98In my haste to start getting this thing posted, I failed to mention what season it takes place in. It's set near the beginning of Season 3, before the episode "Learning Curve." Hope everyone is enjoying it so far. Thanks for reading.
Bull Demon (Bandersnatch)
The following morning found Janet ready and waiting at the base of the ramp with a full 20 minutes to spare. Daniel and Sam soon joined her, the two scientists eagerly discussing what they hoped to find on the other end of the wormhole. Teal'c arrived next bearing his long staff weapon and an expression of stoic neutrality. Jack was the last to appear, fiddling with the brim of his cap as he approached the group.
His gaze immediately went to Janet and the bulky green backpack she was wearing. It was larger than the standard issue packs that the rest of the team wore and looked heavy, its numerous pockets and straps loaded with gear. "Did you bring the whole infirmary?"
"No, sir," she replied, having already anticipated his reaction. "Unfortunately, I had to leave the MRI and ultrasound machines behind."
"I thought I told you to pack light?"
"You did, but this is the equipment that I need to test. The backpack is a state-of-the-art design that's supposed to allow medics to carry large amounts of gear efficiently in the field," she explained. "I've also got a new piece of equipment to try out. I want to see if it can stand up to the rigors of gate travel before passing it off to the rescue team."
"Just remember it's a long walk. If you start getting tired…"
"I have already offered Doctor Fraiser my assistance should she require it, O'Neill," Teal'c said.
The doctor smiled up at the dark skinned alien. "For which I am grateful."
"Is everyone all set, colonel?" Hammond's amplified voice echoed in the spacious room.
Jack looked over his shoulder to find the general looking down at them from the Control Room. "We're good to go, sir."
With that, Hammond gave the order to dial up the gate.
"We'll return the UAV just as soon as we get the DHD uncovered, general," Sam called over the mechanical whirring of the Stargate. "It shouldn't take too long."
"At least we don't have to go after it this time," Daniel muttered, tightening the bandana he had tied around his head.
"You still upset over the one we had to pull from a tree a few months back?" Sam asked, unable to stop an amused grin from crossing her face as she recalled the event.
"A little. Falling 20 feet into the arms of a waiting Jaffa isn't my idea of fun," he said indignantly. "Besides, it wasn't so much the fall as it was Jack's rendition of 'Rock a Bye Baby.'"
Jack smirked and began to sing. "'And when the bough breaks, the UAV will fall. And down will come Daniel, UAV and all…' Now what's wrong with that?"
Whatever Daniel said in reply was lost as the last chevron locked and the Stargate burst to life, a massive wave of shimmering blue light exploding outward from the metal ring before settling back into a vertical rippling pool.
Hammond's voice once again filled the room. "SG-1, Dr. Fraiser, you have a go."
"Thank you, general. All right, kids, you heard the man. Let's move out." Jack hopped up onto the ramp and strode toward the gate, his team close behind. He paused just before stepping through, allowing Daniel, Teal'c, and Sam to go first. "You ready?"
Janet stopped and gazed uncertainly up at the undulating event horizon. She had been through the gate less than a dozen times before and it still made her nervous. "Yes, sir."
He clapped her on the shoulder. "You'll be fine," he said and gestured for her to go.
Taking a deep breath, the doctor braced herself for the ride of a lifetime and stepped through.
Janet emerged on the other side of the gate out of breath and trembling slightly. She had never been fond of roller coasters and was certain that a seven second trip across the galaxy would put even the best of them to shame. Jack appeared at her side a moment later and the gate shut down, plunging them into the sights and sounds of a new, distant world.
The colonel took a moment to visually sweep the area, his P90 raised and ready. His team had spread out and was doing the same, but absence of significant cover left little chance of an ambush. As he lowered his weapon, he got his first good look at the panoramic landscape around him. "Holy view…"
They were definitely on top of a mountain, but there were even larger crags off in the distance. Dense forests covered much of the land with pockets of gray fog marking the location of several small valleys. Large black birds circled nosily overhead as they dove and played in the invisible winds. The faint silhouette of a massive gas giant hung in the azure sky, and two brilliant suns warmed the fresh smelling air.
"It's beautiful," Janet uttered, her gate travel jitters forgotten as she drank in the scenery.
"Talk about a tactical advantage," Jack remarked, swiping the cap from his head when a strong breeze threatened to knock it free. "Ground troops wouldn't have a chance in a place like this."
"A detail not lost on the Goa'uld who inhabited this world," Teal'c said. "It is a remarkable location for the Stargate."
The colonel wandered over to where the MALP sat. It was here the flat ground ended and the mountain slope began. The descent wasn't overly steep for foot traffic, but he could see why the bulky machine couldn't make it more than a few hundred yards from the gate. The tree line sat about half a mile below with no straightforward path over the rocky terrain to get there. He could only hope the going would get easier once they reached the woods, or else it was going to be a very long 15 mile hike.
He left the MALP and joined Daniel who was already filming the alien landscape. "Isn't this great, Jack? I can't get over how big and open it is."
"It's got some nice views, all right," he agreed, taking out his binoculars and focusing on the snowcaps of a distant mountain.
Sam appeared at his side a few minutes later with tufts of leaves clinging to her uniform. "The DHD checks out, sir," she replied, plucking a clump of foliage from her hair. "But I'd like to clear away the brush surrounding it and run a few tests before we try dialing out. If it's really been in disuse for as long as we think, the capacitors could be drained and it might not have enough power to establish multiple connections. If that's the case, then I can request an alternate power source when we dial home to send the UAV back."
Jack blinked. "You lost me after capacitors, but I trust you know what you're doing."
"Yes, sir," she said with a grin.
"Good. Have Daniel help you. Teal'c and I will get the UAV ready to ship back." He made to leave but turned back when the archeologist showed no signs of having heard him. "Daniel?"
"Yeah, Jack?" he asked, completely absorbed in his filming.
"You gonna help Carter prune back the DHD?"
"Yeah, sure, in a second."
"Okay." Jack waited, and again the younger man made no move to put the camera away. "Daniel?"
"Huh?"
"How 'bout now?"
"Be right there."
Jack took his cap off and scrubbed a hand through his short hair. He was about five seconds away from snatching the camera and tossing it into oblivion when Janet came to the rescue.
"I'll help, colonel," she said, retrieving the knife from her belt. "I don't mind. Let him keep filming."
When glaring at the back of Daniel's head didn't have the effect he'd hoped for, Jack sighed and gestured toward the bush encased DHD. "Fine. Have a blast." Grumbling to himself about the usefulness of wayward archeologists, he stalked off to find Teal'c.
What an interesting trip this is sizing up to be…
Midmorning found the team deep within the alien woods of P4J-592 and about a third of the way to their destination. After clearing the DHD and sending the UAV back to Earth, they ventured west in search of the building Daniel was so excited to see. It was slow going at first, the downhill trek from the gate platform to the tree line made treacherous by the loose, gravely footing. The forest itself provided yet another obstacle, the thick tangle of overgrowth making travel in a straight line impossible. They pushed and cut their way through over a mile of brush, bramble, and scrub before coming upon a narrow game trail that followed the same general direction they were headed.
Once oriented on the trail, the group fell into a steady rhythm with Jack leading, Teal'c in the rear, and Sam, Janet, and Daniel in between. The mood was relaxed but alert; everyone on the lookout for potential threats and items of interest. They chatted and laughed, enjoying each other's company and the captivating landscape around them.
"It's amazing how many of these trees look like the ones back home," Daniel said, pointing out several different specimens. "Those look like pines, and those are birch…"
"You've see one tree, you've seen them all."
"And wasn't that group of willows we saw earlier amazing?" Daniel asked, pointedly ignoring the colonel's remark.
"They were beautiful," Sam agreed, recalling the grove of tall, slender trees covered with shaggy swathes of bright green leaves.
"It'll be interesting to see if these trees have salicylic acid in their bark like the willows on Earth do," Janet said. "It's a precursor to today's aspirin, so who knows? Maybe these trees produce something medicinal as well."
"I've got the location marked down on the map, so if we need to come back we…whoa!" Daniel came to an abrupt halt when he nearly plowed into Jack back. The other man had stopped suddenly and was looking at something off to his left.
"What is it, sir?" Sam asked quietly, automatically slipping into soldier mode.
He just shook his head, his attention on the bushes beside him. There was something rustling around in the underbrush, but he couldn't see what it was. He could tell it was small, but knew danger came in all sizes. His team stood silent behind him, waiting for his orders. Without needing to look, he knew Sam and Teal'c had their weapons drawn and were ready to defend themselves if necessary. Daniel would have his hand on his sidearm and he was confident Janet would as well.
They watched and waited as the bushes beside them shook and swayed. Whatever it was didn't seem to notice the five people standing nearby, or it just didn't care. At last the creature came shuffling out of the scrub and began to rummage for food through the short grass lining the trail.
It was definitely a bird, its body shaped like a pear with a fluffy, prominent breast and stumpy tail. It stood about two feet tall on chicken-like legs, and was covered in iridescent black feathers. Its beak was long and tan, and the round eyes looked too large for its face.
Jack stared at the animal oddity foraging down by his feet. He watched curiously as the bird pecked at the small fleeing insects in the grass, completely unfazed by their presence.
"This is a little odd," he muttered, the sound of his voice making the creature freeze. Expecting the large bird to take flight or dive for the safety of the bushes, he was taken aback when it turned and looked him square in the eye. "And this is odder still…"
"It doesn't seem to fear us at all," Janet said from behind him.
"Why should it? It's probably never seen humans before," Daniel replied. "As far as it's concerned, we're just a group of strange woodland creatures."
Sam peered around her CO's shoulder to get a better look. "Do you think it can fly?"
"I wonder if it tastes like chicken…"
"Colonel!" she hissed, lightly jabbing him in the ribs.
"Kidding! Just kidding!" he cried quietly, holding his hands up in surrender. He felt something bump his leg and glanced down to see Daniel on all fours taking pictures.
"Except for the feathers, it almost looks like a kiwi…"
"The fruit?"
"No, Jack, not the fruit, the bird. They're from New Zealand."
"You're right, it does," Janet agreed, wishing she'd brought a camera of her own. "Albeit a big one."
Jack shifted uncomfortably under the creature's direct stare, its doe-like eyes seeming to gaze straight through to his soul. "Why is it looking at me like that?"
"It appears to like you, O'Neill," Teal'c rumbled.
"Yeah, well, I'm more of a dog person. How do I get it to stop?"
"Try talking to it," Daniel suggested, still on the ground filming the bird.
"You want me to talk to it?"
"It's worth a try, sir," Sam concurred.
"It's a bird," Jack said incredulously. "What do I say?"
"My, what big eyes you have?" the archeologist offered. "I don't know, just try something."
Jack fidgeted with his gloves, unsure what he could say that wouldn't make him sound like a complete idiot. "Um, listen, you're a really nice looking…giant kiwi…bird… thing… but I don't think this is gonna work out. It's not the mixed species thing; it's just that we're from two totally different worlds. Well, maybe they're not totally different, but…"
The bird blinked and continued to stare as if listening to every word he said.
"Daniel, this is bull…"
"Keep talking, Jack, you're doing great."
"So says the man who has complete conversations with his fish…" Jack muttered under his breath. He turned back to the bird and flashed it a dazzling smile. "I guess what I'm trying to say is that while it was really nice meeting you, it's time we go our separate ways."
The bird didn't move.
"Okay, time for Plan B," he said, deciding they'd wasted enough time already. There was no way to get around the bird without cutting through the dense brush as its large body was completely blocking the trail. Stepping over it wasn't an option either. With a shrug, he tried clapping his hands, hoping to startle the creature enough to get it moving. "Come on! Beat it! Scram!"
"Qua-oooonk!" Excited by the loud noise, the bird flapped its wings and waggled its stumpy tail. "Qua-oooonk!"
"Damn it…persistent little twerp, aren't you?" He considered using the butt of his gun to push it off the path, but he didn't want to risk another jab from Sam. Instead he used his toe and gently nudged the bird to the side, enduring its indignant squawks and flapping. "Hey, I tried being nice about this, but you wouldn't listen."
With the bird finally off the path, he motioned his team on. "Come on. Let's get out of here before its buddies show up." As the others filed by, he could see the amused twinkle in their eyes.
Oh yeah – they're not going to let me forget about this one any time soon…
The alien bird watched intently as the group marched past it, making small grunting sounds as the colonel walked by. When they had disappeared from sight, it called loudly a few times as if beckoning its new friends to come back. When no one came, the bird ruffled its feathers and resumed foraging for insects as if nothing had ever happened.
It was late afternoon when the first of P4J-592 two suns set. Long shadows fell over the forest floor, and unseen creatures began their nightly calls. The team had been walking for the better part of the day, having stopped only briefly for lunch. The game trail had taken them nearly 10 miles into the alien woodland before veering off in the wrong direction, leaving them to forge their own path through the dense overgrowth.
Teal'c seized a sizable sapling and tore it free from the ground. He had taken over the front position when they'd left the game path, his superior strength and stamina making him ideal for blazing a trail for the rest of the team to follow. The others helped where they could, but they soon realized it was best just to stay out of the large man's way.
Daniel was stepping over a decomposing log when something in the bushes caught his eye. He knelt and parted the grass. "Teal'c, hold up a second."
Sam appeared at his shoulder. "What have you got?"
"A boot."
"A what?" Janet asked.
"A boot." He gave the tall, gray boot an experimental tug. It didn't move. "Help me." Together they pulled away the bushes, startled by what they uncovered.
"Hey, colonel," Sam called over her shoulder. He was further back on the trail, taking his time negotiating the difficult terrain. "There's something here you need to see."
"If it's another one of those bird things, just nudge it out of the way and keep going."
"No, sir. It's a body."
"A Jaffa."
It was Teal'c's addition that got him moving faster. He quickly caught up with his team and joined in the scrutiny of the fallen Jaffa. "It's been here awhile," he said, not expecting to see a pile of bones and scaly armor.
"It's been here a long while," Janet said. She was carefully examining the remains while Daniel filmed with his camera. "These bones are breaking down. If the climate is as temperate as the vegetation suggests it is, that process can literally take hundreds of years."
Jack's eyebrows shot upwards. "Did you say hundreds of years?"
"Maybe more," Daniel said. "Bone is resilient stuff. In dry climates like the desert they can last indefinitely. It's one of the reasons the Egyptian mummies are so well preserved."
"He's in amazing condition for being out in the open like this," the doctor remarked, manipulating the skeleton in a way that made Jack cringe. "You'd think animals would have torn him apart, or at least tried to carry parts of him off. These bones show no sign of teeth marks at all."
"Can you tell who he served?"
"I cannot, Major Carter," Teal'c replied. "Means of identification within Jaffa ranks are limited to the tattoos worn on the forehead. Unless we locate a First Prime or battle helmet, it is unlikely we will know which Goa'uld he served."
"What about cause of death?"
Janet shook her head. "It's difficult to say, sir. There doesn't appear to be any damage to the armor, but it's too rusted out to say for sure. There are no broken bones and the symbiote's remains appear to be in good shape. If I had to guess, I'd say something internal, maybe blunt force trauma or a stab wound."
A shiver rose up Jack's spine he gazed into the hollow eye sockets of the skull. "All right, so we've got one dead Jaffa."
"At least we know for sure the Goa'uld have been here," Daniel said. "We just need to know why…"
"Why?" Jack echoed dubiously. "Why do the Goa'uld ever go where they…go?"
"To acquire human hosts and slaves," Teal'c answered.
"Or Naquadah and other rare materials," Sam added.
"Right. Okay, so then why did they leave? Did they strip the planet of everything valuable? Were they driven out? Was there a natural disaster or…"
The colonel tuned out the prattling archeologist and glanced at his watch. It was almost 1900. They'd been on the move for over nine hours and his body was starting to protest. His knees didn't like the uneven terrain, and his back was eager to rid itself of the heavy pack it'd been carrying. It was high time they called it a day.
He flicked the cover to his watch guard shut.
"Maybe it was a misdialed address or the gate malfunctioned…"
"Daniel," Jack interrupted, not at all surprised to find the other man still rambling on. "These are all fascinating points you're making, but I'm going to have to insist you leave any further conjectures, hypotheses, and what ifs for later. We're going to start losing daylight here pretty soon, and I'd like to have camp established before it gets dark."
"Yes, Jack," Daniel muttered, and began closing up his camera. He didn't like having his train of thought broken, especially when it came to his work. He didn't argue though; there would be plenty of time to ask the who's, what's, and why's about the planet and the former Goa'uld presence there. And maybe some more clues to go with it…
"How much further to do we have to go?" Janet asked. She was beyond ready to shed the hefty medical pack she was carrying, the broad straps having begun to rub her aching shoulders. State-of-the-art equipment or not, 60 pounds of gear was still 60 pounds.
Sam consulted her map and compass. "A little over three miles."
"Let's try to find a suitable place for camp between there and here. Preferably something with less invasive greenery," Jack said, working to remove his foot from a tangle of prickly vines. The plant relinquished its grip after a few good tugs, and he cast the remnants of the offending vegetation over his shoulder with a scowl. "Teal'c, you up for some more bushwhacking?"
The Jaffa inclined his head. "I am, O'Neill."
"Good. Have at it." He watched as the large man began to roughly clear a narrow path through the brush. His strength made short work of the heavy overgrowth, and the glint in his eye suggested he was enjoying every rip, crack, and tear. "Jaffa – never leave home without one."
"It sure beats machetes and hand saws, doesn't it, sir?"
'Machetes. Haven't swung one of those in a long time, have you, Jack?' His inner voice asked, the mere mention of the large knives dredging up some rather poignant thoughts and images from his days in Special Ops. Best not to go there…
"You have no idea, Carter," he sighed, making a conscious effort to force the memories back where they belonged. "We'd better get moving."
"Yes, sir," the two women echoed and started down the roughed out trail.
Jack made to follow when he noticed Daniel still crouching by the skeleton, staring at something in the bushes. "You coming, Daniel?"
"Huh? Oh, right. Yeah." The archeologist stood awkwardly, his attention still on the bushes in front of him. "I just thought I saw something…" His words dropped off as he pushed past his friend and waded into the chest high scrub. He looked around, positive he'd seen something glinting in the undergrowth.
"Boat's leaving, Daniel."
"I'm coming, Jack," he replied, disappointed. I suppose it's just the fading light playing tricks…there! He practically dove into the bushes, pushing the unruly plants to one side. "Jack! Wait! I found another one!"
"Another skeleton?" Sam asked, as she and Janet hurried to join him.
He fumbled to get his camera from his pocket. "Yeah – another Jaffa. And this one's missing his head…no, wait, there it is."
Janet knelt to inspect the remains, paying careful attention to where the head once joined to the neck. The severed vertebrae were splintered and crushed. The head hadn't been cleanly severed; it'd been hacked off with something primitive and dull. "I can give you a fairly accurate cause of death on this one, sir."
"Thanks, doc, but I think even I can figure this one out," Jack replied, trying not to look at the skull nesting in the grass several feet from the rest of the body.
"This one looks like it's in good shape, just like the other one," Sam noted. "This planet must not have many large predators."
"Unless you count that super-sized kiwi thing."
"Colonel, I doubt a bird could…"
"O'Neill!" Teal'c's booming shout resonated through the trees. "I have discovered more bodies."
Daniel's eyes lit up behind his glasses. "Did he say 'bodies'?"
The group quickly made their way to the front of the path where they found Teal'c surrounded by three piles of bones and armor. "They appear to have been struck down while retreating."
"I think you're right, Teal'c. You can see the scorch marks on the backs of their armor," the doctor agreed. She motioned for Sam's help and together they removed the heavy material and pushed aside the chain mail beneath. "The bones are burnt too. Both are indicators of a close range staff blast."
"They must have been fighting over something pretty good for them to shoot it out in close quarters," Sam said. She rocked back on her heels in preparation to stand when she felt something prod her in the back. Expecting it to be some form of forest floor litter, she was surprised to find the heel of a boot just visible in the grass. "Ah, colonel, I think just found another one."
Daniel helped her push aside the bushes. "Yep. You did." He poked his toe at something partially hidden in the weeds. "There's a broken staff weapon here too."
Jack frowned in thought. This was turning out to be more than just a defunct mining operation or slave round up. Something big had definitely gone down here. "All right, let's fan out and do a quick search of the area. See how many more we can find."
The group fell into a search pattern and began their macabre egg hunt. Calls of "here!" and "got one!" conveyed discoveries between teammates, and the death count steadily rose. Jaffa lay dead by the dozens, having fallen in battle that was fought centuries ago.
Jack paused in front of a particularly mangled skeleton. Its right foot was entwined in a jumbled knot of tree roots and its head was bashed in. Several of the Jaffa he'd come across had been dispatched using similar methods; the killers relying on blunt objects rather than projectiles or staff weapons. It wasn't a style of fighting he'd come to associate with the Goa'uld, and it was starting to look like there might be another party involved.
He looked up at the dimming sky and then checked his watch. In less than half an hour, they'd found nearly 40 bodies spread throughout the quarter mile they'd swept. There were likely more hidden just out of sight, but they had burnt enough precious daylight already. He was about to call an end to the search when he heard a startled gasp off to his left.
"You okay, doc?"
"I'm all right, sir, but you're going to want to see this," Janet replied, her tone unsettled.
Jack veered off the line he was following and walked over to see what had spooked the normally unflappable doctor. He pushed through a wall of reeds that looked suspiciously like bamboo and nearly gasped himself when he saw what was on the other side.
The dense forest broke to reveal a partial clearing, an area of low land shrouded by ancient trees. The thick scrub they'd been struggling against thinned to the point of nonexistence, and pockets of dry, tapered grass covered the uneven ground. A narrow river wove its way lazily along the far corner, and moss covered rocks poked shyly out of the weeds. It would have been a tranquil scene if it hadn't been for the clusters of skulls and sun-bleached bones scattered in every direction.
"Now there's something you don't see everyday," Jack uttered. He'd always found viewing battlefield carnage to be difficult, and the fact that the enemy had been reduced to bones and grinning skulls didn't make it any easier. "What the hell happened here, anyway?"
"Nothing good, that's for sure," Janet said, disturbed by the sight. Although she was a soldier in the Air Force, she'd always thought of herself as a physician first. Death of any kind bothered her, especially when the number of casualties was so high.
Both turned abruptly when they heard sudden loud rustling in the bushes behind them. Jack brought his P90 up and waited, his index finger flagging the trigger. Daniel stepped through the thicket a moment later, his hands automatically going up when he saw the barrel of Jack's gun level with his chest.
"Whoa! Jack! It's just me!"
The colonel instantly lowered his gun his heart thudding wildly in his ears. "Jesus, Daniel, give a guy a warning next time, will ya?" he snapped, his adrenaline level plummeting sharply.
"Sorry, Jack. We started to get worried when you two disappeared into the bushes and didn't come…" Daniel noticed the beaded sweat on Jack's brow and Janet's tense expression. "What's wrong?"
Janet turned and motioned toward the clearing. "We found something."
Daniel followed her point, his eyes widening when he saw what lay in the tall grass. Even with all the digs he'd been on, he'd never before seen so many skeletons in one place outside of a museum. So many dead...Why here? What happened? When…?
"Colonel?"
Daniel jerked when Sam's shout floated through the reeds. No wonder Jack was so jumpy…
"In here, major."
Sam and Teal'c joined them a moment later.
"I was about to try you on the radio, sir, when Teal'c heard voices. What's going on?"
"Doc found a bone yard," he replied. "A big one, too."
"I have not seen one like this in many years," Teal'c said solemnly, his dark eyes drifting over the field.
"You mean you've seen this before?" Sam asked, sickened by the sight.
"Indeed. During my early years in service to Apophis, mass slaughter was often used to display dominance and prevent defiance. Such methods have since fallen out of favor with the System Lords as they were indiscriminant – killing those willing to serve along with those who would not."
Already over his initial fear and disgust, Daniel had his camera out and was wandering through the array of bones, pausing occasionally for a closer look. There were a few Jaffa scattered about, but the majority of the remains differed from what they'd seen earlier. The bodies all pretty much looked the same: average height, clothing made from leather and coarsely woven material, and basic laced footwear. Some had what looked like tools lying beside them, ranging in shape from spade-like shovels to something that looked like a pickaxe.
"Jack, these aren't Jaffa."
"What?"
Janet joined the archeologist in examining one of the bodies. "He's right, sir. They're human." She checked several others, pushing aside their moldy, decomposing clothes to get a look at their midsection. "No symbiote."
"By the look of their clothing and effects, I'd say they were miners and serve…" Daniel cursed as a mechanical chime twittered from his camera. "Battery's dieing. I've got more in my bag somewhere."
"Ah, Daniel," Jack piped up as the younger man started shedding his pack. "We really don't have time for this right now."
"But Jack, this is huge. We need to document it."
"And I agree. But it looks like we've got about an hour of light left and we need to find a place to set up camp. We'll flag it on the map and if we can't get back to it tomorrow, we'll visit on the way home."
For once, Daniel couldn't argue with Jack's logic. It was starting to get dark; the shadows were getting long and new, strange sounding animals were starting to call. He refastened his pack and tucked the camera into his pocket. "All right. I've got a few pictures to go by anyway."
Jack clapped him on the shoulder. "Good man. Now let's find a place to call home, shall we?"