A/N: I truly appreciate all the wonderful reviews I'm getting. I'm trying to keep up with responding, but didn't quite get to everyone this last chapter. I promise to write back soon. :0) I hope you enjoy chapter four. Let me know what you think!
Warning! This should be old hat by now. WHUMP! (with just a pinch of ship for flavor)
Do Not Go Gentle
Chapter Four
Something was happening. Sam heard raised voices and recognized one as Tall One's. She shifted to her other side so she could see what was going on. Tall One and the man who'd nearly shredded her on the log that afternoon—she'd nicknamed him Mono-brow— stood face to face and neither looked happy.
"They've been going at it a while," Darvan said quietly.
She turned her head so she could see her friend. "About what?" Her voice was so quiet she could barely hear it.
"About you."
"What… about me?" She winced and sucked in air. It had been hours since her last dip in the river, her third of the night. It seemed her fever was back in spades; she felt a heaviness in her gut that told her the bleeding inside was worse. She saw Darvan's reluctance to answer her question. "Come on. I can take it."
Darvan nodded sharply. "The short one thinks they should kill us and try again with another of your group. He believes you are too ill to survive much longer. The tall one thinks you can still serve your purpose."
Sam mulled his words over and then tried to push herself up. "I think it might be a good idea… to convince them the tall one is right." She felt her stomach pull at the movement and her weak arm muscles shook under her weight. Sweat dripped off her forehead even as she forced her limbs to push her up off the ground. She didn't even make it to a sitting position. Spots swam before her eyes and bile rose up her throat. She heaved and her arms gave out. She landed again on the ground and her breath stuttered in her chest. She felt Darvan's hands reach for her and roll her over.
"Why did you do that?"
Sam closed her eyes. "If they think I'm going to die anyway, they won't go out of their way to keep me alive. I have to show them I'm strong enough."
"Well, don't kill yourself in the process." He glanced up at the men near the fire. They hadn't noticed her failed attempt to sit up. "Here, I'll help you."
Darvan lifted her shoulders up off the ground and helped her shift against a nearby tree. Once there, Sam fought against waves of dizziness that threatened to take her right back to the ground. She laid her head back and closed her eyes so the world would stop spinning.
"I do not believe that was the best decision you have made today," Darvan said.
She felt a smile pull at her lips. "Probably not," she said, "but now that I'm here, I'm not moving."
"Fair enough," he said with a chuckle. He put his hand against her forehead. "I think your fever is on the rise again."
She nodded. "Has been for a while." She opened her eyes and glanced to the men arguing at the fire. "Let's not tell him yet, though. I'm not ready for another trip to the river."
"You would be far worse without those trips, however." Darvan shifted next to her to lean against the tree and eyed her with worry. She knew she must look like death warmed over. She sure felt like it. "The short one may be right," he said quietly. "If you do not get medical attention soon…"
"My friends are on the way. I just have to hold out until they get here."
"How can you be so sure?"
"If you knew them, you'd be sure, too." She felt another wave of nausea and sucked in some air to fend it off. She felt Darvan's eyes on her the whole time. "I had hoped to get away before they had to come get me… but it doesn't look like that'll happen." She laid her hand protectively against her wound. She hadn't seen it since they'd cauterized it and she wasn't sure she wanted to.
They sat silently for a long time. Sam listened to the cadence of the men's language and let her thoughts drift to her own friends who were no doubt well on their way. She trusted her friends completely. She'd hold on for them. If she didn't, they'd blame themselves.
A commotion drew her attention back toward the fire. Tall One was nowhere to be seen and Mono-brow was making his way quickly to them.
"Great," she muttered. "This can't be good."
"I heard them talking. The leader made it clear," Darvan said. "He is just to take you to the river."
Sam eyed the approaching man warily. His face was a mixture of anger and hatred. "Yeah. Tell him that."
OoOoOoOoO
Jack watched the man approach Carter. This was a different man than the one who'd periodically taken her to the river—he'd guessed to bring down her fever, from the way the man beside her kept checking her forehead.
She didn't look good, and judging from her failed attempt to sit up earlier, SG-1 wouldn't be able to count on her help during her rescue.
His muscles grew tense the nearer the man drew to Carter. He didn't have the appearance of a man who would be gentle. The look on his face was a mask of pure hatred. Jack guessed he must have seen Carter's friendly side already. Jack felt a hand on his arm and looked at Daniel beside him. Both men had rejoined him hours ago.
"You keep telling me she can handle it, Jack," Daniel said.
Jack cursed under his breath. "It was a lot easier to say when I couldn't see her like this."
Teal'c nodded his agreement, his own jaw clenched, eyes cold.
The man stepped quickly up to Carter and reached down to grab her upper arm. He gave a vicious yank and brought her to her feet. Jack heard her pained cry from where he hid and his hands clenched into fists.
"On the other hand, maybe we should help," Daniel said, his voice laced with sudden anger.
"No. You were right, Daniel. She can handle it."
The man pulled Carter barefooted across the weeded ground toward the river. Each time her legs gave out he pulled harder, dragging her along until she could get her feet back underneath her. Her free hand was held tight against her gut and she walked hunched over.
Finally, she'd had enough. As they stumbled past the fire Jack watched her throw her weight to the ground, breaking free of the man's grasp. The man growled in frustration and reached for her. Just as he bent down, Carter grabbed a thin stick from the edge of the fire and jabbed it at his stomach. The smoldering wood connected with his shirtless skin and he howled.
Jack felt pride swell in his chest even as the man stood and drew back his foot. It connected with her belly hard and she cried out in pain.
"I believe I am going to hurt that man," Teal'c said calmly.
"Get in line," Jack said. His voice came out husky and he cleared his throat.
The hatred that washed over him wasn't welcome. Anything less than a cool head in the field was a hindrance. It wouldn't help Carter, either. It wasn't as if they could go in guns blazing. In his mind's eye he pictured the P-90 that hung from one of the men's shoulders. That and the fact that there were so many people in the camp made Jack leery. It would be too easy for Carter or the blue shirt to get caught in the crossfire.
The man drew his foot back again, but another of the group stormed up before he got a chance to kick. This one was much taller than the first. He gave the man a shove hard enough to send him to the ground not far from Carter. The tall one's angry shouts filled the camp and drew the attention of the rest.
The shorter man gestured to his own stomach and said something to the taller one. The tall one dismissed the injury and kicked at the dirt beside the downed man. He pointed to the other side of the fire and the shorter one slowly rose off the ground. The two stood face to face for a moment and Jack thought they may come to blows, but then the shorter one stormed away in the direction the other had pointed.
"Interesting," Daniel said. It was impossible to see his eyes through the reflected flames on his glasses.
"Indeed."
Jack didn't say anything. He watched while the tall man knelt next to Carter. It was then that he realized this was the same man who'd taken her to the river. The man reached out and rolled Carter to her back. Her hands remained protectively clutched over her stomach and she acted like she didn't want to unfold her body from the fetus position she'd taken against the onslaught. Jack heard a sob and his vision darkened for a moment.
The tall man put his hands under Carter's knees and shoulders and lifted her effortlessly. Before long both disappeared into the river again.
Jack let out another curse and sat back, turning away from the camp. He pulled his hat off his head and ran his hand down his face. He'd seen men mistreated in captivity before. But this was Carter.
He glanced at his watch and pressed the button that lit up its face. It had been just over two hours since Reynolds radioed word that the medical team was en route. They wouldn't make it to their position until well into the morning. Whatever opening presented itself for a rescue attempt, it needed to do so by then.
"Jack?"
"I know, Daniel. She'll be fine."
"I'm sure she will," Daniel said quickly. "But that's not what I was going to say." He tapped Jack's shoulder and pointed back at the camp.
Jack turned and looked in the direction he pointed. Teal'c was already tense.
Short man was back. He looked angry and he carried a weapon. It was about the length of a ruler. It had an axe head on one end and was whittled down to a sharp point on the other. He moved quickly past the fire and was headed for the river.
"Yeah," Jack said. "That's not good."
OoOoOoOoO
Sam felt the cold water wash over her and bit her tongue. She didn't remember ever feeling this miserable. All sense of pride had washed from her the second that man's foot had connected again with her abused stomach. Now she found herself praying for the darkness to claim her—at least for a little while.
"Relax," Tall One told her. "Let the water numb you."
Sam did what he said and let her muscles go limp. She embraced the cold of the water, concentrated on it. She didn't mind the shivering so much when she realized he was right. Her skin was growing numb, including the wound that seemed to be at the center of her world for the moment.
"Better?" he asked.
"Yes."
He nodded and waded a bit farther out. Sam heard the rapids not far away and possibly the cascade of a small waterfall. She felt the pull of the water but he showed no signs that it threatened to take him.
"Thank you for your kindness."
His brown eyes met hers. "This is not kindness. It is necessity."
Sam shook her head. "I'm not buying it."
Tall One sighed. "Contrary to what you may think, I am not a man of cruelty."
"This afternoon you threw rocks at me."
He raised his eyebrows with a smirk. "This afternoon you would have escaped had I not." He thought a moment. "And I was angry you took advantage of my..."
"Kindness?" Sam finished for him.
He didn't answer.
"And tonight?"
He shrugged. "And tonight, you would not have attempted an escape. Galek was unreasonably cruel."
"So? You didn't step in when they took my boots or stuck that spear to my skin."
"The spear stopped your bleeding and the shoes, well… you would have attempted another escape had you kept them."
It was her turn to raise her eyebrow. "I attempted it without them."
This earned her a full smile. "That you did."
Sam closed her eyes and let her head fall back. She didn't have the energy to hold it up. She hated feeling so weak. "You say you're not cruel, yet you intend to kill me when I have done nothing to you or your people."
"It is not my desire to do so," Tall One said. "It is my hope that your people will convince the king to meet our demands."
"And if he doesn't, you will kill an innocent."
Silence stretched between them. The pain in her stomach had numbed a bit and she felt she could finally sleep deeply. For a month. Instead, a question nagged her mind and she knew it wouldn't go away until she asked it. She opened her eyes and looked up at Tall One. "You said the other man's name is Galek."
He nodded.
"What's yours?"
"Kailan."
"And I'm…"
He stiffened. "Stop."
"What?" she asked, confused.
"Do not give me your name."
"Why not?"
Again, his only answer was silence. She closed her eyes and thought. Then it hit her. "You don't want my name because when the time comes, it'll make it harder to kill me."
Silence.
"My name's Sam."
She heard his indrawn breath. She looked up again. Anger stared back at her. She shrugged. "So sue me."
"You do not speak as a woman should."
"I'll take that as a compliment."
"It was not meant to be one." Kailan turned back toward the bank.
Sam didn't know how long they'd been in the water, but it hadn't felt as long as the last few times.
He must have read the question in her eyes. "The night grows chill. If we stay in the water much longer, I fear illness will settle in your lungs."
Even as the words left his lips, Sam felt a breeze brush against her wet skin and she shivered.
"We must pack your wound once more as well," he continued. He laid her down on the soft grass of the riverbank. She felt the weight of her wound right away and shifted to her side to relieve some of the pressure. She barely had the strength to do even that.
A strange whistle was the only warning she got that there was something wrong. Before she could register what made the sound an object flew out of the darkness and struck Kailan on the back of the head. He fell to the ground beside her. An axe-like weapon landed near her wrist.
Sam's instincts kicked in and she reached for the hilt. She looked back into the darkness and recognized the man who ran into view even as Kailan fell.
Galek was on top of her so quickly she didn't have time to react. His hands wrapped around her throat and squeezed tight. Sam fought for air. She lifted the axe and, finding she lacked the strength to swing it, raked it across his forearm. The action used up her last stores of energy. Its super sharp blade drew blood and then her hand fell limp to the ground.
Galek snatched his arm back with a sharp cry and rose quickly to his feet. He stomped on her hand and she felt bones crack.
Sam yelped and the weapon fell uselessly from her palm. Her vision blurred.
Then she heard a voice through her haze and turned her head toward it.
"Galek?" Kailan's voice was thick with confusion. He lifted his head slightly off the ground. "What are you doing?"
"What you should have," Galek said. He knelt down next to Sam and gave her a hard shove, rolling her off the bank. At the same moment, a large body flew from the shadows and took Galek to the ground.
It was too late. Sam hit the water and felt her limp body pulled away from the bank by the current. She looked up in time to see a glint of gold on a dark forehead just before her head sank under the surface and the river took her.
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Chapter five coming soon. :0)
