Monday, February 2nd, 2009 08:49 pm
For Ten for the Team, Gen Fic Day, and [livejournal.com profile] lokei, who likes her Daniel to defy expectations. Consider this one to be a very late birthday fic, okay?

Summary: The team that trains together, escapes prisons together. Set just after Need in S2, with vague spoilers for that episode. 1,070 words. PG for some rather pointed villain whumping.

Team Effort

Jack scowled as the prison door clanged shut behind them. "Well, this is familiar," he said, his voice laden with sarcasm. He, Carter, and Teal'c stuck behind bars, with Daniel somewhere up in the palace...

But that wasn't fair. No one was suggesting they'd be sent to work in the local naquadah mines this time, and anyway, Daniel certainly hadn't been given a choice in the matter. He'd first been drugged, then held at knifepoint while the rest of SG-1 were stripped of their gear and herded off to the cells. It had infuriated Jack to tamely go along with the relatively inept guards, but the knife held to Daniel's throat was too powerful an argument to resist.

Their last glimpse of Daniel had shown him dazed and unfocused, vaguely trying to struggle as the prince's goons tied him into a chair. Jack gritted his teeth and surveyed the dank prison, looking for a way out.

"I can pick that lock in ten seconds, sir," Carter murmured, apparently reading his mind.

"Yeah." Jack deliberately moved away from the tempting lock and glowered at the two sneering guards. "But can we do it fast enough to stop these creeps from pulling the bell pull?"

The bell pull, they'd been told, would sound a warning in the room where Daniel was being interrogated. If they tried to escape, Daniel would be killed.

"If they approach the bars too closely, O'Neill, we can hold them," Teal'c said quietly, his voice carrying a certain heavy menace.

Jack nodded. He'd watched carefully as they'd been marched down the dungeon stairs. These two didn't know the first thing about treating their prisoners with caution. He could have one of them pinned against the bars with an arm around the throat in less then four seconds, if they were careless enough to get too close. Teal'c, of course, could do it in two.

But what were the chances they could get both guards at the same time, before they could give the alert...?

He cursed under his breath. Then, for good measure, he cursed out loud.

His inner clock, tensely counting off the minutes, had marked nearly two hours when they heard the door to the dungeon slammed open. There was a shuffling of feet, a small whimpering noise, and then the distinct tramp of more than one person coming down the stairs.

The guards suddenly straightened, looking more alert. One moved toward the stone steps, then stopped short, his mouth agape in an almost comical expression of surprise. He said something in the local language - some kind of pidgin Goa'uld, Daniel had said before everything went south - and Jack's eyes narrowed as the man's voice rose nearly an octave in alarm.

Then the prince himself came stumbling down the last few steps into the main dungeon, forcibly escorted by the arm wrenched painfully behind his back by a man in disheveled BDUs.

"Daniel!" Carter exclaimed.

Daniel looked... well, awful, Jack had to admit. Hair stringy and lank with sweat, glazed eyes with pupils blown wide, split lip, glasses missing. And yet he held his former captor in a perfect arm lock, the prince's right hand nearly flattened against his own shoulder blade.

Jack grinned with peremptory pride. I taught him that move, he thought with fierce satisfaction. And all those practice drills seemed to have worked, too. Daniel had complained at the time, but Jack had insisted they repeat the maneuver over and over until Daniel could practically do it in his sleep. It looked as if he wasn't all that far from unconsciousness now - and he'd still done it right! Good.

"Nice work, Daniel," he called, his voice level and calm in an effort to keep Daniel focused. "Now, if you can just tell his royal highness to -"

The guard nearest the stairs leapt at Daniel and the moaning prince. The other fumbled his pistol-bow out of its sheath.

Even as Sam shouted a warning and Teal'c snaked an arm through the bars to grab the closer guard, Daniel flung the prince to the ground and closed with his attacker. There was a sudden flurry of moves that Jack couldn't quite follow, and then the guard was lying wheezing on the floor, flat on his back, with Daniel's right foot planted firmly on his neck.

Jack blinked. "Huh," he muttered to no one in particular. "I didn't teach him that one."

"I instructed Daniel Jackson in that maneuver," Teal'c said, the raised eyebrow carrying the faintest trace of smugness. He had the second guard pinned against the bars, gurgling and turning purple. Carter had already picked the lock and was pushing the door open.

Then Jack's eyes widened with alarm, and he dived through the open door. The prince had scrambled to his feet. It was clear that sheer rage was drowning out his shame and fear, because he'd pulled a knife and lunged at Daniel's unsuspecting back.

"Daniel!" Jack howled. Too much distance separated them. He'd never get there in time -

Daniel twisted, swaying slightly on his feet. He braced himself against the fallen guard's body, and kicked.

The prince's eyes bulged. His head came forward. Daniel's fist crashed down on his unprotected neck.

The prince collapsed.

In the sudden, almost awed silence, Jack sped to Daniel's side and made quick work of the downed guard before the man could recover and resume the attack. Then he reached out and very gently took Daniel's arm.

"You did good, Daniel," he told him, keeping his tone low and soothing. "Let's get you home, huh?"

Daniel blinked at him with heavy eyelids. "I did what you told me to, Jack," he slurred.

"Yes, Daniel." Jack tugged him towards the steps, waving for Carter to take point and make sure their escape was clear. "You did."

"And what Teal'c told me to," Daniel added, lifting a foot with exaggerated caution onto the bottom step.

"You performed admirably, Daniel Jackson," Teal'c assured him as he followed behind.

"And what Sam told me to," Daniel finished. The triumph in his voice fought a losing battle with the dopey expression on his face.

"What... Sam...?"

Jack swallowed hard and glanced up the stone steps at Carter, who looked back down at him with an amused, dangerous glint in her eyes.

"Oh, yes, sir," she said with satisfaction. "I taught him that last one."

"Ah." Jack cleared his throat. "Right."


stat tracker for tumblr

Monday, February 2nd, 2009 07:05 pm (UTC)
Bwah-hah-hah! Go, Daniel!

Muchly fun, Fig!
Monday, February 2nd, 2009 07:14 pm (UTC)
Hee! Thank you! :D
Monday, February 2nd, 2009 07:11 pm (UTC)
This would be pacfist, doesn't know how to hold his gun, Daniel, right? :P

Aw, team.
Monday, February 2nd, 2009 07:22 pm (UTC)
Um, yeah. That one! :D
Monday, February 2nd, 2009 07:21 pm (UTC)
Snerk. Drugged Daniel is almost more coordinated in hand to hand than sober Daniel!

The team that practices self-defense together escapes prison cells together? Hee. Very amusing.
Monday, February 2nd, 2009 07:23 pm (UTC)
Heh - too drugged to do more than just let his muscles do the thinking, I guess!

The team that practices self-defense together escapes prison cells together?

Hey, it works. ;)
Monday, February 2nd, 2009 07:34 pm (UTC)
Oh, that's fantastic. *g*
Monday, February 2nd, 2009 07:45 pm (UTC)
Thank you! :)
Monday, February 2nd, 2009 08:06 pm (UTC)
Whee! That was awesome.
Monday, February 2nd, 2009 09:49 pm (UTC)
Thanks! :)
Monday, February 2nd, 2009 08:54 pm (UTC)
Oh, I like this :)
Monday, February 2nd, 2009 09:49 pm (UTC)
Yay! :D
Monday, February 2nd, 2009 11:04 pm (UTC)
*complete and utter GLEE!* You wrote kick-ass Daniel for ME! I love you. And Daniel. And Jack, Sam, and Teal'c. *more glee* Thank you!
Tuesday, February 3rd, 2009 06:25 am (UTC)
You're absolutely welcome. :) I'm so glad you liked it! I'm just sorry it took so long for one of the many many fics I tried writing for you to actually get finished.

(Remember your chess prompt? It turned into chapter one for [livejournal.com profile] stargate_summer...)
Tuesday, February 3rd, 2009 11:43 am (UTC)
Which is yet another reason for me to be looking forward to Stargate Summer. *grin*

And I don't mind, I'm a patient gal. I may have come up with a story for your 'Teal'c and Daniel pwn Jack' prompt, too.
Monday, February 2nd, 2009 11:27 pm (UTC)
Eeeheeheehee - yes, go Daniel, and go Sam for teaching him that last move. *g* Aw, team!
Tuesday, February 3rd, 2009 06:25 am (UTC)
Of course Sam would teach him that last move. :D

Glad you liked it!
Tuesday, February 3rd, 2009 12:41 am (UTC)
Yeah, I saw that last one coming. ;-)

Nice work!
Tuesday, February 3rd, 2009 06:26 am (UTC)
Hee! Yeah, Sam would teach him to take advantage of everything. :)
Tuesday, February 3rd, 2009 01:31 am (UTC)
Yay! Daniel. I always knew he was a quick study--with great teachers. And I always love a drugged Daniel. What does that say about me?
Tuesday, February 3rd, 2009 06:27 am (UTC)
Yay for great teachers, and bright students!

I always love a drugged Daniel. What does that say about me?

Um, that you're as wacky as the rest of us? :D
Tuesday, February 3rd, 2009 01:32 am (UTC)
Heh, knew exactly where he kicked him... Of course that was confirmed when I found out it was a move Sam taught him. ;)
Great story! I love it when Daniel comes to the rescue!
Tuesday, February 3rd, 2009 06:27 am (UTC)
Hee hee, yes - definitely a move for Sam to teach him. :D

Thanks!
Tuesday, February 3rd, 2009 02:36 am (UTC)
See, Daniel does listen. :) I love it when the team works together, even when they're not together.
Tuesday, February 3rd, 2009 06:28 am (UTC)
Daniel listens! When he wants to! :D

I love it when the team works together, even when they're not together.

Oh, yes. Aren't they just delicious? ::squishes team::
Tuesday, February 3rd, 2009 05:22 pm (UTC)
I absolutely can't stand hopeless, helpless, can't-do-anything-for-himself Daniel, and this is a simply delightful contradiction to a horrible fanon falsehood! Daniel is a brilliant student, and he certainly has some great teachers!! *gathers sg-1 in huge teamy goodness hug and squishes tightly*
Tuesday, February 3rd, 2009 05:33 pm (UTC)
*gathers sg-1 in huge teamy goodness hug and squishes tightly*

Yes, that kind of sums up my feelings for them, too! :)

Yay for mocking feeble fanon Daniel!
Tuesday, February 3rd, 2009 09:42 pm (UTC)
*giggles*

Oh, team. *huggles them all*
Tuesday, February 3rd, 2009 10:35 pm (UTC)
::grins::

Aren't they just delicious? :)
Tuesday, February 3rd, 2009 11:16 pm (UTC)
I highly encourage an ass-kicking Daniel! o/
Wednesday, February 4th, 2009 12:52 pm (UTC)
Hee! Don't you just wnat to squish him? :D
Wednesday, February 4th, 2009 01:22 pm (UTC)
Whee, this was fun!
Wednesday, February 4th, 2009 01:45 pm (UTC)
Yay! :)
Thursday, February 5th, 2009 02:18 am (UTC)
Hee! Daniel has certainly learned a lot during his years as a member of SG-1. It only stands to reason that he can take care of himself in even the worst of times. When he's not trying to reason with the bad guys, of course. :)

Great fic!!
Thursday, February 5th, 2009 06:36 am (UTC)
Heh, yes - by the time Daniel goes into action, the bad guys have gone way past his "let's reason with them" threshold straight into his "I am taking these creeps down RIGHT NOW" mode. :)

Glad you liked it!
Friday, February 6th, 2009 01:13 pm (UTC)
I do so like early team where they were protective of Daniel but realised they might not always be available to defend him. Teaching him to defend himself seems totally obvious (And Carter really would be the most dangerous because she would teach him not to hold back.)
Sunday, February 8th, 2009 01:48 pm (UTC)
Heh, yes - of course they'd teach him self-defense, even if they expect to do the defending most of the time!

And LOL at Sam being the most dangerous. I tell you, you cross that woman at your peril. :)
Monday, February 9th, 2009 02:32 pm (UTC)
Thank you! ::Squee!::

I really liked your set-up,
There was a shuffling of feet, a small whimpering noise, and then the distinct tramp of more than one person coming down the stairs.

Stereotypical fanon would of course have had wimp/nerd!Daniel being dragged down the stairs, but you treated us to something so much better! Go team! :-)
Tuesday, February 10th, 2009 06:18 am (UTC)
Heh, yes - that hadn't even occurred to me, but the expectation would be whumped Daniel, wouldn't it? :)

So glad you liked it!
Tuesday, February 10th, 2009 12:58 am (UTC)
It's the unassuming one who's the one to fear the most. Especially after SG-1 has gotten a hold of him!

This story is made of glee.
Tuesday, February 10th, 2009 06:18 am (UTC)
Yay! The team did a very good job. ;) Thank you!