A/N: Oh my... ya'll really, really don't like that Arden character do ya? Calling him names? Killing him off? Tempting, but no. Not yet anyway. Well I hate to say this, but I'm not done with him yet. Sorry Sam.
"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.
Chapter 34
Jason Arden watched the sleeping cat on the monitor. He'd ordered that the room temperature be turned up to prevent her getting too much of a chill, and over the past few hours her fur had fluffed out and was now sticking in all directions. So far she had not shown any inclination to groom herself like cats did, so if he wanted her looking presentable for tonight he would likely have to order someone to groom her. He had originally hoped that she would be more cooperative before revealing his latest addition to his collection, but then he realized that she really didn't need to be. In fact, it may just drive home an important lesson.
Arden summoned his assistant, and set the plans into motion. It was time that Major Carter got a dose of reality.
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Sam was dry, and surprisingly warm when she woke. Standing, she shook herself lightly before stretching. Her muscles protested. She had grown used to being able to freely roam the halls of the SGC, but over the past few days, she'd been unable to move more than a few steps in any direction.
As she suspected, someone had attended to the litter tray and refreshed the food and water while she'd been otherwise occupied. Sam suppressed another shudder as she remembered the feeling of water closing over her face and being unable to stop it.
Sam forced herself to eat more of the canned food as her stomach reminded her that it had been a long time since she'd last eaten a full meal. She still couldn't eat very much of the stuff, and told her stomach to be satisfied with what it got and followed it with some water.
After she'd eaten, Sam wondered what else to do, there wasn't much to occupy her attention in the cage or the room. She checked the door of the cage but it was securely padlocked.
Sam sighed. She wondered what the guys were getting up to. They were probably tearing the place apart, unless the General had found a way to keep them all occupied or sent them off world. She doubted the Colonel or the others would rest until they had tracked her down. Sam still had little hope they would find her though, they were probably concentrating their searches locally, not knowing how far away she'd been taken. Heck, she didn't even know where she had been taken.
Her introspections were cut off as the door opened, and the man and woman from earlier entered the room, carrying a small bag and what looked like a small plastic cat carrier. The door shut behind them, as Sam caught a glance of the big hairy security guard on the other side of it.
Before Sam could wonder what would be going on, and why Arden wasn't accompanying them, the duo approached. The man unlocked the cage door and lifted her out before she could decide to fight. She was placed on the table, and hands gripped her. Sam tried to struggle, wondering what was going on, but the two seemed to be used to working with animals and held her where she couldn't scratch or bite them, or break free.
The woman was removing an assortment of combs and brushes from the bag, and Sam relaxed marginally. She was still confused as to why Arden would care about her physical appearance, but at least there weren't any instruments of torture, or worse, a thermometer, in the bag.
Sam still squirmed a bit and tried to wriggle free when it seemed the two weren't paying much attention, but it was half hearted. They were only brushing her, and even if she could get away, she was reluctant to try jumping down from the table not being used to such heights, especially given her recent lack of activity. At the SGC she usually had a handy chair or willing set of hands to help her. And even if she did manage to get away from the two, and down off the table without breaking something, there was still the matter of the door and the burly security guard.
The man and woman were grooming her painstakingly and Sam felt like she had been combed to within an inch of her life before they finally finished. She no doubt was gleaming when they were done. The entire time, someone had held onto her, even when the brushing was finished.
Sam soon found herself being placed into the cat carrier, the door securely closed. Sam settled herself as the carrier lifted, examining her new confines. The carrier was plastic, with a metal grate door in the front. The latch folded around the side and could not be opened from inside that she could see. Sam could see very little from inside the carrier, and wondered where they were taking her; they seemed to be taking a different route than the one they'd used to get to the lab the first night.
From the little that Sam could see, they were leaving the sterile utilitarian corridors where the lab was and entering what appeared to be opulent living areas. Plush carpet, large windows, potted plants and expensive décor was all Sam could glimpse from her vantage point inside the carrier.
She was carried into a large, formal room that looked like some sort of dining hall. Tables were arrayed about the extravagantly decorated room. Some sort of big event was likely planned. That's when Sam caught sight of the large ornate cage resting on a table in the center of the room, and she realized then, that whatever event was planned, she was the main attraction. Her guess was confirmed as she was carried over to the cage and the carrier settled down.
She tensed, ready to spring if the opportunity presented itself, but the man that reached into the cage seemed prepared for such an action and made sure the door was blocked at all times. He wasn't even fazed be her attempts to prevent leaving the carrier by bracing her legs against the door opening like Schroedinger had done on trips to the vet, he just unhooked her and pulled her out. Sam found herself sitting inside the ornate cage, the man briefly running his hands over her to smooth any rumpled fur and Sam was possessed by an urge to roll and rumple it all up again. The thought that Arden would likely not take kindly to her actions stopped her.
Speak of the devil and he shall come thought Sam as the man and woman left the room and Arden entered. He was looking at her in the way one might look at a new car that had just gotten a shiny new paint job. He smiled in satisfaction and again Sam suppressed the urge to roll around or scratch or something. She satisfied herself with backing away to the center of the very large cage.
"In just a short time my guests will arrive, to see my latest acquisition. And you, Samantha, will be the star of the show." Oiliness practically dripped from the man's tone and Sam felt dirty hearing her name come from his mouth. She allowed very few people to call her anything other than Sam or by her titles. He smiled as her ears flattened to her head involuntarily.
"Don't think that any of these people will be sympathetic to you. None of them know who you are. To them, you are just an exotic animal, the latest in my collection. When they look at you, remember all they will see is an animal, because that my dear, is all you are unless I say so." With that statement, Arden turned and left the room.
Stunned, Sam stayed where she was, and was only vaguely surprised by the rumbling growl deep in her chest. Sam dragged her emotions into control. While she had every right to be angry with this man, it wasn't getting her away from him and back home. Sam pulled her focus onto the cage and her surroundings.
The cage she was in was made of what appeared to be a heavy wrought iron; the bars were ornately worked into leaves, vines and flowers. A small lock held the door closed. The cage was directly resting on the table, with no bottom, but the sheer weight of the thing made it impossible that she'd be able to move it. Additionally, Sam noticed that small clamps held the cage to the table, likely to prevent any of his animals from escaping should the cage or table accidentally be knocked over. Obviously Sam wasn't the first "attraction" to be shown. There were a few small perches arranged within easy jumping distance of each other, the clamps showing that they were added depending on what type of animal was in the cage. Sam investigated each one, but could detect no signs of weakness in the cage. She returned to the table and the center of the cage as the guest began to arrive.
Before long the party was well under way, everyone at some point stopping by her cage. Tantalizing smells of food wafted towards her reminding her of what little she'd had to eat recently. Sam found herself curling into the smallest ball she could, as people would approach the cage, examining its small occupant. Any hopes that someone would see her for what she was were quickly dashed, as Arden's comments proved correct. They only saw her as an animal.
Sam grew weary of the endless parade of overdressed and obviously rich men and women, some of who only glanced at her before moving onto other pursuits. Others stopped and made comments about her coat, or poked their fingers into the cage making sounds trying to encourage her to move from the center of the cage. Some even offered little morsels through the bars trying to get a closer look. Sam merely ignored them all, she refused to cooperate, and became the most uninteresting centerpiece she could be.
A very round woman, with way too much jewelry, makeup and perfume on was currently waggling her fingers through the bars at her calling "Here kitty kitty, come here pretty kitty" in a high pitched nasal voice which hurt Sam's ears. Sam briefly thought about rising just to bite the woman and make her stop, when Jason Arden approached.
"Ah, Miss Atwater, so pleased you could come to my little party. I trust you are enjoying yourself?" Arden bowed slightly; taking the woman's plump hand in his and dropping a light kiss on the back of it.
The woman beamed, "Jason, darling, you always go over the top. Everything is wonderful as always. Now, tell me where did you get this wonderful animal? I have never seen such a beautiful coloration in a cat before. It's a shame she hasn't moved at all the entire evening, I'd love to get a good look at her. Are you sure she is all right?"
Arden looked over at Sam, his eyes narrowed slightly, before pulling his features back to a neutral expression. "Believe it or not, she was found wandering outside by one of my associates. I had to take her in and protect her you see. Such beauty should not be wasted." Arden turned back to her. "Come Samantha, show yourself to our guests, don't be rude."
Sam glared at the man, and tightened her tail around her. She would not prance around for the entertainment of his guests.
Arden's eyes took on a dangerous glint as she refused to follow his commands. He turned back to the woman, and apologized for her, saying that "Samantha" was just shy, and not used to so many people. The woman made some comments about the poor little kitty cat and how wonderful Arden was to take in the stray. She even inquired about if Arden would consider breeding her, to see if her coloration could be passed along.
So shocked by that thought, Sam nearly missed as the woman wandered away, and Arden leaned down, hissing at her, "You should not have embarrassed me so Major, in front of my guests. Tomorrow you will learn why you should not cross me." With that, he left her, wading back into the sea of partygoers.