Fading Memories
By Terri D. Thomas
Part 16
"General Hammond, Sir," the Airman smartly saluted as he stood in the door's threshold.
"What is it, Davidson," Hammond responded, without taking his eyes off the map still spread across the desk.
"Sir, one of the returning search parties reports that it has found Dr. Jackson's car."
Before Hammond could respond, Jack jumped from his chair and then stumbled slightly while he tried to maintain his balance on one foot. "What? Where?"
The enlisted man gave the officers a sheepish smile. "Right here, Sir. Just outside of the main gate, a couple of miles down the road."
"Unbelievable," Jack muttered as he made a beeline to the door, Hammond followed close behind. "Thank you, Airman," the General acknowledged, moving briskly past the younger man to chase the hobbling Colonel down the hall.
Daniel could still hear the echoes of the blended screams bouncing off the canyon walls as he watched Teal'c slide helplessly away from him. The dark man's eyes grew wide as he wildly grasped at a handhold. . .any handhold to stop his descent.
Loose gravel and rock fell along with the Jaffa down the side of mountain creating an avalanche of debris plummeting to the bottom. Daniel closed his eyes, unable to watch as his friend's uncontrolled slide took him over an outcrop of rock and then out of sight.
Daniel's head dropped to the ground, despair, intermixed with defeat, frustration and exhaustion, overwhelming him. He felt the pressure of tears behind his eyes. He had failed. After everything the two friends had been through that night, he had failed.
He could still see the clarity in Teal'c's eyes as the man recognized Daniel for the first time since the incident the night before. The imprinted memory of those same eyes showing just a hint of fear as the larger man's hand slid away from its tenuous hold now haunted the young doctor.
Daniel opened his eyes once again, praying that he would see some sign of his friend, but there was nothing. He called out Teal'c's name, but there was no response. The only sound that met his ears was the sound of his own voice echoing in the canyon.
The doctor knew that logically there was no way a man could survive a fall of the over fifty feet to the canyon floor below. Logic also told him that because of this, there was no point in searching further.
Not surprisingly, though, hope outweighed the logic. Daniel gingerly pushed himself to his feet with his uninjured left arm. He staggered slightly, knowing that his body was in desperate need of rest. However, there was no time for rest. He had to try to find Teal'c. Even if the Jaffa was. . .dead, he didn't deserve to be alone and abandoned. Daniel would go to him. Protect him. . .no matter what his condition.
The doctor scanned his surroundings. To the right of the drop off, the land sloped downward. It appeared that a route to the bottom might exist through rocks and trees. Daniel moved towards the trees and began the slow process of finding a safe trail down the mountain.
He couldn't help but hold his breath during the descent as his feet slid out from under him on several occasions. The jarring motion caused agony to shoot up and down his arm and into his back, and his fear of heights haunted him.
It was hard to imagine that only twenty-four hours ago, he was doing pretty much the same thing on an alien planet, but without the inherent dread. However at that time he had been motivated by the opportunity to discover more about the unknown. Now, his only motivation was to provide comfort to his friend in what could only be a journey to death.
He had to periodically fight the dizziness of vertigo as he jumped from rock to rock, praying that the ground beneath his feet would hold. After what seemed to be an eternity, Daniel finally made it to the floor of the canyon. He stumbled over the loose rock and dirt, picking his way back to the place where he was certain to find Teal'c.
To his dismay, his expectations were fulfilled. Lying on the ground, just a few feet from the rock wall, was a motionless Teal'c. The dirt-covered Jaffa was on his side, facing the cliff, his back to Daniel.
Daniel closed his eyes, regret filling his being. "Damn it," he whispered. He then staggered forward. "Teal'c!" he called, hoping. . .praying to receive some response from the obviously injured man. Silence was the only answer.
The young anthropologist kneeled at his friend's side, a hesitant hand reaching out to the unmoving shoulder. "Please be alive, please be alive, please. . .." He prayed the mantra to what ever god was listening.
His shaky fingers made contact with the man's neck. They registered the cold skin and then pressed against the side of the throat, feeling for a pulse. There was nothing.
"No, please no." Daniel closed his eyes. 'Not again,' his mind screamed. Another person he cared about was gone. Another life, which had become integrally entwined with his, was lost.
His fingers left the Jaffa's neck and moved to his own eyes, pressing against the closed lids as if he could push the darkness and loneliness of death away. Tears escaped and leaked past his fingers to slide down his face. His legs were unable to support the weight of his kneeling body. He collapsed to the ground, lying half on and half off his unresponsive friend.
Jack slammed the car door closed, his frustration evident in the motion. The vehicle had been abandoned, with no evidence as to where the occupants had disappeared. He could only hope that where ever his teammates were, they were together.
Two units were preparing for a search of the surrounding forest, however the area around the complex was heavily wooded and widespread. Finding Daniel and Teal'c would take considerable time at best.
His eyes surveyed the area. He spotted a place where the small brush had been trampled. It was likely that the feet of search parties had matted down this area. However, there was a slim possibility that the damage had been caused by one or both of his missing friends. Disregarding the odds, Jack took a hobbling step forward towards the area.
"Colonel? Did you find something?" Carter's voice stopped him in his tracks.
"No. . .don't think so," O'Neill muttered, not wanting to draw the attention of other searchers based on a less than probable lead. "Just going to do some searching on my own."
"Not with that ankle the way it is," the woman warned.
"It's okay. Just a little sore." O'Neill continued in the direction of the trampled brush. Suddenly he felt the presence of the Captain behind him.
"I'll come with you," she offered.
"I'm all right," Jack muttered. Before the words had left his lips, he stumbled over an exposed tree root growing across the path. He couldn't help the groan that escaped.
"Yeah, I can see that," she replied sarcastically as she watched the man try to recover his dignity. "But I feel useless just standing around here."
"Believe me, I know what you mean," Jack answered, ignoring the snide comment, and the two began the slow climb.
End Part 16
To Part 17