Rhea woke up, but didn't open her eyes because she was well aware that she'd be blinded if she did. So instead she rolled onto her side and stood up blind, only opening her eyes when she realised that she was probably covered in dirt.

"Welcome back," Mac said, repeating the words that had almost earned him a kicking that morning.

She brushed the dust off her clothes and looked up at him. "Would you mind giving me a hand?" she asked him, holding out her hands.

"I don't think that I'll be much help," he said gruffly.

"Well, I'd ask Dr Start, but I don't think that it'd be wise," she replied softly. "Besides, all you have to do is help me get the thingies off."

"Thingies?" he enquired mildly, although he was already working on them. "Is that the correct term?"

"Hey, last time I checked I had was a microbiologist, not a medic. As far as I'm concerned they're thingies and nothing more." Mac finally succeeded in unhitching one of the clasps holding her bandages in place and while she began to pull it off with her teeth he worked on the other.

A cough interrupted them mid un-fastening. "I hate to interrupt you, but the others are back," Start said without tone before turning away.

Rhea glanced up at him and raised an eyebrow. Mac just shook his head and finished unhitching the other fastening, and soon her hands were free from their bindings. She curled and uncurled her fingers, revelling in the fact that an hour's sleep on her part could heal multiple fractures. Grinning, she gathered up the bandages and looked around for some place to dump them. Not finding one, she balled them up and shoved them into one of the numerous pockets in her jacket.

"Oh, that reminds me," she said suddenly, rummaging around in yet another pocket.

"What?" Mac asked curiously.

"I managed to pick these up when we escaped the first time." She pulled out the two pendants she'd come across that morning. "They act almost like mini-ribbon devices so far as I can guess, in addition to just about override the normal action of a hand ribbon device. And, here's the thing," she said, slipping one of the amulets around his neck (she repaired the chains herself), "you don't need any Naquadah in your blood so far as I can tell."

"I don't-" he protested, looking down at the amulet and then at her. "Don't bother arguing 'cos you won't win. You will wear it and McNamara will wear the other one," she replied matter-of-factly. "She's probably the most vulnerable of any of us so she gets the other one."

"Okay," he agreed and, dropping the amulet inside his shirt, he turned to plan their hike with the others.

~*~*~

Finally Rhea O'Shea woke. To Mackenzie it felt she'd been asleep longer than the 40 minutes she had. But a time check proved his initial feelings were wrong. And she looked a helluva lot brighter than she had before.

"Welcome back," he said, smiling down at her as she struggled upright, before realizing his smile was wasted as her eyes were firmly glued shut.

She twisted her head towards his voice, saying, "Would you mind giving me a hand?" She held out her hands to him. Mac knew he'd be little help in his own state, but helped her as best he could regardless. He knew he wasn't helping much as he watched as she resorted to gnawing at the bandages herself, as he wrestled with her other hand.

Start coughed behind him. "I hate to interrupt you, but the others are back." She walked away without another word and Mac saw Rhea throw him an odd expression - one that included a raised eyebrow. He shrugged and shook his head as he worked on her second hand.

He was about to turn away to talk to MacDonald when Rhea called him back. "Oh, that reminds me," he heard her say as she delved into one of her numerous pockets.

"What?" Mac replied.

. "I managed to pick these up when we escaped the first time," she said, hauling out a couple of items and explaining their function. "And, here's the thing," she continued as she dropped one around his neck, "you don't need any Naquadah in your blood so far as I can tell."

Mac tried to protest, sure that it would better serve one of the others on the team. Start maybe... But Rhea wouldn't have it.

"You will wear it and McNamara will wear the other one," she informed him in a voice that brooked no argument.

Realizing it would be futile to fight her, he accepted and tucked it inside his shirt before heading for MacDonald. "Lieutenant?" he called as he drew close, making the other man turn to face him.

"Sir?"

"I assume we're ready to ship out?"

"Yes, sir," came the welcome reply. Mac knew it was already mid-afternoon, but night didn't draw in until pretty late into the evening. They had at least five hours daylight left. Ample to get them well on their way. He stuffed the two maps into a pocket and called the team together.

"We'll stop by the base camp and collect the supplies and head out for Los Tres Ninos straight away. Everyone all right with that?" He was answered a few nods and murmured words. "Then lets move it," he finished.

The hike to base soon passed and the team each grabbed a pack. Mac struggled with his, wondering how he was going to get the damned thing on his back when a pair of hands pulled it away from him roughly.

"Here, put your arms through," Start said almost crossly. He obeyed and she walked around to his front so she could adjust it more comfortably. "Ok?" He nodded in gratitude as she went to pick up her own pack. Mac watched her as she left, a puzzled look on his face. 'Just when you think you know a person...' he thought to himself, smiling wryly.

Within minutes they were heading off toward the three mountains and hopefully the missing Mazatl Codex.

~*~*~

It was all Rhea could do to stop the knot of fear in her stomach showing on her face as they plunged back into the jungle on a relatively well-worn path.

//What is wrong with me? I'm healed, I'm fine... I'm absolutely terrified,// she thought, her eyes scanning for something. Anything.

/*I don't blame you for feeling like this. Last time we were in this place we nearly died,*/ Asreal commented.

//Are you scared?//

/*Out of my wits.*/

//Oh, and that makes me feel *so* much better,// she replied with a wry smile.

/*You did ask.*/

Her skin prickled into gooseflesh with the sounds of movement to her right. Without having to think about it a great deal, she drew her [replacement] hunting knife from the sheath strapped to her thigh and gripped it firmly by the hilt. It was only after a small bird emerged from the shrubbery that she dared relax and put the knife away. Looking to her team, she noticed that all but Mackenzie were looking at her like she completely lost it. He, at least, was looking like he was on full alert for anything.

Chuckling nervously, she shrugged. "Sorry, I'm a bit paranoid," she said lightly.

There were a few nods and they all went back to hiking. She fell back towards the rear of the group, keeping her head down as she walked and determinedly ignored the way her gut clenched with every rustle of foliage or crack of twigs breaking. There was a walkman in her backpack, but she didn't dare use it to calm herself down just in case she missed some vital sound. Instead, she began to hum some Crowded House under her breath while she sang the lyrics in her head. However, soon after she started up the words migrated from her brain to her lips.

"Well there's a small boat made of china; it's going nowhere on the mantelpiece," she breathed, singing the higher section of the melody - not really caring that it probably sounded really strange without the lower harmony. She hadn't finished the chorus when she felt Mackenzie's presence beside her (one of these days she was going to figure how on Earth she knew he was near without even looking).

"Are you always so lyrical?" he enquired softly.

She grinned. "Only when I'm on the wrong side of nervy... or out to embarrass someone to hell and back," she replied just as softly, looking ahead at Start's back.

"So which one is this?" She could feel him looking at her, but didn't return the gaze.

"Why don't you take a wild guess," she said, finally glancing towards him for a moment before looking away.

"We're not going anywhere near his lair," he reminded her gently.

"I realise that. But we also weren't anywhere near his lair the first time," she reminded him. "Of course, you weren't exactly conscious while we were being dragged through the jungle." A pained look flitted across his face, something she could see out of the corner of her eye. "I'm sorry," she apologised immediately. "That wasn't fair."

"That's okay," he replied. "I didn't realise you were awake. When we got there..."

"I got my head belted by a rock," she said. She rubbed her upper arms, remembering the pain in them inflicted by the first catman they'd come across. As it was she was still had some scars there, hidden by the jacket, due to the fact that it was more difficult for Asreal to convert stroma to parenchyma and the Tok'ra hadn't really had enough time to do that sort of thing anyway.

"Ouch!" Mackenzie hissed without warning.

"What?" Rhea asked urgently, the knife making a reappearance.

"This stupid amulet just zapped me," he said, pulling out the faintly glowing pendant.

She considered this for a moment. "Wait a second," she told him and jogged up to the front of the group, where McNamara was.

"Is there something wrong?" the anthropologist asked her curiously.

"Do you mind if I..." She indicated the amulet sitting on her chest.

"No, I suppose not." McNamara continued walking as Rhea lifted the pendant and inspected it.

"Thanks," she said and stopped to wait for Mackenzie to show up.

"Well?"

"Her's is glowing a bit too, but she didn't get zapped because it's sitting outside her clothes," she informed him. "This could mean just about anything Mac."

"Like there are catmen headed our way?" His face grew tense at this thought.

"It could be that, or it could be that it's some sort of signal." She shrugged. "Let's just pray that it's a signal."

~*~*~

He'd been chatting nicely enough with Rhea when he'd felt what seemed to be an electrical discharge in the middle of his chest.

"Ouch!" he hissed, noting Rhea's immediately defensive reaction as she pulled a knife out from somewhere. So fast Mackenzie didn't see where from.

"What?" she asked him, concern in her voice. Mac explained that the amulet, the same one she'd so kindly draped around his neck in Pueblo, had just stung him. He hauled it out from where it lay beneath his shirt to see it glowing faintly. Rhea ran over to check McNamara's to discover a similar glow and Mac peered at it closely.

"Hers is glowing a bit too, but she didn't get zapped because it's sitting outside her clothes," Rhea said. "This could mean just about anything Mac."

"Like there are catmen headed our way?" Mac glanced around as he spoke, worry rearing its head considerably.

"It could be that, or it could be that it's some sort of signal. Let's just pray that it's a signal," she replied.

"Yeah... lets," Mac preferred that suggestion to a return bout with the catmen. "But a signal for what? That we're close to the Codex?"

"Could be," she responded. "Then again, it could also be a reaction to your body chemicals. I mean the catman I took it from probably had a different composition to you. Maybe a sort of reaction against whatever its made from?" She grinned as she saw Mac peer inside his shirt, more than likely checking for a green rash or something. Nothing found, he poked the amulet back inside his shirt and saw her quizzical look.

"What?"

"Just wondering if you actually *like* the sensation of electricity raking through your chest," she gestured towards the now hidden amulet.

Mackenzie frowned at her slightly. "And what's the use of having what could feasibly be an early warning system and not making full use of it?"

"Point taken," she conceded. After all, McNamara hadn't been aware of the amulet's altered state. Only the jolt had done that. They continued on towards the three mountains...mountains they could all now see clearly as they rose out of the jungle and Mac walked over to Tirion Start, seeing her glance up at him as she approached.

//No frown. That's an improvement,// he thought to himself, instantly regretting it. Hell, it wasn't her fault he'd acted like a total ass since the first moment he'd met her. Seeing it through her eyes, he could understand her animosity. Jeez, their initial meeting had ended with him hauling her bodily inside a storage closet! No wonder she gave him such a wide berth.

"Doc. Any thoughts on where to localize the search once we get there? Those mountains look to cover a fairly wide area."

She paused a little before answering - to Mac it looked like she was considering saying something that had nothing to do with his question and he braced himself, really not wanting to argue with her. Now or ever. He knew he was feeling a bit out of things still. Not his normal 'I can take any amount of bullshit' self. He knew his arrogance probably pissed off the others...Start anyway...and was determined to try and alter that. If he could.

"Map references point towards the central mountain. Other than that, I'm afraid we'll have to wait until we get there and hope for a sign of some sort." She glanced at his chest as she spoke and Mac knew she was referring to the zapping ability of the amulet.

"I don't suppose...?" he made a half-hearted attempt at removing the amulet and offering it to her.

She grinned at him. //She looks so different when she lets herself smile,// he inwardly murmured. "No, Major. Please. Keep it. I insist."

He shrugged. "Just a thought," he replied, grinning back at her, knowing his 'offer' would be refused. Hell, that jolt had hurt! He walked at her side, not speaking - or arguing - for the next hour or so as the mountains drew ever closer.

~*~*~

Diens had heard Mac's “Ouch.”

//The guy just does not stop doing damage to himself! no wonder they put me on this team,// she thought to herself. To be honest she was amazed that her CO could walk in a reasonably straight line with the amount of damage it had taken over the last couple of days.

"Doc. Any thoughts on where to localize the search once we get there? Those mountains look to cover a fairly wide area." Mac asked Start.

"Map references point towards the central mountain. Other than that, I'm afraid we'll have to wait until we get there and hope for a sign of some sort," the astrophysicist replied.

The mountain were drawing closer. //I hate walking. That's why I joined the USAF... so I could fly to places instead.//

Diens was bored. For the next hour or so she did anything to keep her mind occupied. She planned her holiday, what she was gonna do next Christmas, gave the rest of the team their own nicknames...of which they would never know. Not a bad days work for a psychologist. //How many psychs does it take to change a light bulb?// she thought to herself. //How many four-leaf clovers will it take to stop my CO from getting killed? When will I find out what a Goa'uld looks like? How do you get a red wine stain out of a white t-shirt?//

~*~*~

Tirion shifted her backpack into a more comfortable position and watched the conversation between Mackenzie and O'Shea.

"Well… I guess we can't just throw ourselves into the bushes every time someone sneezes…" He said, although his voice betrayed his concern. "Let's just be careful."

They had walked all of about fifty metres when she heard two sharp yelps. Looking over her shoulder, she saw two *very* displeased faces, one belonging to the team anthropologist, the other the CO. Both individuals held their amulets as far from their chests as they possibly could.

"The damned thing zapped me again!" Mackenzie said, scowling. "And it was on the OUTSIDE of my clothes this time!"

"You're telling me!" Angel snapped back. "I thought these were supposed to *protect* us, not administer electric shock therapy!"

Start chuckled to herself and turned back around, staring into the bushes. She was *enormously* surprised to see the bushes stare back. A cold chill ran up the doctor's spine at the figure among the trees.

"They're glowing like all buggery…" Rhea muttered somewhere behind her. "I sure hope that's a good thing…"

The eyes flashed once.

//Ohh… boy.//

"Well I'm sure as hell not going to wear these things if they're going to zap me every five seconds.." McNamara grumbled.

Twice.

The creature moved in absolute silence. That was Tirion's thought pattern as it darted out of the bushes and hurtled towards her. In a flurry of fur, it hit with a force that would have made any NRL player proud, sending her crashing onto her back and forcing any hope of breath out of her lungs. Blinking the spots from her eyes she focused just in time to see a shadow descend on top of her. She felt the searing pain of claws raking across her left shoulder before the full weight of the animal landed on her ribcage, and everything clouded over.

~*~*~

"Holy shit!" MacDonald yelped, quickly followed by the sound of someone or something hitting the ground... hard. Rhea's head snapped in the direction of the noise and her heart almost stopped when she saw the catman sitting on top of Start, just about to strike at her with it's unsheathed claws. There was no time to pull out the ribbon device before it raked its claws over the woman's shoulder. She saw sidearms appear in just about everyone's hands, but before they had any chance to fire a force wave flew out from the creature's amulet, knocking MacDonald, Diens and Hunter flying. Mackenzie and McNamara were more or less protected by the pendants she'd given them (they were only tipped onto their respective backsides), and she assumed that even though she didn't have the ribbon device on her hand it was still working to protect her - because she didn't move.

//Get his attention!// she screamed at Asreal, who obediently took control of her body.

"Jaffa!" she yelled. "Why don't you pick on someone who's your own size?!" she said in Goa'uld, followed by the traditional eye flash.

It only had a chance to glance up at her before her body connected solidly with its own and knocked it off Start's chest. They fell into the bushes with a crash of broken branches, but she was soon out of there and backing away from the incensed creature.

"Get her out of here!" she screamed at her team, only sparing them a glance before looking back to the catman, who was slowly picking himself out of the shrubbery.

"O'Shea-" someone protested, but she ignored it.

"DO IT!!!" she all but ordered them, this time not even sparing them a glance as it slowly advanced on her.

Her vision began to recede until all she could see was the creature in front of her, now amulet-less thanks to her quick thinking after tackling it. However, even without it, the goon was still eight foot of muscle, sinew and glaring wrath. Since her ribbon device was back in her pack, she had no choice but to go hand-to-hand with the thing - not the wisest choice in anyone's books but the only one as she could see. And she was on her own, because she was standing directly between it and the rest of SG-15, and no one would risk a shot if there was a possibility that she might accidentally catch it.

They faced each other off for a moment before she unexpectedly launched herself into a dead run... right at it. It obviously wasn't prepared for such a tactic, so it didn't protect itself when she literally began to run up it's front. Time seemed to slow to a crawl as she planted one foot on it's knee, the other one on it's abdomen and then flipped herself over - a steel-capped boot collecting it right under the chin. It seemed to take forever for her to land, on her feet, but when she did the animal was spreadeagled on the ground. When it made no obvious signs of movement within a few heartbeats, she pulled free her spare hunting knife and strolled over to it's side. The way it's head lolled to the side made it clear that it had a broken neck thanks to her attack, but she wasn't about to take any chances, so she plunged the knife into it's throat.

Standing up, she turned and saw several sets of wide eyes staring at her from where their owners were clustered around Start, who had regained consciousness and had the same amazed look on her face.

"I won didn't I?" she protested defensively.

~*~*~

Tirion stared up at the sky, trying to ignore the pain in her shoulder and the feel of blood trickling down to her neck. Suddenly, her view was blocked by the upside-down face of Diens.

"Are you okay, Doctor?" she asked.

"Fine, except for the fact that I feel like a tipped-over turtle.." she retorted, attempting to sit up.

A sharp pain lanced through her side and she took a quick breath, which in itself was a mistake as it only succeeded in making the pain worse. The woman swore to herself, gritted her teeth and hoisted her body upright anyway. The world spun, and she was acutely aware of hands pulling her pack off. One of the straps brushed her shoulder and she swore again, this time a little louder, and tried to glare at whoever it was. Problem was, she couldn't see properly.

"I'm going to have to take your jacket off, doctor." Diens said again.

A small conversation went on between Diens and someone whose voice she recognised as Mackenzie's, then she felt a hand on her other shoulder.

"We're going to sit tight until you're patched up, and then we're going to head back."

"Oh for God's sake.." Start hissed. "I'm not crippled. Just.. throw a bandage on it and we'll be right. I don't want to spend any more time in here than is *absolutely* necessary. That *includes* going back and coming here another time."

"We should split-" Mackenzie began.

"Don't even start Major.." Tirion interjected. "You think we're going to have any better chance if there's less of us?" She knew she had a point, and beyond the stubbornness she was exhibiting, she knew there was logic somewhere there. Attempting to take another breath, and failing dismally, she kept the pain well away from her face as she continued. "Look, I'm fine. Just..." She waved her good hand her shoulder. "Put something on that, and let's get going."

"You sure?" Mackenzie now crouched in front of her, and she could actually focus on his face a little better. There was concern lining his features, and he looked almost.. "Doc?"

"Yes. You know I'm right Mac...” she repeated, softly and without accusation. "We can't afford to split up."

He nodded slowly, motioning to Diens. The woman disappeared, then reappeared with her medikit.

"Okay, off with the jacket."

~*~*~

"Gorgeous.." Tirion muttered when Diens was finished.

"Let's get this over with.." Mackenzie said, heaving his pack onto his back.

The astrophysicist now faced another problem, standing up. Leaning on her good hand, she levered her legs in a crouching position below her and stood carefully. More spots danced in front of her eyes at the movement, but she remembered this time not to appease it by breathing in. Squeezing her eyes shut, she settled with shallow breaths and inconspicuously prodded her ribcage.

She *really* didn't like what she felt.

"Wonderful…" She cursed out of earshot of anyone else, as she wandered towards her pack.

"You okay, doc?" Mackenzie called out.

She nodded. "Peachy."

There was no point in telling the truth - all it would succeed in doing would be to draw out the mission, give the… things… more time to regroup, and… it would be generally bad. Very bad.

"Need a hand with that?" A voice asked from next to her. "Unless you plan on kicking it the rest of the way..." Seeing it to be O'Shea, the Start's frown grew but she nodded and allowed her to pick up her pack. "By the way..." The woman continued, as she put one shoulder strap on, "I suppose I should-"

"Shutthefuckup." Tirion said, sucking in some more shallow breaths as the redistribution of weight jarred her ribs. "Don't even try. If you apologise for that, it means I have to apologise for pointing a gun at Mackenzie's head. Now, there's no way I'm going to do that.. so don't make me. I have a sore shoulder, and I think I'm going to be sick."

Rhea chuckled and fastened the astrophysicist's pack securely. "Point taken, doc."

As they headed out, Tirion focused on the ground, trying her hardest to stop it from dancing it's unpredictable dance in front of her, and hoping that wherever they were going, it didn't involve her running or bending down in any way.

~*~*~

The shock of seeing that catman launch itself at Tirion had almost frozen Jake Mackenzie to the spot - until the blast from the creature's amulet had knocked him to the ground. He watched as O'Shea threw herself at it as it squatted on top of the doc. Mac could easily see the bloody marks left by the beast as he heard Rhea shout, "Get her out of here!"

He wasn't keen on that idea and began to voice his protest. "O'Shea..."

"DO IT!!!" she almost screamed back. Mac was vaguely aware of Rhea's battle with the creature, one that she swiftly won, much to his astonishment, as he helped MacDonald haul Tirion away from the scene. Not too far, just enough to give O'Shea the space she needed. He stepped back to allow Diens the room to look at the doc. She was lying very still and looked way too pale. She began to wake up as Rhea rejoined them, looking pretty pleased with herself. And with good reason. The creature was obviously now an ex-catman.

He glanced back as he heard Diens say, "I'm going to have to take your jacket off, doctor." Diens stood up to remove the garment, as Mac spoke softly to her.

"How serious is it, Lieutenant?"

"She should go back to the base camp. She really needs proper treatment - more than I can give her here, sir," came her unwanted reply.

Mac knelt down in front of her, asking if she was sure that she could continue. part of him wanted to go on, but... He looked at her pale face again. Maybe they should scrap the mission all together?

Tirion answered, as he had just reached the decision to return to the base. "Yes. You know I'm right Mac..." she said, softly. "We can't afford to split up." She continued to press her point, insisting she was well enough to carry on. Mac wasn't so sure and watched with a worried frown as Diens patched her up as best she could, jabbing an antibiotic into her at the same time. Hell, he'd even tried suggesting they split up, but she'd shot that one down immediately.

~*~*~

Some time later, Diens had finished her work and helped Tirion back on with her bloodstained jacket. He hauled his pack onto his back, struggling with the straps until Hunter helped him. "Let's get this over with," he said, glancing back as he saw the doc struggle to her feet. hew so wanted to help her but was unsure whether it would be seen as that. Help. He knew she was as independent and stubborn as he was and help wasn't always welcomed. Hell, he knew that all too well.

He continued to watch her as she almost staggered towards her pack, unable to stop himself finally calling out to her. "You okay, doc?"

He heard her muttered reply. "Peachy." Mac's brow furrowed as he heard the pain in that single word. He knew she was putting up a front - probably for his benefit to stop him from ordering a return. O'Shea helped her with her pack as he walked backwards, following the others while maintaining sight of the injured woman. Although he couldn't hear their conversation, he knew it was slightly heated and caught a glance thrown his way by both women.

'Now what?' he silently asked himself. They forged onwards, at a slower pace than before to allow Start a chance to regain a little of her strength, as Mac dropped back to her side.

"You ok?" he asked, peering down at her. She was struggling, *that* much was obvious. "Hold up," he said, pulling on her uninjured arm. Even so, he heard her hiss in pain.

She almost glared at him as he stood in front of her, fumbling at the straps that held her pack, wincing as he undid them and jarred his fingers. "What the hell are...?"

He ignored her and hauled her pack off her back, throwing it over his own shoulder. "And you wear this from now on," he said in a voice that wouldn't take any argument. He gently placed his amulet around her neck and walked off before she had a chance to respond. Mac knew she stood a better chance of keeping up without her heavy pack. He hoisted it higher on his shoulder, almost toppling backwards with the added weight. He could feel her eyes on his back, but didn't turn round as he wasn't sure if she was glowering at him in anger, or... something else. He didn't want to know in case it was the former.

The hike to the three mountains was going to be a long one. He could see that easily enough from the map and the distant peaks that jutted above the treetops. The light level was dropping slightly and a furtive glance back at the doc made him all for an early halt for the night.

"This is as good a place as any," he told them, dropping his two packs with great relief. MacDonald and Hunter scouted around, ensuring the perimeter was secure as McNamara and Diens threw a quick camp together. Within the hour, a small fire was blazing and watches were organized. Dual watches. He would take the first one with McNamara.

"We'll leave early. First light," he informed the team. He crouched by Start, speaking to her for the first time since he'd relieved her of her pack and dumped the artefact around her neck. She didn't look *too* angry. At least, he hoped she wasn't. All he knew was he felt an odd need to protect her. Why was the mystery. He could image her reaction if he admitted that to her too! Mac wisely kept it to himself.

"How d'ya feel now, doc?" he asked, narrowing his eyes at her slightly. He knew she was about to try and pull some sort of cover up story. But he wasn't going to fall for that - he'd seen her wounds.

"I'm fine, Mac... really," she said. He frowned at her and raised an eyebrow, jerking his head round as he felt a hand on his shoulder. It was Diens.

"Major? Before you stand watch I want to take a peek at your left hand." She gestured towards the offending appendage and he looked down to see a filthy bandage.

"There's nothing wrong..."

Diens coughed and interrupted. "Yes, I'll be the judge of that. The word 'infection' springs to mind when I look at that germ-fest." He looked down to see a pair of filled-filled eyes returning his gaze. He shrugged back at her and resigned himself to Diens' not so tender mercies.

~*~*~

Tirion tried to pull her blanket up past her chin to prevent the cold from permeating any further, but the movement did nothing but cause a painful grinding from her lower torso. She had positioned herself a little closer to the fire than normal, but was careful to keep her face away from the light - placing her pack next to her ear as an obstruction. Lucky for her she had - she couldn't help screwing up her face and silently cursing through clenched teeth. Bile crawled up to her throat and she immediately swallowed, pushing it down.

//I'll be damned if I throw up in front of all these people.//

She lay on her back, which was the only position she could feel remotely comfortable in. The thought of the rest of the night trying to sleep *without* rolling onto either side.. in fact the thought of her trying to sleep without *moving* seemed a daunting task, so she had settled for spending as much time as she could staring at the stars. Her hand subconsciously curled around the amulet on her neck, and the doctor wondered if it would be worth being angry at Mackenzie for treating her like a pathetic invalid who couldn't hold her own. In any other situation, maybe.. but not tonight. If he tried it again tomorrow, she might just do it. After all, he was injured as well - hers were just a little more fresh, but it didn't make her situation any worse than his. They were both lucky to be alive... and if he could lug his pack all the way up that stupid hill, he could too.

And she would.

~*~*~

Diens leant against a large tree, scanning the surrounding area. It was her shift to keep an eye out as everyone slept. As one of very few out of the team that was currently uninjured, the weapon in her hand was very comforting.

She was thankful that she had been kept so busy over the past few days; although it would have been nice if people didn't injure themselves as much. Being busy didn't allow the nerves of being in a new place, with new people to show. Showing emotions like panic, nerves, or over-reaction were bad but more so in the case of a psychologist or medic. You're expected to be calm, nod a lot and give knowing looks. Yeah, right.

She looked over at the restless sleepers by the fire and a feeling of uneasiness struck her. //All experienced people, injured by the same thing, with only a split second to react.// She tightened her grip on her weapon.

Her watch was thankfully quiet, although she was thankful everyone was sleeping when she over-reacted to a small creature rustling nearby. It looked like a rat.

~*~*~

It was just on dawn when Rhea dragged herself into full wakefulness, after spending the entire night in a half-doze. It didn't do much for her restfulness levels, or energy for that matter, but after yet another brush with Ocecotl's followers she wanted to be able to defend herself and her team at a moment's notice. Of course, this attitude had left her with half-healed injuries scattered all over her body, although most of them didn't really bother her a great deal.

She glanced over at Start with concern, seeing the younger woman shift uncomfortably in her own light doze. The astrophysicist had had a shockingly bad night thanks to the broken ribs that Rhea'd guessed that she had. Not surprising given that a catman who probably weighed twice as much as Mac had gleefully jumped on her torso. The bad thing about busted ribs was that there was bugger all in large lumps that you could do for them, aside from staying as immobile as possible, and given Start's propensity for stubbornness (seemingly a common theme with this team) she wasn't about to do that in any great rush. It had been that exact same trait that had caused her to cut Rhea off in mid-apology.

Standing up, she stretched and threw a smile to MacDonald, the person on guard. "Mornin'," she greeted him, forcing some cheerfulness into her voice. He didn't respond, just smiling a reply.

Crouching down beside her pack, she dug through it for a cleaner shirt than the one she was wearing, finally pulling out what the Americans liked to refer to as a 'tank top' but which she just called a 'Chesty Bonds' since that was actually the brand-name. It wasn't standard issue and she didn't have a clue of how it managed to wangle it's way into her gear (although she knew it was hers because it was impossible to find them in the US), but since it was there she was going to take advantage of the extra ventilation that it was going to provide. Gesturing to MacDonald that she was going to retreat to behind a tree to change, she grabbed a tube of sunscreen and hastened off into the shrubbery.

Literally peeling off the black T-shirt that was part of the uniform, she let the light breeze that was blowing waft over her skin before she began to slather the sunscreen all over the bits that'd be exposed by the singlet, and some of the bits that wouldn't.

"Slip, slop, slap. Slip on a shirt, slop on sunscreen and slap on a hat," she sang softly, grinning at the old jingle.

Pulling her hair over her bare shoulder, she pulled out the previous days dusty and sweaty plait and brushed it out with the comb she'd shoved into her pocket. Once it looked almost like her own hair again, she flipped it over onto her back and began to braid it again. A rustle behind her caused her drop that activity immediately and spin around in alarm. She breathed a small sigh of relief when it turned out to be Mackenzie and went back to braiding her long hair, not really bothered that she was only wearing a bra on top.

"If you're looking for a place to answer nature you'd better go somewhere else," she said matter-of-factly.

"Actually, I wanted to talk to you," he said, a little put-off by her semi-nakedness.

She raised an eyebrow. "What about? As I recall I haven't done anything particularly wrong in the past few hours."

"It's about yesterday when that... thing attacked Start," he replied, leaning up against a tree and crossing his arms over his chest.

"Yeah? So wha- Oh wait, you're not going to give me a earbashing because I took it out on my own are you?" she asked as she tied off the end of her plait.

"Well, no, not really."

"Which means you are." Her voice probably sounded a little muffled through the cotton of her top as she pulled it over her head. "Look, I saw what was happening and I did what I thought was right. Is that really such a bad thing?"

"It is when you could've been killed," Mac retorted. "That thing was at least two feet taller than you and a great deal heavier."

She just looked at him. "I won, I beat it. What's the problem?"

"I don't want you to do it again," he said flatly.

"What?!" she exclaimed in surprise. "What, you actually want someone to actually get mauled next time? Or is it because I'm insulting your manliness by belting up things you couldn't beat up yourself?" She shut her mouth before she choked on her toes any more than she already was. "I'm sorry," she apologised. "I seem to be suffering from a severe case of foot in mouth disease as of late. I didn't mean that, honestly."

"Didn't you?" he asked simply.

"I... I don't know." She sat down on a convenient rock and rested her elbows on her thighs, hanging her head so that she didn't have to look at his accusing eyes. "I don't know what's going on with me. Ever since those things got us that first time I've been rocketing between being scared out of my skull and these Godawful killing rages. Do you see what I mean?"

~*~*~

Mackenzie had been a bit taken aback to catch Rhea semi-clothed, but he knew to turn away would only make him look more foolish than he was up til now. Instead he leant back against a nearby tree and calmly watched as she finished her hair and finished dressing.

He flinched as he heard her throw at him, "Or is it because I'm insulting your manliness by belting up things you couldn't beat up yourself?"

He didn't know how to react. Or what to say. Maybe she was right?

"I'm sorry. I seem to be suffering from a severe case of foot in mouth disease as of late. I didn't mean that, honestly," she said hurriedly.

Mac wasn't so sure that she hadn't meant it, or that he hadn't deserved it. "Didn't you?" he asked, frowning slightly.

"I... I don't know." He saw her drop down onto a rock, her head dipping low and avoiding his own gaze. Her words had hurt, whether she meant them to or not. He knew he'd been more or less useless in the protection department. Hell, he hadn't even been able to take care of himself, not to mention Rhea. And Start... He should have been able to do something then. Not Rhea. Him. He looked down at his hands. His stupid, damn, useless hands. And he swore to himself. At least he thought he'd done it silently. No...he knew Rhea's words had been on target. He knew he should have been able to do something.

His head snapped up as he heard Rhea continue. "I don't know what's going on with me. Ever since those things got us that first time I've been rocketing between being scared out of my skull and these Godawful killing rages. Do you see what I mean?"

He did see. Those creatures had that effect. Inspiring nervousness, fear, a definite drop in the confidence levels. He crouched down in front of her, trying to look into her face and also trying to hide the mental anguish her accusation - whether meant or not - had caused. "Rhea. Listen to me," he started, tipping her chin up slightly with one hand. "We're all scared. Its not just you. Trust me. What we went through would be enough to send anyone into a fit of nerves every time the undergrowth twitched, let alone one of those things appears." He saw he'd caught her attention. "You think I'm not scared too? You think I don't know how I've failed the team? How I should have been able to take care of you. Start. The others?" He stood quickly and turned away so she couldn't see the anger and pain in his face. "Rhea...I owe you my life. More than once. The only reason I don't want you to do that sort of thing again is because..." He turned back to face her. "Because you mean a lot to me. All the team does." He saw her raised eyebrow. "Yeah, even the doc," he added ruefully.

He hoped that she understood what he was trying - badly - to say. He didn't want her risking her life like that. Not again. His heart felt incredibly heavy at the thought of losing any one of the team. *His* team. Hell, HIS people. "You just can't do it, Rhea," he added, knowing he sounded pathetically desperate.

A pause stretched between them before she replied. "Ok, Mac," he heard her say softly. He glanced down at her, seeing a face filled with equal amounts of puzzlement and understanding. He nodded and walked deeper into the jungle, out of sight of her and the others, and leant heavily against a tree. He growled in frustration as he pressed his head back against the rough bark. Maybe he was endangering the team? Maybe he should scrap the mission? He wasn't a lot of use in a crisis.

His anger grew - an anger directed solely at himself - and he carefully pulled out his sidearm, trying to force his broken and splinted fingers around it. He scowled, unable to do even *that* simple task. Instead he tried his left hand. He'd never been able to use his left hand in place of his right, like he knew some people could. But desperate times and all that...He pulled the bulky bandage off and examined his palm. The gash was red and inflamed and Diens' stitched stood out starkly. He covered it again with a small section of the bandage. Just enough to keep it clean...he hoped! But not enough to hinder him using it. The gun felt odd. It didn't belong there. But he sighted along his arm, targeting a nearby tree. He could do this. He knew that. No way was anyone else getting hurt because he was too useless to defend them. He knew he'd get used to it. And to the pain it brought to his hand. A small price to pay.

He stayed there for quite a time, learning to pull his sidearm out of his now switched holster and trying to understand his own feelings and self-doubts as well as get a grip on his all-encompassing anger.

~*~*~

When Tirion blinked herself awake, she could have sworn she'd just been bowled over by a truck. Her shoulder ached like all buggery… and the state of her breathing situation was equally unflash.

And then there was the increasingly insistent calling of nature…

She gathered as much information about her surroundings as she could by moving her head, enough to note that Mackenzie and O'Shea were nowhere in sight, and Diens was still, from her line of sight, an unresponsive bundle of bedding. Making as little noise as possible so as not to draw attention to her total incoordination, the doctor sat up and climbed painfully to her feet.

"Geeeezzzzzz..." She cursed angrily at the particularly loud protests from her injuries, as she gingerly wandered into an appropriately enclosed area of trees.

~*~*~

By the time she emerged (which was sometime later... it amazed Tirion exactly *how* difficult certain things were when one had broken ribs), the rest of SG-15 were up and having the field version of breakfast. The mere thought of food turned Tirion's stomach, so she turned away, and set about packing. Thankfully, she had little to do - only stuff her blankets in her pack amidst the rest of the items she had stuffed in there previously.

"Are you having breakfast Doctor?" Diens called from across the camp. Start cringed and battled her rising nausea.

"No thanks.. I had some earlier..." She lied, fixing a smile on her face and turning around. "Please don't ask me to eat that stuff twice in one day..." //Please... don't ask me to EAT... full stop...//

In a lame attempt to appear casual, Start 'flopped' down onto a log and went to run a hand through her hair, but couldn't hold it still well enough to avoid messing the brown mop completely, so gave up and rested her head in it instead. She was tired, sore, and feeling very sick. The only front she had the energy to keep up was the one to not alert the rest of the world to the fact that her ribcage had been squished like a polystyrene cup. She hadn't dared look at it, but pretty much already knew her side would be one or two shades of purple and black by now.

Staring into the dirt, Tirion suddenly felt the familiar sensation of being under someone's scrutiny, and she looked up to find Mackenzie had returned from... wherever it was he had gone, and was talking to her. Correction. He *had* spoken to her, and had obviously posed some sort of question... because he was staring at her with the expectation of an answer on his face.

"Sorry.. what was that?" Her voice came out weaker than she had hoped, but to her pleasure she managed to force some patronising qualities into it. "I wasn't paying attention."

Mackenzie's brow furrowed further and he regarded her suspiciously. The longer he stayed silent, the more Start worried he was on to her. After twenty seconds, she took matters into her own hands. Gathering as much force as possible into her voice, she cocked her head at him.

"I assume we're leaving soon..." she said, smartly and with a hint of humour "Or are your old-man bones letting you down?"

A small smile reached his face, and Start was instantly relieved. Nodding, he turned around and headed to his pack.

"Okay... everyone ready?"

~*~*~

"You can't do it Rhea," Mac said, sounding a little desperate to gain her compliance. Not that she wasn't about to give it wholeheartedly anyway, especially after giving her one of the worst guilt trips she'd ever been through. Her thoughtless comment had cut deeply, more deeply than she would've otherwise expected.

"Okay Mac," she finally replied softly. He looked at her for a moment before nodding and heading off into the jungle.

After he left, she sat there for a long while. She didn't cry. She didn't rage. She didn't strike out at the nearest tree. She just sat there and felt in silence.

"I guess this isn't doing anything," she finally said, and gathering up her grotty shirt she headed back to camp.

Any comments or suggestions...?

HTML © Dan