Daniel motioned to his team to wait, as he stepped towards the newly crumbled building.

"Oh, not again," Jack grimaced. "Daniel! It's wild. Hell, you know I'm a dog lover, but it's not worth risking your life."

Daniel paused. "It won't come to that. I was in there yesterday, Jack. I know where I walked. And anyway, some dog already set the thing off, it can't blow again."

"Not that one. You know very well there could be more, just one step away from where you put your foot down yesterday. You were just freaking lucky. And the damn structure's more unstable now."

"The dog is trapped, Jack. Like you said, it might have been someone's valued pet a few years ago. It's in pain, Jack. We can't just leave it. If we do, I'll hear that sound every time I think of this place. Every time I see a dog taking a walk with its owner."

"This is unwise, Daniel Jackson."

"Probably." Daniel moved again towards the interior, stepping over fallen stones. "But it's terrified." The front of the building now was in ruins. As Daniel stood on a mound overlooking a gaping cavern, his flashlight roaming over the interior, he shouted to his colleagues. "It's dark in there, but I can see him. He's not too far in."

Jack followed where Daniel had walked, meeting up with him on the mound of rubble.

"I can see him, Jack. There's a part of a wall on his leg. He'll die there."

No, he wouldn't. Because Jack knew exactly what he couldn't stop Daniel from doing, not with that pitiful whimpering going on in there. "You know he might die of his injuries anyway. We should probably just shoot him."

"Let's give him a chance at life first, Jack. Please. It wasn't his fault his master's race put explosives all over this place."

Yes, Jack knew exactly what he couldn't stop Daniel from doing; it was what Daniel needed to do, to get his self-confidence back, though damned be his way of doing it. And Jack also knew he would be going in there with him. "Crap. Stay put, Carter. You too, Teal'c. We'll be out in ten. Hopefully." And hopefully the dog would be grateful and not take a chunk out of either of them.

Taking tentative steps, although Jack didn't know why that was, as they'd never know what they were stepping on in this debris anyway, the two men made their cautious way over to the whimpering wild animal. This one might have been cute, once. With all its fur.

The eyes looked at the two teammates with pain, with fear, with hope. Something in its memory let it know that humans were a good thing. The large animal twisted its head to get a better look, putting more energy into its bark.

"Easy, fella." Jack approached in full view, more concerned now about injured alien canine behaviour than about explosive behaviour. They wouldn't turn back now.

Giving a nod to his friend, Jack reached out slowly to the broken beam that had trapped the animal. Daniel followed, placing his hands on the opposite edge and lifting. The chunk of wood lifted easily, and the dog bolted forward, limping.

Stopping only a few meters from the two, the animal turned, its body half facing the men and half turned away. Favouring the injured leg, putting no pressure on it, the animal assumed bravery and moved towards the two humans. Daniel and Jack remained motionless, barely daring to breathe. Jack's hand was on his sidearm; if the injured animal should attack, he wouldn't hesitate to shoot it.

The dog moved closer, then backed away. Closer again, and then it sniffed. Growling, baring its teeth and backing away, it ventured once more towards them, and visions of the bones being pulled from the rubble chased into Daniel's mind. He and Jack would certainly be a more tempting meal than those remains had been. The dog was only a meter away now, and the men were unwilling to make a move.

But the dog wasn't. It remembered. It may have been years, but it remembered. In three small limping steps it sidled up to Daniel, opened its mouth and licked the man's hand. Then it rubbed its head on Daniel's leg, and barked its not-so-alien bark.

Daniel caught Jack's eye; both men were smiling. "Not worth risking my life, Jack?"

No, Daniel. It wasn't. But Jack knew another good thing had come out of this miserable offworld mission, and it was something Daniel - and he as well - would remember every time they thought of this place, every time they saw a dog walking with its master.

"Can we go home now?"

"You're whining, Jack. Worse than the dog."

"Oh shut up." Jack grinned and grabbed Daniel's sleeve, helping his friend over the boulders and debris. "Watch your step. It'd be pretty stupid to lose an arm at this point."

Sam blew out air, her relief monumental at seeing her teammates emerge from the hollow. They weren't home free yet, but they had walked this area the day before, albeit naively, and had not tripped any landmines. Nothing could be hidden on this bare solid road, so as long as they didn't stray or linger they should be fine.

Retrieving his pack from where it lay in the rubble, Daniel realized again the weight of its contents, even more oppressive now than before they had stopped. Reaching deep inside he removed both the book and the rock, a history in words and an oval lump of what looked like pure solid silver. Heavier than silver, it seemed, and heavier than it had been earlier, somehow. Even with two hands he could hardly lift it. Daniel knew he could not carry them both all the way to the stargate nor could he ask a teammate to share the load. The book, too, had assumed a greater heaviness of its own, as though its contents added a darkness, bearing its weight in words. While the oval chunk of silver was an unnecessary and undesired payment for the child's life, the book was knowledge of a civilization. Contemplating the two gifts and murmuring a silent apology to the old man, Daniel lay the silver block on the ground and returned the historical journal to his pack. Having to make a choice, the book was more valuable, in his eyes.

Walking beside Jack the rest of the way down the broken street, the teammates fell into a silent bond beside each other. Daniel's eyes only occasionally roamed to the ruins surrounding them, wondering what had gone wrong in this place. Had it been like the wars on his own home planet? These people had been taken from Earth once, had human instincts and ideals and emotions.

For a while the dog followed lamely behind, but eventually gave up. Wherever these humans were going, it was clear that they had no plans to take him with. Just like last time, so many years ago.

Jack looked at his companion. Daniel's cheek was turning a deep red, bluish bruises under the splatters of mud. But scrapes were well worth the two lives Daniel had saved that day, and thankfully that was the worst he had received.

Jack placed his hand on Daniel's shoulder. The blue eyes turned his way, knew what he was thinking, and Daniel smiled. A brief, fleeting smile.

"We're going from this world to another just like it, Jack."

"Not our part of it."

"No. But how do we know another part of this world isn't just like Colorado?"

"Happy and oblivious?"

"You know what I mean. Safe and free."

"Let's hope there is somewhere like that here, Daniel."

They were approaching the stargate, and Jack let go of his teammate. "But either way, you left a part of yourself here, you know. I think you taught those people something."

"What are you talking about?"

"Come on, Daniel. This is a place that destroyed itself. You had them working together back there. You showed them a perfect stranger could care."

"We all did that."

"We're a team."

Six more steps, and they were safely through the wormhole.

They were gone before the explosion shook the streets, leaving a gaping hole in place of a hollow silver rock. But no dog had touched this one, its inner workings being all that were necessary for the mechanism to trigger. No teammate from SG1 would need to bear witness to its destruction, for Daniel had made his choice. And in just a few more hours, an old man would come across no human remains, his hope in the promise of humanity crawling its way out of the shadows.

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