(Isha, thank you.
For this chapter, they use radios, and I have no idea how military use radios. I apologize in advance if you are reading this and thinking, "That's not how they do it.")

Part 9, Searching

--Kaid--

I have no idea where Lantash went. I saw the Jaffa head in his direction, and now he is gone. I look to the radio, and press the button as I had been instructed. "Um, hello?"

"Kaid," responds Daniel's voice. "We're here."

"So are we," responds Samantha's voice.

I'm about to say "I lost Lantash," but Jike tells me that the humans might take that as Lantash was killed. "Lantash and I have been separated. I have no idea where he is."

"What happened?" It's Samantha.

"Jaffa came, and we hid in two different places. They moved in his direction, and now he is no longer in this area. I don't think they found him."

"Kaid," replies a deep voice.

"Selmak."

"Find Anguis. Samantha and I will look for Lantash." Jacob had said earlier that the missing crystal was not where they were looking.

"I'll do that."

"Don't worry. He can handle himself."

I feel slightly numb with his words.

Perhaps you should tell them, Jike thinks.

I feel bad, but it is probably best they know the entire situation. "I am not sure about that statement."

"Why?"

"I believe Lantash kor'iied."

"What?" Samantha asks. Her voice is distant, so I believe Selmak has the radio still.

Jacob's voice matches hers in distance. "A panic attack." Then he is back. "Kaid, where are you?"

"Level 9, section 31."

"Samantha and I are pretty near. Find Anguis, and we'll find Lantash."

"I understand." I start heading over to find Anguis.

--Narim--

Lantash turns around, and finds Zar staring at him. I feel a shudder run through my symbiote as he realizes he is in some type of interrogation room, identical to one he was brought in daily for two years.

Zar walks closer, "A Tau'ri...who's..blended."

I feel slightly insulted that he doesn't recognize me. Then I realize his forgetting me was probably why I was never tortured. Lantash still doesn't move, but just stares, afraid. Lantash, do something!

I don't think he even heard me.

"A most interesting combination, rare, and I come across it for a second time." Zar brings up his hand.

I see he is wearing the ribbon device. Lantash!!

"The last one I met was disappointing. The host went insane, and the symbiote cried, begged me to stop torturing him." The ribbon device starts to power. "They were both weak."

It actually feels as if something in Lantash snapped. "Weak?" The fear is replaced with rage. "Weak?!!" I feel his eyes flare as he grabs the nearest object, and swings it across Zar's head.

Zar stops to retreat, but has no time to react. He's knocked off his feet.

"I'm weak?!" Lantash says as he steps over to Zar. "You call me weak?!" Luckily there is no Jaffa because Lantash didn't bother checking for one.

Zar looks completely baffled. "Lantash?"

"Yes!" Lantash responds as he rips the ribbon device from Zar's arm, and throws it across the room. His anger consumes him, and I have a feeling Zar is going to regret ever capturing Lantash. Lantash stops in front of Zar as the Goa'uld starts getting on his feet. My symbiote glances to his hand, noticing the object he had grabbed was of all things, a pain stick. He looks back to Zar, and I feel my eyes glow again. "Let's see who is weak."

I was right.

--Selmak--

As I search for Lantash, I am becoming convinced he has left this section. While that makes him harder to find, that indicates a good thing. He is probably on the move, and not huddled somewhere in a corner. As soon as Kaid said what his reaction to being on the ship was I regretted bringing him here. It might have been best if he stayed in the forest, but he has his pride, and did not want to be treated differently.

--Kaid--

"Anguis?" I feel worried until I see him stir. I smile to see him alive.

Barm chuckles a bit when he sees me, though I can see he is weak. "I didn't expect to see you."

"Can you walk?"

"Yes," he says as he gets up. "I'm hungry, but I am well otherwise. I guess Selmak found you."

That reminds me. "Yes, he did." Now is not the time though.

--Daniel--

Teal'c and I found the missing crystal, and have now also been looking for Lantash. I look to some Jaffa who tried to kill us. "At the rate Zar is losing his Jaffa I think soon he is going to be the only threat on this ship."

"Then he will be weak, and could be destroyed."

If that were the case, I wonder if the ship would go to, us or the Tok'ra.

--Kaid--

"Anguis?"

Anguis takes control, and turns to me.

"What did you tell Selmak?" I had given some time after finding him before asking, however, I need to ask before we reunite with the others.

"Clarify."

"In finding the rest of us."

Anguis taps at a panel, trying to use sensors to locate our new missing Tok'ra. "I told him that I wasn't alone, and others were in the forest."

"What else?"

"Nothing."

I don't want to believe that. "You are sure?"

Anguis stops to look at me. "What else do you think I told him?"

"I thought you told him who was in the forest."

"I did not even have the time to tell him where you were in the forest. Our time to speak was very brief."

I pale slightly.

He frowns slightly. "Why do you ask?"

"..."

"Kaid, what could be so important about what I told Selmak."

"...Selmak knew about Lantash."

Anguis shakes his head. "That is not possible."

"Selmak identified him immediately."

"In front of you?"

"I was hit by a zat'nikatel, and assumed unconscious."

Anguis looks down. "Selmak knew? Selmak hasn't even spoken to the Tau'ri since...helping Samantha escape from Zar's prison." His eyes flare as he looks up at me. "Selmak knew!"

--Selmak--

After checking several rooms, we come across a locked one. Samantha quickly starts working on trying to open it.

--Lantash--

My eyes are burning.

Actually, those are my eyes, and they feel like they are burning because you kept flaring them.

I remember seeing Zar, being frightened, and then suddenly feeling pissed. I look down as see Zar on the ground...bloody...burned. He's dead, and yet I still feel afraid. Perhaps though, that is not the issue. How did Zar die?

The answer dawns. I did this. I tortured someone to death, and I don't even really remember doing it.

Memories of the event seem to come now. I alternated burning and beating him with the pain stick. His arm became a fractured mess for all the times he tried to defend himself. He was strong at first, but then cried out for me to stop. Did I not hear him, or did I ignore him? I don't even know. I don't remember when he died, but I kept at it long afterwards. Now he is a broken body in a small pool of blood.

What have I done?

I feel angry with my own actions, and at my fear. The source of my fear is dead, and it won't leave! Why won't it leave?! I feel the pain stick drop as I fall to my knees. I try to stop the tears that come, but they are stronger. They come faster and harder than they ever have. Breathing becomes difficult, and this time I can't take deep breaths. I try, but I fail. That seems to be the thing now. I fail everything and everyone.

to be continued....