Stargate SG-1: Sacrifice Moon (20 page)

"Fair enough."

They settled down next to the camp stove, and sorted out breakfast
as Jack slept on.

Damn.

Jack woke slowly, feeling exhaustion drag at every cell of his body,
and blinked at the bright light facing him. Morning. Crap. He'd fallen
asleep on watch. He groaned as he pulled himself out of the awkward
sitting position, and his ankle set up its trademark throb to remind him
that all was not well with the world.

So, nothing new.

Except that Carter was up, unrestrained, calmly drinking coffee
and talking in undertones with Daniel across the room. For a second Jack couldn't remember why that was wrong, and then it flooded
back with a vengeance. Moonlight. Running. Carter's finger on the
trigger.

"Teal'c." He made the name a snap, and saw the Jaffa draw himself up to a more formal angle and put down his breakfast. "Restrain
her."

Carter slowly put her coffee down and raised both hands. "Sir? I'm
okay. Really. Daniel thinks it only happens at night."

Jack levered himself up to a standing position and had to grab wall
to keep upright. He didn't let his stare waver. "Did I ask for Daniel's
opinion, Captain Carter?"

"Jack, she's unarmed..." Daniel indicated the MPS, sitting in
Teal'c's possession, and the Beretta and knife bundled together by the
Jaffa's pack. "You can't keep her tied up all the time."

"Watch me. Carter? Nothing personal. I just don't want to have to
shoot you. Looks bad on my record" He yanked another set of zip
ties loose from his vest and tossed them at Daniel.

Who just let them lay there at his feet.

"Daniel..."

"No, Jack." A muscle flickered in his tensed jaw. "She's not insane.
I'm not insane. As long as the sun's up, we can cope with this. You
have to let us try."

Two against two. Even though he and Teal'c had the superiority
in strength, training, and - admit it - longevity, Jack's tactical spider
sense was warning him that the fight would get brutal. Daniel would
go down, but not easily; Carter would do damage, and they'd have to
do unto her in return. Add in his bum leg...

Jack kept his face blank, the calculations secret. "One hour before
sunset, we find a defensible camp, and you and Carter get tied up. No
arguments. And if I see anything before then that makes me itchy - "

Daniel nodded. After a few seconds' lag, Carter followed suit.

"And you," Jack said, pointing at Teal'c. "Next time, wake me
up

Teal'c inclined his head, more in acknowledgment of the words
than a promise to obey. Jack gave up, hobbled to the group, and fished
a breakfast packet out of the pile. Daniel wordlessly handed over a
cup of instant coffee that went down hot and bracing.

Across the camp stove, Iphigenia leaned over to whisper something in her brother's ear, blushing furiously; the boy took on a rosecolored hue, too, then looked helplessly around the room, fastening
on Captain Carter. He cleared his throat and said, with stiff formality,
"My sister asks that you accompany her."

"Where?" Carter asked, nibbling on a strip of reconstituted bacon,
and then glanced at the girl's blush and averted eyes. "Ah. Bathroom.
Could use one myself, actually."

She grabbed a pack of tissues from her pack and stood up, offered
a hand to Iphigenia, and the two walked out the back entrance. Jack
exchanged a look with Teal'c and nodded once; the Jaffa moved to
the door. Privacy was a risk they couldn't afford just now. With his
experience at Apophis's right hand, Teal'c had probably perfected the
art of watching without looking...

The women were back in five minutes, about the time it took
Jack to swig down another cup of coffee and wolf down a fast, cold
breakfast, and then they broke camp and took bearings again - Carter
this time, using her enhanced athletic abilities to scale a nearly sheer wall and take a view of the maze. Wind stirred her blonde hair as
she shaded her eyes; and she pointed decisively in the same direction
Jack's compass heading confirmed. Good enough. At least the place
wasn't reorganizing itself during the night.

Carter thumped down flat-footed in front of him, cheeks flushed,
eyes sparkling. The picture of health. He felt old, looking at her, not
to mention cranky and damaged.

"There's another open area up ahead," she reported. "Looks like
some kind of camp there."

"People?"

"Five or six that I could see."

Could be good news, could be bad... he was leaning toward bad,
this morning. "Move out," he said, poker-faced. "Daniel. Take point,
and don't pick up any souvenirs today. Hang back when you approach
this camp. Kid - Pylades - you and your sister, stay with Teal'c."

Daniel hitched his pack into a more comfortable position and put
on his boonie hat, which looked oddly at home on his head, then set
off down the narrow, rubble-strewn path. The wall next to them had
intricate carvings; Jack watched the man's eyes slide longingly over
them, but he didn't slow down. Might make a soldier of you yet. The
thought didn't have the satisfaction he'd expected.

Carter was still watching him. He hitched his eyebrows at her and
settled his ball cap more comfortably, made an after you gesture.

"Sir," she said. "Daniel's not armed. Neither am I."

"Aware of that, Captain."

"You're putting unarmed team members in front?"

"Let's put it this way, I'd rather be watching over you," he said.
"Nothing personal, Carter. We'll reverse when we get closer to the
camp."

"Sir, if you'd give me a handgun..."

"No."

Silence. Wind whipped sand at them, but neither of them blinked.
Jack slid on his dark sunglasses.

"Move out, Captain," he said. "That's an order."

She shifted her weight fluidly, with animal grace, and stalked
away, moving after Daniel.

He let out a slow breath and limped after.

They were attacked, by Jack's calculation, just thirty minutes later.
It happened fast - a hoarse yell, a blizzard of rocks being hurled, and
Daniel went down to his knees, stunned. Carter darted forward and
grabbed his shoulders, dragging him behind a broken, headless statue.
Jack saw a bright red bloom of blood on Daniel's face and felt a surge
of pure fury, mostly at himself.

"Sir!" Carter yelled. He ignored the screaming protest of his ankle
and surged to a run, hearing Teal'c's boots pounding behind, and slid
feet-first into cover next to Carter. He had the MP5 up and searching
targets in seconds. He felt a tug at his waist and knew Carter had
drawn his handgun, but he was past arguing about that.

Teal'c's staff weapon fired, blasting chunks of rock into the air,
and Jack heard panicked screams and running feet. He added a rattling blast from the MP5, sighted on fleeing black-robed attackers,
and held fire.

Something hit him in the back and bit cold and sharp; he slammed
forward against the cold marble and started to turn but Carter was
faster, twisting like a cat and emptying the clip of the M9 with surgical precision.

A body thumped down behind them.

"Sir," she said, alarmed, and he felt her hands on his back. "Spear.
Doesn't look deep, I think the vest stopped it. Hold on."

He choked back a groan as she yanked it free and held up a bronzetipped pole with about a quarter inch of red at the tip for his inspection. Her fingers probed the wound with merciless efficiency.

"Flesh wound," she said. "The vest slowed it down, the ribs
stopped it - "

"Yeah, I'm blessed," he said breathlessly. "Daniel?"

"I'm here." Daniel was trying to get up; Jack pushed him down
and glanced into his eyes. He looked dazed, and there was a jagged
cut pouring blood down the side of his face.

"Carter. Check him out."

She holstered the pistol and did the follow-my-finger thing, probed
his head wound and pronounced that it was a good thing he'd been
wearing the boonie hat.

The street was quiet again. Teal'c came jogging up, looking con cerned.

"The kids?" Jack asked.

"They fled during the attack," Teal'c said. "I have been unable to
locate them. We should move. This area is not defensible."

Jack tried sitting up and found that the hole in his back wasn't as
bad as he'd feared; he winced when he turned, but it was do-able. The
body lying behind him had a neat grouping in the chest, and whoever
the guy was, he'd been wielding one of those bronze knives.

Old blood on his hands.

"I thought you said you were okay during the day," he said to
Carter, and nodded down at the body.

She looked startled. "I am, sir."

"He wasn't."

They contemplated that in silence, and then Daniel reached over
and folded back cloth to reveal the man's silver mesh collar, and the
stone in the center.

It was black. Coal black.

Daniel's was one quarter. Carter's was one half. Teal'c's, so far as
Jack could tell, was still pure white, and he knew his was, too - how
he knew that, he couldn't have said, but it felt true.

"Well," Daniel said, breaking the silence, "At least we know
what we have to look forward to." He sounded shaky, and not a little
spooked.

The dead man's mouth was caked with blood.

Carter, after a pause, held out the M9 to Jack.

"Keep it," he said soberly. "You were right, Captain. Teal'c. Give
her back the MP5." He handed back Daniel's pistol and knife as well,
or tried to; Daniel shook his head. "Take them."

"I'd rather not."

"Wasn't asking your preferences. Don't worry, I'll collect them
before dark."

Daniel holstered the weapons, avoiding his eyes.

There was a slight, metallic click from the body, and the collar
slithered loose in two parts on either side of the dead man's neck.
Daniel pulled it off, frowning, and they all watched as the black stone
swirled and turned pure white. Daniel stowed it in a pocket on his
vest.

"You keeping that?" Jack asked. Daniel nodded. "Why?"

"I don't know."

"But...?"

"Seems like a good thing to do."

No arguing with that. Jack watched him as he got to his feet - still
a little shaky, but not bad - and covered his concern by reverting to
standard Jack O'Neill operating procedure. "We're burning daylight.
Teal'c - "

"Sir!" Carter's blurted shout. Jack whirled and braced into firing
position; he was fast, but Daniel went from wounded archaeologist
to fastest gunslinger in the West at warp speed, pulling the M9 in a
blur.

And, thank God, didn't fire, as a child darted from cover and raced
across open ground. Girl or boy, tough to tell - small, long-haired,
dressed in a grimy ragged sack. Skinny little stick legs smeared with
dirt. Carter bounded after, scooped up the kid under one arm and
brought him-her-it back over, struggling like a wild animal.

"God, she's starving," Daniel murmured, and holstered his M9 as
if he'd forgotten he'd even drawn it. Jack didn't move out of firing
position, focused not on the kid but at the deserted ground beyond.
"Sam, put her down."

That was difficult; the kid was feral, trying to bite and scratch and
kick with every ounce of strength in that forty-pound-or-so frame.
Sam finally crushed her in a bear hug from behind and held her still
as Daniel pushed the girl's grimy chin up enough to get a look at her
collar.

"It's white," he said, and leaned back on his heels to exchange a
slightly sickened look with Jack. "She must be eight or nine, Jack,
but she's - "

Malnourished. Belly swollen, limbs like sticks, face barely more
than a skull. Without prompting, Daniel dug in his pack and found a
candy bar - trust Daniel to consider Butterfingers a mission essential - and unwrapped it. It was shattered into fragments; he picked the
largest one and held it out.

"Careful," Sam warned. Sure enough, the girl snapped at his fingers. Daniel avoided the teeth and pitched the candy into her open
mouth; surprised, the kid nearly spit it out, then sucked on the sugary taste, chewed and swallowed.

"More?" Daniel asked. She didn't move, just stared at him. "Open."
He showed her by opening his mouth and tossing a bit of candy in.

After a few long seconds, her pale lips parted. Pitch. Chew. Swallow. Like feeding a baby bird. He'd never thought of Daniel as especially good with kids, but there was something warm and gentle in
him that the kid responded to, even while her whole body shuddered
with a desire to run.

Or maybe it was just that she liked Butterfingers.

When the wrapper was empty, she whispered, "More?"

Daniel paused in the act of crumpling the slick paper and glanced
up at Jack, then back at her. "A little later," he promised. "You'll get
sick. Are you thirsty?"

She nodded, hesitantly. Daniel got out the canteen. Carter loosened
her hold to let the girl reach for the water, and she took it, swallowing
greedily, until Daniel tugged it free.

And then she bolted, twisting free and running like a deer over
piles of rubble. Carter swore and started after, but Jack called out a
countermand. He was relieved to see Carter obey.

"God," Daniel said, as he fastened the canteen tight again. "Are
there more like that? Surviving out here?"

"Or not," Jack said grimly. "She seemed to know where she was
going."

They moved out in the same direction. Jack kept his sights high,
scanning the piles of rubble and what rooftops and walls were still
standing; the next street had a row of nearly intact buildings, doors
gaping empty and columns cracked but still upright.

Daniel pointed out a flash of skin, the flutter of a robe. "She's
ahead of us."

"Heading for that building," Teal'c said. It wasn't much different
from the others, except that it had a fully intact roof.

"Temple?" Jack asked.

"Doubt it. Maybe a civic building, something secular. We must be
getting close to the center of town." Daniel's eyes were glazed; his
head wound must have been hurting him, because he didn't look all
that fascinated. "It's the first one we've seen with a door..."