Sometimes the struggle for power and control was even more invigorating than the power itself. He already had an idea of what her first "punishment" would be; he'd come up with the idea from the reports he had read. Watching her restless sleeping form on the monitor, Jason Arden smiled. Soon she would learn who held all the power.
Chapter 33
Sam woke herself after only a brief, but restless doze. No one had disturbed her, so it seemed like Arden was likely leaving her alone to "consider her choice" like he'd said. Sam didn't need time to think things over. She knew that she would never willingly allow someone else to control her. She had no idea what sort of things that the man had planned for her, to try and force her thinking, but she had no doubt that it wouldn't be pleasant. The man still gave Sam the creeps. His own sense of self-importance rivaled that of a Goa'uld. In fact, if the man's eyes had flashed, Sam wouldn't have been a bit surprised.
Stretching to relive kinked muscles, Sam winced inwardly. The wire grate that made up the floor of the cage was uncomfortable to walk on. And then there were the toilet facilities. Sam was still reluctant to take use of them, but soon she would not be able to ignore the necessity. No doubt, Jason Arden had intended for her to be uncomfortable. He probably thought that the arrangement would degrade her, but Sam, along with SG-1, had been in worse. She'd been chained to a pole, thrown in countless dungeons and Goa'uld prisons, even crammed into a cage, so Sam knew all about tactics that could be used to put a captive into the weaker position.
It wasn't the cage, or the lack of privacy. Some of the places SG-1 had been held had been even less private, or offered even worse toilet facilities, or freedom of movement. No, what disturbed Sam the most was the purely avaricious way that Jason Arden had looked at her. No, examined every detail. In his mind, she was no more to him than another expensive purchase. He had no interest in her humanity. She was something for him to study and to entertain him.
The man's interest in her was disturbing. But Sam refused to let it get to her if she could help it. Sam sighed. Deciding it was better to take care of business before Arden returned rather than later Sam chose the corner farthest from the food and water and also not the one she's slept in. She refused to look at the cameras the entire time. Afterwards, Sam tried to ignore the smell, the grate made it impossible to bury the mess. Well she'd been in worse places. Likely someone would take care of the tray when it was time to refresh her food and water supply.
As she wondered when Arden and his cronies would show again, Sam heard the door open. Arden, followed by the big hairy guy entered the room. Jason Arden stopped in front of her cage, and smiled at her, causing Sam to suppress a shudder.
"I trust you have rested and had time to consider my proposition Major?" When Sam only returned his stare, he continues as if she'd replied. "Lets begin then, shall we?"
Arden nodded towards his burly henchmen at the door, and the two people from earlier, a man and a woman still dressed in lab coats, entered pushing a large covered cart. The door was quickly closed and locked behind them, the burly guy moving back in front of it and crossing his arms over his chest. The woman lifted the cloth covering the cart slightly and pulled out several objects that Sam recognized as a laptop and speakers. The woman set the items down and quickly powered it up, connecting wires where they belonged. The man approached her cage and Sam noted he was wearing gloves. Sam back cautiously into the back of the cage and didn't take her eyes off the man as he opened the cage door.
"Come now Major, we are all anxious to meet you." Arden was speaking again as the man grabbed her and pulled her from the cage. Sam briefly thought about struggling or grabbing on to the cage, but she remembered how easily she'd been pinned and drugged, and these people didn't seem to much care if she got a little roughed up in the process.
Sam was deposited on the table in front of the computer, which was open to a familiar program. Her ears flat to her head and tail wrapped firmly around her legs, Sam sat waiting to see what the man wanted. Briefly, she wondered what else was on the cart it was much too large to have only contained the laptop. Sam pulled her thoughts back to the present as Arden spoke again.
"I wish to know how you came to be in this situation Major. The idea fascinates me. Now, I've read the reports, and I know you can use the voice synthesizer." He motioned towards the device in front of her and waited for her response. Sam merely looked at the computer and back to her captor, and didn't move. The other two either knew about her as well, or they were too well trained to show any response to their employers comments.
Arden smiled again, sending chills down Sam's spine. She could almost believe that the man was secretly hoping she wouldn't cooperate, and that thought disturbed her more than anything else had up to this point.
"I see. Well perhaps you can't tell me that. Lets try another question. I know who you are, but I 'd like to hear it from you. Please, tell me your full name and rank." Again, the man watched her, awaiting her response.
Sam decided to give him one, but probably not what he was expecting. Sam meowed and stood, and walked to the voice synthesizer, and promptly sat on it. The computer let out a squawk, causing the man who'd pulled her from the cage to jump and the woman wince. Arden didn't even flinch. A brief flash of anger passed his face and his features hardened.
"I see you have made your choice Major." Arden was smiling again, that same chilling smile she'd seen before. Sam didn't have long to wonder if she'd made a mistake in angering the man, as he snapped his fingers. The woman snapped to attention, pulling off the cover on the cart revealing a large metal tub of some sort. Before Sam could wonder what it was for or what was in it, hands seized her. Sam twisted and tried to break free, but the man was too strong or too determined and Sam quickly found herself being lifted up over the basin and suddenly found she was falling.
Water closed over her nose and mouth and she instinctively struggled to get her head above the water. Coughing and spluttering as she got her face out of the water, Sam realized that this was a thousand times worse than the flea bath. Unlike the bath, this water was cold, and she was submerged completely in it. The edges of the tub were too high for her to grab onto, and she suspected that her scrabbling frantically against the sides of the tub only amused the man even more than her struggles to stay afloat.
Sam's only thoughts were on keeping her head up, so she was startled when hands grabbed her again, lifting her from the water and dumping her ungracefully onto the table again, where her legs refused to hold her up. Lying in an ungainly heap on the table Sam weakly lifted her head and glared at the man as she panted, trying to slow her breathing. Arden smiled down at her.
After giving her time to catch her breath, Arden asked again, "Now Major, please tell me your full name." The computer was placed in front her a second time. Sam lifted her head, looked at the computer, and back to the man, than laid her head back down and closed her eyes. She wasn't surprised this time as the hands grabbed her and she was dropped back into the water. More prepared, she managed not to inhale any water this time, but realized quickly that she was being left in the tub much longer. Sam didn't have time for a lot of thoughts as she concentrated on staying above water. Cats were not built to be swimmers and she tired quickly.
Just as she was about to give up, she was pulled out of the water. The same question was asked, and again Sam refused to reply and was dropped back into the water. This time, she was so worn out her head had slipped under the water twice. She wasn't sure if she would be able to surface if she went under again when hands removed her from the water. Even if she had wanted to answer the question Sam was now too tired. She had resigned herself to being dumped back into the water. Arden had other plans however. He seemed to decide she'd had enough, and she felt a rough towel being rubbed over her, removing the excess water. There were no hairdryers and the care that had been given in keeping her warm and dry after the flea bath was missing because her fur was still damp as she was dumped back into the cage.
"I hope I have given you something to consider Major Carter. I will return later to continue our session, we still have a lot to discuss." The door closed as Arden's words echoed in Sam's head. Sam pulled herself into a tight ball, shivering and exhausted. Escape became even more necessary, and even less likely and Sam struggled to keep despair at bay until sleep claimed her.