Trigger Warning for thoughts of suicide in this chapter. There will be another bold "Trigger Warning" marker before that scene.
When Max regained consciousness again, he could tell he was still on the floor in his corner and someone was still sitting near him. It also took him a moment to remember where he was now. His bandages all felt dry, but he didn't feel more pain than he had before he passed out. Max's breath hitched slightly when he realized they probably wanted him awake for the torture sessions. /But they changed the bandages while I was unconscious? I don't understand./
The reason for his reentry into consciousness made itself known a moment later when he realized he needed to pee. Chugging a bottle of water was apparently enough to wake up his systems again.
Max glanced over at Teal'c, who he realized was still sitting with him. The other had his eyes closed like he was also sleeping. The teen then ran his eyes around the room- he noticed the open door that looked like it could be the bathroom the Captain spoke about before. He also noticed the food tray was gone, along with Captain Carter, but the unopened water was near his spot on the wall. He also took in the few cameras in the room- sure in his knowledge that they would be watching for signs of his powers to return.
Then Max's gaze kept going between the bathroom door and Teal'c. The teen wasn't sure if he could make it to the bathroom alone, and definitely not fast enough to not get grabbed by the other possible alien.
Before he could make a final decision Teal'c spoke up, opening his eyes to stare at Max, "If you require assistance getting to the bathroom, I would be happy to help."
Max debated the pros and cons of any action he could take and realized if Teal'c wanted to grab him there was literally nothing he could do. And he really needed to pee. The teen nodded, said a shakey, "ye..yes, please," and braced himself for whatever came next. He was unconsciously rubbing the arm that the NID had used to inject the majority of their drugs.
Teal'c nodded back and slowly stood, then walked close enough to help Max up, but not crowd him. He could hear O'Neill cheering in the comm over the small victory.
Even with the slow approach, Max shrunk back some from Teal'c as he got closer to his corner. When Teal'c put out a hand, not forcing Max to take it or grabbing at him, Max still flinched back in fear, and put his arms up over his face defensively. After another moment, Max took a deep breath and reached up with his right hand to clasp hands with Teal'c. He realized the amount of strength Teal'c actually had and knew he would be no match if- no when they went to manhandle him onto a torture table. Then all of Max's concentration went into attempting to walk as he was extremely unsteady on his feet. He felt Teal'c switch positions from holding his hand, to holding just above his right elbow to help steady him as they walked. Max could also feel Teal'c's other hand hovering over his back, but not touching him more than necessary. The teen appreciated that, as he wasn't ready for people he didn't know to touch him if it could be helped.
When they got to the bathroom, Teal'c let go and allowed Max to hold the door frame. The bathroom was pretty small- just a sink, mirror, toilet, and small shower. There was a door, but Max could also see it didn't have a lock.
"I will wait here for you to finish," said Teal'c, as he stepped a little away from the door to give Max more privacy.
Using the sink and walls, Max was able to get to the toilet to do his business. He stopped at the sink after to stall- he washed his hands and looked over his reflection in the small mirror. He didn't have any fresh bruising, only the bandages across his chest, and his hair was still pretty matted down. He debated staying in the bathroom longer, but he also didn't want the other to come in to check on him or worse, send other soldiers in after him as well.
When Max got back to the bathroom's entrance, Teal'c came back over and retook his hold of Max's arm right above the elbow to help him walk. Max was more steady now, but he still wasn't sure he would make it back to his corner alone. In fact Max half thought Teal'c would use this opportunity to take him back to the "bed" to restrain him for the scientists.
But no, Teal'c brought him back to his corner and stayed near him long enough to make sure he made it back to a sitting position on the floor. The other alien then went over to the bed and took off the blanket and sheet, to bring to Max's corner.
"You are much too cold Max Evans. Please use these to help warm up." Was what Teal'c said when he was within reach of Max again, holding the blankets out like an offering.
Max, who was not expecting the move from the other at all, just stared at him and the blanket in wonder.
When Teal'c moved to wrap Max in the blankets, the teen seemed to come alive again. He took the heavy blanket and sheet, then pulled them around himself.
"Tha.. Thank you," he whispered quietly to Teal'c who was moving back to his original position on the floor.
Teal'c nodded, "that water bottle is also for you. When you finish it we will get more brought in, along with an evening meal within the next few hours."
"Why aren't you torturing me?" Said Max suddenly when Teal'c was seated again.
The Jaffa looked at Max cacooned in blankets with quiet understanding, "We do not condone torture here Max Evans. It is my hope that soon you will be reassured of your safety here at the SGC."
"Not safe anywhere- not anymore," whispered Max as he turned his head to lean it against the wall. Teal'c heard the words, but chose not to comment. Max was not ready to believe in their good will, but that was understandable at this juncture.
Now that he didn't have to pee, Max's mind started drifting through the conversations from earlier. The last thing he remembered was the White Room where Pierce drugged him and started cutting up his chest, then waking here on the bed. /So this military organization isn't friendly with Pierce's group… what'd they call them the NID? But why were they even in Area 51? Was it because they also knew about me and were pissed Pierce grabbed me first? Do they know about Nasado and Isabel, Michael, and Tess?/
An alarm started going off outside the room, startling Max violently out of his thoughts. He curled up tighter, not sure what was happening on the base. "Unscheduled off world activation. Security teams to the gate room."
Over the comms Teal'c heard O'Neill curse, "Teal'c, we need to get to the gate room."
The Colonial debated letting Teal'c sit this one out to babysit the terrified alien teen, but also knew his skills would probably be needed in control.
"Understood O'Neill, I will meet you there momentarily." Teal'c turned to Max, who was clearly terrified and not sure what was going on, "Please stay here Max Evans. I will return when I am able to do so."
Max had no idea what was happening, and wasn't sure how to respond, if at all. He did flinch back when Teal'c stood, then watched the other alien move away from the corner towards the door, where he knocked twice and it was opened to let him out.
Max heard the lock re engage as the door clicked shut and took in the military guards stationed outside his room. He curled up smaller in his blanket cocoon and thought at Isabel as much as he could, as he tried to fight the neuro blocker. If this was the others, they would need to know what they were dealing with.
What felt like hours later, but was probably more like minutes, the alarm shut off. Max was suddenly thrown back into the silence of before, but he had no idea what it meant or what was happening outside of his room. His attempts to communicate with Isabel were still fruitless, so he turned his attention to his chest. Within the cocoon of blankets, he focused on healing his injuries. It took a couple attempts, but Max was finally able to focus his power on the incisions, he could feel them slowly healing.
Max was so focused on his task that he was startled suddenly when the door opened and someone new came in about an hour later. The other male was holding another tray of food and standing just inside the door as the guards closed and relocked it. He had longer hair and glasses that he kept unconsciously pushing back up his nose. The teen had just finished healing his chest and turned terror filled eyes on this new person. /Nasado? No… I don't think so.../
"Hey there," said the other calmly, "my name is Daniel Jackson, an archeologist and teammate of the people you already met today- Captain Carter and Teal'c. I brought more food. May I join you?"
Max was still terrified, but confident he could at least protect himself a little if this guy chose to attack him. The teen nodded, but stayed curled up under the blankets as Daniel approached. Daniel didn't seem like the violent type, he moved very slowly like he was afraid to spook Max, but the teen also knew appearances could be deceiving.
Daniel set the tray on the floor and sat in the same spot Teal'c had been occupying before he left. There was more food on the tray this time- a few sandwiches, more jello, and more water bottles, all wrapped like before. Daniel did the same thing as Captain Carter, he unwrapped one sandwich and took a small bite out of each triangle. He also opened the water bottle from earlier and took a sip before setting it on the tray next to the sandwich triangles.
Max took the water bottle and sipped it slowly- not wanting a repeat of earlier when he spilled it all over himself. When it was about half gone he reached for a sandwich triangle and brought it into his cocoon to eat. When the first triangle was gone he grabbed the second one while getting up his courage to ask Daniel some questions. "Why is an archeologist working for a military organization?"
Daniel, who was eating his own sandwich, brought his eyes up to Max's when he heard the question, "I'm a civilian consultant," he took another bit of food debating the rest of his answer, "in the early 90's I was brought in to consult on some ancient Egyptian artifacts that were found and brought here for safekeeping. I ended up cracking the code, the ancient writing, and figured out the purpose of the artifacts. I then accidentally helped open a can of worms that ended up putting the Earth in danger. We thought it was contained, but a few years ago we realized we were wrong and ever since we've been working on closing the can so to speak."
"Is that when you met Teal'c?" asked Max, who was finished eating the sandwich and was sipping from the bottle of water.
Daniel opened another sandwich and bit a corner off each triangle in case the teen was still hungry. He nodded, "Teal'c was working for the Goa'uld Apophis, who stole my wife and a young friend of ours, turning them into Goa'uld as well. We convinced him we could help the other prisoners escape. The five of us caused a small rebellion in the prison and got everyone out safely. Teal'c came back with us, as he's now a wanted man by the Goa'uld."
Max finished the water bottle and set it back on the tray. He eyed up another one, but didn't touch it. Daniel noticed his hesitation, so he opened a new bottle and took a small sip before recapping it. He held it out to Max, not forcing the issue but hoping the teen would take it.
With his powers returning, Max realized he had a chance to figure out if these people were telling the truth or lying. Very carefully he put his hand around the water bottle Daniel was holding. He brushed his fingers against Daniel's with the hope to get a flash of what the other knew. With how stressed he was, he figured it would be an easier process.
It worked, Max got a few flashes from Daniel- ~/a beautiful woman who was smiling at him, saying his name with a strange accent; the same woman staring at Daniel as her eyes flashed gold; the team of four people going through a large ring of water and popping out on another planet; Daniel explaining some artifact to a bunch of people around a conference table, some of who were his team. A flash of screaming while an exhibit in a museum fell apart./~ He could also feel the emotions that Daniel felt in all those moments.
Max pulled his hand away from the other as he took the water bottle and watched to see if Daniel noticed anything amiss from the interaction. Daniel seemed to be none the wiser, not realizing the teen had seen anything from him.
"Thank you… for the food," said Max quietly. He hoped this wasn't another torture technique and he thought being polite might help his situation.
Daniel nodded, "we really aren't like the NID Max, we won't hurt you here- I can promise you that."
Max nodded, finally starting to believe the others didn't want to hurt him, even if they wouldn't let him go.
"What's a Goa'uld?" Max hoped to gain more information from the other so he had more information to bring back to the others. Daniel took a breath and went on to talk about the parasitic snake aliens and how they took on hosts. Max nodded while he listened to the other man speak. He managed to finish the second sandwich as well as another bottle of water before the door opened again and more people came into the room.
The opening of the door along with the "Daniel!" that accompanied it, made Max jump in fear and curl up smaller in the blanket. Said archeologist stopped speaking about the Goa'uld in order to respond with a bright, "Hi Jack!"
The man who entered the room was older, and wore a military uniform the same as Carter's. He was accompanied by Teal'c, who nodded at Max as the door was closed behind them. The lock re-engaged, but neither man moved from their spot at the door.
"Daniel. Didn't I tell you to not come in here?" Said the older man, who was clearly annoyed at his teammate. His tone implied this was a normal occurrence for the archeologist and Jack wasn't surprised by his actions. Max recognized him from the flashes and knew this was Daniel's team leader and friend, but he didn't relax as he watched the pair of them interact. Outside of shaking in fear, the only other move from the teen was his eyes as he followed the interaction of the team in front of him.
"Jack," said Daniel ignoring the question, "this is Max. Max, this is Colonel Jack O'Neill, the leader of my team and the other one who helped rescue you from Area 51 and the NID."
Jack nodded towards the teen, "Nice to meet you while you're conscious kid."
"H..hi." Max stuttered out, not sure why Jack was mad at Daniel- unless they thought he was dangerous? The teen shrunk back into the wall a little more, suddenly self conscious that they might discover his powers were no longer being suppressed.
"Daniel," said Jack again, turning his attention back to his teammate and crossing his arms but the other cut him off before he could say anything else.
"Look Jack, I'm fine. I was bringing Max dinner, since I knew you were tied up with the thing that set off the alarms." Daniel picked up the empty tray, to show to the other, "I'm pretty sure the NID didn't feed Max in Area 51, and he needs food to get his strength back."
Three sets of eyes were back on Max, who tensed even further. "Are you feeling stronger Max Evans?" asked Teal'c as he moved further into the room.
Max gave a hesitant nod, not sure what the other meant with that question.
"Great!" said Jack, startling Max a little, "you know kid, we have nicer rooms here. But in order to get one, you'd have to be checked by Doc Fraiser- nothing invasive, just a check up to make sure you are healing and well enough to leave the medical floor."
Max shrunk back and shook his head, terrified of having a doctor near him so soon after what happened with Pierce in the White Room.
"Max," said Daniel gently, "Janet isn't Pierce, she won't hurt you or do anything that will make you uncomfortable. But it is standard procedure around here."
"No...Please…" Max's voice was shaking with fear.
Daniel nodded, his voice softened as he tried to calm the teen down, "Okay. Perhaps another day. It's no trouble for you to stay here for now- right Jack?"
The Colonial nodded, a hint of sympathy in his eyes as he looked over Max's curled up form.
"Is there anything I can get you Max? Perhaps a book, or some crosswords?" Daniel asked the teen, in an attempt to change the subject.
"Actually…" said Max hesitantly, "I'm kinda tired still… would… would it be okay if I just got some sleep… alone?" The teen kept his gaze moving between the three men, not sure if they would actually leave him alone, even with the security cameras in the room.
The members of SG-1 shared a look, a whole conversation happening in moments before Teal'c answered, "are you sure Max Evans? It is no trouble for me to stay with you this evening. I do not mind keeping watch for you."
Max nodded, pulling the blankets tighter around his body, "I'm su..sure…. please?"
Daniel nodded, "alright. Well, someone will be by in the morning with more food for you okay? And perhaps some books or something for you to do. Would you like help getting to the bed or perhaps the bathroom before we go?"
Max shook his head no, still watching them from his blanket cocoon. Daniel opened the last water bottle and took a sip before he put it down near Max. He then stood with the tray and moved towards the door with Jack and Teal'c.
"If you need assistance Max Evans, please call for me," said Teal'c, "I will come quickly."
Max nodded, his eyes still on the trio as they knocked twice at the door. It was unlocked and they all walked out, Teal'c being the last one through before the door was closed and the lock reengaged.
Max let out his breath and dropped his head to his knees to take a few fortifying breaths. He wasn't sure the team would actually leave him alone. He laid his head against the wall, feigning sleep since he knew there were still cameras in the room. He would give it some time before trying to get to the bathroom, and hopefully he would make it without needing Teal'c to come back in. Max went over everything Daniel said earlier before they were interrupted and the information from the flashes he'd gotten when he touched Daniel's hand, as he tried to reconcile the two stories. Daniel had told him alot, but also left out things from his verbal explanations. Max tried to use the flashes to fill in some of those blanks.
The lights in the room dimmed some, probably on the Colonel's order, so he could get more sleep. Max did end up dozing while he went through everything in his mind- he really was still tired from keeping his guard up for so long. He also still couldn't reach Isabel, but he didn't want to give up trying. /I hope it's really just the distance.../ he thought, trying to not break down in tears.
When Max's bladder started to make itself known again, the teen used the wall to pull himself up, but left the blankets piled in his corner. With his chest now fully healed under the bandages and the consistent food, he was feeling much steadier. Using the wall, he slowly made it way over to the bathroom, then grabbed the door frame when he got there. He got his breathing under control- the move across the room had still been difficult, before going into the bathroom. He eyed the shower longingly, but knew it was a bad idea to attempt one. Between the questions about his miraculous healing and not being able to stand, he'd be lucky to stay on the military group's good side. He held back a shudder at the thought of more "tests."
Max finished in the bathroom and leaned on the door frame to get a better look around the room. He saw the chair and night stand where Teal'c had been sitting when he first woke up, as well as the medical equipment and the bed. The teen had a sudden idea before making his way towards the bed across the middle of the room.
He realized his mistake when he was halfway there, and his legs started to give out on him. Max quickly reached for the edge of the bed and barely managed to grab it. He was happy he didn't collapse or fall to the floor in a heap. He held onto the end of the bed, and tried to catch his breath when another flash hit him. ~/A woman doctor, performing CPR on a soldier, "we're losing him! Where is that adrenaline?!," while Jack O'Neill and his team looked on in worry. "Come on Ferretti," Jack O'Neill said, "you can beat this. Fight!"/~
The flash ended and Max drew in a deep breath as he clenched his hands around the bed frame. He felt exhausted, but wanted to finish his reconnaissance of the room. When he could stand without feeling like he would fall over, he moved around the bed towards the chair. To the cameras it looked like he was checking the bed for restraints or boobytraps. And he was, but he was also trying to see how many flashes he could get from the furniture.
When the bed was cleared, he moved to the chair and got another flash, ~/Teal'c was looking over Max's unconscious form, "I will wait here until he awakens," Teal'c was saying to some others in the room. It looked like Jack O'Neill, the female doctor from the previous flash, who was hooking up the heart monitor, and another military man wearing a more formal uniform.
"Are you sure that's wise?," asked the other man with a southern drawl, who Max thought might be a General, or someone important from his uniform, "we don't know if this boy has any powers we need to be aware of."
"Actually General," said the doctor, "He's got some serious drugs in his system. Until they are flushed out, I don't believe the boy will pose a threat to the SGC."
"And," added O'Neill, "while it might be better to restrain him, you didn't see him strapped to that table General. We want him to trust us, and I can guarantee that restraining him is the wrong route to take to gain his trust. Teal'c can handle himself, you know that and I'll be right outside with the squad of marines as requested."
"Indeed," said Teal'c taking the seat, "We are not the NID, and if we wish for Maxwell Evans to trust us, we need to show him the same courtesy."/~
The flash ended and Max sat heavily in the chair for a moment, not sure what to make of this new information. He swallowed as he processed everything he just saw. This group wasn't the NID, and they wanted him to trust them. But why? There had to be something he was missing.
Max felt his eyes getting heavy from forcing his powers to show him the flashes and from moving across the room like he had. He felt around the bed again, sure there weren't restraints hidden underneath it. He glanced around the room, between the door, his corner, and the bed. /I should be able to move away if they come back.../
Decision made Max moved around the bed to his corner where the blankets were still laying in a crumpled heap. He kept one hand on the wall and grabbed the blankets off the floor before he moved back towards the bed. He glanced at the door for a minute when he made it back to the bed, suddenly not as sure of his decision. He took a deep breath and slowly sat on the bed. When nothing seemed to jump out at him or grab him, he pulled the blankets up around his shoulders and moved to lay down, facing the door. As he fell into a troubled sleep, he hoped he wasn't making a terrible mistake.
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When Max woke up the next morning it was with a quiet, "Isabel- no!" He shot up, remembering the day before and his new prison. The lights were back up and he heard voices coming down the hall- one voice sounded like Colonel O'Neill, only louder than normal, while the other voices were a bit more muffled, probably speaking at a normal level.
Max realized that the Colonel knew he was on the bed, and was giving him a chance to go back to his corner of the room. He quickly removed himself from the blankets then moved away from the bed to where he was yesterday. He felt better than the day before and decided to try to stay standing.
"Good morning Campers," came from O'Neill as he entered the room, followed by Teal'c who was holding a few books, and Daniel, who was carrying another tray of food and water bottles. The door closed behind the trio, and Max heard the lock re-engage. He swallowed, not sure what was going to happen now and hugged his left arm over the puncture marks, close to his body.
"Glad to see you got some sleep," said Jack, nodding to the bed, "are you feeling better?"
Max nodded, but made no move to get closer to the trio who stayed on the other side of the bed.
"Well," said Daniel, "I have more food for you, and I managed to find some books for you to read and a book of puzzles- crosswords I believe." Daniel set the tray on the bed and motioned for Teal'c to put the books on the end table. He then stepped back so he was near the opposite wall that Max was against.
Max looked over the food and books, then back at the trio across from him. The tray had more wrapped sandwiches and unopened bottles of water. With his powers returning Max felt confident he could take care of himself if they tried to grab him, so Max slowly made his way closer to the tray. He hesitated when he got close to the bed, not sure if he could extend his trust again.
Daniel sensed his hesitation, "I could take a bite from the triangles again if you want."
Max shook his head, eyed the trio across from him, and reached for the tray, "No… thank you." He got a quick flash of Daniel putting the wrapped food on the tray in the mess while he chatted with Jack.
"What's changed?" Said Jack, suddenly when Max moved back to his corner with the food.
"What do you mean?" Asked Max as he set the tray on the floor and unwrapped the sandwich to take a bite.
"Well," said Jack, keeping his voice even while he watched Max eat the sandwich, "Yesterday, you were terrified of us, and wouldn't take food that wasn't checked first. Today you seem less terrified, more trusting."
Daniel smacked O'Neill's arm, "Jack!" He hissed.
"...didn't you want me to trust you?" Asked Max quietly between bites of the sandwich. He wasn't trying to be difficult, and he realized a moment too late that it could be coming across that way to this team.
Teal'c raised an eyebrow at O'Neill and Daniel pinched his nose under his glasses.
"...Yyyyeeees… that was the goal," said Jack, drawing out the first word, "it just seems a little sudden is all."
"So…" asked Max, "I shouldn't trust you?" He took a long sip of water as he watched the Colonel watch him. Mentally he was kicking himself. Pierce always escalated the torture if he got mouthy- or what the other perceived as mouthy.
"No, you should, you definitely should." Said Jack, aware of how he sounded to the others. However there was a feeling in his gut that he couldn't ignore, no matter what he sounded like to his teammates and the teen across from him. He paused, debating what he was going to say next, but the young alien beat him to the punch.
"You're not torturing me, and you've been giving me food to eat," said Max so suddenly and quietly the others weren't sure he had actually spoken. He glanced at the trio before bringing his eyes back down to the water in his hand, the sandwich long gone, "Pierce… he asked a bunch of questions and when I couldn't answer them…" Max shrugged as he trailed off, the sandwich suddenly felt heavy in his stomach. He hoped his honesty would help soothe the situation.
"And we won't be." Said Daniel with conviction, "as we said yesterday, you're safe here."
"Right," said Max nodding, "safe." /Not safe anywhere/ he repeated in his head.
"How is your chest feeling today Max Evans?" Asked Teal'c, finally joining the conversation.
Max brought a hand to the bandages covering his chest and swallowed, "f...fine."
"No pain?" Asked Jack lightly, "No bleeding?"
Max shook his head no, and was afraid to make eye contact. His eyes darted up to the Colonel then back down to the tray. The teen picked up the empty tray, moved it back to the bed, then went back to his corner, "thank you for the food."
"You know," said Daniel, "if you get checked by Doctor Fraiser, you'd be able to go to the mess and get your own food. You wouldn't need to keep eating these sandwiches."
Max put his arm across his stomach, hugging his other arm, suddenly very self conscious of his lack of shirt. He shook his head, and shrunk back a little into his corner.
O'Neill glanced at the other two members of his team before nodding to the door. The Colonel realized they wouldn't get any more out of the boy right now, it would be better to leave him alone for a while.
"Right," said Daniel, ever the diplomat, as he picked up the tray, "we'll come back in a few hours with some more food, okay Max? Good ahead and look through the books, if there's one that you like, I'll try to find some more like it."
Teal'c knocked on the door and the guards opened it, letting the trio out and closing the door behind them. Max let out a breath and slumped against the wall. The idea of letting a doctor near him so soon after what happened with Pierce was terrifying on a level he couldn't put into words.
After a few minutes, Max moved away from the wall and made his way into the bathroom to clean up as best he could. He liked having socks again, but the lack of a shirt was really bothering him. He knew it was because of his chest injuries- the fact that the group here still thought his chest looked like something out of a slasher movie.
When he came out of the bathroom, Max debated his next move. The room felt a little chilly, so he went back to the bed to wrap himself up in the blankets. He eyed the books on the table, looking through them before picking one up to try to read.
A couple hours later there was a knock at the door which had Max jumping, startled by the sudden noise. He realized it was probably time for someone to bring him more food and the person was just giving him a chance to move back to his corner. Max quickly put the book back on the pile and moved off the bed, keeping the blankets with him this time. He hesitated before saying quietly, "come...in?"
There was a pause then the door was opened and Captain Carter came in with Daniel Jackson, one holding a hospital shirt and the other holding a tray of food.
"Hi Max!" said Daniel brightly, putting the tray on the bed like before, "did you enjoy the books?"
Max nodded, said, "Yes… thank you," and waited for Daniel to step back before going to the bed for the tray.
"Hey Max," said Carter, "I was able to grab a shirt for you from the main infirmary. Just put it on with the strings in the front okay Sweetie?" She held the shirt out in her hand, but didn't put it on the bed. Max looked between the pair for a moment before carefully reaching for the shirt as well as the tray. He was careful to not touch skin with Carter when he grabbed the shirt. He brought both items back to his corner, shrugged off the blankets and pulled the shirt on pretty quickly once the tray was set on the floor.
Carter and Daniel shared a small smile at the newest small victory. The group was quiet as Max finished his food and put the tray back on the bed before retreating back to his corner and the blankets he'd dropped to eat. The teen was pretty sure they were going to push the examination with the doctor again before leaving. He swallowed and tightened the blankets around himself in fear.
"Max," said Sam quietly and gently, "I know you are terrified of Doctor Fraiser coming in here to examine you. I just finished reviewing the file from your stay in Area 51 and I completely understand your fear."
She waited a beat incase Max wanted to say anything. He didn't, just started shaking and curled up in his blankets, watching them through his lashes. Sam was happy that he hadn't dropped to the floor to make himself a smaller target, so she kept talking. "When you first got here, you were unconscious from the drugs the agents gave you in THAT room. Doctor Fraiser- Janet, did an exam on you then- things like an ultrasound, a check of your reflexes, took some blood samples- that kind of thing. When she was done, she cleaned the wounds on your chest, stitched up the ones that needed it, and hooked up the heart monitor. Then she brought you in here so you would have your own space away from the main infirmary. At no point during any of that did she restrain you, or try to talk us or the base commander into restraining you to keep us safe. She didn't even hook up an IV drip because she didn't want more reminders for you from Area 51."
Max was slowly making himself a smaller target as the Captain continued her explanation. "Why are you telling me this?" Max whispered, completely terrified and afraid his good will with these people was slowly dwindling away. /Shouldn't have been so difficult before with the Colonel…stupid…/
"Janet takes her doctor's oath very seriously, Max. Do you know what the oath says?" Sam was walking a fine line, and she knew it. However, Max was still responsive and he shook his head no.
Sam plowed on, "she swore not to harm others- human or alien. She would never hurt you, or allow anyone on her staff to hurt you, Sweetie- I promise. She doesn't need to do all the things she did when you got here, just check to make sure you are healing properly, that your chest isn't infected, and make sure the drugs are out of your system with a blood sample. She can even use just a stethoscope, pen light, that kind of thing- no big fancy equipment."
Max fought back tears, "Pierce… he would always call in the surgents right before he started torturing me. I can't… I don't…" Max shook his head trying to make his words make sense, "The needles for the drugs were so big… I can't…. stand the sight of them…. Please don't make me consent to more torture. Please- I'm sorry, I can't… It's too much."
The teen could feel his tears falling and dropped to the floor to curl up into a smaller target. His sobs were painful for Carter and Daniel to listen to. The pair moved around the bed to get closer to Max to try to help calm him down.
"Max," said Daniel as he sat down right in front of the alien- close, but not so close as to crowd him, "if anyone tries to torture you here, Teal'c and I will personally help you escape and set you up somewhere else. Hell- Jack and Sam would probably take over the base to help us get you out of here- court marshals be damned."
Daniel caught Max's gaze and held eye contact, trying to convey the sincerity in his words, "I *promise* Janet will not hurt you. If it will help, I can get an exam as well so you can see exactly what she needs to do before she does it to you. Would that be ok?"
"I'll stay here the whole time as well," said Carter, "I can guard the door so no one else will come in."
"We are going to keep asking Max, that's the only way for you to get out of this room and be more comfortable," Daniel added, still trying to persuade the teen.
Max knew they would keep pushing this issue of an exam. /At some point they will probably stop asking for my consent and just do it…/
He tried to think of a way he could mitigate his fear and maybe control at least a small portion of this torture session, "C...can…" Max swallowed, trying to fight through his fear, "can I draw my own blood? Please?"
His voice cracked towards the end, causing Carter to respond without even thinking, "If that will make you feel better and if you know how to do it- that should be fine."
The Captain could already hear Janet's protest at the idea.
-TRIGGER WARNING BELOW-
Max closed his eyes and put his head down on his knees. He said a soft, "okay," which the two across from him weren't sure they actually heard. He also started planning how he might need to kill himself before his powers were neutralized if they were lying.
He lifted his head, a shaky plan in place, "okay," he repeated a little louder, looking between Daniel and Carter. He added a cryptic, "trust goes both ways."
"That's great!" Said Carter enthusiastically, "let me go get Janet, and let her know what we decided. I'll be right back." Carter debated reaching out to squeeze Max's arm in support, but thought better of it at the last second. He was already pretty terrified of the situation, there was no need to add to his distress.
Max didn't respond, just brought his head back down to his knees in an attempt to calm his breathing and nerves. He was terrified he was making a huge mistake and would never see his family or friends again.
Daniel sat quietly while the teen caught his breath and thought over Max's last statement about trust. He was missing something- something important here, but he wasn't sure what it was. He hoped that THEY weren't making a big mistake, trying to get Max to agree to an examination.
A few minutes later, Carter knocked on the door again before entering with another woman- the one from Max's flashes. She was wheeling in a small tray of supplies. "Good afternoon Max," she said warmly, "my name is Janet Fraiser, I'm the head of the base's infirmary."
Daniel smiled encouragingly at Max, and nodded back to the bed, "I'm gonna sit up there okay?" He said to the teen, then turned to Janet, "Janet, did Sam fill you in on what we agreed on with Max?"
The doctor nodded, "yup. Give you an exam while also giving him the exam. Best possible scenario if you ask me- two for one!" She was smiling and Daniel rolled his eyes from his perch on the bed.
Sam moved to the door, blocking anyone in or out, and Janet turned with her back to the far wall with the bathroom to keep Max and Daniel in her sights. Max slowly stood from his curled up spot in the corner- staring at the doctor with barely concealed terror in his eyes. He also left the blankets where they were on the floor. Yes they would offer a better sense of protection, but they would also slow him down if he needed to make a break for the bathroom. His escape plan was pretty simple- bar the bathroom door from the inside and smash the mirror. He really hoped it wouldn't come to that, but he wasn't willing to let them drug him again.
"Would you like to sit on the bed Max? Next to Daniel?" Janet was still keeping her voice light, not trying to push the teen when he was already clearly terrified. Max shook his head no. He hesitated a short moment and moved to stand at the end of the bed- similar to how he had the night before. His back was open- but no one was behind him and he could clearly see the other three as well as the tray of supplies. It was also a clear shot to the bathroom.
"Let's start with some basics, is that okay Max?" Janet asked as she turned again and repositioned the tray between Daniel on the bed and the teen at the foot of the bed.
-End Trigger Warning-
Max nodded so Janet continued, turning her eyes to Daniel, "Daniel, have you had any headaches, dizziness, shortness of breath, or anything else out of the ordinary since you woke up yesterday morning?"
Daniel shook his head, "no."
Janet nodded, then turned to Max, "and you Max?"
Max also shook his head, "no ma'am."
Janet nodded, and made some marks on the chart on the tray. Max could clearly see there was a sheet for him and a sheet for Daniel and both had the same things written. The doctor debated her next move- before she settled on their vitals. She pulled up her stethoscope and blew on the end that went on their chests. "I'm going to check your heart, lungs, and blood pressure now. Deep breaths please Daniel."
Daniel nodded and began breathing deeply as Janet moved the instrument around his body. Max swallowed his fear and let the doctor closer so she could do the same for him when she was done checking over Daniel and writing down his results. She was being extra careful on his chest because of the bandages. Oddly enough that helped Max relax a little- at least for the time being. He still flinched back when Janet needed to attach the blood pressure wrap to his arm and almost didn't let her do it. Some quiet encouragement from Daniel, and the doctor's never ending patience finally won out over Max's fear. He presented his right arm for the blood pressure wrap, something the SGC members noted silently.
"Everything seems to be normal," said Janet as she finished writing down Max's results, "your blood pressure is a little high, but that's to be expected right now." She pulled out the pen light to check their eyes, ears, and throats.
"Ugh," said Daniel as he removed his glasses. It seemed like an automatic reaction to the pen light, because Sam snorted quietly from the door at his antics and Janet rolled her eyes this time, "you and O'Neill both… honestly."
"Pen light of doom," Daniel whispered and winked at Max when Janet finished recording his results. Max was too stressed to smile back, which he realized was what Daniel was trying to do.
Max flinched back at the initial light in his eyes, "s..sorry," he said, trying to take a deep breath.
Janet waited patiently, "it's no problem Max, take your time and let me know when you're ready."
He nodded and took hold of the end of the bed so he could clench his hands and ground himself in the present. "Go ahead," he whispered quietly when he was ready for her to try again.
Next up was a throat check, with the pen light, a tongue depressor, and a careful touching of the glands from the outside of the throat. Daniel put up with it okay, normally that was his least favorite piece (Pen Light of Doom aside), but Max looked ready to faint from terror.
Even though Janet gave Max the same words of encouragement as before, and he did try to ground himself, when she touched his throat towards the end of that part of the exam, he accidentally connected with her. He sent one of the images from the White Room where Pierce first drugged him. ~/Pierce kept touching Max's face and neck- trying to get him to respond to questions, but the drugs were way too strong./~
He realized his mistake a moment later when Janet gasped and pulled away- almost falling on Daniel, who steadied her and jumped off the bed. Max had pulled away from her touch as well, stepped back with a whimper and covered his head with his hands. Sam looked like she wanted to come over from her spot on the door, but Daniel froze her in place with a hand, "Janet- are you okay?"
The Doctor's jaw was dropped and she didn't even realize she was barely breathing, until Daniel spoke to her. Her eyes didn't leave Max, a new level of compassion in her gaze, "No. I'm fine Daniel. Just an electric shock is all. We were both startled."
Sam and Daniel both knew there was more to their interaction, but let it go for the time being. Max was already struggling with the exam as a whole and bringing more attention to what happened would make it worse. Janet took a deep breath to regroup and added some things to Max's chart. She didn't make another attempt to check his throat, which both SG-1 members noted to talk about later at the debrief.
"I'd like to take a look at your chest Max, to make sure everything is healing, is that okay?" Janet asked when she was more steady.
Max's shoulders hunched up and he said quietly, "It's fine." He also didn't move closer to the bed, still scared of how they would react.
"I'd still like to see for myself Max," said Janet, "Some of those cuts were pretty deep and they needed stitches."
Max took another step back, swallowed thickly, and with shaking hands reached for the bandage edge to pull it off. He kept a careful eye on the other's reactions to his now smooth chest, "It's fine…" he repeated, then hesitated and added, "I heal fast."
Janet gasped in shock at his cut free chest, Daniel cursed in Goa'uld, and Sam said a quiet, "Holy Hanna!" The doctor wanted to get closer to make sure he was actually healed, but realized trying to get close to him would make him dart away faster than they could contain him.
/Stupid. Stupid. Stupid! Why did you DO that/ The teen said to himself as he removed the rest of the bandages and hesitated to put them on the end of the bed. It was unclear, even to him, if he was talking about the healing or the removal of the bandages at this point. He also wasn't sure how close he wanted to get in case they went back on their word now and tried to grab him.
Janet pulled herself together first, "Last two items are a cheek swab and a blood sample."
She grabbed the cotton swab and gently wiped the inside of Daniel's mouth. She put it into the container and labled it with the date and Daniel's name. Janet then grabbed the other one and handed the swab to Max- still in it's sealed packaging. "Go on Max. Just like I did with Daniel's."
Max appreciated the control and carefully grabbed the wrapped swab so he wouldn't brush skin with Janet again. He mimicked what Janet did with Daniel and closed the container when he was done, setting it back on the tray. Janet smiled and labeled his container just like she did with Daniel's, before moving to prep the needle for Daniel's blood sample.
The other had already tied the yellow tube around his arm above the elbow to help the process.
While Janet was busy drawing Daniel's blood, Max moved to the tray and grabbed the empty blood sample container. He'd watched Janet draw Daniel's blood and knew he could mimic it. He backed up farther towards the bathroom wall- away from the trio of humans, and engaged his power.
Sam, who had been watching him, cried out in both alarm and shock, "Shit- Janet!"
"Woah," said Daniel, who couldn't think of anything to say about what they were seeing.
"Yeah. Woah." Added Janet, watching in astonishment as the test tube filled with Max's blood without the use of a needle. The glow around his hand as he filled the vial was also a point of wonder and concern for them.
When Max was done a few moments later, he fixed the cap and his arm then returned the now full vial to the tray. He retreated back so his back was to the wall farthest away from the trio, but kept his eyes on all of them.
Janet kept looking between the now full vial of blood and Max- flabbergasted by what she just saw. Sam was muttering words like, "impossible," and "how could he…" as she ran over what she just witnessed.
"Trust goes both ways," the archeologist muttered while he held gauze over his arm. The words Max had muttered earlier suddenly made a lot more sense with these new context clues.
"That's it right? You're all done with your...exam…?" Max had his arms crossed over his chest to hide the tremors running through them, but he couldn't stop the terror from growing in his eyes as the three across from him were still frozen in shock at his display.
Daniel was the first to snap out of his surprised state, "Oh, yeah. Yes. Thank you Max for trusting us and letting Doctor Fraiser do her exam."
The word "trust" felt heavy on Daniel's tongue even as Max nodded but didn't move otherwise.
"Ye...Yes. Thank you Max," said Janet as she got her brain working again, "I will run your samples through the lab and let you know the results when I have them okay? You shouldn't be in here for too much longer."
Janet marked the blood sample with Max's information and moved to the door. Daniel jumped down from the bed and followed her. He grabbed Sam in the process, who was still muttering "impossible!" as the door closed behind them. As the lock re-engaged Max slid to the floor where he was, terrified of what would come next now that they had seen a glimpse of his powers.
-End Chapter 2-