Chapter Twenty

Jack sat on the floor of the spacious vehicle as it made its way swiftly down what he could only assume was a highway. He had noticed that the van had wheels, however the way it simply hummed made him believe that it didn't have a standard combustion engine. He didn't really care how the machine worked, it just gave him something to think about other than the obvious.

Ser'in was sitting next to him rummaging through her back pack, making noises of frustration. Tai moved from place in the passenger's seat and sat down in front of her. When she failed to notice him he reached out and touched her arm. Ser'in yelped in surprise and drew back. When she saw who had touched her she muttered an apology.

Tai's eyes dilated as he made a purring chuckling sound. He asked her a question and she gave him an exasperated answer. Tai looked around and reached over to retrieve his own back pack. He pulled out several tools that looked a lot like lock picks. Ser'in made a noise of delight and took the thinest pick that had a needle like tip.

Jack gave her a wary look when she turned to him armed with the needle. She smiled and pointed to Jack's ear. Instantly understanding he turned his back on her and folded his ear forward. Jack felt a little sick to his stomach as she messed with the disk, however he had felt physically ill ever since Sam had been missing anyway so it was hard to tell if this new wave was because of the disk or not. Ser'in finished and tapped on his shoulder. Jack turned back around. Rubbing behind his ear he could still feel the disk.

"So it's off now?"

"Kanuri." Ser'in said the trigger word softly.

When the disk didn't activate Jack reached out and gave Ser'in a hug. She purred and Tai chuckled at them both. Ser'in suddenly looked as though she couldn't keep her eyes open. The past few days had taken their toll on her. It hadn't occurred to Jack until now that Ser'in must have given up everything to do this. She was a criminal now, she had stolen zoo property and was just as much on the run as he was.

Tai seemed to pick up on Ser'in's exhaustion as well. There were a few jackets stuffed under the passenger's seat which he retrieved. It took a little convincing but eventually Ser'in accepted Tai's offer of a lap to sleep in. She laid down using him as a pillow and he covered her in the jackets. Within moments she was locked in a deep sleep. Tai looked down at her with a familiar look on his alien face.

"You've had your eye on her for a long time, haven't you?" Jack asked softly.

Tai looked up at Jack and his emerald eyes told him the entire story. Turning his attention back to Ser'in Tai brought his hand up to touch her face. He hovered an inch above her scales, unable to bring himself to actually touch her in case she woke and took the contact the wrong way. Jack smiled as he watched the internal battle play out on Tai's face. He gently took Tai's wrist and pulled his hand away from Ser'in.

"Trust me, it's worth the wait."

Tai moved his head in the small circular pattern that the aliens used for 'yes'. Jack released his wrist and Tai put his hands down on the floor of the van. Ser'in stirred in her sleep, but feeling safe she nuzzled against Tai and settled down again. The fire coloured dragon stared down at her lovingly but did not attempt to touch her again.

Seeing the awkward first steps of a relationship made Jack more sharply aware of his own situation. He dragged his hands through his hair and closed his eyes against a persistent headache. His greatest fear was that Sam had been taken to some other human captive to be forcibly bred. His greatest hope was that it would end up being Daniel.

Jack felt guilty for wishing a lonely captivity on his best friend, but he also knew that Daniel wouldn't hurt her. If he had been captured and sold to someone else then there was a good chance that Sam was with a friend now. Even if Daniel had been driven insane by the solitude and didn't remember her she'd still be safe. Jack knew for a fact that there was no way anyone could break Daniel to the point where he'd rape.

Right now Jack didn't think too deeply on what the chances were that Daniel had been taken as well or what that might mean for Teal'c who would be unable to survive away from his drugs. At this moment in time he was just holding on to the thought that Sam was safe just to keep from losing what was left of his nerves.

As time passed Jack was finding it harder to keep his eyes open. Tai went to take one of the jackets off of Ser'in to hand to him but Jack stopped him. Jack simply put his back up against the wall of the van and crossed his arms over his chest. Falling asleep was not difficult, however nightmares quickly followed.

Jack woke with a violent jerk and lashed out at the hands holding him down. The chaotic nightmare had been spattered in blood and violent sex. Delirious and disoriented Jack continued to try and free himself from the hot hands on his skin. He was certain that he could save Sam from the fate his imagination had tortured him with if he could just get free.

"Jaa'ck," Ser'in purred soothingly "yee'ta, yee'ta."

Ser'in's voice helped to calm Jack and Tai released him. Sitting up Jack rubbed at his hand and found his knuckles were bloody. He looked up at the dragons, alarmed that he may have hurt one of them. However the blood was his own. Ser'in asked to see his hand and he gave it to her. After a brief inspection she reached into her back pack and pulled out a gauze pad and some liquid to clean the cuts he'd gotten from slamming his fist into the hard side of the vehicle.

"Dali." Jack said meekly.

"Kak nestre." Tai replied.

"I know 'kak' means 'no', so I'm going to assume that means 'don't worry about it'."

It wasn't until Ser'in had finished with his hand that Jack noticed how much light was streaming in through the rounded front windshield. Not only was it morning, but they had stopped. Getting to his feet Jack wandered up towards the front seats to get a look. They were in a large parking lot that was mostly empty. Looking over to the right Jack saw the metal gates of the zoo in the photograph that Ser'in had shown him.

The dragon that had driven them here was gone. Jack couldn't tell if the other car that had swept away the rest of the team had followed them here or not. Tai and Ser'in were discussing something that Jack hoped amounted to a plan of attack. When Tai went to leave Jack went to follow him but was stopped by Ser'in.

"I can't just sit here. Can't you put a leash on me and take me in as a pet or something?"

Jack had put his hands around his throat to illustrate his point which made Tai chuckle. The fire dragon said something that Jack loosely translated into 'I'll be right back'. Deciding that Tai was just going into the zoo for recon Jack settled back down. He looked over at Ser'in.

"Go with him, Carter will recognize you. It will make her feel better to know you're here."

Jack gave Ser'in a nudge towards Tai. She asked him something and he just pushed her towards Tai again. Tai held out his hand and after a brief hesitation she took it. Tai looked out the small back window that was set high in the door before opening it and stepping out with Ser'in.

Alone again Jack sat on the floor and waited for them to return. He hated waiting around, but he wasn't sure what else to do. Even if he could hide his face the way he walked gave him away instantly. Closing his eyes Jack attempted to mediate the way Teal'c and Daniel had kept trying to teach him. He'd never been very good at it then, and under stress he was incapable of it now.

Ser'in and Tai weren't gone nearly as long as Jack expected them to be. Sneaking back into the van they both looked unsettled. Jack wished he'd had the chance to learn their language. Being able to get any kind of news was better than having no idea what was going on. Tai sat down on the floor next to Jack and pulled his notebook out.

"Did you see her?" Jack asked anxiously. "Samantha..."

"Kak." Tai replied sadly.

Jack's blood turned to ice in his veins at the news. Tai started to draw a sketch in his book. When he was done he showed it to Jack in hopes that it would help him understand what was going on. It was a schematic drawing of the building. In a large room that Jack assumed was an exhibit was stick drawing of a human with a line through it.

"So there is a human exhibit, but no one's home." Jack guessed.

Tai guessed the Jack had understood and made a gesture for 'yes'. He then started drawing smaller rooms off behind the larger exhibit. He drew little circles in each one before crossing them out. Tai looked up at Jack and put his hands up helplessly.

"You think she's in a back room but you have no way of knowing where."

Tai flipped the page over and drew a picture of the moon.

"Wait till night."

Jack couldn't take anymore waiting, but he didn't see much choice. Just wading in during the middle of the day wasn't going to do anyone any good. Tai moved to the driver's seat and pulled the vehicle out of the parking lot. They drove to what Jack assumed was a public park just outside the zoo and parked there.

Once they were settled Tai seemed to suggest that they try and get some sleep. Jack wasn't tired in the slightest, but on the other hand he didn't know what else to do. Everyone settled in and tried to nap the day away. Just before sunset Tai left and brought back dinner for everyone. Jack had no appetite, but he ate half of the oddly constructed sandwich anyway. Several hours after nightfall Jack started to get seriously restless.

"Do we have a plan or are we just going wing it?"

Tai and Ser'in looked at one another and started talking. If they had a plan Jack had no hope of understanding it. It seemed like the rest of the team wasn't ready to make an assault on this particular zoo and were nowhere to be seen. Eventually Tai turned back to Jack, he pointed at his own eyes and then pointed in a scanning pattern.

"Yeah, scoping the place out is great and all...but ever minute Carter stays in there alone the greater the chance something is going to happen to her."

Tai seemed to generally understand Jack from his tone, but just repeated his gesture. It was nearing midnight when Tai went to leave alone. Jack and Ser'in both protested and in the end Jack was forced to take a hold of Tai's wrist.

"I'm coming with you, end of story." Jack growled.

Tai looked to Ser'in for support, but she seemed to have the same opinion. Sighing in defeat Tai agreed. He made sure no one was around before beckoning them to follow. The zoo was not built like a fortress. In fact even the metal gates had plenty of room for them to slip under. The three of them quickly made their way towards the back of the main building.

Unlike the other zoo they had no obvious point of entry here. Not sure of what else to do they walked around the back till they came to a door. While Tai rummaged through his pack for his lock picks Jack wandered up to the door. Running his hands along the edge he noticed small scorch marks around the complicated lock.

"Guys...I think someone beat us to it." Jack announced as he swung the door open.

Tai make a small noise of shock and looked around nervously. He and Ser'in suddenly looked like they suspected a trap. For all Jack knew there was one, but that didn't stop him from boldly stepping inside. Tai clearly wanted Ser'in to go back and they started to have a whispered argument. Jack had noticed that this race was quick to snarl and snap at one another. It was hard to decide if they saw it the same way that humans saw such interaction.

Personally Jack didn't really care. He nudged them both and gave them a sign to zip it and just hurry along. The chastised dragons bowed their heads and followed quietly. Tai was holding Ser'in's hand they quickly took the lead. However as they walked past one of the hallways Jack suddenly stopped.

Without knowing why Jack turned down the corridor and unwittingly separated himself from the others. As he wound his way through the hallways he became more and more confident in his path even though he was losing track of how to get back to the exit.

Coming to a cross hallway Jack stopped cold for a moment. There was an odd sound coming from the right. A quiet choking sound that sent a chill down Jack's spine. The noise of nearly silent violence froze him to the spot. Shaking his head Jack purposefully made his way towards the sickening sound.

The noise was coming from an open doorway and Jack cautiously peeked inside. When he took in the scene his heart nearly failed him. The sound was coming from Va'lo who had been pinned to the bars of a small cage by a thin metal chain around his throat. He had his fingers inside the noose which was the only thing between him and death.

However it was a battle that he looked like he was going to lose. Sam had thrown the leash she had been wearing outside of the cage to catch her prey and was determined to kill him. Lana had freed her wrists, but the dragon had not removed the leash and ended up leaving Sam armed. She was shaking with a combination of effort and fear as she tried to tighten the chain by pulling back with her hands while her bare feet were pushing on the bars.

"Samantha, no!"

Sam didn't even look up at him. All of her concentration was being poured into murdering Va'lo up against the bars that held her prisoner. Her aqua eyes were completely glazed over and Jack doubted that she even knew what she was doing. Pushed too far she was far more dangerous than the average person, as a broken soldier she had all the instincts of a killer. As much as Jack hated Va'lo he knew that if Sam killed one of the dragons there would be no saving her from their wrath.

"Major Carter!" Jack barked. "Release him at once, that is an order!"

"Col...Colonel?"

"Release him, Major."

"Yes, Sir." Sam replied automatically.

Sam dropped the chain and moved to the back of the cage. Pulling her knees up to her chest she just rested her head against the metal wall of her prison. Blood ran freely down her neck from behind her ear and was soaking her shirt. Jack guessed that she must have torn her disk out herself.

Va'lo slipped to the floor coughing and sputtering. He rubbed at his throat and then looked up at Jack. His pale green eyes stared at Jack in shock. There was a tense moment as the dragon got to his feet. Jack had no idea that he was the one who had broken into the facility and that he had no more right to be here than Jack himself. There was a weapon at his feet, but he made no move to retrieve it.

Va'lo looked back at Sam who was as harmless as a kitten now. Turning back to Jack he took a step towards him before hesitating. Looking around nervously he suddenly bowed his head in what looked like defeat.

"Gala, Jac'k." Va'lo whispered.

"You're welcome, Va'lo."

Without looking at Jack again Va'lo turned and left, grateful to have his life. Jack briefly feared that the snake was just running off to get reinforcements, but he didn't care. With Va'lo gone Jack walked up to the bars. Sam continued to stare sightlessly at nothing while tears traced down her face. Jack reached through to touch her but he froze when her whole body stiffened with fright.

"It's alright, Samantha, I'm here."

"I can't, I can't..." Sam chanted in a hollow voice.

"Carter?"

"I can't make this decision...I can't..." Sam whimpered. "Don't make me choose...I want so much to go back to him, but I can't...I can't bring a child into this life...but I can't stop it...what do I do? I can't..."

"Samantha, please..."

Jack stopped when he realized that his words weren't reaching her. Sam stopped muttering and broke down into true tears. Jack closed his eyes tears slipped down his own face. Sam was trembling harder as the seconds passed by. Jack sighed heavily and fell back on trying to connect with her through her deeply ingrained training.

"Major?"

Sam didn't respond this time.

"Major Samantha Carter?" Jack said more firmly.

"Y...yes, Sir?"

"I need you to lay down, is that understood?"

"Yes, Sir."

"Good, do it."

Sam nodded vaguely. She slowly untangled herself and followed the simple orders. Laying down on her back she looked up at her own reflection in the shiny metal ceiling. She was still shivering like she'd been left out in a cold autumn rain. Sam suddenly arched her back against some internal anguish.

"Carter, I need you to give me your hand." Jack said softly.

"What's happening?"

"You're hurt and need help, but everything is going to be okay. Is that understood?"

"Yes, Sir."

Every time Sam answered she calmed slightly. After taking a deep breath she lifted her hand up. Jack reached into the cage slowly and took her hand. She winched at being touched, but she didn't pull away. He moved her arm gently so that he could press her palm against his chest. He kept his own hand over hers to hold it in place.

"I need you to relax as much as you can, if you start to fall asleep that's fine, sleep. Close your eyes, just concentrate on my heartbeat, try and match my breathing."

"Yes, Sir."

Sam didn't question the unusual orders. She took a deep shuddering breath and closed her still tearing eyes. Jack closed his own eyes and started trying to slow his own racing heart to help transfer the calming energy to her. Sam's trembling began to lessen as she matched her breathing rhythm to Jack's perfectly.

With his eyes closed and his full attention on Sam Jack didn't even notice the purple dragon who had stepped into the door way. Lana watched the pair silently and did nothing to interrupt or interfere. Sam turned her head to face and opened her heavy eyelids. Seeing Jack a slight smile touched her lips. She looked on the edge of passing out. Encouraging her to sleep Jack reached his free hand into the cage and brushed her cheek with the delicate touch of a butterfly's wing.

"Colonel?" Sam asked sleepily.

"Yes?"

"Are you really here?"

"Yes."

"Permission to speak freely?"

"Granted."

"I need you...don't leave me."

"Undomesticated equines couldn't drag me away."