Chapter 2
Sam woke to the whoosh of the door opening and carefully raised her eyes, afraid Kor’ana had returned to order more beatings. Pain pounded through her head and shoulders, thudding in time with the shadows dancing on the walls from the relit torches, and she could see blood pooled on the floor at her feet. It glistened darkly against the black marble, and she idly wondered how much she had lost.
Teal’c stirred to her right, and she glanced over. He was also covered in blood and his face was swollen in several different places. She suspected she looked worse, since her skin was not dark enough to hide bruising.
Soft footsteps stopped somewhere to their right and their right, and they could see movement in the drapery closest to them. Then a pair of bright green eyes peered around the fabric and looked at them for a moment before pulling back and out of sight. A moment later, Cali walked quickly toward them, one hand behind her back, her eyes on Teal’c and Sam. She stopped several paces away and looked them over, concern and sorrow radiating from her small body.
Sam looked a question at Teal’c, but he minutely shook his head, indicating he didn’t have any more idea than she did what was going on. “Cali?” she ventured carefully.
Green eyes bored into hers. “I am Sepha, host to Cali.” The girl stopped, hesitation evident in her face and voice, which was high pitched and girlish, showing no trace of the goa’uld duality. Which, of course, meant nothing. Sepha went on, “I wish to help you. Will you allow it?”
Teal’c’s eyebrows rose and Sam’s jaw dropped, or started to. She closed it quickly when pain flashed through her temples. “Um,” she said carefully, “you’re host to Cali?”
The girl nodded. “Yes. Will you let me help you?”
Sam and Teal’c glanced at each other and nodded. Sepha smiled a little, evidently relieved at their acquiescence. She moved swiftly to Teal’c, who was closer, and pulled her hand from behind her back. Sam sucked in a breath when she saw a healing device strapped to the child’s wrist, then coughed as her ribs caught.
Sepha glanced at her, then looked back to Teal’c and raised the device. Warm white light began to emanate from it, but Teal’c quickly shook his head, and the light vanished. “What is it? Don’t you wish to be healed?” Sepha asked, perplexed.
“Please,” the jaffa said hoarsely. Obviously he was hurting as much as Sam was. “I wish for you to heal my friend first.”
Sepha looked over at Sam, who protested. “C’mon Teal’c, you’re hurt as bad as I am. Just let her do it.”
But Teal’c ignored her and continued to gaze at the child, who stared at him for a moment before nodding and lowering her hand. Sam opened her mouth to protest again, then closed it, knowing that arguing would not change the stubborn jaffa’s mind, and would only waste precious time that the girl may not have.
Sepha moved over in front of Sam, lifted the device to eye level, and closed her eyes. The red disk lit up, and tension flowed from Carter’s body as the pounding in her head began to subside. Cali slowly moved the healing beam over the lacerations and bruising that covered much of Sam’s face, and the colonel twitched when her skin began to itch slightly. The light moved from Carter’s face to her neck and shoulders, and her muscles, which were screaming from being pulled for so long, began to settle and relax. Sam started to sigh in relief, then stopped and grunted when her ribs made themselves known. Sepha noted her wince and the light moved further down. Bolder now, the child stepped closer and used one hand to lift Sam’s shirt so that the device’s healing properties could work directly on her skin. Carter twitched as she felt cracked bone repair itself in seconds, and, when it was done, she stood straighter, thankful for the lack of pain.
Finally the light turned off, and Sam looked down at herself. She was completely healed, save a very light residual ache that she knew would go away with rest. “Thank you,” she said quietly.
Sepha studied her for a moment, looking for any injury she may have missed, then nodded her satisfaction and stepped over to Teal’c. Sam watched as the jaffa’s cuts and bruises began to heal and melt away, amazed at the stamina of the girl. When the light finally shut off again, Sepha stumbled, her face glazed with sweat.
“I must rest,” the girl said. “You will be safe for a little while until my mother returns.”
“Your mother?” Sam looked at Teal’c in alarm. His dark eyes reflected her concern.
“Sepha,” he said gently. “Kor’ana is your mother?”
“She is Cali’s mother.”
“Did she tell you to come to us? To heal us?” His deep voice was concerned and Sam could tell he was thinking the same thing she was. In lieu of not having a sarcophagus, a healing device was the next best way of keeping them healthy to maximize their torture time. She had just begun to berate herself for being so stupid when Sepha stopped her with a shake of her head.
“No. She does not know I am here. No one knows.” And she smiled a secretive little girl smile that almost broke Sam’s heart.
“But you’re the only other one in this place who can use a healing device. Won’t she be angry with you for helping us?
More head shaking, and a huge jaw cracking yawn. “No. She saw what Kadan did to you and was happy with his work.” The child grimaced. “She even praised him for being so thorough without killing you.” The girl stretched like a cat before continuing. “But the queen will not return for many hours, and by the time she does, she will have either forgotten the beating, or will puzzle over your health and say nothing. She knows her mind is weakening and does not wish to show that weakness to her jaffa. Kadan and the others have learned the hard way not to react to her lapses in memory, so they will not say anything either.” She turned toward the door. “Now, I must rest. Cali is to accompany her to see you again this evening. Food and water will be brought to you soon.” And without another word, Sepha walked steadily to the door and out of the room.
“Teal’c," Sam said. “Isn’t she a little young to be a goa’uld?”
“She is young,” he answered, still staring at the door where Sepha had disappeared. “But no, humans can be blended at almost any age past infancy. However, I do not understand why a goa’uld, even one in a child’s body, would choose to help us. And why allow the host perform the task?”
“Is it possible she is Tok’ra?”
“I do not believe so. I have never heard of any goa’uld offspring who was not as evil as its ancestors.” But he looked pensive, and Sam resolved to bring it up again later.
The door opened admitting three sets of footfalls, which resolved themselves into a trio of jaffa, all of whom looked hard at the captives upon entering, obviously noticing their lack of injury. Then all three seemed to give a mental shrug and dropped their eyes to the floor. One used a remote control device to lower the posts holding Sam and Teal’c into the ground and loosen the chains binding their arms over the top of the crossbeam.. The prisoners sat down gratefully and rubbed sore shoulders as the other two guards slid bowls of water and food over to them before leaving.
Sam and Teal’c ate as much of the thin gruel as they could stomach, relishing the break from constantly standing. After a few minutes, the same guards came back in. “Slide the bowls this way,” one of them intoned in a bored voice.
Teal’c studied the men standing before them, and Sam recognized the gleam of opportunity in her friend’s eyes.
“Brothers,” Teal’c said softly. Hard eyes flickered toward him for a moment, then went back to their work. Sam knew he didn’t have much time, but that he would make the most of it.
“Brothers, listen to me. You have a choice to make. A choice that you and only you can decide for yourselves. For the last ten years I and others like me have struggled to free the Jaffa from their enslavement under the Goa’uld. Now, after many battles and victories, we are successful.” One of the guards glanced at him and hesitated in clearing the bowls. The other two simply ignored him. “Listen to me!” Teal’c continued, his voice stronger now. “No longer must you bow down and subjugate yourself to the these parasites, for that is what they are. They need the jaffa to survive, and without us, they are nothing! You can be free! You and all your brothers can live your lives free from the tyranny of the goa’uld!”
The same guard continued to study Teal’c, and the other two flicked quick glances between the captive and their teammate. One of them barked a command to the others and they finished their work and left, but not before using the remote to pull the prisoners back to a standing position.
.
Several hours later, Sam was shifting from foot to foot, trying to ease the ache in her legs from being left in one position for so long. As much as she hated to admit it, Teal’c was right, she wasn’t as young as she used to be, and her body wasn’t taking abuse as well as it used to. Though the sheer amount of abuse it had taken over the years might have had something to do with it, the fact remained that eventually, she was going to have to retire from field work, maybe have her own command or something. The thought made her smile, though she doubted the SGC was going to let her off the hook anytime soon.
She glanced over at Teal’c and, seeing he was in a state of light meditation, felt a flash of envy for his ability. She’d been meaning to get him to show her how to do that for years, but had never gotten around to it. Maybe once they got out of this and back home she’d schedule some lessons with him. Meditating would certainly pass the time while they were waiting around to “meet their doom”.
The door opened and Teal’c’s head came up, meeting her eyes for a moment. A flash of something she couldn’t place crossed his expression, and then he looked away, toward the group of people entering the room.
Five jaffa came in first, followed by Kor’ana and a contingent of several more guards. Sam caught a glimpse of Cali/Sepha inside the press of bodies, but then quickly averted her gaze. She didn’t want Kor’ana thinking she was interested in the girl.
“So, my friends, here we are again, yes?” Kor’ana swept around them, once again trailing her fingers over their skin. “And you’ve eaten your fill? You’re comfortable?”
She stopped, looking at them as if awaiting an answer, but none was given. It didn’t seem to faze her in the slightest. “Good! Now we can get started.” The queen frowned briefly as if something about her own statement puzzled her, but then her expression cleared. Sam saw Teal’c’s brow quirk. Kor’ana didn’t seem remember the torture session, but Carter wasn’t sure if that was to their advantage or not.
“What do you plan to do with us?” Teal’c asked, trying to stall what would probably be more unpleasantness.
Kor’ana spun around happily, a purple cape lined with gold gracing her bony shoulders. “Actually, I plan to do nothing.”
Sam cocked her head, surprised. “Nothing?”
“That’s right my dear. Well, almost nothing.” She turned to Teal’c and stepped close, running her hands down his chest and stomach, and lifted his shirt to reveal his symbiote pouch. She frowned and fingered the X in his skin. “Well well, what is this?” Plunging her hand into his partially closed pouch, she rummaged around for a moment, ignoring his grunts of pain. Sam swallowed hard as sweat broke out on Teal’c’s forehead and his knees buckled.
Kor’ana pulled her hand from within him and held it out to the side where a guard stepped up to clean it on a towel. “How do you survive without the child of your god, Teal’c?”
Teal’c said nothing, but simply stared at the ground, panting, trying to catch his breath. Kor’ana waited for a moment, then shrugged and stepped over to Carter. She lifted her hand and pain immediately filled Sam’s head, burning searing pain invading her mind, wiping away every thought.
“Stop!” Teal’c cried, “I will tell you!”
Kor’ana shut down the hand device and looked at him, ignoring Sam, who slumped in relief. “Of course you will.”
“We have developed a drug, called Tretonin, that allows us to live independent of the goa’uld.”
“I see,” she murmured looking at him with interest. “And how often must you take this drug?”
“Three times a day,” Teal’c lied.
“And if you do not?”
“Then I weaken, and eventually die.”
Kor’ana’s face twisted into a smile and she turned to the jaffa standing nearest to her. “Go fetch the things we found with them when they were captured. Burn everything you see.” The jaffa sketched a quick bow and left the room at a run. Unseen behind Kor’ana’s skirts, Sam watched blearily as Cali/Sepha followed him out.
*****************************************************
Teal’c raised his eyes to the goa’uld pacing between himself and Colonel Carter, and took deep breaths to banish the pain still emanating from his middle. His pouch had not been used in many years, and her abrupt invasion of the cavity had left him with a deep ache that would not abate.
Kor’ana walked back a few paces and stopped directly in front of Carter. “So, Samantha Carter, you are really the only one I need to deal with, since Teal’c was so kind to abandon his prim’tah.”
Sam looked at the queen in mild puzzlement, but abruptly, Teal’c knew what was coming. With mounting horror, he watched as Kor’ana’s hand went to her side and tripped a hidden catch within her costume. The majority of the garment fell away, dropping to the floor with a shiver of metal and leaving a simple linen halter and skirt, held together by a glowing orb in the center of her stomach.
Teal’c forced himself to stay silent, but glanced over at the colonel, who had looked the queen’s new garb over and apparently dismissed it. She saw the orb, but didn’t recognize the danger. Teal’c did though, and he fought with himself to stay calm, to not give away his fear.
Despite his attempt at control, Carter must have read his body language, for he saw her face pale slightly. She knew that whatever was coming was enough to get her friend riled up, and so it couldn’t be good. Then she licked her lips and squared her shoulders, looking the goa’uld right in the eye. “Are you going to dance for me?” she quipped.
Kor’ana, obviously not getting the reference, tilted her head. “No, my dear. But I promise you will not enjoy this.” She sauntered up to Carter and used one razor sharp fingernail to slice her shirt directly down the center. Teal’c could see a shallow cut along his friend’s torso where the nail had penetrated her skin. Sam stood stock still, her jaw working and her blue eyes blazing. But her chin was held high, and he knew she would be strong. Kor’ana pulled aside the thin material of Sam’s shirt and Teal’c averted his eyes, not wanting to shame his friend by staring. He glanced at the jaffa, but none of them were looking either, seeming to be bored by the whole ritual.
Out of the corner of his eye, Teal’c saw Kor’ana close the distance between herself and Carter, and press the circle in her garment to Sam’s bare skin. The contact was electric and Sam threw her head back and screamed. The sound combined with Kor’ana’s maniacal laughter broke Teal’c’s forced passivity and he went berserk, pulling on his chains until his arms were matted with blood, and still he struggled, straining, trying to pull the stake from the floor. But it held fast, and finally, Sam’s scream died away, and he was forced to simply watch as she slumped. Kor’ana, her face covered in a smug smile, stepped away from her and looked at Teal’c, who was staring at Carter’s stomach. A raw red X shone out on her pale skin, dripping small drops of blood onto her belt. She hung on her arms, unable to stand, and panted for breath. Teal’c didn’t think she yet knew what had happened, but soon she would, and he could just imagine her reaction.
“Well,” Kor’ana said, holding out her arms so her jaffa could drape her discarded garment over her shoulders. “My work here is done, for now.”
Teal’c wanted to demand the goa’uld give Sam a symbiote. He knew she was now as vulnerable as he, perhaps even more so since she was weakened by the conversion. But he did not. He simply glared at his captor, wishing with every fiber of his being that he was free and had a pain stick in his hand. Kor’ana saw the look on his face and chuckled, then snapped her fingers and swept out the door.
Teal’c looked back at Carter, whose breathing had slowed. She was looking around dazedly. “Teal’c.” She licked her lips, obviously dry from screaming. “What happened?”
The jaffa swallowed hard, but couldn’t force himself to speak. He nodded toward her waist, pointing with his eyes until her gaze dropped and she looked down at herself. Her knees buckled again. “Oh my god, Teal’c what did she do to me?”
“Samantha,” he whispered harshly. “Do you remember when Hathor took control of the SGC?” She just stared at him, terror in her eyes, not comprehending what he was saying. “Think, Samantha. Do you remember Hathor?”
Sam finally blinked, then nodded, though her mind was still not completely engaging. “Yes, I remember.”
“Do you remember what she did to O’Neill? How he was injured? And how we got him into a sarcophagus to be made whole once again?”
Carter swallowed, and he could tell she was trying to follow him. Her mouth formed words, but he could not hear them. She tried again, stumbling over her thoughts. “Yeah, but we had a sarcophagus. She said no sarcophagus. We have none—no—sarcophagus!”
“No, Colonel Carter, she spoke of not having a working sarcophagus. Which means there may be one here. We must find it and fix it so that you can be made well again.”
Her teeth were chattering now, and Teal’c could see sweat breaking out on her pale face. She was going into shock. “Y-you want me to f-fix a sarcophagus?” Sam said brokenly, her brain kicking into overdrive as she tried to absorb everything that had happened. “Teal’c, I c-can’t! We’ve n-never been able to f-figure out how they w-worked! H-how can I f-fix one if I don’t know h-how it w-works?”
Teal’c kept silent, not having an answer for her, but he was desperate for something to say. He fought to get to her, but once again, his restraints proved to be too strong. “Samantha,” he said quietly. Her pain tore at his heart, but there was nothing he could do. The big tri-paneled door opened behind them again and his head snapped around, but his furious outburst died on his lips when he heard soft slippered feet running toward them. Sepha stopped beside him, looking both frightened and excited at the same time. Her gaze fell on Carter and widened in horror at what had been done to her. Then the green eyes flashed white and her expression settled into one of determination
“Cali, why are you here?” Teal’c asked warily, watching the transfer from host to symbiote.
The goa’uld didn’t answer, but held out her arm and pressed a button on a device in her hand. The support post holding Sam off the ground began to slide downward, and she collapsed with it, ending up in a heap on the ground. She had lost consciousness. Her chains loosened and then released, clattering to the floor.
Teal’c stared in amazement, first at Sam, then at Cali, who was repeating the process with his own stake. But before she released him completely, she turned back to the door, and stood there, looking awestruck at what she had done.
“My mother is asleep, and the majority of the guards have gone to their quarters. If you are careful and quiet, you will be able to leave undetected.”
“Why are you doing this?” Teal’c asked, still suspicious. “Can you heal her before we go?”
Cali looked at the floor. “No. The healing device is not strong enough to reverse the damage. I am sorry.” When she looked up, her eyes flashed and Sepha appeared. Her expression was much older than her years, filled with the knowledge of suffering. “The queen is evil. She hurts people. I don’t want her to hurt you too.” Then she pressed a final button on her device, releasing Teal’c completely, and disappeared through the door.
Teal’c tore his shirt off his back as he scrambled over to Carter. After covering her with the garment, he gathered her to him and stroked her hair and face. “Colonel Carter,” he whispered. She groaned but did not awaken.
“Colonel, you must wake.” He patted her cheek lightly and she turned her head away. Encouraged, he stood and hauled her to her feet, holding her close to keep her from falling, and to hold the shirt in place. Again he called to her, “Samantha. We are free. We must go.”
Slowly her eyes fluttered open and she looked up at him, her head falling back as she stared drunkenly up at him.
“Teal’c?”
“Yes. We have been freed, and I suggest we make the most of the opportunity.”
“Freed? Who freed us?”
“Cali.”
“Cali? Why?”
“I do not know. But I suggest we do not linger here.”
She nodded and he released her, holding out his shirt and averting his gaze while keeping his hands on her to steady her. “Cover yourself with this.”
Sam took the garment and looked down at her tattered clothing and at the newly formed X that covered her belly. Her knees buckled again. Teal’c grabbed her and held on until he was sure she would not fall over, then retrieved the shirt and pulled it over her head. The hemline ran almost to her knees.
“Thank you,” she said, still shaky and looking disbelieving at what had been done to her.
“You are welcome.” He put gentle hands on her shoulders and looked directly into her eyes. “Colonel Carter, I know you are hurting and afraid, but you must try to not think about your injury for now. We will deal with it in time.”
His words seemed to calm her and she nodded. “Yeah, okay. Let’s go.”
*****************************************************
Sam let Teal’c lead the way through the door, noting that he was keeping one hand on her at all times. Looking carefully around him , she saw that there was only one way to go and that was toward the lift at the end of the corridor. As Cali had promised, no one challenged them when they took the lift to the surface and began making their way out of the compound, which Teal’c whispered was actually a small palace. They passed many corridors that were packed full of shadowy objects, seemingly impassible. Teal’c seemed to know where he was going, though, and Sam let him lead her. Her head was spinning and her feet didn’t want to cooperate, but she kept going, almost stopping in shock when they passed a long softly lit hallway that seemed to be lined with nothing but suits of armor. She looked at Teal’c, who shook his head and kept going. He didn’t know any more than she did.
Once they were outside, Teal’c headed directly for the forest to find a place where they could recover and plan what needed to be done, Sam stumbling along behind him. As they ran, she tried to ignore the continuing burn in her stomach and what it represented, instead concentrating on putting one foot in front of the other and not falling on her face. They ran for a long time, the night slipping away in a haze of pain and fear. Images and thoughts flashed through her mind. What would the rest of the team think to have another Jaffa in their ranks? What would Jack think? Would the NID allow her to continue? Raw panic clawed at her throat, and she was able to resist it only by concentrating on her feet. Sam could feel her body beginning to shut down and knew they needed to find a place to rest soon, but in a way she dreaded the end of their frantic run. Once they stopped, she would have to face what had been done to her. So far the physical exertion was the only thing keeping her from dropping to the ground and burying her head in her arms.
Eventually, Teal’c slowed and led her to a small pile of boulders that had fallen into each other, forming a natural shelter. The jaffa turned back and helped her into the small cave, then crawled in after her. There was just enough room for him to stretch out, which meant there was plenty of room for her. She curled up on her side and felt Teal’c lie down behind her and pull her toward himself, pillowing her head on one arm and encircling her with the other. He was so warm against her back, and it felt so good to be relatively safe that she didn’t fight it when unconsciousness overtook her, pulling her down into numbing darkness.
***********************************************************Kadan entered his queen’s chambers at her request and lowered himself to one knee. “You summoned me, my queen?”
“Are they away?”
“Yes, my queen. They have left the palace and are heading into the forest.”
“You have done well, Kadan. What of my daughter?”
“Princess Cali did exactly what was expected of her.”
“Excellent.”