Well, here's another angst-filled chapter! Isn't everyone excited?! Now don't kill me for what happens, I just like to keep things interesting for our heroes! I hope everyone who celebrates Thanksgiving had a happy turkey day, and the next chapter will probably be up in a week. I have so much else to write. GAH! Anyways, I hope y'all enjoy this one! I hated to leave you with such an evil cliffhanger for so long!
Thanks to: SHOPPING-LUVA, TROMANA, PENELOPE LOUISE, WILDDAISIES, ELODIE WOLFE, JADESTAR, NELLIE, CHARLIE BLUE, and RINA. Y'all make me happy!
Chapter Twelve
Jane's eyed widened as he stared at Maldonado's outstretched hand. Swallowing hard, he reached out and grabbed the box. It wasn't very big and seemed to be made out of some sort of plastic. There were three small knobs and two buttons on the face of the device. He turned it over and pretended to study the design while watching Divinia out of the corner of his eye. Maldonado smirked and proceeded to elaborate on the technology while Jane asked a few well-placed questions in order to prolong his decision.
He wasn't sure how the vampiress was still on her feet- she looked ready to pass out. True to his thought, she swayed slightly before regaining her balance. Her arm was still protectively curled around her abdomen and he knew either her ribs or her arm was injured. Her eyes were a bit unfocused as she tried to process the situation, yet he saw her carefully note the positions of the guards surrounding them. She closed her eyes briefly, as if to fight off another dizzy spell, before meeting his gaze.
'You have to do this.'
She watched him carefully as a surprised look crossed his face which thankfully Maldonado missed. He buried the emotion before meeting her gaze with an intense expression. She nibbled on her lower lip and fought to clear her head as she studied the man in front of her. Jane tensed and she knew she was asking him to make an impossible decision. It was not in his nature to do anything like this, but it was their only chance. It had to be realistic or else their entire effort would be for nothing. She just hoped it wouldn't pull him under as well.
'There's no other way out, and I can't self-heal with this collar. You're going to have to make it look realistic, or we are all dead.'
Rigsby tried to remain impassive as he watched the scene play out in front of him. He had been warned of what could happen if Maldonado caught even an inkling that they were not who they said they were. He still felt a little uneasy in the presence of the vampires, and yet Jane and Lisbon seemed to trust them implicitly. He felt a tiny burst of anger begin to coil inside of him. Human or not, no one should treat a woman like this. It was revolting. He watched Jane's concentration slip, and he wondered if he had imagined it. He continued to watch carefully as Jane locked eyes with the vampiress and an understanding seemed to pass between them.
Jack tightened his grip on his weapon as he watched Jane fiddle with the box. Maldonado's eyes brightened as he reached the end of his explanation, obviously eager for his new product to be tested in front of others. He briefly glanced at Teal'c and wondered what Jane would decide to do. The man was doing a brilliant job in the undercover role, and Jack was honestly surprised they hadn't run into trouble yet. Jane's expression tightened as he locked eyes with the vampiress and Jack steeled himself for what he knew was about to happen as Jane touched one of the buttons on the box.
The collar glowed briefly and Divinia let out a gasp as her entire body stiffened. Scrunching her eyes shut, she threw her head back as her nerves began to pulse before falling to her knees with a grunt. Her fingers curled into the dirt as Jane increased the intensity by fiddling with the knobs. Her body began to tremble as tears leaked from her eyes, moistening the ground around her. Another movement from Jane and she felt like her intestines would explode. Collapsing on her side, she clutched at her abdomen with a strangled cry. Through a red clouded haze, she tried to meet Jane's gaze before losing consciousness.
'S'kay, Dad, you did good.' was her last slurred thought as a bolt of fire shot up her spine and radiated through her body rendering her blissfully unconscious.
Maldonado laughed and patted Jane on the back as he nudged the fallen vampiress with the toe of his boot. She flopped over onto her back and for a moment, Jane feared she was dead until he saw the shallow rise and fall of her chest. He fought to control his fury as he handed back the box with a small smile. A few more words needed to be exchanged before they could leave, and judging by Divinia's condition, it needed to be fast.
"That's a nice piece of technology," he responded as the Dream Spirit practically preened over the success of his device.
"And you seem quite adept at using it," Maldonado said with a smirk. The comment cut Jane to the core, and he unconsciously clenched his fists.
"Well, I prefer to not injure my servants to that extent, but severe punishment was needed in her case. T, grab the girl. We need to be on our way," Jane announced with an air of authority as Teal'c slung the vampiress over his shoulder as gently as he could allow in the presence of the enemies. He was worried for the young woman who had the strength of a hundred warriors, but now was not the time for sympathy.
"I trust this will cover any expenses incurred?" Jane added as he tossed a bag of coins. Maldonado caught them in one hand and smiled as he ushered them back towards the entry way. The hairs on the back of Jack's neck prickled and he knew the Dream Spirit was up to something. There was no way he was just going to let them walk out of here that easily.
"I'll remove the collar in my tent," Maldonado stated while they walked. Jane just nodded his agreement, not trusting his voice as he began to dwell over his actions. Maldonado paused when they neared his tent, and Jane hoped he could continue to hide his anxiety over what he had been forced to do.
"You are in quite a hurry to leave, my friend. I don't think you've been entirely truthful with me," Maldonado stated as he calmly pulled a gun from his robes and leveled it at Jane. Jane raised his hands slightly while his mind went into overdrive. It wasn't the first time someone had pointed a gun at him, but he wasn't quite sure how he would get out of this one.
Without thinking, Rigsby rushed forward and knocked the Dream Spirit's arm causing the shot to go askew. In that moment, other guards began to gather as the group took off with Jack shouting orders as he covered their exit. Teal'c rearranged Divinia so that she was cradled in her arms as they tore through the entry way, brushing past the stunned guards who seemed to be untrained to deal with this type of situation. Bullets whizzed past them as they ran towards the tree line, ducking and dodging the flying projectiles. In the distance they heard Maldonado cackle with laughter.
"She's as good as dead, my friend! As good as dead!"
They ran for a few more miles and Jane concentrated on putting one foot in front of the other. Refusing to let his mind wander, he fixated on the center of Rigsby's back as they ran through the forest. Panting, they finally slowed to a walk and quickly analyzed the group's injuries. There were a few scrapes here and there, but nothing serious. Jane looked over at Teal'c who was still gently cradling the injured vampiress. Her face was pale as she hung limp from his arms. In a way, he was relieved she was unconscious for their flight through the forest. He could only imagine that the amount of jarring would have been extremely painful.
"We need to get her back as soon as possible," Jack announced. "Carter should be able to get that thing off of her." Jack quickly eyed the group and paused when his eyes landed on Jane. The man was already starting to withdraw and he knew the consultant needed to get back in a hurry before he lost himself in the guilt of his actions, even if they had saved the vampiress' life. Jane seemed to be a man who would balme himself for anything that went wrong, and injuring Divinia further was probably viewed as a failure in the other man's book. He just hoped Lisbon would be able to help.
Samantha Carter watched her childhood friend pace nervously about the camp. The petite brunette was normally very adept at hiding her feelings, but this situation had them all on edge. Cayt was still staring off into space with Tracie at his side. A faint smile flickered over the blonde woman's face as she thought of the young vampiress. The girl was cheerful and had done an amazing job keeping the mood light. She seemed to be extremely loyal to Cayt already, and Sam figured the girl felt a touch of guilt mingled with responsibility for Divinia's situation. She turned back to Lisbon who was mumbling something under her breath as she stared off into the distance. They had been gone for a long time, and with SG1's fabled luck mixed with the capricious consultant, odds were that something had gone wrong.
With a sigh, Lisbon leaned against a tree as she scanned the forest edge for any sign of movement. She couldn't believe she had allowed two of her people to wander off into a den of thieves. Okay, they didn't wander, but she still wasn't thrilled with the situation. Thankfully, Colonel O'Neill and Teal'c were able to go with them. A flurry of movement caught her eye and she leapt to attention as the four men sprinted out of the forest. Her heart dropped when she caught a glimpse of the limp woman in Teal'c's arms. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Cayt leap to his feet and race over to where Jack was ordering the others to open a sleeping bag and grab the medical kit.
"Lisbon!" Jack shouted her name before gesturing towards Jane who was standing at the edge of the group looking lost. His eyes were unfocused and he seemed to be in state of shock as she quickly made her way over to him. Not caring what anyone else might think, she grabbed his hand and pulled him off to the side. Rubbing his hands between hers, she inventoried his condition as he stood motionless and silent in front of her.
"Jane… Patrick," she said softly. Dropping his hands, she raised her own to cup his face and force him to look at her. His eyes darted around before locking onto her own with an unbelievable emotional intensity. He drew in a strangled breath, before leaning his forehead to hers while closing his eyes.
"It's my fault," he whispered before crumpling into her arms. She lowered them both to the ground and held him tight, rubbing her hand in circles across his back.
"Just breathe. There you go- nice and easy," she soothed as she fought to calm him down.
His breathing finally evened out, and he surprised her by staying in her grasp. She assumed that as soon as he regained control he would pull away and replace the mask he often wore in front of the others. Looking over his shoulder, she caught Jack's eye and he ran his hand through his hair with a grim expression. His eyes softened before turning back towards the vampiress and Lisbon wondered what the hell had happened. Whispering calming words, she continued to hold Jane in her arms as he clung to her for dear life. Whatever had happened, it had nearly broken the man in front of her and she prayed she could help him find his way back.
