26 - An Unexpected Threat
~**Malek**~
~Year 1, Month 4, Day 28~
The new warden, Idi, keeps us for herself at first. She focuses on me.
"Ever since I saw you die…" She undresses herself. "I wanted you, needed you. Now you are mine."
Amb looks to her. "You cannot ever truly have me unless I fully submit to you."
Please, don't anger her, I think, and she strikes us hard across the face.
Amb curls, angry as thoughts of attacking enter his mind. He wants nothing more than to see life fade from her eyes.
My love. My heart breaks. That isn't you.
She doesn't deserve to live.
Her death is not worth your soul.
He wipes away blood as he looks to her. "I am willing to fully submit to you…if you promise that neither you nor your servants touch Martouf. Samantha, their symbiotes…or Malek."
No! I cry out.
Idi approaches, clearly intrigued.
Amb! No! I will not agree to this.
Let me, just once, protect you.
No!
I am tired of being the weak one! He closes his eyes against tears.
You are not weak.
We feel her fingers in our hair.
"Very well." She giggles. "I have…many ideas."
~+~+~.
Amb stumbles, feeling dizzy, and he has a major headache. He gently pushes Samantha away when she moves in to help.
"Do you want to talk about it?" Martouf asks as he helps him to sit.
"I have betrayed us."
"We were told you gave in to her…physical demands," Samantha says with sympathy. She's clearly pained.
"Yes."
"That's not a betrayal."
"She's been interested in you since she arrived," Martouf adds as he examines us.
"When was the last time you had anything to drink?" Samantha asks.
"I don't know," Amb admits. "It was alcoholic…and drugs." He closes his eyes. "I feel sick."
"He's severely dehydrated."
I would most certainly agree with that assessment.
"We have nothing to offer you." Martouf gently holds us. "She had you to herself for several days. Zar is questioning us tomorrow. Try to get some sleep." He encourages us to use him as a pillow, wrapping his arms around us.
Samantha lays near us, having noticed that Amb is not too keen on being close to another woman right now.
"I love you," Amb mutters. "I just…"
"You don't have to explain," Samantha assures. "I love you too."
I would welcome her touch, a caress, a soft kiss, her fingers in our hair, but I know Amb would not. In truth, he barely tolerates Martouf's touch. He both craves and despises it.
Go to sleep, love, I think.
He closes his eyes.
~+~+~.
"Amb…" Samantha whispers.
He's angry to be awoken, exhausted and sick. We feel Lantash slowly sit us up as she presses a cup to Amb's lips. My beloved host grasps the cup tightly, drinking.
Water! It tastes so good. So fresh. In reality, it's lukewarm and not entirely clean, but we don't care. His mouth is so dry that it hurts. He is forced to drink slowly, stopping when he thinks he's drank about a third. He offers it back to Samantha.
"You need it more," she says in a hushed tone, pressing the cup back to his mouth.
"The Jaffa will be here soon," Lantash says, using Martouf's voice to keep quiet.
Amb drinks, feeling guilty. Only one cup, and they took nothing from it.
After, Samantha takes the cup, quickly hiding it as Jaffa come in.
"Come," one commands.
Amb gets to his feet, and we follow. We go into the rings we hate, up to the ship, to the room we hate even more. I immediately notice that it is very hot and the gravity is higher.
The Jaffa leave.
Amb falls as he sits, and the other two are quickly checking on him.
"Dizzy," he mumbles.
"Flushed skin." Samantha presses fingers against his pulse. "Rapid heartbeat."
"He's not sweating anymore," Lantash adds.
For several minutes, I feel like we are falling, even though we are already on the ground. Suddenly, I feel him pass out.
"Malek?"
I wiggle when I feel a hand checking on me.
"Just keep his body going. Zar probably doesn't want him unconscious."
~+~+~.
I wake up with a needle in my arm. I examine quickly, then discover it's a simple saline solution with a small amount of sugar. Already I feel the difference. There is less pressure on his organs. I wonder how long I was unconscious.
"That is enough." It's Zar's voice, and as the needle is removed, I feel a healing device over us.
Amb slowly opens his eyes.
Of course, his lips and mouth are still dry and cracked, and I'm sure we won't be able to drink any water to help. We still have a headache.
I can help you a little now that I don't have to focus on your major organs.
"Leave us." Zar orders.
I hear the Jaffa leave as Zar looks down at us.
"You should be ashamed…always so weak."
Amb's eyes sting as he blinks. It's salt residue that dried on us. Before his ability to sweat stopped completely, it was very salty.
"Do not worry, I was quite entertained as you laid here…unconscious."
I immediately examine him for signs of rape, but I find nothing.
Amb sits up slowly, nearly throwing up as the room seems to spin.
"Amb?" It's Martouf, clearly worried.
Is he supposed to be blurry. It takes Amb a moment to focus on Martouf, and we realize he is bruised and burned. He immediately looks to Samantha as well, though she looks mostly fine.
"It's often more fun just to make one suffer while the other watches," Zar says as he grabs a pain stick. "Samantha was quicker to volunteer, so I chose Martouf."
Samantha's expression is one of guilt and anger, but I see Martouf is glad for the result.
He was probably slower to volunteer to get that exact result, Amb thinks.
"Now… I am tired of your defiance… Before you are returned to the prison, I will get information. If you continue to refuse me, your precious symbiotes are going to start dying…permanently."
Amb feels sick again.
~+~+~.
"One of you will tell me something!"
We made him angry, Amb thinks with amusement.
Zar grabs Martouf, reconsiders, then drops him. He heads over to me.
Goodnight.
I scream as fire burns through us, collapsing. My skin pulses in sharp pains after. I catch my breath, surprised that I'm still awake. I retreat so that he doesn't notice.
He then heads to Sam. I turn away as she thrashes.
"Just the weak hosts now," he says as he returns to Martouf. "You have survived because it amuses me, but I have two more Tok'ra toys to play with…ones who have not wiped their memories."
That worries me.
Lantash spits in his face.
He hits Lantash, then takes out the needle I hate. He kneels on him as he injects him.
I want to stop him, but we can't move!
He holds the weapon to Martouf's head.
Martouf is still, looking to us, then to Sam. His terror breaks my heart.
"Die Tok'ra."
Martouf squirms as he is tortured. His screams make my chest hurt. I feel Amb retreat further, unable to watch. It goes on long enough that I worry for Lantash.
It finally ends, but Martouf does not react. At least, he shows no indication that Lantash has died. No reaction. No eye glow.
"You are alone now."
Martouf is surprised, but he recovers quickly. "Lantash?"
I know immediately that he is playing along. Samantha's horror tells me that she doesn't realize it.
Zar approaches Samantha. "Tell me, or you will suffer the same fate."
Samantha glares.
Martouf struggles to get up, and I watch helplessly as he tries gets to his feet.
He does it. He actually gets on his feet, and Zar doesn't notice. I watch as Zar tortures Samantha. Martouf limps closer, clearly struggling. Sweat pours off him.
Step…by step.
My heart pounds heart. I can barely move, yet he is walking.
Martouf's knee bend, and I wince as he begins to drop. He grits his teeth, stopping himself. He is flushed and breathing hard as he pushes back fully to his feet. Samantha's screams are louder than any noise he makes.
Zar pulls the pain stick away, looking to me.
Martouf freezes, anger turning to fear.
"You are pathetic!" Samantha forces out, purposefully getting Zar's attention back on her.
It works, and Zar angrily jabs the stick into her stomach.
Then Martouf inches closer…closer, then launches, breaking Zar's arm and ripping the pain stick from him.
"Krif you!" Martouf yells as he holds the pain stick on Zar.
Zar launches himself out of his host, only to be caught by angry hands. He is thrown down and stabbed with one of the prongs. He squeals as Martouf activates it.
Is this happening? Am I dreaming?
I have never seen my love look so angry.
The squealing stops, and I soon smell burnt flesh.
"Martouf?"
His teeth are gritted in a fiercesome expression.
"Martouf!"
He stops, then looks to me with confusion and anger.
"He's dead." I say gently, the realize my own words. "Zar is dead." Tears fall. I feel confused, thrilled, and fearful. Is Zar actually dead? He is. "He's actually dead."
The door opens. Jaffa come in.
Shit.
Martouf looks up in surprise, then… "You interrupt my interrogation?!"
The Jaffa are surprised by this. "Zar?"
"I changed hosts." He says as Samantha moves to discreetly hide Zar's body, making it look like she's edging away from the Jaffa. "Obviously." Martouf gestures to the gaping hole Zar left in his host.
The Jaffa fall to their knees. "Apologies, my lord. Your voice…"
"I will sound however I please!"
"Yes, of course, my lord."
"Bring me water, and remove that thing." He waves dismissively at the host's body. "Then leave."
"Hours," I discreetly sign to Martouf. We need to figure out what we are doing.
"I wish to be alone with the prisoners. Do not return until I have summoned you."
"Yes, my lord." They leave quickly.
Martouf falls to the floor. "Malek?"
"I'm here." I slowly approach him as Samantha holds him.
"Did I do good?" He looks to me, then to Samantha.
"Yes, you did good." Samantha smiles.
"I didn't hurt anyone?"
"No," I assure.
"I…I feel the need to…" He looks to me. "I'm not myself. I feel so…angry."
"That isn't you." I hold him close.
"I need Lantash," he cries.