Author's Notes: Apologies on part 15. Somehow, poor Lt. Hancock became an Airman again. However, in part 16, he's been given a quick field promotion, and is now happily touring as a Lieutenant.
DISCLAIMER: All characters and property of Stargate SG-1 belong to MGM/UA, World Gekko Corp. and Double Secret Productions. This fan fiction was created solely for entertainment and no money was made from it. Also, no copyright or trademark infringement was intended. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author. Any other characters, the storyline and the actual story are the property of the author.
Odd. He really didn't remember the trek from the gate being quite this long, and they'd been walking. Daniel stopped his steady jog for a short moment, and took a drink from his canteen, grateful that Jack had refused to let him leave without it. It hadn't seemed this warm the day before either, but, he mused, he hadn't been traveling quite as fast then. While he was stopped he looked at the dry river bed, hoping to see signs of Teal'c and Sam. But the ground was strangely devoid of tracks, even their own. Taking one more gulp of water, he sealed the canteen, hooked it to his pack, and resumed his pace.
The canyon he'd been following began to fade away, and Daniel could feel his excitement rise. He was close, very close to the Stargate. Keying his radio, he tried again to contact his friends, but the radio was strangely silent. Not even the static he'd picked up yesterday. Just dead air. He rounded a bend, and there it was in all its alien glory ... the Stargate. At this distance, to the naked eye, it was less than spectacular. But up close it became a thing of mystery and intrigue, a gateway to a million uncharted worlds. Daniel took a moment to use his binoculars, hoping to see some sign of his friends. Instead his jaw went slack with shock. At least six of the creatures he and Jack had faced in the cellar lay dead near the gate. The young archaeologist broke into a disjointed run, heedless of his teammates' instructions to always keep his pace smooth and steady. All he knew was what he saw, and worse, what he didn't.
Well, they'd finally reached the temple, but neither Ferretti nor his team were feeling any better. To their surprise, the UAV was in the center of the structure, directly under the large opening in the ceiling. The team took nothing for granted as they spread out, searching the perimeter for any sign of ... anything. It seemed an eternity before Ferretti felt comfortable calling an all clear. Hancock strode quickly to the UAV. After a cursory exam, he called back to his teammates. "Sir, everything's intact. But there's something wrong."
"Spell it out for me, Lieutenant." Ferretti moved toward his second as he spoke.
"Well, sir, there's no way the UAV crashed like this. There's virtually no damage to the nose. If I had to guess, I'd say that the UAV was placed here."
"Why?" Airman Spenser looked worried.
"A trap, airman. To draw in the ones who sent the thing." Ferretti practically growled. "Real question is, who set the trap?"
Anderson looked nervously around. "You don't suppose those things at the 'gate..."
The major shook his head. "No, Airman, unless those things do a Jeckle-Hyde number, there's no way they brought the UAV here. Spread out, gentlemen, I know we didn't see any signs of SG-1 when we got here, but I want a wall to wall search. Anderson, you and Spenser will take the perimeter. Hancock and I will search in here. And keep an eye out for whoever or whatever set this trap."
"How long has it been, Teal'c?"
The Jaffa concealed a smile as he responded for the seventh time in under two hours. "It has not yet been three hours since Marne left us, Major Carter."
"What the heck is taking so long? I thought they said first light."
"Perhaps there is a ritual that must be performed at first light before the interview can begin." Teal'c paused, face suddenly troubled, or rather, what passed for troubled for Teal'c.
Sam stopped in her tracks and looked at the Jaffa closely. "What?"
Reluctantly, Teal'c responded. "The second horn was sounded barely thirty minutes after the first. Perhaps it is taking time to get the spectators settled."
"Oh wouldn't that be just peachy. Lotsa people watching. I just can't wait." As if on cue, the third horn sounded, causing Sam to jump slightly.
Teal'c cocked his head to one side. "Then it is fortunate indeed that the wait is over."
Daniel Jackson stared in horror at the carnage surrounding the 'gate. From the plethora of tracks as he approached the 'gate, he knew that he and Jack had been incredibly lucky the night before. Lucky to have been bothered by only two of the beasts. From the evidence it appeared that the main activity of the creatures had been centered around the Stargate. The only redeeming feature seemed to be that it had not been Sam and Teal'c at the 'gate. That was a good thing. At least, he hoped it was.
Near the gate he found the remains of a fire, four sets of booted footprints, and many, many spent shell casings, but nothing to indicate which SG team had spent the night here. Not that it really mattered.
He frowned suddenly as he traced their steps past the DHD. Within a few yards of the device, were the remains of another fire... this one abandoned rather than carefully put out. In this new location, the human prints blended with the creatures', making his limited tracking skills totally useless. Teal'c, and possibly Jack might have been able to distinguish the marks, but he could not. Why had they gone back to the 'gate? Why hadn't they returned home for reinforcements? That would have been the logical course of action. Why stay the night at the 'gate? Unless ... oh, no, no, no. Dammit to hell, no.
Daniel raced for the DHD and frantically tried to dial home. 'You're an idiot, Daniel. Should have done this first.' He punched in the first chevron, frustration, and fear, causing the impact to be a little harder than normal. Nothing. Absolutely nothing. He tried another chevron at random. Again nothing.
"NO, Dammit, NO!" His outburst of anger combined with his already labored breathing from his run to send him momentarily to his knees, blind and deaf to his surroundings. As his rage subsided, his vision cleared, leaving only a headache and the throbbing pain in his back in its wake.
His fit of temper over for good, Daniel rose to his feet, took his bearings, and started north. As Jack had said, the rescue team was heading in the direction of the temple. Therefore, he would also go north, and pray that he found help before he'd have to return to the abandoned city. There was no way he would leave Jack alone to face another night. Absolutely, no way.
"Sir?"
"Find something, Anderson?"
"Uh, actually, sir, something, I mean, someone's found us."
Ferretti and Hancock raced outside the temple. Spenser had joined Anderson, and together the four men of SG-2 watched warily as the natives approached.
The major spoke softly to his lieutenant. "I thought the survey showed no intelligent life."
Hancock shrugged. "Wouldn't be the first time the UAV missing something important, like people."
"True, so true. Well, men, looks like we get to play diplomat. Let's hope these people know where SG-1 is."
"I'd say they just might." Hancock's voice was now worried.
"Why?" Ferretti turned to look at the man.
Hancock nodded toward the crowd. "Big guy, at the back. Isn't that a staff weapon? Like maybe Teal'c's?"