"As you should well be aware, I am not a happy man Major Carter, Teal'c. Your friends have failed to arrive. They have had more than enough time to complete such a simple task!"
Rhadamanthus was standing outside Sam and Teal'c's cell. Four guards were standing around him, their faces stony. Sam walked up to the "beam bars" and glared at the man.
"And I suppose this is the part where you lay out the consequences?" She spat.
"Most definitely. Your sarcasm is humorous yet I think you may sense that what I have in store for you both is not."
"And what would that be? Interrogation, torture...twenty questions?" Sam smirked. All these years of knowing the Colonel made a comment like that second nature.
"Lighten the matter while you can. You see, there is someone who has taken a great interest in something, and it is my duty and pride to have finally been able to find what it is that they have sought for so long." Rhadamanthus paused. From the flight of stairs, Telamon appeared. He walked swiftly and quietly up to his father and smiled.
"All is prepared father. Pandora has been properly attired and is being escorted to the temple as we speak."
"Good. Have five of my best men sent out to search for Colonel O'Neill, Teal'c and that useless guide Ajax."
Telamon nodded and left.
"So, why don't we just cut to the chase." Sam was getting annoyed, and perhaps a little anxious.
Rhadamanthus opened the cell and motioned for the guards to seize Teal'c and Carter, "I have made a wondrous arrangement with our God Ptah. He has been seeking some company for some time now, company that has been reserved for one person for many years. When you first arrived here I had my suspicions, now I am positive that you are Major Samantha Carter, a woman who Ptah has long desired."
Sam blinked in disbelief, "What?!"
"Ptah has agreed to grant me with the means of destroying our enemy. The city of Avalon has always threatened our ways. They have sent spies, made futile but damaging attacks, and have inhibited the growth of our civilization with their greed. Ptah has sworn that, in exchange for the illusive Samantha Carter, he is willing to provide me with a weapon powerful enough to take down Avalon once and for all. How could I refuse?"
"You are foolish if you believe that Ptah will hold his end." Teal'c remarked. "The Goa'uld are known for their deceit."
"I am willing to take the risk Jaffa! Major Carter will be sent to him shortly, along with Pandora, a woman who's life will be better spent with Ptah than with her husband."
Sam didn't know what to say. This was a slightly new situation for her to say the least. She decided that she had to say something. Sticking to one word at a time.
"Why?"
"Why what my dear? Why have I grown into such a clever man, why do the Gods favour Elysium over Avalon, or why is it that Ptah desires you so? I can only offer suggestions."
Rhadamanthus took a step closer to Sam. Bringing his hand up, he gently caressed her cheek.
"After all, you are particularly beautiful. But Ptah is not that vain, perhaps he seeks more...perhaps you know things that he wishes to know. However, what he does with you is not my concern. Your friends however will be staying with me. I'll be sure to make them..... comfortable."
A wave of anger hit Sam and she struggled against the two men constraining her. All she wanted was to get one arm free and punch that good for nothing son of a bitch in the face. Her attempt failed. Teal'c on the other hand was more successful. Spinning his torso around, he managed to free himself. Grabbing both guards by their collars he threw them to the ground, knocking them out, then turned to help Sam. Rhadamanthus was furious. He started for the stairs, but he didn't get far. Teal'c roughly grabbed him from behind and turned the old man to face Sam.
"Nice try."
Panting slightly from the scuffle, Carter smirked and delivered one powerful punch to Rhadamanthus' nose, breaking the cartilage and drawing blood. She didn't care, she was at her wits end and there was no way, absolutely no way in hell she'd ever be sent to the Goa'uld by some pathetic power-hungry old fool.
Teal'c let Rhadamanthus slide to the floor in pain. The injured man held his hands over his face and bellowed.
"Do NOT think that you will get far!"
Carter and Teal'c didn't stay to hear the rest of his spiel. They were up the stairs in a flash.
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"We are not far now. Tell me, when we get back to the city, what are you going to do?" Ajax guided Daniel and Jack through a small patch of bushland near the perimeter of Elysium.
"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it. For now, all I'm interested in is gettin' Carter and Teal'c away from that place." Jack ducked under a low-lying branch. Stopping suddenly to ties his shoelace, he directed his discussion to Daniel, "Any idea about which snake head's runnin' the joint Daniel?"
"Ah, no. We never saw any structure, glyph or....well anything that even looks Goa'uld, so trying to workout which God it is is like-"
"Shh! I see some one!" Ajax urgently flicked his eyes about their surroundings. It was starting to grow dark and hazy, so it was a miracle that he had managed to see anything at all. The three men ducked behind a bush. Soon they could hear faint voices and the occasional twig snapping under unmistakeable footsteps. Someone was walking in their direction. Ajax turned to O'Neill in a hushed voice.
"It is most likely to be scouts. I would imagine that they have been sent to look for us."
Jack peeked over the top of the bush. He could just make out two dark figures. They didn't appear to be in a great hurry, nor did they realise that they weren't alone. The gears in Jack's mind ground into action.
"Right, we're gonna take em out. The last thing we need is to be found." He readied his weapon.
"Jack?"
"Daniel?"
"Can't we just knock them out or something?" Daniel didn't like the idea of starting a blood fight right now.
"We I wasn't suggesting that we shoot them Daniel. On three."
Jack made the countdown on his fingers. In a flash the three men were out of their hiding place, their weapons aimed at the unsuspecting pair before them.
"Don't move!" Jack waited until the men had stopped and raised their hands before he moved.
"We have been sent to look for you. Rhadamanthus was growing worried, as were your friends."
Jack glanced at Ajax, who shook his head.
"Yeah, well as you can see we're fine. But we've got a few other things to do before we give old Rhaddy a visit."
"He wishes to see you n-"
"Uh huh. Why don't you two take a seat?" Jack motioned towards the base of a tree.
"I would prefer not to." The scout seemed confused.
Jack sighed and rolled his eyes, "That was a rhetorical question. Really, take a seat."
A few moments later, Jack, Daniel and Ajax had the two scouts tied to the base of a tree. Jack grinned, holding their makeshift rope in his hands.
"Thank Elysium for the local vegetation." He dropped the vine and stood over the two men. Without saying another word he stuck them over the head with the butt of his weapon, knocking them unconscious. Daniel and Ajax winced.
"Now what Jack?"
"Now we look for Carter and Teal'c."