A/N: And here's chapter 3, was originally only going to have 2 or 3 chapters, but I wrote a little more than I expected, so there is one more chapter after this!
Chapter 3: Stowaway
Hours later, the door slammed open again. This time the light wasn't as harsh or uncomfortable as the first time, but it was still uncomfortable. The noise had woken Carter from the light doze she'd fallen into, and Jack could see that while she still didn't look 100, she did at least look marginally more alert after her rest. Daniel and Teal'c, while they looked tired, were at least clear eyed and looking prepared.
Unable to resist a dig at the overbearing individual in the doorway, Jack spoke up first. "So, oh great one, can we go yet? Not that we don't appreciate your hospitality and all, but I can't really say much for your guest quarters." For his troubles, Jack was struck in his leg with the man's ornate walking staff. Why did they always go for his knees?
"Tomorrow at dawn you will be thrown into the Pit of Sorrows." The man smiled.
"Pit of Sorrows? Sounds like a nice vacation spot. I want to make sure we get the presidential suite this time." The man's smile only widened.
"As penance for your sins, you and the items you carried will be thrown into the pit where you will remain until you die. If the gods have mercy on you, your death will be swift. If not, you will linger for days, while the acid slowly dissolves your flesh. Men have been heard screaming for days. Your weapons will be useless, and over time you will all fall." The man seemed perversely pleased, as he turned on his heel and left the room.
Jack sat in the sudden darkness of the cell, mouth opening and closing like a fish. Daniel was the first to break the silence. "Sounds, uh, pleasant."
"Oh, yeah, think I'll put in a request for leave to this 'Pit of Sorrows' place, sounds like a real happening tourist spot you know." Jack's tone was sarcastic, as he twisted into a new position, but this one only seemed to make the bonds tighter.
"Teal'c, any luck getting your hands out?" Jack turned towards the dim shape that was Teal'c in the dark.
"No O'Neill, I have not." Jack sighed in disappointment and was about to ask the others the same question when the door was flung open again, allowing two burly guards carrying buckets to enter. A third guard remained by the doorway while the two guards set their buckets down, each taking a dipper from the first bucket and approaching he and Carter with them.
"The condemned will drink and eat." Ordered the first guard as he shoved the dipper in front of Jack's face. Jack saw that Carter was getting similar treatment.
"Thanks, but no." Jack turned his face away, despite the temptation of something to wet his parched tongue.
The guard pulled the dipper back. "You have a long trek in the morning to the Pit of Sorrows, and you will require your strength. If you cannot walk the distance, you will be tied behind a horse and forced to keep up."
Jack glowered at the man. "Fine. What's on the menu?" The dipper was shoved back under his face, and Jack sniffed cautiously, no taint of anything other than water, so he took a sip, making a face at the taste of the warm, stale water, but he swallowed it anyway. Once he'd taken a dipperful, the guard refilled it and moved to offer the same to Teal'c, who, following O'Neill's example, also drank. Carter had forced herself to take several swallows, but had been unable to take the full dipper. At her refusal, the guard had moved onto Daniel, who unsuccessfully tried to engage in conversation with the guard, but after the first guard's speech, neither had said anything.
After they had all been given a drink, the guards filled the dippers from the second bucket, this time moving to offer them to Teal'c and Daniel first. Teal'c announced that the dipper contained gruel. When it was Jack's turn, he found the dipper full of a thin bluish colored semi-liquid substance. Making another face, he forced the stuff back, and looked up in time to see the other guard trying to make Carter take a dipperful. She didn't seem interested though, and turned her head. In the weak light of the hallway, Jack could see that her skin still held the grayish cast he'd noted earlier.
"Carter?" He called in concern.
She looked at him and frowned, still refusing the dipper with a shake of her head. "Sorry Sir." She said.
The guard standing in front of her barked something to the guard who'd been in the doorway, who called down the hall, while the first guard went to stand next to the other one in front of Carter. Suddenly the object of unwanted scrutiny, Carter pulled her knees up as tight as she could, pressing her spine into the wall and meeting the Colonel's gaze with her wide blue eyes.
"Hey, leave her alone." Jack tried to call the attention away from her; pulling his body up as straight as he could, and wishing even just one of his hands were free.
The guards ignored him, talking among themselves in another language, Jack noticed Daniel had his head cocked to the side, listening. A light was brought in from the hall, likely what the guards had called for, illuminating the room, making all of them blink and Carter wince in the sudden light. All of them except Carter it seemed had recovered from the drugged darts.
The light was placed in a holder near the door and one of the guards grabbed Carter by the chin, forcing her to look up despite her protests. Again they spoke to each other in the other language.
"Hey!" Jack called again, he never liked when someone was singling out a member of his team, and Carter had some particular vulnerabilities as the only woman on the team. The guards continued to ignore him, examining Carter in the light, while one of them called something else to the man outside, who relayed the message down the hall again.
"Jack, I think they are wondering why she hasn't recovered from the darts like the rest of us, I think they said something about "antidote" but I'm not sure, they are speaking in a form of Latin I've never heard. I don't think they are trying to hurt her." Daniel continued to try and catch the conversation.
"Well they hit her with three of those things, of course she'll be having trouble." Jack scowled at the guard's backs, but they continued to ignore everything else while they regarded the woman tied to the wall across from him. He turned his attention back to Carter. "You okay there, Carter?"
She nodded weakly at him, remaining curled up in her protective ball. After the guards had looked in her eyes and felt her pulse they'd pretty much left her alone.
A third man entered the room, handing a small vial to one of the guards, who opened it and thrust it in front of Carter. Predictably, she pulled away, turning her head and refusing the contents. The guard growled something and the other one moved to pin her in place in spite her struggles.
Jack shouted, hearing Teal'c and Daniel do the same while the three guards forced Carter to take whatever it was in the vial. As soon as the contents were inside her, the guards left, pulling the door closed behind them, leaving the light behind, whether intentionally or unintentionally they didn't know, but Jack was grateful for the light.
He regarded his second carefully in the new light, her face wore a wince of distaste, obviously whatever it was they'd just made her take had been rather unpleasant. But other than that, she only looked a bit more rumpled than before and he could see no marks or other signs of injury.
"You okay Carter?" Jack asked again, watching her closely while she nodded and coughed, mumbling an assent, and refusing to look at him while she scanned their cell in the new light.
"O'Neill, by the doorway." Jack turned his eyes from Carter and her uncharacteristic silence, and looked to where Teal'c had directed, noticing that the unidentifiable lump by the doorway was in reality their gear, including a staff weapon leaning in the corner, and their Zats and P-90's. But how could they turn it to their advantage? Jack stretched, pulling out away from the wall as much as he could, straining with his booted foot, but was coming up at least a foot short.
"Let me try sir." Carter was already stretching out, her position putting her just a bit closer to the gear, but making her need to twist a bit more awkwardly. She was able to get the toe of her boot to just touch a vest. Grunting, she pulled against her bonds, beads of sweat dotting her forehead. So close, her toe caught one of the vests and agonizingly, she inched it up, trying to lift it from the pile, growling in frustration when it slipped off her boot, back to the pile. With a heavy sigh, she sagged back against the wall, breathing heavily.
Jack frowned at her; he almost thought she was looking worse since whatever "antidote" the guards had given her. "Take a break Carter" he ordered, his frown deepening when she just nodded and leaned back against the wall, closing her eyes. He'd expected her to protest.
"Jack." Daniel called, pulling his attention away from his second. Jack noticed Daniel staring fixedly at the pile of gear, and turned to look as well, in time to notice something small and furry disappear back into the pile.
"Oh great, rats. Just what we need." Jack suppressed a shudder.
"That was no rat O'Neill." Teal'c was sitting up straighter, also staring at the pile.
Jack was confused. "It wasn't?" Just then, the furry creature appeared again, munching on something clutched in its furry paws, whiskers twitching. "Is that...?"
"Thor." Teal'c made a soft clicking noise with his tongue, and the little rodent, hamster Jack corrected himself, looked up and bounded down off the pile, scurrying across his legs to Teal'c. Jack had never heard of a hamster that came when called, but trust Teal'c to find or train one.
"It is indeed Thor, O'Neill." Teal'c had a small smile on his face while he regarded the small hamster now sitting alertly on his chest.
"Peachy." O'Neill didn't find the appearance of Thor to be good news. Likely, Thor would just be joining them in the Pit of Sorrows.
However, it seemed like Thor had other plans, as the little hamster scurried up Teal'c's arms, and sniffed at the ropes securing the man to the wall.
"Teal'c?" Jack was curious.
Teal'c had turned his head to try and see the little hamster. "I do not know O'Neill."
In moments, it was clear exactly what Thor was doing, as he began gnawing on the ropes that tied Teal'c to the wall.
"New trick you've taught Thor, Teal'c?" Teal'c did not reply, frowning as he continued to watch his small pet.
In fact, it was not a trick that Teal'c had taught the hamster. Thor had awakened in the place he'd fallen asleep in, and had been unable to get out. It had taken him quite some time to gnaw his way out, the smell of food goading him to gnaw a hole in the canvas faster, finding a leftover tidbit on his way out which he tucked into his fat cheeks. He'd eventually found his way out and had needed to climb up through a pile of large objects. Even hungrier after eating the little morsel, the little hamster had been overjoyed to hear the familiar sound his favorite person usually made. Whenever his person made that noise, there was usually food!
Ignoring everything else in his path, the little critter had scurried to his human, wondering why he wasn't immediately caressed and offered food. He noticed that his human held his hands over his head. Thinking it was a new game, and that his food was in his human's hands like it usually was, he climbed up to the hands, clinging to the fabric over the man's arms. When he got to the hands, he was presented with the odd bit of material around the hands. Curious, the little animal sniffed at the material, interested by the smell. Carefully, he tasted it, and was processed by a need to gnaw at it.
So intent was he in gnawing, the small being was startled when the hands moved suddenly, pulling apart at the frayed area of the material, and moving to cup him, gently rubbing his furry body the way he liked. Food would be next! His human seemed to have forgotten how the game worked though, because he found himself getting popped into a small space again. Wriggling in agitation, the little animal found he couldn't get out. Sighing in frustration, he hoped that food would be coming soon.
After popping Thor safely into the pocket of his jacket, Teal'c immediately grabbed a knife and a Zat from the pile of gear by the door and made short work of O'Neill's bonds. O'Neill rubbed his wrists and ordered Teal'c to see to Daniel, before grabbing a knife of his own and setting to work on Carter's.
"You ok Carter?" Jack watched as she winced, forcing stiff muscles into activity. Her color still wasn't what he would like, and she seemed to be moving a bit slower than usual.
"Just peachy sir." She'd definitely been hanging out with him too much. Daniel moved up next to Carter, leaving him and Teal'c free to sort through the gear. In short order the two had sorted out vests and weapons, choosing to leave most of the equipment behind for greater speed. Daniel had taken over in helping Carter with her vest and she seemed to need a little support in getting to her feet. It looked like most of the fighting would fall to him and Teal'c.
Jack had turned his attention to the door, but before he could level his Zat at it, Carter was standing beside him. "I think I can unlock it sir."
He regarded her thoughtfully, and nodded, moving aside to give her access to the lock. She produced a small kit from her vest pocket, and set to work on picking the lock. It was much quieter than the Zat, even if a good bit slower. Jack shifted from foot to foot impatiently, until she stepped back, announcing that the door was now unlocked.
Nodding, he motioned for her to move back near Daniel, and she went without protest, realizing that in her weakened state she was more of a liability. Teal'c moved to be in front of the door when it opened. They had no idea what waited on the other side, so Jack prepared himself for anything as he pulled the door open quickly.
Teal'c fired off two shots with his Zat, and Jack rolled out the doorway, facing the opposite direction, his knee protesting. His side of the hall was clear, and he risked a look behind him, the prone bodies of two guards lying on the floor. Jack quickly motioned an all clear, and Teal'c joined his position in the hall, Daniel following, a hand on Carter's arm which she wasn't shaking off.
The escape from the compound was surprisingly easy, and they met very little resistance. The compound was located at the edge of a forest, and they quickly determined the direction of the Stargate, recognizing the village from the MALP readings. Wasting no time the four hurried on their way, trying to keep to the underbrush and cover whenever possible. They had to stop once while Carter lost the contents of her stomach, including the vile "antidote." She started to look better and more alert almost immediately.
It took them about an hour to make it to the gate; they'd encountered only one patrol on the way, which they dispatched easily. Daniel was quick to dial up the gate and send the iris code, and SG-1 was even quicker in heading through.
General Hammond met them at the bottom of the ramp. "I trust you have a good reason for returning early SG-1?"
"I'd say you could class this one as unfriendly sir. Permission to get cleaned up and checked out sir?" Jack hadn't missed how Carter had seemed to fade once coming back through the gate. Come to think of it, they all looked a bit exhausted, but he wanted to make sure the Major hadn't suffered any further ill effects with the darts and subsequent "antidote" which she hadn't seemed to have tolerated well.
General Hammond nodded. He had also noticed how weary his premier team had looked. "Granted, report to the infirmary, and get cleaned up. We'll debrief in two hours."