Branches

The following story is under the sole ownership and copyright of J.L. Scott. Unauthorized copying and/or use is actionable in a court of law.

To borrow a phrase: SG-1, Star Gate and Alias no mine, no permission, no money, no sue...please?

AN: Sorry this has taken so long! Working on other stories now!

Vaughn tried not to wince as the man pulled the plastic strips tight enough to cut into his circulation. Sydney was being strapped in the seat behind him, and Murry behind her. Derevco was over seeing their "securing". They each had their hands behind their chairs, a position which was now starting to cut off circulation from the shoulder to the wrist.

"Just a precaution" Derevco said.

"Where's the other girl?" Vaughn heard Sydney ask. Derevco walked out of his line of view, but he could feel her standing just behind him.

"Are you worried about her Sydney?"

"She's only seventeen years old" was Sydney's gritted reply. Derevco backed up, and Vaughn could see her face. She almost looked regretful.

"She's alive" she answered, "She's on the plane"

"Where are we going?" Vaughn asked. The contemptable woman looked down at him.

"Greece" she told him.

"It would be unwise of you to kill her" Vaughn heard Teal'c say quietly from two rows behind. Derevco once again exited his line of view.

"And why is that, silent one?" he heard her ask.

"You will suffer great pain if she dies" Vaughn couldn't see Derevco's face, but he couldn't imagine she was any less chilled than he was by that comment. Murry, or Teal'c as he prefered his last name, wasn't just talking about if and when any family the girl had came after her. It wasn't a threat derived from his own just anger over the girl's mistreatment. It was said as palin fact, one which sounded like he had had experience with. Pain. Great pain. And not just guilt, Teal'c was talking about physical pain. How could the death of a girl bring about what the unspoken words of Teal'c's comment promised? Vaughn didn't think he wanted to find out.

Derevco made no response. She must've exited through the back, too, because he didn't see her again for the whole flight.

"Syd?"

"Yeah?" She sounded tired, and he knew emotionally she was dieing. How much had she suffered at the hands of her own mother? How much more would Irena force her to endure? Derevco had killed his father, but his contempt for her reached farther than that now. Now she was killing the woman he loved, slowly and painfully, torturing every tormenting emotion she could out of her own daughter.

"How you holding up?" he asked.

"I hate her" Sydney answered from behind him, "I can't believe even she could fall so low as to torture a 17 year old girl" She was practically spitting the words out.

"Hey. We'll get out of this, and we'll save the girl" he assured her. At that moment, it was all he could promise.

"Teal'c? You back there?"

"I have not moved, Agent Vaughn" was his response.

Nothing else was said for a long time, each lost in the swirl of their own thoughts and planes. Their bonds were removed momentarily, to get them off the plane and into a unremarkable black limo. They were all three put in the same vehicle, with 2 guards each. Derevco was taking no chances. The windows were dark so none of them could see where they were going. They drove for only half an hour before they reached their destination. The limo had pulled into a garage, so they still had no idea of where they were. The second limo pulled in behind them. Derevco got out first. Sydney, Vaughn and Teal'c all held back gasps, angry shouts and urges to break free when O'Neill emerged. Her hands were not bound, but that appeared to be the only mercy she had been afforded. She was dirty, her shirt had small holes in it, some unskilled person had pulled her hair back, revealing a dark bruise on her jaw. She looked like she had spent 4 months in a dirty cell in the depths of some Iraqi hell hole prison. It had been barely a week. She walked on her own, but it didn't appear to be easy.

"Oh my god" Sydney breathed as they drew closer. They could now see she had finger bruises all over her arms and a small cut above her left eyebrow.

"How you holdin' up?" Vaughn asked. Cass smiled, sort of .

"Wish I would've stayed in Never Never land" she answered. Vaughn shook his head. Was she ever without a joke?

"You have been harmed" The facade of stony resilance had fallen away. An anguished look revealed the pain in his heart. Cassi looked worried.

"Tik, it's not your fault!" she said earnestly.

"It was I who was to protect you!" he replied heatedly, "You are still a child" A tear fell from Cassi's eye. She layed her hand on the tall man's chest, the guards grabbing at her arms and succeding in pulling her away.

"We're late" Derevco said and they started down a white, hospital like hallway. They didn't even try to speak, but they were all looking for the chance to escape. They took a few turns, and then Derevco reached the door she wanted. They were all pushed through.

It was a hospital room. Five beds lined one wall and three chairs were against the other. A one way window/mirror was at the end of the room.

There was a form in the last bed.

"Charlie?" Cassi whispered and hurried to the bed. The boy, now a young man, sat up and looked around.

"Who are you?" he asked, then saw Teal'c.

"Jaffa. Teal'c." he said, "Is Jack coming?" He looked hopeful.

"No" Cassi answered. The boy returned his attention to her.

"I'm his daughter" she told him.

"Charlie here had been most helpful" Derevco said, making her way over to him, "His genetic codes are very interesting" Sydney looked back at her mother.

"That's what you wanted? That's what you paid for?" Derevco avoided Sydney's gaze.

"That's what Sloan paid for. He's become very interested in genetic coding" she said quietly, "But thanks to your friend here, we won't be studying Charlie anymore" Cassi raised a hand to the cut above her eyebrow.

"We got a small sample of her genetic code, but it was just enough to intrigue us" Derevco finnished, "So we'll be requiring a few more samples" She nodded at a guard who came and grabbed Cassi.

"No! No!" she yelled and started struggling...a lot. She threw off the man and he went sprialing across the room, smacking into a wall and falling still on the floor.

"Harwood! Kovach!" Derevco yelled and two more armored men came barging in. It took both of them to hold her. Teal'c pounced on them.

"Darrow! Get in here!" Derevco called. Sydney and Vaughn tried to take advantage of the confusion to get out the door, but the man called Darrow busted in waving a dart gun. There was no time to shout a warning. The first dart his Teal'c in the shoulder blade. That didn't stop him. The second hit his right thigh, and then he fell.

"No! No!" Cassi continued to yell, but she couldn't stop the two men from carrying her out the door. Sydney knelt by Teal'c and found his pulse. The boy called Charlie stood by his bed, ready to fight.

"Is he alright?" Derevco asked as Sydney stood.

"What are you going to do to her?" she demanded back.

"I'll send a doctor" Derevco told them and shut the door behind her.