Here's another short chapter for you all. I also revised Ch 4 a bit. Nothing too much. I just clarified one little thing and changed a couple of TINY details. If you notice an inconsistency or two in this chapter it was (hopefully) taken care of by the changes in Ch 4.
OH! I have also changed my settings to accept anonymous reviews. I didn't realize it wouldn't accept them until someone told me. :o)
*~*~*~*
Daniel had been left alone with nothing but his pillow to keep him company for more than a day. With the exception of the two well-armed guards who came in to deliver food and water and empty the...facilities, Daniel had no contact with the outside world.
He wasn't worried that his team wouldn't come for him. Even though the deadline was drawing near, he had full faith that they would come. Daniel was simply bored. He had counted the number of stones that made up the walls, ceiling, and floor of his room (1,326), he recited the alphabet forwards and backwards in each of his 23 languages at least ten times, he mentally calculated Pi to the 35th digit before he lost track (Sam would be proud of him for that one), and he sang '100 Bottles of Beer on the Wall' until his voice gave out. Daniel was still bored.
Just as he was about to make shadow puppets on the wall to alleviate his boredom, Ochsner and his guards entered the room.
"Breakfast already?" Daniel questioned sarcastically form his seated position on the bedroll. Okay, it was closer to midday on Kolea, but his body was still on Earth's timetable and it wasn't quite 0600 there.
Immediately, he knew that this wasn't going to be a typical visit. For starters, his guards always came alone and would immediately attend to their assigned task, be it bringing food or water, removing the empty trays, emptying the waste bucket, or simply verifying his presence.
The guards (Daniel had yet to learn their names) were much less docile without the restraining presence of their boss, however, and would try just about anything to get a reaction out of the archaeologist. The guards would never physically harm him, but they were well versed in intimidation tactics. Once, when he had refused to give in and show his fear or anger, one of the guards had fired his energy weapon, hitting the wall mere inches from Daniel's head. Daniel assumed that Ochsner had been watching via whatever surveillance system he had installed and disapproved of the action because the next, and until now the last, time the guards came to check on him was completely uneventful. They had simply opened the door and placed the refilled water container in the room before leaving once again. Not a word had been spoken.
This was the first time Daniel had even heard from Ochsner since their initial meeting and he had the feeling that this encounter would be no more pleasant than the first.
Daniel stood, suddenly feeling extremely vulnerable in his seated position.
"Dr. Jackson," Ochsner greeted cordially from his position just inside the door.
"Ochsner. I hope you'll forgive my rudeness for not offering you a chair." Daniel gestured to the empty room with a sweep of his arm while maintaining eye contact with his captor.
The other man ignored the jibe. "It appears that I may have misjudged Samantha's loyalty to you, Dr. Jackson. She has yet to return with the Naquadah."
"She still has time," Daniel stated confidently.
"I was going to be nice," Ochsner continued as if Daniel hadn't spoken. "When Samantha returned with the Naquadah, I was planning on performing a few minor tests with the devices and your connection and then I was going to remove them and release you. After all, it would do me little good to study the devices in humans from Earth, especially since I knew that your planet would most likely sever all ties with Kolea due to my actions. Now, however, I'm not feeling nearly so benevolent."
"There are still several hours until your deadline," Daniel reiterated while clenching his teeth in anger at the imposed threat.
Ochsner picked at an invisible piece of lint on the sleeve of his pristine jacket. When he raised his eyes again, Daniel could see the madness that existed within their steel gray depths.
"Rand, Tylus, please remind Major Carter of the virtue of punctuality."
Daniel hadn't had any time to revel in the fact that he had learned his guards' names before a meaty fist connected solidly with his jaw. He stumbled backwards several steps and would have fallen had the wall not been there to support him.
"Dammit!" A second blow, this time to his solar plexus, cut off the remainder of the long string of expletives that sprang to his lips. Daniel crashed to his knees. Darkness edged into his vision as his lungs struggled to re-inflate.
"You know, Rand, I, for one, am glad that Ochsner has changed his mind about letting them go."
"Yeah," Rand agreed with a leering grin on his face. "Just imagine the fun we can have with pretty little Samantha should she decide to return for this piece of garbage."
"Oh, she'll return, alright," Tylus stated with certainty. "When she does, I'm sure I can convince the boss into letting us have some time alone with her."
Daniel knew that they were, once again, trying to gain a reaction from him. They were looking for any excuse to deliver another blow. He tried to tune them out as they went into great detail about what they had planned for Sam upon her return. His whole body shook with barely contained fury. He had no doubt that these men would carry out their threats if given the chance. The fact that he was being used as the instrument to ensure Sam's return only fueled Daniel's rage.
Just as Daniel thought he could take no more of the men's words and was about to lash out at them, he felt a strong grip on his hand. It was Sam's grip. That little piece of contact with his friend allowed him to reel in his emotions and restrain himself from saying or doing something that would only cause him further harm. Daniel concentrated intently on that touch until the guards grew bored and left.
After spitting out some blood from where the inside of his mouth had been cut against his teeth, Daniel stood on unsteady legs and took several deep, calming breaths. He bean pacing the small enclosure once again.
Sam had told Jack everything. Daniel knew he could rely on that. Unfortunately, he also knew that Ochsner was nowhere near stupid. Surely he would be expecting some sort of trick. Daniel felt helpless; he was in no position to help his friends in any way.
OH! I have also changed my settings to accept anonymous reviews. I didn't realize it wouldn't accept them until someone told me. :o)
*~*~*~*
Daniel had been left alone with nothing but his pillow to keep him company for more than a day. With the exception of the two well-armed guards who came in to deliver food and water and empty the...facilities, Daniel had no contact with the outside world.
He wasn't worried that his team wouldn't come for him. Even though the deadline was drawing near, he had full faith that they would come. Daniel was simply bored. He had counted the number of stones that made up the walls, ceiling, and floor of his room (1,326), he recited the alphabet forwards and backwards in each of his 23 languages at least ten times, he mentally calculated Pi to the 35th digit before he lost track (Sam would be proud of him for that one), and he sang '100 Bottles of Beer on the Wall' until his voice gave out. Daniel was still bored.
Just as he was about to make shadow puppets on the wall to alleviate his boredom, Ochsner and his guards entered the room.
"Breakfast already?" Daniel questioned sarcastically form his seated position on the bedroll. Okay, it was closer to midday on Kolea, but his body was still on Earth's timetable and it wasn't quite 0600 there.
Immediately, he knew that this wasn't going to be a typical visit. For starters, his guards always came alone and would immediately attend to their assigned task, be it bringing food or water, removing the empty trays, emptying the waste bucket, or simply verifying his presence.
The guards (Daniel had yet to learn their names) were much less docile without the restraining presence of their boss, however, and would try just about anything to get a reaction out of the archaeologist. The guards would never physically harm him, but they were well versed in intimidation tactics. Once, when he had refused to give in and show his fear or anger, one of the guards had fired his energy weapon, hitting the wall mere inches from Daniel's head. Daniel assumed that Ochsner had been watching via whatever surveillance system he had installed and disapproved of the action because the next, and until now the last, time the guards came to check on him was completely uneventful. They had simply opened the door and placed the refilled water container in the room before leaving once again. Not a word had been spoken.
This was the first time Daniel had even heard from Ochsner since their initial meeting and he had the feeling that this encounter would be no more pleasant than the first.
Daniel stood, suddenly feeling extremely vulnerable in his seated position.
"Dr. Jackson," Ochsner greeted cordially from his position just inside the door.
"Ochsner. I hope you'll forgive my rudeness for not offering you a chair." Daniel gestured to the empty room with a sweep of his arm while maintaining eye contact with his captor.
The other man ignored the jibe. "It appears that I may have misjudged Samantha's loyalty to you, Dr. Jackson. She has yet to return with the Naquadah."
"She still has time," Daniel stated confidently.
"I was going to be nice," Ochsner continued as if Daniel hadn't spoken. "When Samantha returned with the Naquadah, I was planning on performing a few minor tests with the devices and your connection and then I was going to remove them and release you. After all, it would do me little good to study the devices in humans from Earth, especially since I knew that your planet would most likely sever all ties with Kolea due to my actions. Now, however, I'm not feeling nearly so benevolent."
"There are still several hours until your deadline," Daniel reiterated while clenching his teeth in anger at the imposed threat.
Ochsner picked at an invisible piece of lint on the sleeve of his pristine jacket. When he raised his eyes again, Daniel could see the madness that existed within their steel gray depths.
"Rand, Tylus, please remind Major Carter of the virtue of punctuality."
Daniel hadn't had any time to revel in the fact that he had learned his guards' names before a meaty fist connected solidly with his jaw. He stumbled backwards several steps and would have fallen had the wall not been there to support him.
"Dammit!" A second blow, this time to his solar plexus, cut off the remainder of the long string of expletives that sprang to his lips. Daniel crashed to his knees. Darkness edged into his vision as his lungs struggled to re-inflate.
"You know, Rand, I, for one, am glad that Ochsner has changed his mind about letting them go."
"Yeah," Rand agreed with a leering grin on his face. "Just imagine the fun we can have with pretty little Samantha should she decide to return for this piece of garbage."
"Oh, she'll return, alright," Tylus stated with certainty. "When she does, I'm sure I can convince the boss into letting us have some time alone with her."
Daniel knew that they were, once again, trying to gain a reaction from him. They were looking for any excuse to deliver another blow. He tried to tune them out as they went into great detail about what they had planned for Sam upon her return. His whole body shook with barely contained fury. He had no doubt that these men would carry out their threats if given the chance. The fact that he was being used as the instrument to ensure Sam's return only fueled Daniel's rage.
Just as Daniel thought he could take no more of the men's words and was about to lash out at them, he felt a strong grip on his hand. It was Sam's grip. That little piece of contact with his friend allowed him to reel in his emotions and restrain himself from saying or doing something that would only cause him further harm. Daniel concentrated intently on that touch until the guards grew bored and left.
After spitting out some blood from where the inside of his mouth had been cut against his teeth, Daniel stood on unsteady legs and took several deep, calming breaths. He bean pacing the small enclosure once again.
Sam had told Jack everything. Daniel knew he could rely on that. Unfortunately, he also knew that Ochsner was nowhere near stupid. Surely he would be expecting some sort of trick. Daniel felt helpless; he was in no position to help his friends in any way.