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.
1pm
Jack had returned to his office, joined by Teal'c and Sam. They'd found one slightly trashed storage room, with an empty bottle of scotch. Fingerprints matched those of Winch and Hyde, but none from Daniel. They did find Daniel's glasses, tossed aside on the floor. The evidence was circumstantial at best, but it was enough to convince Jack that Daniel had been taken against his will and forced to get drunk. He knew better than to hope that those two were intending only to have fun with the scientist. He slammed his fist down onto his desk and began to run his fingers through is hair in frustration.
"The police will find the car. Daniel will be with them… you'll see," Sam offered in encouragement.
Teal'c remained puzzled by the entire set of events, "Why would these men have tried to hurt Daniel Jackson? Could he have done something to provoke such an attack?"
"No!" Jack snapped back at him. "I did all the provoking!" then he resumed his nervous pacing.
2pm
God, he was thirsty! He looked down at his feet, trying to remember when he'd put on crimson socks. Stupid, he chastised himself, realizing his feet were caked in dried blood. He hadn't noticed how sore and bruised they were; the pain from his swelling knee had overwhelmed everything else. The kits continued to play, at ease on the mountainside, oblivious to the danger of falling. There was no sign of their mother. Daniel eyed the heavens with a worried glance. The wind was whipping now and the sky was beginning to darken. Looked like bad weather was on the way, and a distant clap of thunder confirmed it.
He made up his mind that he would act, now. He fastened the rope around several of the bushes and an outcropping of rock, slid to the edge of the rock shelf, and allowed his legs to dangle. His heart raced and palpitations shook his chest. A loud clap of thunder sounded as if to mark the start of a race, and propelled him to jump. He swung freely for a few dizzying seconds, then made contact with the wall. His manacled hands were scraping against the rock. For now at least, the rope was holding. He was almost even with the other ledge now but about 20 feet to the right of it. He began to work his toes along the rock, trying to grab handholds with his fingers. Finally, he achieved a sort of rhythm and began to swing pendulum-like left to right. A few more feet to the left and he'd be able to grab the ledge.
The thunder grew louder still, and the first large drops of rain began to fall. His feet made contact with the ledge and he grabbed hold of a bump of rock just above, and froze there. He pictured himself from below, standing on one leg, at the very edge of a small outjutting of stone, 300 feet in the air. His hands began to shake and he became lightheaded. He was about to pass out! "God! Not now!" he shouted. Another clap of thunder, and he summoned the courage to throw himself sideways. He lay panting on the new ledge… staring into a large cave! No discovery he'd ever made in his lifetime could match how wondrous this find was! He removed the rope from around his waist and crawled off the ledge into the cave, painfully dragging his leg that refused to cooperate.
He sat far back in the darkness, watching the rain pelt down and the winds tear about. Torrents of water poured down the rock face from above. 'Flash flood… if I'd still been on the other ledge…' he didn't allow himself to finish the thought. There was no sign of the kits.
Jack's phone rang again. The police had found Hyde's car, 30 miles away. Both men were sleeping within and did not resist arrest; in fact they still seemed quite drunk. They'd be delivered to base within the hour. As the Colonel relayed this information to Teal'c and Sam, he allowed himself to feel a bit of hope. Even though Daniel wasn't with them, he'd have a chance to question them and get some idea where to start looking. "A couple more things, Colonel," the policeman's voice echoed through the phone, "They did have guns in the car, and a set of handcuff keys - but no handcuffs. One of them also has what appears to be blood on his boot - although they aren't saying anything right now."
The hope began to fade completely away, as Jack pictured Daniel in cuffs, being used as target practice by those lunatics. "Bring them in as quickly as you can, Officer. Good work." Jack responded as he hung up the phone. He turned to the rest of his team ordering, "Get a forensics team ready, we'll need to analyze some blood. Set up a few search teams as well. I have a feeling it's going to be a long night, and an even longer one for Daniel."
3pm
Jack sat behind the one way mirror watching as the fruitless interrogation plodded on. Hammond had personally requested that he stay back, let the MPs do it… that he was too close… too involved. It was going nowhere.
"Tell us again what happened after you left the security check point with Doctor Jackson last night."
"That geeky friend of the Colonel's? We told you, he joined us for a drink or two. Who could've known that the man can't hold his liquor? We offered him a ride home… hey, we were being nice to him!"
"Yeah! He started to come with us, and changed his mind I guess cuz when we got to our car… he'd wandered off. Never saw him again!"
"We drove around awhile and fell asleep in our car. Any crime in that?"
"We found a length of rope tied to the bumper of your car… care to tell us why that was there?"
There was no response from the two men.
"Your trunk contained vomit, Mr. Hyde. Are you in the habit of throwing up into the trunk of your own car?"
Again, only silence.
Jack stood up in fury, no longer able to contain himself, and stormed into the interrogation room, "YOU PUT HIM IN THE TRUNK? You drive a compact toy of a car! What did you do with him, Hyde?" Jack had the man by the collar now, and he was shaking.
Winch smiled and leaned back in his chair. This was exactly how he hoped the Colonel would react. He thought of how it would get much better when Colonel Jerk found out the geek was dead. But he wasn't going to find out from him or Hyde… as far as they knew, the guy just disappeared!
"Colonel O'Neill, we understand how much it means to you to locate Dr. Jackson, but we're going to have to ask you to leave. This is a matter for the military police, and you can resume watching from the other room or leave entirely. We'll let you know as soon as we find out anything useful!"
Jack reluctantly withdrew and took up his post behind the mirror.
"As to the blood on your boot, Mr. Hyde…"
"Oh, that'd probably be Dr. Jackson's… he… he tripped and fell, and I helped him up - that's all."
"You helped him up with your boot?"
No answer.
"Back to the matter of the trunk,…"
Yes, Jack thought, it was going to be a long night, and he wondered where his friend was and how he was faring.
4pm
The cave was cold, and as he began to shiver his muscles rebelled in stiffness and pain. It was now that he became aware that he'd kept them taut for most of the last 12 hours. Fatigue overtook him, along with relief and the sense of peace from having overcome the demon of heights. He let sleep take him, the only sleep he'd had - other than the brief nightmare - in over 34 hours.
8pm
Jack sat in the commissary, moving lumps of food in circles on his plate. Teal'c reminded him why he'd insisted they come, "O'Neill, you must have sufficient nourishment to continue functioning throughout the night." Jack noticed the Jaffa's plate was already clean.
"I know, I should eat… I can't seem to do much of anything until we get some word on Daniel… something… anything!" Jack threw his fork down and continued to brood.
Sam hurried into the room, locating them easily, "Colonel? Tests on the blood confirm a match with Daniel! They also figured out that little black box was some kind of remote activation device. The MPs ran a bomb check of the SGC - complete with explosives sniffing dogs - and they discovered this…" She held up a crude bomb about the size of a can of soup.
"Where?" Jack asked with interest.
"Your gym bag, sir!" Sam informed him.
It didn't take long for O'Neill to put the picture together, "That explains why Daniel went along with them… he was protecting me! Of all the hare-brained, not thought out plans! He's got dumb luck… that's what it is. It gets him into trouble, but at the same time, makes things turn out - somehow - right!"
"Kinda like bitter lemons into lemonade, hmmm?" Sam asked. Jack looked at her not understanding what that had to do with anything, and she added, "Just something my Mom used to say that I had a knack for doing… forget it. There is one other thing you're not going to like very much. The lie detector tests confirm that the two are telling the truth when they say they don't know where Daniel is. Seems they were so drunk, they have no idea where they went… exactly."
"I'm sure they remember *something* we can use! Well, we've got Hyde for possession of a bomb and enough circumstantial evidence of kidnapping to put him away for a long time. I think I need to pay the man a visit - and see just how certain he is that he can't remember anything," Jack told her with a dark tone to his voice.
"I would be more than happy to assist you with this questioning," Teal'c offered.
Sam watched them leave nervously hoping the Colonel could keep a lid on his mounting anger.
As the storm raged on, Daniel dreamed, his mind too weary to face the reality of another situation gone bad. Since losing Sha're, dreams had once again become a source of comfort and escape in his life - as they had been when he was young. The bone chilling cold of the subterranean cavern faded away in Sha're's warm embrace.
"Dan'yel… the cooking fire dies and the tent grows cold… come lay with me! Leave your work for tomorrow - there is always tomorrow… enjoy the night with me now," Sha're called to him, pulling him from his diaries… his translations.
He joined her in a tumble of woven blankets. Grabbing hold of her, he pulled her close - losing himself in the fragrance of her hair. She laughed at the expression on his face. "What?" he asked, not knowing whether to be embarrassed or flattered at her laughter. "It's not polite to laugh at your husband," he chided - and proceeded to tickle her - producing more rounds of pure enjoyment.
"You always have that 'look' when you look at me!" Sha're tried to explain.
"Look? What look?" Daniel was clueless.
She smiled again, radiantly - eyes sparkling, "You seem to be under my spell, my husband. You are hopelessly lovestruck!"
"Oh no! It's hopeless alright!" he playfully called out. "Save me from all these wicked charms!"
She silenced him with her finger and pressed her lips to his. The kiss was passionate, expressing a depth of emotion far removed from playfulness. He responded with touches designed to pleasure her fully. How he loved her… loved their life together… it was simple yet satisfied him completely. It offered him hope, promise, security. He determined this kiss would never end and pulled her on top of him - enjoying the feel of her body as it moved in unison with his.. the warmth…
Daniel was smiling. He had stopped shivering, choosing to exist instead in a different place and time. He felt Sha're's hand stroke his leg and move slowly up his back. Then, all too soon, his eyes snapped open and the dream was gone. He tried to will it to come back, closing his eyes… remembering. It would not return. He lay there in the cold darkness trying to figure out just where he was, when the sensation of someone stroking his back returned. He froze… it was more like something moving along his back, "Oh God…" he breathlessly exclaimed as realization dawned, "please don't let it be poisonous…"
The large rattler had been drawn to the heat of Daniel's body as he slept, and now it seemed to sense his fear. It slowly coiled itself along his back and up around his neck, pausing to raise it's tail and rattle softly… a warning.
Rattlesnake… OK… keep calm, the archeologist told himself. He was no stranger to snakes of all varieties; they were commonplace on digs. But this was different… The darkness made it impossible to tell where the snake was. He fought back the impulse to jump up and move away - knowing at the slightest movement, the snake was likely to strike, and it didn't need light to strike with deadly accuracy. Despite the cold, he found himself drenched in sweat as the snake began to move again - back inside his shirt - this time slithering down his stomach. The sensation brought goosebumps out all over his skin and he began to shiver once more.
Over and over he told himself he could do this, forcing himself to lie completely still, when a sudden thunderclap caused him to jerk uncontrollably. The snake rattled and hissed loudly, as Daniel tried in one motion to rip off his shirt and roll away. A sharp pain shot through is right forearm, then he made contact with the wall of the cave. He lay there a moment, holding his breath - listening. Nothing. Yet the thing could still be next to him… how could he tell? His arm was starting to ache and burn now… had he been bitten or had he cut his arm on the rough cave floor? The cuffs were still firmly in place, and now were covered by his T-shirt, making it impossible for him to use his hands. He could feel a trickling of blood down his arm. 'If it is a snakebite, the venom has to be sucked out,' he thought. Raising his arm awkwardly to his mouth, he bit down hard around the wound, alternately sucking and spitting out the blood that spewed out. The arm continued to burn and his fingers tingled, 'must be a bite.' Exhausted and weak, he sat leaning against the cave wall, making sure to keep his arm raised above the level of his heart, that way any remaining venom wouldn't circulate as easily. He had no idea what time it was… but he knew it was definitely time to find a way out of that cave.
He brought his uninjured leg up under himself and, with great effort, pushed his way to a standing position, still leaning on the wall. The cave opening was wide enough, at least at this point for him to stand fully erect. A brief test of the other leg, and he was certain it couldn't bear any weight. He attempted one-footed hopping, but with each jarring motion the pain in his knee made him cry out. He was no longer pleased about surviving the cliff… this was pure agony.
10pm
"Do you think I could at least have something to eat or drink?" Hyde asked a very unsympathetic Colonel O'Neill.
"Sure! Noooo problem! Tell us what we want to know and you can have anything you'd like!" Jack answered, staring the man down.
Hyde swallowed and glanced nervously from the unreadable face of the massive Jaffa on one side to the determined and anger-filled face of the Colonel on the other. "I told you already…"
Jack interrupted with a loud bellow, "I DON'T WANT TO HEAR WHAT YOU TOLD US ALREADY!!! Where is he Hyde? What really happened last night? You answer me now, or - things might just… happen. Who knows? Teal'c and I might just… misplace YOU!"
"We were plenty mad…, Winch and me, you know that, um, sir! But it all started as a joke… really! I was gonna blow up your gym bag when you were nowhere near it… just to see the look on your face! I never wanted to hurt anyone!" Hyde scrambled to find convincing words, as O'Neill let him know he wasn't buying any of it. "And when we ran into Jackson, and we were drunk and everything… the idea just came to us to give him a little trouble… cuz it seemed the best way to get to you…" He stopped and stared at the Colonel.
Jack knew at least that part of the story was probably true. Whatever he'd managed to do for Daniel, good or bad, in the short time they'd been together… Jack was now thoroughly convinced that it would have been far better if he'd just dug in his heels a bit harder and never allowed Daniel to come along on that first mission to Abydos. In fact, he should have gone alone. What the hell difference would it have made if he couldn't find a way back… he was supposed to plant the nuke and end it all right there…
Hyde's trembling voice brought him back to the present. "I remember we offered him a little drink, and … uhh… a ride in my car. Well, a ride in the trunk of the car. I wasn't gonna have him gettin sick inside my car!"
"C'mon Hyde, just tell me what happened. Don't try to convince me you had any good reasons for doing what you did… just facts, OK?" Jack demanded, growing more fearful inside of what he was about to learn of Daniel's ordeal. He turned to Teal'c, "Could you get the guy some water? He looks like he's gonna pass out."
"We drove… Colonel I honestly can't tell you where we drove. Winch was drivin and I was too worried about my car… well, and the doctor, of course! After awhile we stopped and pulled him out. That's when he… you know… in my trunk!"
"You had him handcuffed?" Jack further interrogated.
"Yeah. He tried to get away, but Winch stopped him. Then we …" he stopped and took a long drink. "We tied him to the bumper of the car and drove for awhile… just to see how good he could run. He runs good, well - considerin he didn't have on any shoes or anything…"
"You made him take off his boots?" Jack had a sickening feeling in his stomach.
"That was Winch's idea. He's kinda strange, you know? Anyway, he done good for awhile, and then got dragged for awhile… but he was still doin pretty good. We let him rest a bit then and had some more to drink."
Jack was clenching his fists and fighting back the urge to slam the scum against the wall and pound him senseless. He'd wait, he still needed to know what happened to Daniel.
"Winch started to say things about doin the guy in… puttin him out of his misery… stuff like that. But, I never wanted to do anything like that… it was all an accident, you gotta believe me!!" Hyde looked at O'Neill with a pleading sincerity.
The words were ringing in Jack's ears, 'it was all an accident.' "Are you telling me Daniel's dead? What happened? Did Winch shoot him?"
"Yeah!…No!… Let me finish… this ain't easy ya know! We walked some and came to a really high cliff. Man, looked like it was bottomless! We lowered the guy over the edge to see if he could climb up… pretty funny, huh? With cuffs, no shoes, half-drunk and afraid of heights? We were just gonna make him try for awhile, then pull him back up… That's all… Really! Well, I didn't tie the knots too good and he fell."
"WHAT?" Jack exploded. "You dropped him off the side of a cliff and then drove off and went to sleep! And I'm supposed to say that's just an ACCIDENT!!!" He composed himself a minute and asked the question he most feared the answer to, "Did you see where he landed? A body? Are you sure he's dead?" Jack thought about the many lives that kid had… against all odds.
"Colonel O'Neill, we couldn't see anything, but no one could survive a fall from that cliff. I'm sorry, sir. I really am. I've been tryin and tryin… but I just can't remember where we were. I know you folks would want to recover the body… I really messed up this time!" Hyde buried his face in his hands.
Jack had lost all desire to pound the guy, in fact all emotion drained out of him. He wasn't eager about starting a search for Daniel's body in the middle of the night, it could wait until tomorrow. That is, if he could trust what Hyde had just told him. He leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. 'Are you out there somewhere, by some miracle still alive?' he wondered. 'No. Miracles are for kids and those few remaining believers… not me… not tonight.' Jack left the cell and began to wander without purpose down the hallway, wishing desperately he could have the prior night to live over again.