Rating: FR-M
Spoilers: Upgrades, Abyss, Ex Deus Machina
Summary: Sam froze. She was tripping. Had to be. Imagining things. She was totally making up the image of Baal, sat in O'Malleys, System Lord Baal - raising his glass to her with a self-satisfied smile on his lips.
Author Notes: Sam/Baal pairing. I took the premise of Ba'al being on Earth from Ex Deus Machina and my muse is responsible for the rest. You've been forewarned about the pairing, too, so don't shout at me! (Hides under bed) My first prime will deal with any flames, so don't waste your time.
Disclaimer: All publicly recognisable characters and places are the property of MGM, World Gekko Corp and Double Secret productions. This piece of fan fiction was created for entertainment not monetary purposes and no infringement on copyrights or trademarks was intended. Previously unrecognised characters and places, and this story, are copyrighted to the author. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead is coincidental and not intended by the author.
Dedication: For Sarah, always.
Dichotomy pt 2
Copyright (c) July 2006, Ruth
O
Baal glared at the man responsible for alerting Colonel Carter to the threat she faced. He looked suitably abashed and turned again to read what was on the wall. It appeared that, for Baal, temptation had made her decision for him. As long as Carter was aware of something awry, he could not allow her to leave alone. She would report her suspicions to her colleagues, which would lead to investigation and possibly uncovering his work on their planet.
No. The situation needed to be diffused as rapidly as possible, without a floor show for the remaining occupants of the bar. He sat up more in his chair, and waited for the moment to gain her attention. Whilst shrugging into his coat, he spoke softly into the phone concealed in his pocket, before replacing it and ordering another drink. He had plenty of time to wait, he thought as he watched his henchmen begin to disperse, some to the front and others out the back. She wouldn't be leaving the bar alone tonight, that much was for certain.
He watched her panic in her seat, the way she flushed and the slight, ever so slight, trembling of her hand. He didn't take his eyes from her, hoping to attract her attention sooner now, rather than later. However, it was apparently ineffective. With a growl of impatience, he looked over at the bar, the growl becoming a smile as a thought hit him. Of course, how simple. How he had not thought of it before was beyond him.
O
Sam fidgeted uncomfortably in her seat, flinching as the barman walked in her direction, a solitary drink on his tray. Lowering her gaze to her shoes, she willed the panic she felt rising from deep within her to disperse, to be channelled into her brain in the way it normally did; to produce some clarity and direction from the overdose of adrenaline flooding her body.
It took all of her restraint not to gasp as the barman stopped before her, placing another drink on the table.
"From the gentleman in the far corner," he explained, walking away.
She looked for the first time in that direction, and froze. No. No, she was tripping. Had to be. Imagining things. She was totally making up the image of Baal, sat in O'Malleys, System Lord Baal - raising his glass to her with a self-satisfied smile on his lips. He was a Goa'uld, there were no Goa'uld on Earth, no Goa'uld…Earth…
The panic, which had been slowly spiralling around in her belly, exploded suddenly and she jerked from her seat, shocking the couple next to her. Ignoring their dry comments, she kept her eyes on Baal as she made her way towards the exit. She was surprised, and more than a little unnerved, when he made no move to follow her. Instead, he relaxed further back in his chair and smiled, a smile that was almost seductive, his dark eyes never leaving hers. A shiver coursed through her body as she pulled open the door; but whether it was due to the night air or her close encounter, she could not be sure.
A moment too late she recalled the dodgy-looking men who had been loitering around the door, and found her cry for help obscured by a warm leather glove, felt a strong arm around her waist dragging her back from the door. She struggled against her captor with as much ferocity as she could manage, but her hands were fast behind her back and she was unable to speak. Squirming in the strong hold, she opened her mouth and bit down hard on the hand that covered it.
The hand dropped, its owner emitting a loud curse and momentarily lessening his grip on her. She took the opportunity and lurched away, only to find herself sprawled face down on the tarmac moments later, a throbbing pain in the right side of her face and the taste of blood in her mouth. Temporarily winded, she gasped at the pain when air hit her lungs, and became gradually aware of a low chuckling from behind her. She didn't need to turn around to know from whom it came.
"Don't try that again, my love," he said, his voice low and threatening, but with a lilt of condescension as she spat blood onto the ground. He bent down and hauled her roughly to her feet by the collar of her coat, his assistant taking control of her arms once more. She glared at him from beneath her lashes and made one last, futile struggle against the arms restraining her.
Baal reached into the pocket of his coat and pulled out a thin, metallic-looking object. Sam's eyes widened as the moonlight glinted off of it to reveal a syringe, full of something she didn't even want to contemplate.
"Hold her," he warned his accomplice as she tried to shrug him off of her once more.
As she felt the cool metal of the needle pierce her skin she cried out into the hand covering her mouth, but rapidly melted into darkness as she felt her knees give way beneath her, her body crumpling rapidly to the ground before she lost consciousness completely.
O
When Sam regained consciousness she was vaguely aware of movement; nausea overwhelmed her and she kept her eyes closed, drawing a deep breath before she tried to sit up or move.
"It was more for my protection than for yours," a smug voice informed her.
Sam opened her eyes and came face to face with Baal. Damn, she thought, so it wasn't just a really, really bad dream! Slumping back down to the…whatever she was lying on, her consciousness began its rhetorical tirade. Typical, just typical. My first downtime in a month and I'm captured by a System Lord. At home! Just a few miles from my house. Talk about bad luck. Really, why does it always have to be me?
He watched her, a smile playing around his lips as she tried to analyse the situation she was in. Judging by her compliance, she had realised that there was no escape and her best option was to remain still. However, judging by the injuries she had inflicted upon his accomplice, it may have just been a result of the drugs and he wasn't going to take any chances.
"Passionate creature, aren't you?" he laughed, stroking his finger across her cheek with an air of smug superiority which only maddened her further.
"Yeah? Well, you'd be "passionate" if you'd been kidnapped AGAIN on your own planet with nobody to know where the hell you'd been taken, nobody to feed your cat…"
She was rambling, and she knew it. Hell, she didn't even have a cat any more. Must have been whatever he injected me with, she mused. Swallowing back the bile which had risen once more in her throat she pulled herself into a sitting position, biting her lip against the pain which rose in her chest when she attempted this. Her eyes met his, dark and volcanic, and a spark of something passed between them which she felt burn in her chest. She dropped her gaze.
"What are you doing here?" she took an unsteady breath, "And what the hell have I got to do with it?"
"You, my love, are quite insignificant to my being here," he replied in a bored tone, "However once you had been alerted to the presence of the naquadah in my blood, I could not allow you to leave. You would have raised suspicion among your colleagues and I may have been discovered."
"So you decided to capture me instead?" she snapped, not hiding her sarcasm, "Smart move. They'll never come looking for me now."
"My dear Colonel," he purred, stalking forwards until his knees grazed hers, "How will they know where to look?" He took her chin in his hand and brushed his thumb across her lower lip, "It will not occur to them that you are right under their noses."
His face was inches from hers, those dark eyes so expressive and dangerous, boring into her even as they danced with sadistic amusement. He laughed and she felt his warm breath against her face, instantly repulsed by him, despite the reaction of her body to such proximity of another man. It had been such a long time, after all… But no. Ignoring the ache low in her belly she closed her eyes and tried to shift her body away from him, to the side. This was difficult considering that her hands and feet were bound by something and his strength was virtually unmatched.
"You cannot escape," he smiled, "That I promise you."
He withdrew then to watch her from a distance, but he had felt that same spark pass between them a few moments earlier. He wasn't entirely sure what it meant, but longed to find out. They continued travelling; it would not be much longer until they arrived at his base, a large complex just outside of Colorado Springs, which was near enough to keep an eye on the Earth's Stargate and simultaneously too close to arouse their suspicions. He crossed his arms and sat back against the interior of the vehicle, a satisfied expression on his face as he contemplated what to do with his latest guest.
O
To Be Continued…
Author's Note: Oooh! Feedback, anyone? I always answer and appreciate emails. Just click on my name. See you next chapter!
