Tortured Soul, by Amaranth Traces

-- Chapter 4 --

Jack ordered SG-11 to guard the Stargate and SG-6 followed us to Cronus’ base. Fanren’s information wasn’t perfect, but it was close enough.

So far, so good. Our entrance hadn’t been unnoticed, but we had been able to neutralize the Jaffa that discovered us before they could raise an alarm.

We were reaching the end of the hallway when a door slid open. Cronus stepped into the hallway. He was looking over his shoulder, speaking to someone.

“These Tau’ri are so delicate. Notify me as soon as we can begin again.”

“My Lord!” Sindar was behind Cronus. He had spotted us.

Cronus turned and shouted, “Jaffa, kree!” before he strode confidently around the corner.

Sindar launched staff blasts at us as we flattened ourselves against the wall. We returned fire. About a dozen Jaffa approached. A firefight ensued. Sindar escaped the carnage, following Cronus.

I let my anger and frustration take over, and the next thing I knew I was stepping over the fallen Jaffa, heading towards the room from which Cronus had emerged.

“Cronus must not be allowed to escape!”

I grabbed Teal’c’s arm as he passed me at a dead run.

“Teal’c!”

He turned to face me. The need for vengeance was plain on his face.

“Sam needs us now!”

Teal’c glared in the direction Cronus had gone. The muscles in his jaw flexed. He looked back at me and bowed his head in acknowledgement. I breathed a sigh of relief, understanding how very hard that must have been for him. His vengeance could wait. Sam could not.

Jack entered the cell first, Teal’c and I followed. SG-6 remained in the hallway.

Sam was strapped to a large metal table in the middle of the room. She was bloody, bruised and...I checked for a pulse.

“She’s alive.” Thank God.

I examined her restraints and pressed the release button. They opened with a click.

“Sam? Sam, wake up.” She was so cold.

“Stand aside, Daniel Jackson.”

I moved away and took the staff weapon Teal’c handed to me. I watched as he pulled Sam’s limp form into his arms. She looked so frail.

Since we had already dispatched most of the Jaffa along our route, the trip out of the facility was quick and efficient. SG-6 took care of any remaining opposition, which was good since we were distracted with worrying about our teammate. They understood; they did their jobs well. We rejoined SG-11 and gated home.

Teal’c didn’t even break stride as he stepped out of the wormhole. Jack and I followed him as he rushed through the gate room toward the infirmary, the precious bundle that was Sam cradled in his arms. General Hammond asked questions at our retreating backs, but we left SG teams 6 and 11 to provide all of the answers.

I watched, helpless, as Teal’c set Sam’s unconscious body on one of the hospital beds. We all stood back, trying to stay out of the way of Janet and her staff.

More than an hour later, Janet finally allowed us to see her again. “She’s dehydrated and undernourished. She has multiple contusions and lacerations and one cracked rib, but the MRI miraculously shows no internal injuries. Frankly, she's in better shape than I would have imagined. I’ve put her on a general antibiotic as well as Ringer’s and glucose solution to provide fluid and electrolytes. The heating blanket should bring her temperature back up to normal. You can see her now, but she’s still unconscious.”

We didn’t have to be told twice. Jack, Teal’c and I stood at the foot of Sam’s bed. I looked down at our teammate, one of my closest friends, and sighed.

Janet’s team had cleaned her up well. Their work had uncovered vibrant swathes of black, purple, blue and green-stained skin that marked deep bruises ranging from new to old.

I pulled a chair up beside Sam’s bed and sat down. Tenderly, I took her cold hand in mine.

“She’ll be okay.” I wasn’t really talking to anyone in particular.

“Of course she will.” Jack pulled up another chair and sat, leaning his elbows against the foot of Sam’s bed.

General Hammond entered the infirmary and Janet gave him a brief report of Sam’s current condition.

He turned to us. “I’d like to see you all in the briefing room.”

“General, if it’s all the same to you, I’d like to stay with Sam.” I looked at him and then down at Sam. “Someone should be here when she wakes up.”

General Hammond nodded and gave me a small smile. Then he glanced at Jack and Teal’c, and they all headed out of the room.

I looked down at the woman on the bed next to me. My thumb stroked the back of her hand. She was still so cold. She had lost weight, too. Her cheeks and eyes were sunken, and she looked unhealthy. A cut stood out in vibrant red against her pale and puffy bottom lip. A large purple bruise covered most of the right side of her face.

As she slept, I spoke quietly to her, hoping she could hear. Sam was home. We could relax now. My body was quickly succumbing to sleep. I clutched Sam’s hand in mine, reassuring myself as to her presence. She was finally home.

The weight of my eyelids was more than I could bear. I lay my head on the side of her bed, keeping her hand in mine. As the tiredness overwhelmed me, I silently thanked whoever might be listening that she was home. I only hoped that her rescue was the hard part.

 Previous   |    Next