Spoilers: Tok'Ra, Metamorphosis, the Abyss Archive: SJD yes Disclaimer: Not mine don't sue me!
AN: lol sorry about the last AN. I was in a grouchy mood. I just usually try to send out feedback a lot to the stories I like and I thought that either A) no one liked it or B) I was always a bridesmaid, never a bride. Ok about I don't know what's going on technically there, but I really hope that the scene breakers show up. I spent seriously an hour last night trying to jerry-rig something to work with it, but I became VERY frustrated and said "FUGGADABOUDIT!" If they don't show up, I'll shake my fist in a very threatening manner at the screen. That'll show 'em. As always, feedback loved!
When he opened up his eyes, he expected, well, something. He didn't know if he should expect to see her dead, to see her vaporized, or to see her head spinning in a complete circle Exorcist style. They never tested the gun on a Gou'ald before, but Sam became an expert of blowing up watermelons, so this was an experiment.
But he didn't expect to see what he saw.
"Well Colonel?" Ba'al asked. He stared at Ba'al, then Sam, who was very much alive and as shocked as him, and at the gun. Nothing happened. Not the same way it lit up when she shot it, not even a noise. Nothing!
"What the hell," he said. He held the gun out at arm's length to see it clearly.
"Jaffa! Take them to the holding cell!" Ba'al barked at his servants.
"Like hell!" Jack yelled. There was no way he was going to let her go with him. Maybourne didn't even deserve what Ba'al had to give.
"It's alright sir," she said calmly, trying to smooth his nerves. Only she would do that to him, try to make him feel better when she was facing certain death. She did the same thing back to him in Nirriti's cell.
"Yes, run along Colonel. The Major and I have some catching up to do." Ba'al ran his hand along her cheekbone, and he could see it was taking everything out of her not to fight back. She looked him hard in the eye.
'I don't want you to do anything stupid, just get me out of there,' she thought.
'Don't do anything stupid. Just hang on, I'll get you out of there. But when the time comes, just don't hide if you're hurt from me,' he thought back. Their communication was broken when Ba'al dragged her away down the hall.
Those who were well enough to walk were shoved, and those who were still passed out were dragged. They reached a cell that Jack was faaaar too familiar with.
"Just trust me guys," Jack said as they all looked at him quizzically. He walked to the back of the room and planted his rear on the wall, knowing what vertigo was coming. They trusted him, even when he was acting a little out of the ordinary. SG-2 weren't fools, they knew about the time he spent in there. When the room turned on its side, they held on to Jacob, Teal'c and Daniel so they wouldn't fall.
"So, Colonel," Matters, the newest CO of SG-2 asked, "what do you think will happen with Carter?" Jack, who just stood up, grimaced.
"I don't know," he lied.
"Well well well Major Carter we finally meet," Ba'al said as he walked around a table full of tools in his lab. Sam was being held up by a gravity generator, the same one her CO had been in.
"Yep," was all she said back. She knew that Jack liked to use his best tool, sarcasm, against whoever happened to capture them that particular moment, but she also knew how Gou'ald and non-Gou'alds alike responded to it. It would only come when necessary.
"What, no quick come back?" He noticed. "So, what brings you here?" His tone was frightening casual, as if they were two friends meeting on a random street. She only kept her stare straight in front of her, not responding to anything.
"Don't feel like talking, Major? Well that can be fixed." He walked over to his table and picked up a vial. After carefully opening the top, so not to spill anything, he turned it sideways and let his gravity do the work.
The acid flew towards Sam, and she knew there was nothing she could do to stop it. Her eyes grew wide with anticipation, knowing it was going to hurt. When it first hit her, she tried to crunch up into a ball as much as possible and hold out the scream that was threatening to come out. It was only a few drops, but enough to cause pain. After the few seconds it took for her to recover, she silently put on her soldier face again, and started to stare forward.
"You are much like your leader," he said before he turned the vile again, emptying almost half of its contents.
'Why is everything black?' Daniel thought for a moment, trying to take in his new surroundings. 'Oh, I have my eyes closed. Duh.' He slowly opened up his eyes, and realized he liked it better with them closed.
"Holy crap," he said as he took his arm and threw it over his face to protect his eyes. Then he let out a hearty groan.
"Welcome to the land of the living," Jack muttered. Teal'c and Jacob looked like they had both just woken up, Daniel noted.
"What happened," Jacob asked.
"While you three were taking a nap, we were captured."
"Where is MajorCarter?"
"Ba'al has her," Jack quietly admitted, having to look down at his hands that were currently sitting in his lap.
"What? Ba'al has her? How did that happen?" Jacob almost yelled.
"Goddamn Jacob it's not I handed her over willingly or anything! He snatched her up before I had a chance to do anything," Jack snapped back, his eyes ablaze on Jacob. Jacob nodded in acknowledgement. There was no one else that he knew that knew how horrific it was to be captured by Ba'al other than Jack.
"And the gun didn't work either," Matters volunteered.
"What do you mean the gun doesn't work?" Jacob asked quickly.
"I had the opportunity to use it, and it wouldn't engage," Jack said, suddenly looking back down at his hands.
"Wait, Jack. How come you didn't just let Sam use it if you were going to shoot Ba'al?" Daniel asked.
"Ba'al had her. I had the opportunity to take him down, but she was in the way. I still tried, but nothing happened." Jack used his best authoritative voice he could. He tended to use that a lot with Daniel, especially in situations when he made a military decision that Daniel thought was un-humanistic. Daniel's head moved back in shock, but he didn't say anything.
Neither did Jacob, who Jack was refusing to look at that moment. Anything that would have been discussed about the situation was gone after they heard someone screaming, screaming like they were dying. Everyone in the cell looked to the entrance way towards the pitiful sound. Not a word was muttered. Everyone knew who the scream was coming from.
Sam awoke in peace. Everything around her was white and calming, and she felt the warmest she had in a long time. Where ever she was, she could've stayed there for a while. But as soon as her ceiling moved, the harsh reality seeped its cold hands into her veins, making her blood run cold.
She had never woken up in a sarcophagus before. She looked back down at her BDU jacket. The knife holes were still there, as were the acid marks and blood stains. She felt the holes with her hands, and stuck her fingers through them. The wounds were miraculously healed.
"Welcome back, Major. Feel like talking yet?" Ba'al asked, who had her right knee perched on the top of the sarcophagus, and had his arms crossed over each other, resting on his leg. She gave him a look that sent most new recruits running away, but he didn't even flinch.
"Alright, I'll give you some time to think about what you did," he chided her.
Three Jaffa escorted her to the same cell her comrades were being held in. Jack guided everyone on how to stand when the put the cell the other way.
"What did he do Sam?" her dad asked immediately after everyone was re-settled.
"Nothing, don't worry about it. What's the situation, sir?" she asked Jack, avoiding her father's question. She tried to keep her arms in front of her so no one would notice the holes in her jacket.
"Basically? We're stuck here until someone thinks of something. You have any ideas?" he asked hopefully. She ruefully shook her head no. So, they sat for about an hour. An hour as pure as the torture Sam just endured with Ba'al when her father kept asking questions. Jack knew better. He knew what happened, and that she wouldn't want to talk about it. Jacob finally got the hint, and just settled for sitting next to her.
When they heard the tell-tall clanks of the Jaffa's body armor, Sam's face paled. Her eyes went wide, and those sitting by her could hear the tiny hitch in her breath. But she just put on her brave soldier face before anyone other than SG-1 could notice. Everyone took position again.
"Ba'al demands the female." Before Jack could even put up a fight, she grabbed his clenched fist and held it for a second, looking at him. He couldn't bring himself to look at her. He knew what she was going through, and he couldn't do a thing to stop it. She walked out of the cell without a glance back, knowing it was easier for everyone that way.
She didn't know how much more she was going to be able to take. He finished with the first vial of acid, and was almost done with the second. She had three knives protruding out of her chest.
"Why are you here?" he demanded once again. His tone was no longer friendly; he was getting mad. Now was the time to use her CO's weapon.
"Well it looked like a lovely day for a picnic, and we thought, 'Oh what the hell! Let's go visit Ba'al!" she snapped! The side of his mouth twitched, almost a smile.
"I know you're leader can speak in such ways. I was beginning to wonder if you could as well. What's the real reason you're here?" he asked as he picked up another knife and let it dangle precariously in the gravity pull.
"To kill your sorry ass," she grunted. He let the knife fly and collide in her stomach. She couldn't help the gut-wrenching scream that flew out. Ba'al walked up to her left side, not wanting to get pulled in with her. He stroked her left cheek again, ever so softly.
"I don't think that will ever happen Major," he said as his eyes glowed, leaving the room. This was one of the worst torture tactics he knew; let them wait for their own death.
When they heard the clanks again, the assumed that Sam was with the guards. Much to their dismay, there was only one guard and no Sam. He started futzing with the commands, so they all prepared for the change in vertigo.
"Selmak, it is pleasing to see you well," the guard regarded him and they reached the front of the cell. Jacob looked down and let his counterpart take over, happy to finally see the Tok'Ra.
"Het'ur, it's very pleasing to see you as well," he replied as he bowed his head to him.
"If you follow me, I can lead you to your weapons and you're teammate." Het'ur turned on his heel, with everyone close behind.
"Het'ur, do you know what has happened with the rest of the SG teams?" Teal'c asked quietly. They were finished sneaking through the halls again, and were loading themselves up with their own weapons.
"From my knowledge, they have been captured, but are being held until Ba'al gains sufficient intelligence from Major Carter."
"Alright, SG-2 you go with him and get the rest of the teams out and ready to go. We're going to go for Carter. I'll make contact when we're ready to meet." He nodded and turned away.
"Colonel," Matters called. "How are you going to find her?" They didn't miss the flash of painful memories pass his eyes.
"I know the way."
The itsy bitsy spider, climbed up the water spout. Down came the rain and washed the spider out! Out came the sun and dried up all the rain, and the itsy bitsy spider went up the wall again!
Sam silently cursed herself. She knew her time was coming to an end. She could feel the life seeping out of her along with her blood. And here she was, in her last moments, with a child's song stuck in her head. She always thought that when it was coming to an end, she would think of everyone she loved and cared about. Her dad, Daniel, Teal'c, the Colonel. Oh yes, the Colonel. Unfortunately, she didn't limit her time thinking about him to only when she was about to die.
The colors started to fade in and out before they became completely gray. She felt like she was watching TV, but the reception was horrible. Her view was becoming more and more blurry every second. Luckily, the pain was starting to finally dull away.
TBC…. Well you know me! I love my cliff hangers!!! Feedback is loved!