The tall dark figure stalked a slow circle around the prisoner.
The room was shadowy, lit only by the braziers in the walls, which were beginning to burn low.
The prisoner did not know how many hours they had been here; she only knew the searing pain that had become her world.
She had long since ceased to struggle against her restraints, but the evidence of her earlier vitality showed in the blood and bruising around her wrists and ankles.
Ba'al circled his prisoner. His prize.
No technological niceties for this one. This one would be tortured… the old fashioned way.
He was really rather proud of his strategy. His First Prime had tried to dissuade him from bringing the woman to a known outpost. The same outpost the one called O'Neill had escaped from. The one that Yu had attacked.
His First Prime had been replaced.
His new First Prime had regarded his master warily as he bound the woman, frequently sending glances to the Web, unoccupied on the far wall, evidently wondering why his god would want to stoop to this method, rather than the more civilised one.
But the Jaffa had said nothing. An intelligent one, that one. Ba'al would have to keep an eye on him.
The woman seemed to be unconscious now. Ba'al sighed. No sarcophagus for this one, either. Not after the first time, to get rid of the injury she had sustained when captured. He called his Jaffa in.
"My lord?"
"Take her to her cell."
"The sarcophagus?"
"No." Ba'al said, gleaning some satisfaction from the fact that the Jaffa didn't react to this news in any visible way. Too many Jaffa were questioning orders these days.
As the Jaffa dragged the woman from the room, Ba'al's First Prime approached him.
"Yes?" Ba'al snapped.
"My lord, I was just wondering why you didn't ask the Tau'ri woman any questions. She is said to know all of the Tau'ri's technology, and that of other worlds." The First Prime said.
Ba'al scrutinized him, but saw nothing other than respectful enquiry. No Jaffa rebel this one, then. "She knows that and more." He confirmed. "But for the moment I have no interest in their technology." He sneered the word. Their technology was beneath him. "Be ready to bring the woman back when I call for her." He said, dismissing the Jaffa.
He reclined in his throne. All those hours and se had never made a sound. Not a scream; not a whimper.
Ba'al smiled, pleased.
Surely O'Neill would come for such a one as this.
This one with the yellow hair.
Major Samantha Carter.