The Tegan Chronicles

Intuition and Lies 4

Her neck hurt from the awkward angle her head had hung at after she'd drifted off. Jack had told them to try and get some rest, easier said than done when confined upright to a wall.

"How long was I out?" She struggled to look at her watch.

Jack shrugged, he knew it was less than twenty minutes. "We should have checked in with Hammond twelve hours ago."

Tegan stuck her chin out pointing in the direction of the door just as Hek'tu walked in.

"So, has anyone come to their senses yet, or is it time for me to show you just what I am capable of?" She walked up to Teal'c and looked him over, then moved on to Jack. She made it a point to look over each member of SG1 with great scrutiny before moving back to the middle of the group and pointing to Tegan. "Jaffa kree."

She hated that word, she knew it could mean anything, and in this instance it meant she would be the first to be tortured.

"No." Jack commanded.

"Then you will answer my question."

"Take me." He spoke with more conviction then he actually felt. He would have said it no matter which of his team was being sent to slaughter. The thought made him shiver.

"I've made my choice." She looked back at the Jaffa who had stopped his task and pointed to Tegan again.

Tegan waited until her feet were free before she tried to kick the large burly man. She might as well have tried to kick a brick wall for all the good it did. He pulled her by her arms while another Jaffa fished a single shackle out of the yellow liquid using a special pole. She tried to use her weight to throw him off balance, but it was no use. She looked at Jack as the shackle was secured around her left wrist. As her eyes traveled over each one of her team members she didn't say a word, she didn't scream for them to save her. She didn't have to. Where her voice would not betray her, her expression did.

Tegan jerked back as Hek'tu turned the crank herself. The chain pulled tight and slowly pulled her forward. She put her right hand on the stone edge and used it to counter balance, afraid of falling into the stagnant liquid face first. She gasped lightly as the ice cold water swirled around her forearm. Hek'tu stopped cranking when the liquid had reached her elbow. With in a few seconds the coldness turned to a deep stinging burn, white fire crackled along her nerve endings, and she let out a horrific cry as she jerked against her entrapments. After several strong pulls her arm was free, but not without consequences, the flesh had been de-gloved from her hand, leaving exposed bone and portions of muscle. Tegan felt her wrist pull free and did her best to cup her hand before bringing it out of the acid sending the liquid and flesh splashing up into Hek'tu's face.

Despite the show with the rat earlier, Jack didn't think he'd ever seen anything like it; the rest of the flesh that had been exposed to the acid was dripping off in a watery slime next to her boots. When it ate through the ligaments in her hand the bones landed on top of the pile of liquefied flesh. He wasn't sure how she was still standing. The pain alone would have been enough to cause most people to lose consciousness.

"We're going to die here." Daniel muttered under his breath. As if in answer to his unuttered prayer the sound of rapid gunfire echoed in the room. Hek'tu was hit several times in the chest before stumbling and tripping, falling into the vat of acid, as her small militia of guards were caught without proper fire power.

"Nice timing SG9, we could've used you guys about ten minutes ago."

"Major you're…" Major Hasher ignored Jack.

"I… uh." Tegan looked around in a daze; she wasn't sure what had happened after the burning started in her arm. She'd missed one hell of a fire party from the looks of it. She caught the blood soaking Daniel's fatigues. "Daniel's been hit."

"I think she's in shock." Sam stepped up to Tegan after one of SG9's members freed her from her bonds. "Someone take care of Daniel, I've got her. Tegan?"

"I'm not in shock." Tegan looked down at her arm, or what was left of it. It continued to burn as if the skin and muscle was still intact. Tegan reasoned it was the inflamed nerves as she pulled absently at her belt.

"Let me." Sam tried to help.

"No." Tegan looked up at one of the torches at the entrance of the room. "I need…"

Sam watched Tegan struggle to find the word and in frustration she pointed to one of the torches. "Colonel could you?"

Jack looked behind him to see what she was pointing to and quickly retrieved it. As he started to hand it to her, she shook her head. "Just hold it."

He lifted it higher.

"Lower." She waited until it was at the right height before she pushed her injured limb into the flame. The white heat from the acid was all she felt even as the smell of burning flesh filled the dank room.

"Kiser!" He pulled the flame back.

"Hold still." Her voice was firm despite her swimming head. "It's the best way to stop the bleeding."

A few seconds later she passed out, and Teal'c scooped her up into his waiting arms.

"Colonel O'Neill?"

"Hasher?" He turned, not sure he liked his tone.

"We uh, we blew up the ring room when we got here."

"You what?"

"It couldn't be helped sir."

"How far are we from the gate?"

"According to the UAV we're about 20 clicks away sir."

Jack closed his eyes and counted to ten rather than rip Major Hasher's head from his body.

"Alright, we need to make a stretcher for both Daniel and Kiser." He stepped up so he was toe to toe with Major Hasher. "And I'd better not hear one complaint from your 'boys' about marching straight through, is that understood?"

"Yes sir."

They'd walked about ten miles when Jack felt the weight on the stretcher shift and then become obsolete.

"O'Neill." Teal'c drew his attention to the fact Tegan had just rolled off the stretcher.

"Ugh." She brushed the dirt from her mouth where she had just done a face plant.

"Hold up." He called ahead. "Let's stop here for a few minutes."

Sam came back when she saw Tegan sitting on the ground looking at her arm.

"Next time moan or something before you roll off the damn stretcher, will ya?"

She ignored Jack as she examined the charred bones sticking out of her arm. "This is going to hurt."

"Tegan?" Sam was already pulling a morphine injector out of her cargo pocket.

Tegan looked up. "Just help me to my feet, and get ready to catch me. I won't be needing that."

Sam looked worriedly at her but helped her to her feet.

Tegan stood there for a second before doing her best to crouch without falling. She leaned so her ulna and radius were on the ground and she put her left boot on top of them.

"What the hell are you doing Kiser?" Jack stepped forward to stop her, just as she stood up. An unnatural scream welled in her chest and died in her throat as she slipped back into unconsciousness. The two bones having been pulled free, lay on the ground.

Sam and Teal'c moved her back on the makeshift gurney.

"Why'd she have to go and do that?" Jack swallowed the bile that was licking the back of his throat.

"I don't know sir." Sam examined the wound. "I need to put a dressing on this, it's probably already infected."

"Do what you need to do Carter."

"Yes sir."