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.
"Looky who we got here?" a slurred voice spoke from the darkness.
"It's Colonel Jerk… ha! I mean Colonel Jack's favorite pal… Doctor J! Hey, you don't mind if we call you Doctor J do you?" They came alongside of Daniel, walking closely - matching his steps.
"Look, guys, I don't want any trouble…" Daniel tried to step back and walk away but they would have nothing of the kind.
"I bet you don't…. I just bet you don't. Hyde, whadda ya say we have some fun with good ole Doctor J? Colonel's gonna bust us anyway, maybe we can make him hurt a little. Colonel thinks we're not fit for the military… what about this pansy?" Winch grabbed Daniel by the arm now, steering him toward the elevator.
Daniel pulled sharply away, and spoke to them sternly; "You two are in enough trouble already! You're obviously drunk… now before you go and do something really stupid, you'd better come with me to security!"
"Listen to him!" Hyde began laughing hysterically. "He's givin orders just like he was our CO! You seem to be missin the point here, Dr. J, you are comin with us!"
"Oh, I don't think so," Daniel shot back at them, still not seeing the danger he was in. Their anger at O'Neill was intense, and now Daniel seemed to be the only means for venting it.
Hyde stopped laughing, his look became distant, chillingly cold, "Oh, you're gonna come with us alright. You're gonna do everything we say… know why?"
Daniel was thinking now, maybe the elevator wasn't such a bad idea… there'd be security cameras there… he could signal someone. "Why?" he asked simply, walking slowly with them.
Hyde smiled again, and leaned close to Daniel, his breath reeking of rum, "Cuz of this!" He pulled a small transmitter out of his pocket. "We put together a little homemade, ah… noisy surprise … for Colonel Jerk! Slipped it into his bag and it seems he's grabbed it and headed home!"
"Wait a minute!" Winch interrupted him, "WE didn't do that, you…"
Hyde glared at the man, forcing him into silence. "As I was saying, all I have to do is activate the remote code and… BOOM!!" Daniel jumped about a foot off the ground at the thought, and Hyde was laughing uncontrollably once again, staggering toward the elevator.
Daniel looked up at the security camera as they entered the elevator. He was beginning to sweat. It didn't seem believable, but he wasn't going to do anything to jeopardize Jack. Hyde had his hand wrapped around the remote and had it stuffed into his pocket. There seemed to be no alternative but to go with them, at least for now.
The elevator stopped on level 9, storage level… Daniel thought, and at the same instant he realized no one would be likely to have a reason to be on that level at this time of the night. He was on his own. "OK, guys, look… I know you're upset with Colonel O'Neill. In fact, it was me that sent him home… to cool off… get some sleep. Tomorrow…"
Daniel's words were cut off by a sudden grip of a strong hand at his throat. He felt himself being shoved against the corridor wall, and a sharp pain as his head struck metal. "You … talk too much!" It was Winch who had hold of him now. "You don't talk unless spoken to… get it! You call us 'Sirs' and you don't mention Colonel Jerk again… you got that Doctor J?"
Unable to speak, barely able to breathe, Daniel nodded yes. The grip loosened and Daniel began to rub his neck, coughing slightly. Hyde was calling to them from down the hallway, "Ben! Over here… I found the bag you stashed away… Good job! Some money, a few MREs, couple a guns… hey - you even remembered my favorite drink!"
"Sure, anything for you, Jim! I was just instructing our new recruit on the proper way to talk to his superiors! He he he. He learns real quick!" Winch still had hold of Daniel's arm and began pulling him into one of the storage rooms.
Hyde had already opened the bottle of scotch. "You drink Doctor J?…. Hey! I'm askin you a question here! You drink?"
Daniel shook his head no and nervously eyed the two men. Maybe they'd drink themselves unconscious he secretly hoped.
"Weeell, all that's about ta change! First lesson, how to get totally ripped! Then we start basic military training… kinda like boot camp! We're gonna make a real man outta you!" Hyde proudly proclaimed as he offered the bottle to Daniel.
Winch was growing impatient, "He ain't gonna drink it! While we mess around here, someone's gonna find us! Gimme the damn bottle!" He yanked away the bottle and instructed Daniel to sit on the floor. "Now!" he said, tipping the bottle up to Daniel's lips, "Enjoy!"
Daniel let him pour a mouthful of the horrible tasting brew, and swallowed obediently. It burned terribly, causing his eyes to water and a strong bout of coughing. 'At least', he thought, 'maybe they'll finish it off themselves.'
Hyde was laughing again, "He really don't drink! I'll be damned! Hand me the bottle…"
Winch calmly responded, "He ain't done yet." Again, Daniel felt the bottle shoved up to his lips. This time he turned his head away and swung at the bottle, knocking it to the floor, spilling some of the contents. "Bad move Doctor J! Is that any way to treat us who are showin you such hopsit… hosppil… a good time?"
"I don't want it… it'll make me sick…" Daniel knew as soon as he spoke that it too was a bad move. Winch made a move toward him, and he figured now was as good a time as any to try to escape. As he ran for the door, he felt a flying tackle from behind, causing him to land with a loud thud on his stomach. At once, he felt cuffs being pressed around his wrists, and he was rolled onto his back. Winch sat grinning on his chest. The pressure was incredible, it was a struggle for each breath. Hyde grabbed hold of his hair, immobilizing his head.
"Open up!" Winch commanded, as he forced the bottle into Daniel's mouth and began to pour the liquor down his throat.
He had no choice but to drink, or never breathe again. After he'd gulped what must have been half the bottle, they left him alone. Daniel lay sputtering and coughing on the floor, noticing that his hands and face were beginning to feel numb. 'Stuff works fast', he thought.
As they sat in the corner quietly talking, Daniel thought he could make out something about taking a little jog… and a mountain climb… He began to feel relaxed in spite of his intense fear. His mind began to wander to Abydos… that first mission… Ferretti, Kowalsky… they hadn't thought much of him either. Not that they were anything like these two, but the teasing was constant and the irritation over him being nonmilitary was clear on their faces in their words… Even Jack… He began to wonder about Jack once again and whether the threat of a bomb was real. He tried to think, but the alcohol was numbing his senses. The room seemed too hot. It began to twirl about, and he had the oddest sensation of floating… which threatened to become a feeling of seasickness at any moment.
"Let's go Doctor J!" Hyde shook him and helped him to his feet. "I think some fresh air would do you some good… you're lookin a bit green! I ain't never seen no one drink that much scotch at once!"
Daniel tried to walk straight, but found he was staggering heavily. He noticed the cuffs had been removed. The corridors seemed blurry, and passers by out of focus… their words garbled. He was aware enough to realize that they'd have to pass a security point in order to leave the building. This was his last chance to free himself before they took him God-knows-where.
The guard at the exit relaxed as he recognized the two soldiers, "Hey guys… what's up? You got duty in less than an hour, and I'm not staying overtime!"
"Relax Johnson!" Hyde answered smoothly. "Seems Doctor Jackson here had a few too many to drink. We're gonna see that he gets safely home, then we'll be back in… oh… no more than a half hour!"
"Theesh guys are crazy!" Daniel began a drunken speech. "Angry at … the Jack.. oh.. colonel… he was gonna get you… I was… I kinda screwed up… they haaaaaadd… there was whis… whisk…eeee… I dint wanna… help me!" Daniel realized the words had come out all wrong, and tried to grab hold of the sergeant on duty.
"Gee, I've never seen him like this!" Johnson reacted. "You better get him home, and try to get some hot coffee into him or something. Everything's going to be alright, Doctor Jackson. You get some rest, and we won't even file a report, OK? I don't want you to get in trouble or anything."
'That's nice of you, Johnson!" Winch remarked. "We certainly don't want any trouble for the doctor either!"
The three made their way into the parking lot. Daniel could barely keep his feet. "I don't want him gettin sick in my car!" Hyde whined. "Let's put him in the trunk!"
Daniel felt the handcuffs being put on once again, and then the sensation of being stuffed into a tiny space. The trunk was too small to allow him to fit, but they kept pressing down. He could feel the tire iron pressing painfully into his back. As he lifted his head to try asking them to reconsider… he noticed a small black box fall from Hyde's pocket and bounce unnoticed by the other men onto the ground. 'Jack's safe' he thought… at least Jack's safe. Then there was a loud slam and the trunk was forced closed.
Fighting back the urge to vomit, he tried to clear his head. They drove for what seemed like a half-hour, might as well have been forever… when the engine stopped and the two men got out. Daniel could hear the doors close and the voices of the men fading away. He began to panic as he realized they were probably going to leave him there. There was no room to maneuver. He tried to lift his legs to kick at the trunk, but it was useless.
Finally, the voices returned and the trunk was opened. Daniel was hauled out of the trunk, and allowed to stand. The world continued to spin and he promptly threw up … directly into Hyde's trunk. "Oh, oh that's great! Just great! Who's gonna clean that up?" Hyde moaned.
Winch looked at him, staring with disbelief, "You really are stupid, you know? You are worried about your car! We have just kidnapped this guy… do you hear me? Kidnapped this guy! We're either gonna have to come up with some story about what happened to him… or… we'll have to disappear like he will, and we won't be takin your run down old car with us!"
'Disappear?' Daniel had heard the words but they barely registered. He was feeling slightly better, but the world continued to sway.
Hyde seemed to ignore Winch's comments. Either he was too drunk himself, or really too stupid to understand where this night was leading. "Now the fun starts, right Ben? Now we take the geek for a run… huh?"
As Hyde began to remove the cuffs, Daniel spun around and with a sudden strength, threw the man down onto the ground and pounced on top of him. Hyde reacted with a loud grunt, and the two began to wrestle for the upper hand. Using the chain of the cuffs still attached to one wrist, Daniel began to apply pressure to Hyde's throat… until he heard the soft click of a revolver behind him. He froze. Hyde pushed him off and stood up, choking. "D'ya think he'd a killed me?" Hyde asked.
"Doctor J… I don't like you… I don't like the SGC… Hammond… Colonel Jerk especially, but the rest of em aren't here. Just you. Take off your boots, and your jacket! NOW!" Winch pointed the gun directly at Daniel, a deadly serious look in his eyes.
Daniel swallowed and said a silent prayer. Slowly he began removing his boots. Whatever they had planned, he prayed he'd be able to survive it.
Once again he was jerked to his feet, and he found himself being tied by a strong rope to the bumper of the car. The rope ran around his waist, and once again the cuffs held his arms firmly behind him.
"Second lesson! Stamina! We're gonna take you for a little training run… and you better keep your feet or else we might not notice you've fallen down and you could maybe get dragged. That would be bad…" Hyde finished in mock sympathy.
Daniel watched them get into the car. "Winch!" he called out. The man rolled down his window and looked back. "You can stop this now. Before anyone gets seriously hurt." Daniel's answer was a foot to the gas pedal and the car began to drag him to a jog. The stones in the mountain path cut into his feet and he tried desperately to remain upright. The pace was slow… manageable. At first.
"Huh!" Hyde remarked, looking out the back of the car. "Who'da thought the guy could run like that! Course you're only goin about 3 miles an hour!"
Winch slowly increased the speed…4…5…6 miles an hour. Daniel was having to go at a full run now, and after no sleep and half a bottle of scotch, he was about ready to collapse. His chest heaved and burned as he panted. The effort needed to bring his foot around for each required step, becoming increasingly painful… ever more impossible.
Twenty minutes passed. "Well, he lasted longer than I thought he would. How long do you figure you can drag a guy like that?" Hyde casually commented, as he had noticed Daniel trip and fall awhile back.
Winch slammed on the brakes, "I'm beginning not to like you either!" he growled at Hyde. "Go untie him… see if he's still alive… I need a drink!"
Daniel was in fact alive. He'd been badly bruised and his skin rubbed raw in some places, cut in others. Somehow he'd managed not to hit his head. He lay there, on his stomach, motionless… it simply hurt too much to move any part of himself.
Hyde approached him cautiously, flipping him onto his back with his foot. The resulting moan told him the man had survived the ordeal. He didn't bother to untie the injured man, he simply turned and left him.
Hours passed. The two sat chatting by a fire, drinking again. They talked of where they'd go next, adventures they might have. Daniel lay in the dirt, the cold starting to penetrate his senses. He was slipping into a bit of a delirium, imagining that the two would simply leave him there and drive away. That some helpful soul would come along and rescue him. That there were times he was ashamed to be included under the label "human" race… if it included the likes of these… He noticed that he could see the woods fairly clearly. The moon had come up and the sky looked as if dawn would be short on its heels.
His short reverie was broken by the sound of Hyde's voice, "Well, time for lesson three… and then… well… then we'll hafta leave the rest of your training to someone else. But it's been SUCH fun! C'mon - get up!"
Daniel forced himself to stand, but felt very unsteady on his feet. His clothes were blood soaked, especially his socks. It hurt to be on his feet, and he could only imagine what lesson three might be.
The length of rope was untied from the car bumper and Daniel was led into the woods. After about a half-mile of hiking, they emerged at the top of a steep cliff. The rock face dropped almost perpendicular to a heavily forested valley floor. "Looks to be at least a 600 foot drop if not more!" Winch estimated.
"Doctor J! Come here! Look at this view!" Winch ordered.
Daniel remained rooted where he was. 'Oh God, no! 600 feet! I can't!' His palms began to sweat, and his whole body trembled slightly. A dizzy sensation returned, and he knew it had nothing to do with his earlier ordeal. Heights… He hated heights. His whole body quivered uselessly at the thought.
"I was gonna ask if you were a climber… then I remembered … someone told me… you can't stand heights! No better time to face your fears than now, that's what I say!" Winch was smiling again.
Daniel was paralyzed. He couldn't react as they tied some extra lengths of rope to him and began lowering him over the edge. He tried not to look down, and pressed himself against the rock face as tightly as he could… trying to avoid scraping his face.
"How much rope we got?" Hyde called out.
"I dunno… keep lettin him down until we run out. That's all. We'll watch what he does, tryin to climb up… should be funny… then we'll…" Winch didn't finish.
"We'll what?" Hyde asked.
"We'll put him out of his misery!" Winch finished.
More rope was let down. Daniel knew he'd never be able to make such a climb. He tried to think of alternatives, but none came to mind.
"Oh no!" Daniel heard Hyde scream. And then he squeezed his eyes shut, knowing he was falling and there was nothing he could do about it. He prayed one last time and readied himself for the end, as a ledge of rock suddenly appeared and slammed him to an abrupt halt.
Winch watched with mild concern as the rope floated softly down, "What'd you do now, Jim?"
"I thought I tied the two ropes together with a good knot… but… oh well… sorry about that… he must've slipped loose!" Hyde apologized.
"Let's get outta here. Nothin's gone right tonight… I got a headache and I want some sleep," Winch finished. Then they were gone… and Daniel was alone - suspended 300 feet above the valley floor and 300 feet below the mountaintop on a ledge about the size of a kitchen counter.