"Dr. Jackson was telling me that you were able to communicate with your
teammates individually."
"Yes," Sam responded.
"As I can see here," Dr. Watters started as she scanned a piece of paper on the table, "your job was to distribute the food to the various workers. Is this how you were able to communicate?"
"Yes."
"I see. Dr Jackson told me that he was able to teach you the Goa'uld language as well." Sam nodded.
"Why don't you tell me a little bit about your communication with your teammates?"
"Well, I was lucky enough to see them once everyday. Whenever Daniel collected his food, he would teach me several words in Goa'uld."
"What kind of words, Major?"
"The basic ones: Yes. No." Sam took a sip from her water. "He also taught me words that would pertain to some of their orders like 'stop' or 'work'."
"And this went on for the entire 6 months?"
Sam lowered her eyes. "It was all very risky. We were forbidden to talk to any of the other workers. Daniel was very good at hiding it though. We were successfully able to maintain a constant line of communication for about three months."
"Why only the three months?"
"We were caught. I assume one of the guards had suspected something because he had been watching me very carefully that day. When I saw Daniel, I tried to warn him but it was too late." Sam's eyes were cast downwards.
"What happened?" Dr. Watters didn't want to hear the answer.
"It was the middle of the night when a few guards took Daniel, myself and an older man out of our barracks. They brought us to a lake and forced us into the water."
"Was this lake inside the camp?"
"Yes. It was behind the factories. I didn't know about it until that night."
"Major, you don't have to continue-" Dr. Watters began, knowing that all she was going to hear was more torture and pain.
"No, doctor. I think I need to tell you this." Sam waited for confirmation before she continued. "The old man was having trouble treading water. At one point, the man went under. Daniel saved him. Of course, as you might imagine, the Jaffa got upset and ordered Daniel to let go of him and get out of the water. When Daniel got out, he created a distraction that allowed me to escape."
"How?"
"He lashed out at the Jaffa. It gave me the opportunity to swim away undetected." Sam played nervously with the glass of water on the table. It took her a few more moments to continue. "After swimming for about 10 minutes, I knew I was suffering from hypothermia. I started to swim to shore when I suddenly realised that I had swum farther than the perimeters of the camp and there was no Goa'uld force field to stop me. Still.I couldn't escape. I was too tired. I would have died trying," Sam explained.
"So you were caught again?" Dr. Watters asked, her voice full of sympathy
"Yes, a few Jaffa were able to track me down. I was eventually caught."
"What happened after that?"
"I was sent to solitary confinement for a week or so."
"And Dr. Jackson?"
"I don't know." Sam's voice drifted off. "He was beaten for lashing out but after that.I don't know."
Silence filled the room. Dr. Watters cleared her throat and pulled out the map of the camp that Sam had drawn for her.
"Do you think you can point out the lake on the map?"
Sam analyzed the map and pointed her index finger to a certain spot. Dr. Watters marked the spot with her pen.
"Thank you. I think that's all for now," Dr. Watters said as she noticed the lack of colour in Sam's cheeks. "Please send Colonel O'Neill."
Sam nodded and left the room as quickly as she could.
"So, you started to dig a way out, am I right, Colonel?"
"That's right."
"What else can you remember?"
"Do we really have to get into this? I don't see what this has to do with anything."
"Colonel. My job is to find out about your experiences in the camp. Whether it helps us or not, is not the issue at the moment. Please, Colonel." Dr. Watters seemed exasperated, on the verge of losing it all together. Jack was proving to be a very difficult patient.
Jack sighed and began, "Like I told you last time, I found a potential means of escape by digging a tunnel under the barrack. Each night, after curfew, I would sneak under the barrack and dig.
*** Jack grunted with exertion. This was the fourth night and things were not going smoothly. Although the tunnel was quite deep, he wasn't getting as far as he would have liked. He would often have to climb back up and dump the extra dirt, costing him both his time and energy in the process. His escape would have to be delayed.
Jack clawed at more of the dirt and mud. He pushed aside the rocks and cursed when he felt a stinging pain in his fingertips. Jack looked down at his hands. They were stained with dried and fresh blood.
Jack continued to dig until a noise froze him in his spot. He sat quietly as he strained to listen. He could hear muffled footsteps from above his head. The footsteps were getting closer until he heard them no more. Curious, Jack inched his way down the tunnel until he was able to look up and see the floor of the barrack. When he did, he jerked his head back immediately. A man was there, looking down through the hole in the floor. The man had seen him, their eyes had met briefly.
Shit.
The guy was going to report this.
//Who's there?//
Jack didn't know what the man was saying. Jack listened as he heard the man grunt a few times. Jack closed his eyes and cursed. The man was squeezing through the hole. A few seconds later, Jack saw his butt as the man climbed into his tunnel.
//You are trying to escape?//
Jack creased his eyebrows. "Look buddy, I have no idea what you're saying but this." he motioned around him,".is going to be just between you and me, you got that?"
The man stared back at him, his face blank.
"YOU." Jack pointed at the man, ".and ME." Jack pointed at himself.
The man mimicked Jack's actions.
"Yes.You and me. What are you doing?" Jack watched as the man smiled and began to dig. Jack reached out and grabbed the man by the shoulder. "What are you doing?"
"Yu an mee," the man mimicked Jack's earlier actions again and continued to dig. Jack sat for a moment or two before he began to dig as well. Together they worked in silence until the early morning hours."***
"You befriended the man?"
"Actually, I would say he befriended me if you really want to get into semantics."
"And both of you would assist each other?"
"Yeah.things went a lot faster that way."
"I-" Dr. Watters was cut off by the sound of the alarms blaring in the hall. She looked up to see Jack nearing the door. "Colonel-" Dr. Watters began but Jack was already out of the room.
Jack ran into the control room seeking out the general immediately.
"Why the wake up call, sir?" He stood and stared at the stargate as the last chevron locked into place.
"We're getting an unscheduled incoming wormhole, Colonel."
"Receiving Tok'ra IDC, sir!" the technician called out.
"Open the iris!"
The men watched as the titanium iris swirled open. The familiar figure of Jacob soon emerged onto the ramp. General Hammond and Jack made their way down the stairs the moment they recognized their visitor.
"Jacob, long time no see!" Jack called out.
"Hi, Jack." Jacob turned to the larger man. "George."
"Good to see you, Jacob," the General greeted.
"Is Sam around?"
"She took off just over an hour ago," Jack said as he noticed the box in Jacob's hand. "So, what did Santa bring?"
"It's the memory device that Sam requested," he said as he handed Jack the box.
Jack opened the metal container and stared at the small circular device inside. "Ho, ho, ho," he muttered to himself.
Eyes.
In all his years of combat, Teal'c had learned much from looking in a man's eyes. It was due to this ability to read others that Teal'c had taken that first big step and had joined forces with the people of the Tau'ri. Now, as he looked into the eyes of his younger friend, all he could see was hurt and pain.
Daniel was sitting across from him in the commissary, quietly drinking his coffee. There was nobody else at the table and still, not a word was said. Teal'c knew why things could never be the same between them. In the first few months back, he had blamed himself for his younger friend's suffering. It had been because of him that Daniel was no longer physically whole. Anytime Daniel had looked at him, he had felt distressed, as if his friend had been scrutinizing him for a telltale sign, proof of his crime. However, in retrospect, Teal'c knew that he had been choiceless that night.
Teal'c peered into Daniel's eyes once again in the hope that he could see what his ears couldn't hear.
*** Eyes
Teal'c could see the flicker of doubt.the hesitancy in his eyes. The guard was easy to read. Over the last six months, Teal'c had watched him carefully. The man was different from the other Jaffa. He seemed to have a hidden compassion that forced him to stand out from the rest. Though escape was futile, Teal'c wondered if this man.this Jaffa would be the key to his survival. If he could perhaps feed the man's doubt, make him realize that the Goa'ulds were not G-ds, then perhaps the impossible would be attainable.
Teal'c watched the Jaffa as he circulated, monitoring the progress of the workers around him. It was only a matter of time until Teal'c would approach the man himself and attempt to convert his views.
Teal'c was momentarily distracted by a strange noise coming from his right. One of the machines next to him was humming a strange tune and vibrating, as if ready to erupt.
//Step away from the machine,// Teal'c quickly warned the others around him.
A sudden explosion caused him to lose his footing. He hit the ground hard as chaos ensued all around him. The other workers were yelling, some in obvious pain, others in confusion. Teal'c tried to open his eyes but the heat scorching his skin forced them to remain shut.
Fire.
He could feel it all around him.
Teal'c backed away from the heat, his face still stinging in pain. When he was far enough from the smoke, he finally opened his eyes. In front of him, one of the metal purification machines was burning maliciously. A dozen or so Jaffa were running in from all directions, buckets of water in their hands, their only weapon against the gruesome heat.
It took many minutes until the fire finally dwindled down. Of the ten or so men lying motionless on the floor, Teal'c could recognize five who had belonged to his faction. Their bodies were scorched, their charcoal skin still sizzling. Teal'c watched as one of the Jaffa approached the mess.
//Who did this?//
The silence that followed was almost piercing.
//WHO DID THIS?!?!// the Jaffa yelled again, this time, he raised his staff weapon and aimed it at a group of workers.
//It was no man's fault, Man'uk.// The Jaffa whom Teal'c had been eyeing for the last few months stepped forward. Man'uk turned to face the smaller guard. Teal'c could clearly see the rage in his eyes.
Man'uk raised the staff weapon and aimed it at his chest. //Since this area is under your surveillance, I am holding you personally responsible for this. Because of your foolishness, ten men are dead and production will be slowed for the next week. As I have told you before, one more blunder and not only will you suffer, but your family as well. When I am through today, I will personally go to your home." Man'uk gave an evil smile and promptly continued, //First I will ravage your wife. Then I will ravage your daughter. And once I have finished with them, I will choke them myself until their lips no longer pass breath.//
//You would not!// Shal'ak said, his voice filled with panic.
Teal'c watched the exchange anxiously. This was his chance.
He stepped forward. //I was the one.//
Both Man'uk and Shal'ak turned to face him. //What did you say?// Man'uk demanded.
//I am the one at fault!// Teal'c repeated, his words strengthened by his resolve.
//SEIZE HIM!// the large Jaffa yelled. Teal'c remained still as two guards marched his way. They grabbed his arms and violently wrenched them behind his back. Man'uk, using his gloved hand, slowly picked up a metal shard still smoking of heat. He approached Teal'c with it and smiled. //So Jaffa, you like to play with fire, do you?// he asked as he forcefully pressed the burning hot metal to Teal'c's bare torso. Teal'c felt his skin singe under the heat of the metal rod. He screamed in agony, his muscles contracting, attempting to pull away from his constraints.
After a minute or so, the pain finally eased. //Release him!// Man'uk ordered. Teal'c fell to the floor, his mind hardly functioning from the pain. He was barely aware of the footsteps approaching him or of the sound of the staff weapon activating. His vision went blank only seconds after an intense pain conquered his left shoulder.***
Teal'c opened his eyes, unaware that he had closed them. His arm was suspended in mid-air, a spoon full of soup mere inches from his face. Daniel stared at him with a look of question on his face.
"Teal'c, you okay?" Daniel asked, his eyebrows creased together. "You've been holding that spoon like that for the past two minutes.
"I am fine, DanielJackson," Teal'c responded, lowering his arm and allowing his spoon to settle back into the bowl.
"Right," Daniel said, still eyeing Teal'c suspiciously.
"Are you going to be present in Dr. Fraiser's home this Friday night, DanielJackson?"
"Yes. It's the night before I fly out so I won't be staying long."
Silence settled between both men.
"What's taking her so long?"
"To whom are you referring, DanielJackson?" Teal'c asked with innocent fervour in his eyes.
"Sam. She's been in there for the past twenty minutes."
"She is attempting to calibrate the machinery," Teal'c explained.
"I guess I'm not looking forward too much to using that memory device," Daniel explained.
"It is your choice, DanielJackson. You are not being forced to do so."
"I know. It's just. I'd rather do that than have to sit there in an office and vocalize my experiences out loud." Daniel took another sip of his coffee.
Another moment of silence established itself before Teal'c continued, "Are you and O'Neill no longer friends, DanielJackson?"
Daniel's head popped up at the question, apparently not expecting Teal'c do address the subject so openly.
"Teal'c."
"You no longer speak with him. This is not the way two friends should behave, DanielJackson."
"A lot of things have been on my mind lately, Teal'c. I haven't even had the chance to really talk to Jack since I've been here."
"On the contrary, DanielJackson. There have been many opportunities -"
"Teal'c," Daniel interrupted, his blue eyes imploring him to stop. "I'm going to check on Sam." Teal'c remained seated, his mind pondering as Daniel got up and left the commissary.
***"STOP!"
They were hurting her. She was screaming.crying. He had never seen her cry in such a way before.
"Stop!" he pleaded again.
He could hear the sound of another whip hitting its target accompanied by his friend's distressed cry.
Daniel pulled on his chains.
"Sam, you have to hold on!" he yelled through the tears of frustration.
Another crack.
And another.
Blood.all over her back.
He felt a shudder roll through his body. "Why don't you come after me?!?" Daniel yelled, the words knotted in his gut. He swung his feet out, the effort sent hammers of pain smashing into him, causing him to cry out. The chains burrowed painfully into his wrists. His feet hardly met their target, his toes still inches away from the Jaffa standing next to Sam. Sam was motionless now, her head hung limply.
Something cool and hard smacked his cheekbone. Pain rolled through him like a distant thunder. Daniel screamed.***
"Daniel! Daniel, wake up!" Sam stared in horror as her friend moaned in his sleep. Daniel was tightly clutching his thigh.
"Oh G-d!" he shouted.
"Daniel, wake up!" Sam turned on the lamp by his bed and grasped his shoulders tightly. Only moments earlier she had been fast asleep in her bed when Daniel's desperate screams had woken her.
Daniel's eyes flew open. "Sam.G-d my leg is killing me." The vein in his neck was jutting out.
"What's going on, Daniel?" Sam sat on his bed next to him, not knowing where to put her hands.
Daniel gritted his teeth and groaned in pain.
"Daniel. take deep breaths."
"Sam.my leg."
"Daniel..." Sam paused, not knowing how to continue.
"Oh G-d!"
"Daniel, I'm going to call Janet. Just try and relax!"
Sam grabbed the phone next to his bed. She quickly dialled the number to Janet's house.
"Hello?" a tired voice answered on the other line.
"Janet? It's Sam."
"Sam, what's wrong?"
"It's Daniel. Something's wrong. He's in pain. He's claiming that his right 'leg' is hurting."
"Phantom pain," Janet stated immediately.
"What?"
"He's probably feeling phantom pain. It's a malfunction of the pain message unit in the brain. His nervous system is probably fighting back the trauma," Janet explained.
"How did this just come on?" Sam asked.
"Anything can trigger it. Where is he now?"
"He's still in bed." Sam paused.
"Go soak a towel in warm water and then wrap it around his thigh. The hot water should increase the circulation. Sam, can I speak to Daniel?"
"Okay, hold on." Sam put a hand on Daniel's arm. "Daniel, Janet wants to talk to you. Do you think you can take the phone?" Daniel acknowledged her with a nod, too exhausted to speak. With considerable effort, Daniel removed one hand from his thigh and took the receiver.
"Hello?" Daniel groaned.
"Daniel.what you're experiencing is called phantom pain. It's something pretty common. Sam is going to try and ease the pain with some hot water. In the meantime, what I need you to do is relax as much as you can. The pain is going to pass; it just takes a bit of time. Okay, Daniel?"
"Okay." Daniel dropped the phone onto the bed, unable to hold it any longer and grasped at his thigh once again.
A minute later, Sam was back with the towel. She quietly sat down next to him.
"Daniel, you need to move your hands," she said patiently.
Daniel's hands shifted to grasp the sheets instead. "I think I'm going to pass out, Sam," he whispered, his eyes still closed, his hair soaked with perspiration.
Sam carefully wrapped his thigh with the hot towel and began to massage the area with her fingers. "Has this ever happened before?"
"Never this bad," Daniel croaked.
Sam spent the next five minutes massaging his thigh until eventually, Daniel's hands loosened their grip on the sheets, and his breathing began to return to normal. "It's going away." Daniel sighed. He draped his arm across his forehead in exhaustion.
Sam smiled, allowing herself to join in on the relief.
"Thanks, Sam."
Sam studied her friend. He looked half-dead, as though he could sleep for a year. She patted his shoulder. "Get some sleep, Daniel. I'll leave the towel on for a bit longer." Daniel nodded and allowed his head to sink into his pillow. Sam hung up the phone and closed the lamp next to his bed. Just as she was about to open the door to her hotel room, she heard him say, "It was a nightmare. Actually, more like a flashback."
Sam remained silent, urging him to continue.
"They were whipping you," Daniel's voice rattled to a halt.
"Daniel, it's normal."
"G-d, am I the only one?"
"No." Sam bowed her head. "I get them too. I guess I'm just lucky that pain doesn't accompany mine," she said sympathetically.
"Yeah," Daniel said. "Hopefully that won't happen again."
"I hope so too."
"Let's go, Carter," Jack said impatiently.
"I'm just about done, sir." Sam fiddled with a few more buttons before finally looking up at her CO who was sitting on one of the hospital beds. "I'm just making sure that we'll be able to record the output from the memory device."
"Sweet," Jack muttered. His temple was hurting now that a metal disk was currently occupying its space. Dr. Watters and Dr. Fraiser sat next to Sam, listening to her explain the various controls.
"Okay, we're done." Sam stood up and handed Angela a remote. "All you have to do is pass this over the disk to activate it and then you can start asking your questions. A screen should pop up and you'll be able to see exactly what Colonel O'Neill is seeing in his mind."
"Thank you, Major." Angela smiled.
Sam nodded and began to make her way to the door.
"Carter, where are you going?"
Sam paused. "Sir?"
"Why don't you stay? It's not everyday you get to catch a free viewing of the O'Neill network. Hey, no commercials.you can't beat that, can you?"
"Are you sure, sir?"
"Take a seat, Carter. Please," Jack insisted, the words seemed to rise, not from his throat, but from the aching hollow of his stomach.
Sam took a seat next to Janet in the back of the room where she could watch the proceedings from a distance. Dr. Watters approached Jack. She awkwardly passed the device she held over the memory device and then sat down in a chair next to him.
"Alright, Colonel, why don't you lie down and make yourself comfortable. Good. Let's talk more about your attempt at escape in the Goa'uld camp-" Angela jumped when a large screen suddenly materialized in front of her.
"It's okay, Doctor. It's supposed to happen," Sam explained as she looked over at Jack who was lying on his back, his eyes closed.
A noise suddenly caught the attention of both women. The screen hovering in mid-air was no longer blank. Sam could easily recognize Jack's image, despite the dim light of his surroundings. She continued to gaze on, her curiosity increasing two fold.
*** Jack was crouched on his stomach while his hands used a ceramic bowl as a makeshift shovel. He was digging earnestly. He craned his neck so he could see Kalem, the man who had offered Jack his aid only months before. "We're almost there," he stated and then returned his attention back to his task. "Not like you can understand what I just said."
Kalem sat at attention, waiting to carry the next load of dirt out of the tunnel they had created together over the last four months. Although communication was difficult, both men were still able to set up an organized distribution of work.
Jack blinked away the stinging sweat. He could feel his heart racing. Despite the calluses on his fingers, he continued to dig and claw at the earth. Jack touched the many roots hanging from the dirt above him. They had begun to appear more consistently, a sure sign that he was approaching the forest. "Come on, come on.come on," Jack prayed as he dropped the bowl and began digging with his bare hands.
"Here," Jack said to the other man as he shoved more dirt his way. Kalem eagerly scooped it up with his own bowl and began to make his trek all the way back to the beginning of the tunnel.
"You know-" Jack's sentence was cut off when he felt a sharp zap of electricity throw him back. His hand sent shooting pains down his arm. A fluctuating red Goa'uld energy field blocked his field of vision.
"NO! G-d damnit!!!" Jack's insides turned to scalding water as shock waves travelled up to the pit of his stomach. "FUCK NO!" Jack yelled. An entire four months of digging only to be stopped again, ten feet underground, by another fucking energy field! Jack could hear his partner crawling back towards him, obviously curious to know the cause of the outburst.
"SHIT!" Jack slammed his fist down against the energy field again.
"Shh." Kalem warned.
The warning came too late.
Jack could hear the sound of multiple footsteps directly above him no doubt heading towards his barrack. They probably had sensors monitoring the external energy field.***
The screen began to flicker wildly.
"What's going on?" Angela rose from her seat.
Sam ran to the controls and looked at one of the screens. "I don't know!"
Dozens of images flashed one after another.
*** "Don't touch him!" Jack pulled against his human restraints. He closed his eyes when he heard the shot from the Jaffa's staff. He reopened them only to see Kalem lying motionless on the ground, his chest smoking.***
"I think he's going into some sort of shock." Janet's hands worriedly assessed Jack's condition.
"We may need to deactivate the machine," Sam yelled.
*** Jack felt his head contact stone. He was lying on a cold floor in a room that couldn't have been larger than a walk- in closet. His captors had followed him in. Jack grunted when he received a boot to the chest.***
Jack began to shake, his face screwed up as if in pain. His hands cradled his belly.
*** Blood sprouted from his face as another boot contacted bone. Jack tried to shield himself from the onslaught but his muscles no longer obeyed him.***
"Janet, what's going on?" Sam cried out.
"I don't know." Janet held down Jack's shoulder with one hand as the other zoned in on his temple.
*** Jack yelled when he heard a crack, his chest was suddenly on fire. But before he could assess the situation, another forceful kick to his head allowed the blessed darkness to settle in.***
"The screen just went blank!" Angela cried, her mouth wide open in shock.
"He's convulsing!" Janet yelled.
Sam ran to the bed.
"No.don't touch him!" Janet ordered.
For minutes, the three women stared in silence until Jack's body finally settled down.
"What the hell was that?" Sam's shaken voice emerged amidst the silent room.
"Colonel, can you hear me?"
Jack's eyes opened weakly. "Doc?"
"You had a small seizure, Colonel," Janet informed.
"Oh G-d." Jack muttered.
"How are you feeling?" Janet asked.
"That was a little too real." Jack ignored Janet's question, his mind still feeling the after affects of the alien technology.
Janet turned around to face the two other women. "I don't want you to continue using the memory device until I can find out what the hell just happened here. In the meantime, I want to check on Colonel O'Neill."
Sam nodded. Dr. Watters seemed a bit dazed by the whole experience. Before Sam left, she retrieved the CD from the machine she had set up. Dr. Watters followed her out of the room. "Let's find out if it worked," Sam said, but even her face seemed to have lost its colour.
"Yes," Sam responded.
"As I can see here," Dr. Watters started as she scanned a piece of paper on the table, "your job was to distribute the food to the various workers. Is this how you were able to communicate?"
"Yes."
"I see. Dr Jackson told me that he was able to teach you the Goa'uld language as well." Sam nodded.
"Why don't you tell me a little bit about your communication with your teammates?"
"Well, I was lucky enough to see them once everyday. Whenever Daniel collected his food, he would teach me several words in Goa'uld."
"What kind of words, Major?"
"The basic ones: Yes. No." Sam took a sip from her water. "He also taught me words that would pertain to some of their orders like 'stop' or 'work'."
"And this went on for the entire 6 months?"
Sam lowered her eyes. "It was all very risky. We were forbidden to talk to any of the other workers. Daniel was very good at hiding it though. We were successfully able to maintain a constant line of communication for about three months."
"Why only the three months?"
"We were caught. I assume one of the guards had suspected something because he had been watching me very carefully that day. When I saw Daniel, I tried to warn him but it was too late." Sam's eyes were cast downwards.
"What happened?" Dr. Watters didn't want to hear the answer.
"It was the middle of the night when a few guards took Daniel, myself and an older man out of our barracks. They brought us to a lake and forced us into the water."
"Was this lake inside the camp?"
"Yes. It was behind the factories. I didn't know about it until that night."
"Major, you don't have to continue-" Dr. Watters began, knowing that all she was going to hear was more torture and pain.
"No, doctor. I think I need to tell you this." Sam waited for confirmation before she continued. "The old man was having trouble treading water. At one point, the man went under. Daniel saved him. Of course, as you might imagine, the Jaffa got upset and ordered Daniel to let go of him and get out of the water. When Daniel got out, he created a distraction that allowed me to escape."
"How?"
"He lashed out at the Jaffa. It gave me the opportunity to swim away undetected." Sam played nervously with the glass of water on the table. It took her a few more moments to continue. "After swimming for about 10 minutes, I knew I was suffering from hypothermia. I started to swim to shore when I suddenly realised that I had swum farther than the perimeters of the camp and there was no Goa'uld force field to stop me. Still.I couldn't escape. I was too tired. I would have died trying," Sam explained.
"So you were caught again?" Dr. Watters asked, her voice full of sympathy
"Yes, a few Jaffa were able to track me down. I was eventually caught."
"What happened after that?"
"I was sent to solitary confinement for a week or so."
"And Dr. Jackson?"
"I don't know." Sam's voice drifted off. "He was beaten for lashing out but after that.I don't know."
Silence filled the room. Dr. Watters cleared her throat and pulled out the map of the camp that Sam had drawn for her.
"Do you think you can point out the lake on the map?"
Sam analyzed the map and pointed her index finger to a certain spot. Dr. Watters marked the spot with her pen.
"Thank you. I think that's all for now," Dr. Watters said as she noticed the lack of colour in Sam's cheeks. "Please send Colonel O'Neill."
Sam nodded and left the room as quickly as she could.
"So, you started to dig a way out, am I right, Colonel?"
"That's right."
"What else can you remember?"
"Do we really have to get into this? I don't see what this has to do with anything."
"Colonel. My job is to find out about your experiences in the camp. Whether it helps us or not, is not the issue at the moment. Please, Colonel." Dr. Watters seemed exasperated, on the verge of losing it all together. Jack was proving to be a very difficult patient.
Jack sighed and began, "Like I told you last time, I found a potential means of escape by digging a tunnel under the barrack. Each night, after curfew, I would sneak under the barrack and dig.
*** Jack grunted with exertion. This was the fourth night and things were not going smoothly. Although the tunnel was quite deep, he wasn't getting as far as he would have liked. He would often have to climb back up and dump the extra dirt, costing him both his time and energy in the process. His escape would have to be delayed.
Jack clawed at more of the dirt and mud. He pushed aside the rocks and cursed when he felt a stinging pain in his fingertips. Jack looked down at his hands. They were stained with dried and fresh blood.
Jack continued to dig until a noise froze him in his spot. He sat quietly as he strained to listen. He could hear muffled footsteps from above his head. The footsteps were getting closer until he heard them no more. Curious, Jack inched his way down the tunnel until he was able to look up and see the floor of the barrack. When he did, he jerked his head back immediately. A man was there, looking down through the hole in the floor. The man had seen him, their eyes had met briefly.
Shit.
The guy was going to report this.
//Who's there?//
Jack didn't know what the man was saying. Jack listened as he heard the man grunt a few times. Jack closed his eyes and cursed. The man was squeezing through the hole. A few seconds later, Jack saw his butt as the man climbed into his tunnel.
//You are trying to escape?//
Jack creased his eyebrows. "Look buddy, I have no idea what you're saying but this." he motioned around him,".is going to be just between you and me, you got that?"
The man stared back at him, his face blank.
"YOU." Jack pointed at the man, ".and ME." Jack pointed at himself.
The man mimicked Jack's actions.
"Yes.You and me. What are you doing?" Jack watched as the man smiled and began to dig. Jack reached out and grabbed the man by the shoulder. "What are you doing?"
"Yu an mee," the man mimicked Jack's earlier actions again and continued to dig. Jack sat for a moment or two before he began to dig as well. Together they worked in silence until the early morning hours."***
"You befriended the man?"
"Actually, I would say he befriended me if you really want to get into semantics."
"And both of you would assist each other?"
"Yeah.things went a lot faster that way."
"I-" Dr. Watters was cut off by the sound of the alarms blaring in the hall. She looked up to see Jack nearing the door. "Colonel-" Dr. Watters began but Jack was already out of the room.
Jack ran into the control room seeking out the general immediately.
"Why the wake up call, sir?" He stood and stared at the stargate as the last chevron locked into place.
"We're getting an unscheduled incoming wormhole, Colonel."
"Receiving Tok'ra IDC, sir!" the technician called out.
"Open the iris!"
The men watched as the titanium iris swirled open. The familiar figure of Jacob soon emerged onto the ramp. General Hammond and Jack made their way down the stairs the moment they recognized their visitor.
"Jacob, long time no see!" Jack called out.
"Hi, Jack." Jacob turned to the larger man. "George."
"Good to see you, Jacob," the General greeted.
"Is Sam around?"
"She took off just over an hour ago," Jack said as he noticed the box in Jacob's hand. "So, what did Santa bring?"
"It's the memory device that Sam requested," he said as he handed Jack the box.
Jack opened the metal container and stared at the small circular device inside. "Ho, ho, ho," he muttered to himself.
Eyes.
In all his years of combat, Teal'c had learned much from looking in a man's eyes. It was due to this ability to read others that Teal'c had taken that first big step and had joined forces with the people of the Tau'ri. Now, as he looked into the eyes of his younger friend, all he could see was hurt and pain.
Daniel was sitting across from him in the commissary, quietly drinking his coffee. There was nobody else at the table and still, not a word was said. Teal'c knew why things could never be the same between them. In the first few months back, he had blamed himself for his younger friend's suffering. It had been because of him that Daniel was no longer physically whole. Anytime Daniel had looked at him, he had felt distressed, as if his friend had been scrutinizing him for a telltale sign, proof of his crime. However, in retrospect, Teal'c knew that he had been choiceless that night.
Teal'c peered into Daniel's eyes once again in the hope that he could see what his ears couldn't hear.
*** Eyes
Teal'c could see the flicker of doubt.the hesitancy in his eyes. The guard was easy to read. Over the last six months, Teal'c had watched him carefully. The man was different from the other Jaffa. He seemed to have a hidden compassion that forced him to stand out from the rest. Though escape was futile, Teal'c wondered if this man.this Jaffa would be the key to his survival. If he could perhaps feed the man's doubt, make him realize that the Goa'ulds were not G-ds, then perhaps the impossible would be attainable.
Teal'c watched the Jaffa as he circulated, monitoring the progress of the workers around him. It was only a matter of time until Teal'c would approach the man himself and attempt to convert his views.
Teal'c was momentarily distracted by a strange noise coming from his right. One of the machines next to him was humming a strange tune and vibrating, as if ready to erupt.
//Step away from the machine,// Teal'c quickly warned the others around him.
A sudden explosion caused him to lose his footing. He hit the ground hard as chaos ensued all around him. The other workers were yelling, some in obvious pain, others in confusion. Teal'c tried to open his eyes but the heat scorching his skin forced them to remain shut.
Fire.
He could feel it all around him.
Teal'c backed away from the heat, his face still stinging in pain. When he was far enough from the smoke, he finally opened his eyes. In front of him, one of the metal purification machines was burning maliciously. A dozen or so Jaffa were running in from all directions, buckets of water in their hands, their only weapon against the gruesome heat.
It took many minutes until the fire finally dwindled down. Of the ten or so men lying motionless on the floor, Teal'c could recognize five who had belonged to his faction. Their bodies were scorched, their charcoal skin still sizzling. Teal'c watched as one of the Jaffa approached the mess.
//Who did this?//
The silence that followed was almost piercing.
//WHO DID THIS?!?!// the Jaffa yelled again, this time, he raised his staff weapon and aimed it at a group of workers.
//It was no man's fault, Man'uk.// The Jaffa whom Teal'c had been eyeing for the last few months stepped forward. Man'uk turned to face the smaller guard. Teal'c could clearly see the rage in his eyes.
Man'uk raised the staff weapon and aimed it at his chest. //Since this area is under your surveillance, I am holding you personally responsible for this. Because of your foolishness, ten men are dead and production will be slowed for the next week. As I have told you before, one more blunder and not only will you suffer, but your family as well. When I am through today, I will personally go to your home." Man'uk gave an evil smile and promptly continued, //First I will ravage your wife. Then I will ravage your daughter. And once I have finished with them, I will choke them myself until their lips no longer pass breath.//
//You would not!// Shal'ak said, his voice filled with panic.
Teal'c watched the exchange anxiously. This was his chance.
He stepped forward. //I was the one.//
Both Man'uk and Shal'ak turned to face him. //What did you say?// Man'uk demanded.
//I am the one at fault!// Teal'c repeated, his words strengthened by his resolve.
//SEIZE HIM!// the large Jaffa yelled. Teal'c remained still as two guards marched his way. They grabbed his arms and violently wrenched them behind his back. Man'uk, using his gloved hand, slowly picked up a metal shard still smoking of heat. He approached Teal'c with it and smiled. //So Jaffa, you like to play with fire, do you?// he asked as he forcefully pressed the burning hot metal to Teal'c's bare torso. Teal'c felt his skin singe under the heat of the metal rod. He screamed in agony, his muscles contracting, attempting to pull away from his constraints.
After a minute or so, the pain finally eased. //Release him!// Man'uk ordered. Teal'c fell to the floor, his mind hardly functioning from the pain. He was barely aware of the footsteps approaching him or of the sound of the staff weapon activating. His vision went blank only seconds after an intense pain conquered his left shoulder.***
Teal'c opened his eyes, unaware that he had closed them. His arm was suspended in mid-air, a spoon full of soup mere inches from his face. Daniel stared at him with a look of question on his face.
"Teal'c, you okay?" Daniel asked, his eyebrows creased together. "You've been holding that spoon like that for the past two minutes.
"I am fine, DanielJackson," Teal'c responded, lowering his arm and allowing his spoon to settle back into the bowl.
"Right," Daniel said, still eyeing Teal'c suspiciously.
"Are you going to be present in Dr. Fraiser's home this Friday night, DanielJackson?"
"Yes. It's the night before I fly out so I won't be staying long."
Silence settled between both men.
"What's taking her so long?"
"To whom are you referring, DanielJackson?" Teal'c asked with innocent fervour in his eyes.
"Sam. She's been in there for the past twenty minutes."
"She is attempting to calibrate the machinery," Teal'c explained.
"I guess I'm not looking forward too much to using that memory device," Daniel explained.
"It is your choice, DanielJackson. You are not being forced to do so."
"I know. It's just. I'd rather do that than have to sit there in an office and vocalize my experiences out loud." Daniel took another sip of his coffee.
Another moment of silence established itself before Teal'c continued, "Are you and O'Neill no longer friends, DanielJackson?"
Daniel's head popped up at the question, apparently not expecting Teal'c do address the subject so openly.
"Teal'c."
"You no longer speak with him. This is not the way two friends should behave, DanielJackson."
"A lot of things have been on my mind lately, Teal'c. I haven't even had the chance to really talk to Jack since I've been here."
"On the contrary, DanielJackson. There have been many opportunities -"
"Teal'c," Daniel interrupted, his blue eyes imploring him to stop. "I'm going to check on Sam." Teal'c remained seated, his mind pondering as Daniel got up and left the commissary.
***"STOP!"
They were hurting her. She was screaming.crying. He had never seen her cry in such a way before.
"Stop!" he pleaded again.
He could hear the sound of another whip hitting its target accompanied by his friend's distressed cry.
Daniel pulled on his chains.
"Sam, you have to hold on!" he yelled through the tears of frustration.
Another crack.
And another.
Blood.all over her back.
He felt a shudder roll through his body. "Why don't you come after me?!?" Daniel yelled, the words knotted in his gut. He swung his feet out, the effort sent hammers of pain smashing into him, causing him to cry out. The chains burrowed painfully into his wrists. His feet hardly met their target, his toes still inches away from the Jaffa standing next to Sam. Sam was motionless now, her head hung limply.
Something cool and hard smacked his cheekbone. Pain rolled through him like a distant thunder. Daniel screamed.***
"Daniel! Daniel, wake up!" Sam stared in horror as her friend moaned in his sleep. Daniel was tightly clutching his thigh.
"Oh G-d!" he shouted.
"Daniel, wake up!" Sam turned on the lamp by his bed and grasped his shoulders tightly. Only moments earlier she had been fast asleep in her bed when Daniel's desperate screams had woken her.
Daniel's eyes flew open. "Sam.G-d my leg is killing me." The vein in his neck was jutting out.
"What's going on, Daniel?" Sam sat on his bed next to him, not knowing where to put her hands.
Daniel gritted his teeth and groaned in pain.
"Daniel. take deep breaths."
"Sam.my leg."
"Daniel..." Sam paused, not knowing how to continue.
"Oh G-d!"
"Daniel, I'm going to call Janet. Just try and relax!"
Sam grabbed the phone next to his bed. She quickly dialled the number to Janet's house.
"Hello?" a tired voice answered on the other line.
"Janet? It's Sam."
"Sam, what's wrong?"
"It's Daniel. Something's wrong. He's in pain. He's claiming that his right 'leg' is hurting."
"Phantom pain," Janet stated immediately.
"What?"
"He's probably feeling phantom pain. It's a malfunction of the pain message unit in the brain. His nervous system is probably fighting back the trauma," Janet explained.
"How did this just come on?" Sam asked.
"Anything can trigger it. Where is he now?"
"He's still in bed." Sam paused.
"Go soak a towel in warm water and then wrap it around his thigh. The hot water should increase the circulation. Sam, can I speak to Daniel?"
"Okay, hold on." Sam put a hand on Daniel's arm. "Daniel, Janet wants to talk to you. Do you think you can take the phone?" Daniel acknowledged her with a nod, too exhausted to speak. With considerable effort, Daniel removed one hand from his thigh and took the receiver.
"Hello?" Daniel groaned.
"Daniel.what you're experiencing is called phantom pain. It's something pretty common. Sam is going to try and ease the pain with some hot water. In the meantime, what I need you to do is relax as much as you can. The pain is going to pass; it just takes a bit of time. Okay, Daniel?"
"Okay." Daniel dropped the phone onto the bed, unable to hold it any longer and grasped at his thigh once again.
A minute later, Sam was back with the towel. She quietly sat down next to him.
"Daniel, you need to move your hands," she said patiently.
Daniel's hands shifted to grasp the sheets instead. "I think I'm going to pass out, Sam," he whispered, his eyes still closed, his hair soaked with perspiration.
Sam carefully wrapped his thigh with the hot towel and began to massage the area with her fingers. "Has this ever happened before?"
"Never this bad," Daniel croaked.
Sam spent the next five minutes massaging his thigh until eventually, Daniel's hands loosened their grip on the sheets, and his breathing began to return to normal. "It's going away." Daniel sighed. He draped his arm across his forehead in exhaustion.
Sam smiled, allowing herself to join in on the relief.
"Thanks, Sam."
Sam studied her friend. He looked half-dead, as though he could sleep for a year. She patted his shoulder. "Get some sleep, Daniel. I'll leave the towel on for a bit longer." Daniel nodded and allowed his head to sink into his pillow. Sam hung up the phone and closed the lamp next to his bed. Just as she was about to open the door to her hotel room, she heard him say, "It was a nightmare. Actually, more like a flashback."
Sam remained silent, urging him to continue.
"They were whipping you," Daniel's voice rattled to a halt.
"Daniel, it's normal."
"G-d, am I the only one?"
"No." Sam bowed her head. "I get them too. I guess I'm just lucky that pain doesn't accompany mine," she said sympathetically.
"Yeah," Daniel said. "Hopefully that won't happen again."
"I hope so too."
"Let's go, Carter," Jack said impatiently.
"I'm just about done, sir." Sam fiddled with a few more buttons before finally looking up at her CO who was sitting on one of the hospital beds. "I'm just making sure that we'll be able to record the output from the memory device."
"Sweet," Jack muttered. His temple was hurting now that a metal disk was currently occupying its space. Dr. Watters and Dr. Fraiser sat next to Sam, listening to her explain the various controls.
"Okay, we're done." Sam stood up and handed Angela a remote. "All you have to do is pass this over the disk to activate it and then you can start asking your questions. A screen should pop up and you'll be able to see exactly what Colonel O'Neill is seeing in his mind."
"Thank you, Major." Angela smiled.
Sam nodded and began to make her way to the door.
"Carter, where are you going?"
Sam paused. "Sir?"
"Why don't you stay? It's not everyday you get to catch a free viewing of the O'Neill network. Hey, no commercials.you can't beat that, can you?"
"Are you sure, sir?"
"Take a seat, Carter. Please," Jack insisted, the words seemed to rise, not from his throat, but from the aching hollow of his stomach.
Sam took a seat next to Janet in the back of the room where she could watch the proceedings from a distance. Dr. Watters approached Jack. She awkwardly passed the device she held over the memory device and then sat down in a chair next to him.
"Alright, Colonel, why don't you lie down and make yourself comfortable. Good. Let's talk more about your attempt at escape in the Goa'uld camp-" Angela jumped when a large screen suddenly materialized in front of her.
"It's okay, Doctor. It's supposed to happen," Sam explained as she looked over at Jack who was lying on his back, his eyes closed.
A noise suddenly caught the attention of both women. The screen hovering in mid-air was no longer blank. Sam could easily recognize Jack's image, despite the dim light of his surroundings. She continued to gaze on, her curiosity increasing two fold.
*** Jack was crouched on his stomach while his hands used a ceramic bowl as a makeshift shovel. He was digging earnestly. He craned his neck so he could see Kalem, the man who had offered Jack his aid only months before. "We're almost there," he stated and then returned his attention back to his task. "Not like you can understand what I just said."
Kalem sat at attention, waiting to carry the next load of dirt out of the tunnel they had created together over the last four months. Although communication was difficult, both men were still able to set up an organized distribution of work.
Jack blinked away the stinging sweat. He could feel his heart racing. Despite the calluses on his fingers, he continued to dig and claw at the earth. Jack touched the many roots hanging from the dirt above him. They had begun to appear more consistently, a sure sign that he was approaching the forest. "Come on, come on.come on," Jack prayed as he dropped the bowl and began digging with his bare hands.
"Here," Jack said to the other man as he shoved more dirt his way. Kalem eagerly scooped it up with his own bowl and began to make his trek all the way back to the beginning of the tunnel.
"You know-" Jack's sentence was cut off when he felt a sharp zap of electricity throw him back. His hand sent shooting pains down his arm. A fluctuating red Goa'uld energy field blocked his field of vision.
"NO! G-d damnit!!!" Jack's insides turned to scalding water as shock waves travelled up to the pit of his stomach. "FUCK NO!" Jack yelled. An entire four months of digging only to be stopped again, ten feet underground, by another fucking energy field! Jack could hear his partner crawling back towards him, obviously curious to know the cause of the outburst.
"SHIT!" Jack slammed his fist down against the energy field again.
"Shh." Kalem warned.
The warning came too late.
Jack could hear the sound of multiple footsteps directly above him no doubt heading towards his barrack. They probably had sensors monitoring the external energy field.***
The screen began to flicker wildly.
"What's going on?" Angela rose from her seat.
Sam ran to the controls and looked at one of the screens. "I don't know!"
Dozens of images flashed one after another.
*** "Don't touch him!" Jack pulled against his human restraints. He closed his eyes when he heard the shot from the Jaffa's staff. He reopened them only to see Kalem lying motionless on the ground, his chest smoking.***
"I think he's going into some sort of shock." Janet's hands worriedly assessed Jack's condition.
"We may need to deactivate the machine," Sam yelled.
*** Jack felt his head contact stone. He was lying on a cold floor in a room that couldn't have been larger than a walk- in closet. His captors had followed him in. Jack grunted when he received a boot to the chest.***
Jack began to shake, his face screwed up as if in pain. His hands cradled his belly.
*** Blood sprouted from his face as another boot contacted bone. Jack tried to shield himself from the onslaught but his muscles no longer obeyed him.***
"Janet, what's going on?" Sam cried out.
"I don't know." Janet held down Jack's shoulder with one hand as the other zoned in on his temple.
*** Jack yelled when he heard a crack, his chest was suddenly on fire. But before he could assess the situation, another forceful kick to his head allowed the blessed darkness to settle in.***
"The screen just went blank!" Angela cried, her mouth wide open in shock.
"He's convulsing!" Janet yelled.
Sam ran to the bed.
"No.don't touch him!" Janet ordered.
For minutes, the three women stared in silence until Jack's body finally settled down.
"What the hell was that?" Sam's shaken voice emerged amidst the silent room.
"Colonel, can you hear me?"
Jack's eyes opened weakly. "Doc?"
"You had a small seizure, Colonel," Janet informed.
"Oh G-d." Jack muttered.
"How are you feeling?" Janet asked.
"That was a little too real." Jack ignored Janet's question, his mind still feeling the after affects of the alien technology.
Janet turned around to face the two other women. "I don't want you to continue using the memory device until I can find out what the hell just happened here. In the meantime, I want to check on Colonel O'Neill."
Sam nodded. Dr. Watters seemed a bit dazed by the whole experience. Before Sam left, she retrieved the CD from the machine she had set up. Dr. Watters followed her out of the room. "Let's find out if it worked," Sam said, but even her face seemed to have lost its colour.