CHAPTER THREE
Sam rested her weight against Daniel as they made their way through the woods, the pain in her leg like a firebrand. She'd been hit by debris when the self-destruct went off. At least that's what she figured had caused that explosion. It was too big for anything else.
Sam glanced at her companion. Daniel's face was set in grim lines, pain etching the creases even deeper. She knew that he was probably hurting as much as she was. If a wound from one of those energy beams was anything like a staff weapon blast, it must be excruciating. At least he wasn't bleeding as much as she was, the wound having been partially cauterized. She was worried about infection, though. A burn like that could get infected quickly. Unfortunately, they had no first-aid supplies. She could sure use a shot of morphine right about now.
Daniel looked down at Sam, wishing that he could ease the strain on her injured leg. Ever since the explosion that destroyed the base, they had been running for their lives from the supersoldier that was relentlessly pursuing them. A couple of times, it had been necessary for Daniel to psychically strike at the supersoldier to keep it from getting them. But it was only a delaying action. No matter how hard he threw the thing, the virtually indestructible armor it was encased in protected it from serious damage, though Daniel had to wonder how it could avoid getting a concussion even with that helmet on. But then, even if it did get a concussion, the symbiote would just fix it.
More than once, Daniel's sixth sense had warned them when the supersoldier was approaching. Sometimes, it had been the distinctive sound of its footsteps that alerted them first. There had been other times, however, when they were taken by surprise, and that was usually when Daniel had to take action. He knew that his pain and exhaustion were interfering with his ability to sense the thing's presence.
Daniel glanced at Sam again. She didn't know that it was taking all of his will power just to keep moving. She didn't know that the agony in his shoulder that was leaching away his strength wasn't the only thing wrong with him.
Daniel had hoped that the effects of overusing his abilities would have faded by now, but the pain, nausea and sensitivity to light were still with him, vying for his attention with the wound in his shoulder. Daniel figured that his physical injury and the fact that he hadn't had a chance to rest were interfering with his recovery. On top of that, every time he was again forced to use his telekinetic abilities it made things even worse.
A small gasp drew Daniel's attention back to Sam. Seeing the paleness of her face, he stopped and guided her over to a spot where they could sit down. He eased her to the ground and sat beside her.
"Let me take another look at that leg, Sam," he said. Trying to ignore the violent protest his shoulder made at the movement, he carefully removed the piece of cloth that was acting as a partial tourniquet around Sam's leg and examined the wound. It didn't look good, and it was still bleeding quite a bit. "I need to wrap this."
Gritting his teeth against the pain, Daniel struggled out of his jacket. The agony in his shoulder blared though his body, and, for a moment, he thought he was going to throw up. A cold sweat broke out on his face as he clamped down on the moan that was fighting to break free. Finally, he got the jacket off. As soon as he did, he felt a hand grip his good arm.
"Daniel?"
The linguist turned to see Sam gazing at him with deeply worried eyes. He wiped a shaking hand over his sweat-beaded brow. "Um . . . if you don't mind, Sam, I'm going to rest for a second."
"Daniel, let me see your shoulder."
"There's nothing you can do for it, Sam. We don't even have any water to clean it."
"Your arm should be immobilized. You're only going to make things worse by moving it around."
Daniel's eyes met Sam's. "We can't keep going like this forever, Sam. We both need medical attention. I have to do something about that drone, try to kill it. Tossing it around is only delaying it."
Sam shook her head. "Daniel, it wouldn't work. We set off enough explosives underneath one of those things to knock an Al'Kesh out of the sky, and it didn't even phase it. You know what happened to you when you blew up the ship that attacked SG-1. The kind of power you'd need to destroy that drone could leave you brain damaged or even kill you. It's not worth the risk."
"I'd rather risk that than see you die, Sam," Daniel responded in a low voice.
Sam's heart clenched at hearing that statement. She had known for years that Daniel would give his life for her or for any of his teammates, just as she would for them. But to hear him say it upset her terribly.
"Daniel, listen to me. I don't want you giving your life for me if there is some chance that we can both make it out of this alive. There is a very good chance that the Stargate survived that blast. If it did, the SGC will send rescue teams to look for survivors, and whoever comes through would bring an alternate power source with them to power the gate. All we have to do is circle around back to it. If we can make it there well ahead of the drone, we can gate home." Sam took hold of Daniel's good arm, making him look at her. "So, I want you to promise me that you won't try to destroy that thing."
"I can't make that promise, Sam," he told her, his voice quiet but with a note of steel in it.
"Daniel. . . ."
"But I promise that I won't do it unless I think there is no other choice."
Sam paused, wanting to push the issue, but then nodded, knowing that it would do no good to argue with him.
Daniel looked down at his jacket. "Right now, I have to figure out how I'm going to rip this thing up with only one hand."
"Maybe I can do it."
Daniel's expression turned thoughtful. "Wait. I may have a better idea. Here. Grab the bottom."
Sam took hold of the bottom edge of the jacket as Daniel held the top. The archeologist stared intently at the garment. A moment later, it ripped in half, leaving Sam holding about a foot-wide strip of material.
"What do you know. It worked," Daniel said, hurting too much to be pleased at his accomplishment.
"That was a neat trick. Do you realize that you could become the world's greatest magician?"
The archeologist gave her a smile. "Now, if I could just manage the disappearing trick, we'd be all set."
Sam used the strip from Daniel's jacket as a bandage, wrapping it around her leg as tightly as she could stand it. She then helped Daniel turn the other half of the jacket into a sling to keep his arm immobile.
As she tied it around his neck, she met his eyes. "I'm really glad you're here with me, Daniel. If you weren't, I'd be out here alone."
Daniel knew that the pain in Sam's voice was emotional rather than physical. Neither of them knew what had happened to Jacob. When they regained consciousness, they'd been unable to see him. What they did see, however, was the supersoldier that had been chasing them. It was lying half-buried in dirt and debris about twenty-five yards away. When the thing began to stir, Daniel and Sam had no choice but to run, leaving Sam's father behind. All they could do was hope that he was all right.
"I'm sure he's okay, Sam. We survived the blast, so I'd think that he would have, too. After all, he's got Selmak."
Sam nodded, swallowing the lump in her throat. "Yes, you're right. Dad's tough, even more so since he became a Tok'ra."
Daniel hesitated before asking the question that had come into his mind. "Sam, if I wasn't with you, what would you have done?"
Sam thought about that. "I'd have headed up into the hills, like Dad said we should do. The higher ground would be more defensible, and I'd be able to see the drone's approach better."
"So, why aren't we doing that?"
"Because, with you here, there's a better chance of making it back to the Stargate. I couldn't have possibly made it across that much open ground with no weapon and no way to delay the drone. I'd have been a sitting duck."
"So, what happens if we get back to the gate only to find out that it can't be used?"
"I don't know. I guess we'll have to figure that out if the time comes."
"What about the ships?"
"What?"
"The scout ships that the drones came in. They were set down far enough away from the base that some of them might have survived the blast."
Sam stared at him, slack-jawed. "I didn't even think of that. Where was my head?" A huge smile lit Sam's face. "Daniel, you may have just saved us. If one of those ships is still functioning, we could fly it out of here."
"Yeah, but what if some of the other drones survived the blast and are sitting in those ships, waiting for this one to come back and say the job is done?"
"Then we'll have to deal with them."
Daniel shook his head. "You're putting an awful lot of confidence in my abilities, Sam."
"And why shouldn't I?" Sam smiled teasingly. "After all, you're the great Dan'yar, right?"
Any response Daniel may have given was halted when he got the now familiar feeling that the supersoldier was nearby. Hushing Sam, he gestured toward a clump of brush. They'd just barely managed to hide within it when they heard the drone coming. A few seconds later, it appeared.
Almost afraid to even breathe, Daniel and Sam stayed absolutely still as the supersoldier came to a stop a mere three feet from their hiding place. The archeologist prepared himself to strike at it if necessary.
After a tense, nerve-wracking moment, the drone moved on. The moment they believed that they could move without being heard or seen, Daniel and Sam left their hiding place. But as they got to their feet, Sam's weakened leg gave out on her, and she stumbled, stepping on a branch, which cracked loudly. They both heard the supersoldier running back in their direction. Knowing that they couldn't outrun it, Daniel pushed Sam down and waited for the drone to come in sight. It appeared a moment later, weapon firing. Mentally grabbing hold of it, Daniel lifted it high into the air, where it struggled like a bird caught in a net, then, with a mighty psychic heave, launched it away from them as hard and fast as he could. Several seconds later, a surprisingly distant sound of something crashing into the treetops told them that the supersoldier's 'flight' had come to an end.
"Wow," Sam said. "You must have thrown that thing a good two hundred fifty feet that time." She turned to Daniel and was horrified to see him leaning heavily against a tree, looking at if he was just about to pass out. "Daniel?!" With great difficulty, Sam got to her feet and went to him.
"I'm okay," Daniel told her in a breathy voice.
"No, you're not."
Daniel's eyes closed as he sank to the ground, his back against the tree. "You're right. I'm not."
"Daniel, what's wr. . . ." All at once, the answer hit her. 'I am such an idiot!' she berated herself. "You've been using your abilities too much. How bad is it?"
"Well, I'm still consciousness," Daniel replied weakly.
'Just barely,' Sam silently responded. "Daniel, I'm sorry. I didn't even think about this. We need to find someplace where we can rest before you pass out, before we both pass out. As far as you threw that thing and the way it landed, I don't see how it couldn't have been injured, perhaps seriously. That may give us some extra time."
It took several tries before Daniel managed to get to his feet. With the two friends supporting each other, they resumed walking, both of them hoping that they'd seen the last of the drone.
Jack and Teal'c's search for their missing teammates had taken a decidedly grim turn. The discovery of the armor from one of Anubis' supersoldiers had made the situation even more serious than they had thought it was. If any of those things were still alive, the weapons Jack, Teal'c and SG-3 had wouldn't be able to stop them. Jack just hoped that none of the drones found Sam and Daniel.
A short while ago, SG-3 had found a group of sixteen survivors, and the SGC was going to be sending through SG-11 and 21 to help get the gate back upright so that the wounded could be taken to Earth. The fact that Daniel, Sam and Jacob were not among the group of survivors had been a big disappointment to Jack and Teal'c, but they weren't going to give up hope yet.
At that moment, both men spotted Jacob. He was on the ground, his leg pinned beneath a fallen tree trunk.
"Jacob!" Jack yelled, dashing forward. Teal'c lifted the tree off of Jacob's leg. The Tok'ra let out a moan, and Jack checked the injured limb, guessing that it was broken.
"Anubis' drones. . . ." Jacob said.
"We know," Jack told him.
Jacob handed Jack the prototype weapon. "Take this. It's not a hundred percent, but it's all we've got. It only has a few more shots. Sam has a fully charged power unit."
"Where are she and Daniel?"
Jacob shook his head. "I don't know. I don't even know if they're still alive."
General Hammond sat at the briefing room table, his thoughts on what he'd found out from Jacob Carter, who was presently in the infirmary recovering from a broken leg. The thought that Daniel and Sam were being pursued by one of those drones had him very worried. He knew that, with Daniel's abilities, they had more of an advantage than they normally would, but could the archeologist destroy something that could survive what those supersoldiers could?
The arrival of Major Green, the Alpha Site's second in command, halted Hammond's thoughts. The man had been among the survivors found by SG-3, and the general now had some questions for him that needed answering.
"There are some questions that I have to ask you, Major," he said.
Hearing the firmness in the general's tone, Green wondered if he'd done something wrong. "Am I in some kind of trouble here, sir?"
"The fact that the Alpha Site has been compromised indicates we've got a serious breach of security on our hands here. The Pentagon is demanding that I launch a formal enquiry immediately. Just tell me what happened, Son."
"To tell you the truth, sir, I'm not entirely sure myself. I was still at chow when the alarm went off and the order to evacuate was given. When I got to the command center, Colonel Reilly told me that Anubis' forces were on their way. I couldn't see anything showing on the screens, so I asked how he knew. He said that Doctor Jackson had given the warning."
Hammond nodded at the confirmation of Jack's guess. "Go on."
"Well, sir. It wasn't more than a couple of minutes after that when we picked up ships entering orbit. That's when things got insane. The Stargate had been dialed up, and personnel were evacuating through it. Three attack bombers showed up. One was taken out by a rocket. A second one. . . . I don't know why, but the cockpit suddenly blew up. I know it wasn't hit by a rocket. Right after that, the third ship started dropping its bombs. The first few hit, but then, for some reason, the bombs started blowing up before they reached the ground. The Al'Kesh targeted the Stargate, and if the bombs had hit it, they'd have taken it out and killed everyone who was there. But they just . . . froze in midair. And then. . . . Sir, the bombs went after the ship that fired them, destroyed it." Seeing the smile that touched the general's face, Green frowned. "You don't seem surprised, sir."
"Oh, I would be, Son, if it wasn't for the fact that a certain archeologist was on that base."
"Doctor Jackson? You mean he did all those things?"
"That would be my guess."
"That's incredible. I heard the reports about him, but. . . ."
"But to actually witness what he can do is a different story entirely."
"Yes, sir."
"Please continue."
"Eight of Anubis' drones started attacking the base. They took everything that we threw at them, and they just kept coming. One of them took out the DHD."
"So, Colonel Reilly ordered the self-destruct?"
"He knew there was some sensitive material on the base, sir. He stayed with the device so the enemy wouldn't have a chance to disarm it. He told the rest of us that we had one minute to make it to the tree line." Emotion colored the major's voice. "I should have stayed with him."
"You were following orders, Major."
"Yes, sir," Green said, still upset over the death of his C.O.
"Can you tell me if there was any unusual activity at the Alpha Site in the last few days? Any unscheduled gate activations or unexplained signals?"
"No, sir."
"What about the Jaffa and the Tok'ra? From what I understand, there was some sort of incident between then, which was the reason Doctor Jackson went to the Alpha Site."
"Yes, sir, but that incident wasn't the first one, it was just worse than the rest. As usual, the Jaffa and Tok'ra haven't been getting along very well."
"All right. I want a list of all personnel – human, Tok'ra, and Jaffa – who've come and gone to the Alpha Site gate in the last forty-eight hours."
"Yes, sir."
Major Green left, and Hammond returned to his office, mulling over what he'd just found out. Once again, Daniel Jackson's abilities had saved the lives of SGC personnel, as well as who knew how many Jaffa and Tok'ra. The general just hoped that he'd get the chance to thank the man.
Jack's tension level had just gone up another few notches. A while ago, they found what they were assuming were Daniel and Sam's footprints. The problem was that they also found the footprints of one of the supersoldiers going in the same direction, indicating that it was pursuing them. Just a few minutes ago, they found more tracks. It was now certain that the drone was hunting the two scientists. From the pattern and depth of the tracks, it was also clear that Sam's left leg was injured, enough that Daniel was helping to support her weight. Jack had to wonder what injuries Daniel had.
For a while now, the colonel had been wondering why that supersoldier was so determined to get Daniel and Sam. He had a bad feeling that he knew the reason.
"O'Neill, this drone appears very determined to kill Daniel Jackson and Major Carter," Teal'c said.
"Yeah."
"I believe it may be because of the prototype weapon."
"You've read my mind, Teal'c. I've been thinking the same thing. It's obvious that Anubis learned the location of the Alpha Site from someone. Chances are that he also learned about the weapon at the same time, and that's why he attacked the base."
"Indeed. That is what I believe may have happened as well."
Jack felt a little knot form in the pit of his stomach. "And if he learned those things, he might also have found out about Daniel. If that's the case, that drone might have recognized Daniel and be going after him and Sam for that reason, too." He looked at the Jaffa. "Teal'c, if Anubis knows that Daniel is Dan'yar, even if Daniel makes it out of this alive, he'll be on the run for the rest of his life, or until we manage to get rid of all the Goa'uld."
"If such is the case, we will have to strive even harder to put an end to the Goa'uld so that Daniel Jackson will be safe from them."
M'zel strode through the corridors of the SGC. He had just been released from the Tau'ri's infirmary and had been summoned by the commander of the SGC.
During his time here, M'zel had spoken with the other Jaffa survivors, and what they spoke of was Daniel Jackson. They talked about how he fought with the power of a god against the Goa'uld ships and Anubis' soldiers, destroying two of the Al'Kesh, as well as most of the bombs that were dropped, and striking against the drones with such force that it sent them hurling through the air many dozens of paces. M'zel himself had witnessed some of these things and was filled with wonder. He saw Daniel Jackson stand, unmoving, in the path of an attacking Al'Kesh, facing possible death with unflinching courage as he brought destruction to the bombs that would have decimated the Alpha Site and slaughtered many. From one Jaffa in particular, one named Ka'ter, M'zel learned something equally as extraordinary. Daniel Jackson had the ability to see the future. He had foreseen the attack on the base and given warning. It was because of him that so many escaped before the ships started attacking.
Over these past weeks, M'zel had heard all the talk about Daniel Jackson and knew what many of his fellow Jaffa felt about the man. He had not entirely shared their view since he had known the archeologist before the man gained his amazing power. But, now, having seen that power for himself, he could understand why the rebel Jaffa had elevated the human to a status higher than any Goa'uld had ever been in their minds. No Goa'uld could have done what Daniel Jackson did this day, and no Goa'uld would have stayed and fought instead of fleeing through the Stargate. The man the Jaffa now called Dan'yar had saved the lives of many Jaffa, humans and Tok'ra today, perhaps at the cost of his own.
General Hammond was in the briefing room when M'zel arrived there. He was greeted cordially, but the Jaffa only wished to know one thing.
"I do not understand why I am being questioned," he said.
"We need to determine exactly what happened," Hammond replied.
"If you wish to know who betrayed the secret of your base, I suggest you ask the Tok'ra."
"Why do you say that?"
"They are without honor."
The general was clearly surprised by this statement. "They're your allies."
"Then why will they not help us?" M'zel asked, a tone of outrage in his voice.
"What are you talking about?"
"Even as we speak, Anubis is moving against the System Lord Olokun. His drones are slaughtering the Jaffa that stand against them. They are dying for a hopeless cause."
"What does that have to do with the Tok'ra?"
"We believe that they have a spy in Olokun's higher ranks," M'zel explained, "one who could get close enough to assassinate him."
"I am aware that the Tok'ra recently placed several more spies among the System Lords so that they could learn if any of the Goa'uld knew the true identity of Dan'yar, but we haven't been given specific information yet on which System Lords, so I can't confirm if there is a spy in Olokun's ranks."
M'zel shook his head. "This spy would have been placed long before Daniel Jackson's power became known to the Tok'ra."
"The Tok'ra keep us apprised of their ongoing operations. If there was a spy in Olokun's ranks before now, we would have been informed."
"Yet the fact is that you were not. They are lying to you, just as they are to us. With Olokun dead, the siege would be over, and his Jaffa would be free to join our movement. By doing nothing, the Tok'ra are dooming hundreds, perhaps thousands of Jaffa to death."
Hammond's gaze intensified. "Our gate logs show that a group of Jaffa left the Alpha Site less than twenty-four hours before it was attacked. You sent your own people didn't you?"
"Yes."
"Have they reported back?"
"They have not," M'zel admitted.
"If they were captured by Anubis, he would have learned from them the location of the Alpha Site and the existence of the weapon being developed there. He has technology at his disposal that allows him to read a prisoner's mind."
"We became aware of this technology only today when Daniel Jackson told us about it. If we had known before then, we would have taken more caution when sending men to recruit rebels from Olokun's army."
"I'm very sorry that you were not told about this," the general said regretfully. "You should have been informed. I promise that, in the future, you will be given any information we learn about the Goa'uld that could affect your people."
"When Heru'ur was killed, I was forced to pledge allegiance to the System Lord Apophis. The slayer of my master became my master. So it has been for all Jaffa for many thousands of years. But, now, we can choose to fight our oppressors. We can choose to be free. I ask only that the Jaffa who serve Olokun be given that same choice. If you allow me to go to the Beta Site to speak to the other survivors, I may be able to discover what happened to the Jaffa we sent."
"Very well."
M'zel turned to leave, then paused. "Is anything known yet about Daniel Jackson's fate?"
"We think that he and Major Carter are still alive, but we're pretty sure that they are being hunted by one of Anubis' drones."
"Then I believe that they will survive," the Jaffa said with confidence, "for the power I witnessed Daniel Jackson wield today is great enough to defeat that drone."
"I hope you're right."
After the Jaffa had left, Hammond sighed deeply. This whole thing had turned into a hell of a mess. Was M'zel right? Did the Tok'ra have a spy within Olokun's ranks? If so, why wasn't the SGC informed of it? He would have to ask Jacob about this.
When the Stargate was dialed up a while later so that they could get Colonel O'Neill's scheduled status report, the news was not good. Tracks had been found that Jack and Teal'c believed were Daniel's and Sam's, but it definitely appeared that the scientists were being pursued by a drone, confirming the suspicion Jacob had expressed when the general talked to him in the infirmary. It also appeared that Sam was injured.
Hammond told Jack that he would have the UAV they sent through a short while ago search in the direction that the tracks were taking. That UAV was equipped with two missiles. While talking to Jacob, they had decided that a missile might have the power to destroy a supersoldier if it was detonated close enough. It was the best hope they had of stopping the one that was hunting Daniel and Sam since the weapon Jack had was only partially effective in its present configuration.
As the Stargate shut down, Hammond's eyes stayed upon it, his prayers and wishes going out to the two people who were out there on that planet alone, fighting to survive against a creature determined to kill them.
