A/Ramble: So, I've written three chapters this weekend :) Kind of proud. This is the fourth. I figure, I can do lots of writing on the weekend, and post during the week when I have absolutely no time to write. Please excuse the Chess lingo. Enjoy!
~ 7 ~
As soon as they lost sight of the colosseum, Sam wrenched her hand from Zacabi's grip. Sand was still stuck to her skin and smears of Jack's blood patterned her clothes. She thrust the heel of her hand into her eye to force back the tears and let out an angry crawl through her clenched teeth.
What the hell as going on with him? If not for the surprising moment of tenderness shared the night before, Sam could excuse this as the climax of his increasingly worrying behaviour. But last night, they weren't even Colonel and Major; they were more like close friends. She didn't understand, which only angered Sam more. Why on Earth- Syracuse... wherever, would he pick a fight? With Zacabi, of all people?
At this, Sam remembered the young blonde man beside her, waiting patiently. The tinged skin of his cheeks and forehead from the Colonel's punches was fading. Sam took a moment to look around. They had exited the forest and about one hundred and fifty feet to her right was the edge of a cliff. The terrain was grassy and only featured an old, dead tree whose bark had long been stripped, away showing only smooth, dark wood. Otherwise the scenery was bare.
The sun was rising in the sky and a bright light beyond the edge of the cliff summoned her. The smell of salt and sand invaded her nostrils. She stepped away from Zacabi and walked until she stood a few feet from the cliff.
She could see the ocean.
It was calm and blue and so beautiful.
And for some awful, unknown reason, Sam felt on the verge of tears again. A cool hand touched her shoulder; she turned to look at Zacabi. Now she had the freedom to look at him, she catalogued his features. He was a lot younger than she first thought. Late teens, maybe very early twenties. His eyes were a brilliant sapphire and his long sandy hair whipped in the breeze. He was a little lanky, but she could tell he was packing a notable amount of muscle beneath his white linen clothes. And he was tall, very tall. She wasn't a short woman and he had a good three inches on her. He could have been her younger brother, or even a son.
"Are you alright?" He asked in a gravelly voice, his gaze washing over every part of her in concern.
Sam nodded and sniffed, lowering her head to regain the last of her composure. She was upset and confused, and at this stage she considered giving up hope of escape or rescue.
"I'll look after you."
He said it like it was a pledge and the look in his eyes made it difficult to argue with him. Sam had to shake her head dismissively.
"I'm fine. I can take care of myself."
"You are 'Major'?" he dipped his head, his eyes now inquisitive. Sam reconsidered her refusal. Despite his apparent age - which among alien races meant nothing - he held significant influence over the other residents of Syracuse. Whether they acknowledged him or not, he ate first, was involved in the metal bands and frequently stayed in the company of Xerus. Though never when Jack was around, she now realised.
He could be a better source of information than Xerus.
"Yes. That's my title on my homeworld. You can call me..." She was prepared to say her given name, but chose against it. "...Carter."
"Carter," He repeated quietly. Not quite in a reverent way, but admirably. He nodded. "You can stay with me." Zacabi looked out to the ocean, then back to her. "Come walk with me. I'll take you down to the shore."
Zacabi took a step away from the cliff and looked back to Sam, clearly hoping she would follow him. She could see the opening of the trail that lead down to the shore. Perhaps she could find the place where she and Jack had been captured; from there she could back-track to the Stargate. She had yet to see these traders Merrit had mentioned, despite the arrival and disappearances of the inmates during their tenure. But there must be a Gate nearby and if anybody knew where it was, it would be Zacabi. Or Xerus, but Sam was definitely not on speaking terms with her.
"Alright," She acquiesced and followed close behind him as he led her down the path.
~ SJ ~
Jack was still spitting blood out inside Xerus' room long after Sam had left with Zacabi. He should have felt glad his plan had worked, but he hated that it had to go down this way. Carter was gone, presumably feeling quite betrayed. That was fine. Queen to E four. Right under the protection of the Knight. She just didn't know Jack had changed sides.
He groaned and lowered his head, resting his brow on his knee. He hated the look on her face. The fact that she hit him. Sure, he deserved it. And it was a good whack too.
But at least in winning, Jack had gained a lot of ground as far as the rest of the residents were concerned. Zacabi was - for whatever reason - the unquestioned alpha male of Syracuse. It was baffling, that such a young kid could be at the top of the food chain. Now he had Carter out of his hair, he could get closer to Xerus.
~ SJ ~
Zacabi was good to his word; they'd followed a grassy track down a steep hill and emerged on the sandy shoreline, which, to Sam's dismay, she did not recognise. But the sounds and the gentle rhythm of the encroaching and retreating waves were calming. It didn't feel like any ocean or sea on Earth, it felt mysterious and a little unpredictable. As they walked along the shore, the water tickled her toes and all the earlier resentment and rage was pulled away with the tide.
Zacabi was silent, but she felt like his eyes were always on her.
"How long have you been here?" She asked, watching the small wave crawl around her feet and disappear into the sand.
"A long time."
Well that didn't tell her much, did it?
"Were you brought here from somewhere else?" Sam pressed on, lifting the hems of her pants from the water by pulling at the material on her thighs.
"No. I have always been here. Long before Syracuse was built."
This slowed Sam's paces, "How old are you, then? Because you must have an incredible lifespan..."
Zacabi grinned, revealing a set of pearly white teeth. He cast his eyes out again. "I can't really say. Give and take, Sam. How old are you?" his manner became cheeky and Sam figured she wasn't going to get a straight answer out of him. Yet. She would learn more. She'd attack this like any other problem. Observation, analysis, experimentation and application. Not necessarily in that order.
They walked on in silence. A plan was slowly forming in her head. Most of it contingent on whatever information she could drag out of Zacabi. She had to get the bands off. She was free to wander during the day, but any escape would be too dangerous if they still wore them. If Zacabi was the one administering the bands to the residents, surely he knew how they worked and how to remove them. She would have to take up this mission alone because Lord know Jack was certainly not going to be helping her any time soon.
Bastard.
~ SJ ~
Okay, I'm going to bed. 0530 is coming around mighty early. Thank you daylight savings. Not! (we put our clocks an hour forward two nights ago, so I my body still thinks it's 0430, when it's 0530. EVILNESS!) Reviews? Oh yes please :) I'll be replying to them from now on, (unless you don't have an account, cos then I can't unless you leave an email address.)
