See part one for disclaimers and story notes

General Hammond was growing impatient. The repairs were taking much longer than he’d anticipated. As a result he’d been unable to communicate with his off-world teams. While he knew they were safe, they had no way of knowing if the same situation held true for the SGC.

He wanted the ‘gate fixed and he wanted to bring his people home. It frustrated him that despite being in this technological stronghold, with the power of the President at his fingertips, he still couldn’t talk to his own people.

Sighing heavily, he turned back to the rapidly shrinking pile of paperwork on his desk, picking up yet another requisition form and reading it in an attempt to keep his mind off his bigger problem.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This time it was Daniel who recovered first. Without seeing outside it was hard to judge the passage of time, but given his growing hunger he thought it had been a while since Leg'nor had ordered them shot. He moved to the unconscious Jaffa’s side, his muscles protesting the activity. He didn’t like the looks of his friend. The Jaffa's skin was cold and clammy and his complexion was paler than usual. Daniel lifted the charred remains of Teal’c’s shirt to check the wound underneath. While it looked as though it might have healed somewhat, given the pink scarred edges, it was still an obviously nasty injury. Daniel was pretty sure that the final kick might have hurt Teal’c’s symbiote, slowing the healing process. Not having any water or supplies handy he was unable to clean or dress the wound. He sighed heavily at his inability to help, finally lowering Teal’c’s shirt to cover the sight of the burnt flesh.

A slight sigh alerted him to his other team-mate. Daniel looked up to see Sam sitting, elbows on knees, her head held in her hands. "You okay?"

She looked up at the words, wincing slightly as the movement exacerbated her pounding headache. "I’m fine, Daniel. I’m just a little tired and these naps don’t seem to be helping." She cast a reassuring smile in his direction but Daniel couldn’t fail to notice that it never reached her eyes.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah." Actually, she was ravenously hungry, sore and thirsty, not to mention tired. Sleeping on a dirt floor and knowing someone was standing outside your door ready to shoot you at a moments notice didn’t exactly lend itself to a good night’s sleep. Compounding her physical complaints was her sense of guilt. She felt terrible about letting Teal’c get hurt. He was her friend and she could have spared him such harsh treatment. Her head recognised that she had done the right thing but her heart was having a little trouble with the concept. Sam decided it was time to change subjects. She knew Daniel was worried about her, but talking about her feelings wasn’t going to help change their situation. "So, what address did you give him? I didn’t recognise it." She had tried to read it but her eyesight had been slightly blurry at the time, a fact she wasn’t prepared to reveal at this juncture. Since it seemed better, she decided it wasn't worth worrying about, especially since it was beyond her control. It was time to focus on what she could do which seemed to be precious little at this point

"P4G 881." Daniel looked slightly worried, wondering if he had made the right decision.

"The primordial world?" Sam was surprised and rather pleased at the answer. "Why there, Daniel?"

"I don’t know. I knew I couldn’t give him the right address. Without knowing if he was just testing us or if he was actually prepared to check, I figured I’d better send him somewhere other than Earth. I just thought that one might be believable. I guess I’d hoped that if they did go, the organisms might make it difficult for them to leave. You know, after what they did to Jack and Simmons." Daniel groaned as he realised how unsuccessful his ploy had been, how easily he’d been caught in the lie. "I’m such an idiot!"

"Daniel, don’t beat yourself up about this. Who knew he’d be familiar with Stargate addresses. At least he doesn’t know the truth and that’s something. Now we just have to keep him from learning anything for as long as we can. We need to give the Colonel as much time as we can to get help." Sam leaned back into the wall, wondering how long that might actually entail.

"He may not have know it for a lie, but merely anticipated the ploy." Teal’c’s weak voice came as a surprise.

"Teal’c, you okay?" Daniel looked down at his friend’s face, noting the slight sheen of sweat on his brow.

"I will recover."

"How is, um, Junior?"

"My symbiote has suffered an injury of its own. It is healing, but will take some time."

Sam sighed. "Until then it can’t help you, can it?"

"No."

"Teal’c, I’m sorry." All of Sam’s guilt and worry were conveyed in those words.

Teal’c understood that she had no choice in her decision. "Do not concern yourself, Major Carter. You had no choice. I will be fine. For now, though, I will attempt to meditate. My symbiote is weak and I have to conserve my energy." With that he closed his eyes and focused on his breathing.

Sam nodded silently, her guilt slightly diminished by the Jaffa’s words.

Daniel returned to the previous conversation, hoping to distract her.

"What did Teal’c mean when he said Leg’nor might have simply guessed. He’s assuming we’re lying to him?" Daniel wasn’t sure how to take that.

"Maybe. It’s not the first time a prisoner has given false information. In fact, it’s kind of expected. Or maybe he believed you and simply wanted us out of the way."

"If that’s true that he thought I was lying, then we can give him almost any address, including Earth’s and he’ll never know the difference." Again Daniel was unsure what to do with that information. Intrigue was more Jack’s department than his. He tended to trip himself up in the double talk.

"Unless it happens to be a world he’s familiar with." Sam realised that feeding false information could prove to be a double edged sword.

"Right." Daniel had initially sat up straighter at the thought that they might have the start of a plan. He slumped back at Sam’s words. "That wouldn’t be good."

"Not good at all."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jack peeped up cautiously, looking over the rise at the nearby buildings. His body lay stretched out full length in the dirt, his clothes somewhat tattered and torn, blood spotting the fabric.

Four long days had passed since his team had been captured and he was more than ready to put an end to their incarceration. Without knowing their condition, he focussed on his role in the rescue. He was counting on taking the burden of the rescue squarely on his own shoulders. Experience told him that Sam, Daniel and Teal'c would likely be pretty weak at this point, physically and emotionally. No-one was held hostage for that length of time without paying some price for it.

He had developed his plan of attack over the last few days and was now finalising the details before implementing it. Jack had been forced to make a lot of assumptions about his foe and he could only hope that his experience and intuition served him well this time. His plan depended on a lot of factors, not the least of which was that the enemy would react as he would in a similar situation. It would require careful timing, lots of luck and all of his skills. He only hoped he was up to the task.

As he peered through the binoculars he could see the guards changing shifts. Glancing at his watch he could see they had stuck to their schedule. Watching the outgoing shift carefully, he was pleased to see they were following their pattern he’d noted from before. They headed for the kitchen area of the camp. Jack knew from watching that meals were served in tight shifts. The guards were only allotted one half hour for their meal before they were required to retire to their barracks.

Shrugging his shoulders to relieve some of the building tension, Jack checked his watch again. He was anxious to start the ball rolling but forced himself to wait. As the saying went, timing was everything and jumping the gun would jeopardise more than just himself. He smiled grimly as he mentally ran his plan through his head once more. While he felt he’d covered all the bases, he couldn’t shake the nagging feeling that he was missing something……..something important. There was something about this whole scenario that wasn’t sitting right with him, besides the obvious, but the answer continued to elude him. Finally he simply shook his head and tried to concentrate on the here and now. If there was something, he’d simply have to deal with it when the time came and hope it wasn’t too costly an error.

Thinking back over the last few days, he retraced his steps, running a mental checklist of his actions.

As much as Jack wanted to march in and demand to see his people, he knew that was wishful thinking. He had to rely on their talents and knack for survival to see them through this and hope that they were fit enough to make the trek home. So many ifs……Still, Jack couldn’t help but feel a slight rush of excitement run through him. It had been a while since he’d felt like he’d contributed anything substantial to the team. So often they seemed to rely on Carter’s science, or Daniel’s linguistics and cultural abilities. Teal’c’s knowledge of the Goa’uld had helped them out on many occasions, not to mention the Jaffa’s brawn that had quite literally dragged their butts out of harm's way many times over. While all contributed to the success of the team, he felt his contributions of late had been waning. This was his chance to do something, to show that he was more than just a figurehead full of inane comments and less than helpful ideas. Out of the entire team, and perhaps the SGC itself, Jack was the most qualified to mount this sort of rescue - a somewhat dubious distinction, but his to claim nonetheless. During his time in black ops he’d spent a great deal of time in jungles mounting similar operations; extractions of men and women, both allies and enemies alike - different jungles - same trees. This was something he had spent his life training for. A contest of wits, skills and intellect. He’d used every trick he knew; now he had to hope it was enough. At least he knew he’d tried; he just had to hope that his team had not suffered too much in his absence.**

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sam woke up after a restless sleep to find that Teal’c hadn’t moved much during the night. He appeared to be sleeping, but despite wanting to check his injuries, she didn’t want to disturb him. Instead she made her way over towards Daniel who was showing signs of rousing. Her eyes narrowed as she noticed him clutch at his abdomen in obvious pain. "Daniel?"

The archaeologist fully awoke at the sound of his name, pulling his hand away from it’s protective hold against his mid section. Sitting up, he adjusted his glasses, which had amazingly survived this incarceration thus far. "Hi, Sam. Nice morning, isn’t it?"

Grinning in response, the Major looked around their room, the scant amount of light trickling in proving just enough to see by. She was surprised to notice a second bucket near the door, one that had not been there previously. She rose and moved over to it, sniffing suspiciously at the contents. Sensing no discernable odour, save the obvious one drifting over from their waste bucket, she picked it up and carried it back to her spot for further investigation. Dipping her finger in the fluid contained within, she quickly came to the conclusion that it wasn’t corrosive, at least.

If she had ever thought it was strange that someone might be so suspicious of simple water, she didn’t now. She wouldn’t put a stunt like that past Leg’nor; and she knew from stories she’d heard during training that he was mild in comparison to some captors.

She cupped her hand and scooped out some of the liquid. It was definitely dirty but appeared to be water. Still hesitant, she touched her hand to her lips, tentatively licking them. Finally satisfied, she grabbed the bucket and carried it over to Daniel. He looked at her, one eyebrow raised questioningly. "As near as I can figure it’s water. Rather dirty and warm, but water."

"Ah well, beggars can’t be choosers." Daniel wrinkled his nose in distaste but filled his cupped hands and drank nevertheless. While he’d definitely had better, it at least helped to quench his thirst. He only hoped it wouldn’t make him sick. He didn’t think his sore stomach could handle that right now.

Finally having drunk his fill he settled back in his spot, resting his back against the wall for support. When Sam caught his eye he nodded his head towards Teal’c. "How is he?"

Sam sighed. "Truthfully, Daniel, I have no way of knowing. I didn’t check his burn yet since he seems to be sleeping so soundly. I guess it’s just a matter of waiting while he heals."

"How badly do you think his symbiote was damaged?"

Sam shrugged. "It must be okay or he’d be a lot worse off by now. I think it might have just been stunned. Teal’c is the best judge. He’ll let us know when he wakes up."

"You mean if he wakes up." Daniel couldn’t keep the worry from his voice.

"Daniel. Teal’c will be fine and the Colonel will come and get us. It’s just going to take some time."

"How much time does he need?" Daniel was getting frustrated and angry. He had no control over his situation and he was worried about his friends. Sam was exhibiting signs of a mild concussion, not to mention the colorful display showing on her face that must surely hurt. Teal’c was injured and they had no way of knowing how badly. He was hurting too, although he wasn’t about to tell Sam that; besides, he didn’t think his own injuries were too bad. "I mean, it shouldn’t take that much time to get to the gate, line up some help and get back……..should it?" He was unable to keep the trace of worry from creeping into his words.

"It’s okay, Daniel, I’m worried too. Maybe the rescue ran into a patrol or something. Besides, we have no way of knowing how far we are from the gate. It might have taken the Colonel a long time to get there." She rested her hand on Daniel’s, both of them needing the reassurance.

"Yeah, I know. It’s just that……"

"Daniel. It will be okay. We’ve been in much tougher spots than this before." Sam looked around their confines. "I mean look around. We’ve got a door, a window, …" she looked for something more to comment on but came up empty, "…….dirt…," her words ground to a halt, leaving Daniel to pick up on her lead.

Daniel smiled. "A bucket……"

She smiled back in appreciation. "Yeah." A low groan sounded. "Teal’c?"

Daniel moved alongside his friend.

Teal’c looked up, his expression lightening when he saw Daniel’s face. Despite using Kel-no-reem to heal, he’d still been plagued by images of his friends’ suffering while he watched, unable to help. It came as a relief to see that reality had proven different from fantasy. "Daniel Jackson. You look well."

Daniel smiled. "Yeah. Sam and I are good, although she could really use a shower at this point."

Sam looked around for something to hurl at him, unable to come up with anything. She resigned herself to throwing him a dark look, the effect somewhat negated by the twinkle in her eye.

Teal’c lifted one eyebrow in amusement. "As can you."

Daniel chuckled. "Touché, Teal’c." Looking down at his friend his expression changed. "How are you doing?"

Teal’c struggled to a sitting position using Daniel for leverage. He leaned back against the wall and closed his eyes for a moment, assessing his condition. When he opened them again he noticed that Sam had moved to join them, both friends now looking worried. "My symbiote has not yet fully recovered, although it is healing. Soon, however, it will be able to repair the damage from the staff weapon."

"Is there anything we can do to help you?" Sam knew the question was kind of moot. They had no supplies, no food, and water too dirty to clean anything with. Still, she felt like she needed to do something……anything.

"There is nothing. I simply need to rest."

Sam grabbed the bucket and moved it closer. "You should at least drink something before you become too dehydrated."

Teal’c looked at her, not really wishing to drink but knowing it would make her feel better. "You are correct, Major Carter. Thank you." When he saw her smile he knew he’d done the right thing. Cupping his hands, he sipped at the tepid water before leaning back once again.

Seeing how weary their friend looked, Daniel gestured to Sam to join him on the other side of the room.

"So, what do you think? Will he be all right?" Daniel spoke in hushed tones so as not to disturb Teal’c who appeared to be sleeping, or at least using kel-no-reem once again.

"I think so. As long as Leg’nor doesn’t shoot him again, I think he’ll recover."

Daniel looked around the room pensively, biting absently on his lower lip.

Sam noticed his actions, curiosity setting in. "What?"

Daniel looked at her thoughtfully for a moment. "I’m trying to figure out what’s going on here."

Sam’s blue eyes narrowed in consternation. "What do you mean?"

"Well……." Daniel hugged his knees to his chest while he thought about what was troubling him. He was having a hard time expressing it as he couldn’t really put his finger on the problem. He decided that maybe talking through his worry might help him clarify it in his head. "……I’m trying to figure out Leg’nor. What is he? Is he really a Jaffa?"

"I assume so."

"Can’t you tell?" Daniel knew that Sam had an instinct or sixth sense about these things; yet another legacy from Jolinar.

"Usually I have to get close to the person or touch them to get a sense of the Goa’uld within, Daniel." Seeing the question forming on his lips, she interrupted quickly. "No, getting hit by him doesn’t count. The contact needs to be longer than that and we haven’t exactly been keeping close quarters with the guy."

"Okay. So, let’s assume that he is in fact a Jaffa. He says he serves no System Lord and he has no master. What’s he doing here then?"

"I guess it’s like he says. It’s a training ground."

Daniel was beginning to think Sam really had suffered a concussion. She didn’t appear to be thinking things through the way she normally would. Usually she was the one to put forth the questions. He tried to slow down his train of thought, hoping she would see where he was going. "Training for what?"

"For battle I would imagine."

Daniel was getting exasperated. "Battling who? Other Jaffa? System Lords? There has to be someone. You don’t just take a bunch of Jaffa, or pseudo Jaffa, to an uninhabited world, start training them and then just sit around. They’re here for a reason." Daniel looked at Sam, pleased to see that his concerns were finally sinking in, judging by her expression. "They’re either on the run from somebody, or on their way to somebody."

"Who?"

"How should I know? I was hoping you might have an idea." Daniel didn’t mean to show his frustration but it was getting hard not to. He was starting to feel very alone in a vast sea of uncertainty and he really wanted company.

Sam was getting angry herself, biting her lip to hold back her retort. She could see how annoyed Daniel was getting and understood that it was somehow her fault, but it was just so hard to think clearly right now. She was tired and hungry and her head still hurt. It was simply taking too much energy to pay attention. "I’m sorry, Daniel. I wish I knew the answers but I don’t right now."

Daniel blinked hard as he heard the fatigue in her words. Suddenly he felt like a heel. He knew she wasn’t up to par, yet here he was pushing her. "Sam, I’m sorry. You’re right. Neither of us have the answers and we probably won’t get them either. For now we should just rest. We need to be alert when Jack comes for us."

Sam felt her anger slip away as she leaned over and rested her aching head on his shoulder, sighing heavily before allowing her eyes to close.

Feeling her shiver slightly, Daniel wrapped his arms around her, holding her close. He felt her body relax as she drifted off. Tired as he was, though, he couldn’t fall asleep. His mind was whirling with unanswered questions. If Leg’nor was against the Goa’uld then he would have let them know at the onset of their capture, especially since Teal’c had told him he was against Apophis, a leading System Lord. Why then was he so worried about two humans and a Jaffa? Did he think they were spies? If so, for whom? Unable to come up with any answers, Daniel felt his own eyes grow heavy and his thoughts began to drift. Soon the two teammates were asleep.

The day past in a strange montage of sleep, strange dreams and wakeful frustration. With little water left, no food and no unscheduled appearances by either Leg’nor or his goons, it became apparent that Leg'nor was switching his way of thinking to the psychological rather than the physical way of trying to coerce his prisoners. Since he couldn't bully them with violence, it appeared as though he was going to try to weaken their resolve.

What the Jaffa hadn’t gambled on was their understanding of this tact. Between a still healing Teal’c, a slightly concussed Carter and a rather bruised and sore Daniel, the time was put to good use. There was little talk or movement as the three individuals rested and recuperated, preparing themselves for the next round they knew would inevitably come.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Looking at his watch again, Jack realised that it was time to act. He palmed the remote detonator, pulling up the antennae before taking a deep breath and counting to ten. Finally he pushed the button, his action confident. The result was immediate. The four sentry towers blew simultaneously, taking their guards with them. Seconds later the building housing the generator exploded, forcing the machinery into a similar action, the area immediately plunging into darkness and chaos.

The foot sentries came running when the towers blew, only to get caught by the fallout from the further explosions. Jaffa emerged from their barracks, their confusion evident as they tried to shake of the last remnants of sleep.

Jack moved closer to the camp, waiting for the next step. As expected, while some of the soldiers were trying to arrange for lighting, the majority headed for the armoury. Hoping he had timed things properly, he waited with baited breath. On cue, his final load of C4 did its work. The shed blew, the explosives causing the roof to rise vertically, the blast temporarily lighting the area before darkness fell once again. Men ran about completely thrown by events and unable to form a cohesive unit.

The second the remaining C4 kicked in, Jack went to work. He used the explosion and the ensuing bedlam to provide the necessary distraction for the next phase of his plan. He went immediately to the building where his team was being held. He was surprised to see that the guards had not left their post but was not unduly worried. He carefully checked his surroundings, hiding in the shadows. He made a slight hissing sound, the noise barely heard above the chaos. Still, it was a foreign enough sound for the nearest guard to pick up on it. He moved cautiously, tilting his head to listen as he moved nearer to Jack’s location, his weapon drawn.

As the guard came into range, Jack acted, his movements a blur. A single chop to the hand disarmed the Jaffa, while a simultaneous blow to the temple ensured a long sleep for the downed man. Jack relieved him of his keys and weapon, tucking the zat into his waistband. He moved around to the backside of the building, pressing himself against the rough walls and trying to meld with the material. His quiet movements were ghostly and he was alongside the remaining guard before the man could register his presence. With a strategic blow and some fancy footwork, the guard was laid alongside his fellow unfortunate while Jack relieved him of his staff weapon. Before the rest of the garrison clued into what was happening, Jack was unlocking the door separating him from his team.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

At the sounds of the first explosion, the team awoke out of an uneasy sleep, slightly disoriented and unable to figure out what had happened. By the second set of blasts they had a pretty good idea and rose to their feet, prepared to move out when the opportunity arose.

A grating sound was heard in the lock and none were surprised when the door opened. While the fires backlighting the area made it impossible to make out a face, the voice was unmistakable.

"Hey, kids, you miss me?"

"Jack! You made it." Daniel couldn’t hold back the relief in his voice at the sight of his friend.

"Yeah, I’m happy to see you guys, too, Daniel, but let’s save the reunion for another time. Right now we have got to go." He looked around the room, barely able to see his team's expressions, but still able to make out the slouched positions that spoke of fatigue and more. "Can you guys move?"

"We can, O’Neill." The Jaffa’s voice held a slight note of strain, something that didn’t escape Jack’s notice.

"Right. We’re out of here." He handed his newly appropriated zat to Sam and presented Teal’c with the staff weapon before leading the way out of the building. He let them move past him while he pulled up the rear, providing cover as his team slipped into the night.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Leg’nor was angry. In truth, he was beyond angry. He’d been caught by some falling debris from the munitions shed which pinned him to the ground and prevented him from moving. It had taken a few minutes before he’d been discovered and even more time before the heavy roofing could be moved. By the time he’d been freed, remarkably uninjured, his prisoners were already gone. He wanted to set off after them immediately but his men were still reeling from the destruction. He needed to rally them, assessing and reorganising before he could send them out. Besides, he knew the captives were weak; they wouldn’t make it too far before they could be overtaken.

He looked around, fire in his eyes. Not only had his captives slipped through his fingers but half his camp had been destroyed. He wanted the person or persons responsible for this act and he wanted them now. He would deal with their punishment personally upon their capture. Shouting out orders he began to rally his remaining men. After scavenging through the wreckage, they were able to retrieve some weapons. The deceased guards had been armed, and while the bulk of the armoury had been destroyed, a few weapons had survived. It wasn’t much, but Leg’nor felt it was sufficient for the task. He watched as his men formed ranks, his eyes narrowed as he mentally organised the division of his remaining resources.

Twenty-two of the original thirty Jaffa remained. Three of those were too badly wounded by the shrapnel thrown about from the explosions to offer any assistance in the hunt. Despite their obvious difficulties, they would be left behind, unarmed and without help, to guard what little remained of the camp. Of the remaining men, several sported minor injuries but that was of no concern to him. As long as they were mobile he was sending them out. He was well aware that his enemy was wily and now had the escapees as backup. To him that meant dealing with the issue in one fell swoop...no mercy, no quarter.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When they’d moved a safe enough distance away to escape detection, Jack broke out the flashlights he’d taken from their camp. While the moon was full, it failed to penetrate the forest canopy to any significant degree and traversing the woods remained a dangerous proposition. Jack pushed the team hard for several hours, needing to put some distance between them and the Jaffa. He also had to lead them safely past his traps. The last thing they needed was to inadvertently set one or more off of the devices. Finally he felt it was safe to call a brief halt to the march.

Turning to face them, his eyes narrowed as he took in their appearance. All looked ragged and tired, the artificial light from their flashlights accentuating that image. Each had a gaunt look to their faces, suggesting little food or water since their capture. Both Daniel and Sam’s face were badly bruised. Daniel sported a rather vivid black eye and Sam's cheekbone was obviously swollen and discolored.

Daniel sat down, his body slightly hunched, his arms folded protectively over his abdomen and his jaw shadowed in color. While looking understandably tired, he appeared alert and ready to participate in whatever venture Jack had planned for him.

Teal’c was the most worrisome. He appeared to be in significant pain, his breathing too rapid and slightly shallow, his frame resting heavily on the staff weapon, which now served a dual purpose as a crutch. Still, the Jaffa seemed to be coherent and judging by his expression, ready to fight. Jack grinned inwardly, not the least surprised by any of them. He’d known they’d find a way to manage.

"Okay, Teal’c. Here’s the deal. I need you to get Carter and Daniel out of here. I’ve set up a rendezvous point 4 miles due west of here in a straight run for the 'gate. You’ll know it when you see it." He looked at the wounded man, concerned he was asking too much of him. "Think you can make it?"

"I can, O’Neill."

Jack still had his doubts until he looked the big man in the eyes. What he saw there provided all the reassurance he needed. His team would be there when he arrived. As surely as Jack knew that Teal’c possessed neither a map nor a compass to help him reach his destination, he knew the Jaffa would get his team there safely. It was one of the givens he’d come to accept during his friendship with the former First Prime. If Teal’c said he’d do something, it was done. If he said he would see Daniel and Carter to the meeting place safely, then Jack knew that would be the case. Teal’c was a born tracker and with or without mechanical assistance he’d find the meeting place. Jack breathed a silent thank you that Teal’c had forsaken his former God in lieu of helping the Tau’ri. He knew that part of his plan hinged on Teal’c being able to carry out his role.

Daniel looked over. "What about you, Jack? Aren’t you coming?"

"Not just yet, Daniel. I’ve got a few things to take care of first."

Sam’s ears perked up at that comment. "What are you going to do, Colonel?"

Jack looked at her, noting the worry in her eyes. "Just run a little interference, Major. Nothing to worry about."

"Then we should stay and help."

"Negative, Major. Your job right now is to get yourself and the rest of the team to safety."

Daniel tried to cut in. "Jack…."

"Daniel." Jack shut him up with a look. "Listen. You guys need to get out of here. I can’t afford to be worrying about you right now." His voice softened at the expression on the younger man’s face. "Listen, I’ll be fine. I’ll meet up with you before you even know I’m gone. Okay?" He looked to see the acceptance in the faces of his teammates.

"Be careful, O’Neill."

"You got it, Teal’c." Jack was touched by the concern his friends were showing him, but for now he needed to get moving. He straightened up, putting on his CO face. "Right. I need you guys to move. Go straight there and I’ll meet up with you soon." Jack watched as Teal’c went to Daniel’s side and helped the man to his feet. The archaeologist pulled away from the Jaffa’s help as soon as he was vertical. He didn’t want to tax Teal’c’s strength any more than necessary.

Sam pulled herself up, looking somewhat unsteady, but she quickly regained her balance and moved to offer Teal’c her help. He shook her off politely and she didn’t press the issue. Instead she looked back over her shoulder to her watching CO. "Good luck, Sir."

Jack grinned at her. "Thanks, Carter." He moved to her side, handing her the second pack he’d kept with him, all without comment. Stepping back, he nodded his head at his disappearing teammates. "Now get! I don’t want to beat you guys there."

Sam offered a weak smile in return before looking away. Seeing that Teal’c and Daniel had already begun to move out of the clearing, the light from their flashlights bobbing in time to their movements, she hastened to join them.

Once all three members of his team were on their way, Jack turned back to the matter at hand. He had some rats to catch and he wanted his bait in just the right place. He moved off into the woods silently, heading with all speed to his next destination. He knew he needed to put some distance between himself and his team. They weren’t ready for a confrontation at this point and he owed it to them to give them time to recover. Plus, if he wanted to be perfectly honest with himself, he was looking forward to the next few hours. He had a few surprises planned for his pursuers, but first he needed to get into position.

Doubling back towards the Jaffa camp, he made good time and was now back on the overlooking bluff, taking in the action below. The burgeoning dawn pushed back the night and slowly lit up the area, allowing Jack better visibility.

The leader was dividing up his forces. Out of the twenty-two survivors, only nineteen Jaffa were in any condition to mount a search and the leader was busy grouping them into teams.

Nineteen men stood between Jack, his team and the Stargate. Jack wasn’t foolish enough to think his people could simply make a run for it and get away. Not only was there an apparent problem with the DHD, but his people were tired, injured and in no condition for a confrontation. Even at the best of times their chances in this situation would have been slim; now they were almost non-existent. He had to increase their odds, and if that meant taking out each and every one of these Jaffa to ensure his team’s safety then he’d do it.

Concentrating on the matter at hand, Jack watched the leader’s progress. Apparently he’d decided on a three pronged attack pattern. As he watched, the first group moved out opposite to Jack’s hiding place, their angle suggesting the Stargate as their destination.

They were the largest of the three groups; that in itself suggested to Jack that they were likely the least trained or skilled. The leader had undoubtedly assumed that he could make up for their weaker skills with greater numbers. By sending them out first, and by choosing the Stargate as their direct course, the leader had placed them in the role of front line troops; as the first ones to see action, they were considered the most expendable. Jack had seen this tact used before; it was the equivalent to brawn versus brain, and to him that just improved his odds of taking them out.

As he watched their progress, Jack nodded to himself. This division of troops was what he would do if put in a similar situation. Luckily, he’d counted on that. The leader’s actions had his men moving right into Jack’s traps. A second team consisting of five men moved to leave, heading directly towards Jack. Again, this was according to plan. Jack grinned ferally. These men were so predictable. That’s where the advantage turned to him. His tactics were anything but.

A third and final group remained. Again only five men were in it; a group led by the leader himself. Jack knew instinctively that he was looking at the most dangerous faction of this garrison. Unlike most of his men, this Jaffa had the look of an experienced soldier. He wouldn’t be taken as easily as the others.

While logic would dictate that Jack try and take out the leader first, he knew that if he failed in his attempt, the man had plenty of help remaining. It would be a simple matter of recapturing Jack's team once again, as well as himself. Without having been able to contact Earth for help, SG1 would have no ace in the hole to play and escape would be near impossible.

Instead, Jack elected to take out the others first, leaving the leader to the end. He wondered if perhaps the man might fall to one of his traps but wasn’t about to bet on that eventuality. His greatest weapon would be the speed in which he dispatched the rest of the forces. With that thought in mind Jack pulled back, silently moving in an intercept course with the second group.

He ghosted through the woods, determined to be in position to attack when the Jaffa finally reached him. He’d already picked out his hiding place; one that afforded good cover, yet even better visibility.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Leg’nor watched as the first of his three teams headed off. He was confident in his strategy, moreso than in his men. Still, he felt sure that they would recapture their prey in no time. He watched the second team move off, then led the remaining group into the woods. It was hunting time.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sam quickly caught up with Teal’c and Daniel. She knew they were moving as swiftly as possible, but still couldn’t help but worry that they might be overtaken by the patrols that were undoubtedly looking for them. She didn’t know what the Colonel had up his sleeve, but she hoped it was enough to buy them the time they needed.

As she thought about it, though, she had to wonder what had happened while they sat in their prison. The Colonel had arrived without back-up and was looking somewhat the worse for wear. Still, his eyes held a gleam she had never seen before. While his demeanor was suitably worried for them, his expression spoke of a unvoiced excitement. As she stumbled through the woods following whatever path Teal’c had picked out, she thought about that.

She wondered what it was like for him leading the team. She knew he was intelligent, certainly above the average intellect, but he had to feel somewhat intimidated by her and Daniel’s multiple PhDs. Teal’c at least held a similar background to the Colonel, given his training as a Jaffa, but he too had the advantage and experience that his age provided. The Colonel held a different background, one surrounded in mystery and intrigue. She’d often wondered what hid there, but like the others she knew she may never find out. Instead, they simply looked to him for leadership, a quality he excelled at but one that seemed somewhat inconsequential at times, given their team dynamics. Suddenly a light went on as Sam realised what she’d seen in his eyes. It was so obvious to her now; he was feeling useful, challenged and eminently in his element. She wasn’t sure whether to be happy for him, or saddened that it took a situation like this to make him feel needed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

By the time the second group reached Jack’s new position, they were already one man short. Jack grinned as he thought about how effective his branch trap had been. Since it was a relatively simply thing to construct, Jack had made heavy use of the technique throughout the woods. His hope was that this Jaffa would not be the last to fall to the ruse.

When the Jaffa tripped the wire spread across the ground, the tree boughs that were doubled back on themselves released, catching him in the chest and throwing him back. The force of the blow drove the unfortunate man into a nearby tree trunk. He fell and did not rise again. The rest of his group was forced to proceed without him.

Jack had been keeping tabs on their progress. While always keeping ahead of them and out of sight, he’d still needed to know their position and their status. Now he had one less man to deal with. Unfortunately, the success of the trap meant they were now keeping a closer look out. Still, stealth tended to compromise speed and at this point Jack needed the time. He still had more men to deal with and not much time to do it in. Every minute he took meant one less minute his team had to get to safety and recover from their ordeal.

Jack knew he wasn’t underestimating his team’s abilities. Had they not been captured they would have been fighting by his side, but that wasn’t the case. He wasn’t about to take three injured, traumatized people and send them up against a garrison if he didn’t absolutely have to. Now that he had two of them armed, he at least had the comfort of knowing they could defend themselves against attack if any of the Jaffa made it to their position. In the meantime, he was going to keep them as safe as possible and that meant taking out as many men as he could.

As Jack watched the four men approach, he thought about his plan of attack. This time he elected not to go with subtle, but the direct approach. Before he could second guess his actions, he stood, revealing himself to the enemy. "Hi guys. Looking for me?" Jack fired both zats he carried, his shooting proving accurate as two of the Jaffa fell instantly, their bodies writhing under the effects of the electrical current before slowing as they lapsed into unconsciousness.

Before the remaining guards could process what had happened, Jack dove to the ground rolling and firing in tandem. While the third guard was caught, the fourth reacted. He shot his staff weapon, the blast landing right alongside Jack. The Colonel’s hair stood on end from the charge and he could feel the heat of the energy pulse as it passed by. A second shot was levelled at him. This one managed to graze his leg even as he fired his own weapon. His shot proved the better and the fourth man fell.

Jack sat up for a moment, catching his breath and examining his wound. Luckily it hadn’t done too much damage. He’d had worse. The outside edge of his upper thigh had caught the shot, the line of scorched flesh testament to how close he’d come to losing the fight. Thankfully the injury looked worse than it was. The muscle remained unscathed and the damaged was largely superficial. It was painful but not debilitating and he knew he could go on.

After tearing a small strip of cloth from the bottom of his shirt, Jack bound the wound. He was satisfied with his handiwork and promptly put the injury behind him. He’d deal with it later when he had time.

"Strike one," he murmured to himself. He paused for a moment, looking at the unconscious forms on the ground in front of him. He was momentarily nonplussed at how effective the zat had been against them. While the weapon could usually drop its target, it didn’t tend to render them unconscious, merely temporarily incapacitated. Still, Jack was never one to look a gift horse in the mouth and he wasn’t about to argue with the results. However, now that he had them, he debated what to do with them. He was loathe to kill them, despite knowing that’s what they would have done to him. He knew they were only acting under orders and death was a pretty severe punishment for doing that. On the other hand, he couldn’t chance either their escape or their discovery. Finally he made his decision.

Satisfied that none seemed near to regaining consciousness, he reached into his pocket, drawing out the plastic strips they’d adopted for securing prisoners. Within minutes he had each man bound. He was careful to check each man, ensuring that their arms were behind them, their wrists and ankles secured. He tore up a shirt he’d withdrawn from his pack, gagging each one. Following that he stripped them of all weapons. He stashed a retrieved zat gun in his vest pocket but gathered up the rest of the weapons and zatted them into oblivion. While he would like to have kept more, he knew the extra weight would slow him down and he was sufficiently armed at this point. Taking a final look around and pausing to listen for any overt signs that he’d been detected, Jack left the group behind and moved on to his next lookout.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After pushing himself hard for several hours, Teal’c found himself weaving along the unseen path he was instinctively following. Knowing he had to stop and rest, he slowed his pace until Carter caught up.

She had been taking up the rear, knowing Daniel wasn’t up to that task. Her face was pale against the bruises coloring her skin and sweat trickled from her brow to trace a course through the dirt smudging her face. Still, it was worry that clouded her eyes, not hardship. "Are you alright, Teal’c?"

"I will be fine, Major. However, I do find myself tiring and I hoped we might rest for a few moments before continuing on."

Knowing she could count on one hand the number of times Teal’c had actually admitted to weakness, Sam knew he had to be suffering. She studied the man carefully, noting the lines of fatigue and pain seldom seen on his face. She nodded, hoping that there wasn’t more going on than simple exhaustion, an unhealed staff weapon wound and a recovering symbiote; not that this wasn’t enough to cause anyone difficulty, including the stoic Jaffa. Turning her sights on Daniel, she noted he didn’t look much better. "How are you doing, Daniel?"

He looked over at her, his eyes looking slightly glazed. "Um, fine. I think. Yes, no…..um, yes, I’m okay. You?"

"Daniel, sit down before you fall down. That’s an order."

He looked over at her, surprise registering in his expression as he stubbornly remained on his feet. "You can’t order me. That’s Jack’s job, and no offense but you don’t look much like him."

Sam couldn’t contain the short laugh that burst forth. "Thank God for small favors." Her words grew serious. "Daniel, as long as the Colonel is out there," she gestured expansively, "I’m in charge. Now come on, sit down."

Daniel’s expression remained stubborn.

Sam sighed. She knew he was only trying to assert some control over his situation after their experience in the camp, but now was not the time for it. She decided to appeal to his sense of fair play. "Daniel, I can’t sit until you do and I’m tired."

"You don’t play fair, do you, Sam?" Still, he sunk to the ground, his expression somewhat petulant.

Sam grinned, noticing that Teal’c looked similarly amused. "Well, it worked didn’t it?"

Daniel looked away, muttering. "At least Jack doesn’t use guilt. He just yells."

"What was that, Daniel?"

"Nothing. Just talking to myself." A slight flush rose on the archaeologist’s cheeks as he realised he’d been overheard.

Sam couldn’t help ribbing him a little, hoping her efforts would help to restore a sense of normality, despite the injured trio sitting on the wet earth in the middle of a jungle on a planet occupied by hostiles. "That’s not usually a good thing, Daniel. I guess we’ll let it go this time, though. Just let us know when you feel the need to answer yourself, okay?"

Daniel smiled, accepting the comment for what it was and appreciating the concern behind it. "You got it. Now, anyone got some food stashed away? I’m starving."

Teal’c looked up. "I am sorry, Daniel Jackson. I have nothing to offer."

Daniel looked down for a second to hide his disappointment, before flashing a grin at his friend. "That’s okay, Teal’c. I knew that would be the case. I was just hoping."

Sam was about to comment when she remembered the pack the Colonel had given her. She pulled it close, lifting the flap that covered the cinched neck. Her eyes lit up as she saw the collection of food within. "Guys, look." She tilted the open pack for the others to see.

Daniel whistled in appreciation. "Where did you get that?"

She grinned. "The Colonel gave it to me just before he left."

Daniel’s grin matched hers. "Way to go, Jack." He reached over and drew the pack from Sam’s hands, taking the items out one at a time and handing them around. He unwrapped a nutrition bar that tasted surprisingly good. Talking around a mouth full of nuts and granola, he eyed the tempting fresh fruit, all while opening a sealed container of water. "Jack must have hit their pantry. This stuff didn’t all come from field kits."

Teal’c swallowed, his empty stomach appreciative of his offering. "Indeed. It seems as though O’Neill might well have infiltrated their camp before destroying it."

Daniel held up the water, looking around at his friends as he made a mock toast. "Here’s to Jack. Annoying, sarcastic, pain in the ass CO and good friend that he is." He took a deep drink, savoring the clear, sweet taste before passing the container on.

Sam held it up in a similar manner. "Here, here." Her eyes closed as she drank, the water tasting like the finest nectar after the filthy stuff they’d been given.

Teal’c merely nodded his assent, though he was no less thankful for the gift. He knew that his symbiote had suffered from the lack of food and water, more than he himself. It was one of the contributing factors in his slow recovery. His symbiote possessed great powers of recuperation but that same power came with huge energy requirements. Had he been able to eat and drink his fill, he would have been much further ahead in his recovery. With this meal he knew it would begin to heal more rapidly, although it would take some time. At least now he and his team had a fighting chance. He could only hope that their wayward friend was as successful in his efforts.

Finally full, Daniel continued to rummage through the pack, noticing it still seemed a little heavy despite all they’d taken out. Feeling his way to the bottom, his hand connected with something solid. Pulling the object out, he grinned as his took in its appearance. It was a field issue first aid kit. Jack had really done his best to provide for them.

Opening the kit hastily, he set about treating Teal’c’s wounds, pleased to be able to finally clean the burn and give his friend some much needed relief.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~