Stranded 9: Unconcious Thought
by Bryn
It was the first autumn storm that finally motivated
Daniel and Janet to leave their lake-side sanctuary.
They'd been hesitant to go and had put it off for as
long as possible, but the fear of being snowed in
finally evicted them. They emptied the village of all
useful supplies left, which weren't many, and anything
they thought could be used to barter with the new
village they were hoping to find. They loaded their
packs, said goodbye to their summer resort and prayed
they weren't making a mistake.
They'd set out at dawn and walked most of then day in
the direction Daniel believed was correct. The
"believed" part was what had started the first
argument of the day.
"What do you mean you 'believe' it's that way?" Janet
scowled as she turned toward her traveling companion,
hands firmly placed on hips.
"Well, it was several months ago and several miles
away when I had that brief discussion with one of the
village youths as to any other inhabitants of this
planet, but all things considered I 'believe' it's
this way," Daniel said, indicating the direction they
were heading with a broad sweep of his hand. He kept
walking until he heard a distinct thud behind him.
Turning around, he saw Janet standing exactly where
she'd stopped several minutes before, her pack now on
the ground and her arms crossed.
"Janet..." Daniel sighed, heading back toward her.
"Daniel, it's not that I don't trust you. It's
just... I don't trust you. You can barely find your
way out of my infirmary! And now you're telling me
you're not even sure you know where we're going and
I’m supposed to follow you anyway?"
"I know where we're going!" Daniel protested. "Sort
of."
Janet narrowed her eyes.
"I'm almost positive, really! Besides that, we really
don't have much choice."
"You do realize if you're wrong, I'm going to have to
kill you, right?" Janet asked, relenting a bit.
"I'm perfectly aware of that, now let's get moving."
Daniel smiled back.
No one ever said being stranded was paradise.
"I can't believe I'm actually wishing we had standard
military packs right now," Janet mumbled as they were
setting up camp that night.
"You're kidding right?" Daniel looked at her
skeptically. "Those things weigh a ton, not to
mention you look a bit like a turtle in them..."
"Hey!" Janet protested, throwing the shirt that
happened to be in her hand at him. "They may weigh a
ton, and I do *not* look like a turtle, but at least
they have bedrolls in them, which I'm pretty sure
would come in handy tonight."
“We’ve been sleeping on a hard cave floor for months
and suddenly you’re complaining about not having a
sleeping bag?” Daniel questioned her.
Janet kicked at the ground. “At least the cave didn’t
have pinecones and bark to make it lumpy! Besides
that, lighting a fire probably won’t be the best idea
and it’s getting colder by the day.”
Daniel walked up behind Janet as she went back to
fighting with her sleeping area. He was well aware
she was agitated and chalked it up to worries about
their move. He would have done anything in his power
to ease her fears, but knew that no matter what he
said or did she’d keep on worrying until they were
safe. It didn’t mean he wouldn’t try, though.
Wrapping his arms around her from behind, he halted
her nervous fidgeting. “Hey, I know you’re upset, but
taking it out on the poor tree roots isn’t going to
help anything.” He talked softly into her ear and
tried to get her to relax. “Now, if you’re worried
about the cold, I promise I’ll keep you warm.”
Janet couldn’t help but smile and melt into his
embrace. “I bet you will,” she grinned. Sighing
deeply she leaned back against him. “I’m sorry. I’m
just scared.”
“I know. So am I,” he replied gently. “We’ve
survived this long against unbelievable odds, we can
do it some more.”
“And when our luck runs out?”
“Since when have you become the pessimist?”
“Everything’s been so perfect, I guess I’m just
waiting for the other shoe to drop.”
Daniel kissed her temple affectionately. “Relax,
nothing like that’s going to happen.” He gave her one
last squeeze and moved off to unpack his own supplies.
“Eventually it will,” Janet said softly and if Daniel
heard he gave no indication.
That night went smoothly, but it was the only one.
The next day they found the end of the wooded
environment. In front of them stretched a sea of
grasslands, spotted with hills and sporadic trees.
There was no cover and no apparent source of food.
They walked all day and ate sparingly to conserve what
little they had. By the end of the end of the third
day, the strain on their bodies was catching up to
them, and so was the fear. They’d found no signs of
life yet and doubt was slowly but pervasively creeping
into everything they said and did. By the fourth day,
they were snapping at each other.
Life is a series of tests, each to make you a better
person, teach you about yourself, or show you the
world around you. Every obstacle or circumstance that
you overcome will make you better. Whatever doesn't
kill you makes you stronger.
Some people seem to skate through life without truly
being tested. They avoid hardship, decisions and
consequences, but they also never truly experience
anything. They live life from the sidelines, watching
instead of feeling, hurting or loving.
Then there are others who, whether inadvertently or
intentionally, are in constant battle with life. They
refuse to be idle in their own destinies; they refuse
to just take what life gives them. Consequently, they
risk the supreme heartache, but also they can achieve
the ultimate rewards. One can balk at the challenges
and still survive, or one can overcome them, one after
another, and only then truly live.
Daniel and Janet started their lives on this planet
alone, cold, and frightened, huddled in a cave. They’d
been running for their lives, fearing the killers that
hunted them. Now they found themselves in that
situation again. The killer in the shadows was no
longer the Kar, it was failure, and now they had no
hope that their friends would come for them.
This time it would have been even easier to give up,
to just stop and let the end come. Hunger,
exhaustion, and solitude eat at the human heart as
much as the body. They cloud judgement, blur reality,
and create doubt in truth. Such an existence is a
death sentence for the weak. Or for the alone.
Seven days they’d been traveling across the arid
plains with dry, brittle grass growing up to their
waists. Now, every step they took caused them more
pain, and with the suffering came a downward spiral.
They barely spoke and when they did, it was harsh
words. They barely ate and when they did, it never
quenched their hunger. Every sound they heard and
shadow they saw made them jump and put them even more
on edge. Slowly they drifted from each other as they
drifted from reality.
At night Janet’s nightmares returned. It had been
months since the horrifying memories of their first
night on this planet had plagued her. Not since the
first night she’d lain in Daniel’s arms. Now they
returned with a vengeance, and every night they grew
worse until they caused her to scream out in her
sleep.
The scream woke Daniel, sending his heart into his
throat. His eyes immediately sought Janet, fearing
the worst. Finding her tossing and turning, drenched
in sweat, did little to calm his fears. Instead, it
wrenched his heart further. Crawling the few feet to
her side, he gently touched her shoulder, causing her
to flinch unconsciously. Pulling her gently into his
lap, he cradled her face in his hands, stroking it
lovingly.
“Janet. Janet, please wake up,” he whispered. He
rocked her back and forth, continuing to plead with
her until finally her eyes opened and she stared
around her wildly.
At first she tried to pull away from him, still locked
in the horror of her dream, but Daniel hugged her
tightly and repeated her name over and over again.
Slowly she relaxed, returning to the present and clung
to him. For an indefinite amount of time they stayed
like that, both on the edge of tears and petrified.
When exhaustion finally got the better of them, Daniel
laid Janet back down in her make shift bed and crawled
in beside her, wrapping his arms around her
protectively. The rest of the night was peaceful.
Just like the last several days, hunger pains woke
Janet in the morning, but for the first time she
wasn’t cold. Daniel still lay next to her, spooned
with her from behind with his arm thrown over her
waist. Quietly she turned over, being careful not to
wake him, and just studied his face. His hair was a
bit on the long side and still rather misshapen from
the haircut she’d attempted to give him a few weeks
before, and his face was dirty and scruffy with a
half-grown beard, as he hadn’t bothered to shave in
days. On his face he wore a peaceful expression,
relaxed and unworried, almost childlike, just like
he’d been when she’d first met him back on Earth. It
amazed her that throughout all that he’d been through
in his life, despite all the pain she knew he’d
endured, he could still hold on to the innocent
qualities that made him who he was.
As she stared wordlessly at him, Daniel’s eyes slowly
opened and blinked several times, trying to focus. He
noticed her and smiled slightly, wrinkling his
forehead, obviously wondering why she was watching him
so intently and if she was okay.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered. She didn’t bother with an
explanation and he didn’t have to ask for one, he knew
what she was referring to. She wasn’t apologizing for
the previous night or for any one specific incident,
rather for all that had happened the last few days.
Daniel worried expression cleared and he kissed her
forehead then pulled her into a tight hug. “I’m sorry
too.” And that was all that needed to be said.
Whether it was their new understanding, the
realization that they had managed to overcome yet
another of life’s never-ending and iniquitous tests,
or the fact that the desolate grasslands finally came
to an end that made the day seem easier, it didn’t
really matter. They once again entered a forest, this
one sparser and not nearly as lush, but it still held
hope for food and fresh water. The uplifting of
spirits did wonders for their energy level and soon
they were avidly searching for a meal.
Suddenly Janet froze. Daniel, who had been following
her closely and not paying to directly in front of
him, nearly walked into her.
“Janet, what-?” Daniel was cut off as her hand covered
his mouth. Glancing down at her he noticed her face
was contorted in fear. Then he heard it.
Voices.
Months of perpetual hiding had given them instinctual
fear of people, despite the fact that now they were
seeking them out. There was always that underlying
concern that instead of finding allies, they’d find
the Kar.
“What do we do?” Janet asked.
“Shhh… listen!” Daniel replied as he pulled her hand
from his mouth and gave it a reassuring squeeze with
his own.
The faint voices grew louder and even though every
instinct in her body told her to run, Janet stood her
ground, having faith in Daniel. It wasn’t even a
conscious decision. She never even considered
doubting him, though a few days ago all she could
think about while mindlessly walking was that trusting
him was leading her to her death. Soon the voices
were easily discernable and she could tell they were
hunters by their comments on the animal tracks they
were following. Janet turned back to looking at
Daniel, about to question him, but found him smiling.
“It’s alright,” he whispered.
“How do you know?”
“Their language. The Kar spoke Goa’uld.”
Janet listened again, recognizing that the hunters
were indeed speaking English, and broke into a
ridiculous grin. She threw her arms around Daniel’s
neck happily and he picked her up by the waist,
spinning her around. They’d finally found safety.
Part 10
Back
~ DJA main page ~ Updates ~ Alpha by Author ~ Alpha by Title ~ Alpha by Series ~ GTKY ~ Song Lyrics ~ Challenges ~
~ Quotes ~ Shippy Reviews ~ DJ Galleries ~ Daniel/MS bio ~ Janet/Teryl bio ~ Beta Readers ~ Links/Webrings ~
~ Sam and Jack Archive ~ SG-13 Homepage ~