Accidental Tourist

… Yes we joined up for this one kids! LOL J Enjoy!

The tie was annoying. MacGyver tugged on it more than once, wishing the damned thing didn't remind him of a noose. He trailed after Pete and the others, dimly aware of being a fish out of water here at Cheyenne Mountain. Ahead, Pete was speaking to General Hammond, his tone impressed.
"Mighty big facility, George--"
"We've got a big doorway, Pete--trust me, the security's justified."
As they stepped into an elevator, Mac and a young blonde in combat fatigues scooted in together at the last second. She looked up at him and her eyes widened. Mac managed a small smile.
"Are you--an O'Neill?" she breathed.
He raised his eyebrows, the eyes of the young woman boring into him.
"O'Neill?" He shook his head. "No, my name's MacGyver." He stuck out his hand, waiting to shake hers.
She continued to stare at him for a moment longer, and then a small smile crossed her mouth as she shook his hand. She looked to Hammond, who gave the tiniest of nods. It was going to be an interesting meeting.
"Captain Samantha Carter, sir."

The elevator was going down, and the walls of the metal box seemed to close in. Mac continued to pull on his collar and tie, wishing he could just take them off. He turned to the blond woman who didn’t seem to mind the long ride.
“So, how far down is this place?”
Carter slowly turned her head and looked at the blond man. His resemblance to Colonel O’Neill was remarkable and a little frightening. “It's 38 stories down sir.”
Mac wrinkled his nose. “Oh please, you don't have to call me sir. In fact I really preferred if you didn’t. It's just MacGyver, plain and simple.”
Carter gave him a slight nod. “MacGyver, okay. I’ll try and remember that but don’t be surprised if I don’t. I’ve been saying sir for a long time, it’s sort of second nature to me.”
“Yeah I bet.” He looked around the box, watching as the digital numbers continued to climb higher the lower the elevator dropped. “So who’s O’Neill?”
“Colonel Jack O’Neill is team leader of SG-1.” Carter turned and smiled at him again. “Don’t worry, you’ll see him soon enough.”

The elevator ride was finally over; the doors opened to a long hallway in drab greys and cement. The guests were taken to the briefing room and were told about the Stargate itself as well as the teams that went through it. It was fascinating; MacGyver even forgot about his tie as he listened to the history of the Stargate along with Pete.
“Well that concludes this briefing gentlemen,” Hammond looked at the two men, hiding his smile at the looks of disbelief on their faces. “Any questions?”
MacGyver and Pete glanced at each other.
“Well yeah, I have a question.”
Mac shifted in his chair a bit. “I’m sorry if I sound skeptical General, but…these teams travel by this gate to distant planets?”
The balding man crossed his arms over his chest. “Yes they do. In fact, one of the most frequent travelers is Captain Carter, sitting beside you.”
MacGyver turned around and looked at the Captain. “I’m sorry if I sound like I don’t believe, it’s just that…”
Carter put her hand up. “I know MacGyver, believe me I do. All this sounds pretty far fetched.” She looked at the General. “But the next part of our tour is the Stargate itself.”
Hammond nodded. “Right, if you both will follow me, we’ll show you the gate and introduce you to the rest of SG-1.”

Colonel Jack O’Neill was standing on the inside of the blast doors, his arms crossed over his chest. His two fellow team mates standing on either side of him.
“So, who’s touring the facility?” The young man with the short medium brown hair and glasses asked of the ranking officer.
“Civilians Daniel--some friend of the General’s that’s part of the Finance committee.” The man with the graying buzz cut shook his head slowly. “That’s all I need, to be nice and polite and smile a lot at the guys who give us money. I feel like a kid at allowance time.”
“It may not be as bad as you make it seem O’Neill.” Teal’c turned to look impassively at the Colonel.
“Maybe… maybe not.”
The blast doors began to part and the Colonel sighed. “Okay, here we go kids, let’s all put on our best fake smiles.” He grinned widely, but Daniel only shook his head.
“That looks totally unconvincing Jack. You might as well be balancing a ball on your nose and slapping your hands together, begging for a fish.”
Jack toned his smile down a bit and shrugged. “Don’t tempt me Daniel, I may bark at these people.”

The doors parted all the way to reveal two men. One of them was shorter and a little on the heavy side. He was standing next to a taller man with a dark blue suit on. Teal’c and Daniel both took a second longer looking at their guests, turned to look at each other and then to Jack.
“Umm…Jack.”
“What?” O’Neill turned and looked at Daniel. He saw MacGyver but didn’t say anything.
“Oh… nothing.” Daniel shrugged his shoulders at Teal’c.
General Hammond was next to them as they stepped through the open doors. “Peter Thornton, meet the rest of SG-1. This is Colonel Jack O’Neill, Doctor Daniel Jackson, and Teal’c.”
Pete couldn’t help but notice the Colonel’s striking resemblance to his friend. “Pleasure to meet you Colonel.”

“Same here sir.” O’Neill shook his hand firmly.
Hammond motioned to MacGyver. “MacGyver, meet SG-1.”
Mac could see why Carter had been staring at him; he did recognize some of his resemblance to the colonel as he stuck his hand out.
“Nice to meet you Colonel.”
The colonel shook MacGyver’s hand firmly. “A pleasure to meet you Sir.”
MacGyver couldn’t help but smile and shake his head. “There we go again with the sirs. Just call me MacGyver or Mac, Colonel. The word sir is completely wasted on me.”
O’Neill gave the blond man a faint smile, noting the loosened tie. “Sometimes I feel the exact same way, but it comes with the rank so I’ve learned to live with it.”
Hammond cleared his throat. “This way gentlemen,” He pointed to the area around the corner.
Carter joined her teammates, standing in between Daniel and O’Neill. She leaned close to Daniel and whispered to him.
“Scary isn’t it?”
“Yeah, like a younger sweeter Jack in civvies.” Daniel pushed up his glasses.

O'Neill looked over his shoulder at the two whisperers and frowned. “I think you two have gone through that wormhole one too many times.”
Carter shook her head. “I’m sorry sir but don’t you see it?”
The colonel studied MacGyver’s back. “See what?"
The two members of SG-1 shook their heads. “And he says we’ve been through the wormhole too many times?”
Carter shrugged her shoulders. “Maybe he needs glasses.”
"I heard that, Carter--"
"Or a hearing aid--"
"I heard that too, Daniel--" came the warning mutter.

A sudden Klaxon shattered the conversation, the warning loud in the enclosed space.
"Warning! Gate activated, Gate activated!"
Hammond glanced up at the control booth even as the troops began to rush into defensive positions around the ramp. Mac and Pete froze for a moment.
"Sergeant! Who activated the gate? Get the iris closed NOW!" he barked.

The frazzled voice of the sergeant came over the loudspeaker. "Sir, the activation seems to be from the other side--we're having trouble with the iris! The circuit won't close!"
Before anyone else could move, MacGyver dashed up the ramp to the chevron on the far left side of the Stargate He fumbled in his pocket, pulling out his knife and using the blade to pry at something along the edge, oblivious to the rippling water effect of the open gate right in front of him.
"What's he doing?" Carter demanded.

Daniel squinted. "It looks like he's trying to catch part of the wiring--"
"What he's going to catch is a bullet in the gut if he keeps standing in the line of fire--" O'Neill impatiently announced, moving towards the gate. "MacGyver! Get the hell away from there!"
"Just a second, I think I've got it--" Mac mumbled, tugging on a wire. He leaned forward, stumbled into the wavering blue of the inner circle--- --and was gone.

O’Neill was standing on the ramp that led into the center of the Stargate; he sighed as he turned around and looked at the General. “He’s gone sir, he’s gone through.” He looked around at his team. “Permission to take the team through the Stargate sir?”

Hammond, beside his stunned friend, who could only stare at the rippling water at the top of the ramp, nodded his head. “Granted Colonel, go.”

O’Neill nodded. “SG-1, you heard the man, let’s do it!”

The other three members emerged from their positions on either side of the ramp. They stood with their Colonel all ready to go, decked out in their jackets and caps. They had black vests on top of their dark green jackets.

Jack had his large M-16 in his hands as he stopped for a moment to look at Pete. The stout man’s face was serious.

“We’ll get him back sir.”

Pete looked down at the ground for a moment, the seriousness of the situation weighing heavily on him. “I know you’ll try your best Colonel.”

O’Neill gave Pete a slight smile and nod of his head. “That I can guarantee sir.” He and the other three members of SG-1 ran up the ramp and stepped through the wormhole.

MacGyver gasped and leaned forward, hands on his thighs. He tried to catch his breath as his head tingled. The trip through the gate had been remarkable, like an instantaneous roller coaster ride; it had left him a little shaken up. When he finally managed to look up, a hard voice caught his ear.

"Move!" the harsh voice demanded. He could see an impossibly tall figure, back to him, yelling at someone he couldn't see. Mac straightened up, glancing around curiously.

The forest was green and cool; it would have been a lovely spot if circumstances had been different. Mac heard yelps of pain, and he stepped forward. There were women. About eight of them, all in rather gauzy outfits, and not looking pleased at all. Rounding them up was the tall figure, a stylized Cobra with a long staff and a menacing voice.

"Ah . . . " MacGyver tried to be heard. "Listen, are you . . ."

The figure swung around and the red eyes of the snake head glared at him.

The staff fired, a long streak of fire flaring out to hit the edge of the Stargate; Mac jumped, rolling down the stone steps in one long leap. He sat up breathing hard as he looked at the smoke that was rising from the black scorched area of the gate where the metal had been hit. "Okay...never mind! Forget I asked!" He got to his feet and started to run as a few more blasts hit close to him.

He was the perfect distraction; the women scattered in swift steps, and the Cobramen headed after them.

Mac found himself almost shoulder to shoulder with two of the women; they yanked him to the left, and shot down a vine-covered path that headed deeper into a bed of ferns. He followed them, listening for the sounds of pursuit, and wondering where the hell his tie had gone as he caught a glimpse of white shirt.

The rushing tidal wave sound repeated through the forest as the gate opened a second time. Cautiously, O'Neill, Carter, Jackson and Teal'c stepped through, weapons at the ready.

O'Neill glanced down, and prodded a crumpled necktie with the toe of his combat boot.

"Looks like he at least made it here--" Carter observed. Her commanding officer nodded.

"But he wasn't alone--" Daniel sighed, stepping down to the DHD. It was smoking slightly, a huge stone club on the soft grass beside it.

Teal'c studied the tracks on the grass and stood up.

"I know this world."

"And--" O'Neill prompted him. He gazed away.

"It is called Dolyaa--" he offered in his implacable way. "Apophis chooses his harem from here."

"His harem?" O'Neill's eyebrows went up. "As in ladies of the bedchamber, Arabian nights, nookie city?"

"Wow sir, you have such a turn of phrase--" Carter muttered, shouldering her weapon

Even Daniel grinned, but Teal'c merely looked impassive. "Yes. The females here are attractive and fertile. They are also cunning and strong, traits much admired by Apophis."

"That Apophis--such a party animal--" O'Neill shook his head and glanced around.

Carter examined the DHD and sighed. "And we may be here quite a while if we can't get this thing fixed, sir."

"Gee--stuck on a planet full of significantly beautiful women— hate these assignments--"

"Ah--you might, considering the company we've got--" Daniel pointed to the faint figures of Goa'uld approaching in the distance.

O'Neill saw at least 6 Cobramen coming towards them, their staff weapons at the ready. "Time to go kids." He looked around, seeing the thick forest that surrounded them. "Seeing how they're more of them then there are of us. I say we get the hell out of here.” He spotted the vine-covered path. “I’m willing to bet that if the Goa’uld gave MacGyver this friendly a welcome he went that way.”

Daniel watched as the Cobramen got closer. “I’d say you’re right Jack, let’s see for ourselves.”

Carter took her M-16 off her shoulder. “Right, let’s see how well we can hide in those woods.”

That was the end of the discussion; the four team members shouldered their weapons and ran into the forest.

MacGyver and the two harem women raced through the woods. They could hear the Goa’uld coming only a few yards behind them. Mac was out of breath as he pushed some of the heavy foliage away from his face. He took his blazer off and tied it around his waist as he looked around. The two women with him were also looking around. One was a dark skinned woman with long black hair. The other had lighter skin and medium brown hair.

“We need a place to hide.” He said to them both as he unbuttoned his cuffs and began to roll up his sleeves. They looked at each other.

Mac groaned as he wiped his face. “Oh great.” Both of his eyebrows went up. “You don’t understand one word I’m saying, do you?”

The black haired woman in a light cream colored pants and top had a set of black coal eyes that had an innocent look to them. “There is a place we can hide, it’s not far.”

MacGyver’s eyes grew round. “Oh you do speak English.”

She gave him a nod. “I am Tamin.” She looked beside her at the young woman in light green. “This is Kiya.”

“MacGyver, nice to meet you both.” Mac heard a noise and looked behind him. “I hope this doesn’t sound rude but we really have to get out of here before those overgrown snakes find us.”

Tamin finally realized what section of the woods she was in. “There is a cave, not far from here. We can hide there.”

Mac wiped the sweat from his brow and took a deep breath. “Okay Tamin, we’ll follow you.”

The black haired woman motioned with her head. “It’s this way, come on.”

Teal’c crouched down; he saw some footprints pressed into the ground. He carefully moved a few stray twigs and leaves out of them. He studied the tracks carefully. The rest of his team was behind him, watching what he was doing.

Jack took off his cap and ran his fingers through his hair. “What’d ya find Teal’c?” He was looking down at the back of his fellow team member’s neck.

“Footprints O’Neill, three sets of them. Two of them are small, one is larger. They belong to two women and a man is with them.”

Jack nodded his head as he smoothed his hair back and put his cap back on. “I see… so either two of Apophis’ little wonder women are going to eat MacGyver alive, or…”

Carter turned to her colonel. “Or he rescued two from the Goa’uld and they’re all on the run together.”

“Well I was going to say ménage a trois but I like your scenario better.”

Daniel shook his head and pushed his glasses up. “I seriously doubt that Jack, they’re on the run from the Goa’uld. Sex is the last thing on their minds right now.”

The Colonel looked at Daniel. “Where’s the fun in that?”

Teal’c straightened up. “The tracks lead that way.” He pointed to a denser part of the woods that was just up ahead.

“Okay, then that’s where we’ll go.” Jack adjusted his cap and checked his M-16. “Lead the way Teal’c.”

Teal’c gave the colonel a slight nod as he moved to the head of the line and led the rest of the team in the direction of the tracks.

The cave Tamin led MacGyver and Kiya to was located on at the base of a small hill, just under the thick roots of some ancient looking trees. Their gnarled and twisted branches were intertwined like fingers curling around one another. The entrance was covered with the overgrown vines and plants that grew around the large trees.

“Better let me go in first. This cave might be home to something even friendlier than those snake guys.” Mac stepped up close to the entrance, parting the vines as he ducked down and stepped into the small hole. It was hot and dark in the cave and he touched his dark blue pants, trying to feel for the matches he always carried. He found a couple and dragged their heads along the stony walls. The small spark of light filled the small cave, it was not very deep. The roots from the trees above hung like thick pieces of rope. They dragged against him as he walked deeper into the cave. He felt the heat of the flame and shook his match out before it burned his fingers. He turned around and walked back to the entrance, emerging from the vine covering.

“Ladies, we got shelter.” MacGyver said with a smile.

Teal’c led the team right up to the entrance of the cave. “The tracks end here.”

O’Neill shouldered his M-16 and reached out, brushing back the long vines that covered the entrance. “Nice, has that homey feel to it.” He turned back and looked at his team, his gaze fixing on Carter. “Ordinarily I’d say ladies first. I hope you don’t mind if I break that little rule this one time.”

Carter held her weapon in her hands, ready to use it if necessary. “Not all sir, be my guest, in a situation like this manners don’t count.”

“Thank you.” O’Neill gave her a slight nod of his head as he took his M-16 off his shoulder, the barrel of it was pointing up. He pulled back the vines once more and stepped into the hole.

O’Neill took a small penlight off his vest and turned it on. He made his way down the small tunnel, shining the light around the walls. The tunnel branched out up ahead to what looked like a room. He didn’t see anything that was a threat to himself or his team; it appeared to be perfectly safe. He touched his earpiece and turned to talk into his shoulder. “It’s safe, come on in.”

The rest of SG-1came in, they caught up with their colonel and the 4 of them together walked down the tunnel. They made it to the room and spotted MacGyver and two women. Mac had his legs drawn up and was resting his head on them. The two women were curled up next to each other beside him.

“Well isn’t this nice and cozy?” O’Neill crouched down in front of Mac and tapped him on the arm. “MacGyver?”

The blond man started, lifting his head fast. He saw who it was that had woken him up and he smiled. “Hi guys, fancy meeting you here.”

O’Neill shook his head. “Yeah a real thrill.”

The two women woke up and saw who it was that had found them. “Who are you?”

Carter moved close to Tamin. “We’re SG-1, we came through the gate looking for someone.”

The dark haired woman scowled. “I thought we had broken it, no one else was supposed to have come through.”

Daniel nodded his head. “So you two were the ones that smashed the DHD with the club?”

Tamin focus her gaze on him. “We’re tired of the Goa’uld coming here and taking us away only to serve Apophis.”

The colonel stood up. “Well smashing the DHD isn’t going to do it. If you want to keep the Goa’uld from taking more of you away you’re going to have to bury the gate.”

MacGyver also stood up. “As in grab some shovels?”

O’Neill turned around. “Yeah, that’s the only way to dismantle it. The gate is indestructible.”

The civilian nodded. “Oh! I see, makes sense.”

“Yeah well that’s the only way to do it.” He looked at MacGyver. “Come on Mac, time to go.” He turned back and raised his hand to the two women. “Ladies it’s been fun but take my advice, bury the gate.” He glanced at his team. “Shall we go see if we can fix the DHD before nightfall?”

Teal’c gave a nod. “That would be the best, before the sun sets.”

O’Neill clapped his hands together. “Great, that settles it, let’s go.”

The team plus MacGyver had made it almost all the way back to the DHD. The colonel was in the lead, followed by MacGyver, Carter and Daniel with Teal’c bringing up the rear. The jaunt through the woods had been an uneventful one but the team was still on their guard. The Goa’uld were smart, and were not to be underestimated. They were walking through a group of trees; a clearing was just up ahead. That was the only thing between them and the gate. A barrage of staff fire suddenly went off, hitting the ground around them. The team immediately split up, using the trees as cover. There were 4 Goa’uld firing at them from a place they couldn’t pinpoint.

O'Neill studied the trees without optimism. He motioned to Carter with a gentle finger wave.

"Think you can fix the phone?"

She shrugged. "I can try--" came her resigned comment.

He nodded. "Okay--you and Teal'c go left and get to the device--Daniel and I will keep Mr. Fix-it with us. Go!"

Silently, Carter and Teal'c glided forward across the clearing, reaching the DHD within minutes. O'Neill glared at MacGyver.

"I can tell you're just itching to get a look at that thing--but no. Don't touch. It's a big kid's toy, all right?"

MacGyver shot a resigned stare at the older man. "Doesn't sarcasm like that burn your tongue?"

"I'm used to it."

Mac nodded. "Yeah I just bet." He looked at the Colonel. "You're not fond of me, are you?"

O'Neill was watching as his team as they covered the clearing. "What I'm not fond of MacGyver is having to go across a galaxy or two to come rescue a civilian that shouldn’t have gotten near the gate."

MacGyver sighed, feeling the weight of guilt. He nodded. "Okay, yeah, I deserved that--just trying to help you know."

O'Neill snorted. "Sure pal--we don't have any engineers or technicians or experts on the payroll at Cheyenne Mountain--"

MacGyver flushed. “Look, I said I'm sorry-it's not as if I activated the thing you know--"

"Yeah, yeah--" O'Neill reluctantly agreed. "But my people could end up dead just the same, Junior, so I'm not a happy camper at the moment."

Daniel broke in with a soft observation. "I think I saw a light--"

The three men ducked as a flash of fire from a Goa'uld staff hit a nearby tree. Mac curled up even smaller against the tree he was behind.

"Whoa!" He lifted his head and looked at the Colonel and Daniel. "Are things always this fun for you guys when you go through that gate?"

Daniel carefully peeked his head around the tree he was using for cover. "Oh no… sometimes it’s much worse."

Mac looked at the other man, wondering how someone so mild looking could stay so calm.

O'Neill was talking into his shoulder. "You saw that--stay low, maybe they won't realize you two are at the gate--Daniel and I will try and lead them off--keep working!"

With another sigh, O'Neill looked at the two men with him. “We are the field mice they are trying to bop on the head, boys--so we're going to run in a nice PACED speed to keep them on our tails and off Teal'c and Carter’s. Ready?"

"In the dark, in unknown territory?" Mac asked, incredulous. The sun was setting and the light in the forest was quickly disappearing.

Daniel nodded. "We do this a lot--"

"Great---"

"Get going, Blondie--sheesh! You’d think we were working you to death--" O'Neill grumbled as another shot flared out over their heads.

The three men began to run, making enough noise to keep their pursuers on track.

MacGyver was breathing hard out of mostly fright as he ran in between O’Neill and Daniel. "So where do we go?”

The Goa’uld were right behind them just as O’Neill said they would be. The blasts from their staffs were hitting the ground all around them as they ran deeper into the woods.

O’Neill grabbed MacGyver by the arm and pulled him close. He saw the way the forest was divided up ahead, part of it branching off towards what looked like a river. “Daniel! Split on three, right flank!”

Daniel nodded as he looked over his shoulder at the 4 approaching Goa’uld. “Got it Jack!”

“One … two… three!”

The group split up, Daniel ran off to the right path while MacGyver and O’Neill took the left. The colonel checked over his shoulder, two of the Cobramen were a few yards behind him.

“We still got company Mac, let’s hustle!”

Mac looked behind and saw the two Goa’uld. “Boy these guys don’t give up do they?”

“Nope, not a chance!”

The river was just up ahead, there were large limestone rock formations all along it.

O’Neill saw them and he grinned. “We can take cover behind those rocks!”

The sound of rushing water welcomed the two men as they found two large rocks close to the bank and ducked behind them. Mac pulled his white shirt out of his waistband and opened it, revealing a white tank top. The little clear buttons went flying as he did so. He wiped the sweat from his face and tied the shirt around his waist on top of his coat. He was definitely winded from all the running.

O’Neill was just across from him; he took off his cap and ran his fingers through his hair. He replaced his cap and looked at the civilian. “So…how are we enjoying our little trip through the Stargate?”

Mac narrowed his eyes a little. “I’m not. If I wanted to be chased by madmen with weapons I could have stayed back in LA!”

The Colonel smiled and started to laugh. “Well think of it this way, they say traveling broadens your horizons.”

“My horizons were pretty broad without having to travel through space.”

O’Neill peered over the top of the rock and saw the 2 Goa’uld had lost sight of them; they were looking around for them. He looked at Mac and put a finger to his lips.

Mac was breathing hard as he watched the two Cobramen coming closer to the river. He swallowed hard as he glanced at the colonel.

O’Neill had his M-16 in his hands; he cocked it and waited for the two Goa’uld to get just a little closer.

The Cobramen walked up to the outcrop of rocks, their staffs pointing straight out in front of them.

“Come on boys, a few more steps.” O’Neill whispered to himself.

The two Goa’uld did just that, they got closer to the rocks. O’Neill popped out from behind his rock and fired his M-16 at the two Cobramen. It hit both of them, one of them in the chest; his staff dropping from his hands as he fell backwards. The second one went down also but it wasn’t clear where he had been hit, he landed flat on his stomach.

MacGyver’s eyes were wide as he turned his head to look at the colonel. “Nice shooting!”

O’Neill put his weapon back on his shoulder. “Thanks, I do this a lot.” He picked up the staff and looked back at MacGyver. “Come on Junior, let’s go help Daniel.”

Mac nodded as he straightened up and stood beside the colonel, looking at the two fallen men. “Evil--”

“Yeah, they are.”

The two men turned around and started heading back to the split in the woods.

O’Neill had the staff in his hands, carrying it easily. Mac was beside him, looking at the weapon. There was a whooshing sound that rang out behind them. A staff burst went zipping by the two men, it hit the ground beside them and exploded. O’Neill cried out and fell flat onto his stomach, he looked over his shoulder and saw the one Goa’uld was still alive. His machine gun fire had only hit him in the arm. O’Neill reached beside him and grabbed the staff; he pointed it at the Cobraman and fired it. The burst exploded right in front of him, when the smoke cleared there was a bloody hole in the man’s chest. The Goa’uld put his hand on it and fell forward.

O’Neill dropped the staff; he leaned back against the ground, breathing hard. His whole right leg was throbbing.

Mac crouched down and was looking at him; he saw no signs of a wound. “Where did it get you?”

The Colonel gritted his teeth. “Leg, it got me in the leg.”

Mac helped him roll onto his left side; he looked down his right leg and saw a large smoking hole in the dark olive pants. “Yeah I see where, it got your hip.”

O’Neill touched his belt, trying to find the little first-aid kit. “Damn it.”

Mac was watching him. “What are you looking for?”

“My medical kit.”

“There were many squares on the belt and MacGyver started opening each little section. Finally he opened one and saw a tiny bottle of antiseptic, and some gauze. “I think I found it.”

“Good, just slap some gauze on it and help me up.”

“I don’t think just some gauze is going to do it.” Mac was looking at the wound; it was a pretty painful looking burn.

O’Neill sighed heavily. “Oh for crying out loud!” He lifted his head and glared at the civilian. “Look Mac this is no time to play doctor! Just press a few gauze squares to it and help me get to my feet! In case you have forgotten there are still two more Goa’uld after us.”

Mac put his hands up. “All right, okay!” He took the gauze out of the medical kit and unwrapped it. He leaned down and looked at the wound. He put the squares into it and pressed them into the burn.

The Colonel flinched and hissed through his teeth. “Easy now! That’s still my leg!”

MacGyver closed the first-aid kit and took O’Neill’s right arm, putting it around his neck. “Okay, on three.”

O’Neill bent his left leg, pressing his boot into the ground. “On three.”

Mac took a deep breath. “One…two…three!” He put his other arm across the colonel’s back. He stood up, pulling the colonel to his feet.

The older man squeezed his eyes shut as he put weight on his right leg. “Oh this is going to make running through the woods fun.”

MacGyver was beside him; he had a tight grip on the arm around neck. He put his arm around the colonel’s waist. “Yeah, just lean on me.”

“I don’t think that’ll be a problem.”

The forest was pitch black as the two men slowly headed back to the split in the woods. Every step O’ Neill took was a painful one, there were shooting pains racing up and down his leg. “Any sign of Daniel or the others?”

“No.” Mac was looking around. “Although for all I know I could have walked right by them. It’s like wading through a bucket of tar out here!”

O’Neill looked up at the sky. “Yeah I know, not even a moon to help us see.”

MacGyver heard a noise and froze, he looked over his shoulder. “I think I heard something.”

The colonel turned his head and talked into his shoulder. “Carter, is the DHD working yet?”

He listened for a second or two. “So Daniel’s with you? Keep working, MacGyver and I will find some shelter, keep me posted.”

O’Neill looked at MacGyver for a moment. “Daniel’s with Carter and Teal’c at the DHD, we need to find some place to lay low for a while.”

“That cave me and those two women were in is not too far from here-- think can you make it?”

The older man sighed, his leg was hurting him. “I don’t have much of a choice do I?”

MacGyver nodded grimly. The colonel was now hurt and the Goa’uld were still after them. The situation wasn’t getting any better. “Don’t put a lot of pressure on your leg, use me as a crutch.”

O’Neill started to laugh. “Since when do crutches walk and talk?”

Mac raised an eyebrow. “Since when does a puddle of water transport you across the galaxy?”

The colonel was taken aback by the civilian’s bold statement and for the first since meeting he saw what Carter was talking about. “You know, you do sort of remind me of me.” He looked at MacGyver’s face. “Although I’m much better looking.”

Mac smiled and shook his head. “Gee, will I ever be able to match that modesty?” He carefully turned them in the direction of the cave. “What do you say we get out of here Colonel?”

O’Neill nodded his head. “Okay Mac, let’s go.” He leaned heavily on MacGyver as they made their way towards the cave.

By the time they got there, O'Neill was pale and shaking. MacGyver helped to ease him down, using another match to look around the cave for a moment. The sound of dripping water and silence was slightly reassuring. He took a breath and squatted down by the wounded man.
"So far so good--how's the hip?"
"Medium rare, by the feel of it," came the raspy whisper. "I'm going to need some codeine and water--"
"Yeah--" Trying not to disturb the colonel too much, Mac gently dug around in the field pack and fished out some bottled water. Another quick pat down revealed a packet of medications, and gingerly Mac opened one. O'Neill swallowed it with a sigh.
"Thanks. I may be in and out for a while, so you may want to take this--" he tried to hand over the M-16, but Mac shook his head.
"No, I don't think so--"
"Excuse me?" O'Neill was incredulous; he blearily looked at MacGyver, who had managed to hang a flashlight from a dangling root.

Mac gave him a firm glance. "Sorry Colonel, but I just don't do business with one of those--sort of a
personal thing."
"Death is sort of a personal thing too, MacGyver, and I'm not anxious for yours or mine at this point. Do me a favor and take the weapon," O'Neill grumbled, a little groggily.
"Listen, Colonel--I can't. To be honest, I'd end up in more trouble with it than without it--"
"Damn it! Then use the staff, all right? I don't know what bizarre moral code you've got, Gandhi, but I plan on having my ass covered!"

Mac wiped his hand down his face. “All right! If it’ll make you feel better.”

O’Neill handed him the staff and sighed. “Believe me it will.” He closed his eyes briefly; the codeine was really beginning to kick in.

MacGyver was looking at the burnt hole in the colonel’s pants. “Colonel, I need you to uh…” He cleared his throat. “Take off your pants.”

The colonel was lying on his side; he lifted his head and raised both of his eyebrows. “Say what?”

The blond man sighed and ran his hands over his face. “I can’t take care of your wound if I can’t get to it.” His face was serious. “We may be here for a while and the last thing we’re going to need is infection setting in.”

O’Neill leaned back and slapped his hand over his eyes. “Oh this is just keeps on getting better and better!” His eyes lids were beginning to feel heavy, but he fought the drowsiness that was starting to invade his senses. He touched his hands to his belt and unbuckled it. He unzipped his pants and pulled them down a little. “There are you happy?”

MacGyver shook his head. “Still can’t see, they have to come down more.”

O’Neill glanced at him. “You know traditionally you’re supposed to buy me dinner before we go this far.” He lifted his behind a little, gritting his teeth against the dull pain he caused in his hip.

“Sorry Colonel, you’re not my type.”

O’Neill pulled his pants and his military green boxers down more. “Please tell me that’s far enough?”

The sound of someone hissing through his teeth rang out and O’Neill sighed in relief. “I’ll take that as a yes.”

Mac pressed his lips together and swallowed hard. “You know, I may have to wait until you pass out before I do anything.” Part of his shorts and the gauze were stuck in the wound. “In fact I insist on that.”

The colonel laid back and draped his arm over his eyes, everything was spinning. “Give me a minute or two and you’ll get your wish.”

MacGyver was watching the colonel, he could tell by his deep breathing that he had finally succumbed to the codeine and pain. He breathed a huge sigh of relief as he took the field kit and emptied its contents on the ground.

Carter, Teal’c and Daniel had their tiny penlights and were shining them into the broken remains of the DHD. The keys were busted in and there was a large crack splitting open the dome. Carter looked at everything and shook her head.

“This is going to be impossible to fix until the sun comes up. It’s just too dark and if we try and use anymore light the Goa’uld are going to find us.”

Teal’c looked around the dark forest and nodded. “You are correct, the light would attract them to us. We have no choice but to wait for daylight.”

Daniel looked down at the broken pieces of the DHD. “We better tell Jack, he’s not going to be happy to hear this.”

Carter sighed. “He said to keep him posted, I’m just going to have to tell him the truth. Not much we can do until morning.” She tucked her earpiece into her ear and turned her head, leaning close to her shoulder. “Colonel, this is Carter, are you there sir?”

MacGyver was sitting with his legs drawn up. He had his arms wrapped around them, with his forehead touching his knees. He had spent a good hour patching up the colonel’s burnt hip. He had destroyed his white shirt, tearing most of it into long strips of cloth that he used as bandages.

The sound of someone talking low started him awake. He lifted his head and looked around. “Hello?”

Mac checked on the colonel, the older man was still unconscious lying on his left side. “I guess I was dreaming.” He said to himself as he put his head back down.

The sound rang out again and Mac lifted his head again. “What is that?”

He got up and began to walk around the cave, trying to pinpoint where the sound was coming from. He moved close to the sleeping colonel and was surprised to find that he was the source of the noise. There was a clear cord lying close to the left side of his neck. It looked like an earpiece.

MacGyver crouched down and put it into his right ear. He remembered how the colonel had spoke into his shoulder. He saw a round speaker on it and he leaned close to it. “Hello?”

“Sir?” The voice on the other end of it was female.

“Carter? This is MacGyver.”

“MacGyver? What are you doing? Where’s Colonel O’Neill?”

Mac looked down at the unconscious colonel. “Sleeping.”

“Sleeping?”

“Yeah, he got blasted in the leg by staff fire. He’s fine just a little crispy, I gave him some codeine for the pain.”

“Where are you guys?”

“We’re in that little cave you all found me and those two women in, do you remember where it is?”

“I think I have an idea of how to get back there.”

MacGyver nodded. “Okay, what’s going on with that dial home thing?”

“Not too good MacGyver. It’s too dark to fix, we’ll try and get to you two, just stay with the colonel, okay?”

“No problem Carter, we’ll be here.” Mac took the earpiece of out his ear and sat back down in the corner.

By the time Carter, Daniel and Teal'c reached the cave; the coldest part of the night had set in. Wearily the three members of SG-1 clambered into the darkness, trying not to step on each other or on O'Neill, who was sleeping fitfully in the back. Mac shifted until he was between Carter and Daniel, with Teal'c on the other side of the colonel.
"So how is he?" Carter asked in a low voice. Mac could hear her fatigue.
"He took a good shot from one of those rod things, right under the hipbone on the right side--second degree burns in a gouge about as wide as two fingers," came the reply. There were winces in the dark; Daniel sighed.
"He's going to be fun when he wakes up--"
"I seriously doubt that, Daniel Jackson," Teal'c replied dryly.

Mac could feel both Carter and Jackson smile, and realized the Jaffa was making as much of a joke as he probably could. Feeling a little left out, he handed out bottles of water; the others took them gratefully.
"So how's that dial thing looking?"
"Fixable--if we had light and about forty minutes of uninterrupted time--" Carter replied thoughtfully. "A couple of the keys seem to be jammed and there's a big crack in the dome, but I'm pretty sure it's still going to work. I just wish we could seal the dome before we tried using it."
"We could use pine tar," Mac offered quietly. "Got enough trees around here to scrape it up a lot of it and bind it with sections of my shirt if it came to that."
No one said anything for a moment, then Teal'c broke the silence.
"The idea has merit, MacGyver."
"It could work--" Daniel mused thoughtfully. "I mean, certainly the pitch is sticky enough--"
"And all we'd need would be for it to hold together long enough to go through--okay, maybe it could work--" Carter added. "Not bad, for a civilian."
"Thanks--I do this a lot," Mac admitted modestly.

Daniel laughed. "What get into trouble and then figure a way out?"
"Actually--yeah. About half of what I do at the Foundation is like that--"
"Perhaps if you avoided trouble in the first place, you would not need to solve the problems that arise from it," Teal'c rumbled. This time it was MacGyver's turn to laugh.
"Life would be a lot more boring then. Although I can't say today's been a snooze--who are those cobra headed guys anyway, and what are they doing with the captives?"

"Wellllllll--" Daniel began with an embarrassed cough, "On a need-to-know basis, as Jack here would say--those are the bad guys, and they're doing what every bad science fiction movie ever has them do."
"Ah," MacGyver replied, "Collecting beautiful women for some sort of intergalactic harem?"
There was no reply to this; MacGyver snorted as the silence went on and on.
"Come on--you're kidding, right? Uh, guys?"
Finally Teal'c spoke up. "It is the truth, MacGyver. The women of Dolyaa are among the preferred
concubines of the Goa'uld."
In the pause, the members of SG 1 could practically hear MacGyver blink.
Certainly Carter could feel his blush and took pity on him. "Other worlds, other cultures, MacGyver. Trust me, this isn't as bad as some scenarios we've been in. You guys remember that nude planet?"
"Geez, who could forget--" Daniel mumbled. "Talk about a humbling experience--I got sunburned in places I didn't remember exposing before."
"Hey at least they segregated us--I don't think I could look any of you in the face again if we were au naturale all together--" Carter replied. "Thank God they took my word about sacred clothing."
"Sacred clothing?" MacGyver smiled.

Carter sighed. "Look, in a moment of panic you can improvise anything, and I was not about to get naked in front of Jack O'Neill--"
"--at least not outside of a game of strip poker--" came the low growl from her commanding officer as he groaned. "Can't you kids keep it down? Grandpa needs his sleep--"
"Colonel! How are you feeling?"
"Like crap of course--" came his woozy reply. "The AK took a hit, so it's out, and MacGyver here is allergic to self-defense ala projectile weapons, so I'm sleeping with both hands over my ass. What's the situation right now?"

Carter moved close to him. “Not so hot right now sir. The DHD is in fairly bad shape. We’ve got broken keys and a split dome. I tried to fix it but without a lot of light I couldn’t.” She looked down briefly.

The colonel could tell by her face that she was disappointed in herself for not being able to get everyone home. “Carter, you did the best you could, that’s all I’ve ever asked of my team and you know that. When first light comes you’ll fix it and get us home, okay?”

The young blond woman lifted her eyes and smiled. “Yes sir, I will.” She glanced back at MacGyver. “I think MacGyver’s idea will work.”

O’Neill raised an eyebrow. “MacGyver’s idea?”

“Yes sir, he has a clever idea on how to seal the dome.”

The civilian shrugged his shoulders. “Hey it’s no big deal, really.” He saw the way Carter was looking at him and he felt his face flush a little.

The colonel saw this and cleared his throat. “Anything else to tell me Carter?”

The captain finally focused her attention back on her commanding officer. “No sir, that’s it.”
"Okay, good--not that I'm processing a lot real well right now--" came his grumble of pain. "Is there anything to drink?"
"Here--”Carter gently passed him one of the bottled waters; O'Neill took it and gratefully drank a few quick gulps.
"Slowly Jack--" came Daniel's gentle admonishment. "Drowning is just as fatal as frying, you know."

The colonel stopped drinking and sighed, the water was amazingly refreshing despite its lukewarm temperature. "Daniel, it’s not drowning when you’re so thirsty your insides have turned into beef jerky." He handed the water back to Carter and wiped his mouth.

“That’s true Jack but still, we need to conserve.”

O’Neill narrowed his eyes at the civilian. “I know that Daniel, this isn’t my first time at the rodeo.”

Daniel cleared his throat and pushed his glasses up. “Actually there is something I have to tell you.”

The older man raised an eyebrow. “I’m not going to like this, am I?”

“Probably not.” He took his M-16 off his shoulder and showed it to the colonel. It was dirty; there were huge clumps of mud and leaves stuck all over it. “I dropped it a puddle on our way here.”

O’Neill groaned and rolled onto is back; he covered his eyes with his hands. “Terrific, that’s two broken M-16’s.”

“Three.” Carter looked down at hers, she was trying to pull the hammer back but it was jammed.

“Let me see that Carter.”

The captain took the gun from around her neck and passed it to her commanding officer. He was fiddling with it but Carter was right, it was jammed. He sighed as he passed her back the weapon. “Great, anyone got any white flags we can wave at the Goa’uld.”

MacGyver put his hand up. “Umm…excuse me?” He crawled over to the assembled party of uniformed troops and sat among them. “I hate to interrupt this military meeting but there are more ways to fight then with just guns.”

“We don’t just have guns, we also have a staff.”

“I know that Colonel but they don’t do much good when they’re broken now do they? And one staff weapon is going to be enough against the four that we know of; there may be more than that.”

O’Neill sighed and ran his hand down his face. “I take it you have some ideas so to what we can do to defend ourselves?”

MacGyver looked at the four inquiring faces that were staring at him. He grinned widely. “A few, compliments of Mother Nature herself.”

The pre-dawn hours were the busiest ones for the three members of SG-1 and MacGyver. With the colonel on the sidelines, it was up to Mac to be in charge of the team. O’Neill had given the civilian his blessing to do what he could to keep the Goa’uld at bay and help get the team home. The four people had used the last remaining traces of the night to booby trap the woods surrounding the clearing and the Stargate.
The sun was just beginning to rise when they returned to the cave. O’Neill was awake and was sitting up with a slight lean to the side to keep his burnt hip from touching the ground.
“Hi kids, have fun playing that an old fashioned game of ‘When Boy Scouts go Bad’?” He saw MacGyver roll his eyes and shake his head slightly. “What?”
The weary civilian sat down beside him and sighed. His white tank top was now a light brown color, sweaty and smudged with dirt. “Oh you’re hilarious, Colonel.”
O’Neill simply shrugged. “I’m under the influence of codeine Mac, I can’t be held responsible for what I say.”
Mac titled his head back, leaning it against the wall of the cave. “Somehow I doubt the codeine has loosened your tongue that much.” He closed his eyes and sighed.
The colonel smiled. “You have a point about that.”
Daniel took his glasses off and rubbed his face. He was sitting between Teal’c and Carter. “You’re under the influence of codeine? So what’s your excuse the rest of the time?”
Carter had her eyes closed. She yawned and covered her mouth briefly. “He doesn’t have one, Daniel.”
O’Neill turned towards his right and looked at the captain. She suddenly realized what she said. She could feel the colonel’s dark eyes burning a hole into her skull. “Uh.. That is…. I mean…” She met his gaze and smiled a little. “I’m sorry sir, I’m a little tired.”
O’Neill nodded. “Speaking of loose tongues Captain.”
Teal’c was the only person not resting; he was watching the light get brighter as he looked out the tunnel entrance. “The sun is rising MacGyver, it is time to put your plan into action.”
MacGyver stretched as he got up and stood over everyone. “Teal’c’s right, it’s time to do this.” He untied the remains of his white shirt from around his waist and tossed it at Carter. “Here’s what’s left of my shirt, use it and some pine pitch to take care of that crack in the dome.”
Carter smiled at him as she picked his shirt up and folded it. “Right.”
Mac returned her smile and gave her a nod. He looked at the commanding officer sitting beside her. “Colonel, you go with Carter and help her fix the device.”
O’Neill raised both of his eyebrows. “I don’t know how much good I’ll be but sure.”
“Well you take the staff and cover her while she fixes the phone.”
The colonel looked at Daniel and Teal’c briefly before focusing his attention on MacGyver. “And just what are you three going to be doing?”
“Playing tag.”
O’Neill leaned back against the wall. “Tag? With the Goa’uld? You didn’t mention using yourselves as bait.” He lifted his head and glared at Daniel and Teal’c. “And you two are going to go along with this?”
Daniel nodded. “I know it sounds nuts Jack but I think it’ll work and besides we have to keep the Goa’uld away from the gate so you two can fix it.”
Carter interjected. “Sir we have no other choice.”
The older man sighed and wiped his hand down his face. He knew Carter was right but at the same time he didn’t want his team to be put in jeopardy. “I know Carter.” He lifted his eyes to look at his team. “Just be careful, the Goa’uld aren’t big game players.”

MacGyver was in a tree, breathing hard as he leaned back against the thick trunk. He was a little sweaty and wiped the beads of sweat from his brow. He had on Colonel O’Neill’s black utility vest and he pressed the ear piece into his left ear and unzipped the vest halfway then pulled the round black speaker closer to his mouth.
“MacGyver here, I’m in a tall tree on the western edge of the clearing. I’m ready down at my end.” He turned towards the east. “Teal’c, how are things in the east?”
"Things are ready here as well MacGyver,” came the passive voice of the Jaffa over the earpiece.
Mac shook his head, it seemed that nothing ever got to the tall solemn alien. “Daniel how about you?”
“I’m in a tree across from Teal’c; things are set to go over here.”
MacGyver nodded. “Colonel? You heard everyone; we’re all in position. Have you and Carter made it to the gate yet?”
“Almost MacGyver, we’re almost there. I don’t have two good legs right now.” O’Neill sounded a little out of breath. “I’m using a woman half my size and weight as a crutch so needless to say it’s pretty slow going. Give us another 10 and we’ll be there.”
“All right, you two just get there and leave the Goa’uld to us.” Mac reached into the vest pocket and pulled out a black flare gun that looked like a .38 special pistol. He checked to make sure it was loaded and slapped it closed. “Okay ladies and gentlemen, the race is about to begin. This is sure to get some big bad snake guy's attention.” He aimed it out in the clearing and pulled the trigger. A bright flare shot out of the gun; the sparkling ball climbed high in the sky before exploding with a loud boom into a bright blinding flash that lit up the whole forest.

Carter and O’Neill uncovered their eyes. They had stopped when they saw the flare blasted into the sky.
“Wow! Bright little sucker wasn’t it sir?” She had her arm around the colonel’s waist; she had his left arm slung around her neck.
O’Neill nodded. “Yeah, those magnesium flares will turn night into day, they’re pretty powerful.” They were a few hundred yards away from the gate. “We better get moving.”
The colonel was holding the staff. He didn’t want to use it as a walking stick but he had no choice. He easily outweighed his captain by a good 50 pounds and didn’t want to topple her. Carter saw his expression and stopped walking.
“Colonel, don’t put your weight on the staff, you’ll break it. We need it for protection.”
O’Neill sighed and looked at her. “I’m heavier than you Carter, a lot heavier, I don’t want-”
The blond woman put her hand up. “Sir, I’m not some fragile little porcelain doll that’s going to shatter if you lean against me. I’m pretty tough; lean on me as hard as you want. I promise you, I can take it.”
The older man gazed at her and nodded, a small smile coming to his lips. "Are you coming on to me, Captain?"

"You wish, Sir," She managed with a respectful expression that didn't quite hide the twinkle in her eyes. O'Neill rolled his own up to the heavens and sighed.
"Ah the cynical edge of youth--let's go--" He carried the staff the proper way and leaned fully against the young woman as they once again resumed their journey to the gate.

Four Goa’uld that had seen the flare and followed it to the clearing. MacGyver, Daniel and Teal’c split up in different directions, each one running to a bobby trapped area.
Daniel’s pulse raced as he peered from around the thick trunk of a pine tree. His cheeks were flushed, and he took his glasses off, quickly wiping them on his pants. He saw one Goa’uld enter the small group of trees, his staff out in front of him. It opened up and was ready to fire at a moment’s notice.
“Come on,” he whispered as he watched the Cobra man. The sharp red eyes of the Goa’uld mask scanning the area, looking for any trace of the human.
“Just a few more steps!” Daniel looked down at the ground where a young sapling was bent down, part of it stripped clean of its branches and leaves, leaving only the flexible bark. The bark had been looped and tied with a knot. There were two pieces of fishing line at his feet and he bent down and carefully picked them up. He watched as the Goa’uld warrior put his foot right in the center of the loop.
“Gotcha!” Daniel pulled on both lines, the loop tightened around the ankle of the Cobra man. The tree was set free of its binding and straightened up fast. The warrior was upside down swinging back and forth like a pendulum. Daniel came out from behind the tree and picked up the staff.
“Thanks, I could use this!” He tucked his earpiece into his ear. “Mac, this is Daniel, one down, three go to.”
“Good going Daniel, see if you can lend Teal’c a hand, he’s got two on his tail. He’s just west of you.”
“Right, I’m on my way,” Daniel pushed his glasses up and ran off in the other direction.

There were staff blasts going off all round him as the Jaffa ran. MacGyver was right, he had two rather persistent Goa’uld on his tail and they had no fear whatsoever about using their staffs. He saw a booby trap up ahead, and he quickly changed directions. He bobbed and weaved hoping they wouldn’t be able to get a clear shot of him. There was a thicket up ahead and he dove into it and stayed quiet hoping to lose the two Cobramen if only for a moment or two.
Teal’c hid in front of a bush and put his earpiece in his ear. “MacGyver, I am in need of some assistance,” His voice was low, barely a whisper.
“I hear you Teal’c--both Daniel and I are on our way, just hang tight.”
“I am not hanging MacGyver, I am hiding.”
“The Cavalry is on its way.”

Teal’c waited until he heard everything get quiet. He turned around and separated the bush. He saw nothing and carefully crawled out of the thicket.
“Don’t move!” came the shouts on either side of him. The Jaffa froze and turned around; the two Goa’uld had their staffs pointed at him.
“Move! That way!” One of them shouted as he pointed with his staff. He pointed right in the direction of the booby-trapped area.
Teal’c nodded and started walking in the indicated direction with the two Cobramen right behind him.

MacGyver and Daniel were in two trees, one on either side of the area that Teal’c and his two captors were approaching. The two men watched as their friend was getting closer and closer. Mac moved the speaker close to his mouth.
“Daniel?”
The civilian was looking straight at him. “Yeah Mac I hear ya.” He pointed towards an area covered with long branches and pine needles. “That tiger pit is right there! Teal’c and the Goa’uld are going to fall right into it!”
Mac nodded. “I know, we want the Cobramen to take a dive, but not Teal’c!”
“So what do we do?”
There were thick vines hanging all over them. Mac reached up and grabbed a couple, then pulled on them hard. He looked across at Daniel. “Hey, ever see a Tarzan movie?”
Daniel saw what he was doing. “Oh you’ve got to be kidding!”
“No I’m not! Do you want Teal’c to fall into the pit?”
Daniel sighed and wiped his hand down his face. He reached up and grabbed a vine and gave it a tug, “All right, let’s do this then.”
“Right, on the count of three…” MacGyver had a strong hold of his vine. He looked down and watched as his friend got ahead of them.

Teal’c heard the entire conversation but he didn’t dare look over his shoulder at his two friends and give their position away. He waited for his chance to get out of the way.
“Now!”
MacGyver and Daniel leapt off of their branches. Teal’c heard the sound of Mac’s shout come over his earpiece and dove to his left.
The two wannabe Tarzan’s swooped down with their feet out and knocked the two surprised Goa’uld in the back. They hit them with such force they broke through the branch and pine needle covering.
Mac laughed as he let his swinging vine come to a stop. He climbed down it and met Daniel, then the two men helped Teal’c to his feet.
“Wow that was great!” Daniel was laughing hard.
Teal’c was also surprised as he brushed off his uniform. “Well done,” He gave the two men a faint smile.
“Wasn’t it? I think Tarzan himself would be proud of us!” Mac had his hands on his hips. He shook his head as he looked down at the two trapped Goa’uld. “Well we got one more to go.”

The colonel was listening to all this and shook his head. “Geez, sounds like those three are entering their second childhood.”
“Why sir?” Carter asked as she was bent over the DHD, she was trying to pry some of the jammed keys up with her knife.
“Daniel and MacGyver were swinging through the trees like monkeys.”
The young woman stopped and lifted her head. “Swinging through the trees?” She tried to imagine Daniel doing that and she couldn’t. “Now that’d be something to see.” She shook her head as she got back to work.

There was one Goa’uld left and he was nowhere to be found. MacGyver, Teal’c and Daniel had split up and were searching for him but having no luck at all. Mac was in the woods, brushing back the thick leaves.
“Guys, any sign of him?”
“No Mac, not one trace,” Daniel’s reply came over the earpiece.
“I too have had no luck, MacGyver.”
Mac shook his head. “So where did he go?”
“I think I can answer that!”

Another voice came through the air. There was the unmistakable blast of staff being fire coming through the earpieces of the three men. “I hate to sound pushy or bossy here but Carter and I could really use your help! We’re getting blasted here!”
MacGyver’s eyes grew wide as he heard the colonel returning the fire. “Damn! He’s at the gate! We’re on our way Colonel!” He turned around and quickly took off in the other direction.

O’Neill was hiding behind one side of the gate returning the staff blasts. He was having a hard time seeing where the fire was coming from. Carter was ducked behind the DHD and had sped up her efforts to finish fixing the broken keys.
“Colonel! Did you tell the others we’re in trouble?” Without her vest she wasn’t able to keep up with the conversations. She had lent it to the colonel so he could keep in contact with MacGyver and the others.
“Of course I did! They should be here any minute!” The gate got hit with a blast, the metal sparked and a puff of smoke drifted close to the colonel’s face. He turned his face from it and ducked down even lower.

MacGyver stopped at a few pine trees along the way. He had punched holes in them, filling up a water bottle partially with pine pitch. He was gathering it for Carter so she could fix the dome and activate the gate. He ran through the clearing and saw that his other two cohorts had made it. Daniel and Teal’c were with the colonel. Daniel gave the staff he had confiscated to Teal’c and let the Jaffa fire it.
“Nice timing Mac!” O’Neill called out to him as he ducked behind the DHD with Carter.
“Sorry Colonel had to do some shopping!” Mac took the bottle of pine pitch and handed it to Carter. “Here, seal the dome but leave some for me.”
The young blond woman took the bottle. “Why?”
MacGyver untied his blazer and took out his pocketknife. He laid his blazer out and started cutting it into squares. “Just a little home defense.” He looked at the captain. “Got any bullets handy?”
Carter took the shirt Mac had given her and began to tear it up. “Bullets?” She still had her M-16; she took it off her shoulder and pulled the clip out of it. “Here you go.”
“And just what are you going to do with those?” The colonel was watching Mac.

“Watch and you’ll see!” Mac opened the bullets and poured the gunpowder into a cut out section of his blazer. He took back his bottle of pine pitch, poured a drop or two onto the black powder then mixed them together, making a paste. “I hope this works.”

MacGyver folded up the square and tied the ends together, forming a little pouch. He made 5 of these, one for each person present.
Carter got the bottle of pitch and poured a healthy dollop of it onto the cracks. She took the long strips of the shirt and tied them over and under the dome, pulling it as close together as she could hoping the pitch would seal it.

Mac picked up his bundles and ducked a couple of blasts to made his way to the gate. “Gentlemen, I have an idea. Since our friend over there doesn’t seem to want to give up, I say we light these, toss them over there and use the smoke it’ll create to get out of here.”
The three men each took one and MacGyver returned to the DHD. He handed one bundle to Carter. “Here you go Carter, just get ready to light it when I say.”
Carter nodded. “Okay, when you say.”
The two people were looking at each other and Carter’s face broke out into a small smile. MacGyver smiled back at her, he started to move towards her but then stopped. “How’s the phone working?”
The captain cleared her throat. “I don’t know yet, I haven’t tried.”
“Well try.” The voice of her commanding officer broke the mood. They both turned and looked at him. “Yes sir.”

Daniel, Teal’c and O’Neill got away from the gate and ducked behind the DHD. The Goa’uld in the trees was still firing.
“This guy is determined isn’t he?” O’Neill looked the captain. “Teal’c and I will cover you, you just dial home.”
Carter nodded. “Yes sir.”
O’Neill’s hip was killing him but he couldn’t think about it right now. He and Teal’c were next to each other, “Ready Teal’c?”
The Jaffa gave the colonel a nod. “When you say O’Neill.”
“One, two, three!”

O’Neill and Teal’c stood up, firing their staffs at the trees. Carter rose and took a long black rectangle out of her pocket. It was a remote radio; she pressed it, letting Cheyenne know they were on their way home. She began pressing the keys, entering the address to get back home. When the last digit was entered she closed her eyes briefly praying the dome was sealed as she gently put her hand against it and pressed.

The inner circle of the gate began to spin and each one of the chevrons began to lock into place. The center of the gate became water, a long tube of it whooshing like a tidal wave shooting out of the iris. The water pulled back in and fluttered.

“Yes! It worked! Let’s go!” O’Neill titled his head back; he was relieved his captain had come through.

MacGyver was also relieved as he took the last match he had out of his pocket. “Just like I said, we light them and toss them.” He dragged the match along the side of the DHD.

The 5 people were all huddled together, each one touching the end of their little blazer bundle to the flame.

They all stood up, throwing them at the group of trees up ahead.

Pete was in the control room; he had his arms crossed over his chest as he watched the open gate. He was nervous and anxious and had been that way ever since his best friend had fallen through the gate. The center was nothing more than a sheet of liquid; the bright reflection of the shimmering water looking like a pool in the summertime.

“So where are they?” He turned to Hammond standing beside him.

The general shook his head. “I don’t know Pete, we got Carter’s signal. I’m sure they’ll be coming through any minute.”

The water flickered again and the 5 weary members of SG-1 stepped through. MacGyver and Carter were helping the colonel walk.

Hammond saw the pained face of the colonel, leaned close to the microphone. “I need a medical team to the embarkation room.”

Pete smiled and laughed as he saw his friend was all right; he came out of the control room. “MacGyver!”

Shaking his head, he walked over to his friend and stretched out his hand. “Are you all right?”

Mac let go of the colonel to shake it. “Hey Pete, yeah I’m fine.”

Carter glanced at Mac as she gave the General a salute. “General Hammond.”

The bald man gave her a nod. “Welcome back SG-1.” He looked at O’Neill. “Dr. Frasier is on her way Colonel.”

O’Neill sighed, he was exhausted. “Oh good, I could use a nice strong dose of morphine about now.”

The captain nodded. “We’ll meet her there sir.”

General Hammond nodded, silently giving his permission. Carter gave MacGyver another glance as she; Teal’c and Daniel took their commanding officer to the med center.

O’Neill lay on a cot on his left side. The effects of the medication he had been given were strong, his eyes were closed. There came a gentle knock and he turned his head and saw MacGyver standing in the doorway.

“Hi, can I come in?”

The colonel yawned and wiped his hand down his face. “Sure come on in.”

Mac had the colonel’s vest in his hands. “I came by to give this back to you. Pete and I were just getting ready to leave.”

O’Neill nodded as he reached out and took the vest. “Thanks.” He set it aside and glanced at the blond man, a serious look blooming on his face. “You know Mac, you were right.”

MacGyver was taken aback, he raised both his eyebrows. “I was, about what?”

“About relying too heavily on a gun to get you out of trouble. You, Teal’c and Daniel took on four Goa’uld with practically nothing.”

Mac smiled and shrugged his shoulders. “It wasn’t a big deal Colonel. I simply used the best weapon one can carry.” He tapped his finger against his temple. “Guaranteed never to freeze up on you, or jam or fall into a puddle of water and become useless.”

The older man chuckled as he stuck out his hand. “It was good to meet you MacGyver, maybe you can come back some time and we can go fishing. I know this really sweet spot up in Minnesota where the fish are just begging to be caught.”

MacGyver smiled as he shook the older man’s hand. “It’s funny you should mention Minnesota, I was born there.”

The colonel smiled. “Really?” He shook his head and started to laugh at his friend. “Don’t tell Carter that or she really will say we’re twins.”

“I won’t.” Mac turned around and started to leave the room. He twisted around and raised his hand to the colonel before leaving.

“Are you ready?” Pete was standing by the elevator. He was more than ready to go home since this little trip to Colorado had been more exciting then he had planned it to be.

Mac looked down the hall. He was hoping to say goodbye to someone but no one was there; it was just him, Pete and the general. “Yeah, I could really use a shower.”

Pete laughed. “I bet.” He turned to his friend and stuck out his hand. “George, it was great seeing you again.”

“Same here Pete, you both have clearance now, come back anytime to visit.” Hammond shook MacGyver’s hand as well. “Thanks for all your help Mac and for bringing back my team in one piece.”

MacGyver gave him a nod. “It was a pleasure to meet you General.”

Pete smiled at his friend. “If you’re ever in LA George, you know where to reach me.”

The two men turned towards the elevator and pressed the button. Mac started to step into it when he heard someone call out his name. He turned around and saw that it was Carter.

“I’ll see you up at the top Pete.”

Pete nodded as he and Hammond boarded the elevator. Mac waited until the doors closed before he turned to face the young woman.

Carter had taken off her jacket and cap; she was only in an olive green t-shirt. “You’re not uh…going back to LA right away are you?”

Mac shook his head. “No, Pete said we’d stay a few more days. A little R & R time before go back to the Foundation.”

The young woman nodded as she looked down at the cement floor briefly. “Oh good… I was just wondering if you’d maybe let me take you out to dinner tonight.”

MacGyver smiled. “I’d like that; Pete and I are in the Rocky Mountain Inn, suite 210.”

“Okay, how does seven sound?”

“Sounds good, I’ll be there.” He looked down at his tank top, it was practically falling apart. “I promise to be more presentable.”

Carter laughed a little. “Okay.” She started to turn to leave but then stopped. She moved closer to Mac, leaning forward she pressed her lips against his cheek.

Sam’s face was slightly flushed as she smiled at Mac. “See you at seven.” She turned and walked down the hall.

Mac touched his cheek and sighed; a large smile blooming on his lips as he pressed the button for the elevator. He watched her walk away, he couldn’t wait for seven to get hurry up and get there…