Nonehs' Arch

 

 

by Travelling One

 

Email: travelling_one@yahoo.ca

Website: http://www.travellingone.com/

Season: 3-5

Summary: When Daniel breaks the law on an alien world, SG-1 finds themselves unable to reverse his sentence.

 

December/06

 

---

 

There was a world where the animals were abundant, and the trappers came, and the hunters came, and the trespassers came, and when the animals were gone there was no more reason for them to come any longer. But amongst those who realized what they had done were a few who had a vision, and they set about to make up for the wrongdoings of their own kind. But that was a long, long time ago, and only bits and pieces of the story filtered down through the ages. After things had changed - most said for the better, although a few weren't sure - SG-1 came. Not, apparently, for the better.

 

"We're picking up traces of unknown minerals in the soil, sir. But the mid-day sun may be rather hot to work in, and the nights bring out, well, animals."

 

_____

 

"Animals, Carter?" Jack listened to the sounds, the groaning and wailing, not to mention rustling in the trees. The latter may have been wind, affecting only one section of bush at a time. However, for some reason, Jack doubted that even alien planets could pull that off. And judging by what they'd already come upon - accidentally - he knew better than to attribute any of those moans solely to inanimate nature. Whether to proceed cautiously or give up on this planet had been the question. So far none of the animals had seemed dangerous or even to take notice of them, but neither had they found anything of value; not a single sign of civilization, and night was approaching. If Carter and the MALP were right - if most of the animals ventured out of their lairs during the cooler hours of evening - was there anything here of that much value to risk their hides on? The flimsy theory that there had to be something of value anywhere a gate had been erected did not always pan out. Value for whom? Best to be close to home - or even better, home - after night had fallen.

 

And so the team was heading back towards the gate. Even so, evening on P2R 167 was catching them off guard, near-darkness falling seemingly within minutes, and yet it wasn't exactly that; it was more of a deep mauve and burgundy twilight, playing games with vision unaccustomed to such shades of the spectrum.

 

"Pick it up, kids, nearly there. I don't want to still be here when it gets really dark. And," Jack looked beseechingly at Daniel from the corner of his eye, "there's still a matter of the DHD to consider."

 

The DHD, yes. Daniel was involved in his own mental game of Virtual Avoidance; he hadn't forgotten. It was that which had indicated, even back at the base, that there were people around here, somewhere; an aspect that had spurred Doctor Jackson even more emphatically to encourage Jack and Hammond to give this place the green light. From their viewing point in the control room, they'd seen the DHD imprisoned in a mesh cage - a cage obviously manmade. Protection from wildlife? No real problem; if the planet was abandoned, Carter had assured them that wire clippers would take care of the situation, if they couldn't just reach their hands through the grid.

 

Until they'd actually arrived, they'd believed her.

 

"Uh," Daniel waved his hand over the dialling device, with a sardonic, fleeting smile. "Looks like this hasn't been used in a while."

 

Sauntering over to see what Daniel's assumption was based on, Jack couldn't help grinning at the sight. Birds hadn't been daunted by the metal grid; two large nests filling up the wiring seemed to be plenty of protection for the DHD. Besides being home to a large orange-tipped, aqua-winged bird, one nest was filled with eggs.

 

"Oh for the love of… okay, so we don't need the DHD at the moment. What say we worry about this later and have a look around before it gets too hot."

 

They'd hiked through woods and meadows, seeing no indication of a people who might have constructed that protection around the DHD. There was luxuriant plant life, samples of which were filling up Carter's sack, and the odd diurnal animal, not terribly unusual or unexpected on an abundantly flourishing world. Except, of course, for that last batch. Jack wouldn't want to meet them again, in sunshine or in darkness.

 

The sky was already dark enough, right under the trees and shadows, to just barely make out each other's facial expressions. And Jack's wasn't the pleasantest it had been on a mission.

 

Daniel was edgy and alert; the sensation of potentially being prey was causing him to feel jumpy for some reason… go figure. Teal'c was almost frowning, his ears cocked to the windless rustling. Carter was fielding her CO's discernible disapproval with the precision of a sieved catcher's mitt.

 

"Sir, I don't think it gets much darker than this. The evidence we received from MALP feedback indicated night lasts like this for several hours. The animals must start to forage around now, Sir, while it's a bit cooler."

 

"You mean those other things back there weren't animals?"

 

"I mean…um, more of them, Sir. Nocturnal. Actually, crepuscular, judging from this lighting."

 

With an intentional scowl, Jack grated out, "You mentioned critters like docile raccoons, Major. I was expecting skunks and rodents, not giant warthogs on steroids."

 

"Give her a break, Jack. She can't tell us what the MALP didn't show. At least we were prepared. Sort of."

 

"Yes, Daniel… and were we prepared for those?" Jack's face creased into explicit sarcasm as he took in the beasts now grazing directly in front of the stargate…and all around it. Including in front of the DHD.

 

"Uh-oh."

 

Gargantuan cows… with rhino horns. "Uh-oh?" Jack eyed Daniel, his scowl now so deeply ingrained he might have been in pain.

 

"Now what?" Daniel's voice was low.

 

Jack shrugged, giving it a minute's thought. "Let's see if they're friendly." The last thing he wanted to do was have to shoot one and enrage the rest. Just in case friendliness wasn't the first thing on their minds. But something had to be done; the animals were in their space, blocking the gate. As far as Jack was concerned, his teammates were more important than a herd of big-headed horned cattle. Anyway, both cows and rhinos were vegetarian.

 

"Sir?"

 

"Jack!" Daniel's alarmed call didn't stop his CO from inching forward, his rifle at the ready.

 

"Nice cows," Jack crooned, stepping slightly closer. Slightly. He might be brave, but he wasn't an idiot.

 

Daniel surged forward, grabbing hold of Jack's sleeve. "Are you nuts?" he hissed. "You know buffalo have been known to turn on a dime and charge, killing people."

 

"They're not buffalo. I don't think."

 

"Fine, then, rhinos are even more dangerous."

 

Jack shrugged off Daniel's arm, but moved no further. He hadn't known how close he'd intended to get anyway, before Daniel stopped him. But the beasts hadn't budged, just looked up disinterestedly from their grazing on the field plants encompassing the stargate.

 

"What should we do, Sir?" Carter asked quietly, approaching the spot where O'Neill and Daniel had pulled up.

 

"We wait. They have to move off sometime."

 

_____

 

Didn't they?

 

After an hour, all that had happened was the growth was a tiny bit shorter around the gate area. Vegetation in the nearby vicinity was similarly being taken care of.

 

And a carefully aimed blast from a staff weapon hadn't scared them off, although it had set the bushes to rustling again.

 

"We must consider the possibility that these animals are prepared to stay the duration of this twilight." Teal'c had remained standing while the others perched on boulders, observing the territory, but either he was getting bored, or he worried that his teammates were.

 

"Yeah, my thoughts too," Jack sighed, knitting his brow and pursing his lips, hating to give in. They hadn't intended to spend the night here unless finding a village, and supplies were minimal. "Then I guess, so are we. Can't exactly zat them and carry them out of there."

 

"If we can't dial home by 0900, Jack, the SGC will call in and disintegrate them," Daniel worried.

 

"They'll be gone long before then," Jack retorted optimistically.

 

They gave it another half hour, and when nothing happened except the addition of four more animals - those a bit smaller, with flatter heads - to the wormhole danger zone, Jack reluctantly decided to give the order to set up camp. "Several hours of night, you say?"

 

"Eight or nine, Sir, from my calculations. Yes."

 

"So we have about seven left, right? Give or take?" Jack looked around nervously. So far the animals on this planet hadn't seemed aggressive; perhaps they didn't think humans were any danger. But there had to be predators - meat-eaters - around here somewhere. Balance of nature, and all that. And Jack wasn't prepared for any of his team to be an experimental dish on the menu. "Alright, enough of this. We're sitting ducks out here. Carter, Daniel, scout for a place to set up camp. Looks like we're not going anywhere for a while."

 

As the two members of SG-1 did as requested, Teal'c spoke to Jack's back. "We will be fine here, O'Neill. Our weapons will be effective against any aggressive creatures that may indeed be lurking."

 

"I know." Jack didn't turn around.

 

"And these animals appear to be harmless. They have demonstrated no observable agitation."

 

"I know."

 

"There is no need to be concerned."

 

When Jack didn't respond, Teal'c continued. "Our proximity to the stargate will ensure an -"

 

"Oh for crying out loud, Teal'c, I'm fine. If Goa'ulds can't chase us away, no rhino musk oxen will either. Or souped-up warthogs." In the twilight luminescence Jack again tried to survey what he could of the surroundings, just as Daniel came jogging up.

 

"Jack?" There was an unidentifiable expression on his face, one Jack was sure he did not want to ask about.

 

But he did anyway. "Find anything? Where's Carter?"

 

"Found something. Come." Daniel motioned with his head, then beckoned before trotting off. Jack still looked around for an inconspicuous Sam, following as Daniel guided them into the territory directly through the trees to the right of the DHD.

 

That miniature meadow may have been the perfect spot they were looking for, except for one thing.

 

They were right in the line of fire of a watering hole. A great place for creatures of the dusk to congregate, SG-1's spot by the trees a perfect viewing platform for humans - minus the protective barriers. Something looking like a jackal was already there, drinking its fill. So was a creature reaching at least eight feet in height, even without standing fully upright. When it bent down for more water, its thick tail shot up, balancing the heavy front of its torso.

 

"Oh crap." Another moment's silence, and Jack came to the only decision possible. "We'll find a spot in between the trees where the animals won't notice us - and hopefully not trample us, either - to put up the tents. Tent; we can go with one."

 

In the reddish light, eyes stinging from strain of near-but-not-quite darkness, the quartet set up a tent among the trees. Alert and jumpy, every movement - whether real or imagined - had them raising their weapons.

 

Then they moved back into the semi-open, where they could sit back against some trees and keep an eye out.

 

Jack glanced around. No fire tonight; that could very well attract even more unwanted visitors. As could the smell of food. "Protein bars tonight, kids. Put the wrappers back in your packs, well bundled up. I take first watch with Daniel, three hours. Carter, you and Teal'c will do the last three. If it's still not light by then, wake us." Three hours sleep tonight for each of them; it would have to do. The threat of danger - and they had to assume it could be imminent, as they had no idea what other form the animals here might take - required precautionary measures, and two on watch was advantageous. They could sleep when they got home.

_____

 

"This is fascinating."

 

"Glad you're enjoying yourself, Daniel." Jack was, he knew, only half sarcastic. He had to admit - just not to Daniel - that he was also being entertained, moderately. He'd appreciate it more, though, if the way to the stargate was clear. Then again, if it was, they'd be home. "Why aren't those cows thirsty?" If they would just begin to head out, he could relax a whole hell of a lot more. Opening the gate and disintegrating them seemed mildly unfair.

 

More animals had come to the watering hole, mostly smaller ones, the raccoon types Carter had mentioned back at the base, as well as more unusual critters. They each seemed to have their own special, or favourite, spot. Within each of the groups, the animals respected each other's space, exhibiting only a few minor tussles.

 

"Maybe it has to do with the depth of the water at certain spots," Daniel thought out loud.

 

"Was that meant for me?" Jack threw him a quizzical look; Daniel's hair was an odd colour in this light, he noticed. "'Cause I haven't got a clue what you're talking about." Jack looked back at the watering hole from his perch against the tree trunk, squinting to see better. Right behind him in the foliage, Carter and Teal'c occupied the tent, nearly invisible in the thicket and dim light. Jack stood up to stretch. It was nearly the end of their watch, and while he hadn't been bored out here - partly due to the night show and partly due to having company for once - he was getting stiff and looking forward to some shut eye. Daniel, on the other hand, probably didn't even notice how long he'd been sitting in that cramped position.

 

Jack went once again to check the status of the immediate area, and this time he wasn't disappointed.

 

"Daniel." Jack approached quietly from behind, whispering. "They're finally moving off. The DHD is free." And that meant they could disentangle the mesh cover.

 

"Coming." Reaching into the equipment pack, Daniel removed the wire cutters.

 

The gate was nearly clear as well, and Daniel heaved a sigh of relief. He really hadn't wanted the SGC to call in while the animals were still over there.

 

He clipped the edges of the mesh as Jack held on, gently trying to lift the newly-fashioned lid. The thing was tangled up in straw and other dried grasses, and removing it was not so easy. Daniel poked at the matted chaos of nesting material, laboriously avoiding the pecking of the angry and frightened mother bird, her squawking making him flinch and nearly draw back. Straw was wrapped around the supportive structure of metal; the nests were sliding and being pulled apart. "We can't do this; we're damaging it!"

 

"Do you have a better idea? We have to get this off, Daniel."

 

"Ow!" Daniel jerked his hands away, gaping at the angry bite below the right thumb. Jack reflexively jumped, dropping the wire lid back onto the DHD and the nests, an explosion of feathers and flapping wings accompanying the cacophony of frightened and angry bird cries.

 

And then all hell broke loose. From somewhere up above, a large, very colourful bird dove down, aiming straight at Jack, swooping low against his face. Unsuccessfully batting it away, Jack stepped back, protecting his face with one arm while blindly swinging the other as the bird plunged again, screeching, a colourful blur of flapping feathers and wings and claws. Throwing down his pack, Daniel rushed to Jack's aid, his arms waving wildly at the attacking bird.

 

The onslaught and attempted self-protection forcing Jack to lean forward, he remained unable to flee the oncoming assault, the bird's claws now wrapped in his hair. Daniel swung again, his own arm getting in the way of the claws as the bird let go of Jack.

 

But the distraction was momentary. As it swooped once more, Daniel pulled his zat gun and fired.

 

Stopped abruptly in mid-flight as if deactivating, the bird dropped to the ground with a thud. Its wings rested wide open, along with its eyes. It lay perfectly still.

 

Even with the mother still squawking in her nest, it sounded as if Hell had gone silent.

 

Daniel stared down at the lifelessness by his feet. Blues and oranges blurred together in a rainbow of plumage, a not-quite-macaw of the distant galaxy. Spontaneous preservation of the species, and of the family; the bird had only been trying to protect its young, or its mate. "I didn't know the zat would kill it."

 

Realizing Jack hadn't responded, Daniel refocused, shaking the episode from its recurring niche on his retinas. Jack was still bending over, hands holding his face, and visions of plummeting exotic birds took an immediate back seat in Daniel's psyche. "Jack?" He moved swiftly to his friend's side. "It's okay, it's over." Daniel's frown evidenced concern. "Are you okay?" His hands glided to Jack's back, helping him up, trying to see the injuries.

 

It took a moment, but Jack straightened himself, wiping his face with his sleeve. "Yeah." He blinked. Creased his face to feel the damage, blinked again. "I'm okay. Thanks." The cuts likely weren't serious, as long as he could get them cleaned soon. Fortunately the attack had missed his eyes. Didn't stop them from burning like fire though. That was too damn close, and he shouldn't have been caught off guard. "Let's get this cage off and go home," he grunted. Still had the mother in the nest to deal with; couldn't exactly zat her.

 

"Sir?" Carter and Teal'c were out of the tent, woken by the semi-distant commotion. "Daniel? What happened?" But one look at the barely settled bird in its nest, the one on the ground, and the colonel's scratches, told the whole story. Well, most of it. "Colonel? Are you alright?"

 

"I' - " Jack's intended response was interrupted by a sudden glimmer of light, more unnatural than even the burgundy sunset, the air quivering in front of them.

 

Suddenly, sounds were everywhere. Not birds this time, but the rustling of trees, twigs snapping, animals fleeing. But instead of animals crashing through the underbrush towards them, there, only a dozen feet away, stood ten uniformed men - uniforms being long, dark, matching robes, a red insignia embroidered on the shoulder, skullcaps of lemon yellow.

 

"Hell-oh," Jack drawled out, hand unobtrusively moving towards the P90 still slung awkwardly over his shoulder. There was something not right about these men - something besides them appearing out of nowhere and their odd fashion sense - that Jack couldn't quite put his finger on.

 

"Your language… it is New English?"

 

Before Jack could head off Daniel's instinctive response, even before that instinctive response could be uttered, the men continued. "And it was you who killed this bird?" Men. As one. Jack watched ten mouths moving together, a single hollow voice, echoing, asking more of a rhetorical statement than a question. Although the faces were individual and unique, each one of them was frowning at Daniel, the same intense dissatisfaction reflected in their pale gray eyes. Had it not been bizarre and worrisome, the effect would have been entrancing.

 

Daniel's stunned voice came out in a half-croak. "I did." He cleared his throat. "Um, I did, yes. I'm sorry…"

 

"What's the difference?" Jack interrupted. "And who are you?" Moving in closer to the group, something urged him to reach out… and his arm cut right through the speaker, breaking him in half. Except, he was already back together again, looking no less pacific. Humpty Dumpty would have been fried with envy. "You're holograms!" Splendid observation, O'Neill. And for my next trick…

 

"We're Noneh, the watchers. We watch over this sanctuary," they replied as one. Continuing to face Daniel, they gave their calm but definite order. "You will come with us, now."

 

"Uh, no-oh." O'Neill stepped in front of the archeologist as if to shelter him from their view. "I don't think so. What's going on?"

 

Daniel had regained a measure of composure, his psychological distance fading. He had a job to do. "We're peaceful explorers from a planet called Earth. I'm Da…"

 

"Peaceful people do not kill."

 

"Kill?" Daniel was taken aback, disturbed at the implication. "No, I didn't mean to k…" With a whirring sound, Daniel faded from view, his pack lying in his footprints and his zat falling to the ground beside it.

 

Space. Emptiness. That was all that impacted on his teammates' minds.

 

Carter's gasp and Teal'c's low utterance of "No!" were masked by O'Neill's alarm and wrath. "Hey!" he bellowed, pivoting around, visually searching every direction. "What'd you do to him?" If his dread and anger could be fused and packaged, they wouldn't need naquada.

 

Not seeing his teammate anywhere, Jack kicked at the ground in frustration, cursing loudly. Kicking holograms would be just as futile.

 

"These are protected grounds. There are penalties for killing our animals." Ten holograms spoke again, and Jack wanted to step on the kaleidoscope, grind it under his boot.

 

"It was a bird! And it attacked me!"

 

"This is their territory."

 

"But it was attacking!" What didn't they get? "Was Daniel supposed to just watch?"

 

The ten voices continued eerily as one, yet each of these men had different features, each a separate identity. But their lack of gross motor movement made them appear nearly robotic, voices given to an advanced communication device. "You threatened its offspring. You had only to move away."

 

"I couldn't get away," Jack insisted.

 

"Do you not regard the safety of humans as more sacred than that of your animals?" Teal'c intervened.

 

The answer was firm, firm and clear. "Our race once hunted our animals to extinction. We were given no choice but to import them from other worlds; now, they remain precious to us and priceless. Everyone knows not to harm even one."

 

"We didn't know. We came from another planet," Carter stated urgently, her voice as placid as she could force it to be. "Daniel was protecting his team leader, his friend. That's all."

 

"That, is not relevant. The hurbascor is dead."

 

"Look, … we're sorry. But there's nothing we can do about that now. We promise not to hurt any more of your wildlife; we were heading home anyway. Just give Daniel back to us and we'll leave. Is he alright?" Jack was getting antsy; this was getting them nowhere and taking far too long getting there. Whatever had happened to Daniel, the passage of time could only make it worse.

 

"It matters not."

 

What? Doesn't matter if he's okay? "Yes, it does! I don't see any of your damn rules posted up by the gate. How wer - "

 

"Your team was not inv - "

 

"Let me talk!" Screw the diplomacy, Daniel had tried that. "How were we supposed to know this is a protected habitat? We didn't even see any signs of human life." Jack was shouting, more disturbed and angry than he could recall having been in months. A member of his team had just been stolen from them, neutralized… and hopefully not silenced. One way or another he needed to find out, very very quickly.

 

"Untrue. You were aware the locator apparatus was barred from use."

 

"The DHD? We thought it was being protected from damage by the animals, actually. That's what we thought the mesh was for." Carter intervened, hoping to give her commanding officer a chance to calm down. While being as deeply upset at the disappearance of Daniel as was the colonel, she feared her CO might be heading towards dangerously over-antagonizing the only ones who knew what had happened to him.

 

Teal'c's facial muscles were tight. "Is your stargate used solely for the transportation of animals?"

 

"Our stargate?"

 

"That," Teal'c motioned towards the gate with a shift of his chin.

 

"To us it is known as the Arch. It was once used mostly for cargo, and sometimes for visiting representatives, but no longer. We were not informed of your impending visit."

 

"We didn't know we needed an appointment." Jack's irritation had not levelled off, yet he was finding it psychologically difficult to debate with holograms. Which in turn aggravated his irritation. And while they stood there uselessly arguing, Daniel was in dire need of rescuing.

 

Jack glanced down at the dead bird at his feet. Long blue and orange tail feathers matched its wings, while its body was a combination of orange and gold. Eagle eyes stared up at him in silent accusation. He felt a small unwanted twinge of regret at its death, until he remembered its claws trying to rip into him like rubber. For his sake, thank goodness Daniel had been there. For Daniel's sake, however… "So, what happens now?" Carter wants calm, Carter gets calm. Outward. Pretense. Daniel's domain.

 

"Now you will leave. We will control the Arch if you tell us where you wish to go."

 

"We don't go without Daniel."

 

There was a long moment of silence.

 

Longer.

 

"He cannot be returned."

 

Damn them. "Yes, he can. Where is he? Is he alive?"

 

"Banishment is permanent."

 

"I said, is he alive?" Jack persisted. "Just answer the damn question." Fury blazed again in his features, in his body language, in his eyes, never having dissipated but instead been choked down until hypoxia threatened to suffocate him, but those men - or whatever they were - remained as cold as Minnesota snow cones.

 

"He is in the place where killing more animals is forever impossible." Then silently, with another dispersal of light, the local aliens vanished from view.

 

The remainder of SG-1 stood staring in contempt and dread at the empty space left by disappearing judge and jury.

 

So does that mean he's still alive?

 

_____

 

The same question that Daniel was asking himself.

 

The tingling, burning sensation evaporated, leaving the faint aftereffect of an electrical jolt coursing through his body, the final remnants of a zat blast, or hand device. And then, with eyes daring to focus, Daniel found himself standing in absolute darkness. "Guys?" he whispered haltingly.

 

He stood, frozen, stunned, uncomprehending of the severity or absurdity of his suddenly changed predicament. The blackness, the cold, and the menacing moon hovering above allowed the realization that he was no longer where he'd just been standing with his teammates, yet still he had to be outdoors. For the moon that was either way bigger than that of Earth, or way closer, was taking up a good portion of the sky. He could see bumps on its surface. What was this place? The other side of the planet?

 

The second realization slowly emerging into Daniel's consciousness was that his pack remained on the ground at his teammates' feet… and that wasn't anywhere near here. Nothing had been transported with him but the radio, flashlight, and energy bars in his pockets.

 

A final pocket gifted him with a lighter and a pack of chewing gum.

 

"Guys?" he inquired again, this time into his radio, his breath forming mist, knowing very well that he was alone, knowing he had been singled out for causing the death of a bird, but not understanding why it had mattered so much.

 

No response from the radio. Daniel closed his eyes, trying to realign his thoughts, assuage his dread. He hated almost nothing more than being separated from his team.

 

Shining the light all around, Daniel could see no path, and nothing that looked like shelter. The gravelly terrain was mostly flat, scattered here and there with boulders. As far as his pocket light could illuminate, he was in the middle of nowhere, the epitome of nothingness. "Okay, this is different." Lots of places to set up camp now, he thought bitterly.

 

Making his way to the largest of the nearby rocks Daniel sat down, the ground chilly beneath him, cold curling up through his fatigues from more than the night air. Pulling his fears down with him, he settled in to think. The simple truth was that it was night, and he could never find his way back to anywhere at least until daylight.

 

"Jack? Come in, Jack. Anyone?" His radio insisted on playing dead.

 

Only then did he realize one very important fact, and his heart shot into his throat.

 

Ten minutes ago the crimson sun had been a glow on the horizon in the burgundy twilight sky, a sky that never grew completely dark in a night that was already half over. The moon had been a barely visible puff of pale gray. But now…

 

That wasn't the moon, hovering up there above him. It was P2R 167.

 

_____

 

"We have to talk to them!" Jack's simple, obvious statement was more an expression of anger and frustration, an outburst of temper, than an idle fact. He shrugged away from Carter as she dabbed at his cuts. "Enough. I'm fine."

 

"They're puffing up, Sir." But she knew better than to suggest he have them taken care of properly. Not at this point in time.

 

"They don't stop me from walking, Carter. I'm fine."

 

They couldn't gate home without Daniel. They couldn't find Daniel without the help of those who had removed him. Those who had removed him were not coming back to discuss matters further. Simple, impotent facts. "Do you think he's still alive?" And that was a pathetic, pointless question, unless Carter knew something he didn't which he knew she didn't know. Jack put his hand to his face, taking the cloth from Sam.

 

Shouted requests for communication had not brought back the aliens. Neither had cursing. SG-1 had no way to begin searching for them, nor did they desire to search in this dismal lighting, with wild animals - and honking huge birds - around. And if they weren't allowed to defend themselves, their weapons were no better than useless.

 

"There's no reason to believe otherwise, Sir. I'd say they probably projected him to wherever they went themselves."

 

"Projected him? He's not a hologram, Carter."

 

"Took him, Sir; to wherever they work or reside. They must be speaking from somewhere."

 

"Took him. Why? To incarcerate him?"

 

"I don't know." Nor did she want to think about that, and the look on Sam's face warned Jack not to ask her again. But he didn't pick up on the subtle hint.

 

"Or to kill him? Eye for an eye sort of thing? Christ, he didn't even mean to hurt it. It was a damn bird." Jack cursed to himself. He knew that wasn't just an unnecessarily morbid thought. He had no idea what they'd meant by 'permanent banishment', and neither did Carter. "First good light, we try to track them. There have to be trails here somewhere. Signs of life. Something." No there didn't. Wishful thinking, but what else did they have? And even incarceration was better than Daniel being dead, evaporated, for that meant they still had a chance to get him back.

 

"O'Neill."

 

"Yeah, what is it?"

 

Teal'c slowly moved his gaze upward. "I do not believe we will find trails."

 

Jack and Sam followed the movement.

 

High in the sky, nearly out of sight above tufts of burgundy and crimson cloud, were several hovering clumps of… towns. Or, perhaps, oddly-formed ships?

 

"Oh crap."

 

"Indeed."

 

Over five minutes passed before anyone spoke again, their gazes hardly wavering from the impossible sight above.

 

"Not Nox." But they already knew that. The aliens had looked relatively human. "Similar technology? Those are real, right?" Or holograms in the sky? But for what purpose?

 

More silence, save for the nearby grunts and squeals of animals returning, enveloped their melancholy. If Daniel was up there, they'd never have a way of bringing him home. No wonder those people had known what was going on down here. Their surveillance position was unsurpassed.

 

_____

 

Daniel could no more remove his shocked gaze from the sight of the huge planet off in the distance, than close his eyes and turn this into a bad dream. Thoughts jumbled together, forming no coherent patterns.

 

Slowly, very slowly, his mind started to return to the present reality of this distinctly worrisome situation. Switching off the flashlight, for there was nothing here to see and he had no spare batteries, left an eerie blackness, shadows upon shadows creeping even darker in giraffe patches over rock and stone, and every outline seemed to slide towards him in a flurry of imaginative perils. Daniel knew impending lurking fear was dangerous, reaching out to him, beckoning for him to let it enter his inner world, ransack his mind. He shuddered the thoughts away. This was where he'd spend the night; he knew he had no choice. May as well wait it out.

 

But though he was tired, he knew he wouldn't sleep. Adrenaline still surged through him, and there was no one watching his six. Night alone couldn't bring automatic sleep, and solitary isolation usually brought danger.

 

The hours could have been seconds or days, locking him into a battered time warp. Nothing moved, nothing changed… not even the light. Only P2R 167 slid slowly across the sky, until finally it had disappeared completely.

 

But the deep penetrating blackness remained, and then got even darker.

 

_____

 

"Daniel!" Again, Jack tried calling into his radio, and again, nothing. Obviously he was out of reach, but maybe not as far up as Carter and Teal'c assumed. Maybe he was just at some other end of this game preserve, being taught a lesson out there on his own. Out there with predatory animals, and no one to back him up, no weapons for protection, and no food. Damn. "Daniel!"

 

"O'Neill. He is unable to hear you."

 

"You don't know that." Maybe they just took his radio from him. Maybe it's sitting on some table, with Daniel eyeing it, waiting for the right moment to grab it back.

 

"Yes Sir, I think we do." Not that Sam wanted to be pessimistic, but the signs were there. "If the people all live up in those… sky towns, this whole planet might be nothing more than a game preserve."

 

"Doesn't mean Daniel's not here."

 

"They said he's been sent to where he can't hurt any more animals, Colonel. And if animals are all over this place - "

 

"Carter…! We don't know that, either!"

 

Sam paused. "No Sir. We don't."

 

"Fine. Then as long as we're speculating, I'll speculate that Daniel's somewhere around here, if you don't mind."

 

"Yes Sir."

 

_____

 

Again convinced he'd heard sounds, Daniel jolted to wild alertness. More imaginary predators? His brain was working overtime. No, his imagination; his brain would be way smarter than that. Nothing there, nothing here.

 

But even that nothing would have to be dealt with come morning. Nothing in the way of water… or food. Nothing but solitary aloneness. What he wouldn't give just to know another human being was around. And hopefully the morning would be a hell of a lot warmer and brighter than the night. He rubbed his arms. Maybe he could rub out the wishful thinking signs posted all over his brain.

 

Daniel tried relaxing. Not that he hadn't attempted it before; this nerve-jolting anxiety had been going on for hours. But as far as the night went, he was growing convinced there might be nothing else but. Counting his time on watch, it had been way past those eight, even nine, hours Carter had postulated were left until morning.

 

Daniel tensed. He could've sworn he'd heard something that time.

 

Games playing with his nerves. Was this all part of the joke?

 

No, that next noise was no imaginary fear, the shadow no illusion of dispersed astral light. Daniel switched on his flashlight, fingers fumbling for it in a hurry, as an ear-shattering screech ripped through the air beside him.

 

A hulking form leaped into view, a mass of gangly limbs and hair, taller and thinner than an ordinary man, landing delicately on back legs and hovering, it's front feet or arms dangling close to the ground, sometimes touching, sometimes not. It took only a fraction of a second for Daniel to realize the creature had turned its attention on him.

 

No; had aimed for him in the first place, with its impressive night vision. Sinuous and ugly, it wavered there on hind legs, its full height just a conjecture. He watched it in horrified fascination, for he had no other choice. In simplistic irony Daniel understood that he was not alone here. Be careful what you wish for.

 

The creature crept towards him, its elongated snout sniffing the air. Then, more movements in the shadows and more shadows in Daniel's light; more of its kind peeking out from rocks, leaping to form a small gang now surrounding him, still holding back. Rising, lowering of body parts, eager yet detached, a game of patience. Coming to watch, or coming to help their leader in a kill?

 

Slowly, slowly Daniel rose, backed where he was against the boulder, hands bent outwards, trying to appear as large as he could. At this point, threatening seemed better than friendly. "I doubt you speak English…" he began in time to his paced movements, a frantic attempt to keep calm.

 

It leapt, knocking Daniel backwards against the rock. He fell with a thud, his back hitting the stone, the animal's body heavy upon him even in its lanky thinness. "Stop!" he screamed out, pushing at it with futile arms, and he could sense the rest of the gang approaching. Jack…! Help!

 

In his turmoil he didn't see the rocks come flying, didn't register them, not for several seconds at least. But when one of the other creatures fell forward with a piercing shriek, all others turned to the leader of the pack. The animal that now lay across Daniel leaped up, bounded over to its fallen comrade…

 

… and began tearing it apart.

 

The six others joined in the feast.

 

Shaking, his heart thumping madly, Daniel could do nothing but watch in terror as the group nearly lost now in darkness devoured one of its own. He didn't need to see clearly to know; the sounds of crunching and ripping detailed every action. Creeping out of there seemed like the best thing to do…but Daniel could see there was nowhere else to go. The next boulder was a little ways off, and he might never make it in time. Besides… if boulders were the place to hide, his hiding place would be obvious.

 

In his suspended state of shock, it was only when more rocks started hailing down on the feeding beasts - and missing him - that Daniel realized he should be wondering where they were coming from.

 

The now nervous animals stopped their feasting and perked up their heads, a few large stones hitting their flanks, this time not hard enough to kill. Bellowing into the night, they bounded off, leaving their meal and one large dark mound unnaturally lying only half a dozen feet away.

 

Daniel remained where he'd fallen, sick to his stomach, his bruised back against the boulder, afraid to rise yet afraid to stay where he was. There were things here of which he knew nothing, and all he had to defend himself with was a flashlight and a pair of glasses.

 

Not having regained any modicum of composure, the tap on his shoulder from behind scared what was left of the hell out of him. He leapt to his feet, swiveling quickly around. Bringing up the flashlight as though it was a sidearm, a reflexive action that afforded a primitive but false feeling of security, Daniel squinted to sharpen the dark image of something shifting around on the rock above where he'd just been sitting. A lizard? Tapping him on the shoulder?

 

As this smaller creature sat up higher, he could see the elongated body, the long fingered claws, the round hairy head…

 

And its grinning teeth.

 

It pranced off its perch, Daniel rapidly stepping sideways to avoid it. Bypassing him, it made its way instead towards the newly-dead carcass. Keeping its eyes on Daniel and a grin on its face, one long clawed hand reached out, tearing off a huge chunk of flesh.

 

Then it bounded back to Daniel, holding the meat out towards him.

 

"Uh… for me?"

 

The creature remained that way, standing hunch-backed, three feet in height, one unnaturally long arm outstretched. The grin never wavered. The eerie situation reeked of the surreal, and struck Daniel as ludicrous. Here, in the blackness of a moon thousands of light years from home, the sole human from Earth, unable to contact his team or get himself home, he was in the presence of a malformed alien creature who was now offering him the first helping of raw, freshly-prepared, meat.

 

"Thank you." Daniel took the dripping flesh, hoping his grimace wouldn't be understood in the black of night. Hell, these creatures all probably had excellent night vision by now. "I suppose you did save my life," he muttered. Only then did the creature return to the carcass, ripping off and stuffing its own mouth with a chunk big enough to satisfy a lion. "So. Eat or be eaten? That the rule around here?" Daniel didn't have to look around again to know that no natural food sources were growing in this place. He was talking to himself; the creature kept on chewing. At least the grin was gone.

 

Daniel studied it as it ate. A hyena-like creature with a much rounder face, functioning as a biped. Bristly hair like an elephant.

 

"So is that how you survive? Because you use weapons?" Daniel's awareness now returned to his hand, still gingerly clutching a hunk of raw flesh.

 

His hand slimy and sticky, the nearly forgotten bird bite now stinging again, scratches from claws making their presence known as dripping blood escaped down the length of his arm when he moved, Daniel slowly laid the offering down behind him at the base of the boulder. Hating to waste this animal's food but not wanting to offend by returning it, the strange and disgusting thought entered his mind that after the few energy bars were gone, this might be the only type of meal he'd find.

 

No. I'll be rescued before I'm desperate enough to eat raw alien.

 

But deep down, Daniel knew there was no way for the rest of SG-1 to reach this place. And then, no way back.

 

_____

 

It hadn't been much easier this time, yet they believed somehow they'd had help from the Noneh. With three of them wearing gloves, SG-1 had managed to get the mesh off the DHD without harming the bird or its eggs. The two nests were now on the ground, protected by idle members of the team.

 

"General, I'm requesting permission to stay here. We have to find a way to contact those aliens." The rhino cows had moved off with the appearance of the holograms, but now that the stargate area had been vacated, SG-1 did not want to return home.

 

"Are you certain it's safe, Colonel? If there are laws against defending yourselves - "

 

"We'll manage, General. If those people see we're not going anywhere, they may decide to come down here and talk to us."

 

"Alright. But at the first sign of danger, Jack, I want you home."

 

"Yes Sir."

 

The gate closed down, and SG-1 stood surveying their surroundings. Better than having to actually look each other in the eye; the guilt of being helpless was disconcerting and painful. Baffled and subdued, without Daniel everything seemed wrong. No one should be alone in this place, and they knew Daniel was experiencing exactly that. All they could hope was that he was up there reasoning with those beings right at this moment, using his impressive diplomatic skills. Given half a chance, Daniel could talk his way out of anything. Well, almost anything, Jack thought to himself, bitterly remembering Teal'c's Cor-ai. But if Daniel couldn't get through to those people, no one could. Jack hoped the same would hold true here.

 

One thing seemed clear; the aliens had no desire to return for conversation. SG-1 could stand here forever, or go back to camp… one tent in the woods… and come up with a plan.

 

_____

 

It ate, and had its fill. Daniel watched, always alert, never daring to sit back down. What else was lurking in these shadows?

 

Hours had passed, and the night seemed in no hurry to pass. The chill air remained, as did the near-complete darkness. Only the light from Daniel's flashlight and some from distant suns reflecting on the heavenly bodies overhead, broke the tenebrous monotony. Daniel had long been wishing the creature would leave. Instead, it alternated with sleepy rests, eating, and resting some more, rarely removing its eyes from the moon's newest occupant. In a macabre way, Daniel wondered if it was protecting him - it had chased those others away, or had it just wanted their food? Or, was it just lulling him into a sense of security, when it would then pounce - and share its bounty with others of its kind?

 

_____

 

"Sir!" The loud whisper was unnecessary. At the same moment as Sam and Teal'c, Jack had noticed its presence. SG-1 remained motionless, huddled together, seeming larger merged into one. Without being able to use weapons, all they could count on was intimidation of their own.

 

One by one, the largest animals so far to come drink at the water hole appeared from out of the bush.

 

There was a palpable change in the slow sleepy mood of the waterhole visitors. Now, as the larger ones seemed to take over, the smaller animals satisfied themselves with lurking on the sidelines.

 

SG-1 stood watching in semi-fascination, anxious and alert, side by side and arms interlinked, three singles becoming one larger mass. Should any of these mammals turn out to dislike Earth humans - or develop a sudden taste for them - there was no way they'd be able to reach and activate the DHD in time to get away, even with the bird nests now secured onto the MALP and the dialling device free. All they could do was hope that the animals would happily leave their drinking hole without noticing - or having any further interest - in them.

 

_____

 

The alien was beckoning him. Moving off, beckoning. Returning, beckoning. It almost bounced.

 

Should he follow?

 

The night was not relinquishing its domination over morning. Darkness seemed to be everlasting; by Daniel's watch, fourteen hours had passed since he'd been sent here.

 

If this place was one endless night, he had no hope of ever finding his way to anything. Of ever getting his bearings, or becoming master of his environment. For days he would be destined to wander, always looking over his shoulder, knowing he could not fight a gang of hunters searching for food. Perpetual night; perpetual feeding time. And what about sustenance for himself? Water? His sin, killing an animal to defend a friend. His sentence? Having to kill animals in order to survive. Was this the master plan?

 

The one troubling question that haunted his mind, was why he was allowed to kill these animals. Or was he? And with what? A rock?

 

Hesitantly, with massive misgivings, Daniel followed the alien.

 

_____

 

The night was short, never reaching pure darkness. As the sun slid across the horizon and slowly rose, bringing with it golds and blue of the day, the hovering cities melted out of view, blending in with the wispy clouds above. Teal'c had been right; there were no tracks larger than those of the animals drinking at the waterhole last night.

 

The animals had finally merged back into the forest, ignoring SG-1. Their night had ended, and Jack had not gotten to sleep at all.

 

The team sat restlessly outside the tent in silence. No plans had emerged, and neither had Daniel. Wherever those people had taken him, they seemed to be intent on keeping him.

 

"If he'd had a chance to present his case, they would have returned him by now," Jack reasoned.

 

No one had a response. None that he'd want to hear.

 

But Jack knew he couldn't sit there forever, indignantly tossing stones at the tree trunks. Something had to be done. Somehow, he had to get the attention of the aliens who had appeared only to take Daniel away from them.

 

_____

 

There was nothing growing, anywhere. Trails were non-existent, yet the alien competently, confidently, bounded over gravel and rocks in apparent familiarity with the dreary landscape. Daniel still had no idea why the creature was helping him, or if it was. Malicious visions of hungry packs, waiting for them at some cloistered meeting point, kept recurring to his frazzled mind. Ambush.

 

And yet Daniel kept trailing his guide, for remaining out here on his own was as much of a risk as was trust. His choices were limited; he'd face the unknown - wasn't it all unknown? - and cross all bridges when he came to them.

 

And that thought reminded him of Jack, of the rest of SG-1, up there - or down there; it was all a matter of perspective - on P2R 167. They'd be going ballistic looking for him. Were they, at this very moment, trying to convince those hologram people to let him go free? Making headway, about to sign some peaceful treaty and beam him back down?

 

As Jack would say, keep those positive thoughts coming.

 

Daniel didn't believe them for a moment.

 

The alien creature paused, allowing him to catch up, sniffing into the night atmosphere as it grinned up at him. Following some scent, it turned, making its way much more slowly across the gravelly, stony ground, Daniel following humorlessly behind, his bruised back aching.

 

And then it pulled up, prancing in a slow twist, skittering its way towards a large lump of shadowy mound. As they drew closer, Daniel's light illuminated the mostly devoured carcass of another of the tall beasts that had tried to attack him.

 

The smaller creature stopped, tore off a small clinging piece of leftover scrap with its clawed fingers, and held it out for Daniel. This time, he declined.

 

"Uh… no. Thank you." Daniel put his hands behind his back. "This friendship is a bit…. Um, let's just say I don't want to owe you anything."

 

And so the creature ate, picking the last of the meat off the bones.

 

Then it beckoned for Daniel to continue, to follow once again.

 

"Where are we going?" Not that Daniel expected any sort of a response; so far, the alien had made no sound at all.

 

_____

 

And then there were two.

 

A second alien, just like the one who'd led him here. This one was digging in the ground with those claws, but upon hearing their approach it swung around, gaping. Moving forward hesitantly, its eyes searched out Daniel's.

 

Then it broke into a grin.

 

"Okay. Why do I feel like this is a set-up?" Daniel's already raw nerves were twitching, cautioning him to run, to leave. But where would he go? He had seen no shelter, just remnants of hunting and survival, for the past two hours. How long could he survive this place, even if these creatures did mean him no harm? "No offense, but I think I'll be going…" Daniel stepped backwards, as the two aliens each put an arm around the other.

 

"You're… oh," Daniel remarked aloud, eyes growing wide in surprise. Family, in some way. More intelligent than he'd given them credit for. More sentient. For a moment, Daniel felt ashamed.

 

Were they animals? Alien semi-humans? A cross between?

 

They beckoned to him. Interlocked, they turned back to the digging.

 

Turning their backs on him gave Daniel the courage to linger instead of run. Curiosity claimed him, for both creatures had continued the job of digging in the gravelly ground. For twenty more minutes this continued as Daniel watched. Then, suddenly, they both stopped and bent lower.

 

They were drinking.

 

"Water?" Venturing nearer, his light shone on a small puddle that had formed. These animals had just taught him his second step in survival, if he was to remain in this place. Plenty of rocks for tools, and water was under the surface.

 

They moved apart, beckoning once more, allowing Daniel to drink. He lowered himself to his knees, taking his chances with the thick murky, sandy water. There was no other choice.

 

Finally, the two aliens settled down, torsos hunched together on the bare ground, their eyes falling away from Daniel and outer lids partially closing, and Daniel knew the hospitality had come to an end. It was time to make his own way; to where, he had no idea. All he knew was that he couldn't stay here.

 

As Daniel picked a direction and headed off, aimlessly, guardedly, desperation and futility came crashing down upon him. The possibility lurked strongly that he would never find a way off this satellite, that his friends would never be able to reason him home. As far as he knew, they didn't even know he was up here. Were they searching for him in that jungle, that game preserve, expecting to find the remains of a massacred corpse? Was this his future, hunting and scavenging?

 

Was this a just sentence for his inadvertent crime?

 

_____

 

"General, we can't leave yet."

 

"Colonel, I understand your concern. But as yet you have not found a way to make contact with those people."

 

"Give us one more night, Sir."

 

"One more night, Colonel? What happens if you're not so lucky tonight, Jack?"

 

"General, please. The aliens have to see we're not just going to give up and go home."

 

Hammond sighed. "One more night, Jack, that's all. I want you home within twenty-four hours, no argument."

 

Jack bit back his retort. He had a plan, but no way was he going to let anyone in on it. It would never have been approved. "Yes Sir. O'Neill out."

 

_____

 

By now Daniel knew there was no alternative up here to night and blackness. That planet was back in view; it was now another day - or night - entirely. And his mood was as thick and black as the setting around him.

 

SG-1 was not coming, and no light was going to beam him back down. He knew his teammates would never choose to give up, but they would not have that choice indefinitely. Only Teal'c didn't, theoretically, have to follow orders.

 

This time when the sounds came, the real ones, he was ready. The moment the hunters came into view, not waiting for more aggressive moves, Daniel reached into his massive pile of rocks and began throwing.

 

Not to kill, just to scare. He was hungry, but definitely not that desperate yet. He refused to think ahead to tomorrow, or the day after that.

 

As the pack moved on, at least for now, Daniel remained on alert, not ready to dwell on his success. They might yet be back, believing he wouldn't kill them. But he would, if he had to. Was this his punishment, having to kill in order to survive? What were those other animals doing up here? Born here, or serving a lifelong sentence as well? Was this moon a holding ground for all those who had angered the local populace on the world he was now staring at, half filling the sky above him?

 

______

 

"Sir? What are you doing?" Carter's horrified whisper was drenched in sudden panic. She tried to reach for the zat in the colonel's hand, but he pushed her away.

 

Teal'c remained silent; it was apparent to Jack that the big man was suddenly beginning to comprehend. Or, at least, to trust that he had a plan. Right now, finding out whether or not Daniel was alive was foremost on their one-item list of things to do today.

 

"Carter, if they won't come to us, I'm going to them."

 

"Sir?" Sam's wide eyes reflected the dimming sun.

 

Ignoring her unvoiced protests, Jack aimed at the water hole. It didn't matter which of those animals he shot down; one was as good as the next. He'd choose one that didn't quite have it's nose in the water; didn't want it to end up drowning. This would just be a jolt with the zat; it'd recover.

 

Of course, that's what Daniel had thought about the bird. But that one had probably died from a bop on the head when it landed.

 

Much to Carter's dismay and Teal'c's questionable agreement, Jack took aim and fired. The animal went down, unmoving, as the others reared back in fright from the sound and sudden motion. Some backing away and others just looking… annoyed, SG-1 had no time to see whether or not they'd settle down.

 

The air began to bristle, mere seconds of vision and light intermingling, displacing one from the other, and then the ten aliens were standing there. Now the animals were scattering, taking off into the cover of jungle, another night of hydration and social interaction interrupted.

 

As one, the local area caretakers stared in disbelief at the colonel, at the zat in his hands.

 

"What have you done?" The voices were angered.

 

"I killed one of your animals," Jack responded as nonchalantly as he could, finding it hard to keep the contempt out of his voice. What have you done, with my teammate?

 

"Are you a fool? You are intimately aware that this is not allowed!"

 

"I needed revenge. You took Daniel from us," Jack said calmly.

 

Carter stared at her CO. She knew now what he was trying to do, but it was an enormous risk. He hadn't even talked it over with the rest of his team. Those people would not necessarily take him to the same place Daniel was being held. He might end up being as lost as Daniel - or worse; he'd known the odds while Daniel had been ignorant of their laws.

 

"You will be banished."

 

"Yeah, whatever." Just do it before that damn animal wakes up.

 

"Colonel!" Carter shouted, as O'Neill faded away, his molecules evaporating into the air.

 

_____

 

Well this was interesting.

 

Where Jack found himself was not where he'd expected to be. This was no room… no jail cell. This wasn't even up there on one of those floating ships, unless they didn't really have that great view he'd read about in the brochures.

 

"Crap." Jack stared spellbound. No, he was outside, in pitch black cold air, with some planet floating above his head, the only source of light. Now what? Was this his destiny, having attacked one of those precious animals, in the knowledge that it was illegal? Daniel had claimed to have been innocent, ignorant; had he been treated more leniently? Hopefully. But Jack was no fool; he knew his present situation sucked big time.

 

Or maybe he was a fool. What the hell would he do now?

 

"Crap."

 

Surveying his immediate surroundings with the aid of his flashlight, Jack saw nothing but rocks and gravel. No trees, no signs of life.

 

Most importantly, no Daniel.

 

For that last realization he was infinitely grateful, and disappointed at the same time; while he was no closer now to finding his teammate than he'd been ten minutes ago, he didn't want to think of his friend having been confined to this place for the past forty hours. Night was certainly a lot darker here than it was on P2R 167.

 

On P2R 167?

 

The planet he was looking at, up there in the sky? Or was he even farther away, somewhere else in the galaxy? Damn.

 

Now what?

 

Despairingly, Jack dropped the pack he'd made sure to have on his back. So much for bringing supplies to Daniel. He was the one going to need them now.

 

_____

 

Damn you, Colonel.

 

Carter almost felt like crying. She stood in shock, barely wanting to move. That could have been a perfect plan, for even if the colonel couldn't bring Daniel home once the holograms realized the animal wasn't truly dead, he might still find out what had happened to their abducted teammate, find out where he was. A perfect plan, that is, if his cells hadn't just been disintegrated. Now they not only didn't know if Daniel was alive, they didn't know if the colonel was alive. His entire body had just seemed to evaporate…

 

The aliens wouldn't kill a man for something he hadn't actually done, would they? Would they?

 

But they had assumed, and that was enough to pass judgement.

 

Teal'c's quiet voice at her ear was startling. "We must contact General Hammond, Major Carter."

 

Yes. He was requesting her permission before acting, subtlety reminding her she was now in charge.

 

_____

 

Daniel knew he needed sleep. He needed a lot of things. But each time he drifted off he forced himself awake; sheltering behind this single boulder offered little protection from scavenging animals, and he had to remain on watch. Still, he couldn't stay awake forever, and it was getting harder and harder to keep his eyes open.

 

It seemed as though everything was moving, the rocks, the shadows, the gravel beside his knees. The shadows, shades of black, playing havoc with his senses, and his eyes were watering and stinging. Daniel knew he needed sleep desperately.

 

Desperation and depression had been setting in for hours. The shock of his predicament had been slowly wearing off, leaving trails of despair behind, as Daniel realized and admitted this wasn't a life he wanted to lead. What was the point?

 

If he were to be attacked during his sleep - as he doubtless would be, one day - would it really make a difference? How long could he function this way?

 

Yet, another part of him held out hope, the same hope he always packed inside him when he thought about his team. They wouldn't give up unless forced to, he knew that. He would never have given up on them. But Daniel had been thinking about this for hours, and had not come up with any way they could bring him home. If the rest of his team had been able to convince the aliens of his innocence, come to some sort of deal, would they not already have done so?

 

This time Daniel let his eyes drift shut.

 

The howling was abnormal. Cries in the night, animals being slaughtered. He'd thought for a moment the zat was in his hand, and realized it wasn't only when the beast sprung, claws outstretched, teeth grinning. It was his own anguished cry that woke him up.

 

Daniel bolted upright, sweating, chilling quickly in the cold night air. His back throbbed and his muscles were stiff, having dozed off that way against the boulder, his body angled to the left. The usual sounds enveloped him; distant howls and screeches, an animal being surprised by attack. The planet had moved around to the other side of the sky above him. And Daniel wanted nothing more than to see the inaccessible light of day.

 

_____

 

There was a beast - or skeleton of one, still hanging with meat - lying not far from his spot. Jack could smell the recent decay, and moved farther away. Nice place. Good thing they hadn't sent him here a couple days earlier, while that thing had been lurking around.

 

Not that that thought made him feel any better; it only led to questions about the other beast that had killed it. His situation wasn't good… Teal'c would appreciate the understatement… and Jack removed the handgun from his pack. Good thing those aliens hadn't suspected what he was carrying. Then again, up here they probably didn't care.

 

It's up to you now, kids. Carter had been right; stupid risk he'd taken. But for Daniel, he had to take the chance. There'd been no other choice; Hammond had ordered them home.

 

_____

 

Daniel tried the alien trick of digging in the gravel, although without the claws it wasn't as easy as it had looked. He tried using stones, but after reaching a depth of two feet, there still was no liquid. He sat back, frustrated, tired, and cold. Were they planning on keeping him here forever? If he didn't find water, forever wouldn't be terribly long.

 

How long had those other two creatures… beings… been here? They had learned to adapt. Maybe they were indigenous to this moon.

 

Daniel rose, hoping he could find the way back to those little alien buddies. Lovers? Siblings? Whatever they were, at least they had each other, and the thought made Daniel smile. Even out here in this desolate freezing hell, they had someone to care for, to care for them. Is that why they'd helped him, because he was alone?

 

He'd already lost track of time; judging by the planet up in the sky, the beautiful blue and purple and orange ball making its way to the far horizon, he'd been here almost two days, alien time. According to his watch, it had been even longer, Earth time.

 

Time to find water.

 

_____

 

As if the noises weren't distressing enough, those shadows were playing games with him again, growing even more alarming in the beam of his flashlight. Jack kept up his watch, hoping daylight would come soon. Or a plan. So far, nothing had come to mind.

 

The small skittering mole-like creatures had not been so unexpected, although they'd caught him by surprise. But the three-foot clawed thing had, with its grin, and his gun had been ready by then. But it hadn't tried to hurt him; maybe it was afraid of the weapon. Did it know something besides teeth could hurt it?

 

And now it seemed to be beckoning him, but Jack held back. What the hell was it doing?

 

"Shoo. Get out of here." He motioned with the muzzle of the gun.

 

The creature bounced away, never taking its eyes off him. Beckoning again in that funny way it had, arms and head and mini tail, it bounced back, and this time Jack aimed the handgun. The creature's eyes went wide, and it scurried off. Jack watched it get smaller and disappear in the beam of his light, far into the distance along the monotonous gravel terrain.

 

"So what the hell else is going to show up tonight?" All Jack could hope was that the aliens would have a change of heart, and beam him off to one of their cities. Somewhere he could talk to someone. Somewhere he might find his friend.

 

On the up side, he'd discovered that the beam didn't disintegrate. That meant Daniel was still alive. On the down side, he'd now left half his team with two of them to rescue, an impatient - and no doubt furious - Hammond ready to pull the plug.

 

_____

 

There was little water left in the hole; it had either been used, or had seeped back into the ground. The grinning creatures were nowhere in sight. Daniel drank what little he could.

 

He sank down to his knees before sitting flat, leaning against a low rock. Exhaustion was overtaking him; he'd had no more than three hours of sleep since he'd been sent here. Lacking food, lacking water, Daniel knew he had few options. He would have to use the rocks to kill one of those larger animals, if the pack ever showed up again. He would have to start conforming to the laws of this land.

 

Maybe he could get used to it here.

 

Or maybe he would eventually have to admit defeat. Give up. Only two options, both grim.

 

But first, he needed sleep. Daniel closed his eyes, preparing for another bizarre and frightening dream.

 

_____

 

Jack's butt was sore, not to mention cold.

 

Unsure of anything except the need to move, he slung the small pack over his shoulder and started walking, his light leading the way. Taking the direction of that weird creature, Jack figured it might lead to somewhere… not that he could imagine what could possibly be different than where he already was. But he doubted it would be travelling towards danger, and any direction was better than just sitting here doing nothing. Even an aimless walk might help him think more clearly.

 

His gun was ready and directed in front of him. Feeling vulnerable without his rifle, he hoped this would be as much as he'd ever need.

 

Ever.

 

Jack realized in that one word, how much he'd screwed up. So far, he had seen no sources of food, water, or any indication of human life forms. No buildings, no shelters. At this point in time, he suspected the face of even a Goa'uld might seem like a welcome friend. If he'd been sent here indefinitely… that was a possibility he didn't even want to consider.

 

Sounds had him stopping every few minutes, swinging the handgun around in a circle before conceding that his nerves were more jumpy than he was. Vague shadows were everywhere, but sounds would carry for a long distance up here. Whatever was making those noises could be miles away.

 

Another couple of carcasses littered the way. Not killed as recently, Jack realized these large animals must roam this area frequently. And even they needed something to feed on. His state of alertness increased a notch. In this featureless landscape, anything approaching should be able to be seen from a distance, but the boulders scattered here and there did their best to interrupt the monotony and make for some decent hiding places. Places where anything could be watching, incognito, scoping out unsuspecting prey.

 

And it was with those thoughts in mind that he saw another large shadow up ahead, stretching out sideways, seemingly attached to the base of a boulder.

 

Jack halted abruptly, his gun held tight to his chest. Skirting around, he slowly moved off in the opposite direction, keeping a parallel path, torn between avoiding the thing and getting rid of it so it couldn't sneak up on him. Keeping his eye on the boulder, he found one of his own from which he could observe undetected.

 

For a long while, nothing seemed to move.

 

But when the shadow dance started, Jack sucked in his breath. It wasn't just his eyes playing tricks, not this time. Something was moving up there, something that wasn't as big as it looked. Its shadow, however, seemed to stretch for miles. Damn the light of that planet, so far off to the right. It had moved across the entire sky in the time Jack had been here.

 

Slowly, Jack realized that dancing shadow, or part of it, belonged to the creature with the toothy grin. And it didn't seem afraid. Whatever was up there was more than likely already dead.

 

He rose from the painful crouched perch, determined now to see what was going on. Another carcass, most likely. Switching the gun to his left hand, Jack pulled the spare zat from his pack. Two hands would be ready; if he could separate his brain signals into right and left, this might work out.

 

Approaching the boulder from the rear, Jack jumped as he saw the long shadow stir. Too large, and too close for comfort.

 

Aiming the zat, he fired.

 

"Aah!" The voice that cried out sounded human, and Jack froze. Damn it, it couldn't be…

 

Cautiously moving closer to the front of the barrier, Jack directed his light in the direction of the cry. His eyes saw, and then his brain registered. Not what he'd been expecting to see up here in this place. Not whom.

 

"Christ, Daniel!" Jack rushed over, his zat and gun both momentarily dropped on the ground. "Daniel!" And all Jack could think was that it was a damn good thing he hadn't used the gun.

 

Grabbing the friend who was shaking from pain, he pulled Daniel to his chest and held him there. "God, I'm sorry." Sorry in more ways than one. Daniel had been here two days longer than he had, but already his own nerves were shot.

 

As far as Daniel was concerned, he'd easily forgive being woken up by a zat blast, if it meant he was being rescued. Just yet, however, he wasn't able to talk about it. Jack's voice was real, not a dream, and so were the arms around him. Waves of relief surged through him again and again; in spite of the electricity amplifying inside his body, he had never felt more at peace. The feel of a friend holding onto him, trying to comfort him, save him from this place of dead nothingness, was enough to instill calmness into his shuddering nerves. The physical sensations would be over in a few minutes, and then he could experience the immense relief his body was trying to eliminate. Mostly, he wanted to grab Jack in the ultimate of thank you hugs. He wanted to shout for joy. He wanted to go home.

 

It seemed to take forever from Jack's perspective. Something seemed wrong.

 

"Daniel. You okay now?" The shaking had stopped, and Daniel was resting quietly against him, eyes still closed. The conflicting feelings Jack was experiencing were troubling; great relief at finding his lost teammate, and heart-wrenching misery at finding him here.

 

Daniel nodded, slowly sitting up, breaking the contact. Opening hie eyes, he could see Jack beside him in the glint of fallen light. "Jack." The name slid off his tongue with a sweetness he never thought he'd taste again. " God, Jack. I didn't think you'd find me. How did you get here?" When Jack didn't immediately respond, Daniel continued, more questions flowing. "Did they decide I wasn't meant to be here? Why didn't they just beam me back down?"

 

Jack peered at the ground sheepishly. He would give anything to have better news, to give Daniel some hope, some positive answers. More than anything he wanted to say, "Ready to get up? We're heading back."

 

Instead, what he said was, "Let me see your hand."

 

Daniel's puzzled look gave way to minimal comprehension, as he held up the hand that had been stabbed with a beak. Jack shone the light closer, and froze.

 

His stomach lurched nauseatingly. Crap. "What happened to your arm?" Jack's voice wavered shallowly. That blood wasn't courtesy of bird scratches. Daniel's arm and hand were covered in it.

 

"Oh. Not mine."

 

"What?" A mixture of relief and dread superimposed itself onto his other thoughts. "Whose?"

 

"Uh, a dead animal. It's okay, Jack."

 

Choosing not to ask for this particular moment, Jack pulled his canteen and poured water on the bloody areas before wiping the real wound with gauze. "I came up to bring you supplies. Thought you might be hungry."

 

For an uncomfortably long moment Daniel just stared at his now bandaged hand, optimism plummeting, believing those weren't really the words that had been said. He'd heard wrong. Supplies? What the hell's going on, Jack? "That's it? You're leaving?" No, Jack wouldn't do that.

 

He wouldn't.

 

Leave you here? No way in hell, Daniel, not even if I could.

 

"Not exactly. I got myself sent up here so I could find you." Jack knew he'd just burst the bubble Daniel had pocketed himself into these past few minutes. He felt Daniel's joy drain away, and he hated himself for having to refuse rescue. For a fleeting moment he was glad Daniel's face was in shadows.

 

"I don't understand."

 

"Daniel, they haven't agreed to let you go. I zatted an animal, let them think it was dead."

 

Daniel didn't know what he felt. Crestfallen and miserable, his reemerging despair battled with the euphoria of only moments ago, and that was merging with the incredulity of what Jack had done for him. The boldness, and foolishness, of Jack's action had Daniel momentarily speechless. "But it's not."

 

"By now, they know that."

 

Daniel squinted one eye up at the man who held the light. "But you're still up here."

 

And for the first time, it occurred to Jack that maybe, just maybe, those beams only work one way.

 

But the aliens come and go, up and down... no, they don't. They don't come down at all, just project their images, like a TV set. Or a Goa'uld communication device.

 

"It doesn't matter. I found you, that's what's important." If he were returned now, without Daniel, that would be unacceptable. He could never sleep, knowing that his teammate was trapped alone on this dark cold ugly world, no one to talk to, even worse than a jail cell on a hovering city-ship. And that image had been bad enough.

 

"No, Jack. What's important is you came up here to find me, and now we both can't get down." The guilt flowed overwhelmingly through every pore, and what was even more guilt-provoking was the fact that Daniel knew he was inordinately happy to see him. "I'm sorry."

 

"For what, saving my skin down on that planet?"

 

"Of course not."

 

"Then forget i - " Jack hushed his voice, whipping up the gun from where it lay at his side. The grinning creature was back, and prancing at its side was a second.

 

"No!" Daniel exclaimed, shoving Jack's hand to the ground. "Don't! It's my friend."

 

An intake of air, and Jack's eyebrows danced. "Your friend?"

 

"Yes. And they're a couple," Daniel added with a half-smile. "And probably glad I have a companion now."

 

Jack settled back against the rock; there was nowhere he had to be. "This'll be good," he said, waiting for the story.

 

_____

 

Although it disturbed him to admit it, Jack felt a lot more comfortable and at ease in this place with Daniel at his side. The man was not only company to be with and someone to talk to, he had already somehow befriended a local species, lessening somewhat the fear of this inhospitable hell.

 

"Doesn't it ever get light?" Jack asked from their position by the boulder. There was nowhere to go anyway, and with the two of them, they could now catch up on some badly needed sleep. It didn't take a genius to notice Daniel had been nodding off even while relating his story.

 

"No," Daniel answered tiredly. Sitting as close to Jack as he could comfortably get, the added warmth barely diminished the everlasting chill in the air. Even knowing his team leader was as just as trapped as he was, even feeling the guilt at being the cause, Daniel couldn't stop the elation filling him at the mere presence of a friend. Jack's face had been the most beautiful thing he could have seen that night, even through his zat-filled pain.

 

And now he could finally ask, "Why the hell did you zat me?"

 

"Like I knew it was you?"

 

"I didn't attack."

 

"You moved. I may have been a bit jumpy. Here." Jack handed his teammate a canteen of water and an MRE. "You'll have to eat it as is."

 

Never had Jack suspected a bottle of water and hard cold food facsimile could bring such delight to someone's face. Daniel savoured each gulp of water appreciatively, before realizing it wasn't going to last long. He handed the canteen back to Jack, who took a swig.

 

"I brought you something else." Jack undid the straps from his pack, unleashing a sleeping bag. Daniel's eyes went wide, lighting up the night, and Jack couldn't contain his smile. A gift in this godforsaken hellhole; he knew the relief and thankfulness Daniel was feeling. "You're cold, get in. I'll take first watch."

 

But Daniel opened the zipper and spread out the sleeping bag wide, laying half of it over Jack's legs. Then he lay down underneath, eyes closing. "Thank you," was all he managed before he was sound asleep.

 

_____

 

"Why did the bird not awaken?" The aliens demanded of Sam, of Teal'c. There were things about these people they just did not comprehend.

 

"The weapon may have been too powerful for such a small creature," Teal'c surmised.

 

"Or it injured itself when it fell," Sam concluded. That was the more likely scenario, but she couldn't be certain.

 

It was about time someone came back to talk to them; they apparently had been baffled about that zat blast after all. Seeing a dead animal awakening would have roused anyone's curiosity. Thank goodness Hammond had allowed them to stay yet another day, although the man wasn't pleased with the colonel's actions, to put it mildly.

 

"So he knew the animal would awaken, yet he told us it was dead."

 

"Yes. He wanted to find our other teammate."

 

"He does not belong up there."

 

"Neither of them do."

 

"You are wrong."

 

_____

 

Daniel was right; this miserable place never did get light.

 

Daniel had been sleeping for five hours, a blessed reprieve from the cold darkness of the waking state. In his moments of restlessness, when bad dreams nearly roused him prematurely, a quiet "Sssh, go back to sleep," and a hand on his head had Daniel still again. For two nights, Daniel had not been able to sleep, and Jack was thankful for being able to give another moment of calmness to his friend.

 

The past few hours had been deceptively boring. Getting used to the shadows and far-off noises of the perpetual night, Jack had tried hard to release his own tensions. He didn't need sleep as badly as Daniel did, not yet, and watching over him was the final perk he'd been able to bestow. When he awoke, he knew Daniel would gladly do the same for him.

 

And thus, their time would pass.

 

If they were here indefinitely, if Carter or Teal'c could not force those people to see reason, then he and Daniel would soon have to start hunting… and learning to eat whatever they could, in whatever way they had available. They'd cross that bridge when they came to it.

 

Daniel stirred again, and Jack lay a hand on his friend's shoulder, moving in closer, the pretense of safety in proximity. Once again, Daniel stilled.

 

The bristling air and ensuing tingle startled him, the voice inside his own head screaming NO! as Jack suddenly realized what was happening.

 

The cry of Carter's "Colonel!" validated his exasperation even before the jolt had worn off.

 

_____

 

Daniel turned over, the warmth of the sleeping bag a blessing after the past few days. "Jack?" he murmured, waking suddenly to the realization that Jack had had no sleep.

 

"Jack?" But the space beside him was empty. Panicking, Daniel lifted his sore and still tired body to its feet. "Jack?" The flashlight illuminated nothing but empty space.

 

If Jack was anywhere around, he should be able to hear him on the radio. "Jack? Are you there?" But there was no reply. Thoughts flitted through Daniel's mind, the first being that his comrade had been taken by a predator.

 

He hadn't heard a yell, and a commotion would have woken him.

 

The second thought, more plausible and reeking of truth, was that Jack had been recalled, the hologram people realizing he hadn't really damaged one of their animals after all. It was meant to happen; it should have happened. Even with sinking heart and rising sorrow, Daniel hoped the latter was true. He could deal with nothing worse than being alone here again…except to have Jack stranded here forever as well.

 

Returning to the sleeping bag from his brief nearby search, Daniel came face to face with a creature he'd not yet encountered.

 

_____

 

"Daniel?" Jack called out, swivelling around, hoping his teammate had been returned along with him. He saw only Teal'c and Carter, and ten alien holograms. "No!" he shouted angrily. "No!" Lunging at one of the aliens in frustration, his body passed right through. Their indifferent expressions enraged him even further, and he kicked his boot in the dirt at their feet. "Put me back up there!"

 

He could not, could not have Daniel waking up to find himself alone again, left behind. Just the thought sickened him, gnawed bitterly at his grief and anger.

 

The aliens remained placid. "You don't belong there."

 

"Neither does Daniel!"

 

"We disagree."

 

"And that's where you're wrong."

 

"He killed one of the protected species."

 

"To save me!"

 

But once again, the visions vanished.

 

O'Neill felt fury. It rushed from his head downwards through his body, grabbed hold with a fist so tight he would have killed the bastard who'd exiled his friend had he been standing in the flesh there in front of him. Instead, he grabbed the gun in Carter's side holster. Those animals weren't damn holograms.

 

"Colonel?"

 

"I'll kill it." His voice was sharp, tight, and he walked towards the trees, gun aimed and ready. "I swear to God I'll kill the first thing I see moving."

 

With a desperate, helpless glance at Teal'c to do something, Sam remained fixed to the spot, unable to make a decision, unable to intervene. She couldn't stop the colonel with his mind so made up.

 

There was more altering of air molecules, as though a storm was approaching, and in a second the aliens were standing there, visually blocking Jack's path. He walked right through them, his gun held out and finger on the trigger.

 

"You would not!"

 

"Damn wrong! I would, and I will." The gun was pointing towards every moving leaf. "That's my friend up there!"

 

"You will be banished for the remainder of your life."

 

"I don't care. I will not leave Daniel up there alone!"

 

_____

 

The small rascals were ripping the thing to shreds, and he'd only been gone ten minutes. "Go! Go on, get out of here!" Daniel stamped his feet at the two animals, and they scampered off, stuffing sticking out of their mouths. Daniel stared at the torn sleeping bag, unable to control the tears welling in his eyes. He could still use it, but they'd ruined his gift from Jack.

 

Possibly the last thing anyone would ever give him.

 

Even knowing he was overreacting, his sensitivity out of control, Daniel couldn't settle his emotions. Lack of sleep along with all that had happened in the past few days was reaching a climax, hitting him hard with the realization that he hadn't said goodbye to Jack or the rest of his team. He'd had a final chance only hours ago - and had slept through it. The tears ran silently over his cheeks, his shoulders shaking.

 

There were animals out there. Daniel knew he could still warm himself, but he was sure he could no longer sleep.

 

_____

 

"It's long past time you all left this sanctuary and returned home."

 

Jack couldn't tell which was worse, his rising panic, or his rage. He didn't have time to care. "We'll leave when you return Daniel." Couldn't they see he wasn't going anywhere?

 

Maybe they could. "You must first replace our hurbascor."

 

"A bird? That's all you want? We can give you birds."

 

"Your world has the hurbascor?"

 

"Not a hurbascor. But other oh-so-very-lovely assortments."

 

"Our female no longer has a mate."

 

God, this was infuriatingly frustrating. To them, Daniel's life meant no more than those other creatures they'd sent upstairs… for whatever reason, now trying to survive on each other.

 

"Sir? Where exactly is Daniel?"

 

O'Neill's words were harsh, directed at his remaining teammates, but his eyes never left those of the aliens in front of him. "He's not on one of those ships. He's on the moon. Perpetual night, cold, no water, no food. Except for animals to hunt." With barely a pause, he continued, an edge of sarcasm and irony coloring his tone. "What are they doing there, anyway? Why aren't those animals down here with the rest of them?"

 

"They were, at one time. They were brought from other worlds, but did not belong. They were predators, killing those here for food."

 

So, it was only the carnivores that were banished. Not something that boded well for Daniel. But either Jack hadn't been in the most populated areas, or few species had been sent upstairs; even after years of reproduction, surely their numbers were dwindling by now, if all they had to eat was each other. Their punishment, for being stolen in the first place. Why hadn't these people just returned them to their rightful planet? For that matter, why hadn't they just asked SG-1 to leave and never come back, before getting rid of Daniel? Jack scowled. Their need for revenge - justice - was far too strong. Setting an example to others was what probably kept their own people in line. Something, Jack realized, the Gamekeeper had tried to do, long ago on another planet far off in time and space.

 

"Why are these animals so important to you?"

 

"We brought them all from other worlds, as we have explained, two of each species. The one destroyed by your friend was nesting. Soon, the female will leave her nest and the young will not survive."

 

"Let me get this straight. You take two of each animal from other planets, then bring them here to replace the ones you've hunted to death?"

 

"Correct. Now, killing them is against our laws."

 

"So where do we get a hibiscus?"

 

"Hurbascor."

 

"Whatever." Jack's sense of helplessness warred with the resentment that was fighting to consume him. "Where did you get them?"

 

The aliens tensed, murmuring. "On Therian."

 

Jack eyed Teal'c. "Ever heard of it?"

 

"I have not."

 

"Give us the coordinates." Before a minute had passed, Jack was dialling Earth. "Teal'c, get Hammond to send a team through to Therian, see if they have a pet store. You go with them, you know what it looks like." He turned to the small group of aliens. "Male? How do we tell, and how do we catch one?"

 

_____

 

It had been six hours since Jack had disappeared. Night or day, day or night, it didn't matter any more. Nothing mattered. It was clear that those aliens had no intention of freeing him from this isolation.

 

Wandering aimlessly, Daniel could not quell the aching emptiness building inside him. The unreality of his situation mingled with disbelief that he might have to remain here for the rest of his life. No, not if his friends were working on it. Not if Jack had made it up here once already.

 

Under false pretenses.

 

With self-pity raging stronger, Daniel calmed himself with a single intense realization: given the choice, he wouldn't change what he'd done to help Jack. That knowledge slightly eased his troubled mind. He'd have to, at some point soon, stop feeling sorry for himself and accept his circumstances.

 

His guard down, Daniel didn't notice the beast sneaking up behind him. Not until the large tight paw grip was around his throat and the teeth on his neck, did he realize anything was even there.

 

_____

 

Jack and Carter hardly said a word to each other. Taking watch by the stargate, it was a short sleep for both of them. The risk had lessened of being attacked by some large animal, given they were all vegetarians, but that didn't make them all completely harmless. Regardless, Daniel was facing such challenges, every minute he remained up there. The man would never be able to sleep through another night.

 

"You think we should have gone with Teal'c." O'Neill's voice was accusing.

 

"No Sir. I never said that."

 

"I don't trust them to let us through the gate again, if we do."

 

"I understand, Sir."

 

More silence, while they waited for word from Teal'c. Catching an exotic bird? It could take weeks. Their only hope was that on Therian, the hurbascor was a common fixture in the wildlife department.

 

Even in his impatience, the gate activating made Jack jump. He was on his feet before the wormhole had stabilized.

 

Teal'c came through… alone and empty-handed.

 

"Teal'c?" The news couldn't be good, and Jack's hope dive-bombed. From the corner of his eye he saw Sam's face close off like a switch.

 

"O'Neill, I am sorry. Security on Therian was too heavy. We were unable to gain access."

 

"Crap." Jack shouted up at the sky, the ships presently out of sight. But he knew they were watching. "Is that the only place we can find them?" His words carried into the forest.

 

Nothing happened.

 

Until he picked up his gun. "Guess it's time to try this again."

 

______

 

He knew those were teeth; the claws were otherwise occupied.

 

A lot taller and stronger than he was, Daniel was no match for the hairy primate. Unable to breath, he had only one possible chance, seconds before it found an artery. He flipped his wrist over his shoulder and fired.

 

The creature howled, releasing him, and collapsed. Daniel dropped with him, crashing to the ground, spread halfway under its jerking body,

 

Electrical current surged through them both, and Daniel was thankful for the fact that he hadn't passed out.

 

Yet. Breathing through zat tremors was hard enough without the added weight of a second jerking body, and dizziness was turning to faintness.

 

With its massive body weight and strength, the effects of the zat began to wear off quicker on that animal than on him, and terror seized Daniel as the creature began to squirm and rise. Painfully forcing himself to roll sideways, turning over, Daniel found himself unable to move further under the tremors. Shaking off its perplexed, dazed state, the animal was already sitting up.

 

And if noises were any indication, it was enraged.

 

A shadow loomed over him, heat and stale air suddenly stifling.

 

Taking the chance that he had only seconds before that thing was upon him, tearing him to bits for food, Daniel forced his hand off the ground, and fired again.

 

The animal fell forward, its head impacting onto Daniel's still shuddering abdomen, thrusting air from his lungs. Through several more seconds of increased dizziness, all Daniel could think was, is it dead? And then monumental relief that it had not been touching him when the second blast had been fired.

 

It was several minutes before his breathing was back to normal and his hands had stopped shaking, the latter not solely due to the zat experience.

 

Squeezing out from under the beast's head, for many minutes more he just sat there, staring, knowing Jack had just saved his life.

 

But that wasn't something he could dwell on, nor was settling his nerves and stomach an activity that could linger. For in the near distance, plodding steps approached, forcing Daniel's still dazed mind to relinquish its self-healing, his battered instincts spurred to action.

 

How many times could he do this?

 

Grabbing his precious pack he shakily retreated to the dubious shelter of the nearest boulder, this time not only his zat ready but also the handgun. From this observation point, Daniel watched as a pack of those lanky animals from his first day arrived on the scene, their claws and teeth ripping at the newly dead carcass. Compared to that last encounter, they seemed almost small.

 

But living in perpetual darkness had made their vision sharp, and they knew he was there. Faces jerked up from their meal, heads turning to Daniel's position. Even in the star-lit shadowy blackness, he knew they were looking at him. For seconds none of them moved, none of them feasted; now, what he saw in their body language was fear. Of him? They had a new lunch, and Daniel had been the one to provide it. Single-handedly, he'd killed that massive beast, and they knew it. Unwillingly, unwittingly, he had become a force to be dealt with, master of the territory. This time, with his own terror building, terror at himself and his new role, Daniel stood up and ran.

 

On and on, to nowhere and nothingness, his dimming flashlight barely illuminating the way; tripping over rocks unseen or ignored, Daniel fled. Deep in his heart he knew he was running from nothing but himself.

 

_____

 

"We can't get you another hurbascor." Jack's mouth was set; he knew what was coming. And it was unacceptable.

 

"Then your time here is wasted. You will leave."

 

"No, we won't. We've been through this." What exactly was it about saving a friend that they didn't understand?

 

"Perhaps we can offer another animal for your collection," the suggestion came from Teal'c. A good suggestion, thought Jack, one they'd tried before and had met with refusal. This time, the gun was in his hand, and holograms were helpless to touch him. Against their laws, they could not banish him if he had committed no crime. The ball, Jack realized with satisfaction, was in his court. It was worth another try, now that the hurbascor was out of the question.

 

Aiming the gun, he was fully prepared to shoot that single animal drinking at the waterhole. And if he missed, there'd be more in a couple of hours.

 

"What can you offer?"

 

A promising opening, the first in days. If they were willing to negotiate, the score was in favour of the away team.

 

What they could offer that the Noneh didn't already have, wasn't the problem. The real dilemma was, what could they easily procure, and what could they get through the stargate. Elephants and wildebeest were probably out of the question.

 

"How about rabbits?" Jack suggested with renewed optimism, a glint of humour in his antagonistic smirk.

 

_____

 

It was self-defense, Daniel knew that. He'd shot Jaffa under not-so-different circumstances. But this animal, too, had only been trying to survive under harsh conditions, and he couldn't help but feel guilty. It was probably better off now, and he had provided food for a different species for one more day.

 

But he had also killed another animal under the watchful eye of some misinformed protector aliens; had he just sealed his imprisonment for eternity? Did they now have reason to believe he was a killer?

 

Unable to run any farther, Daniel lay down flat on the hard gravel ground, panting, in plain view of whatever wanted to seek him out. No boulders close enough, and no more strength to run. He had been hoarding the water Jack had brought, but now he drank freely. It was water to drown his sorrows, and there would never be enough.

 

The air started whining, and the hair on his arms bristled. Jumping to his feet with gun in hand, for an instant he thought more predators were nearby.

 

But before he had time to contemplate the exact meaning of the sensation or utter a word in surprise, he saw three grinning faces, and found himself encased in Sam's arms. The words from Jack at his side were the sweetest he could have imagined.

 

"Ready to go home?"

 

_____

 

"They collected the animals two by two…"

 

Jack's voice was so welcome, Daniel wouldn't even think of complaining about the tune. "And they started doing this a millennia ago?"

 

Sam nodded. "Their world had become void of animals. They had the idea when an allied planet damaged itself from destructive technology - "

 

"Nuclear testing."

 

"Colonel, they didn't say that."

 

"Ripped the planet in half. Flooded a whole continent." Jack screwed up his mouth in disgust.

 

"Anyway, they were evacuating. The Noneh wouldn't accept all those people but they did have a plan to save most of the species of harmless animals," Sam continued her explanation.

 

That news flash had embedded itself into Jack's place of unsavoury trivia when he had first heard it, too, and he saw the disapproval flit across Daniel's face now. Animals over people, didn't that just blow the punch line.

 

"Harmless?" Daniel squinted into a frown. "I tend to disagree."

 

"They kept adding to their collection…and made a few mistakes. The place has become a sort of game preserve. Tourist attraction, for those who live in their floating cities." Coming to experience the safari visit not in person, but by hologram.

 

"And I came along and destroyed one of their more recent acquisitions."

 

"Daniel, you did it to save my life." Jack bestowed him with a hard stare; Daniel still had that downtrodden, functionally guilty look about him.

 

"And you traded me for pigeons."

 

"Among other things. Hey, it was fast. The zoo wouldn't deal."

 

Daniel huffed indignantly. "Aris Boch wouldn't be pleased." That defiant, peskily hurt look was overridden by revitalized amusement, an air not going unnoticed by the rest of SG-1.

 

"They didn't want Tok'ra." Jack shot back, clapping Daniel on the neck, his eyes discreetly investigating the space between red puncture marks. Later, Daniel. "Or a day's rations."

 

No apologies given or expected, the hologram hosts were nowhere in sight as SG-1 dialled Earth, removing the nests from the MALP and carefully replacing them under the mesh of the DHD. That female bird had gone, the eggs abandoned. The incubator Carter had promised to set up hopefully wouldn't be too late in coming. Why it had taken her three days to think of it, well, that was something she'd be kicking herself for until the colonel was well on the way to forgiving himself, and she could look Daniel in the eye without experiencing guilt. It might take a while.

 

In the meantime, Daniel needed to get home. He looked like hell, albeit a happy hell. The colonel, too, had barely slept in days. The scratches on his face were disappearing, but dark enough to testify in a briefing that Daniel's action had been warranted, and the aliens unjust.

 

"Ready to go home?" Jack grinned, aware of how much Daniel had liked those words the first time. "Gate's - Arch is open and waiting."

 

And together they went through, Jack beside Daniel followed by Teal'c and Sam.

 

Two by two, just as it was meant to be.

 

---

back home

 

comments

 

 

 

Disclaimer: Stargate SG-1 and its characters are the property of MGM Global Holdings Inc, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Film Corp. I have written this story for entertainment purposes and no copyright infringement is intended. Any original characters, situations, and storylines are the property of the author.