Amends -Chapter 3-

Sam awoke startled and sat up quickly. Her head pounded from the sudden movement. She lay back down and waited for the lights spinning in front of her eyes to stop. The back of her head felt like a nail was being hammered into it and her whole body ached. Slowly, she sat up again and brought a hand to the back of her head. When she brought it back again, the sight of dried blood made her frown. Sam shivered and looked down at her body. Her jacket and utility vest were missing.

She got to her feet and looked around. The whole room was made of cement with three walls and the fourth was a wall of vertical bars. The room was completely bare.

Looking through the bars, she spotted a man standing by a door. He seemed to be off in another world as he didn't seem to notice her.

"Excuse me!" She called out, "What's going on?

The man's eyes snapped to her face and his eyebrows rose slightly. He then turned, opened the door, walked out and closed it behind him.

"Hey!" Sam called after him. She stared at the closed door confused. A million questions ran through her head. Where was she? How had she gotten here? Why was she here?

Suddenly, she remembered being in the caves with Jonas when he'd suddenly grunted and fallen to the ground next to her. She'd turned to see what had happened when she'd felt a sharp pain on the back of her head and everything had gone black.

Sam began to walk the small perimeter of the room. She stopped at one of the furthest corners from the bars and sat down, leaning against the wall, and bringing her knees to her chest. The whole kidnapping thing had gotten old a long time ago. She just hoped that Jonas was OK and that Jack and Teal'c were already searching for them.

The door to the adjacent room opened and Sam jumped to her feet. A tall man walked in, followed closely by the man who had run out earlier.

The taller man walked over to the bars and looked through them at her, then nodded to the other man who was once again guarding the door. The guard hit a button on the wall which Sam hadn't noticed before.

A section of the bar wall to her cell slid open. The man stepped inside, keeping a few steps between them.

"You are Major Carter of SG-1?" he asked, even though he spoke it like it was more of a statement.

"Who are you?" Sam questioned him in return.

He shook his head. "That does not concern you."

"You've made a big mistake. My friends will come and…"

"Your friends will find you when the time comes," He cut in, "Your coming here will prove to be very useful."

"Why? What are you going to do with me?" Sam asked defiantly. She looked past him to the guard and the closed door behind him. To escape, she'd have to take out both of the men, but her eyes fell on a weapon in the guard's belt and she quenched any thoughts of escaping right now. She'd have to wait for the right opportunity.

"Again, that does not concern you." Sam looked back to the man who stood frowning at her. He seemed to sense her train of thought and he slowly backed out of the cell and the door clanged shut. Without another word, he turned and left; leaving only the guard and Sam.

She groaned in frustration as she retreated to her corner once again. Could this day get any worse?

Jack began descending what felt like the millionth flight of stairs. "So Alex, will we be getting there any time soon?" He asked the back of the man's head which was covered in short, black curls.

"Alexis! He corrected him, "And we will be there momentarily." Alexis continued down the stairs in front of Jack.

"You should try investing in some elevators." Jack commented. When they said Lower Levels, they really meant it! And we have to walk back up?! He thought, exasperated.

Alexis screwed up his face in confusion. "Elevators?" He had been excited to lead the aliens again. They were extremely intriguing. Even the one named Jack who could be slightly irritating at times. Alexis had been informed about the situation with their missing female. It was obvious that the female was important to all three of the aliens, which he thought was slightly odd, but it was even more obvious that their leader Jack cared more than the others; that he cared for her more than he let on.

"Yeah, it's this big box that people stand in and you use ropes to pull it up and down. It's a lot quicker than steps, and a lot less walking." Jack explained.

"Interesting." Alexis commented. I must propose this idea to Lord Caineth, he thought as he reached the bottom and held open the door for the other three to walk through. "We have arrived."

Jack walked through the doorway and squinted as his eyes adjusted to the lights which were a lot brighter than the darkened stairwell. He found himself in a long hallway with doors all along the walls which lead off to what he thought would either be rooms or more hallways.

Jonas and Teal'c stepped up to either side of Jack, also looking at the hallway that stretched out before them. They all noticed the differences between the structure in which they were now standing, and the buildings above ground. The most obvious was that this place definitely lacked in colour and decorations. The walls were plain, gray cement. It reminded Jack slightly of the SGC.

"Please, follow me." Alexis said as he walked by them and began walking down the hallway.

"So, Alexis, why do you keep all the women down here?" Jonas asked out of curiosity.

Alexis cast a quick look at them over his shoulder before answering, "It has always been this way. Do you not do the same where you are from?"

"No, on Earth and on Kelowna the women are treated as equals." Jonas replied.

Alexis nodded his head. "There are many who believe we should treat our women as equals, but there are also those who still believe in the old ways."

"So what exactly do the women do while they're down here?" Jack asked.

"They do whatever they wish. They are not locked up, if that is what you are thinking. We provide them with whatever they wish."

"Wait a minute," Jonas said and Alexis stopped walking and turned to face him. "If the women are not allowed up on the surface," Jonas continued. "Then uh… if you don't mind me asking… how do you have children?"

Alexis smiled slightly and nodded as if he'd been expecting the question, then turned and continued down the hallway. They followed him as he explained, "When a man wishes to father a son, he is granted passage here to the Lower Levels where he chooses a women to mother his child."

Jack, Jonas, and Teal'c stopped abruptly. After a moment, when he heard no reply, Alexis stopped walking and turned to face them. Jonas stood with his mouth slightly open, Jack's face was a picture of pure shock, and Teal'c, well he remained stoically by Jack's side.

"You rape them?!" Jack suddenly yelled.

Alexis tilted his head to the side slightly and frowned. "I am unfamiliar with this term."

Jack looked to Jonas for help. "It's when sexual reproduction is forced onto someone." Jonas answered for him. Jack coughed awkwardly and ran a hand through his short, graying hair.

Alexis shook his head. "No, the women wish to conceive a child for the good of our people. They are helping to make our world a better place."

Jonas and Jack shared a skeptical look.

Alexis noticed the look so he continued his explanation, "When the child is born, the mother takes care of him and when the boy is old enough he returns to his father and fulfills any job that his father wishes of him."

"What if a female child is conceived?" Teal'c questioned.

Alexis looked at the Jaffa, "Then the child remains with her mother in the Lower Levels."

"So all these women have never been up on the surface?" Jack asked.

Alexis nodded. He did not understand how they did not believe their way of life was just. "Shall we continue?" He gestured with his arms down the hall.

"Yeah," Jack replied. "If Carter is in here, I'm thinking we should be finding her about now."

Sam's captor entered his personal quarters just as a loud beeping began emanating from a chest of draws within the room. He made sure the door was firmly shut and locked before retrieving the beeping device. The gray, spherical device he pulled out fit snugly in his palm.

"Report." A deep, distorted voice came from it, "Is everything as usual?"

"No, some strangers came through the Chappai. They call themselves SG-1 of Earth." He replied.

There was a short pause before the voice replied, "Are they still on the planet?"

"Yes, I have the female called Major Carter."

There was an even longer pause. "My first prime will be there within the day. You will bring her to the edge forest at sundown. Can you procure the others?"

"Not without revealing myself," The man replied.

"That is understandable. You have done well and will be rewarded for your actions."

With that the conversation ended. He placed the long range Goa'uld communication device back in the draw and smiled to himself.


A/N: Sorry this took forever to get up! My beta has been really sick so she hasn't read this yet.. let me know if I've completely messed up somewhere or something. But I've finished the next chapter and it will be up soon! And thanks for all the wonderful reviews!!