Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Stargate characters or the show itself.

Chapter XIII

The girl considered this. She had been alone in mind for a very long time. It'd be nice to trust someone. And they didn't seem...evil. She lowered the force field, "Only Major Carter can come..." she started, but all four members of the team had already shoved their way past her. And they were all still armed. She should have thought of that. What was wrong with her? Echo chided herself, a little emotion, a little hope and I'm going all soft. She watched helplessly, and slightly relieved as the team immediately took over the situation. They took over flight, weapons, and a couple other stations that she didn't even know existed. Carter was fascinated, "Sir, this ship is Tok'ra. Except with some strange modifications." The team was obviously very used to working with each other, anticipating each other, but this left the girl completely out of the loop. She stood towards the back of the ship so as to avoid getting in their way. Unfortunately, this left her in direct sight of Klorel, who by now was pissed, betrayed, hurt, mad, infuriated, sickened, scared, and a whole lot of other things. He glared at her. "I should have killed you when I had the chance," he said loudly and un-originally. Echo rolled her eyes, "Yes, I'm sure we've all reached that conclusion on our own by now." Klorel was shocked, she was no longer afraid of him! Or was no longer pretending to be afraid of him. She had used him...."I'm glad I hurt you so often when you were acting as my slave, I'm glad...what would your new friends think if they knew—" Echo looked up sharply, "SHUT UP!!!" She gasped, as if someone had hit her. Klorel thought, I've hit a soft spot. I will hurt her yet before I die...He started to continue, mocking, telling everything, reminding her, embarrassing shame and hurt. I've won, he thought, looking at the pained expression on her face, mocking her. I've hurt the pride and dignity that I thought was dead in her. He continued taunting her, but was cut off, "No!! You don't get to speak, you haven't won! You've lost, lost Klorel, and now you're going to die, alone and unloved, betrayed and scared. And I've done it. I did it Klorel, all of it, you're here, denounced by your father, in the hands of your enemies because of me. I planned, I waited, I learned and watched, and it all came through, and now you're going to leave that body and become an insignificant worm that lives up to the nothingness you always were. You may have hurt me, but not enough, never enough because I did this to you."

Echo fled to the only part of the ship she could be alone in, some kind of compartment in the back. She was actually pretty certain that it was some kind of closet. Oh well. Wow. She didn't know she had that in her. She'd never been one for giving speeches, and she had just lectured the ass off some really old, evil, satanic monster thing that really could kill her a thousand times over. What does a person do after living like this? She had felt herself change, she was…paranoid. Jittery. And she didn't think she could change back.