Part 8 (1/2)
”They're certainly making it difficult,” Jacob agreed.
”Sonofa -” He swallowed the curse, outraged, yet somehow unsurprised by the turn of events. ”So what do we do?”
”Find Jack O'Neill,” Jacob said. ”Find my daughter. And don't give the little gray b.a.s.t.a.r.ds a reason to pull the plug.” Then he leaned closer, across the table, and dropped his voice to a harsh whisper. ”Because there are plenty of Goa'uld out there looking at Earth with hungry eyes, George. And the only thing holding them back is that d.a.m.n treaty.”
c.r.a.p. c.r.a.p, c.r.a.p, c.r.a.p.
They'd seen them coming. Of course they'd seen them coming. Daniel had already told them they'd been spotted the night before. d.a.m.n it. What had he been thinking?
Furious with himself, Jack backed up another step and tried to cover his whole team while figuring out how the h.e.l.l to get out of this.
Everything, everything was going wrong.
There were people all around them, forming a loose but complete circle. They didn't look aggressive, but the kick-a.s.s weapons they carried - and what the h.e.l.l were they? - definitely meant business. To his left, one of the men stepped forward. He was young - they were all young - but he had the swagger of a leader. His long braided hair was pulled back from his face and he wore a coat st.i.tched together from the skins of whatever critters lived on this rock. A dark, close-cropped beard framed narrow features and a pair of piercing eyes marked him out as both smart and dangerous.
He looked like he knew what to do with the weapon he was aiming at Jack, but, despite the high-tech gun, he also had a bow slung across his back and a knife hanging from his belt next to two scrawny rabbits.
”Listen,” Jack said, keeping his weapon leveled and his finger hovering over the trigger. ”We don't want any trouble. Daniel - tell them.”
”I... uh...” Daniel sounded vague, distracted. ”We're explorers. We... oh...”
”Colonel?” Carter's voice was urgent and he didn't need to look to know that Daniel was about to hit the deck. Or the mud.
He had no choice; they couldn't fight. Lowering his weapon, he lifted his hands away from it and said, ”Stand down, Major. Daniel - probably lie down.”
”O'Neill?” Teal'c said.
His unease was obvious and Jack shared it. But there was no helping it - against this many armed people, with Daniel too sick to run or fight, they didn't stand a chance. ”You too, T.”
After a moment, he heard Teal'c's staff weapon power down. Risking a glance over his shoulder, he caught a glimpse of Daniel's white face as Carter helped ease him to the ground.
Should have left him at the camp, he thought. Should have left Carter with him at the camp.
But then maybe they'd have been picked off two-by-two and it wouldn't have made a blind bit of difference? At least this way he could keep an eye on them.
Shelving the fruitless second-guessing, he turned back to the stranger. ”My name's Jack O'Neill,” he said. ”This is Carter, Teal'c and the guy down there is Daniel. We're explorers. Actually, we're lost explorers.”
The man didn't lower his weapon, but he did speak. His voice was heavily accented, but the words were recognizable. ”I am Aedan Trask,” he said. ”I speak for my people. Why are you in our lands?”
”Like I said - we're lost.”
”And where have you come from?” His sharp eyes were full of suspicion. ”One of the southern camps? You dress and speak strangely.”
”Oh, much further than that,” Jack said, gesturing vaguely toward the Stargate. ”Way, way over there...”
The girl standing next to Aedan - barely twenty, bony, with wide, earnest eyes - reached up and whispered something in his ear. He nodded. ”Elspeth said she watched you walk out of the valley last night. Did you cross it?”
”Ah...” Jack glanced over at Daniel. Carter had dropped her pack and propped him up against it. He was still conscious, though ghostly white. Jack swallowed a fresh knot of concern and said, ”A little help here?”
Daniel licked his lips. ”We're far from home,” he said. ”And we need your help.”
As he spoke, a big drop of rain landed on Jack's cap, another hitting the side of his face. Just when he didn't think this d.a.m.n planet could get any worse. The universe, he decided bitterly, was having a laugh at his expense.
Aedan looked up at the sky, then back at Daniel. He still didn't lower his weapon. ”The valley is poisoned,” he said. ”Is that why you're sick?”
”Ah... poisoned?” Daniel said, frowning. ”No, I was wounded. Shot.”
”Actually,” Carter said, ”that's probably not true anyway. About the valley?” Aedan looked at her, confused, so she plowed on; sometimes Carter just didn't know when to shut up. ”While prolonged exposure to the radioactive fallout - that is, to the dust in the valley - is dangerous, you could probably cross -”
”Carter?”
She glanced up at him. ”Sir?”
”Not now.”
Jaw clamped shut, she nodded and fell silent, but he didn't miss the flash of wounded pride in her eyes - and this time he hadn't even been trying to knock her down.
Another drop of rain landed on his face, followed by more and heavier. Quelling his frustration, he took a breath and tried to be diplomatic. ”Look, Aedan,” he said. ”Daniel's right, we need your help. He's badly injured and we really need to open the Stargate and go home.”
Aedan looked blank. ”Stargate?”
”Big stone ring back in the valley?”
There was a palpable s.h.i.+fting among the group, half amus.e.m.e.nt and half unease. Neither was encouraging. ”You're headsick,” Aedan said, aiming his weapon more sharply. ”Only Devourers come through the Eye.”
”Devourers?” Jack echoed. Who, or what, were Devourers? And, more importantly, how did they open the Stargate without a DHD?
He cast a quick look at Carter, but she just shrugged: no idea. Daniel had his eyes closed and didn't seem to be responding at all. c.r.a.p.
”Not only Devourers,” the girl next to Aedan piped up. ”They aren't the only ones.”
”Hush up, Elspeth.”
”I won't,” she said. ”The old G.o.ds lived beyond the Eye. Everyone knows that.” Turning to Jack she fixed him with a searching look. ”Do you serve them? The old G.o.ds?”
He opened his mouth to respond, but Teal'c got there first. ”We do not.”
”There are no G.o.ds,” Aedan said irritably, ”old or otherwise. Now give over your blethering, Elspeth.”
She backed down, but didn't appear cowed and continued to regard them steadily - especially Teal'c - with her large, curious eyes.
The rain was heavy now, a steady downpour. And the wind was picking up too, driving rain down the valley in long, cold sweeps. Their only dry clothes were about to get soaked through. Jack decided to cut his losses. These kids might not own a DHD but they did own a warm, dry cave. Besides, he needed to learn more about the Devourers - whoever they were - and how they used the Stargate. h.e.l.l, he'd be happy to hitch a ride home with the Goa'uld at this point.
”Aedan,” he said, trying to sound reasonable and friendly. ”It's raining. My friend's injured and we need shelter. We're willing to trade for it.” He eyed their lean, hungry bodies and the couple of skinny rabbits dangling from Aedan's belt. ”We have food,” he said, ”medicines, weapons...”
Aedan s.h.i.+fted as the wind tugged at his hair, ruffling the furs of his coat.