Fading Memories
By Terri D. Thomas
Part 7
Daniel fingered the dark stain on the hat. It was still damp, giving every indication that Teal'c had been wearing it only a short time before. That meant he had to be somewhere in the area.
The anthropologist couldn't help but wonder how and when Teal'c had been injured. Unlike Daniel, there had been no sign that the Jaffa had been wounded during the fight in the alley. That meant that he had been hurt as a result of something that had occurred between the alley and this spot.
Daniel flashed the light into the street, squinting into the dark, looking for something that was out of place. Nothing was obvious. He examined the area around the sidewalk. For the first time he noticed the bushes on one side had been damaged, as if trampled upon by a heavy weight. 'Like a large Jaffa,' Daniel surmised. He squatted and examined the ground more closely. Within a few seconds he had found another spot of damp, sticky blood decorating the crushed grass and leaves.
What would have injured Teal'c? Why would he have fallen into the bushes? Daniel peered into the street once again. From the new angle his flashlight caught sparkling fragments of light on the asphalt.
He stood and made his way back to the street. As he walked to the source of the refracted light, his shoes crunched against the surface. Frowning, he leaned down and gently felt what was littering the pavement. He inhaled sharply when he cut his finger on the fragment. Sticking his index finger into his mouth and sucking at the small bead of blood which had immediately gathered on the tip, he set the flashlight on the ground and held the fragment to the light. It was glass. Cautiously feeling around he found more of it littering an area which was three feet wide.
He looked back to the damaged bushes and then back to the glass. The scientific part of his mind took over, as he studied the sketchy facts and leapt to a conclusion. "Broken headlight. . .smashed bushes. . .blood," the Egyptologist muttered. "This doesn't look good, my friend."
The young doctor pushed himself to his feet and stared into the darkness. He held his breath, trying to identify any sound from Teal'c. If the Jaffa had been struck by a car and if he was injured, he might be nearby. He wished he had the advanced hearing of the warrior, but he didn't. He could detect nothing but the sound of distant traffic.
Thankfully, the street he was on did not have heavy activity. That would mean that Teal'c, presuming he was alive and on his feet, would have been able to avoid detection by the local police.
Daniel knew that he should return to the bar, get Jack and together, they would look for Teal'c. But he was also afraid that if he abandoned the trail now, it would grow cold. Teal'c could be lost to them.
Looking at the blood-stained hat in his hands, Daniel made his decision. He knew that Jack would be furious, but he was willing to live with Jack's wrath. Teal'c's life was more important.
Teal'c kneeled behind the rock. He had left the lights of the village and now was on a path through the wooded area, lit only by the night sky. A single full moon was rising, providing ample illumination.
His mind rattled off the planets he could remember which had a single moon, while he examined the constellations once again. Nothing matched. Frustrated, he concentrated harder. Surely, with all of the worlds he had traveled to, he could recognize at least one star, one planet. But there was nothing which was familiar. He was not in Apophis' empire. His mind whirled through the possibilities. Had he been taken by an enemy? Had he been captured by Ra's warriors, perhaps?
Teal'c stood and listened for any sign of pursuit, any sound from his fellow Jaffa, but there was nothing. He was alone.
Daniel had found himself heading for a grove of trees which were outlined by the night sky. Instinct told him that if Teal'c was disoriented and fleeing to safety, he would be drawn to surroundings which were familiar to him. He knew only of the mountain area surrounding the SGC.
Stargate Command was too far for the Jaffa to reach on foot tonight, but Teal'c might not realize that. By his own admission, he had not had much opportunity to explore the world of the Taur'i. It was quite possible that Teal'c would try to reach the military post on foot.
For that reason, the forest seemed like a logical choice. He could only hope that Teal'c thought the same thing.
Jack hobbled out of the jeep. Driving with his left foot on the accelerator and his bandaged right foot slung over the center console had been no fun. He'd be damned, however, if he was going to allow a small thing like a sprained ankle to keep him from finding Teal'c.
Fortunately, he was able to locate parking close to O'Malley's. Glancing down the street he saw Daniel's car. Looking the other direction, he saw the flashing lights of a police patrol car. Clearly, the yellow tape, which decorated the opening of the alley, was where the shooting had taken place.
Jack limped into the bar, putting only a fraction of his normal weight on his ankle. Benny, the bartender, saw him enter immediately. "Hey, Colonel."
"Hi, Benny."
"What happened to you?"
"Had a little accident at work today," Jack explained innocently.
"You have got to be the most accident prone group on the face of this planet," the man chuckled.
"What do you mean?" Jack frowned.
"Your young friend was in here earlier. Had a whopper of a bandage on his head. Guess he was involved in the shooting."
Jack glanced around the bar. "That's why I'm here. Where is he?"
"He left. Told me to tell you to wait here for him."
"What?" Jack exclaimed, his anger apparent in his tone.
"Yeah. Said he needed to borrow a flashlight, but that he'd be right back." The man reached into the cooler next to him. "Let me get you a beer while you wait."
"Damn it!" Jack muttered, ignoring the offer. "I'm gonna kill him."
"What?" Benny asked, confused by the man's anger. "He'll be back anytime now. Besides, you don't look like you're in any shape to be doing anything but sitting here relaxing.
Jack ignored the man. "When did he leave?"
"About thirty minutes ago."
"Do you know where he was heading?"
"Nah. I didn't watch. He left the bar. Maybe he went back over to the alley."
Jack closed his eyes. "I swear to God I'm gonna buy that kid a hearing aid."
Daniel found himself at the edge of the forest. He didn't have a clue where to begin looking. His logical side told him that he was a fool for even trying to find Teal'c on his own. There was absolutely no proof that the Jaffa had come to this place. He could be sitting back at the bar waiting for the anthropologist to return, in fact.
However, his inner voice, the one that tended to ignore his logical side, told him to press on. Teal'c was close by . .he prayed.
Jack limped out of the bar and towards the alley where police officers still milled about. When he approached the first patrol car he was immediately met by a uniformed officer.
"I'm sorry, but you can't go any further," the man warned.
"There was a shooting here, right?"
"Yeah. You with the press?"
Jack reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet. "Nah. I'm with the military."
"This isn't a military matter," the officer replied simply.
"No, it's not, except for the fact that I think a couple of my men witnessed the shooting."
"You know Dr. Jackson?"
"Yeah. Is he here?"
"No, I think he was released. Hold on a minute." The officer left Jack at the yellow tape which marked the perimeter of the crime scene. He approached a woman. After discussing something with her, she nodded and followed the man back to Jack.
"Hi. I'm Detective Schmidt. You are?"
"Colonel Jack O'Neill. I'm Dr. Daniel Jackson's commanding officer."
"He didn't say he was in the military," the woman frowned.
"He's a civilian member for a military project." Jack looked over the woman's shoulder and into the alley. "Is he here?"
"No. I released him on the condition that he'd be in the station tomorrow to sign a statement." Jack sighed. "Why?" the woman asked.
"He called me at home. Said that another one of my team members was missing."
"Oh, yes. I believe he called him 'Teal'c?'"
"Yeah, that's him. Has there been any sign of him?"
"No. We have an APB out for him based upon the minimal description we received from Dr. Jackson, but so far nothing." The woman was silent for a moment, allowing the information to sink in. Then she smiled at Jack. "You know, if you could give us a better description we might stand a chance of finding your man."
"I'm sure Dr. Jackson's description is adequate," Jack responded. He pulled out a card and handed it to the woman. "If you find him or if Dr. Daniel returns, give me a call. You can get a message to me through any of these numbers."
"Where will you be?"
Jack shrugged his shoulders as he limped away. "Looking for my friends."
End Part 7
To Part 8