Disclaimer: I don't own any of the rights to anything Stargate. That honor goes to MGM Home Entertainment and its affiliates. I'm only writing for my own enjoyment and hopefully the enjoyment of others. I'm not making any money off of this. My original characters are the only thing I claim as mine. No copyright infringement is meant. Thanks.

A/N: This chapter will take the story up to where I began it, with Daniel waking up in a cold, dark, and wet place, hearing an inhuman growling, and thinking he was a goner. In the next chapter I will continue on from what will now be the present and go on through the rest of the story. You pronounce the name Ciara as "keera". Please read and review. I am a sucker for feedback. :)

Thanks to my new beta reader Robin and Marian 4ever. She is an angel for taking on the job, and she's good at keeping me on track. Enjoy!!

Chapter 7

Jack O'Neill came back to consciousness with a fierce headache. His shoulder felt like it was on fire; it hurt so badly. He fully expected to wake up in a six by six cell. It didn't take the Colonel long to remember what had happened to him and Teal'c. Instead, Jack found himself lying on a huge, black bed, surrounded by soft, gold, fluffy pillows. He had been stripped of his BDU jacket, and his weapons, his boots, and his hat were gone as well. He still had his black T-shirt and BDU pants on, but the right sleeve of the shirt was ripped in half. A bandage was wrapped around his upper arm and shoulder, covering the wound the bloodthirsty creature from the woods had given him.

He felt fevered; too warm. His head was pounding and his shoulder continued to burn with pain too. Basically, he felt like crap; crap that had been run over by a semi to be more precise. Where was Teal'c? Was the big guy all right? Why was he, himself, being allowed to be resting in a bed, when he should have been rotting in a prison cell?

"Ah, the Tau'ri warrior is awake," a deep, but very feminine voice caught his attention.

Jack tried to get his eyes to focus on the form that seemed to becoming toward him. He felt like the rug had been pulled out from underneath him when he finally saw the Goa'uld he assumed must be Ammut. The human host she had chosen was exquisite. She had long, black, Egyptian-like plated hair and bronze colored skin. She had the bold eye make up that had marked the ancient Egyptians too. It made her eyes look almond-shaped and very large. They were the darkest brown he'd ever seen. She reminded O'Neill of the Pharaoh's mistress from the Mummy movie. What was her name…? Oh, yeah, Anck-su-namun; that was who she looked like. He forgot to breathe for a moment and just stared at her scantly clad, womanly form.

Ammut was dress in a black, mesh-like dress that showed of her assets to the hilt; her curves, her legs, her back, and her beautifully dark skin. O'Neill was totally enchanted by her, but naturally so. She was ten times the beauty Hathor had been and most of that had been because of some weird pheromone thingy. Ammut was just a stunning woman, period. She didn't need tricks or chemicals; this woman just oozed sexuality by just being a gorgeous female. The Goa'uld always seemed to choose only the most exotic of beautiful people to be their hosts.

"How are you feeling, Colonel O'Neill?" she asked him in that deep, mechanical voice all Goa'uld seemed to have. No matter how she looked on the outside, she was still a snake on the inside; he had to remind himself of that. He wasn't shocked that she knew his name; most of the Goa'uld seemed to be up on SG-1.

"Like crap," he managed to hiss out; his voice very weak.

He saw Ammut smile a sly grin. "I imagine you feel much worse than that, O'Neill," she told him smugly. "You've been bitten by a dearg-dul, and even now its poison is infecting your bodily systems. If it goes unchecked, you could become one of them, or just simply die. A bite doesn't always result in a change, but there is always that chance."

Is she trying to scare me to death or just let me know the reality of the situation? O'Neill wondered to himself. He was betting it was the former. This Goa'uld had a sadistic streak in her, just like many of the others he'd met. "Thanks for the FYI," he replied as sarcastically as his pain would allow him to sound.

Ammut came and sat by his prone form on the bed. She felt his forehead and shook her head. "Your body temperature is steadily rising. That is not a good sign," she informed him. Her hand caressed his cheek, and she combed her fingers through his damp hair. Despite it all, her touch was cool and felt nice. "It doesn't have to happen to you, O'Neill," she now purred at him.

"What?" he inquired quietly.

"I can stop it from progressing and return you to a state of perfect health," she said seductively, still caressing his cheek.

"What's the catch?" he demanded, but without much force behind it.

Ammut seemed to study him for a minute. Then she ran her hand through his hair again. Jack tried not to enjoy the sensation, but it was such a sweet contrast to the pain that he couldn't help it. "Tell me why you are here and how you found out about my operation," she finally let the other shoe drop.

O'Neill shut his mouth stubbornly and tried to look defiantly at Ammut. From the amused smile she gave him, he assumed he had failed. "Such a little child," she commented with a light laugh. "For some reason I find that an endearing trait in you. Most of those who defy me risk bringing my wrath to bear on them, but not you, at least not yet."

"Give it time," O'Neill said, trying to put more volume into his voice. "I'm really good at pissing everybody off, eventually."

Ammut laughed right out loud at his statement this time, a real, genuine laugh. "I do not doubt that you are, Colonel O'Neill, but for now you are a nice, refreshing change of pace. I have broken the Aaurans so completely that they no longer provide me with any real sport. But, you," she said, running her hand down his chest, "you are still full of willfulness, and that I find very appealing."

What the hell was going on here? Was this Goa'uld coming on to him? Jack didn't like that idea at all. "Listen lady, either torture me or kill me, because I'm not giving you any information. Using your feminine wiles isn't going to work either. You can go to hell!" O'Neill was using all the bravo he had left, but he was sounding like a whining child. Pain just sucked sometimes.

"Sokar was the one who sent people to hell," Ammut said after her laughter at Jack's ridiculousness subside. He was attempting to seem so tough, but he was too weak to pull it off effectively. "That was his chosen persona. I'm a different kind of devil. I don't lock people away in prison like he did to suffer in isolation. I turn people into monsters and demons to do my bidding, and let them cause suffering for all."

Jack was horrified at how causally she admitted what she was, or what she wanted to be portrayed as. Ammut wasn't finished yet, "I was the punisher of the gods; the one who carried out the judgments of Osiris. I'm the devil that even Sokar was afraid of." Her lips were positioned right by Jack's ear now. He shivered at her close proximity and at her words.

"You'd like to see me turn, wouldn't you?" he suddenly asked, realizing her true nature.

"Oh yes, O'Neill," she breathed heavily in his ear. "I would take great pleasure in making you into one of my creatures."

He made a movement to get away from her, to put some distance between them. It only caused to make him dizzy and writhe in pain; in fact, it was so intense, he even cried out. He had never felt anything like this before; it was like he was burning up from the inside out.

"Shhhhh," she cooed to him as she took him into her arms, fully joining him on the bed. "I can make it all go away. Just tell me what I want to know. You don't have to become one of my demons, yet. I also know how to reward with pleasure those who serve me well."

"Save it for someone who cares," O'Neill spat and instantly regretted the effort it took. His body spasmed as his blood seemed to become a raging bonfire. He grimaced and moaned in agony.

Ammut cradled him more, her skin like a cooling douse of water on his skin. "If you think your pain in unbearable, think of what I will do to your comrades; Dr. Jackson, Major Carter, and Teal'c. I could have you watch them suffer the most horrific of transformations."

The knowledge that Ammut had captured Daniel and Carter wasn't lost on O'Neill, despite his condition. He wanted to rip this Goa'uld's heart out, but he was helpless to do anything. "Or better yet, once you've crossed over, I could let you tear your own team members apart yourself. That would be most delightful." Jack then felt her lips on his forehead. This was the worst form of torture he'd ever experienced. On the one hand Ammut was vicious and tormenting him to the extreme, and on the other, she was tender and comforting. It was as confusing as hell. His mind and body didn't know how to reconcile the two polar opposite experiences.

"I'll make it very easy for you, Colonel," she whispered in his ear again, sugary sweet. "Was it the Tok'ra who sent you here? Is your team alone, merely trying to gather information? A simple yes will do. Then I will help you."

Jack fought within himself to say nothing, but he didn't want his team to be made into vampires or something worse. Hell he didn't either, but he couldn't give into the enemy. He knew that Ammut would probably do it anyway, but her offer of relief was too tempting to resist. Now that thought took him aback. He should be able to withstand this; something was off. Ammut must be doing something to him; controlling him because the, "Yes," came out of his mouth before he could stop it.

"There now that wasn't so hard now was it?" she said softly, letting her lips brush his ear and then his cheek. "I will heal you. There is still time for some anti-venom and a pleasant, regenerating sleep in a sarcophagus to cure you. You will see how bending your will to mine can be rewarded."

Jack almost sobbed as she pulled away from him to summon attendants to do as she had said for him. That snapped him back to reality. What the hell was wrong with him? Ammut repulsed him, but he craved her cool and soothing touch. Maybe she did have some sort of trickery deal going on here, like Hathor had, or was it whatever he was infected with, making his mind weak?

As Jack felt a needle stuck in his arm and felt himself placed on a stretcher-like device, he cursed himself for his weakness. Ammut had known exactly what she was doing and got exactly what she wanted. He had to pull himself together and fight whatever power Ammut was trying to have over him. She would not get to him a second time; he would make sure of that.


Carter paced the room she had been placed in. It was more a set of rooms actually, like guest quarters. Why she was in here was as good as guess as any to her. She and Daniel had been separated once they had been ringed up into Ammut's mothership. He was led off down one hall and she was led of down another. A mean looking Jaffa with dark hair and skin had informed her that Antef would arrive shortly to interrogate her. That gave Carter a hint of relief. It seemed he wanted to talk with her, alone. She hoped that meant good things, if the Tok'ra operative was still on their side. His act as a minor Goa'uld had either been Oscar-worthy material, or he had turned to the dark side.

The rooms Carter was in were colored in reds and blues. She could see that the Aauran night had descended outside a small window down at the far left. There were chairs and couches scattered throughout the room with tables of differing sizes as well. The room seemed to branch off toward the back into what must be a bedroom. Carter had tried to sit on a comfy-looking, country blue colored loveseat, but her nerves had her right back up and pacing the floor.

The Major was trying to recall anything and everything she could about Antef and Kemet from the flashes she had from Jolinar's memories of them. She didn't have the assistance of a Tok'ra/Goa'uld memory device to aid her, but the feelings that had stirred at seeing them were almost strong enough to manifest some memories of them for her. Carter knew they had been very close friends; maybe more. Jolinar and Rosha had known them before Martouf and Lantash and had worked with them on many assignments.

The door hissed open and there they were. Carter was again struck with overwhelming feelings of familiarity and warmth. Jolinar hadn't known Kemet with facial hair, but the dark half beard and thin moustache fit him well. "Ammut has captured your fellow spies," he said by way of greeting, but using only his host, Kemet's, voice, not that of the symbiote. "Colonel O'Neill and Teal'c are now her prisoners. You, I have learned, are Major Samantha Carter." He also spoke in English to her.

"Are the others all right?" she couldn't help but ask, trying not to let his wandering gaze upon her distract her.

"For now," he said cryptically. Then he suddenly changed his demeanor and tone. "I feel I know you. Have we met somewhere before?" It was asked tentatively.

Carter took a deep breath and chose to tell him everything, as she took a seat on the blue couch. She had to see where he stood. "In a manner of speaking," she began. "I was a temporary host to a Tok'ra named Jolinar of Malkshur."

Kemet visibly blanched at the mention of Jolinar's name. He had not been expecting her to say that. "A temporary host?" he then queried, worry evident in his tone now.

"She died saving my life," Carter explained quickly. "She was on the run from a Goa'uld assassin and had to switch bodies several times. I was the last host she took. Rather than let me die, she sacrificed herself to keep me alive."

"So Rosha is dead as well?" he inquired softly. His face had gone very still, and his eyes seemed to brim with tears.

Carter swallowed a lump in her throat. "Yes. I'm so sorry," she said, at a loss to say anything else.

Kemet finally came into the room and sank down on a light red colored, straight-backed chair. "How long were you a host to Jolinar?" he finally asked.

"Not very long," Carter told him. "She didn't mean to use my body against my will, but she was desperate. Every impression I got from her was filled with a sense of goodness though."

"She and Rosha were extraordinary beings. Her selfless sacrifice for another does not surprise me," he announced with a small smile.

"I take it you two were good friends?" Carter was now the one asking questions.

Kemet nodded and said, "The best of friends. At one time I thought we would be mates, but her heart did not belong to me." His tone sounded very sad to Carter.

"Martouf and Lantash came along," she guessed.

"Yes, they did." Kemet's voice now had a bitter edge to it. "They made a connection to them both that I – we could not."

Carter had the distinct impression that Kemet and his symbiote Antef had never quite gotten over Jolinar and Rosha's rejection of them as a mate, but he seemed genuinely saddened at hearing of their deaths. "I guess since Jolinar died inside of me and dissolved into my body, I still carry a part of her with me; a part that recognized you and Antef. You wondered if we had ever met, so I'm assuming that you must have felt that part of her in me," Carter said talking very fast.

"It seems so," was all Kemet replied with. He continued to stare at Carter for a long time, searching her eyes with his. "She is a distinct part of you somehow. I can almost taste her throughout your body," he finally spoke again, but this time it was Antef's deep, mechanical sounding voice coming through his host.

That last statement made a cold dread run down Carter's spine; it was almost too personal. She didn't know this man or his symbiote; Jolinar and Rosha had. Suddenly, he was beside her on the couch, invading her personal space. His hands grabbed her face and made her look him strongly in the eye. "I can smell her essence in you," he whispered. "It always was very intoxicating."

Carter broke his grip and got up off the couch; it was just a little bit too much. Once she was standing a few feet away, she said, "I'm not her, okay? She died. I'm not her." She was trying to be calm, but this whole past lives thing was really disconcerting to her. She was feeling emotions that were not hers, and it confused her.

"I apologize, Major Carter," he said still in Antef's voice. "I did not mean to disturb you. It has just been so long since I had any contact with either Jolinar or Rosha. We were madly in love with them, but never got the chance to tell them. It is an old grievance; one I should not take out on you." He stood and gave her a slight bow.

"What happens now?" Carter found herself asking.

"I am, unfortunately, in no position to help you or your associates," Antef informed her. "I am not longer in the service of the Tok'ra. I'm serving Ammut purely for my own reasons. I bear you no ill will, but do not look to me for help."

Carter wanted to balk at his statement. His words and actions were so contrary Jolinar's memories of him. "You won't help us escape?" she questioned dubiously.

"No, I won't," was his cool answer.

"Not even for the sake of Jolinar's memory?" Carter pressed.

Antef's split Kemet's mouth into a wicked grin. "Especially not for Jolinar's memory," he said.

"I thought you bore me no ill will?" Carter asked, confused now.

"You as Major Carter, I don't, but the part that is Jolinar, I do," he rationalized. "I would let her and Rosha rot here too. They spurned my affection, after years of friendship. I loved them so deeply that there aren't words to describe it. Now that love has turned to hate. And I like the power I have now. I'm not going to risk all I've worked for you the likes of you."

The Major's shock was raw. This Tok'ra had turned; he was a Goa'uld now. He had let himself become corrupted by jealousy and hate, along with power and glory. "Do you really mean that?" she demanded. "Because the feelings that I recall from my time with Jolinar are nothing but good ones toward you; warm, kind, and full of deep caring. She trusted you; looked up to you. You can't betray all that."

Antef grew silent and hung his head. It was Kemet that spoke next. "And we her, Major, but she wounded us so completely by rejecting our love, that we have never fully recovered from it. It has eaten away what we once were. All we have is what we have now in the service of Ammut."

"Please don't turn you back on me and my friends, Kemet," Carter implored, trying one last time to get through to him; looking for any good that he might still possess. "You're our only hope in getting out of here alive."

"I'm sorry, Major Carter," he responded soberly now, "but you hope in vain." With that said, he walked to the door and prepared to leave. "An escort with come take you to Ammut. She has many questions for you. It would be wise that you answer them and spare yourself her wrath." Then he was gone, and Carter now knew where this Tok'ra stood. Unfortunately, he was not on their side.


Daniel's screams echoed down the entire hallway from the prison cell he was in. A large Jaffa with short, blonde hair and bearing the symbol of Anubis was cruelly and mercilessly jabbing him with a Goa'uld pain stick. The three-pronged, rod-like weapon was literally electrocuting his insides. His mouth and eyes glowed like they were consumed in fire, reflecting the excruciating pain he was experiencing. This Jaffa seemed to get a kick out of applying the pain stick to Daniel's neck and rib area. Daniel was already in great pain from the beating that Aislinn had given him, so the pain stick magnified those injuries a hundred times.

After what seemed like hours, the Jaffa let up and allowed Daniel drop to the cold floor of the prison cell. He hadn't asked Daniel one question, just tortured him. As Daniel lay there trying to get oxygen into his lungs, he winced; it hurt to even breathe. He was nauseated and thought he was going to throw up. He hadn't eaten in hours, so there probably wasn't much to bring up, but he still felt incredibly sick to his stomach.

The door to the cell clanked loudly open, and Daniel heard the click of high-heeled shoes. He was lying on his stomach with his face flat on the ground. He turned it to look up at the new presence in the room, but instantly regretted the move. He moaned as stabbing pain pounded into his head.

"It seems you have softened him up well, Go'lek," a deep, feminine voice told the Jaffa.

"I have done as you have ordered, my goddess," the Jaffa replied curtly, standing at strict attention.

Daniel then felt a hand run through his short hair to grab a handful of it roughly and haul him halfway upright to look up at a dazzling, dark haired, Egyptian-looking woman. He figured it had to be Ammut. "I'm very displeased with your subterfuge, Dr. Jackson. Trying to infiltrate the Aaurans was not a wise thing to do. Your punishment will be very severe I'm afraid. I'm going to make you an example for the other members of your little team. They will see the result of what happens to those who defy me," her tone was like ice, and she was talking with the symbiote's voice.

"Haven't you tortured me enough?" Daniel managed to ask in a choked whisper.

"My dear, Dr. Jackson, I haven't even begun to torture you," she informed him with smugness in her eyes and smile. "And I don't care if you are willing to tell me everything or not. I don't think you would whatever I did to you. I have another well to draw from for the information I want. It is a much richer source of what I want than you are. Your Colonel O'Neill is so much more fun to play mind games with at the moment. But I do need to show him what a queen of demons is capable of to make him more malleable in my hands. You are the perfect tool do help me accomplish that task."

Daniel was gripped with fear, like he was caught in the hand of giant that was going to crush the life out of him. What was this sadistic Goa'uld going to do to him to try and bend Jack to her will? What was she doing to Jack, and why? "You're right, you sick, twisted freak," he somehow found the strength to spit the words at her. "I won't tell you a damned thing. In fact, I'll find a way to bring justice down upon you for all the misery and suffering you've caused the people of this world, and probably countless others." Daniel was totally serious in what he said, and he knew that if he did ever make it out of here alive, he would do just as he said, somehow.

"Brave words, doctor," Ammut replied with a harsh laugh. "I must say that I do like the Tau'ri spirit. Your people have been too long without a god to put them in their place, but it is a true pleasure to have a new group to crush under my boot heel."

"Enjoy it while it lasts, Ammut, because it will all come crashing down around you," Daniel retorted, using the last of his strength to do so.

Ammut yanked savagely on his hair. "I will only tolerate so much insolence, you little maggot," she hissed back at him. "Your suffering will know no bounds. I will throw you in with one of my creatures; one that has been denied sustenance for a long time. It might tear you apart, or it might savor you slowly not knowing when it will be able to feed again. I'm hoping for the later, and if that happens, then you will turn, and you will be come one of my demons. I will steal your will and along with it, your soul. All of what you are will belong to me."

Even though Daniel's energy was spent, he still felt cold, bitter fright wash through his body and leak out his pores at Ammut's description. He struggled against her hold on his hair and tried to rise. The fear then changed to anger, and a last ditch effort at defiance drove him forward as adrenaline fueled his body. His sudden action to get away took Ammut by surprise, and she left go of him and backed up. It didn't take her long to recover, however, and she struck out at him with a Goa'uld ribbon device on her right hand.

Daniel was thrown several feet back through the cell and into one of its hard, metal walls. His head struck it first with most of the force behind it. His saw white spots before everything went black for him. He didn't register the rest of his body hitting the wall or the all-consuming pain it caused him; he had lost consciousness.

Ammut was huffing in fury at the prone Dr. Jackson. "So much for your self-righteous sense of justice, you little cur," she growled. "You will experience the wrath and punishment of a goddess of devils. Throw him in the pit and let Ciara eat him alive," she then ordered Go'lek, who was standing at the ready with a staff weapon. He had been prepared to defend his goddess if it came to that, prompted by Daniel's futile struggle.

"Yes, my lady," he responded obediently, as Ammut swept out of the cell.

Go'lek, staff weapon still in one hand, picked up Daniel around his waist with the other. His superior strength let him carry the unconscious doctor out of the cell and down the hall to a ring room one-handed. The various creatures Ammut created and employed in her service were not kept on the Goa'uld mothership for safety reasons. They were housed out back behind it, using natural caves deep in the ground as prison cells and cages. Enclosures were built over them to hold the creatures inside with thick naquadah locks on them.

The most terrifying and disturbing of sounds came from down in the pits, as Go'lek made his trek in among them. Snarls, hisses, growls, screams, panting, moaning, and yowling filled his ears, making the hair on the back of his neck stand up. He hated this containment area. Ammut had quite the collection of freakish aberrations locked up in these pits. Things created out of her diabolical experiments to design horrific monsters made to fulfill her most heinous punishments. For one split second the Jaffa warrior felt sorry for the human he carried under his arm, but the pity faded quickly. Pity was a weakness Ammut wouldn't permit or stand for in any way.

Go'lek dropped Daniel on the ground near one of the pits that was located furthest back in the containment area. The dearg-dul or "red-blood feeder" that inhabit this pit hadn't been feed in months, yet she was still alive and extremely dangerous. Ciara had, at one time, been Ammut's favorite creature, treated as a loyal pet, but over the centuries she had grown more and more independent and defiant. Ammut had to punish her way too often to regain control over her. The Goa'uld was close to destroying Ciara all together, but the desire to break her and make her service the demon goddess again was more tempting to Ammut. She would win this contest of wills with her star creation. Once, Ciara had been the perfect torture device, the perfect killer, and Ammut was bound and determined to make her that once again.

This was not the first time Ammut had denied Ciara the blood she needed to give her strength and agility, and actual life itself. This was the first time; however, that Ammut had gone so long without supplying the dearg-dul with nourishment. It was both surprising and pleasing to Ammut that Ciara had survived this long. Ammut knew she had been driven into the depths of madness because of the lack of what her supernatural body needed. The Goa'uld knew just how weak Ciara was. She would not be able to resist the tender morsel that Dr. Jackson would represent to the starving vampire. Ciara would either gorge herself on his blood, or take a little at a time and try to conserve and ration it. It all depended upon how much control Ciara really had over her insatiable thirst for blood.

Ammut would rather have Ciara take her time with Jackson, to cause him more pain, but she was torn with the desire to have Ciara be at the point where she had totally lost control over herself. Ammut would also love to see Ciara rip Jackson apart and bath in his blood. Only time would tell which outcome would manifest itself. Either way, Ammut figured she was getting what she wanted in the end.

Go'lek had to do this quickly. The dearg-dul was very weak, but still there was a chance when the pit door was opened that she would spring up at him with preternatural speed. The Jaffa undid the lock with his security code and the cage door made a popping sound as it was released. He quickly grabbed Daniel and tossed him into the pit. He then resealed and locked the door.

"It seems our goddess had decided to show you a little mercy," he shouted down to the dearg-dul. "You should be grateful for it."

Silence greeted his remarks. Go'lek shrugged his shoulders, and then walked away without a second thought about Daniel or the dearg-dul. What happened now didn't concern him; he'd done as he was told, and that was all that mattered to him.

TBC

What do you think? What will happen to poor Daniel? Drop me a line and let me know if the story is still any good. Thanks.