Chapter 8

"Oh, we are so not staying here," O'Neill said emphatically as the sound from the overload dissipated. He was getting tired of lying in water every time the machine was going to zap the gate. His ears were starting to ring with the constant barrage of sound that filled the cell with each overload.

He got up and squeezed some water off the front of his shirt. He walked over to the window that led to the complex grounds and tugged on the bars. They spun around but did not give at all. Water was pouring in small streamlets down the walls. The sun was beginning to shine with strength, but the run off from the mountains was still heavy. His boots sloshed through the water as he walked the perimeter of the twelve-foot cell. The water was up to their ankles.

There was silence as he contemplated their options. There had to be a way out. Neja's forces were in disarray. If they were going to make a break for it, this was the time to do it.

"Daniel, keep an eye on the door," he said.

Jackson did as he was told, knowing better than to question O'Neill when it came to such situations. He walked to the door and peered out the tiny window.

Avedra leaned against the wall to the left of the door with his arms folded. "As I told you before, there is no way of escape. That corridor outside is the only way out of here," he said.

Daniel grimaced. "Nothing like a little defeatism to raise the spirits."

Avedra straightened. "I prefer to think of it as realism, Doctor Jackson. I have been in this prison for days. I have watched for any opportunity for escape, believe me."

"Maybe you just weren't looking in the right places," Jackson retorted.

O'Neill held up a hand to stop the arguing. "All right, look – we're never going to get out of here like this." He walked over to the wall by the window again and touched the sandstone walls. His fingers were covered with more grit than before when he brought his hand away. "We need something to dig with, something that will chip this wall away around the bars."

Avedra chuckled with incredulity. "You must be joking."

O'Neill looked at Jackson. "Daniel, have you ever known me to joke at a time like this?"

"Technically?"

He scowled at Daniel and turned to Avedra again. "Help us out here, eh? Any bowls or something to dig with in the corners?"

"Do you see any?" Avedra answered snidely, leaning back against the wall once more.

O'Neill took four fast steps in Avedra's direction. Avedra raised his hands defensively, preparing for O'Neill to take a swing. Jack reached out for the medallion around Avedra's neck and yanked on it hard, breaking the chain. The medallion looked like a Peruvian sun sculpture he remembered seeing in Daniel's office at some point. It was had probably been brass-like at one time, but sweat and age had no doubt tarnished it into its current state of brown. He cupped it in the palm of his hand, inspecting the spikes that comprised the sun's rays.

"This'll do," he said, returning to the window, medallion in hand.

"You mustn't take that!"

"I just did," O'Neill answered flatly as he walked back to the window. He knelt down in the standing water and began chipping away halfway down the wall.

"Do you plan on digging a tunnel, Colonel O'Neill?" Avedra said, taking a few steps toward O'Neill.

"Well," O'Neill explained slowly, "unless you want to bend your back so I can reach the bars, a foothold in the wall is probably a better solution, don't you think?"

Avedra's face softened. "Yes, I suppose it is."

O'Neill continued to dig the foothold, encouraged by the give of the wet stone. He knew he would have to dig deep, though, in order to find more solid rock that would support a man's weight.

"Jack, someone's coming," Daniel said urgently but quietly.

O'Neill stood quickly and tossed the medallion into the corner where it was well hidden by the murky water in the cell.

They heard the sound of wheels turning on a cart followed by footsteps of a group of people. Cries of pain and pleas for mercy filled the prison area. Jackson moved away from the door and stood next to O'Neill. The cart continued on, but the group of people, presumably jaffa, stopped in front of their cell door.

"Prisoners! Step away from the door!" a booming voice yelled.

A key was inserted into the lock, making a small click as it was turned. Then the guards entered the cell in a wave, taking hold of the three men. One by one, they were led out of the cell and up the corridor toward Neja's dining area.

The sweet smell of food was in the air again, only this time Jack's stomach revolted slightly at the scent. The last thing on his mind was to eat, and he was sure Neja was going to offer more food.

"Daniel," he asked as they walked, "tell me something – are you feeling a little . . ."

"Sick?"

"Yeah."

"I was trying to deny it."

"Yeah, me too."

The guards shoved them in the back and made the obligatory call for silence once more. They moved along at a measured pace, two guards taking the lead and four more flanking O'Neill, Jackson and Avedra.

Another burst from the overloading weapons complex send a reverberating rumble throughout the palace. The guards paused only a moment to assure themselves of their safety. They ushered the group quickly into the anteroom of Neja's chamber.

Through the anteroom, they walked on toward the dining hall. As the doors opened, O'Neill could see Neja lounging in his throne, his legs askew over the side. He looked tired, even for a system lord. He raised his hand lazily, motioning for the guards to bring the trio to his feet. "Come," he said.

The trio was pushed forward until they stood before Neja's throne. O'Neill cocked his head to the side. "Rough night?"

"Nearly as uncomfortable as yours, I'm sure, Colonel."

"Loved the fireworks, by the way," O'Neill answered bemusedly. He could choose to deal with Neja seriously or try the whimsical approach. Jack knew he never did "serious" well, so he chose the latter. "Something blow up out there, or do you do that for all the guests?"

Neja smiled wanly. "Let's not play games, O'Neill. You know what has happened, as I am sure your friend here has informed you."

"He's not our friend. You happened to throw us in a cell with him in it."

Daniel pushed his glasses up on his nose. "And a lovely cell it was, too, by the way," he said, following Jack's lead. "I especially liked all the water and mud. Very refreshing. Jack, what do you think – can we get one of those back at the base? Maybe a few mud baths in the steam room?"

"At least two. I'm all for three, but you know how budgets go."

"Enough!" Neja erupted, sitting up straight. His anger seethed forth, his eyes glowing. "Where are your companions?"

Jack's face played a dumbfounded look. "Companions? We don't have any companions. Nope, just me and old Doc Jackson here."

Neja's eyes glowed with hatred. "Do you play me for a fool? Four were seen exiting the ship that brought you here. Where are the other two in your party?"

Daniel turned slightly toward O'Neill and spoke to him directly. "My guess would be they're all figuring out a way to kill him," he said, shrugging his head toward Neja, "but you're more the military mind than I am. What do you think?"

O'Neill played along, turning to Daniel in response. "Yeah, I'd say that's about right. Maybe two are wiring this place with C4. We brought some of that along, I think. Of course, with the other six, you just never know. They're much more creative than I am about these things."

With a nod of instruction, Neja's guards each took a heavy swing at the backs of Daniel and Jack's legs. Both men let out a grunt of pain, hitting the floor on their knees with a thump. The humor had left the moment. Jack's anger returned with a vengeance. "Are we done yet?"

Neja sat back on his throne. "Your rhetoric is getting tiresome, Colonel O'Neill. We are now going to finish what was begun last night." With that, the girl who had served them dinner the night before was dragged in. She made no sound, knowing it would only bring retribution from the guards.

"Well, here's deja vu all over again," Daniel muttered quietly.

The girl was brought before them. Her eyes were swelled with exhaustion and tears. Neja took her by the hair and brought her close to O'Neill and Jackson for them to see. "I shall ask you again, Colonel, where is the rest of your team?"

"I told you, there's no one else but us here."

Neja moved swiftly and withdrew a zat gun from under his robes. He aimed it at the girl's temple. "The time for allegiance to your country has passed, Colonel. It's time for that nobility of yours to come into the fold." As an afterthought, he added, "Oh, and remember, there are a hundred children just like her. We'll continue this as long as it takes."

O'Neill glanced over at Avedra, who was still standing, albeit stiffly and with his jaw clenched. It flashed briefly through his mind that this girl might die for Avedra, but was there a bigger picture? Whose head was worth more? He looked at the girl, whose eyes were now closed. Her chin quivered with utter fear. She was an innocent. She had not chosen to be a player in this game. She had undoubtedly been enslaved to Neja's service by force.

Avedra, on the other hand, had chosen to put himself in harm's way. He had taken the risk of being caught for a reason. Sam and Teal'c were somewhere in the hills, obviously still able to take action since Neja was so bothered by the fact that his troops had not yet located them. There was the iris back at the SGC. That would hold against an electrical attack. Maybe a few fuses would blow? The iris would hold, just like it always did.

O'Neill looked at the girl again. There was no doubt that Neja would kill her. She was a pawn to him. Her shoulders jumped with a suppressed sob. Neja rewarded the movement with a hard jerk of her hair. Her head reeled back, trying ease the pulling of her thick black hair.

Innocent.

He looked at Avedra again.

Player.

He weighed the two against one another at lightning speed in his head at a million revolutions a second. One wrestled with the other until Neja broke the battle.

"Well, Colonel? What will happen to this girl?"

O'Neill looked at Daniel, who could see the answer before it was ever spoken. He gave an almost imperceptible nod, agreeing with O'Neill's decision.

Jack looked back at Neja, seeing the resolve to kill the girl if necessary to get what he wanted. There would be no need. He would give Neja what he wanted in order to save the girl.

"She'll live."