A/N: Originally published in AG10. Spoilers for episodes through early Season 3.
Disclaimer: Stargate, Stargate SG-1 and all of its characters, titles, names, and back-story are the property of MGM/UA, Double Secret Productions, Gekko Productions, SciFi Channel, and Showtime/Viacom. All other characters, the story idea and the story itself are the sole property of the author. This story cannot be printed anywhere without the sole permission of the author. Realize this is for entertainment purposes only; no financial gain or profit has been gained from this fiction. This story is not meant to be an infringement on the rights of the above-mentioned establishments
At first, he embraced the soft, luscious wetness that churned over his tongue and throughout his mouth. It made him feel alive, comfortable, and secure. For a moment, it almost reminded him of Sha're, and her tender but aggressive kisses under the moonlit nights on Abydos. But as consciousness came, the sense of security vanished, as did the thoughts and memories of his wife.
Instead, he felt cold while the smoothness in his mouth –oh, no, no…it was mud.
Daniel coughed and gagged, spitting out as much of the stuff as he could. It was only then that he realized he was immobile, stuck in the grime that had encapsulated him in this dark place. Wherever this dark place was.
"Hello?" he managed to ask, hearing his voice echo through the darkness and bounce back to him again. Wincing, he heaved his body to the side – or at least he thought it was his side –and spit more of the mud out of his mouth. "Hello? Anyone?"
"Stay still."
"Jack?"
"Yeah. Hold still."
Daniel nodded, relieved to hear the sound of Jack's voice. It floated somewhere above him, maybe to his right, but Daniel couldn't tell through the blackness.
Daniel felt like he was drowning.
He coughed again, trying to ease the panic that was growing inside. But just as it started to swell, he heard a click and the heaviness that surrounded him broke into several pieces.
All was still black. The panic started to bubble to the surface again.
"It's mud," Jack said. The darkness started to crack, allowing little flashes of light to poke through and shake his vision. "Or some crap. I swear it's alive," he said dryly. "The stuff is like quick-drying cement."
When Jack had finished freeing him of his cement prison, Daniel stirred, blinking rapidly as he struggled to adjust to the dim lighting in the room, the hall, the tomb…wherever they happened to be trapped. Moaning, he attempted to sit, only to find a spider-web pattern of pain splinter throughout his body.
He hurt.
He felt like he had been hit by a Mac truck. Not that he knew what it felt like to be hit by a Mac truck, but that was really neither here nor there. The fact remained that he was sore all over.
Daniel blinked again, and despite the pain, he found himself able to gather his bearings. He pushed himself into a sitting position, and started to take a good look around the room. Small and dark, the room held the distinct feel of a tomb, muffled with dampness and a distinct foul odor, one that reminded Daniel of old socks. He could hear the trickle of water as it ran down the walls before splashing into little pools on the surface below. Thankfully, the water was a blessing, even if it was a nuisance. The pools helped reflect what little light they had, light that poked through a small circular opening at the top of the mound-like room.
Stifling the urge to rub his eyes with his dirty hands, Daniel stared at the light for a minute, wondering just how they had managed to get trapped in this place.
"Daniel?"
Daniel jerked at the sound of his name, his gaze falling to a not-so-patient mud-covered Jack O'Neill. Jack stood in front of him, thumbing his belt, and Daniel suddenly had the impression he looked out of place. When Daniel started to study Jack a little harder, the other man sighed, finally breaking his sour expression, only to replace it with another.
"The bastards took our guns," Jack said.
"What?"
"Weapons, Daniel. Let's get that mind into motion."
Daniel ignored the insult and glanced down at himself. Jack was right; he'd been stripped of everything, except for his canteen, thankfully, and oddly enough, his allergy medication. Slowly, he started to check his pockets to see if they might have missed something else.
After a moment, Daniel paused as he began to feel more alert. "Where are we?" he finally asked.
"Good question," Jack said. "I'm thinking prison."
"Prison?" Daniel looked at the ceiling, watching as light flickered in and out of the hole. "If it's prison, it's not a very good one."
"All the better for us." Jack walked past him, but kept his body close, almost guarded, as he stared at the ceiling. "Now that you're finally awake, I think it's about time we left this party."
"Party?"
"What? Do you think you're a parrot?"
Daniel blinked at him. "Parrot?"
Jack shot him a look, one that Daniel had trouble reading. He thought it was anger, or maybe worry, or maybe…
"Daniel, what the hell is the matter with you?" Jack hovered a little closer, studying him in a way that made Daniel feel uncomfortable. "Let's go. I don't need an absent-minded professor today. I need for you to get moving."
Daniel nodded and slowly rose to his feet, knowing that Jack was right. Of course, they needed to be alert and focused when off-world, especially when they ran into problems, such as being trapped in a mud-hole prison. But Daniel couldn't help but feel a little annoyed. He'd just woken from a mud-encased tomb. He needed a minute to regroup.
"I say the sooner we're out of here the better," Jack mumbled, his gaze on the ceiling hole. "I'd hate to impose on our roommates any longer than necessary."
Daniel almost repeated "roommates" just to spite Jack, but thought better of it. They did need to get out of here as quickly as possible, and the fact remained that he hadn't even realized there were other people in the room with them.
Daniel stared at the two aliens that were huddled along the circumference of the circular room. Both were long, although how long Daniel couldn't tell, and had a pearly bluish hue to their skin tone. Daniel was positive he counted three eyes, maybe a mouth, and little small nubs on their chins. Even their clothes were different, translucent, but with a silky shimmering effect to reflect their luminescent skin. Daniel laughed. They looked like tall, mutated Asgard going out to a disco.
Daniel probably could have stood there all day staring at the funny looking aliens if it weren't for Jack's urging.
"Daniel, for cryin' out loud, will you focus?" he asked, sounding exasperated.
"I'm focused," Daniel replied. "Look at that, how they move." Daniel swayed when he noticed the smoothness as they shifted. He nearly lost his balance and would have fallen if Jack hadn't stepped forward to grab him. "Whoa," Daniel said. "That—I think I'm drugged."
"Ya think?" Jack shook his head before guiding Daniel away from the aliens. Carefully, he helped ease Daniel into a seated position on the floor. "Stay there while I think of something."
"It must be in the mud," Daniel mused. He smiled, waving his hands in front of his face and watched the light dance between his fingers. "I must have swallowed some. I feel off."
Jack pointed to Daniel's canteen. "So, wash out your mouth."
"Oh." That would help.
Slowly, Daniel unhooked his canteen and poured some of the water into his mouth, swishing it a few times before spitting. He wanted to be annoyed with himself for being so forgetful or to chastise himself for his lack of focus, but he couldn't seem to bring himself to care.
As he put away his canteen, Daniel found his gaze returning to the two aliens on the other side of the room. So far, they hadn't made a sound, or even attempted to venture forth to meet with either of them. Daniel stared at the aliens, studying them as best he could without the help of his glasses. Jack's pacing certainly didn't help.
"No doors. No compartments," Jack said aloud, stopping to gaze up at the hole in the ceiling. "I think we can make it. Daniel?"
"Hmm," Daniel said with a nod. "I think they're sexless."
"What?"
"The aliens." Daniel motioned vaguely with his right hand to where the aliens were sitting. "I can't discern any external genitalia, and they look nearly identical. It's possible that—"
"Daniel."
He jumped, surprised by the decisive tone Jack had taken. Pulling his attention away from the aliens, he studied Jack, catching the intensity in his eyes. Daniel had seen that look on more than one occasion. Jack was distressed and was nothing but business. Daniel tried to keep his mind in place.
"I don't care about the damn aliens," Jack continued. "I need you to focus on getting out of here so we can find Carter and Teal'c."
Daniel gaped at him, suddenly feeling hot as he canvassed the room, searching the prison floor. Sam and Teal'c weren't with them. He hadn't even noticed. He didn't even remember how they had gotten here.
Immediately, Daniel went for his radio on the off chance he could contact either one of them. But when he groped at his chest, he remembered that whoever had thrown them in here had taken away nearly all their equipment and belongings. Sighing, he dropped his hands to his lap.
"Jack, I don't remember anything."
Jack glanced at him over his shoulder, before turning back to the hole. "You're not losing your mind." He pressed a knuckle to his nose and shifted slightly, changing his position. "I don't know how we got here, either. But I'm starting to think that little abandoned village wasn't so abandoned after all."
Abandoned village? Daniel sifted through his memories, poking around for anything that would seem familiar. He couldn't remember a village, abandoned or otherwise. He couldn't remember exploring any of the surrounding area that might hold a village.
He couldn't remember how they got here.
"Jack," Daniel said, his voice rising as he scrambled to his feet. "I don't remember how we got here!"
Jack stopped studying the hole for a moment, remaining quiet as he eyed Daniel.
"No, Jack," Daniel mumbled, by-passing Jack's silent rebuke. "I mean I don't know how we got here. Here."
Daniel wasn't sure if it was the tone of his voice or the fear in his face that made Jack abandon the hole and take a tentative step towards him. But he did, and the frown on Jack's face spoke volumes.
"You can't remember how you got here or here here?" Jack took another step closer. "As in here," he said point to the ground, "or…
"Here," Daniel said weakly.
Jack exhaled, shaking his head, and Daniel thought he even heard a swear somewhere in there. But this was Jack, and he always seemed to recover quickly. The moment of anger vanished, leaving Daniel faced with a colonel once again.
"Nevermind. We'll sort through that later," Jack told him. "Right now, we need to leave."
Daniel nodded and swallowed hard, trying to ignore the harsh scratchiness in his throat. Jack was right, but it didn't mean Daniel felt any better.
He didn't have any memory of how or when they had come to this place, and the idea in and of itself was rather frightening.
At least he had all of his other memories.
Right?
"Daniel."
Daniel shook his head, once again shaken by the sound of his name. When he focused on Jack this time, he noticed Jack appeared more impatient – if that were even possible –with hints of anxiety poking through the surface. Jack never had been very good with emotions.
That much he remembered.
"Give me a foot hold, will you?" Jack continued, as if nothing had happened.
Gazing upward, Daniel studied the small hole, wrinkling his nose as the mud continued to run around the rim before it would break away and splat down on the floor or onto the two of them. "We're not going to fit through there," Daniel said softly, mesmerized by the continual pattern.
"No, but we will."
Daniel heard the sharp click of a knife. Jerking, he took a step back, staring at Jack's hands.
"They didn't take away everything," Jack said with a smile.
For once, Daniel wasn't complaining.
With a grunt, Daniel helped to heave Jack up towards the hole. He struggled to keep his balance for the few seconds Jack needed to scout the ceiling, before his strength gave out and he had to release him. Jack jumped down, creating an audible thud, one that was muffled by the dirty ground around them. Sniffling, Jack wiped his nose and tucked the knife into his belt.
"All right," Jack said. "It's soft." His gaze fell over to Daniel, waiting expectantly. "Me or you?"
Since Daniel didn't quite trust himself with a knife at the moment, he sighed and deferred to Jack. "You."
"You going to be able to handle it?"
Daniel snorted, not even bothering to reply. He'd been handling Jack since he'd first met him.
"Good," Jack said. "Hold still and don't look at our friends. It'll throw your balance."
"Jack, give me a little credit," Daniel muttered.
Jack arched his eyebrows, barely holding back a small grin. Then, before Daniel had a chance to protest, Jack moved behind him, pushing Daniel to the ground. As he felt Jack's weight start to press onto his back, Daniel winced, but held back the pain and started to push upward.
Jack wasn't a heavy man, but he wasn't a lightweight, either.
Ignoring the burning through his back and shoulders, Daniel continued to rise, securing Jack's legs over his shoulders. It wasn't as if Daniel had never done this before; on several of his digs he would help hold up some of the smaller women when scaffolding was short so that they could complete rubbings or duplicate art on the higher sections of the pyramid walls. Sometimes he even helped men who were slighter in build than he was. Other times people would hold him.
Daniel groaned, feeling his legs shake. Academia had made him flabby, but SG-1 was toning him. Even so…
"Jack, you have to hold off on the cake," he mumbled, panting.
"This coming from the man who keeps a stash of candy bars in his vest pockets."
Daniel rolled his eyes, but it started to make him wonder. Did he have any left or did the whoevers take those, too?
"Don't," Jack warned. "So help me God, Daniel, if…"
"I wasn't going to," Daniel said, before taking another gulp of air.
He started to hear the sound of crumbling dirt and stiffened as he saw a huge chunk fall on his boot. Pausing, he considered how quickly – or slowly – Jack might be working.
Thank God Jack had long arms, Daniel mused, sneaking a peak upward to watch Jack as he hacked at the ceiling. The last thing Daniel wanted was to have Jack's boot cutting into his shoulders.
"Hey, eyes down," Jack muttered as he cut at the dried clay around the hole. "I don't want you to fall over."
"You don't want you to fall over," Daniel corrected, but did as he was told.
"Yeah, that, too. So, keep still."
So, Daniel waited. Waited as his shoulders continued to burn and his legs shook under Jack's weight. When more light began to break into the room, Daniel began to wonder just how long they had been trapped down here. Daniel thought back to Jack's assessment that this place was a form of prison. Could it be something else? If it was a prison, Daniel didn't really want to think about what transgressions the aliens had committed to be thrown in here.
Daniel started to think about the prison of Hadante.
"Stop fidgeting," Jack said, digging his knee into Daniel's shoulder. "I've almost got it."
"Well, you stop—"
Inhaling sharply, Daniel caught a flicker at the peripheral of his vision. When he turned his head, he was surprised to find the aliens had risen from their corner, one moving towards them. It hovered and appeared to float on air. Its luminescent hue caught Daniel long before Jack started cursing his name.
As his center of balance shifted, Daniel knew he was in for a hard fall. He tried to twist to fight the pull of gravity, but it was too late. Daniel stumbled to his right, his legs buckling, bringing Jack with him.
A tangle of limbs, the two men just stayed there for a moment, trying to focus after the shock of the fall.
"Dammit, Daniel. What'd I say?"
Daniel ignored him, pushing Jack away so he could see the aliens. The one that had started toward him had stopped and retreated back to its corner with the other one. Strangely, both remained quiet throughout the whole ordeal.
Daniel studied them for a moment longer, intrigued by the other's small pad that rested in its lap. It kept passing its palm over the top, causing the pad to flash with each movement. Frowning, Daniel sat back on his heels, going over possibilities in his mind.
He wondered why if this were a prison, why the aliens would be allowed to carry technology. Then again, both he and Jack had been allowed to keep some of their personal belongings.
The glint of metal caught Daniel's attention, and he shifted his focus away from the aliens back to Jack. Daniel remained silent as Jack walked over to stand by him, brushing off his pants casually, knife still in his free hand.
Daniel realized that knife could have gone anywhere, really. And based on Jack's scowl, Daniel knew he knew it, too.
"Do you want to try this again without the roaming eyes?"
"They were coming toward us," Daniel murmured in defense, his voice trailing as he stared at Jack. Once again, Daniel had the feeling that Jack looked out of place. Something seemed different about him, but Daniel couldn't put his finger on it. "Yeah," he said to try to finish his thought.
Jack raised his eyebrows. They seemed so dark. "Daniel?"
"Just-just give me a moment," Daniel whispered as he closed his eyes.
Quietly, he bowed his head, struggling to push past the fog that had settled into his brain. His memory was spotty, his concentration shot…Daniel could only hope that whatever was causing his problems wasn't a sign of something more serious.
"You seem…dark. Or fuzzy." Daniel wasn't sure which better fit the profile.
"It's dark in here," Jack said, sarcastically, his voice almost rising in a way that was both childish and condescending. "And you don't have your glasses."
Daniel sat a little straighter, gingerly touching his cheeks with his fingers. "Oh, right," he managed to say. "I'd—"
"Forgotten. I can tell," Jack mumbled. Then, quickly he grabbed Daniel by the arm and gently lifted him to his feet. "I'd say it's about time we left, now."
Daniel nodded, allowing Jack to lead him towards the hole. His body still felt weak and achy, and even though he wouldn't admit it, he was thankful for the support.
"All right," Jack said, stopping under the hole. "The opening is big enough for us to squeeze through one at a time and this hell hole isn't too big. We should be able to get through it with climbing and support. You got that?"
Daniel gave a half nod, but stayed pensive as he studied the aliens. "Look, I think that one is taking notes."
The second alien remained engrossed in his game of Simon, while the first kept watching them closely. At least Daniel thought it was studying them. He couldn't read anything into their black marble eyes.
"Okay," Jack said, stepping in front of him to block his view of the aliens. "No more. This isn't a field trip."
"I'm not all about studying, Jack. But isn't it important to know your surroundings…" He found his voice trail off as Jack started to knot a rope of what looked like vine. "Where did you get that?"
"Upstairs," Jack said flatly. He swung the vine around Daniel's waist and secured it snuggly over his hips. "It's important to know your surroundings, huh?"
Daniel scowled. To be honest, he couldn't remember Jack obtaining the vine. He must have grabbed it when he'd cut away at the hole.
"I don't need this," Daniel protested as he ran his hand over the rough material around his waist and thighs. "I can—"
"It's insurance." Jack gave the vine a hard jerk, making Daniel wince. "I think we both know it's good to have a back-up plan."
Daniel glared at Jack and then the hole. "Our back-up plans never work."
"They do." Jack looked offended. "Just not…well."
"Oh, just not well. That makes me feel better."
Jack went back to pretending to ignore him as he studied their escape route one last time. This gave Daniel one last opportunity to get a good look at their friends as well. Tilting his head, Daniel stole a peek at the aliens. The alien had stopped playing with its toy, having joined its partner in staring at Daniel.
He shivered. Their gaze made his skin crawl.
"I was thinking," Daniel said abruptly as Jack checked his harness for the fifth time. "Why would they be in here taking notes anyway?"
"Doesn't matter," Jack said. "Once we're out of here, we'll find Carter and Teal'c and leave."
"But, seriously."
"I am serious."
"Jack…"
"No, Daniel." Jack shook his head. "For all we know, these guys are plotting ways to kill us. We leave and we leave now."
"Ways to kill us?" Daniel shook his head and crossed his arms. "Thanks for that inspiring message, Mister Positive."
"Glad to oblige," Jack replied off-handedly. "Now, look. One of us is going to have to climb up and pull the other through the opening."
Daniel sighed and nodded, following Jack's finger as he pointed to the hole. While it was substantially bigger now, Daniel knew it was still going to be a tight squeeze getting through it. Not to mention the height problem.
"I assume this is where the rope comes in?" Daniel held up the end and started to twirl it.
Jack nodded, grabbing the end and pulling it down. "Once I'm through, I pull you to the surface."
Daniel knew what that meant. "I'll be in here alone with the aliens," he said softly.
"I know." Jack reached over and squeezed his shoulder, gazing at Daniel squarely in the eye. "You going to be all right?"
"I'll be fine," Daniel said, and he meant it. He was possibly drugged, sluggish, and trapped in a place he didn't know, but he'd been in far worse situations.
He would just have to not think about Jack's theory that the aliens wanted to kill them and he'd be perfect.
"Good." He looped the end of the vine around his belt and tied it. "Let's get moving, then."
"Right."
Daniel started to crouch, attempting to give Jack as much leverage as possible without falling over in the process. Quickly, Jack moved into position, using Daniel as a footstool. With a grunt, he climbed onto Daniel's back and found his balance as Daniel slowly started to rise to his feet. When Daniel felt relatively secure, he pushed Jack forward, refusing to look up, relying on his imagination to see what Jack might be doing.
He figured Jack would draw his knife and stick it into the harder ground around the hole, using that as his focal point to climb through. After that, Daniel wasn't sure what he would do.
He heard another grunt and suddenly the weight lessened. Daniel breathed out in relief, hissing as he moved his shoulders. He still ached all throughout his body; Jack had only made it worse.
"Ready?" he heard Jack call.
Gazing upward, Daniel saw Jack's head silhouetted by the light that was streaming past him. The light only seemed to blacken Jack's already dark features.
Daniel swatted at the dark splotches and rubbed his eyes. "Yeah," he muttered, wishing he had his glasses.
"All right, on three, jump." Jack paused as Daniel prepared himself. "One, two…three."
On three, Daniel leapt into the air, pushing himself off the ground with as much force as his tired muscles could offer. At the same time, he heard Jack swear, pulling and yanking with all his might from the other side. Within seconds, Daniel found himself off the ground, but not high enough to get a hold of anything. And though Jack was strong, Daniel knew he didn't have the muscle training to pull all of Daniel's weight alone.
Daniel knew he was slipping. He felt the strain of both the vine and of Jack's control as they started to unravel. Somehow, Daniel didn't think he would be leaving their prison today.
"Dammit. I'm lowering you back down. I have to try something else."
Daniel nodded, feeling the tension release as he slowly was lowered down into the pit. Nervous, he checked the rope and confirmed that part of it had started to come undone. He needed something to hold secure the thick vine somehow. Eyeing the mud carefully, Daniel decided it couldn't hurt. He slapped the clay onto the trouble spot, covering as much of it as he could, and hoped that the slick material would help to bind the organic fibers.
"On three," he heard Jack call from somewhere beyond the opening.
Once again, on three, Daniel jumped, relying on Jack to pull him towards the opening. This time, they made better progress, and Daniel felt that they could overcome this hurdle. It wasn't that the height of the room was anything overwhelming, but the alternations of viscosity and slickness of the mud walls and circular shape of the pit made scaling impossible.
That left to pulling.
Which then stopped.
Startled, Daniel gripped the rope tightly, as he found himself stuck in mid-air, swaying left and right, right to left, back and forth and around again. While he wasn't up very high, he could still dangle his legs.
"Jack?" he called.
"Yup," he heard. "Hit a snag. Hold tight."
"Oh, sure. I'll just hang around…"
While Jack worked out whatever snag he must have hit – one that Daniel hoped didn't involved vines and sharp, jagged rocks – Daniel took the opportunity to survey the room. He realized it wasn't as big as he originally had thought. Not only was the room not as round as he'd envisioned, it also wasn't as even. Some parts of the clay-covered tomb had a dry, almost ceramic texture, as if they had been oven-cooked, while other parts had a slick, shiny wet look. Daniel found the contradiction intriguing.
Until he noticed their friends had disappeared.
Frowning, Daniel turned in his makeshift harness, causing the vine to spin and twist. He quickly scanned the area, wondering with growing anxiety where the alien creatures had gone. Then, as an idea struck him, he paused and glanced over his shoulder.
The aliens stood both behind him, nearly eye to eye with him. Daniel bristled, but found himself mesmerized by their lucid stare. From where he was, Daniel could see every detail in their smooth faces and their shiny black eyes. After he tore his gaze from theirs and titled his head upward, he noticed their scalps, from the central fuzzy strip that Daniel hypothesized as hair to the bizarre nodules that littered either side of their head. He even thought he saw fluid swishing around inside the translucent bumps.
"Wow," Daniel whispered, leaning a little closer. "I wonder what—"
They moved to match his gaze, their shining eyes focusing into a hard stare. Daniel began to get that crawly feeling under his skin again.
"Jack…"
"Give me a minute."
"I'd love to but now's not a good time." Daniel gasped as one of the aliens wrapped its long fingers around his knee.
"What?" Jack asked, sounding breathless. "Why?"
Daniel forced a smile, bringing his hand down, and pried the alien off of him. "They're getting touchy-feely."
"Crap."
Daniel didn't even have a chance to reply to Jack when he felt an urgent tugging upwards. Obviously, Jack had worked out his snag and had begun to concentrate on getting Daniel on the surface as quickly as possible, ignoring a little thing called precision. So much for technique.
By the time Daniel reached the top, he was a little rough for wear, but had never been so glad to see something other than the color gray. Digging one hand into the dirt, he fumbled with the other, before finding a solid patch of grass to mutilate in his grasp. He grunted and heaved, only to have Jack grab him when they were certain Daniel wouldn't tumble back through the hole.
With the "escape" behind him, Daniel collapsed onto the ground and closed his eyes. Somehow, he thought this entire prison break took far more effort than it should.
Once Daniel gathered his bearings, he slowly opened his eyes and glanced around the area. Wherever they were seemed to alternate between flat plains with long grasses and thick thorny bushes, any of which could have easily been Jack's snag. Though, as he studied them more closely, he could make out that at least one of them had a long vine wrapped and secured around its large trunk.
Or that could be a tree, he figured.
Daniel moaned and squeezed his eyes shut.
"Hey." He felt Jack standing over him. "You all right?"
Oh sure, Daniel thought. I can't remember anything. We're lost. We have no supplies. An alien tried to grope me…
"No," Daniel said as he pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Well, sit here and think or…do whatever you do." The add-on comment made Daniel open his eyes. Jack smirked at him, though it was fleeting. "I'll just be a few feet away, doing…"
"Doing what you do," Daniel said knowingly.
Jack's face flickered with a ghost of a smile, but it disappeared as the concern overcame his battle-hardened features. He put his hands on his hips, taking a moment to survey the area before he turned away from the hole.
Daniel sat quietly as he watched Jack take a few tentative steps towards what looked like moderately forested area. He wasn't sure how they could maneuver their way through the forest or any terrain without any supplies. As an archaeologist in the field, Daniel had been trained in survivor skills, aside from what he'd learned at the SGC, and knew what to do in situations on Earth when supplies ran low – or God forbid – ran out. But this wasn't Earth. And this wasn't a dig.
He didn't know how they'd make it out of this one.
Or how the aliens would, for that matter.
Armed with this new thought, Daniel glanced over at the opening in the ground. Though he didn't know why the two creatures had been put into the underground tomb with them, he couldn't help but feel nervous over their condition. From what he had observed, there wasn't much – meaning none – in the way of comfort, clean water, or food. Not that Daniel knew how they ate or if they ate. That wasn't the point.
He could debate with himself over the issue endlessly. But he wasn't about to have an argument with himself in the middle of nowhere. Firstly, it would look insane. Secondly, well, Daniel didn't have a secondly just yet, but he was sure it would be just as bad, not to mention he'd already done enough arguing with himself in public in the past.
His decision made, Daniel rolled over onto his stomach and crawled over to the opening of the hole. There, inside, the aliens stood right where he had left them, their marble-like eyes staring straight through him.
Daniel swallowed down a nervous laugh and pushed aside the tingling he felt under his skin. Carefully, he dropped his arms down into the pit, dangling them over the aliens' heads. As he started to wriggle his fingers, he hoped they understood his invitation while he prayed he wasn't silently telling them to jerk off in their own culture.
Finally, one of them seemed to understand what he was offering and reached out its own hand towards him. Considerably taller, or at least longer, both in body height and arm length, the alien had no problem in reaching Daniel. As it stretched, it grazed his fingertips, giving Daniel a cool, icy sensation.
He wondered what caused that.
Before he could give it another thought, Daniel yelped, feeling a tug backwards. After he was pulled away from the hole, Jack stood firmly between him and the opening.
"Are you trying to get yourself killed?" he asked angrily.
"Yes, Jack, that has always been my goal in life," Daniel replied sarcastically. "In fact, I'm becoming very good at it."
"Well, stop it. You don't know where they've been." He pointed to the hole as he spoke.
Daniel glared at him. "I'm not going to catch rabies off of them."
"You might." With a mutter or two under his breath, Jack walked up to Daniel and helped him to his feet. "Can we keep the interaction to a minimum?"
"Why?"
"You have to ask why?"
"Well, yes," Daniel said, ignoring Jack's tone. "We—"
"We don't know anything about them. They could be murderers or cannibals."
"Cannibals?" That was incredible. "Their mouths aren't big enough to hold a straw. Not to mention cannibalism implies the same race."
"Maybe they are very good at what they do." He shook his head and lowered his voice. "Nevermind, just don't. They give me the creeps."
And in those few words, Daniel realized that he had to agree. There was always something about Jack's small confessions that caused Daniel to tense and to take him more seriously than he usually did. Jack's little moments of pure insight weren't to be taken lightly.
"Okay," Daniel started. "So…"
"So, we have to start somewhere." Jack rubbed his face, barely holding back a frown. Daniel recognized that he was more distressed that he wanted to let on. "I saw a path inside the forest. We'll keep to that but mark the way we've come."
Daniel nodded. "Okay, so we can keep track how lost we are."
"Don't be a smartass. Just – shit!"
Daniel jerked, caught off-guard by the abruptness in Jack's tone and posture. Turning around, he took step back, surprised to see one of the aliens standing next to the hole.
"Oh."
Jack wasn't as impressed. "How the hell did he get up here?"
Daniel couldn't say. But then, as if on cue, the second alien rose through the hole, hovering soundlessly, and glided through the air, only to gently touch down on the steady ground around the opening.
"Oh, um…" Daniel motioned to the second alien. "Floating."
"Thanks, I hadn't noticed," Jack said dryly.
Daniel shrugged off the comment. "Well, you've got your answer."
"No," Jack muttered. "Now, we have more problems."
"You mean…" Daniel drawled out the word as he mulled over their newest set of problems. "Why didn't they do this before?"
Jack nodded, his dour expression firmly aimed at the aliens. "Oh, yeah."
That was something Daniel would like to know. If they could have just floated out of the pit from the start, why didn't they? Why did they wait?
"I'm not staying around to find out why," Jack said. "I think it's about time we left. Let's go."
Daniel agreed and nodded, but it was a slow, deliberate nod. He used the few minutes afforded to him to grab one last look at their alien companions. They hadn't moved, cemented to their spot by the hole, staring at him with those terrible intense eyes.
Any regrets he had about missed opportunities vanished as he felt the chill sweep through him once again. He scratched his chin as he latched onto that final thought – final emotion – before he followed Jack into the forest.