He feels like he never stops running. Even when they're holed up somewhere for a couple of hours, a few days, he still feels like he's running. Like he can't quite catch his breath. "Colonel Mitchell," Teal'c says, one hand coming down heavily on Cameron's shoulder. "Yeah?" Breathe, in and out, steady rhythm. "You must rest." He almost laughs. Rest means safety and warmth. He's not sure he can remember the last time he had either of those things. * They lose Jackson. They lose him on the wrong side of the 'gate – he should have been behind them, as they ran through, but he wasn't. "We're going back," he says, and Carter nods, already hoisting her pack over her shoulders. "It is unwise," Teal'c says, his voice too flat for this particular loss. "The Stargate will be guarded." "We don't leave people behind!" But even as he says it, he wonders who he's trying to fool. Cameron's sick of turning around and finding that people aren't there. On one planet – he's lost track of the designations – it seemed like they'd just retreated into the forest, becoming one with the trees and leaves, merging with the dappled greenery. Except for the screams. That had spoiled the peaceful image, those screams. Voices he recognized, but distorted and hidden. He and Teal'c had ushered the others off that planet as quickly as possible. Teal'c's right. But Carter's already punching in the dialing sequence. When the Stargate engages, though, she yells, "That wasn't me!" She's already moving for cover. Too late, too slow. They lose two more people, getting off the planet. By the time Cameron gets the chance to catch his breath, four days have passed, more or less. They never get the chance to go back for Jackson. * One by one, the planets fall. Some fall more slowly than others. It's inevitable, it seems. And someone always finds them. It happens too quickly, most of the time. It makes Cameron suspicious. "Strip down," Cameron says, when they get to the Land of Light. "Everything. Packs. Boots. Clothes. Radios. All of it." Watching the handful of stragglers get rid of everything – except weapons – makes even the bright sunshine seem bleak. They exchange their clothes and packs for local clothes, local bags. The cloth is sturdy and serviceable, but it might as well be flimsy silk for all the comfort it gives him. Tuplo and his people look on, mouths locked in grim lines, as Cameron and Teal'c cart everything to a huge fire, and watch it burn. It seems to take a long time. Teal'c stands guard as the fabric and leather turn to ash; Cameron alternates between watching Teal'c and keeping an eye on the others. After, when the buckles and buttons are all that are left, Cameron and Carter sift through the cooling remains, putting everything into a small pack. Carter takes it to the 'gate, tosses it through to a dead planet. Cameron tries not to think about any of it too much, but he knows if Dr. Lam were still with them, she'd have protested the burning of the medical supplies. It's a risk, keeping their weapons. The Priors might have fixed some kind of tracer to the metal, to the bullets. Cameron orders everyone to go over every piece of his or her gear, making sure it hasn't been compromised. "There could be some kind of subparticle trace –" Carter starts to say, before he cuts her off with a look. He knows. Maybe on the next planet, they'll find replacements for their guns. They stay for a night. There's hot food, and there are warm blankets and soft beds. Cameron walks the halls, looking in on his people. They sleep in huddled groups, even though Tuplo had offered separate rooms for each of them. "We sleep in pairs. At least." He'd said. Eventually, he gives in to exhaustion, falling down onto a thick mattress in a room already occupied by Teal'c and Carter. In the morning, they eat again, and Tuplo gives them supplies, his expression grave. "Food. And clothing." "Thanks," Cameron says. "When we're gone, bury the 'gate. Fast." Tuplo looks doubtful. "I mean it. They brought us down. The Jaffa are falling. The Asgard are silent. Just bury your 'gate, do whatever you have to do to keep it shut down, and hope they never come in ships." "You could stay," Tuplo offers. "You are welcome here. Your people always have been." But Cameron can't say yes. Even if Sergeant Miller and Lieutenant Kim look like they're about to sleep on their feet. "We can't. They might be tracing us. We've maybe been here too long already." They move to the next planet, steadily working their way through the 'gate address list that Jackson, Carter and Teal'c had put together, back when they first evacuated to the Alpha site. * Cameron stops keeping track of the names of the places they go. He keeps a list of the people with him, though. Absently, he runs through shorts lists of names, counts, updating every few minutes. His list of the people he's lost – just on the run, not counting the people on Earth, the people at the Alpha site – is longer. Five trips through a 'gate and eight more lost people after the Land of Light, they come across a series of caves on a planet that looks to be uninhabited. There are ruins near the 'gate, but no fresh paths in the pale sand. No fires, no planes overhead, no people. Maybe the Priors and the Jaffa they've managed to recruit will overlook this place for a while. No one to convert, nothing to take. Squatting by the edge of the cave, watching the dry, flat lands below, Cameron runs lists through his head. Teal'c. Carter. Miller. Davis. Kim. Carter and Miller are out scavenging for something edible; Kim and Davis are following the path of the cave, looking for water. Teal'c hunkers down beside him. "There are still the Sodan." Cameron nods and takes a measured breath. "Yep. We'll try the address again." The address hasn't locked before, the few times they've been able to stop and rest, to think about something other than running. "I'm guessing they've done something to their 'gate." Teal'c doesn't have much in the way of facial expressions, but Cameron knows him well enough to see he's doubtful. Running does that to people. Pulls them close, makes them look at each carefully, read each other too well. "It is possible." The rest is unsaid. The Sodan wouldn't hide or avoid conflict. Haikon isn't the type to sanction that. But Cameron holds out hope – maybe the children were left behind, with the sick and some caregivers. Maybe most of the Sodan are out there, fighting, having left their vulnerable behind and safe. Maybe one day, the 'gate address will work, and Cameron can ask where the fighters have gone. "I think we should stay here. For a while." They all need time, time to rest and think beyond the fall of one foot in front of another. Teal'c nods, the barest incline of his head. "I agree." Turning back to look out at the landscape, Cameron goes through his list again. Carter. Teal'c. Miller. Kim. Davis. He has another list, places they can still try, people they might be able to contact. A handful of Tok'ra outposts, though none have been occupied as of yet. The Sodan. The Asgard, maybe. The Nox. Jackson had been optimistic about the Nox. Jackson had been almost optimistic about the Ancients maybe lending a hand too, and that hasn't panned out. After a moment, Cameron looks down at the hard, light dirt of the this planet. Absently, he sketches out the 'gate addresses in the dust. It's a reflex, a reminder of what they have left. When he looks up, he sees Carter and Miller crossing the flat plain below him. They're running. |
| Characters:
Mitchell. Teal'c. Carter. Rating: PG Summary: He feels like they never stop running. AU-ish. Notes: Potential spoilers up to Collateral Damage. |