Note: Short chapter
3
She woke up slowly, and tried to stretch, only to realise she was restrained. She opened her eyes and scanned the room, she didn't recognise it, she was tied to a bed, rather like she had been when she was kidnapped, except this wasn't a hospital bed, it was an old fashioned tubular steel framed bed, she was restrained in the same way though, not spread-eagled, hands by her sides, feet and knees tied together and tied to the bottom of the bed. A restraint went over her chest, under her arms and tied her to the head of the frame. Making sure that she could not sit or get sufficient purchase to kick out with her feet. She had something in her mouth, she wasn't sure what it was, except it was some sort of gag, but not a 'normal' type, it had a ball of something like latex attached to a strip of leather or fabric, she could swallow and her mouth wasn't dried out too much.
The room was dark, but there was sufficient light coming in through the almost closed curtains to see herself and that there were bits of furniture around the edges of the room, a dresser and a wardrobe at least. The walls looked to be dark, she wasn't sure if they were painted or papered, or even bare wood, everything was shadowed.
The window above the bed was not large, it wasn't double glazed either, and she strained to hear traffic…nothing… there were sounds, she thought she could hear insects calling in the night, and she realised the light filtering in had to be moonlight, it was the wrong colour for street lighting.
All this added up to somewhere out of town, and she could guess if she were able to scream no one would hear her. She decided not to try making any noise if she could help it, see if she could loosen the bonds first, rather than let whoever took her know she was awake.
She was tied with rope this time, not leather cuffs, and for a while she thought that that would make it easier, it didn't, she pretty quickly realised that whoever tied them knew what they were doing.
The door to her side creaked and she relaxed quickly, hoping she could pretend to be asleep still. Someone moved around the room, a soft light was turned on. She heard something like a tray being put on the dresser, but she dare not even crack her eyelids to see what was happening, not yet anyway. She felt the mattress sink as a weight rested on it by her knees and a soft deep voice spoke
"Do you know how hard it is, to forgive being betrayed?" Her eyes shot open, looking straight at the brown orbs in his face that were looking at her in turn. "I've never been big on forgiveness, ask Cromwell if you don't believe me. But YOU, I trusted you, I loved you! And all you did for me was throw me away to the Tok'ra, you used me to help them, and then abandoned me" He didn't look well, he was sweating and his hands were shaking where they rested on his knees, it was obvious that he was still having problems from the sarcophagus and if he was as bad as Daniel had been he could turn violent without a moments notice.
She was about to open her mouth and try to deny the things he was accusing her of when she realised that this was exactly what she had been thinking ever since it happened, she couldn't deny it, he was right! Then she remembered the gag, she couldn't have said anything anyway, she tried to convey her sorrow and remorse through her eyes.
"And then, when I finally escape and get back, what do I see? A scar on the back of your neck!" She thought rapidly… what scar? "And I realise that not only was I betrayed, but the woman I love no longer even exists! You killed her, and for that I am going to make sure you suffer, for a long time"
Oh god! The immature symbiote, she had not thought of it leaving a scar! She had been unconscious when it had entered her and must have healed to a scar the entry point, no one bothered to mention it because they would all have thought she knew, and of course she couldn't say she had NOT been infested, because she had! The scar proved it.
"I don't know how far it has spread, I am going to head back to the SGC and take them out, one at a time until the base is cleared of the infection. It has to be at least Hammond and Fraiser or you wouldn't be free to roam about. God alone knows why Teal'c didn't spot it before now, but I will have to avoid him, just in case" He was talking to himself, he was not looking for her to answer him, and she doubted that if she could have spoken to him he would have listen. "I'll try getting hold of Davis in DC, see if he knows anything, no, better I do this alone, I can do it, it wouldn't be the first time I have taken out that many single handed…yeah, just need a few supplies…" he lapsed into silence for a minute or two while she just lay there and watched him.
"If you are still alive, when I return, we will play a few games, Baal taught me several fun things to try with someone who can be healed. I suggest though, you leave her now, that way you get a quick death instead of trying to keep her alive while she dies of thirst" He looked at her for a minute and shook his head.
Then he leaned over and gently brushed her hair away from her face with his fingers, he kissed her forehead and said in a whisper "Goodbye Carter"