Stranded 1: Alone in Darkness
by Bryn
The night was cold and the cave didn't offer much protection. Wary of
attracting attention, the two huddled figures refused to light a fire.
Instead they crept into the farthest, darkest corner they could find and
shivered. Their bodies waged wars with hunger, hypothermia, fear and
exhaustion. Their minds haunted them with the images of the horror they'd
seen that night, concern for their friends and the uncertainty of their own
future. For hours they sat unmoving, silent, listening to the sounds of the
night and stared wide-eyed into the darkness. It was a long time before the
rain stopped, the screams died, and the gunfire no longer lit up the sky.
Finally sleep overcame them and they gratefully surrendered to its
comforting nothingness.
Janet woke to a hand covering her mouth. Fear gripped her and she began to
struggle.
"Shh!" Daniel whispered in her ear and pulled her further into the corner.
Voices were faintly drifting into the cave.
Janet stopped fighting Daniel and relaxed back against him, quickly pulling
her legs into the shadows after the rest of her. She stiffened as the voices
got closer and Daniel's arms, which were still wrapped around her, hugged
her so tight she could barely breathe.
Seconds lasted forever and their heartbeats seemed to echo in the cave
louder than anything they'd ever heard. The sounds outside faded and
finally the two frightened people began to breathe again. Both relaxed
slightly but didn't dare speak for several more minutes.
"What are we going to do?" Janet whispered.
"I don't know," Daniel whispered back. He suddenly realized he was still
holding Janet and quickly let go, giving her an embarrassed look. "I don't
know how safe it is out there, but we can't stay in here forever." He stood
and slowly started moving towards the cave's entrance, still on guard for
any sound or movement outside.
"We have to go back to the village," Janet said firmly, though the thought
terrified her. She slowly tried to stand, fighting with her legs, which
kept trying to buckle under her.
"What?" Daniel asked. He turned towards her to see if she was serious. "You
want to go back there? After what happened last night?"
"If there are survivors I can help them, and we have to find the others,
they have to be alive somewhere," Janet explained, though the tremble in her
voice gave her away.
"I think we should go back through the Stargate, get as many SG teams as we
can, and then look for survivors rather than going on a suicide search of
our own," Daniel whispered back at her harshly.
Daniel's uncharacteristic anger at her was due to fear Janet knew, but it
didn't make her feel any better. She glared at him, her own fear turning to
anger. "Fine, you go through the 'Gate, but I can't leave while there are
people out there who could need my help," Janet hissed at him and started
walking past him out of the cave.
Daniel grabbed her arm before she got to far and spun her around to look at
him. His face softened as he took a deep breath and he said gently: "I
won't leave you. We're safer together."
Janet attempted a smile, but wasn't very successful. "Thanks," she
whispered.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The village was well hidden in the trees, with the log cabins blending in so
well with the thick forest, Janet barely noticed them at first. It
possessed a tranquil atmosphere, created by the mingling of civilization and
nature and enhanced by the simplicity of the locals.
Major Carter stood just beyond the end of the path leading from the
Stargate. She nodded to Colonel O'Neill and Lieutenant Mayers, then smiled
warmly at Janet, who walked between them.
"How goes it, Major?" Jack asked Sam as they came to a halt before her.
"Daniel's still down by the ruins, Sir, and I left Teal'c to watch over
him," Sam reported, trying not to smile. "I just came from talking to the
elder, who seems greatly appreciative of our medical assistance. In fact,
it seems to have done the trick, the elder wants to meet with us in regards
to a formal peace treaty."
"Did he mention anything about technology exchange?" Jack asked hopefully.
"He did say it would be among the topics we are to discuss, Sir," Sam
grinned at him. "Anyway, I suggest we get Dr. Fraiser and Lt. Mayers
situated with the injured then begin the negotiations."
"Before he changes his mind?" Jack asked, giving Sam a sideways glance.
"Something like that," Sam agreed.
She motioned for the others to follow her and led the small group through
more trees to a cabin concealed some 50 meters away near the edge of the
village. She knocked once on the door and it opened almost immediately,
revealing a plain young woman, dressed in a smock and skirt made of sturdy
brown and tan cloth. The woman smiled and moved aside to let the others
in. The cabin appeared to be the local hospital, with benches and shelves
filled with herbs and bottles along the walls to the right of the door. To
the left sleeping mats were laid on the floor, three of which held the
injured men. A young woman knelt beside them caring for them. "Ashna, this
is Dr. Fraiser, our healer. She has come to help with your wounded," Carter
explained to the young woman.
"Welcome, Dr. Fraiser. We are glad or your assistance," Ashna replied,
bowing her head slightly in Janet's direction.
"Thank you, Ashna. I hope I can help," Janet smiled. Pointing behind her,
she added, "This is Lieutenant Mayers, my assistant."
"Hey Doc, if you need anything you just tell Ashna here to come get us.
Otherwise we'll be back in a few hours," Jack instructed.
Janet nodded to the two members of SG-1 as they left, then turned back to
Ashna as she and Mayers set down their supplies. "Tell me Ashna, are you
the village healer?"
"No, the healer is… away. I am his apprentice, but the wounds these men
have suffered are far beyond my experience," Ashna explained, leading Janet
over to the nearest man and uncovering a huge gash in his thigh.
"If I might ask, where is your healer and why would he leave you alone
here?" Janet asked the girl.
"I am not to say. These matters are not for me to speak of," Ashna said,
averting her gaze.
Janet frowned at the reply but soon refocused her attention on her patients.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
From a distance the village looked nearly the same to Janet. The stench of
death gave away the difference. The bodies that littered the ground were
butchered. They lay slumped where they had died, most with their eyes open
and their faces twisted in agony or fear. It took all of Janet's training
and experience not to get sick at the sight, but still it took her a moment
of closing her eyes and detaching herself before she could move any closer.
Daniel was not so lucky. Nothing in his life had ever prepared him for this
and when he stumbled over the first dead body he became violently ill.
Janet felt for him but there was nothing she could do. She didn't even have
any water to offer him. So she waited for him a polite distance away, near
enough so she could be there if he needed her but allowing him privacy.
A few minutes later Daniel stood and rejoined Janet, who was checking the
bodies. "Sorry," Daniel said meekly.
"Nothing to be sorry about," Janet assured him. "They're all dead here. But
I think we should check in and around the rest of the cabins for survivors
or any supplies. Also, we can look for…"
"Sam, Jack and Teal'c," Daniel finished for her. Neither said anymore.
They couldn't and wouldn't think about how they might find their friends.
They didn't find anyone alive. The only relief was that they didn't find
SG-1 either. Mayers' body lay just outside the healer's cabin. Daniel found
Janet starring at it. He could see her fighting her emotions, which
threatened to break through. He laid a hand on her shoulder, but she didn't
move.
"He died instead of me," she whispered finally.
"He did the same thing you would have done."
"Doesn't make it any easier," Janet said bitterly.
"I know. But you can't blame yourself," Daniel replied. His voice was also
full of pain. Janet turned and looked at him, as if she just noticed he was
there and feeling the same things she was. She nodded slightly. They both
knew the pain and they both knew it wasn't going away.
After a moment Daniel spoke again. "We should head to the Stargate, it's
our only chance now."
Janet nodded mutely. They gathered their packs they had discarded in the
madness of the night before and headed down the small path to the 'Gate.
They were still a dozen or so meters away, hidden in the thick cover of the
trees, when they heard the gunfire. Instinctively Daniel grabbed Janet's
arm and dove for cover behind the nearest tree.
"The Kar," Daniel whispered through clenched teeth.
Terror engulfed them. For several minutes they could simply stand there,
paralyzed, mentally reliving the night before.
"We can't stay here," Janet finally said. She still clutched Daniel's arm
frantically, but rational thought was slowly clawing its way through the
fear.
"What do you suggest? Going out there?" Daniel indicated towards the 'Gate.
"Walk into the middle of a battle?"
"No, not walk into it. But at least get closer; see what's going on. The
Kar have to be fighting someone, so maybe some of our side are still alive!
They may need our help." Janet argued.
"Help to do what, get killed? We don't have any weapons!" Daniel
whispered, his voice strained.
"Where else can we go? We have to get to the Stargate, and what if it's
Sam, Jack and Teal'c?"
Daniel paled visibly, but nodded his agreement. "All right. But stay behind
me. We'll keep off the path and stay behind the trees."
They edged forward slowly until they reached the boarder of the clearing
housing the Stargate. Before they could see anything they could hear shouts
and fire coming from some distance off to their left, as well as the
distinct hum of an activated wormhole. As their view cleared, they beheld a
nightmare.
Sam and Teal'c were already running through the 'Gate. Jack was covering
them, firing mercilessly at the Kar who were taking cover in the trees. Then
he too turned and dove through the open wormhole.
"Jack!" Daniel yelled desperately after his friend, forgetting safety and
nearly running into the clearing. It was too late, Jack was through and the
wormhole closed. The Kar kept firing, damaging the Stargate and nearly
completely destroying the DHD.
Daniel and Janet stared in horror as their chances of getting home were
literally blown to bits before their eyes. They were brought back to
reality when the fire turned on them. Jack may not have heard Daniel, but
the Kar did. They dove for the tree line again and ran.
Part 2
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