Vala was exhausted, weak and in constant pain. But she continued to tirelessly keep her friends alive another day. She kept that mantra to herself daily, but it was becoming difficult with so little to eat or drink to sustain her strength. She unconsciously lay at Daniels feet, trying to hold onto some semblance that she was aware of Daniels presence. She remembered Daniel wanting to marry her. She remembered that he said something about loving her, or maybe it was a dream she thought. She could barely think straight anymore. Her mind wondered to why she was in this place, why these people were in the cell with her. It was becoming difficult to maintain staying awake. She seemed to think she was there for some crime she committed, but couldn't remember what it was. She could hear voices again, but tried to ignore them. Someone kept calling her, telling her that she needed to stay alive, needed to be strong. These words meant something to her, but she just didn't register for what reason. She wanted to sleep, to just have a moments rest to gather her thoughts. She was always on edge, thinking they're coming for her, coming for her. She felt cold, sticky, and dirty. Something terrible happened to her, she surmised in her mind, but she refused to acknowledge what. Always someone was pulling at her, hitting her. She wanted to make it all stop, if she just could sleep for awhile. Just sleep.
Vala could hear footsteps coming down the hallway. The footsteps seemed to be everywhere and nowhere but in her head. She cringed and moved away from Daniel and crawled over near the wall. Too many thoughts were going thru Daniels mind and Sam, Mitchell and Teal'c were just as restless as he was. Each of them gave each other looks of coming up with a plan to stop Vala's pain. As the footsteps stopped, Daniel and the rest looked up. In the doorway was a tall man, rigid in stature, and an unreadable face. He walked over to each member and looked them in the eyes, making sure they saw who he was. He slowly walked over to Vala and starred, not moving, just starring. This unnerved Daniel.
Don't touch her. Please don't touch her. I'll kill you, you son of a bitch. Leave her alone. What do you want with her?
"Do you remember me snake? Do you remember how you made others suffer to satisfy your need for power? How does it feel to be at the other end of the stick? How does it feel for someone you love watch, as you suffer over and over and over, without end? How does it feel to be raped and beaten and no one cares." Hmmm. Answer snake."
"LEAVE HER ALONE. WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS TO HER?" Screamed Daniel. As soon as he opened his mouth, Daniel realized he had just condemned Vala for more attacks. He wish he could take it back, but he couldn't watch Vala, being berated from this new threat.
"Because I can." Sneered Kraco. He looked back at Vala and kicked her in the stomach. Vala groaned in pain, and curled up into a ball as self preservation called upon her, trying to protect her mid section.
"Who I am, is no consequence to you. But I'm going to make Quetesh remember who I am and what she did. She is responsible for who I am, and now, I thank her for it. Otherwise I would not have the pleasure of catching her and watching her die slowly."
"Quetesh? This is about Quetesh? Now Daniel understood why they called Vala a snake.
"This is Vala. She was a host to Quetesh. The Gou'ald symbiote took over her body. She is free of Quetesh; she is no longer under her control. You have to stop this. She was an innocent victim." Stated Daniel.
"He's right." Interjected Sam. "Vala is no longer Quetesh. Your anger towards Vala is misplaced. Please stop this."
"You can't punish her for what Quetesh was controlling her to do. It's too late for past blame. Vala survived after the Tokra removed Quetesh. She has paid that price, when her own people tried to kill her. There's no need to torture her." Mitchell was trying to make a plea to stop this man from hurting Vala any further. Teal'c's muscles flinched, but he said nothing, only starring the man down.
Kraco was unmoving in his manner. He waved one of the guards over and whispered something in his ear. The guard left immediately. Something was up. They could all feel it. Four guards returned and two men in black coverall outfits followed them with a table in tow. There were straps on the table and they pushed it inside the cell. The guards grabbed Vala and placed her on the table, on her stomach. They strapped her tightly on the table and one of the two men placed a ball gag in Vala's mouth. He then strapped her head sideways, looking towards Daniel and her friends. They brought in another table with a machine which looked like to electrodes suspended at the sides. After securing Vala, the guards left and Kraco and the two men stayed. Kraco went to the corner as Vala tried to struggle to get free. Vala realized that something terrible was about to happen to her and her friends were made to watch.
"Proceed." Stated Kraco.
The machine lit up, with the electrode spears humming in sync. The first man was operating the machine while the other cut away Vala's back garment. He exposed her back and made sure she was secure to the table. He looked over to Kraco and he bowed his head in a yes manner. He then took one of the rods and began going down Vala's back. Vala could feel searing heat going down her back and she screamed, but the gag in her mouth controlled the sound. The rods where opening up Vala's back like a hot buttered knife. The rod was piercing all the way to her spine. It looked as if they were searching for something.
Daniel was going nuts trying to break free. He was shouting to stop and the rest were doing the same. Again Teal'c was bleeding, trying to break free of his restraints. They could smell the flesh on Vala's back burning and the hissing sound of heat on flesh. Vala was in agony. She was struggling for them to stop, but she was held tight. The only thing Vala could do was cry and finally she passed out from the pain. Kraco seemed to be taking the events without a flinch. Finally the two men fooled with the controls of the machine and took the other rod and sealed her back up, leaving a nasty red scar down Vala's back. When the men where finished, they started to unstrap Vala. Kraco intervened and stopped them. He made them leave Vala as she was.
Kraco bent down and looked at Vala and then back at Daniel. "I guess you were right. Quetesh is no longer attached to her. No matter; someone has to pay for her crimes against me and all the others. I will make sure she doesn't suffer too long. Maybe Quetesh should of picked a stronger host." Kraco left the room and left Vala strapped to the table.
"Vala? Oh God, Vala?" Daniel had the look of a crazy man. He was shaking all over, trying to get a response from Vala. Nothing, Vala had not moved since passing out. "Oh God Vala; please, please stay with me. Please, you can't die like this."
Sam was beyond words after seeing such senseless torture. She could only stare at her friend and weep. Never had she seen such senseless torture, directed at one single person. Mitchell was livid. He was supposed to protect those he was in charge of. Now he hung his head down, contemplating their escape. It looked hopeless, but he was in charge. He had to do something. He knew this may have very well killed Vala. Teal'c continued to stay silent. Now he would work on ripping his restraints from the wall, no matter how much he bled.