Bound Reflections
Part 5
-13-
As Osiris pulled out of him for the third time since he'd been shackled in this room, Daniel resolutely stiffened his back and stood tall, refusing to give the Goa'uld even a semblance of submission. Osiris had resumed his previous tactic of assaulting Daniel's sense of self worth while assaulting the archaeologist's body, reducing Daniel's contribution to the Stargate Program and the garnering of alien support to the fact of his complete fuckability.
"Oh, yes," Osiris panted mockingly. "A few more of those, and I might be convinced to join your Earth's alliance myself."
His eyes closed in utter fatigue, Daniel drew in short, sharp, breaths. Sensing Osiris was moving from behind him, Daniel opened his eyes, his glower transmitting contempt for the Goa'uld.
Osiris lifted one side of his mouth in his own scornful smirk. "You won't win this battle of wills you insist on fighting," he taunted. Bending effortlessly, he snatched up a towel left by one of the Jaffa, and wiped his dick clean of semen and blood.
Slapping the towel over Daniel's shoulder, he snarled into his prisoner's face, "I will continue to defile and degrade you until you either yield to me or I have fucked you to death."
Pulling back from the close contact, Daniel narrowed his eyes, his mouth set in an angry line.
"Or I could have my Jaffa join in," Osiris added thoughtfully.
Daniel huffed a soundless laugh. "Didn't think you were actually man enough to carry out that 'fuck you to death' threat by yourself," he croaked.
Pinning Daniel with a particularly heinous glare, Osiris snatched his robe from the floor — the one he had acquired following the first rape, claiming that having to remove his clothing each time only delayed his pleasure — and strode to the door.
As it opened, the Jaffa waiting on the other side moved to retrieve their containers. Osiris threw up a hand to stop them.
Firing a hateful look over his shoulder, he commanded, "No. Let him brood on the evidence of my domination. Maybe that will humble him."
The door closed with a resounding thud and Daniel slumped, allowing his torn wrists to take his full weight for as long as he could bear the discomfort. Struggling to stand upright again, he fretted only briefly that he no longer had any sensation in his arms.
Catching sight of the soiled towel Osiris had disdainfully flung over his shoulder, Daniel shook himself, a small spark of satisfaction lighting his face when the towel slid down his body, falling to the floor between his legs with a soft 'shush.'
Daniel hung his head, tempted to give in to his physical and mental exhaustion. The posture pulled painfully on the left side of his neck where, during this most recent encounter with Osiris, the Goa'uld had bitten into the curve of flesh between his neck and shoulder. Daniel growled, angry to be denied even that small bit of relaxation.
Coughing harshly in an attempt to clear what felt like inches of sandy grit from his throat, Daniel almost wished he hadn't cast aspersions on Osiris's manhood. The little saliva he could produce was adhering to the inside of his throat somewhere around his Adam's apple, apparently unable to descend further in the absence of additional moisture.
The tip of his tongue peeked from between Daniel's lips, scraping over them dryly. The only water Daniel had been offered since his capture was the icy baths following the first two rapes. He'd briefly opened his mouth, attempting to catch some of the water launched at him, but had choked when a bit of the liquid rushed to the back of his throat faster than he could swallow and slid down his windpipe.
Figuring that he didn't need respiratory complications on top of his other ailments, Daniel resorted to lapping as much of the water dripping from his face and hair as he could get once the Jaffa finished "bathing" him.
Shifting slightly, Daniel noted with disgust that the proof of Osiris's virility was slowly congealing between his ass cheeks. The skin on the insides of his legs was pinched uncomfortably as the tacky substance began to dry around the edges. A bath would also ease the crawling sensation he felt everywhere Osiris had licked and nipped his skin.
'Damn, even that ice cold shower would feel good right about right now,' he admitted to himself.
As though bidden by his thoughts, the six bucket-wielding Jaffa rushed into the room, wasting no time with taunts.
Pulling himself taller, Daniel glanced among the Jaffa, who were clearly excited by more than an additional opportunity to torment him.
"What's going on?" Daniel rasped, not really expecting an answer. The first container of cold water hit him, and Daniel nearly missed the Jaffa's response over his own stuttered breaths.
"We have reached the planet Anubis designated for his meeting with Osiris. We are to prepare you for transport to Anubis's ship."
Casting his eyes for a glimpse of the sympathetic young Jaffa he had seen earlier, Daniel reflexively closed his eyes and mouth as the man he sought pitched a bucket of water at his head.
Screwing up his face from the fluid that was forced up his nose; Daniel turned his head and sneezed violently while another volley hit him square in the chest.
After several minutes of liquid assault, Daniel hung limply, once again poking his tongue out, hoping to capture enough droplets to slake his overwhelming thirst.
"Take him down," the squadron leader ordered. Two of the Jaffa stepped forward to support him, and a third man crossed the room to work the mechanism that would lower Daniel's suspended arms.
A hand slid possessively over his mistreated ass and patted lightly. Gasping in outraged surprise, Daniel snapped his head to the left. Noting Heru'ur's symbol, he recognized the leering man as the Jaffa who had taken liberties earlier. He opened his mouth to protest, expelling a shout of pain instead.
The release of tension sent spasms of agony the length of his arms and into his shoulders, and Daniel groaned wretchedly. He leaned heavily to the right as his arms were slowly lowered to hang uselessly in front of him.
The squadron leader knelt down and released his ankles from the shackles. Daniel hissed as the abrasions flared angrily.
Standing, the leader grasped the chain linking Daniel's wrists, and jerked the hands closer to his face, ignoring the biting curse the sudden movement elicited from the prisoner.
"These wounds need tending," he said, grimacing at the blood and discharge that signified the onset of infection. Sniffing loudly, the Jaffa's face contorted to a mask of disgust. "He still reeks from the exertions of his coupling with our lord. We cannot present him to Anubis smelling of pus and sex." Turning to the Jaffa on Daniel's right, the squadron leader said, "As lowest in seniority, the unpleasant task of cleaning him thoroughly falls to you."
The designated warrior bowed in obeisance to his commander.
Taking in the figure as it bent into his peripheral line of sight, Daniel's eyes widened at the short, curly blond hair. He sighed, an exaggerated groan released with the breath. The Jaffa tightened their grip, no doubt believing the sound to be a precursor of Daniel's imminent collapse. In reality, Daniel's vocalization was one of barely contained hope, impulsively expelled when he discovered Moloc's Jaffa would be his nurse maid.
"Take him to his cell," the leader ordered the two who held him.
Trying, and for the most part failing, to keep pace with his escort, Daniel eventually gave up and allowed himself to be dragged. In spite of his pain and exhaustion, Daniel marked with gratitude that they did not encounter any other Jaffa between the room where he'd been raped and his 'cell.' Too many on this ship had already had a free show.
Arriving at their destination, the trio waited while another of Moloc's Jaffa, already standing guard outside the room, punched the code to open the door.
Heru'ur's Jaffa released his hold as soon as they crossed the threshold. Unprepared to support Daniel alone, Moloc's Jaffa lost his grip and Daniel crumpled in a painful heap, an involuntary cry escaping his lips.
Taking a step back, the older Jaffa waited until the door closed behind him; then, glaring lecherously at the man huddled miserably at his feet, he clapped the boy on the shoulder and steered him a few feet away from the prisoner.
"I know he is very tempting, but I should warn you that Osiris will likely have your balls if he discovers that you dared to take advantage of this time alone with the prisoner to fuck him yourself."
"What?" Moloc's Jaffa wheezed.
Gazing longingly at Daniel, the older Jaffa muttered, "Though the gods know I would take that chance to have this one. Have you ever seen such an ass."
"Tarik, what are you saying?"
Tearing his gaze from the naked prisoner, Tarik laughed at the dumbstruck look on the younger man's face.
"It is too bad that one of my fellows is not currently guarding the door." Tarik made a sound that resembled a sigh. "I could zat him, and we could have a bit of fun with this one."
The young Jaffa widened his eyes, and Tarik smiled paternally, clearly eager to introduce the youngster to the seedier side of life in the Jaffa world.
"Relax, boy. We've done this sort of thing before, though I suspect Heru'ur turned a blind eye because he was not interested in the male prisoners.
"On Heru'ur's ships it was understood among the contingent that, if a prisoner were desirable..." Tarik returned his eyes to the prisoner currently sprawled before them, licking his lips hungrily, "as this one surely is, a guard wishing to partake of such delights need only alert his fellow on guard duty. The guard would then willingly take a zat so that he could truthfully say he was powerless to prevent the assault on the prisoner should it become known. He would have to lie and say he did not see who it was wielding the weapon that rendered him thus... and, of course, it was necessary to silence the prisoner as well." Tarik shrugged. "But a well placed dagger blade will render them permanently mute."
"You were never caught taking liberties with the prisoners?" Moloc's Jaffa gasped, clearly awed by such daring.
"We did so only rarely. Not many were worth the risk. And, if Heru'ur was aware of our game, he never demanded we stop playing."
"Have you... played the game on this ship?" The young Jaffa asked, some of his earlier apprehension apparently giving way to curiosity.
"No. But we have never had a prisoner who would make the risk of reprisal worth taking. Not like this one," Tarik said, covetous eyes returning to Daniel's naked form.
Pulling his gaze away with obvious effort, Tarik slapped the young Jaffa on the back. "And you have free access for as long as it takes to make him presentable to Anubis. He will not have time to complain of your treatment. If I were you, I would take advantage of it," Tarik suggested, his lust-inspired encouragement directly contradicting his previous advice.
Grinning knowingly into the younger man's face, Tarik left quickly. The young Jaffa gaped after his would-be mentor, grinning vaguely to the guard, who peered in briefly, before punching the code to close the door.
Carefully watching the Jaffa from his vantage point on the floor, Daniel had caught only snatches of their conversation. But the looks directed his way told him more than any words ever could have. Two disheartening impressions leapt to the fore: it seemed he had been wrong about the young Jaffa — and that his molester had acquired an apprentice.
Once the older man left, Daniel struggled to push himself up from his prone position. A hand gripped his arm, and Daniel rolled onto his back, thrusting out the chain of the manacles in some semblance of a defensive posture.
"You know what," he ground out, one eye cinching involuntarily as pain shot up his spine, "I've had enough alien dick shoved up my ass for one day."
Bending his knees and planting his feet on the floor to relieve the pressure in his back, he continued to glare up at the Jaffa. "Now... it may seem to you that I'm pretty much at your mercy, but I am really pissed off at the moment and extremely motivated to hurt you severely if you touch me again. So," he concluded, panting harshly, "I think it's only fair to warn you that if you come any closer, I will kick you so hard your balls will lodge in your throat and choke you to death."
The young Jaffa's eyes widened before his brow scrunched slightly in thought. "I have been kicked in the 'balls' before. I do not believe what you threaten is possible, even with sufficient motivation."
Daniel blinked, astonished by the response, so far removed from what he had expected.
"Shel kek nem ron, Daniel Jackson," the Jaffa added quietly.
Gaping dumbly for a second, finally Daniel found his voice. "You are Rebel Jaffa," he breathed thankfully, sagging back onto the floor.
"Sa'reb," the younger man confirmed with a nod.
Reaching to help Daniel up, Sa'reb grunted with the effort of lifting the almost dead weight. "I am impressed by your tenacity in the face of such overwhelming odds. Were I of Tarik's mind, you could not have prevented me from copulating with you." Gently wrapping an arm around Daniel's waist, Sa'reb quickly walked Daniel to the platform that served as a bed.
Shuffling instead to stand against the wall, Daniel looked the boy up and down. While smaller than Daniel, he was well built and quite obviously capable of handling the archaeologist in his present condition. Shrugging in concession, Daniel mumbled sullenly, "I'd have gotten in a lick or two."
When Daniel teetered, Sa'reb shot out an arm to keep him upright. "You should sit down," he said.
Grimacing at the mere suggestion, Daniel shook his head. "Yeah, you know what, I'd rather stand."
"It appears you are not presently capable of such an undertaking," the Jaffa said plainly.
Daniel eyed the young man with a mixture of curiosity and irritation — the former because of his speech which sounded so much like Teal'c's, and the latter because Daniel knew he was right.
Apart from the agony of stressed muscles and the various cuts, bites and contusions, Daniel was bone-weary. The water from his bath had mostly dissipated, replaced by a fine sheen of sweat from the effort of moving to his cell. The sweat was evaporating now, chilling rapidly and drawing goose flesh to the surface. Sighing, Daniel yielded to Sa'reb's suggestion and allowed the Jaffa to help him to the bench.
Angling himself so that he settled on his hip and not his ass, Daniel nevertheless groaned in discomfort when he made contact with the hard surface. Shifting stiffly, he laid down on his back while Sa'reb lifted his legs, settling them gently until Daniel was fully recumbent.
Sa'reb reached into a pouch on his hip, producing a key. Kneeling beside the bench, he unlocked the manacles, flinching at the deep lacerations and bruising revealed beneath the metal.
He gripped Daniel's shoulder, frowning into the glazed blue eyes. "The cuffs are embedded. There is no option, I must peel them away."
"It's going to hurt like hell, isn't it?"
"I am sorry." Releasing Daniel's shoulder, Sa'reb wrapped his fingers around the edges of a metal band and tugged firmly.
After an initial involuntary cry, Daniel lay rigidly still, his lips resolutely sealed, his eyes squeezed tight. In spite of the valiant efforts to minimize the overt signs of his distress, still the increased perspiration on his brow, the quickened respirations pushed and dragged through his nostrils, and the occasional kicking of his left foot all testified to his anguish.
Pulling the metal from Daniel's wrists, Sa'reb dropped the manacles on the floor beside him, the resultant clank resounding loudly in the small chamber. Resting a supportive hand on Daniel's shoulder, he massaged the taut muscle with his thumb and murmured, "It is done."
The tension of his ordeal easing from his body, Daniel shuddered violently. He settled slowly, his breaths coming in gulping gasps, his hair soaked with sweat.
"Rest," Sa'reb ordered mildly. "I will return momentarily. No one will disturb you here."
Dubious concerning the long term prospect of that statement, Daniel nevertheless, nodded weakly, easily trusting Sa'reb that he was safe for the moment.
Sa'reb could have been gone minutes or hours. Having fallen into a fitful doze as soon as the Jaffa exited his room, Daniel had no concept of the amount of time that had actually passed before a gentle shake roused him.
Eyelids fluttering sluggishly, Daniel redoubled his efforts to prop his eyes open, when the sweet whisper of trickling liquid sounded in his ears. Sa'reb's wavering form came into focus and Daniel loosed an anticipatory whimper.
Splashing some water into a metal cup, Sa'reb set his pitcher aside and slipped his cool hand behind Daniel's neck. Supporting the archaeologist's head with one hand, he tipped water into the eagerly gaping mouth with the other.
Sa'reb wrested the cup away after Daniel had taken only a few sips, his face clinching with an apologetic smile. "If you take in too much at once you will only vomit it all back up."
"Right." Sighing in acknowledgment, Daniel let Sa'reb help him recline again and relaxed as much as his various aches would allow.
Reaching back into his pouch, Sa'reb produced a small vial. He emptied the container into the water remaining in the pitcher. Producing a cloth he had tucked into his belt, he immersed it fully, wring out most of the excess liquid.
Taking Daniel's hand in his, he met the injured man's apprehensive gaze. "This will sting," he said matter-of-factly.
"Ya think?" Daniel snorted, hissing loudly as the medicated cloth touched his wounded wrist. Feeling his stomach roll, Daniel closed his eyes and swallowed large drafts of air, hoping to calm the nausea and flushed feeling that began in his midsection and quickly spread through his body in both directions.
For several minutes, Daniel just endured the torture of having his mangled wrists cleaned, the only sounds his rapid breaths and dripping water. Mercifully, he was shaken from his misery by Sa'reb's soft voice.
"I have contacted my brothers in the resistance, requesting that a message be relayed to the rebels at Hak'tyl."
Lifting his head, Daniel blinked away pain-induced tears and concentrated on the Jaffa.
"Ishta will notify the Tau'ri," Sa'reb continued. He laid Daniel's hands on his abdomen and reached to clean the knife wound on his shoulder.
"We are orbiting Anat..."
"Anat," Daniel interjected breathlessly. "Wife of Ba'al. Goddess of..."
"She has been gone for many centuries," Sa'reb supplied, a perplexed bent to his brow.
Flashing a crooked grin, Daniel shook his head faintly. "Sorry," he croaked, "I'm told I have this annoying habit of providing superfluous information at inappropriate times." Daniel gingerly lifted a hand, manually tossing the conversation back to Sa'reb. "You were saying."
"I was saying," Sa'reb resumed, only momentarily confused by Daniel's statement, "that this planet, Anat, is known to the Tau'ri. Once Anubis arrives, Osiris will ring over to Anubis's ship to confirm your capture and arrange for your transfer. I have reported to the rebels that I will attempt to get you to the planet's surface during this time. It will be up to your people to retrieve you from there."
Disbelief at the possibility of rescue, together with the increased pain of Sa'reb's ministrations made Daniel's head swim dizzily. While Sa'reb continued to tend to his various wounds, Daniel laid back, a muted groan escaping between his chapped lips, and again retreated to thoughts of his reunion with Jack.
Some while later, he was brought roughly back to the present by a hand on his shoulder and a voice in his ear.
"You must turn over so that I may clean Osiris's essence from you."
Reality tearing through his hopeful dream, Daniel choked back an involuntary sob. Rolling onto his stomach as quickly as he was able, he turned his face away from Sa'reb. As the Jaffa separated his buttocks, Osiris invaded his captive's sanctuary, his taunt echoing in Daniel's head: 'He will never accept you again after this.'
'No. You're wrong,' Daniel disputed the memory, sure of Jack's devotion. 'Jack loves me.'
Still, dark tendrils of doubt, fueled by insecurities he believed defeated long ago, wrapped around his heart, tightening with a suffocating grip.
'And you think you should let him? God, look at you. Fucked over again — literally this time.'
"No," he breathed.
"Daniel?" Sa'reb's concerned inquiry cut into his thoughts.
"I'm fine," Daniel replied by rote.
Sa'reb resumed his task, unaware that Daniel cried in silent agony, letting his tears fall unabated, as the blissful hope of a promised reunion with Jack turned bitterly to the reminder that Jack would be better off without him.
-14-
"Can you pilot a tel'tac?" Sa'reb asked, hefting Daniel to a sitting position with a strong hand on the Tau'ri's arm.
Having finished tending to Daniel's wounds, including his severely abraded and bruised anal area, Sa'reb offered him the last of the water in the cup. He frowned as Daniel gulped convulsively, his pale frame bathed in perspiration, an aftereffect of the excruciating process of ridding him of the physical evidence of Osiris's attention.
Taking the goblet from his charge's shaky hand, Sa'reb set it aside and gracefully slid to his knees on the floor beside the archaeologist. Smiling ruefully, he carefully affixed the manacles to Daniel's wrists.
Acknowledging the click of the restraints with a grimace, Daniel groaned as the added weight pulled on his sore shoulders and the metal nipped at his broken skin. Resting on his hip, he slowly pulled his legs up, and leaned heavily against his cell wall.
"I'm familiar with the communications systems," he answered wearily, recalling his brief stint as the System Lord 'Oz,' "but I've never actually flown one. I have flown larger Goa'uld vessels, and I've seen how the controls on a tel'tac work, so..."
"Can you get one safely to the surface of Anat?" Sa'reb inquired pointedly, his tone suddenly anxious.
"I don't know, you tell me. Are your guys gonna shoot me out of the sky as soon as I leave the ha'tak?"
"For all of his bluster, Osiris commands only a small contingent of Jaffa," Sa'reb replied with an amused twist to his mouth.
Daniel nodded. "I thought the halls were a little empty." With difficulty, he raised one encumbered hand to rub at the headache blossoming behind his forehead.
"Osiris will take his lieutenant and a ceremonial squadron of four Jaffa to attend him when he rings over to Osiris's ship," Sa'reb explained. "Unfortunately, the ring room will be heavily guarded until Osiris returns. However, the remaining Jaffa will return to their duties throughout the ha'tak. I believe I can leave my post without suspicion and get you to the tel'tac undetected."
"Um," Daniel uttered softly, his brow knotted in concentration, "I've only flown a ha'tak the one time but, if I remember correctly, when the cargo bay doors open, someone on the pel'tac will be notified."
"We will have the element of surprise," Sa'reb reasoned. "While there will be a signal that a ship has been launched, if the tel'tac is cloaked, it will not be immediately known where you are heading. However, when you enter the planet's atmosphere the ship's heat signature will be visible and gliders will be scrambled to intercept you. You will have to fly swiftly to the surface and you must be prepared to take evasive maneuvers if the gliders fire upon you."
When Daniel raised his brows at this bit of news, Sa'reb shrugged slightly.
"It is doubtful that anyone will suspect you have escaped. They will likely think the tel'tac is piloted by a Jaffa and will take the rapid descent to the planet as desertion or as part of a plan to sabotage the meeting between Osiris and Anubis." Grinning apologetically, he concluded, "In either event, they will no doubt fire upon the tel'tac."
Nodding resignedly, Daniel flashed a tight smile. "Peachy," he sighed tiredly. "Okay, so when do we do this?"
"Once Osiris has left the ha'tak, I will come back to get you. There will be a guard outside the door but I will take care of him," Sa'reb promised.
Glancing down guiltily at the manacles, he frowned. "I am sorry it was necessary to reattach the restraints. But if someone were to check —"
"They might be tipped off that you're sympathetic to the prisoner. It's okay." Letting his eyelids fall, Daniel leaned heavily against the wall. Suddenly, he was feeling every ache and wound marking his frame.
He gasped softly, his eyes flying open, when a hand rested on his cheek.
"You have a fever," Sa'reb declared, his eyes projecting concern.
"Yeah, there's a surprise. Did you know there are more bacteria swimming in the human mouth than in most animals'?" Daniel rubbed the skin near the bite wound on his leg and winced. The area was hot and definitely inflamed, if the sting elicited by his touch was anything to go by. "And who knows where Osiris's mouth has been."
Sa'reb's eyes grew worried. "Will you be able to pilot the tel'tac?"
"I'll be fine," Daniel assured with a confidence he didn't quite feel. He shifted, intending to lay down on the hard surface of the bench. "I'm just gonna rest for a while."
Cradling Daniel's shoulder, Sa'reb guided him slowly to a reclining position. His jaw tensed when the man turned awkwardly onto his side, pulling his legs to his chest for warmth.
"Thank you." Daniel gripped the Jaffa's arm and gazed into the younger man's eyes, letting him know that the thanks extended to more than assisting in his comfort.
Sa'reb patted Daniel's shoulder. "I will be back," he vowed, biting his lip in consternation when Daniel's eyes slid immediately closed.
Standing easily, his brow furrowing at the sight of the already sleeping Tau'ri, Sa'reb exited the cell, acknowledging the guard posted outside the door as he passed, and made his way back to his duty area.
"Chevron five encoded," Sgt. Harriman called from the control room.
Nearly thirty-six hours from the time they estimated Daniel had been taken, Jack shifted impatiently, fingers reflexively tightening their grip on his P-90. Though the locking of each successive chevron brought him just that much closer to Daniel, still he wanted to scream at what seemed a maddeningly slow process.
"Chevron six encoded."
Glancing around, Jack nodded at Carter's encouraging smile. She stood opposite him, on the other side of the ramp, next to Jacob, the members of SG-3 spread out behind them. Each of the SGC personnel, like himself, was dressed in desert cammo.
Standing between and slightly behind his teammates, Teal'c juggled a Goa'uld shock grenade. Watching the Stargate intently, Ka'lel stood behind him, just to the left of the MALP, cradling the borrowed staff weapon in the crook of her arm while holding Teal'c's weapon at the ready, easily accessible for the large man to snatch on the run. Jack raised an impertinent brow at the SGC radio clipped to her soft leather garment.
An uneasy shuffling drew Jack's attention over his shoulder. He solemnly scanned the members of SG-6, fanned out behind him and to his left, eagerly awaiting his 'go' signal.
Glimpsing Fraiser and her team standing by the back wall, Jack gulped involuntarily at the sight of the tall canvas stretcher looming over the diminutive doctor, held upright by one of the techs. Locking eyes briefly with the SGC's CMO, Jack read her fervent hope that Daniel wouldn't need the medical transportation device to get him back home.
"Chevron seven, locked!"
Once the initial explosive burst of energy settled into the fluid-like event horizon, Jack tapped Teal'c on the shoulder. The Jaffa activated the Goa'uld grenade and, stepping onto the ramp, tossed it directly through the middle of the wormhole.
Glancing at his watch, Jack followed Teal'c out of the corner of his eye as the Jaffa stepped back to allow the MALP to precede the rescue team up the ramp.
Watching until the mechanical lookout disappeared into the event horizon, Jack turned expectantly to the control room window, holding his breath in anticipation of the words he had longed to hear since Daniel had disappeared.
"Godspeed, Colonel," Hammond called, obviously finding the situation on the other side of the gate acceptable. "Bring our boy home."
Releasing his breath in a low whoosh, Jack nodded to his CO. Turning back to the gate he yelled, "Move out," and stepped onto the ramp, together with Teal'c. Fueled by impatience and anxiety, it was all Jack to do to keep himself from running ahead of the Jaffa.
Coming out of the Stargate onto PB5-926, Jack and Teal'c each stepped aside. Jack covered the area to the right of the gate, Teal'c the left, until the members of SGs-3 and 6 relieved them of the duty.
When everyone was through the gate, Jack motioned Carter to check the DHD. Taking in the half dozen Jaffa lying motionless on the sand around them, he turned to Major DaSilva, the leader of SG-6.
"Stay here and secure the gate. If these Jaffa so much as twitch, zat 'em."
"Yes, sir." DaSilva saluted smartly.
Returning the gesture, Jack addressed Fraiser. "Doc, you and your team stay with SG-6. Once Daniel's down, and the area's secure I'll call you."
"Colonel, we don't how badly Daniel's hurt. What if he needs immediate —"
"Non-negotiable, Doc," Jack returned, a brusque shake of his head accentuating the declaration. "Daniel would never forgive either of us if you got hurt because I let you into a dangerous situation, even if he does need immediate attention."
At her determined glare, Jack offered a compromise, "If it looks like he's in trouble, I'll have DaSilva bring you in even if we're not secure, agreed?"
Still unhappy, Janet obviously understood it was the best offer she was going to get. "Agreed, Colonel," she nodded tightly.
Checking that SG-6 had the gate covered, Jack started walking towards the dune where, five years ago, Apophis had crashed his death glider. His teammates, Jacob, Ka'lel and the members of SG-3 followed.
"Okay, Daniel's supposed to land somewhere near the gate," Jack said, scanning the area as he walked. "But, like Hammond, I'm not comfortable knowing there's a Jaffa garrison based a little over a mile from here."
Shuffling to a halt, sending little wavelets of sand surging before him, Jack glanced towards the tree line behind and to the left of the gate. He motioned to SG-3's team leader.
"Reynolds, take your men and move in closer to that base. Stay down, but keep an eye out and let me know if they make any move in this direction."
Nodding sharply, Reynolds barked orders to his men, and they moved around the gate, headed for the trees.
Grim faced, Jack snapped his head towards the sand dune. He and his entourage climbed laboriously, slogging through the ankle deep sand. Once at the apex, Jack again scanned his surroundings then looked upward, entreating softly.
"Come on, Daniel."
-15-
As the rings ascended, taking Osiris and his guard to Anubis's ship, Sa'reb filed out with the other Jaffa not chosen to accompany their lord, and moved casually down the hall towards his duty station.
"Sa'reb."
Turning at the unexpected summons, the young Jaffa found Tarik, the Jaffa who had helped him take Daniel to his cell.
"Did you taste him?" When the younger man only stared at him in apparent confusion, Tarik prompted, "The Tau'ri. Was his ass as sweet as it looks?"
Careful to keep his aspect neutral, inwardly Sa'reb flinched in disgust. "There was no time before I was called to attend our lord's departure," he replied with mock disappointment.
Placing his hand on Sa'reb's arm, Tarik led him against the wall. Glancing in either direction, he lowered his voice conspiratorially. "I must confess that I have been unable to get the Tau'ri out of my mind. I must go back to his cell and sample some of what Osiris has been gloating over." Tarik skimmed a palm over his genitals, groaning deeply.
"I think I can help you out," Sa'reb whispered.
"What, you still have access?" Tarik asked hopefully.
Feigning excited anticipation, Sa'reb gave Tarik's chest a familiar pat. "After our conversation earlier, I spoke with Ai'tan, the guard outside our lovely prisoner's door. He has agreed to take a zat so that we may enjoy the prisoner's company," he concluded, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.
"Why are we standing here then?" Tarik demanded. Gripping Sa'reb's arm in a firm hold, he propelled the youth through the ship.
Nearing the hallway containing Daniel's cell, Sa'reb positioned himself against the wall and offered Tarik a deferential nod. Grinning far too broadly for Sa'reb's comfort, the older Jaffa stepped around the corner and shot his zat, once, at the guard standing before Daniel's door. Sa'reb stepped into the hallway just in time to see the man collapse, his hand on his own zat.
'Good, he saw who shot him,' Sa'reb smiled inwardly.
Hastening to the cell door, Tarik toed the unconscious man. "Now, if Osiris is truly a just god, he cannot rightly blame Ai'tan here for what happens next."
While Tarik pressed the combination of symbols that unlocked the cell, Sa'reb glanced the length of the hallway in both directions, though he knew it should be a while before any patrol made its way to the holding cells.
Back peddling after Tarik, Sa'reb scowled darkly at the pieces of Jaffa armor that had nearly tripped him up. Outraged that Tarik had begun to remove his clothing immediately upon crossing the threshold, Sa'reb pulled his zat. Firing point blank at the lecherous bastard, he waited until the body had fallen before firing twice more, obliterating any sign that Tarik had ever existed.
"What..."
Sa'reb darted his surprised gaze to the man on the bed. Eyelids rapidly batting over panic-enlarged eyes, Daniel scrabbled to push himself up from the slab. The effort proved too much and he fell back against the wall.
"It is alright, Dr. Jackson," Sa'reb soothed. Disengaging his zat, he attached the weapon to its holster on his forearm. "This was part of my plan to help you escape."
Squinting at the young Jaffa, Daniel wrinkled his brow in confusion. "Call me Daniel, please."
"Daniel. Do not worry yourself over that Jaffa. He is no great loss to you or to his god." Sareb came quickly to Daniel's side and eased the archaeologist into a sitting position. Shifting his hand from Daniel's shoulder to his forehead Sa'reb hissed, "Your fever has risen."
"I'm fine," Daniel spat reflexively. Closing his eyes, he shook his head feebly. "Why did you kill him?"
"Tarik, that was his name, admitted to me that he raped prisoners behind his god's back. That is why he was here."
Daniel's lashes twitched and he sluggishly dragged his fever-dulled eyes open. It was apparent from the way he leaned forward, mouth gaping slackly, that he was having difficulty following Sa'reb's end of the conversation.
Watching the Tau'ri, concerned that the man's dazed state was more than difficulty waking from his nap, Sa'reb told him point blank, "He came in here to rape you, Daniel."
Daniel's glazed blue eyes widened, confirming he had absorbed the information.
"When Tarik told me that the Jaffa on Heru-ur's ships allowed each other access to the prisoners, I thought of a way to get you off the ha'tak without suspicion falling on me. I can assist your escape and still continue my mission aboard Osiris's ship."
Daniel's lips turned up, and he nodded at the obvious pleasure that fact gave the young rebel.
"Once the tel'tac is launched, someone will eventually think to check on you. When it is discovered both you and Tarik are missing, it will be assumed that Tarik took you to the planet. Ai'tan will confirm that Tarik zatted him..."
"Leaving you in the clear," Daniel finished, showing Sa'reb that his mental processes were returning to normal function.
"If you are ready, we should go," Sa'reb advised. He gripped Daniel's bicep, prepared to lift the archaeologist to his feet.
"I'm ready," Daniel asserted, gingerly scooting to the edge to the bench. Pushing with all the strength he had, Daniel managed with some difficulty, and a lot of assistance from Sa'reb, to stand upright.
"Whoa," Daniel gasped, listing to the side.
"Daniel?"
"Just a little lightheaded. Give me a sec," Daniel groaned, lowering his head.
For several seconds, the room was dominated by Daniel's deeply drawn breaths. The measured cadence was soon drowned out by the booming repetition of an automated warning, which echoed deafeningly through the small space.
Lifting his head, Daniel darted startled eyes between Sa'reb and the doorway. "Osiris?"
Nodding tersely, the Jaffa wrapped an arm around Daniel's back and started for the exit. "He would not have come back so quickly unless something has happened to disrupt their meeting. We must go now."
"Goa'uld disharmony? Who could have predicted that?" Daniel smirked as Sa'reb opened the door and peered into the hallway.
The pair shuffled along as quickly as Daniel's weakened condition allowed. Rounding a corner near the cargo bay, they were brought up short, the unmistakable rattle of Jaffa armor sounding from the hall in front of them.
Scuttling back around the bend and quickly taking in his surroundings, Sa'reb opened a nearby door and, handing his zat to the injured man, gently pushed Daniel inside. Turning his back on the barracks door as it closed, he lifted his shoulder plate to his chin, and took a step into the hall. Waiting until he was sure the maneuver would be seen by the two heavily armed Jaffa who rounded the corner, Sa'reb yanked the armor back into place.
"What is happening?" the young Jaffa asked, shifting the metal piece as though he had just hurriedly donned it. "I was unable to complete my kel'no'reem."
"We are engaging Anubis's ship," a Jaffa bearing the mark of Olukun replied, disgust evident in his tone. "Osiris has refused to turn over the Tau'ri."
Seemingly abhorred by the very thought of defying a superior, Sa'reb gasped, "Why would he do that?"
The second Jaffa, a man wearing Anubis's tattoo, shook his head. "The Tau'ri has cast a spell over our lord. Osiris is totally besotted."
"Osiris has ordered us to bring the prisoner to him," Olukun's Jaffa snapped irritably. "No doubt our *lord* will leave us to perish under Anubis's attack while he takes his prize and escapes in a tel'tac."
Lowering his brow, obviously vexed by the sarcasm dripping from his fellow's statement, Anubis's Jaffa cuffed the other man on the back of the head, pushing him towards their destination. "It is not your station to question the gods," he snarled. Turning to Sa'reb he ordered, "Get to your post, boy," before stomping after his partner.
"Yes, sir." Sa'reb bowed and turned as if to follow the older man's directive. Waiting just until the echo of their footsteps began to fade, Sa'reb turned and punched the controls to the barracks door.
Spying Daniel shivering against the wall just inside the doorway, a purloined warrior's cloak pulled tight around his throat, Sa'reb lifted his hands when the zat came out from under the cover and trained on him.
His mouth lifting in a crooked grin that was at once relieved and chagrined, Daniel lowered the zat. Reaching out, Sa'reb took the weapon from him, noting with some alarm that the hand wielding the weapon shook uncontrollably. Gripping Daniel's shoulder, he pulled the archaeologist close and again supported him with an arm around Daniel's waist.
"How did you know the barracks would be empty?" Daniel rasped.
"I did not. That is why I gave the zat'nik'tel to you," Sa'reb replied matter-of-factly.
"Oh," Daniel deadpanned softly, his dry lips pouting pensively.
"We must go." Sa'reb nudged Daniel forward. "You must be away before those Jaffa discover you are no longer in your cell."
"Hey, it wasn't my idea to stop here," Daniel quipped, tugging the ends of the heavy fabric around his naked flesh. "Though I am grateful for something to, ah, cut the chill." Shrugging at the Jaffa's questioning brow, Daniel gestured for Sa'reb to pick up the pace.
Further down the hallway, Sa'reb stopped in front another door and, leaning Daniel against the wall for support, he pulled his zat then pressed the glyphs to open it.
As the door slid upward, Sa'reb swept his zat from one side of the cargo bay to the other. Finding the room empty, he quickly sidestepped and wound his arm around Daniel's back once again.
Daniel grunted and slumped heavily against his rescuer.
"Almost there," Sa'reb whispered reassuringly, alarmed by his charge's suddenly flagging. He clasped the archaeologist tight against his own body.
"Tel ko nak, Jaffa! Macha tre'ac," a voice boomed from behind them.
Whirling, Sa'reb stumbled, nearly pulled down when the sudden movement unbalanced Daniel. Yanking the other man upright, eliciting a startled yelp, Sa'reb slid behind Daniel and tucking the weapon between the folds of Daniel's wrap, poked his zat into the exposed ribs.
"Nemet kree!" Sa'reb returned. Recognizing the two Jaffa he had encountered outside the barracks, he firmed his hold on Daniel. "I will kill Osiris's pet if you come any closer!"
The Jaffa took a step forward, prompting Sa'reb to take a reflexive step backward, dragging his hostage with him.
"I can shoot him three times before you get this far. How will you explain to your lord that you were unable even to recover a body for the sarcophagus?"
"Ooh, that's cold," Daniel hissed, just loud enough for Sa'reb's ears.
"Jaffa, kree!" Another voice, easily recognizable as belonging to Osiris, bellowed from down the intersecting hallway. Also familiar was the accompanying echo of Jaffa on the march.
When the Jaffa he faced dutifully turned to acknowledge their god, Sa'reb aimed his zat, taking them both down in rapid-fire succession.
More Jaffa rounded the corner, and, muttering a curse, Sa'reb shoved Daniel into the cargo bay, firing indiscriminately. Diving into the room, zat and staff weapon fire hailing around him, Sa'reb lunged at the door control, closing and locking it.
"They will soon break in," Sa'reb panted, helping Daniel from the floor, marveling absently that the archaeologist had managed to keep the cloak wrapped around himself as he fell. "I must come with you now," the young Jaffa said with some measure of regret as they entered the tel'tac. "I am no longer useful as a spy on this ship."
"Plan A never works for us, either," Daniel groaned in commiseration.
Settling Daniel uneasily in the passenger seat, Sa'reb moved quickly to the pilot's chair and activated the tel'tac's engines.
"Let us hope Osiris has not had time to order a lock down," Sa'reb suggested, cradling the large, roughly spherical control stick between his hands.
Gaping at his young rescuer, Daniel rolled his eyes and turned to see if the outside doors would open. He released his breath in a relieved 'whoosh' when they started moving.
Relief was short-lived: the doors froze mid way.
"Hold on!" Sa'reb barked.
The craft shot forward, throwing Daniel back against the unforgiving bulk of the seat. Peering through barely slitted eyes, Daniel watched as the tel'tac slid past the partially opened cargo bay door and shot into the openness of space in less time than it took Daniel to follow Sa'reb's advice.
Almost immediately the craft was assailed by weapons fire and Daniel flinched involuntarily. A glider jetted past the windscreen, narrowly missing a collision with their craft.
"We have no cloaking capability," Sa'reb cried over the din of the attack. "I must attempt to evade them. Our descent will be considerably less controlled than I had anticipated."
"Plan B?" Daniel called across the center console, shaking his head in response to the Jaffa's befuddled expression. "Go!"
Lifting his head, eyes directed skyward, Teal'c stared past the Stargate, towards the position O'Neill had designated as 'north.' He tipped his head slightly, angling his ears across a heretofore motionless desert, his posture reminiscent of a dog responding to a silent whistle.
Nearby, Jack glanced fretfully between the clouds and his teammates. Noting the change in the Jaffa's stance, he skipped quickly to the large man's side.
"T?" Jack inquired hopefully.
Holding up a hand to forestall additional conversation, Teal'c narrowed his eyes tightly, continuing to scan the upper atmosphere.
Jack huffed impatiently, moved a few paces away from the Jaffa, and spun to stare over one of the massive shoulders. After a few moments, unable to endure the wait any longer, Jack opened his mouth to again request information. Before he could emit a sound, Teal'c raised his arm and pointed into the distance.
"O'Neill," Teal'c roared.
Shuffling up behind Teal'c, Jack trained his eyes along the sight of the larger man's arm. For the span of a few breaths, Jack saw nothing, then a dark speck materialized out of the blue, rapidly growing larger.
Jack fumbled for the button on his com, squeezing the radio firmly to still his trembling hand.
"Heads up! Here he comes! Doc, you stay back until I call you."
