Disclaimer Stargate Sg-1 and its characters are the property of Stargate (II) Productions, Showtime/Viacom, MGM/UA, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Productions. This story is for entertainment purposes only and no money exchanged hands. No copyright infringement is intended. The original characters, situations, and story are the property of the author. This story may not be posted elsewhere without the consent of the author.

Teal'c watched as O'Neill stretched out on the rock, his gun held casually in his lap and his legs crossed at the ankles in front of him. The human appeared to have mastered the art of relaxation. Teal'c did not begrudge him the lack of activity given that the alternative was to have him following them into the cave and asking him 'are we done yet' every five minutes while he did his scans.

Major Carter waved at them and led them towards the caves. "Any preferences?" she asked. The four openings were laid out in a very rough line, some located higher up on the hill, others lower. It looked like they'd just started digging in easy places, the openings shored up by rough-hewn logs.

"Eenie, meenie, miney, mo?" Daniel Jackson suggested.

"Such methods of random selection are rarely random," Teal'c said.

Major Carter sighed, shaking her head. "Daniel, go left, Teal'c go right, I'll take number two," she decided.

"And number four?" Daniel Jackson asked, referring to the one extra entrance.

Major Carter shrugged. "We can do it together once we're done." She looked at her watch. "Just like the colonel said, don't go in too deep. These shafts might not be too stable. If you do come to a fork, always go to one side or the other."

"So we can reverse it on the way out," Daniel Jackson intuited.

"Right."

"It is unlikely that there are predators," Teal'c said. "Although smaller creatures are a possibility."

Major Carter nodded. "Half an hour in, half an hour out. No more than that."

"Yes, mother," Daniel Jackson quipped, rolling his eyes. They split off and each entered their tunnel. Teal'c pulled his flashlight from his belt, struggling a bit to juggle it, the scanner and his staff weapon.

The smell of damp earth assailed his nostrils and he frowned a bit, fighting the shiver that ran down his spine. There definitely was still naquadah in these shafts, he could see it glinting dully in the light from his flashlight and his symbiote was reacting, wriggling annoyingly in his pouch.

He paused for a second, shining his light down to the floor. It was mostly dirt, dotted here and there with rocks and a few shiny bits of naquadah. The floor was relatively smooth, no footprints or any signs of anything else being in the cave in the recent past. There were a few dry leaves scattered around the opening, but they grew less as he walked further into the cave.

He walked further into the tunnel, scanning the walls with his light. All the signs outside the cave indicated it had been deserted for years or decades, but he could still see the tool marks on the walls, hinting at the primitive picks or shovels the miners had to have used to dig this out.

It was not the most efficient way to mine, but Teal'c also knew that the Goa'uld did not care about efficiency. To them, humans were nothing more than cattle, a renewable resource to be used and abandoned with impunity.

About fifty feet from the opening, he paused, juggling the flashlight a bit to study the scanner. He made note of the readings. If he was remembering Major Carter's briefing correctly, these readings were promising. The mines were not rich, at least his shaft wasn't, but there was enough naquadah here for the SGC to make a mining effort. And with the Tau'ri's more advanced mining techniques, they would be able to retrieve more naquadah from the mines than the Goa'uld could with primitive tools and slave labor.

He contemplated going deeper into the mine. He had yet to find any cross shafts, but that did not surprise him. Cross shafts took planning and were dangerous. Chances were these miners had little to think about beyond finding and retrieving the naquadah without getting killed.

Teal'c stowed his scanner and again started to move forward. He still had approximately one quarter of an hour before he needed to turn around and go back and he should make the best use of the time allotted. It was very possible that the veins of naquadah were thicker the deeper he got under the hill.

The tunnel curved slightly to the right and he followed it, nearly tripping over a pile of dirt on the floor. He shined his light ahead and saw that it was just the tip of the metaphorical iceberg. About fifteen feet in front of him, the tunnel ended, a pile of dirt and rocks blocking the way. A flash of white caught his eyes and Teal'c leaned closer, frowning as he identified the telltale remains of a skeleton poking out from the dirt. This likely explained why the mine was deserted. "Major Carter, Daniel Jackson?" he spoke into his radio, not sure if the signal would penetrate the rocks surrounding them.

Getting no answer, he turned around and started towards the opening. This did change things. If the tunnel had collapsed once, it likely would again. Major Carter would not appreciate this information. It indicated that any mining efforts would likely be more difficult than originally thought.

A rumble cut through the stillness and Teal'c cocked his head, seeking to hear better. Small clouds of dust rained down, followed quickly by larger clouds. Rocks and pebbles fell from the ceiling and Teal'c broke into a run, hoping to make it to the opening before the tunnel completely collapsed.

/\/\/\/\/\

Jack checked his watch and sighed, slowly getting to his feet to stretch his legs. The others had about fifteen minutes before he'd have to roust them out of the mineshafts. Which meant that Teal'c should be showing up any time now.

Maybe the Jaffa would take him up on a bet, whether the tardy member of the team would be Carter or Daniel. Traditionally, Daniel was the one lagging behind; however, unless he found some sort of carvings or art work in the caves, there really wasn't much in the naquadah mine to carry his attention. Which meant that Carter, despite usually being so punctual, would likely be the one distracted and late.

If Jack was lucky and Teal'c willing, he might be able to win dinner. He strolled around the mine site, his eyes casually scanning the horizon for any sign of danger. He could see why the Goa'uld had a mine here. The climate seemed temperate, if the vegetation was anything to go by. The trees were a nice mix of deciduous and conifers, along with a variety of low bushes and brush.

With the river a couple of miles away, there should be plenty of food and water to support a group of people. The UAV hadn't shown any signs of life or any sort of dwellings, but Carter had theorized that maybe this planet never developed an indigenous people, or maybe they lived further away from the Stargate.

They'd seen that once or twice during their travels. Some races remained in close proximity to the Stargate, while others totally abandoned it, moving their cities hundreds of miles away.

That was one of the weakest parts of the SGC program. They literally lacked the resources to explore more than fifty to one hundred miles away from the gate, and even that was only UAV reconnaissance. There could realistically be whole advanced civilizations on the other side of the planet, and they'd never know.

Maybe that could be something he could suggest to Hammond. If they ever managed to get their own ship or, dare he dream, ships, they could return to some of the planets the SG teams had explored and survey them further, find out what else lurked on the 99% of the planet they'd never explored.

Wondering idly what the chances were of the Tok'ra letting them have a hyper speed capable ship, Jack ambled in circles, his boots kicking up small clouds of dust as he walked.

A wisp of smoke caught his eyes and he tensed, reaching for his binoculars. He studied the smoke intently but was unable to determine its source. Whatever it was, it hadn't been there a few minutes ago, and it was between his team and the gate. Jack reached for his radio, ready to call his team out of the caves. The smoke suggested that they weren't alone here and that in itself was enough to call the mission. At the very least, the rest of his team needed to know. Just as he opened his mouth to talk, a low rumble washed over him and he tensed, at first thinking that his desired ship was making its appearance.

Loose pebbles and dirt skittered down the hillside and Jack watched in horror as an ominous cloud of dust blossomed out of one of the openings. "Crap," he cursed, hurrying forward, his hand going towards his radio. "Carter, Daniel, Teal'c!" he called, regretting that he hadn't paid attention and had no idea which tunnels they were in.

Jack stopped at the opening to the shaft, the thick dust choking his breath and obscuring his vision. "Colonel." A hand grabbed his arm and steadied his balance.

"Carter, who-"

"Oh my god, Teal'c." Daniel appeared at Jack's other side.

"Teal'c was in there?" Jack demanded.

Sam nodded. "We each picked one."

"Ok. Carter, you're with me." Jack stepped towards the opening, reaching into his pocket to pull out a large handkerchief, folding it bandit style to tie around his face.

"Jack?"

"Daniel, you stay out here. Carter and I will go check it out. If we don't come back out, you get to the SGC and get help."

Daniel nodded, sliding his pack off his shoulders. "Wait." He dug in the black bag and pulled out a slightly battered pair of goggles. "These might help." Jack raised his eyebrows, taking the eyewear. "Sometimes the dust in ruins bothers my eyes," he explained.

Jack took off his hat and slid the goggles over his head, aware that he could use all the help he could get. It would take hours for the dust to settle in the shaft, and he had a funny idea that Teal'c didn't have hours.

Carter moved close, her shoulder nearly touching Jack's as they slowly made their way into the cave. The air was still full of dust, and even Jack's handkerchief did little to assist his breathing. "How deep are these shafts?" he asked, his voice muffled.

"Mine was about a hundred yards," Carter said. "I didn't see any cross shafts. We shouldn't have to worry about getting lost."

"If we're lucky, it's just a small cave in," Jack said, squinting in an effort to see further in the dust shrouded air.

"Small is a relative term," she said sardonically, her flashlight illuminating a large mound of dirt and rocks.

It looked to Jack like a whole section of the roof had caved in. It was definitely more than they could hope to clear with their bare hands. "Get Daniel, go back to the SGC and get help," he ordered.

"Daniel knows the way back," Sam said. "I can help you dig."

Jack shook his head. "No." He turned to face her. "I saw smoke a few minutes ago.
Someone else is out there. You and Daniel go for help."

Sam nodded, recognizing the need for none of them to be alone until they had determined the origin of the smoke. "We'll go as fast as we can."

"I know you will," Jack said. "Do me a favor; leave your packs at the entrance. If something happens, I may need them."

Sam agreed and hurried back down the shaft. Jack shucked his pack and took a moment to study the mound of dirt. At this precise moment in time, he regretted that they'd stopped wearing helmets. The damn things were uncomfortable as hell, but they beat digging with bare hands.

/\/\/\/\/\

Teal'c slowly opened his eyes and stared at the odd dim light in the corner of the cave. What had transpired? He tried to sit up, only to fall back with a groan. He was lying half on his side, a pile of rocks and dirt covering his legs and hips.

He took a deep breath and started to cough, the action revealing more injuries to him as his ribs and chest protested. His vision graying around the edges, he tried to stop coughing, his hand instinctively going to his hip and the canteen that should be there. His fingers found smooth plastic and he pulled it out, grateful that it had survived the cave in. He took a sip of the water, relieved when it calmed his coughing.

Finally able to concentrate, he craned his neck, trying to study his surroundings.
The tunnel behind his appeared to be intact, at least as much as he could see. He had dropped the flashlight in the cave in and it lay on the floor, just out of reach. The air was full of dust and it hampered his vision, limiting the flashlight's reach to just a few feet. He was lying half-buried under a pile of debris. It was indeed fortuitous that he had not been able to run faster, otherwise he would be completely under the pile of rubble, instead of just barely buried.

He did not believe the remains of the cavern was very large, which meant that the oxygen was likely limited. However, he did not think that it would be an issue. They would come and remove the obstacle and free him from this cavern.

All he needed to do was wait. Seeking to make the most of his time, he closed his eyes, attempting to settle into a light state of kelnorim.

/\/\/\/\

Jack dug into the pile of dirt, gritting his teeth with the effort. The tiny collapsible shovel he was using pulled a small clump of dirt loose and he stepped back, letting it roll to the floor.

Breathing heavily, he paused for a second, reaching over to pick up the flashlight from where he'd propped it on the tunnel wall. He shined it over the cave in, trying to gauge both his progress and the depth of the dirt fall.

So far, it didn't look like the roof had caved in, just one wall. Which might make his task a bit easier. If it was the roof, then he could have untold tons of dirt to remove to get to Teal'c. Since it seemed to just be one wall, his job might be easier. He just hoped that his friend was on the other side of the cave in, not under it.

Jack looked at his watch, trying to gauge how much longer it would be before reinforcements would arrive. It would take them a couple of hours to reach the gate, maybe a little less if they pushed it. Then at least an hour to scramble the rescue team, another two back. Five hours. Five hours minimum until he would have some help.

Hell, he could move a lot of dirt in five hours. If he kept with it and didn't flake off, he chastised himself, replacing the flashlight and retrieving the shovel.

It wasn't near big enough for the task. It was a small, folding shovel assigned to the SG teams. Sometimes they used it for geological samples, but it also served to dig out fire pits and primitive latrines. As such, it was necessarily small and light, definitely not meant to move tons of dirt.

However, it was all Jack had and his only means of getting Teal'c out of there. He had to get him out. He couldn't let him just lie back there, buried alive. Alive. Yeah, Teal'c had to be alive. There was just no way in hell that he'd be dead. That was one option Jack refused to accept.

He thrust the shovel into the dirt, hacking and picking away at it. That might be one way to get the dirt moved faster. See if he could get gravity on his side. He didn't need to clear the whole thing, there was no way he'd do that. Just a little bit. He just needed to open a large enough hole to get through. Even if Jack couldn't fit through it to get to Teal'c, air would get through and he wouldn't have to worry about Teal'c suffocating while they waited.

A couple of feet. That's all he needed. Just to open it up a couple of feet. Two feet, twenty-four inches, not even a yard. Idly counting each shovel strike, Jack slipped into autopilot, the monotony of his actions letting his mind wander.

He remembered the first time he laid eyes on Teal'c, the large menacing alien staring at them through the thick bars of Apophis' dungeons.

They'd made a connection somehow. A bond that transcended space and 'sides'. Jack had seen something in the man's dark eyes, a sad acknowledgement of his crimes and hopelessness in his stance.

Teal'c was just as much of a captive of Apophis as Jack's team was. Bound not by bars, but by the simplicity of no escape.

Despite his status as Apophis' First Prime and his participation in their captivity, Teal'c had earned Jack's trust the second he helped them escape, even though Teal'c had to have known that, in helping them, he was signing his own death warrant.

Even though Jack trusted him, it took the others a bit longer. Jack knew that Teal'c scared Carter in a way. It wasn't anything personal, just primal human fear. Teal'c was easily twice her size and could have easily killed her. Despite that fact, she'd been amazingly open minded during their escape, even becoming one of Teal'c's first advocates.

Her transformation puzzled Jack until he heard about the little incident with his staff weapon, how Teal'c handed his weapon over to her, surrendering himself into her hands.
That had been the beginning of their friendship, and one that only grew over the years.
They were close friends now. Teal'c was sometimes the only one who dared to intrude in her lab when she was working and Jack knew that, if Teal'c was in a funk, Carter was usually the only one who could worm her way past his defenses and get to the heart of the matter.

It took Teal'c and Daniel longer to come to an agreement. Even though they were civil to each other, there was always a tension between them. It took them years to get over it, oddly enough their reconciliation had only come after Teal'c killed Shau'ri, an action that Jack had felt sure would be the very end of their relationship and his team.

They worked together a lot now, Teal'c helping Daniel with translations while Daniel filled the Jaffa in on the latest bits and pieces of Earth society.

Jack had a funny feeling that this whole 'let's explore the whole mine at once' scheme was all Daniel's idea. He did that a lot, thinking creatively. Usually, it was a benefit. If he hadn't had that idea, maybe none of them would have been in this cavern. One in four, those were good odds to beat.

Then again, with all their luck, his whole team could have been in this cavern and they all could be trapped behind this cave in. It was really too bad that this had been a mine and not ruins.

Of course, Daniel's ruins did have a bad habit of falling down every once in a while. Things could be worse. He could be stuck in here trying to move hernia-inducing bricks. He stabbed the shovel into the blockage and dislodged a large rock. It rolled towards him and he scrambled back, struggling to get out of the way of another cave in.

The floor shook and the flashlight fell, the beam of light flickering as it clattered across the ground. Jack instinctively curled into a ball, his arms coming up to protect his head. The rock fall lasted only a few seconds and Jack cautiously poked his head up, one hand going to the kerchief hanging around his neck. Thick clouds of dust hung in the air and he was grateful for the goggles he had on. Without them, he knew he'd be blind.

He reached for the flashlight and struggled to his feet. "Teal'c?" he yelled, trying to see if he'd done more harm than good. He thought he heard something and cocked his head, moving towards the cave in. "Teal'c?"

"O'Neill?" Teal'c's voice, punctuated with a couple of ragged coughs was music to his ears.

The dust started to clear and Jack could see a small opening at the top of the cave in. It wasn't big, but it was, apparently, enough for him to hear Teal'c's voice from the other side. "Teal'c? You in there?"

"I know of nowhere else I would be."

"Oh, you know, I thought for sure you'd found a back door and were already on your way to the gate," Jack said, carefully climbing up onto the dirt pile. He gingerly made his way to the top and shined the flashlight into the hole. He could barely see in. The flashlight revealed Teal'c lying just on the other side of the cave in. It looked like he was partially buried by dirt and rocks, which explained why he hadn't heard any signs of him digging himself out. "How bad?" he asked.

"I cannot move," he reported.

"And?" he prodded, knowing that he had a bad habit of underreporting little things like injuries.

He sighed. "Nothing is injured permanently. My symbiote is attempting to repair the damage," he said tiredly.

"Carter and Daniel went to get help," he said. "They should be back in a few hours."

"Indeed," Teal'c answered.

"How about I come and dig you out and we can catch some rays?" Jack suggested, gauging the size of the hole. He could get through. It might be a bit tight, but he could make it.

"That would be a most appreciated action."

Jack chuckled, glad that Teal'c was in decent spirits. "Watch out, I'm coming through."
He tossed the shovel through the hole, careful to not hit Teal'c with it, then pushed himself up onto the pile, doing his best to shimmy through without dislodging more of the dirt. Jack pulled his hips through the hole and slid ungracefully down the other side of the rock fall, cursing when he was rewarded for his efforts with a mouthful of dirt. Still coughing, he struggled to his feet, giving into the absurd need to brush off his pants.

Teal'c was lying half on his side, rocks and dirt burying his legs and lower chest. In the light from the flashlight, he could see dark smudges that were either bruises or dirt, along with a few scratches on his face and hands.

Presumably, his jacket would have protected his arms. "How ya doing?" Jack asked, surveying the debris covering Teal'c's legs.

"I cannot feel my legs. However, I believe that is due to the debris imprisoning them rather than damage," he reported. "My symbiote was injured. Once it has healed itself, it will repair my injuries.

Jack nodded, knowing that even Frasier couldn't do much more for the Jaffa. "In the meantime, why don't I dig you out?"

Jack started to dig, tempering his urgency to free his friend with his desire to not harm him further with the shovel. Fortunately, Teal'c seemed content to simply let Jack help him, and he wasn't sure if he found that reassuring or worrying. He didn't know if it was because Teal'c knew he couldn't really do much to help, or because he felt worse than he'd let on.

The problem was, even if Teal'c's injuries were worse than he suspected, Jack couldn't do much to help him beyond what he was doing right now, getting him free so that Frasier and the rescue team wouldn't have to waste time digging him out when they got here.
"So, other than this little cave in issue, is this mine worth pursuing?" Jack asked, grabbing the first conversation point he could think of.

"O'Neill?" Teal'c awkwardly turned his head to look at him.

"Is there enough naquadah here to make it worth our while?" Jack clarified.

He nodded his head. "I believe so. However the SGC will have to determine if the benefits will outweigh the risks."

"What about this whole 'the roof falls in' issue?"

"It is likely not a common occurrence," Teal'c said. "If this mine was really that unstable, it would have been impassable."

Jack opened his mouth to answer him, his words dying in his throat as a dull rumble echoed through the cave. In an instant, he knew what was going to happen. He tossed the shovel aside and threw himself over Teal'c, hoping to shield him from the rocks and dirt that rained down upon them.

*****

Now that we have Teal'c owied, would you like Jack hurt too? Or Not?

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