Chapter three

Just as he was wondering whether or not Chairwoman Jennings had been satisfied with his performance, Jack got a pleasant surprise.

"Guards! Unlock him," she called out, as she opened the door to the hallway. The two armed women came inside and unfastened the manacles that held Jack to the bedposts. Thankful that a sheet covered his lower half, he laid there on his back as the two women stood over him. Then stepped back, watching as Jack rubbed his wrists.

"Thank you," Jack said, looking at both of them, figuring that showing his gratitude was something else that would score him high marks with the women.

"Don't waste your breath on them; they don't care how you feel or what you think. Here, put these on," Jennings said, handing him what looked like a pair of blue silk pajamas. Jack pulled them on, wishing she'd also given him some underwear. But he had to admit that the fabric did feel nice against his bare skin.

"Now take him to the lab and have the doctor implant a security chip in his chest. I intend to keep him as my personal slave," she told them in a haughty voice.

"Hey, wait! Implant a chip? What is that? What are you going to do to me?" One woman grabbed his wrist and pulled, while the other held her gun pointed at his chest. "Wait!" he yelled, as they forced him toward the door.

"Don't struggle, or they'll be forced to stun you again, and then the General will never let me keep you. Violence is not allowed here, you know," Chairwoman Jennings explained. So Jack went along with the two women, hoping he would get a chance to escape, while thinking that these women were nuttier than fruit cakes. If they weren't being violent, then he didn't know the meaning of the word!

Sam was sitting on a stool at the far side of the laboratory, where she couldn't be seen from the doorway, when the two guards escorted Jack into the lab. They pushed him through the doorway, and then stood on either side of him, while one of them addressed the doctor in a monotone voice.

"Chairwoman Jennings wishes for you to put a security chip in this man," she told Dr. Kenyon.

Sam dipped her head, giving herself a clear line of sight under the equipment and to the door. She almost cried out when she saw Jack standing there.

"Oh, she does, does she? Damn, what a waste of a good specimen! He has a nice lean physique, good coloring and a pleasing appearance," the doctor said, as she opened Jack's mouth and looked inside. "Good teeth too," she added.

Jack allowed it, even though it made him feel like a horse about to be put up for auction. He had decided to obey and to observe, so as to learn as much about their society as he could. He needed to find their weakness if he was to escape, and he already had some idea of what one might be; most of them were unarmed.

"Loretta just got a new servant not three weeks ago, and already she's wanting another one," Dr. Kenyon commented sourly, shaking her head.

"The last one ran away and was terminated outside in 'no woman's land,'" one of the lab assistants volunteered.

"I know. I just get tired of her wasting the better specimens. And for what? I swear, a good fuck is all that woman thinks about," she complained bitterly.

Sam listened to the exchange, shocked, embarrassed and disgusted all at the same time. She also wondered what the woman meant by 'no woman's land'. She had said it as though it was a place.

"Okay, but tell Loretta that I can't keep doing this for her. She's either got to keep them chained up, or go without."

"Yes, Doctor," both guards replied in unison.

Sam thought that the two guards almost seemed to be in a trance or drugged or something. She also took note as to how they were dressed. All of the armed women she had seen had on these drab, gray jumpsuits, while the other women wore smart dresses and pant suits. No wonder her clothing had earned some frowns and curious stares! Her coveralls looked more like a guard's uniform, rather than something a doctor might wear. Perhaps she could do something about that tonight, but right now her attention was on Jack. Could she prevent them from implanting a security device in him? Did she dare try?

Sam slid off her stool and started toward the group. But before she could act, the doctor jerked open the top of the sleeveless shirt Jack was wearing and held a sort of gun to his upper left chest, directly over his heart. Sam stopped dead in her tracks as she heard a soft Ipffft/I from the gun, followed by a sudden IOuch!/I from Jack. He swayed on his feet, and the two guards reached out to support him. After a few seconds he waved them off, indicating that he didn't want or need their help.

"There! Now, should you try to escape again, the implant will cause your heart to stop momentarily, and you will pass out."

"Oh, that's nice," Jack said sarcastically. "What's wrong with you people; haven't you ever heard of equal rights for men and women?" Suddenly the doctor grabbed him through his clothing, cupping his cock and balls in her hand and squeezing firmly.

"Keep quiet, man, or I'll castrate you!" she growled at him.

"Okay, okay, don't get your panties in a bunch!" Jack yelled at her.

"Here's the remote control. Take him back to Chairwoman Jennings now, and tell her what I said," she instructed them, handing a small black object to one of the guards.

"Yes, doctor," the two women repeated once again. Then they herded Jack out of the lab.

"I wonder if Jennings has ever tried a vibrator," the same lab assistant remarked, snorting.

"At least THEY come in all sizes," another added, giggling.

"So true, but I think in HIS case she's found a man large enough to satisfy her," the doctor informed them with a lewd smile and wink.

"Ooh!" the two women squealed.

"Get back to work now. We've wasted enough time on this foolishness."

Sam blushed furiously upon hearing the doctor's words. She'd always wondered about Jack, and she was glad she'd heard their remarks, but this was certainly not the way she thought she'd find out about him! Sam took a few calming breaths and approached the doctor cautiously and with deference for the woman's position of authority over her. She wanted to ask Dr. Kenyon a few questions about the device that she'd implanted in Jack, just in case it became necessary for her to remove it.

"Doctor, I've completed extracting the sperm from the sample."

"Good!"

"Will you tell me about that implant you put in the male subject? Will it kill him if he tries to run away?"

"Not right away. It delivers an electric charge that will stop his heart long enough to render him unconscious. Then he can be caught. But if his master chooses, she can set the controller on full power and end his life."

Sam didn't trust herself to speak. She was very worried that Jack might try to escape and be killed. She realized then that she really needed to talk to him privately!

"You seem distressed by this information," the doctor remarked, looking at Sam speculatively.

"Oh, no. I was just thinking about something else. I miss my sisters and my mother," Sam lied. Dr. Kenyon nodded her head in sympathy, and Sam went back to her assignment, hoping she'd find a way to talk to Jack after her shift was over.

It was late that same day when Dr. Kenyon made a special trip to General Taylor's office.

"So you suspect that this Dr. Carter is a male rights advocate? It would certainly make sense that she was sent here by the MRA to spy on us. I found no record of her being assigned here by anyone in Western Command."

"Yes, General, I'm afraid I do. She's not performed well, and she seemed unnaturally concerned for one of the test subjects today. She also expressed interest in the strange machine that was found with her in the isolation lab."

"I see. Alright, you have my permission to do a memory stamp on her. I will tell Chairwoman Tso to expect a new recruit for the security department," the general said from her seat behind the big wooden desk.

"But General, what if I'm wrong?"

"Don't be concerned, Kenyon, and do not blame yourself. It is I who must make the difficult decision. You have given me reason to distrust her….reason enough to bar her from working in any other capacity other than a guard, a servant or as a test subject. Once she's stamped, she will lose much of her previous knowledge, not just her ability to think for herself. It is regretful, but necessary."

"Go now and get it done soon! I don't want anything to ruin our chances of finding a cure for the menace that plagues our sisters who live on the outside!"

"Yes, General. I'll take care of it first thing tomorrow morning when she reports to work." Dr. Kenyon hung her head in sorrow as she left her CO's office. She felt sorry that she'd had to turn Carter in, but she just couldn't risk the chance that she might be a spy or a terrorist.

After her shift ended, Sam asked for and received enough money to buy a nice pant suit from the base store. In her assigned quarters, which she shared with five other lab workers, she put on her new clothing and joined the group when they headed for the mess hall.

After eating as much as she could manage with her nervous stomach, Sam complained that she had a backache from sitting on a stool all day long. In truth she was just using her back as an excuse to leave the group and do some exploring on her own.

"Why don't you go to the gym?" one of the women suggested. "A good workout always helps me feel better."

"That's a good idea. Where is it?" Sam liked the idea. Not only would it give her an excuse to wander the halls, but she really could use something to relieve some of the stress she was feeling.

She had tried not to dwell on it, but the idea that the general was having sex with Chairwoman Jennings kept creeping into her thoughts. It made her feel jealous, as well as angry that the woman would take advantage of Jack that way. Sam knew he'd do whatever he had to in order to stay alive, but Sam couldn't help but recall the feelings she'd had years earlier, when he had been stranded on another planet with a woman named Laira. But at least that time she hadn't known what was going on between the two of them until it was over.

"It's the second right from the elevator on level fourteen. There are workout clothes there that you can check out. Just ask the attendant for your size," another woman told her.

"Thanks!" Sam left the group and headed to the elevator. She would go to the gym later, but first she had decided to take a look at every level of the base she could. And tomorrow she'd have access to Merlyn's time dilation device! Sam felt confident that she was making progress toward getting her and Jack home. Now if only she could talk to him and tell him her news!

General Landry looked at Dr. Lee and frowned. This news wasn't what he wanted to hear.

"I'm sorry, General, but I can't replicate Merlyn's device. I don't know enough about how it works to do that! And without it, there is no way I can get Sam and General O'Neill back. She is the only one who can do that," Bill Lee admitted.

"Are you saying that the device went wherever Jack and Sam went?" Landry asked hopefully.

"Yes, I would be willing to bet that it did."

"Well that's one good thing. At least if Sam has the device in her possession, she will have a chance to reverse the process that sent them to wherever they are."

"Yes, that's true, unless something prevents her from having access to the device."

"We'll just have to pray that doesn't happen, Doctor."

"Yes, Sir."

Meanwhile, Sam had just made a discovery that caused her to want to jump for joy. Chairwoman Jennings and General O'Neill were in the gym!

Sam had already changed into the stretchy top and matching blue shorts, when she sauntered into the large room filled with all sorts of exercise equipment. And when she saw Jack standing next to the rowing machine where Chairwoman Jennings sat, her heart jumped up into her throat.

She knew he hadn't seen her in the lab earlier, but she'd seen him, and what she noticed the most was how great he looked in the sleeveless top and the loose-fitting, matching silk pants. They were tied at his waist by a drawstring, and the top was tucked down into the pants, leaving his bulging groin easily discernable. Sam had never seen him looking so strong and healthy, or so sexy. His arms looked positively buffed in that shirt, and his abs were obviously flat, making the bulge down below look even larger.

Sam kept her eyes on the floor, as she walked over to a cycle and climbed onto the seat. She pedaled slowly at first, letting her leg muscles warm up. Then she sped up, glancing at Jack every chance she got. He was glancing at her now too, but she could see that he also scanned the entire room as he stood with his back to the wall.

Finally, when the meter on the stationary bike read about five miles, Sam saw Jennings get up and go into the locker room. Sam quickly dismounted, while sending Jack a message with her eyes. She wanted to talk to him, and the only way she thought she could was if she could arrange to need his help. With that in mind, she laid down on the weight bench, and then she ordered him to hand her one of the weights.

"Hey, you! Give me a hand here," she requested in a loud, firm voice. She hoped she sounded forceful and in charge, just in case anyone was paying attention.

Jack stepped over to the head of the bench and stood looking down at Sam.

"Nice outfit, Sir," she said quietly, smiling up at him. His groin was just above her head, and a big part of her wanted to reach up and fondle it. She could imagine pulling on that tie, and watching as his pants fell down around his slim ankles. Then she pictured him bending over her, while she tipped her head back off the end of the bench, allowing him to slide his swollen cock down her throat.

Sam mentally pried herself away from her libidinous imaginings, forcing herself to focus once again on her assignment, which was to get them back home ASAP.

"How many pounds to start, Ma'am?" Jack asked politely, staring boldly down her top, while ignoring her playful comment.

"Forty to start," she told him, looking over her head at his smirking face. Jack slid the appropriate weights on each end, fastening them in place.

"Fly weight," Jack accused quietly, as he handed down the barbell.

"No time for insults, Sir. I'll be working on Merlyn's device tomorrow morning."

"How soon before you can get us out of here?" he asked in a calm, deep voice.

"Not sure yet. Will know more by tomorrow afternoon," she said, grunting as she lowered and lifted the weights down to her chest and back up. "Sir, there's something else I've got to tell you," she began.

Just then Chairwoman Jennings came out of the locker room. She saw Jack standing close to Sam and flew into a rage.

"Man! What are you doing? Get away from her!" she yelled, her expression angry and accusing.

Jack took the weight from Sam's hands, placed it in the cradle and then stepped back to the wall, as the irate woman swept over to them.

"Explain yourself!" she yelled at Jack.

"It was my fault, Ma'am. I asked him to help me with the weights," Sam explained from her seat on the weight bench.

"And just who do you think you are, asking my servant to do your bidding?"

"I'm really sorry, Chairwoman Jennings. It won't happen again," Sam avowed.

"Well, it had better not, or I'll see to it that you're punished. Now come along, man. I'm feeling stressed out again. You'll have to work really hard to make me feel better," she said, pouting.

"I will do my very best, Ma'am," Jack told her. As he followed the dark-haired woman out of the room, he turned and gave Sam a wink and a smile.

But Sam didn't smile back. She didn't feel like smiling, because ONE, she had failed to warn Jack about the deadly setting on the implant, and TWO, because she was fairly certain that he was about to have sex with that woman.

TBC