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Nergal's ships arrived thirty minutes after Jack and Daniel had met with the System Lords on Ashnan's ship. They had agreed to help fight against Nergal, but made it clear that this 'arrangement' was good only for the duration of the battle against this common enemy.

Daniel didn't get a chance to see Casey, she was in the chambers allotted to Methos'; she wouldn't have been allowed at the meeting anyway. He ached to see her, hold her, but Jack forbade him from leaving the room to find her.

They had just returned to the Persephone when Nergal's face filled the communication screen. According to the communications tech, he was appearing to all of the ships at the same time.

"This is your only warning. Swear loyalty to me now, or feel my wrath!"

Sam, in her role as Hathor, was the first to respond. "You take far too much upon yourself, Nergal. You set yourself above us. Contrary to the rules of the Empire."

"You are no Goa'uld, you bitch!" Nergal hissed. "Hear me! Hathor is not a Goa'uld. She is a Tau'ri. Samantha Carter. Of SG-1. She is playing you for fools!"

Methos was the next to communicate to each ship. "You know nothing of Hathor. I have known her for many years. The body you see may be that of Samantha Carter. Hathor, however, is alive and well inside her. She was with me when we took this ship from the Tau'ri. She then hid from those who wished her dead until she was strong enough to defend herself!"

"Lies!" Nergal hissed, his eyes flashing with anger.

Ashnan's face appeared. "Hear me, my brothers and sisters! It is Nergal who lies! You are aware that I caught his spy on my ship only hours ago! I would not have been able to learn as much as I did had it not been for Hathor!"

Jack started chuckling. "Want to bet she used that Hathor drug?"

Teal'c and Daniel chuckled as well.

"This is your final warning! Serve me, or die!" Nergal hissed.

The first salvo was fired from Ashnan's ship. The others joined in, weapons trained on Nergal's fleet. The Persephone joined in as well, doing considerable damage to the three ships in front. Nergal and his flagship remained toward the back, out of range of most of the al'kesh.

Ashnan's ship took heavy damage. Methos raced to the quarters where Casey waited. He led her and Wade to the escape pods.

When Nergal's sensors picked up the escape pods leaving the ship, he had each of them scanned carefully. When he detected a human female, with no Goa'uld present, he ordered it brought aboard. He was well aware of the fact that Casey was Methos' Consort, or at least supposed to be. The Goa'uld still had his doubts about that.

When the pod was opened, Casey was hoping to see either the Jaffa on the Phoenix, or Daniel on the Persephone. She screamed when she saw Nergal standing above her. 'DANIEL!'

He went to his knees. "Oh, god! He's got her," he moaned. "I’m here babe, I'm right here, Casey. I love you!"

'I love you, Daniel! I love-'

Nergal knocked her unconscious. "Bring her. I have plans for this little blonde witch."

A  A  A  A  A  A

She opened her eyes. She was strapped to a table, her arms stretched above her. She tried to look around, only to find that there was a strap holding her head in place also. Her vision seemed a bit blurry, and she had a funny taste in her mouth. She had no idea how long she had been unconscious. She knew for certain that she had been drugged.

Nergal suddenly loomed above her.  "Ah, Gabrielle. Or is it Casey?"

"You can call me Vengeance. I'm going to kill you for what you did to that little girl," Casey hissed.

He laughed. "Which little girl? I've had so many! Oh, yes, hundreds…thousands of little girls."

She stared at him, the Fire in her eyes nearly jumping from the green depths. "You are a sick bastard!"

"I am your god!" he roared.

"Oh, you wish! You're just a snaky parasite inhabiting an innocent body. We've killed dozens of you bastards, we'll kill more. We'll keep killing you until you're all gone! You, I plan to kill personally!"

He slapped her, so hard that it made her ears ring. He watched as her Quickening healed the marks his hand had left. He reached out, grabbed her breast, twisted and mauled it. Smiled when she cried out. He ripped her shirt open to watch the bruises fade almost as quickly as he could put them on her.

Fascinated, he grabbed a knife. He thrust it into her stomach, then pulled it out. He watched her die, continued to watch as she reanimated.

Casey knew that she had entered hell. For the next hour or so Nergal did nothing more than cut her, watching as she healed, often cutting the wounds back open before the Quickening had completed the process. She was feeling weak, knew that she had lost a great deal of blood.

She must have passed out, because when she opened her eyes, she was lying on her stomach. She had been tossed into the cell. She sat up, feeling light headed. 'Daniel?'

A  A  A  A  A  A

On the Persephone, Daniel sat up on his bunk. His heart was in his throat, pounding hard. He had reached out so many times over the ensuing hours, sometimes able to feel her, but not once had she responded to him. 'Oh, god, babe, are you all right? I've been trying to reach you.'

'I've been dead a few times in the past…how long has it been?'

'You've been gone for about two days.'

'He knows I'm Immortal.'

'We knew that would happen, Angel. Are you all right?'

She pulled her legs up, rested her cheek on her knee. 'Not really.'

He reached out, felt her fear, her weariness. He sent his love, caressed her gently. 'Do you know where you are?'

'Haven't a clue. Could be his palace, could be his ship. Sure wish I had a homing beacon you could zero in on!'

He smiled. 'Me, too, Angel.'

'I love you.'

'Love you, too.'

Sounds of Jaffa coming toward the cell brought her to her feet. Before she could cry out, she was zatted.

Daniel knew only that the connection had been broken, and that he couldn't 'feel' her. His heart was breaking. He had to find her, rescue her, take her home. Before that bastard took her head. Or her mind.

A  A  A  A  A  A

Nergal was standing in the middle of the room, his feet spread wide, his hands on his hips. He smiled when she opened her eyes.

She was hanging against the wall, her arms supporting her weight. Already her shoulders were screaming in protest.

"Welcome back, Casey. I have a few questions for you. If you answer me truthfully, then I will not harm you. Lie to me, and you will feel my wrath." He tossed a knife at her, it landed just beside her head. "Now, where is your base located?"

"What base?" She screamed when a knife lodged in the thigh of her left leg.

"Where is your base?"

"I don't know what you're talking about!" She tried to bite back the scream when another knife was lodged in her right leg.

"What are the codes that will open your Chappa'ai to me?"

"Any codes that I know are invalid now. They were changed the minute I was taken prisoner by Methos! I have no idea what the codes are!" She cried out again when a knife pierced her left arm.

He studied her for a moment. "Yes, I can see that you might be telling the truth about that. Well, then, how many troops do you have?"

"That's information that I would never have. Too much risk of me being tortured for it. Not that I'd tell some snake-head like you anything."

The Goa'uld threw back his head and laughed. "You are indeed delightful, Casey." He tossed another knife, watched as the shirt around her stomach became wet with blood. "I see that as long as the knife remains in your body, your healing powers are unable to staunch the flow of blood. Shall we see how long it takes you to die?"

"Do whatever you want," she gasped. "Just so you know, The Chosen is on his way here to kick your snake ass. He took out Anubis…He took out Ra. He took out an Ancient…by the name of Simmons…Tossed that ass right…into a…lava flow. You're nothing!…He won't…even…break a…sweat taking…you out." Each breath was becoming more difficult to take. It wouldn't be long now. Before that thought was completed, another knife hit her, slicing between her ribs and into her heart. Her body sagged, the pressure on her cuffed wrists causing them to bleed.

"Take her down. Throw her back in the cell. Let me know when she revives." He turned, finished his chalice of wine, and left the room.

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