[Updated 30/08/2017]
Chapter Eleven: Within the Lion's Den
Haran dismounted before the mouth of the cave, tugged the reins over the mustang's head and rubbed the bridge of its nose in adoration.
Assassins and caves, are we to expect Batman anytime soon? Sam thought to herself, while staring at the arrogant leader.
His gaze elicited a certain unease within her that slowly boiled in irritation. She deliberately showed the disgust on her facial features, and Teal'c too mirrored the same type of hostility. He disliked the manner in which Haran observed the Major, and made it known by moving closer to her. A brief smile curled her lips, but then quickly disappeared as the leader beckoned the group to follow.
Once inside, the Major noted a stone covered tunnel. Attached to its ceiling on the right, was a rope, which extended from the entrance into the depths unknown. Lanterns dangled from it every five metres, illuminating the way.
The journey was silent except for their shoes echoing underneath them. They had an eerie ring and it aggravated in annoyance.
If we don't find the Colonel soon . . . Sam stopped the thought once more. She could not understand her determination to use brutal force. She knew if she was patient enough the solution would present itself. That was what she convinced herself to believe from the moment of his disappearance. She wanted to throw caution to wind, but Daniel and Teal'c remained steadfast in their demeanour, treating this mission like any other.
The activation of the dais and the Colonel's vanishing: it's definitely linked somehow. Without a doubt. We had reacted in a similar fashion, both lost in some sort of spell; explains why I have this need to rescue him.
It may be that what I'm sensing is what the Colonel's facing at the moment – a clear sense of frustration, and it won't be the first time he's felt this way. Stop it, Samantha! Pull yourself together. You're not linked, just upset. Teal'c and Danny, they're also upset, no need to analyse this.
Carter shook herself free from the lurking panic and noted the change in scenery.
They had entered a hundred metre boxed corridor, encased by blackish metal. Shafts of daylight entered through the ceiling in ten-metre intervals, making it seem like depressed guillotine blades. Dust particles freely danced within these shafts.
Up ahead, Sam observed Haran as he quietly led the horse, and disappeared behind a curtain of light, as if Thor had beamed him away. Yet once they passed through the same curtain, the warrior appeared again in a dimly lit profile.
At the end of the corridor, two soldiers parted double doors with ease, revealing what appeared to be a large industrial warehouse. A cargo plane's hangar would fit comfortably within its dimensions and no one would find it.
The guards ushered SG1 past the threshold and halted, allowing the team to examine the spacious area.
The complete left side instantly grabbed Sam's attention, her eyes observing men, women, and children separated in to five groups of ten, situated between five different arenas. Sections that consisted of sparring, handgun training, archery, sword fighting, and an exercise Sam dubbed as a mixture of gymnastics and climbing. Her eyes squinted, for beyond this was a large space cordoned with wooden walls, reminding her of a training scenario in Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six, a video game she'd briefly seen her nephew play. This one however, was a testing ground suited for applying all five fighting categories in combination.
On the right side, erected stalls with canvas tops covered the space from corner to corner. Each of which contained fresh goods – native vegetables, meats, fruits, spices, enough to feed at least two hundred mouths. To Carter's immediate right, she saw a teenage boy escorting Haran's horse alongside a pitched tent, and then disappear to where she surmised were the booths for the stallions.
The team were lost in a daze for a few minutes, absorbing the nomadic lifestyle. Daniel mentally combing through the history of Japan, which resembled the age of assassins, Teal'c evaluating the enemy's strengths and weaknesses, and Carter, fascinated by the sky up above.
"Aah, I see your eyes have found a precious jewel." The leader declared proudly.
Her vision flitted from where a cloud drifted by to Haran, her expression neutral as not to encourage him in any way. As handsome as he may be, Sam was glad she belonged to someone else.
His right hand panned the air above as he spoke, "A strong thick glass covers the whole area shedding the clan in beautiful sunshine by day, and a soft artificial glow by night."
Her fascinated blues followed the gesture and came to rest on his. "It's one way?" She asked, satisfying her technical mind.
A curt nod confirmed her assumption and elicited many others. Sudden guilt surged within, and she swallowed, reigning in those scientific impulses. The Colonel's well-being surpassed this discovery, but she could not help but think how this would aide earth's defences.
"Samantha." Haran purred as he extended his hand in her direction.
A shiver ran down her spine.
"There is something I would like to show you. It will make this fascination seem meek in comparison." His coaxing voice awoke gooseflesh on her skin, making her hair stand on end.
No way in hell, am I going with you, Harry.
Teal'c came to her rescue, words like a mallet, "We go as a team, or we don't go at all."
Haran cackled, eyes sparkling. "It seems your guardian disagrees with my invitation."
"So do I." Carter countered with a stern tone, jaw set.
At her reply, the warrior's expression twisted in irritation. "You are in my domain and utterly outnumbered. You will do as I say and leave when I deem necessary."
"I have a conflict with that statement." Daniel spoke up, smiling like a Cheshire cat.
"Of course you do, Dr Jackson." Haran eyed him with a raised brow, matching the archaeologist's' smile. "Your leader will activate the Ring within a few hours. If you fail to respond, he will send more men with strict instructions not to approach the dais." A sneer curled his lips enjoying the team's shocked expressions. "They will search the canyon, find nothing, and then return from whence they came. You see, we only make ourselves known when and how we choose. They would be fortunate to leave with their lives intact." He opened his arms, gesturing at the displeased Doctor and Jaffa, "You will remain here, and you . . ." Then he motioned at Sam, stating with authority, ". . . will come with me."
After the team's separation, bitterness clung to the Major like a wet garment, hiding the resentment she felt towards the clan leader. She was no toy, nor was she a lamb he could guide wherever he wished. If he knew her like SG1 did, he would know he was leading a lioness with a strong will. One whom had fought and defeated many like him.
A brief smile graced her countenance yet quickly faded as she commanded inwardly: leave him for later Sam. Colonel O'Neill comes first.
Fear taunted her senses at the mention of his name. She wanted to shove Haran aside, and run . . . run and run until she could no longer.
The urgency returned in its full glory as it fuelled the need to react. It was as if the Samantha Carter had disintegrated, and had merged with someone else's desperation, panic, and . . . defeat.
Like a frantic windmill, blood pumped adrenaline through her body, and her heart suddenly lurched, muscles tensing as if restrained from accelerating forward. A switch flipped inside, and her military discipline faded, as instincts mirrored an arrow, and the outlandish feelings propelled it like a bowstring.
The low-lit corridor became distant in her mind.
Thoughtless, Carter rammed the guard next to her against the concrete wall. His head ricocheted with the nasty whiplash, and then unwillingly sunk down to his rear, noticeably disorientated.
From the left, a dagger slithered through the air, but she avoided it with swift proficiency, and countered with an elbow to the woman's stomach, supporting it with relentless vigour. Hot breath exhaled upon impact and Carter flipped the winded warrior over her right shoulder, concluding the attack with a stomp to the head.
On the cold floor, beside the prone woman, the guard abruptly groaned in discomfort and sat up. In mere seconds, Sam ripped the woman's sidearm from its holster, and slammed the butt-end against his temple, joining his friend in oblivion shortly thereafter.
Out of breath, her vision suddenly cleared, and she spun toward where she knew the clan leader stood. The gun cocked, while her fierce gaze connected with that of Haran. He had positioned his body into a side stance, weapon coolly raised in her direction, while he schooled an impressed expression.
"No need for that, Samantha." He waved the handgun sardonically. "Lower the weapon. You will achieve nothing in this manner."
"Stop it!" Sam yelled. "I've had enough. Take me to the Colonel. Now!"
Haran chuckled at her forthrightness, and holstered his weapon.
"Even if you did manage to get past me, my people would have stopped you." He placed his hand on his sword's grip, and then shaped his jaw as if she was his subordinate. "They know how to deal with annoying . . ."
Carter aimed the sidearm above his head and pulled the trigger.
The bullet penetrated the stone ceiling and scattered pulverized cement over Haran's hair and shoulders, dirtying his silky cloak. He breathed deeply; eyelashes blinking away the dust particles, and gently exhaled, slowly opening his dark eyes.
One of his soldiers stealthily grabbed the woman's poised arm from behind, and shoved it towards her back, while the gun clattered to the stone floor with a deafening metal tone. A soft yelp slipped through her lips as she continued to struggle in the guard's grip, clearly unhappy with the turn of events.
Opposing them, Haran wiped the dust from his shoulders, at the same time as the guard enforced his hold on Sam's wrist. She reluctantly stopped thrashing, listening as the leader's footfalls echoed in the passage, slothfully approaching them. He halted before the Major, and accepted her scowl, relishing her skirmish with a devious smile that gradually deepened. Attentively, his brown eyes observed how she swallowed, squared her jaw, all the while her gaze gored him in livid anger.
Clearly, he disgusted her and this made him trace her cheek in reply.
The Major flinched at the touch, turning her head away; however, the guard restricted her movement. Haran's vile hand delicately slid down her jawline and then vehemently seized her chin. She tried to pull away, but the warrior forced eye contact, gazing into her furious blue eyes.
"You have to understand Samantha Carter. . ." He said strong and taciturn. ". . . I allowed you the honour of disarming my warriors."
She frowned, her mind analysing his words, for he could not have predicted her behaviour. Not even she did, as it was an irrational outburst.
"You are inadvertently joined with your commander."
Her world slow motioned, the background distorting. Haran's smug countenance blurred before her eyes, whilst the pain inflicted by the guard's fierce grip, slowly vanished. His words suddenly clamped around her mind like an eagle's talons, sinking in deep, and then panic erupted within her body paralysing muscles, tendons, and sinew. Her knees hastily buckled, and she collapsed into a pair of strong arms, which grabbed her by the arms and another by her legs.
The Major was unaware of how long they carried her, but during the movement, she felt every single hitched breath, every skipped heartbeat, and all paralysing fear, as if Jack O'Neill was being torn apart limb for limb.
Carter's world refocused and she kicked at the one assailant, whilst her arms fought for release from the other. However, the men stayed the course and escorted her into a partially lit room. Haran released his grip around her feet, letting it fall down with a thud, whilst the guard propelled her sideways against a wall. Pain shot down her back and she groaned in response, shoulder aching with pain.
In her peripheral view, Haran swept his palm at the source of the only light filtering into the room. An observation window, which encompassed half of the wall, permitted white fluorescent light to enter through from the room enjoining theirs.
Turning her body towards the window, her eyes sighted a half dozen translucent monitors mounted against the left wing, displaying different frames of a man running through a misty forest. From there, her gaze traversed the thick cables running up to the ceiling and then overhung to the only light fixture in the room, down to . . . Colonel!
Carter gasped through the hand that covered her lips, while she observed the object of the team's pursuit. It had ended here in a room with a white floor. Their C.O. fastened to an upright metal slab in the shape of a star, while electrodes ran along his forehead, and wires protruded from his chest and extended towards where a machine, to his left, monitored both his vitals and brain activity.
Understanding dawned like the morning light, her eyes darting to the displaying monitors.
Daniel had questioned the truth behind the translations, flagging it as deception, but here before her eyes, the Colonel was definitely lost within a virtual world.
She darted for the door next to the window, but Haran intercepted her, arm snaking around her waist, and swung her away. "Let go!" Sam demanded through pursed lips.
Laughter rattled through his battle leathers, before he hurled her towards the guard. He barked out an order, "Restrain her!" Then, jabbed his finger at her, "It's time you learn who is in charge."
"You've been quiet since the beginning of our pursuit Dr Jackson. Why is that?"
Teal'c's baritone voice echoed in the tent they were occupying. His gaze drifted from the archaeologist following his line of sight.
"Yeah, been thinking." Daniel replied as he observed some men sparring. "I thought we were dealing with an Ancient outpost, due to the translations' derivation of Latin. But then I saw how Haran's soldiers worked in the canyon, and Japan immediately came to mind. Especially the era of the samurais." He paused wincing as the one soldier hit the floor with a loud thud. "Yet, when I saw this culture . . ."
"They are neither." Teal'c supplied, watching a sword match between a man and woman.
"Exactly! Haran's name gave it away. It's Arabic, and this way of life, Bedouin, an advanced one at that, due to how they behave toward their women and children. There's more leniency, obviously, because they strive on this unique fighting discipline. On earth, they're known for their mixture of stationary and nomadic lifestyles, inhabiting desert lands in North Africa and the Middle East. In the early A.D's, they were impressive warriors highly skilled in this type of battle form. Rulers of the desert, ruthless fighters, loyal lovers, and family bound."
"They are indeed skilled in deception."
Daniel gazed down at the plush cushions and sunk down, grabbing a fruit from the bowl next to him.
"That's why I couldn't get a grip on who we were dealing with, and frankly, Jack's disappearance made it harder to concentrate." He took a juicy bite and continued to watch some warriors scaling different sized pillars.
Teal'c turned his body on the fighting, and clasped his hands before his stomach.
"Now, that you have identified their culture, what do you suggest we do? I would not ignore their knowledge about the Goa'uld, and I've seen enough to know we're amidst an army . . . not a peaceful race."
"Bedouins traditionally had strong honour codes and traditional systems of justice. If you give me time to remember their history correctly, I might a have way for us to leave here with our lives intact. Maybe find out why they're not under a System Lord's control."
The Jaffa bowed his head in understanding, and then raised his one eyebrow, "It should be done immediately. I did not like the way Haran handled Major Carter. I think it's no coincidence he selected her."
"Explain." The nectarine in Daniel's hand stopped midway, staring now with a confused expression.
"After O'Neill vanished, I saw turmoil within Major Carter."
"Nothing new, we're all concerned about Jack. He tends to bring the best out of us."
Teal'c acknowledged the Doctor's sarcasm with a curt nod, but his concern remained. "I believe the dais and the cloak are connected. Therefore, the conflict she experienced . . ."
Jackson jumped up at the revelation, exclaiming, "Is Jack's."
"Indeed." A wry smile curled the Jaffa's lips.
Daniel's expression fell. "Ah, we have a problem though. We need a knife and Haran for the plan to work. Furthermore, he seems to know what we're going to do before we even do it."
"Then we continue to be ourselves."
The Jaffa slowly tilted his body towards the tent entrance, and positioned his hands behind his back. Gazing out on the different arenas, a mischievous glint formed in his eyes, a devious smile not far behind.
Awareness surged into her mind like water into a dam, and pulled her from the oblivion she was currently occupying. She moaned as pain followed suit and travelled from the nape of her neck over her skull ending in her forehead. It furrowed in confusion, which only spurred the discomfort.
Sam moved her hand, but something kept it in place. She tried the other one, yet the same thing happened. Upon further examination, she determined that they had restrained her just like the Colonel.
Pain clamped down on her head, forcing a throaty shout through her lips. Tears glistened in response. Her eyelids sluggishly opened as she fought against the sharp gleam cast by the overhead light. Gradually, Jack filtered into view and she noticed his still sullen features, closed eyes, clearly lost in another world. Fear attacked her emotions again, feeding the agonizing headache.
A loud terrifying shout filled the room, while Sam fought against the different sensations flooding its way through her soul. She wanted it to stop. Sobbed for the torture to end, yet the more she assessed the Colonel's well-being the more she underwent.
"You should stop thinking about O'Neill . . ." Her head moved to the right in search of the voice. ". . . or your agony will only escalate."
Haran emerged from the shadows and stood before her, blocking her view. The torture suddenly subsided, yet not the antagonizing feelings.
"The more you think, the more pain you will feel, the more you will suffer."
Carter panted, working through the feelings, using military discipline to push them aside.
Haran's playful smile wrinkled the scar on his right cheek.
"I have taken your military training into consideration, Samantha. You are indeed a resilient warrior, but even the strong fall."
He stepped aside permitting the Major to gaze upon the Colonel.
"Gnhaaa! AAAH!" Sam's head writhed as she screamed long guttural screams.
"Your O'Neill is not far behind. He's showing signs of submission."
"NOOO! No! I don't . . . HAAA . . . believe you . . . AAH!"
She closed her eyes, sparing herself the discomfort, as she tried to contain her emotions.
"Honestly," He confessed, countenance schooling a disgusted snarl. "None of my warriors has reached this level of success. None have had the same recognisable endurance . . ." Carter cackled a shaky laugh, interrupting his admission. Shock flitted for a moment, but he quickly covered it with a wicked sneer. "With you here, he will no longer be a problem."
She ignored him, instead called out between agonising gasps, "Colonel! You have to fight it! Resist! It's not real. You have to fight . . ."
The warrior grabbed her chin, muffling her words. Carter responded with a dark glare.
"Look!" The command exploded in her face, while he shoved her head in the monitors' direction. "Does it appear as if he can hear you?"
On the close up frame, her eyes fleetingly glanced the Colonel's confusion, something that instigated more anguish. She struggled against Haran's grip, desiring to break eye contact with the footage, but he held her firmly in place.
"He's the cause of your pain."
His grip subsided, and he stepped away while he gazed beyond her, and curtly nodded.
Sam wanted to spit in his face, though the thought briefly came and went in her mind, for the torture session superseded her will to do so. She was tired, in need of a respite and in no mood to quarrel.
Electrodes suddenly came into her peripheral view and her eyes revealed the recognition of his words.
"Yes, Samantha. It's by sheer luck that you were the one to touch the dais, and would likewise be the one O'Neill has a weakness for. I would not have chosen you if it were not the case." His voice echoed dimly in her ears, while someone placed a soft patch on her heart.
"Beyond those monitors there is a room identical to this one, with the same technology. From there, we send people into the virtual reality created by the test subject. We also have the means of manipulating the scenarios to best suit the initiator's weaknesses. O'Neill cannot help but confront his worst nightmares, and now, you will be one of them."
He paused for a moment, allowing the news to sink in, and smiled deceitfully when Sam responded in kind – eyes wide open, fear laced pupils and stunned expression plainly displayed.
"You will be one another's worst enemy, Samantha."