A/N: Hello all my loving authors! Thank you so much for your kind reviews! Yes, there will be morphine handouts for anyone who needs them at the end of the chapter! I must say I've been so busy writing other fanfics(because I'm a crazy maniac about actually finishing them for once) that I've forgotten how I ended this story, guess we'll find out together! Hoping for like 4 or 5 reviews cause the other two got 3! Let's all be nice and help my dreams come true! Enjoy the chap everyone!
Quiet. Stillness. It was so peaceful compared to the chaos of before.
Daniel just focused on breathing slowly, steadily, letting the world amble by without him. Memory stayed just beyond his reach, his mind shrinking from the recent past events whenever it wandered near like the singe of a bonfire against tender skin. Time had no meaning as he drifted in a darkness. A soft, rhythmic swooshing sound lulled him and drew his curiosity at the same time. He gulped thickly throat burning slightly with thirst. Oblivion began to pull away from him now.
An ache seeped into his bone and flesh, marring the peaceful drifting.
He was faintly aware of the groan and that it was from himself. For some reason it did not bother him or surprise him that he had been the source of the sound. Memory of the assault and the trial and captivity began to filter back to him now. A throb in his leg, tension in his shoulders, back and the rest of his body really. His head was pounding now and he became aware that his arms were pinned at his sides. He squirmed slightly and fire lanced like hot tendrils up his arms and his legs. His shoulders felt like they sizzling him alive. A loud, metallic sliding sound scratched through the air followed by a harsh thunk. Daniel flinched in surprise whimpering faintly at the pain that coursed through him.
For the hours Daniel lay there, struggling to lay as still as possible, shivers from the growing cold pressing against him. He tried to keep his mind focused and calm. They had told him he was going to die here. They promised that his death would be slow and painful and that no one would come, except to collect his dead body. He tried not to believe them. Jack was coming. Jack always came through for him.
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O'Neill paced swiftly around the room his mind racing for ideas. An escape plan. That's what he needed to create. Daniel's life was depending on their escape and he couldn't think of a single idea. The room was impervious to weaknesses. The door was strong and thick and the hinges, again on the outside, were built to match. If they were getting out of here, it would have to be with help.
Abruptly Jack growls in desperate frustration and kicks the door hard. Now he knew what the door had done wrong to deserve the beating it'd received from Teal'c. It functioned effectively. Angrily he railed against it sharply over and over cursing it and insisting it break. After a while Jack gave up and had Teal'c work the door over while he massaged his aching shoulder. It didn't take long before a group of angry guards shows up and enter the cell to bark at them to be quiet. Jack didn't waste one second starting a brawl against them throwing punches and kicks rapidly. Carter went down first, blood appearing on her uniform. Jack went next after several serious blows to the head quickly slipping into unconsciousness.
Teal'c never really went down. The guards took a small opportunity to escape the cell nursing their bruises when Teal'c paused in his attack for a moment to glance with worry at O'Neill and Carter seeing them go down. The room was totally silent for a long moment. Teal'c pressed a pair of fingers against the Colonel's neck satisfied his strong regular heart beat. He looked up at Sam next seeing her sitting against the wall clutching a bleeding wound on her side, face pinched with pain.
"Are you alright Captain Carter?" he asked examining for more injuries.
"I'll live it's not that bad." she replies grunting slightly as she added more pressure to the wound the bleeding already beginning to slow. It would be two hours before Jack slipped back into consciousness muttering curses immediately and cradling his throbbing head for a moment.
"What's our situation?" he grumbles needing to be informed again.
"Unchanged." Teal'c declared bluntly. Jack threw out a few choice words under his breath gaining momentum developing into an entire tirade of swearing. This was officially a bad day. Then the door swung open and snapped shut abruptly before any could even realize and a scrawny sandy haired, freckle faced boy knelt before them back against the door, lips pursed and a finger pressed across the center of his lips vertically. A guard sauntered by then looking into the cell for a moment then moves on without a word.
"Kale?" Carter whispers hoarsely with surprise.
"I'll explain everything later. Please, we have to hurry there's still time to save Daniel. I have a horse outside but she can't carry all of us. You two will have to follow after us." he instructs hurriedly pointing at Carter and Teal'c. Jack hesitated for a moment not wanting to split up the group but he realized that it was the only way to get Daniel back alive.
"Alright. Where's our stuff?" he asks eyeing the door cautiously.
"Down the hall to the right. Come we must hurry O'Neill. Telnan and Orak have already returned. Daniel does not have long." the kid grabs Jack's sleeve and pulls him to the door opening it and peering around. Kale gave O'Neill just enough time to grab the medical supplies before he dragged him off to the horse and away they galloped, Carter and Teal'c picking their slower way behind watching for danger.
Hang on Daniel. We're coming.
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Daniel drifted in the silence the swoosh slow and short now. He jumped occasionally when the metal thunk occurred, unable to determine how often it was happening. Every now and then he would strain against whatever was holding him down but the burning pain stopped him quickly each time. The darkness was making him severely claustrophobic. The walls he couldn't see were bearing down on him ominously and he began to jump at sounds that weren't there and shadows within the shadows of the blindfold.
"Jack! Sam! Teal'c! Is anyone there?!" he shouts shakily. The silence that answered him was overwhelming. Suddenly the loud clang sounded again and when the swooshing sound approached and a sharp slicing bit into his skin, the depth of a paper cut, on his neck blood beginning to drip slowly down his neck. Daniel's endurance broke as another slice was made.
"Help! Somebody! Help me! Please! Help me!" he bellowed hoarsely gagging with recoil as the object cut deeper. Daniel squirmed terrified trying to get away from what he assumed was some kind of blade. The pain wasn't enough to deter him from pulling hard against his restraints pain erupting like the blast of a supernova up his legs, shoulders, arms and throat.
He was barely aware of the blood dripping across his skin and the flesh tearing from his struggles the haze returned so quickly. He felt so heavy now. He could barely move. His head tossed weakly pain seeping through him as the blade rent his flesh. It slowly became hard to breath and unconsciousness overtook him as Daniel was slowly decapitated.
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Jack grunted dropping from the horse outside what looked to be a city carved into the cliff face. Jack was surprised when Kale led the horse into the stone city with them and even more so when he released it in an indoor stable complete with grass lawn. He was quick to sort through the few bags they had brought and then darted down a hall.
"This way, it is a long way to where Daniel will be very deep in the city, far from any that might stumble upon such a vile discipline." Kale explained not bothering to see if Jack was behind him. He knew that he couldn't lose the man during this mission if he tried. They jogged in silence the deeper they got into the stone city and the dampness grew. Jack occasionally shivered despite the rigorous jogging. He could only wonder how cold Daniel was at this time. It didn't go unnoticed by him that Kale was avoiding say what exactly was being done to kill Daniel. The only thing Jack could tell for sure was that whatever this method of execution was it disgusted him to no limit.
An hour passed and they were still having to jog deeper. Jack could see that Kale was beginning slow with tiredness. He had to say the kid was pretty fit for his age. He could see him trying to just tough it out.
"How much longer kid? Are we going to even get there soon enough?" he demanded impatiently. Kale was about to answer when the ominous, ghostly echoes of choked sobbing reached their ears bouncing off every stone wall. They both froze eyes wide for a moment as the sound faded away to overwhelming silence again.
"We are close. If we run we may be able to make it to him in what you call 20 minutes." Kale whispered solemnly. Jack didn't respond in any other way than to run full tilt down the corridor. They would make it in ten.
Hang on Daniel. We're coming. I'm coming.
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They were here. Jack knew it by the overpowering smell of blood that burned his nostrils. Kale's body grew tense and rigid in movement. He too knew they'd arrived. The only sound was a loud swooshing and a single ominous clunk of metal on metal. Jack eyed the shudder that worked through Kale's body and was genuinely afraid of what was in the room. Flashes of Daniel dead from dozens of horrific deaths bombarded his mind and momentarily clouded his vision before he shook his head violently and regained control.
Then they stepped into the room.
Blood. There was so much blood. A table in the center of the room shaped like a man, a man made of paper but square in shape. A giant curved blade like a battle axe on a stick hanging upside down swung on a pendulum crimson smeared across its blade. Fresh blood. Captive between the two was Daniel.
Jack's blood froze. His friend looked….looked dead.
"Come! We must hurry!" snapped Kale who darted forward slipping out of the path of the blade and it arched down again the sound of it slicing into the archaeologist was wet and sick. Jack snapped out of his horrified trance and followed Kale quickly taking up position on the other side of the table on Daniel's left. His stomach rolled nauseatingly at the sight of his friend.
He was paler than death, tear stains dried down his cheeks, red droplets from blood spray, a rough blindfold around his eyes. His chest heaved as if he were gasping for air yet no sound could be heard to confirm he was actually breathing. A flurry of movement drew his attention his stomach lurching painfully as he realized that Kale was trying to work a spike out of Daniel's arm pinning him to the table. Further investigation showed a spike driven straight through the arm Jack stood next to as well as a spike just above each ankle. Jack O'Neill felt sick. He scrambled to work it free from his arm but it was slick with blood and he kept losing his grip. A loud squelch and a clatter of the nail signaled Kale had loosed one hand and went to the ankle next. Daniel had remained eerily unresponsive and perfectly still as they worked Jack finally getting his spike to slip free and threw it passionately across the room. It only took a second, another loud clank spurring him to Daniel's ankle and working the last spike free a chill raking up his spine as it pulled bits of bone with it and they fell with tiny patters to the floor.
Jack looked up to see the blade swinging back down towards Daniel and rushed back to his shoulders yanking him off the table by his waist with a slight roll so they landed on the ground next to the table with Daniel sprawled lifelessly across O'Neill's lap. He could feel the weak tremble that shook his friend and how deathly cold his skin felt. It terrified him. His lips were blue and now that he was truly looking so were the bases of his fingernails. Fresh blood trickled from the horrific slash across the throat and every breathe, terribly weak as it was, now gurgled small bubbles up from the wound.
"Get me something to press on the wound, we need to make it stop bleeding…hurry." Jack ordered sharply his black ops experience keeping him functional. With a gentility none would expect from a military man such as himself he pulled off the blindfold and brushed the sweat soaked hair back off of Daniel's face. Kale appeared before him with a white cloth, not looking all that clean, but it wasn't important, it would do the job. At the moment Jack was more worried about making sure Daniel even survived long enough for infection to be a worry.
As he reached for the cloth Daniel's head lolled back lifelessly and he began to gurgle, choke and cough pitifully. The trembles worsened sharply but his body was just so frail that it wasn't at all a strong action. Jack swiftly propped his head back forward realizing instantly as Daniel stopped choking and took a less of a weak breath that when his head was forward it pushed the rent flesh together and formed a bit of a seal so that he could actually breath. He pressed the cloth against the wounded throat firmly but no so much as to cut off what little air supply his friend had left. Kale was working on the other bleeding wounds tying clothes around them to staunch the flow.
"This leg is badly broken and he barely breathes," Kale whispered solemnly feeling Daniel's leg through the pants.
"I know Kale…I know. We need to take him out of this room, somewhere we can treat him better. Is there a room with a bed? Or a table?" Jack looked down abruptly seeing his friend tossing his head weakly and a small high pitched exhalation of air that was most likely meant to be a moan. Desperate to comfort him Jack ran his hand through his hair for a moment pushing the strands of hair away from his face again. To his surprise Daniel's eyes fluttered open sluggishly and a look that seemed like dull surprise, as if he'd not expected to be able to see flashed across face.
"J---J…ggg….Ja…" Daniel gurgled and choked with a harsh cough blood trickling from the corner of his mouth as he weakly attempted to speak. Jack kept on hand pressing the cloth to his throat carefully and brought the other up to wipe away the blood from his mouth.
"Shh, don't talk Daniel, its ok, you're safe now." He soothed trying hard to keep the fear from tingeing his voice. He looked up at Kale who nodded and pointed down another hall. Jack quickly and carefully scooped his friend into a carry making sure he was slumped forward and able to breathe then, ignoring his knees, followed Kale through a short set of corridors until they emerged into what appeared to be a bed chamber. He immediately settled his charge in the center of the bed on top of the blankets that were oddly fresh and not dusty as everything else had been.
They worked quickly stripping away the torn and bloody clothes. Kale pressed clean cloths to the open and bleeding wounds firmly but gently while Jack had moved by his leg the bruise from before now livid and twice as large. Careful probing found it to be broken, and Jack had his doubts that it was a clean break. It didn't feel clean to him. A gurgling moan drew his attention back to Daniel's face.
Everything was foggy and confused. He couldn't breath. It hurt to exist. There were presences hovering around him. The realization struck fear in him. There was a high wail screeching inside his head and he could feel sticky sweat drenching him. He peeled his eyes open sluggishly out of habit and thought they felt sticky and heavy to him. The world was blurred and so far away. He couldn't quite comprehend what occurred around him. The fact that he could see anything at all was new to him. There was movement at his side and then a face was hovering in his narrow field of vision. The lips were moving as if speak but he couldn't quite catch their meaning as the words filtered into his mind after the fact. A hand, there was a hand cupping his cheek. He followed its movement as it began to run through his hair the motion soothing eyes beginning to slip closed again. Sleep. He just needed to sleep.
"No Daniel, stay awake buddy, don't go to sleep," Jack ordered softly no longer running his hand through Daniel's hair realizing that it was lulling him towards sleep. He struggled to raise his eyelids again. So tired. So much pain. He could barely hear Jack calling to him; coaxing him to remain conscious.
"J…J-J'k" he coughed violently in response to the barely whispered mumble. A hand materialized on each side of his face holding him still.
"Easy Danny, easy just breathe. In and out, nice and shallow Daniel. That's it, keep breathing," he coached pushing back the worry from his expression only showing the confidence and strength needed. While he seemed to be breathing as best he could again his eyes were starting to roll back and slip closed again.
"No Daniel, don't sleep, you have to stay awake," Jack tapped his cheek to rouse him again pleased to see those glazed blue eyes appear again half open.
"H'rts," wheeze, cough, hack, "c-c-old," barely able to breathe. So much pain. Everything's beginning to float away. He doesn't want to stop it. Please, let it take him away.
"I know Daniel, I know but you gotta fight it. You have to stay awake ok buddy? We'll get you warmed up soon as we can," Jack encouraged pressing his fingers gently to Daniel's wrist. The pulse was dangerously weak and thready. He looked up at his friend again and saw that he'd slipped away into oblivion again. With a sense of urgency he found a scrap of paper…a label of or something, he wasn't really paying attention, and scribbled Daniel's condition onto it then shoved it into Kale's hand.
"You run fast as you can to Teal'c and Carter, give this to them and tell them to go to the gate and bring back the Doc and tell them we need at least 2 teams for backup, preferably three, one at the gate, one to get us and one in the middle. Go." Kale bolted out of the room silently with a quickness that surprised even the colonel.
A/N: Morphine here! Get your morphine! It's in the little dispenser at the bottom. Click the review and get the morphine!
P.S: I don't own any of this so don't sue me...you'd only get my debt....