Sam tried uselessly to drag herself out of the nightmares, but the harder she tried the worse they became. They had started out innocently enough, memories from her childhood, but they got progressively darker as the final stage of the virus began to take hold. The antidote wasn't working, of that she was sure. She should have been cured by now but instead she was lost in realistic nightmares that were all too painful.
Dark clouds hung over the procession and threatened to let unleash a cold torrent upon the grieving family that had settled around the gravesite. Sam sat next to Mark and clung to him for warmth and comfort. She watched with tears in her eyes as the polished casket was lowed into the earth. Her brother stood and brought her to her feet as well. Together they moved towards the headstone and placed two pink carnations on top of it, their mothers' favorite.
"Come on Sammie, we got to go now."
"No," she cried, "I don't want to leave mom."
"We have to." Gently, her brother drug her away from the grave as the sky let lose with a cold and lonesome rain.
Sam struggled against the memory. Suddenly the scene changed and Sam stood in an empty house instead of in the cemetery.
"Are you ready Sammie?"
Sam turned to look at her father and a much younger Jacob stood in the doorway.
"No, I'm not."
"We have to go sweetheart."
"Don't call me that. I hate it when you try to pretend that we're ok." Sam stormed out the door and down the path leading to the car. "It's your fault mom's gone and nothing is ever gonna change that."
The scene changed again but this time Sam stopped trying to fight.
"Sam, Mark, turn that off."
Mark pushed the stop button on the remote and the smiling picture of their mother faded from the screen. "Why?"
"What's the point in having a memorial if you don't get to remember?"
"Just please, go talk to your mom's friends, and Sam please go put on your dress. It was your mothers' favorite."
Again the scene faded into another…
"Carter that is an order!"
"But sir!"
"Go!"
The memories got faster and faster, blending together as Sam tried to shut herself off from them.
"Sam I have cancer. You don't have to call this thing is going to go on for months."
"Where is my father?" "He's been captured by Sokar."
"Sir please." "Over my dead body."
"NO! Make it stop."
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Malek's head jerked up at the sudden sound. "Did she say something?"
"Who?"
"Sam," I though I heard her say something.
"She's completely unconscious and unresponsive. You're delusional, you need some rest Malek."
Malek glared at Anise. "I can't rest because I am too busy trying to rectify your stupid mistake!"
"I told you I was sorry, and that…"
"Sorry isn't going to save her." Malek stopped and rubbed his temples where a headache was starting to form. "Look Anise, we don't have time to argue. Please just go get some more water and finish the tests I told you to perform on it."
"Ok, but don't start being nice to me now."
"GO."
She walked away and Malek was half tempted to throw a rock at her but decided better of it. He could kill her once they had saved Sam.
You'd never get away with it. The council would be furious.
Cade, I don't really think that anyone would actually miss her.
No one but Delek anyway.
Malek suppressed a mirthless laugh.
He laid his hand on Sam's forehead and felt his stomach turn over. She's burning up. I think that she's in the last stage.
Relax Mal, we'll think of something. She's gonna be alright.
Malek sighed; I wish your enthusiasm was contagious. It doesn't look good.
What are we going to tell the Colonel?
For now we are going to tell him nothing. The less he knows about her condition the less inclined he'll be to try and kill us.
"How is she?"
Perfect timing he thought bitterly.
Malek looked up and met the Colonel's hard gaze, "she's stable for now. We're working on something to counteract the virus. It may take a little longer than we had first hoped."
"You mean after Anise's little 'screw up'?"
"Yes, I suppose so."
"If she dies…"
"I know Colonel, believe me, I know."
"Good, just as long as we are on the same page here."
Malek was glad to see him walk away, but was less than thrilled when Jacob walked up to him.
"Jacob, how are you felling?"
"I'm fine, just a headache but Selmac's working on it. How are you and Anise coming with the antidote?"
"We…"
Jacob held up his hand, silencing Malek's response. "And don't hand me that line that you just feed to Jack. She's my little girl, and I want the truth."
"Not good, her condition is getting worse. She has a fever and is unresponsive to any kind of stimuli. There is nothing that we can do; the virus will just have to work…."
Malek trailed off as a light bulb went off in his head.
"Unless…"
He grabbed the scanner and started pushing buttons.
"Unless?" Jacob asked as he watched Malek run the scanner over Sam's body.
"Unless what Malek!"
