[Steve Hamrick]

1314
Interrogation Room Level 5
Decommed Gate Operations Facility
Athenda

Steve cursed under his breath as Cooper used Italian, afraid Sadren'd hit her again. Then he froze, though he couldn't understand her it seemed Sadren could now.

Gate translation. Damnit. And didn't usually apply to people from the same planet either.

But they had other problems as Steve looked where Sadren's attention was and his heart sped up in fear. This actually could get worse.

He twisted his wrist against the shackle as the Athendan private was ordered to aim for Cooper's head. He couldn't feel the cuts the inside of the cuff was making anymore.

But he shook his head, even if it was true. He wasn't going to be able to take the shot at escape that he was going to get when Sadren moved him from this arms up position, because she'd be killed as soon as he did.

He saw the swing of the knife coming and tried to twist to protect his injured side, the knife cutting from collarbone to the bottom of his ribs. Steve cried out and tried to back away, as Sadren smirked and cleaned the knife blade.

Seething, Steve watched as Cooper was told to unchain him. For the table. Like she could reach his numb hands like this. But the gun was still there. He put the majority of his weight on his right leg pulled back and bent his bruised left knee to wordlessly offer Cooper the boost up she'd need. Her boots shouldn't hurt much at least. He made eye contact with Sadren. "Can I have some pants before I'm strapped down, or would those be in your way?"

Nonchalantly, Avand picked up the Vedas uniform trousers from the seized gear. "How many on your team?"

The bastard knew that, and Steve knew why he was asking and knew he'd lie. "Four. Just me, her, the lieutenant and the doctor."

<<tag Isabelle Cooper, Azalea 'De' Andre, Makes-Eternal-Everlasting, Vanessa Collins>>

[Isabelle Cooper]

1314
Interrogation Room Level 5
Decommed Gate Operations Facility
Athenda

"Aim for her head. If he breathes wrong, shoot her."

At Sadrens order the gun the guard behind her had been holding in her back moved upward till Isabelle was sure it was aimed at her head, and unlike her aim she was sure the Athendain soldier would not be missing his shot. "You're wrong about that, Ambassadress. He may not talk, but he'll cooperate." she had not realized it at first, but he had responded to her first statement she had said in Italian perfectly like he had understood her, that had her wondering how much has he heard her say before and when did he start understanding her? She knew the Stargate had some type of translation program built in but why did it now decide to start working? Or did he really understand her or was he just bull*****?

Isabelle cringed at Steves cry of pain as Sadren sliced at his chest, "Unlock the colonel's hands and help him to that table, then strap his wrists and ankles." the guard behind her roughly shoved her forward before making sure his aim was as his commander had ordered it. She took a hesitant step forward, her eyes going to the wound that now marked Steves chest, blood flowed from it, it stood out against his pale skin. Taking a deep breath she continued to approach Steve till she stood in front of him, her eyes moved up to where his hands were, almost two feet above her head, she felt a rush fear as she tried to quickly find a way to be able to reach his hands. Thankfully Steve came to the same realization and silently shifted his legs so she'd have a way to boost herself up.

"Can I have some pants before I'm strapped down, or would those be in your way?"

"How many on your team?"

"Four. Just me, her, the lieutenant and the doctor."

Isabelle placed her hands on Steves shoulder, doing her best to avoid touching the still bleeding slice that now adorned his chest, "I'll try to be quick." she said quietly as she boosted herself up, even with the extra boost the small woman still had a hard time reaching his hands and it did not help that she could feel Steve starting to tremble under her. After a few moments of fumbling she managed to release the cuffs holding his arms up, once they were free she was quick to slide down off his legs, landing on her own feet in a less than graceful fashion.

With Steves hands now free from holding his weight up, his weight was suddenly off his hands, having seen Sadren already kick him in one leg, Cooper made it a point to try and stay on his injured side to try and keep the weight off of it, but it was easier said than done. "You do have some abs." she said with a nervous smile as she placed a hand on his stomach to better her hold, she tried to ignore the blood that was now on her hand and made her stomach churn.

[Steve Hamrick]

1315
Interrogation Room Level 5
Decommed Gate Operations Facility
Athenda

Under normal circumstances, her boot on his thigh wouldn't be enough to hurt. Already strained, his left knee protested her weight and he put more weight on his right leg.

Steve bit his lip, at least his shoulders didn't hurt. Numb wasn't hurt, right? "Oh, I can do this all day."

He watched Sadren for a move, an opening, as the other man laughed at the ridiculous sight in front of him. Steve growled at the laughter.

Trembling muscle made Steve a liar though, as the shackles came unlocked and he no longer had the chain for a cruel support. It was pins and needles as feeling came back when he lowered his arms and his lacerated wrists throbbed.

His arms were still half-numb and he sucked in a startled, painful breath when Izzy touched his stomach, trying to help him make it to round 2. She referenced the last time they'd been this close, a dark joke now. "Only part that doesn't hurt right now, actually. Washboard."

He tried to avoid leaning too much on Izzy as his ribs protested moving. And he just saw the kick coming, at the worst moment and in the worst place. Enough forewarning to push away from Izzy so she didn't end up on the ground with him.

The noise of a popping crunch was followed by nothing but pain, black out pass out pain and Steve hit the ground. His right knee was laying in a way that joint should not ever lay. He clenched his teeth to not scream.

Sadren casually dropped the uniform trousers for him at least and looked at Izzy. "You should tell him to stop lying to me. On the table."

<<tag Makes-Eternal-Everlasting, Vanessa Collins, Azalea 'De' Andre, Isabelle Cooper>>

[Isabelle Cooper]

1315
Interrogation Room Level 5
Decommed Gate Operations Facility
Athenda

It was her turn to get angry, as Steve fell to the ground in what she could only guess was an agonizing pain Isabelle shot Sadren a glare as he just dropped the pants like it was no big deal that he just dislocated a mans leg. She wanted to lash out at the man, do something to him to cause him some pain like he had caused Steve, but she couldn't, no sooner would she try to make a move towards him would with Sadren send her across the room or just have the armed guard shoot her. 

Gritting her teeth she knelt down and grabbed Steves arm, "Fottuto bastardo." she muttered as she struggle to get the Colonel to his feet in the best way possible without causing him anymore pain, "A fanabla, cazzo di merda." she kept on muttering some choice words in Italian, not caring that Sadren could understand every word she was saying. Hamrick was proving harder to move, but after a few more moments of trying to get him up, Isabelle finally got him standing enough that she could eventually get him to the bed. Medical professionals advised that expecting women should not lift heavy items, yet here she was trying to move a man by herself. 

"He was not lying." she finally replied to Sadren, this time in English, "There are only four of us; Colonel Hamrick, Dr. Collins, Lt. Andre.....and myself." moving Steve to the bed was slow work but the eventually made it, helping him lay down she was extra careful with moving the disjointed limb so it laid as normal as possible. She eyed the straps, moving to the end of the bed she started his left ankle before quickly moving to the right, with his legs now secure she slowly walked to the other side of the bed and for a moment looked at Sadren who now was on the other side of the bed. 

She wondered if it would be easier to just tell him what he wanted to know and be done with it, but she did not know if that would just result in them all being killed? She started to strap down his left arm, she moved over to his right arm, with her back to Sadren she started to finish the job she had been ordered to do but paused for a brief second as an idea came to her, not looking back at Sadren or the guard who still had his gun aimed at her head, she knew they were watching, Isabelle made it a point to leave the right cuff a little looser than the others.

With one final glance to Steve she turned back around to face Sadren, bringing a hand up to her face she wiped at her nose, happy to see that her nose had finally stopped bleeding. "Now what?" she asked as she brought her hand back to her side. 

[Steve Hamrick]

1316
Interrogation Room Level 5
Decommed Gate Operations Facility
Athenda

As he gripped the floor and tried not to vomit, Steve couldn't help a grim smile at Izzy's tirade of what must be some colorful Italian. He thought he recognized that she was questioning the marital status of Sadren's parents, but that was it. He hadn't heard language like that since she'd told him about the baby and he'd been an idiot.

He gripped the table, trying to put most of his weight there as Izzy got him off the floor.

And onto that table. Every jostle as she strapped his ankles with the leather cuffs made him hiss in pain. Steve knew his odds of survival were dropping anyway, so the likelihood of the damage being discharge worthy wasn't the biggest concern now. Just getting them both out alive was.

It wasn't pain that made him flinch as she strapped his left wrist. It was usually a much bigger set of hands with slim fingers that did this.

The discomfort meant he almost didn't notice until Izzy had finished and turned back to Sadren. His right wrist was just a little loose, enough that he thought could get his hand through with some effort.

He squirmed that wrist around to make the strap look tighter than it was. She'd given him an opening, now he had to choose when best to use it.

Sadren chuckled at her swearing, amused by the little woman's fury. "Temper, temper, Ambassadress. I still can't quite decide if you're sleeping together or not, you know. You're clearly not used to her touching you, Colonel. And yet you have all the fury of a wife for him."

Steve bit his lip. Nothing in this situation would be improved by Sadren figuring out that she was not his type. The commander was playing with the knife. "Now? We see what kind of man he really is. Sit down in that chair behind you, Ambassadress, can't have a young mother standing too long. Adel, bind her wrists to the arms."

The door buzzed, as a light placed high to the right of it blinked. Steve refused to react as Sadren pulled his head back and put the tip of the knife under his ear. "It's a shame, really. The worst thing that can happen to a soldier is to be stuck under the authority of an incompetent commander. You're obviously not a soldier, Ambassadress. But I think you'll agree with me on that point." Sadren pressed the knife harder, breaking the skin, and leaned close to whisper. "Is your silence worth your life? Worth hers?"

And that was the whole problem. His own life yes. But what about Cooper? "You won't kill me, or her. You're having too much fun for that, Sadren."

The door buzzed again, more hesitantly. Sadren shifted the knife to run the serrated edge from Steve's neck down his arm, lightly as he chose where to wound first. "Enter!"

Capan stood ramrod straight in a clean change of uniform, a medical bag slung across his body. "Under-soldier Capan, Medic First Grade reporting."

<<tag Azalea 'De' Andre, Vanessa Collins, Isabelle Cooper, Makes-Eternal-Everlasting>>

[Isabelle Cooper]

1318
Interrogation Room Level 5
Decommed Gate Operations Facility
Athenda


"Temper, temper, Ambassadress. I still can't quite decide if you're sleeping together or not, you know. You're clearly not used to her touching you, Colonel. And yet you have all the fury of a wife for him."

Isabelle resisted looking to see if Steve had noticed that she had intentionally made one of the straps looser, at this point she was praying he noticed, even in his current state they'd have a better chance of making it out with him with her than she would alone. Her anger was not from being his wife, it was from being a teammate, a friend, the man she was watching being tortured was the same one who she had asked to be the godfather of her unborn child, he (and his partner) had been one of the few witnesses at her wedding. "Kept women.." Isabelle paused, trying to come up with a good answer, "Are not usually allowed to touch their superiors unless explicitly asked." she was giving him another lie to believe about them, hopefully this one stuck as well as the first had. 

"Now? We see what kind of man he really is. Sit down in that chair behind you, Ambassadress, can't have a young mother standing too long. Adel, bind her wrists to the arms."

Adel was all to eager to once again prove himself to his superior, he stepped forward and forced her back into the chair, yes her back was hurting and she wanted to sit down but not here, sitting was one thing, being bound to a chair was another, "It's a shame, really. The worst thing that can happen to a soldier is to be stuck under the authority of an incompetent commander. You're obviously not a soldier, Ambassadress. But I think you'll agree with me on that point." she listened to Sadren as he continued on, Adel roughly cuffed her wrists to the arms of the chair, making it a point to tighten the cuffs as tight as he could, giving her little room to move her arms in the process. 

"No, I am not a solider, if I am anything I am a civil servant and he..." she nodded towards Steve, "Is far from an incompetent solider unlike you-" this time the blow to her face was not a brass knuckle laden backhand, it was a full on punch that sent her head snapping back so hard she was sure her neck was broken. If it was not her neck then at least something in her face. Isabelle once again tasted copper and she saw stars, but Adel was not finished.

Reaching out he wrapped a hand around her slender throat and squeezed, immediately she started to panic and tried to bring her hands up to pull his hand away but forgot her wrists were shackled to the chair. "You will have some respect." Adel told her as he squeezed tighter, the stars she were seeing kept growing, Adel kept his hand on her throat for a moment longer before letting go and moving away.

Isabelle gasped for breath as he let go, her head throbbed and the room felt like it was spinning, "Under-soldier Capan, Medic First Grade reporting." using her shoulder she wiped the tears that were now rolling down her face on her shirt before taking a nervous glance to the newcomer, Adel looked at his comrade with the same expression one might have when they were looking at a rodent. It was clear he was not a fan of the medic, but Isabelle was not going to ask why, nor did she care, she did care about the reason why Capan was really there, medics could be just as sadistic as crazy base commanders. 

TAG: Steve Hamrick, Avand Sadren

[Steve Hamrick]

1318
Interrogation Room Level 5
Decommed Gate Operations Facility
Athenda

Steve held still as the knife grazed across his skin while Izzy fed Sadren some BS about why her touch was strange to him.

He was starting to work his hand free as they spoke, resolutely ignoring the knife that slid across his bruised and broken side.

Incompetent, even as she defended him he knew Sadren was right. He had to get them all out alive, even if it would be the one single damn thing in this mess he did right. He kept squirming his wrist, now trying to force the leather over his thumb joint.

He swore, yanking in anger on the straps when the guard hit her and her head snapped back in a terrible way. He was pulling hard to free his hand, planning his assault to down both men.

And about to "break" and give his duress IDC, as a delaying tactic, as the guard let go of her.

Sadren flipped the knife before addressing Adel. "Enough, Adel. Assist Capan with the injections. You brought the thiopental, Capan? Him first and then her."

Capan looked at them. Three hours ago he'd been excited just a bit by something happening here, the arrival of real aliens. Now here he was. He had been surprised that the additional beautiful woman was with child. And no way in Naraka was he giving her thiopental if he could avoid it. "Under Medical Welfare Regulation 247, part A, the medical officer is required to examine and treat prisoners before interrogation drugs are administered, sir."

Steve paused. Capan had seemed reasonable when they'd arrived but that was three hours ago. Sadren glared at his private before gesturing to Cooper. "For someone who's been under my whip as often as you, Capan, you can quote from the regs verbatim when they suit you. Do your job then."

He didn't know what kind of effect truth serum was gonna have for a pregnant woman, and he didn't wanna find out. Steve made eye contact with the first person they'd met here, asking for help. He thought he saw a small nod, but his position made it hard to tell.

Steve jerked his head at Izzy and Capan shook his head and approached the table, digging in his medical bag and setting out a glass vial and a glass syringe, then a splint and a wrap bandage.

Capan carefully probed the bruised side, but he'd need X-rays and the ability to move his patient to tape the broken ribs up. The laceration to the chest wasn't deep but had to be painful. He'd clean and close it if he could. The wrists would heal but needed cleaned. It was the knee that was the big killer. Capan leaned in and whispered. "I can, end it, if you want."

"Like hell." Steve glared and tried to hide his loosened hand as Capan got the message and examined the wrists, loosening both cuffs to do so. He examined the dislocation, feeling for the tendons and ligaments under the skin.

He didn't believe any were torn completely through but there were definitely tears. He spoke louder for Sadren. "I'm going to re-locate the knee joint and administer the thiopental, sir."

Steve flinched from the needle as far as the strap would let him as Capan prepped an injection site and drew the syringe. "Son of a-"

"This will help, Colonel." Steve knew what sodium thiopental felt like from SERE training. This wasn't it. He still hurt, but it was duller and muffled. Morphine, he'd had that before too.

Capan put aside the syringe and placed his hands to examine the knee, feeling for the cap and the bone heads under the flesh. He could put the joint back in place, but Colonel Hamrick needed a surgeon soon. The pulse was still there at the bound ankle, at least. "This is still going to hurt, I'm sorry."

Even with the help of morphine, he still cried out in pain as the joint was re-located. Capan was quick about the rest, splinting and wrapping the knee before going to Izzy. He rolled his eyes at the other under-soldier, he'd graduated from Discipline training with Adel and knew how low in their class the guy had actually been.

He was examining her face for fractures by sight as he reached hesitantly, seeking permission and whispered, "Raniel, we met earlier. Where else are you hit?"

Sadren was examining his blooded knife. "Hurry. Up."

And Steve was working his hand free.

<<tag Azalea 'De' Andre, Isabelle Cooper, Makes-Eternal-Everlasting, Vanessa Collins>>

[Isabelle Cooper]

1320
Interrogation Room Level 5
Decommed Gate Operations Facility
Athenda

The pounding in her head only seemed to get worse as everyone kept talking, it was making it hard to focus and even though she tried, she could not get the room to stop spinning. "Enough, Adel. Assist Capan with the injections. You brought the thiopental, Capan? Him first and then her." What injections? She wondered, she could hardly take an aspirin without it posing some kind of risk to her baby, now there were talks of injections. Isabelle shook her head and grimaced as a sharp pain came from her neck that quickly travels down her spine.

"Under Medical Welfare Regulation 247, part A, the medical officer is required to examine and treat prisoners before interrogation drugs are administered, sir."

Medical welfare regulation, the Atendans had such a thing? Isabelle looked at Capan as he started to where Steve lay, but then she started to get dizzy again and had to close her eyes. "I'm going to re-locate the knee joint and administer the thiopental, sir." It was a drug and she had no idea what it was or what it would do to a baby, the anxiety started to eat at her, she had been fighting it so far but now she was starting to question if she’d ever get the chance to even meet the life inside her. Steve gave a cry of pain as Capan got his knee back into place, Adel let out a low chuckle as he listened to the sounds the wounded man made.

 "Raniel, we met earlier. Where else are you hit?"

A gentle hand lightly touched her arm, Iz opened her eyes and jerked her arms as far away from Capan as the cuffs holding her down would allow, he had a friendly expression on his face and seemed to want to do nothing more than help, which he had help Steve, but he had also injected him with some strange drug.

“Isabelle.” She said quietly, her throat hurting when she spoke, “Just the face.” She added, yes the blows to her face had left her bleeding, swelling and possibly broken, but she’d rather have them land there than risk harming anything in her stomach region. As she focused more on Capan the room finally seemed to slow down some, yet her head still throbbed, “Thiopental…what does it do?” she asked before casting a nervous glance to where Sadren stood cleaning his knife. At this point she had little choice in controlling what happened, but if they were going to force her to take an injection, she'd at least want to know what she was potentially poisoning her child with.

TAG: Avand Sadren , Steve Hamrick

[Steve Hamrick]

1320
Interrogation Room Level 5
Decommed Gate Operations Facility
Athenda

Steve almost had his hand free when Sadren turned back to him. It wasn't as much of the painkiller as a morphine drip back in the Vedas infirmary would have been, but it helped. He desperately hoped that the loose strap would not be noticed, just a little longer. He worked the access under his wrist to hide the looseness.

The tip of the knife slid along his stomach as Capan was speaking to Izzy. Could you give a pregnant woman morphine? Steve didn't know, the medic would. They gave women drugs for pain when they were giving birth, right? "Not that I particularly care about your welfare, Colonel, but if I disobey the regulations, how can I expect anyone else to obey them?"

He looked at Capan who focused on treating Cooper. "He's far from the junta's ideal of a soldier, but Capan is one of the only medics I have. Ever since the base doctor disappeared anyway. Desertion, out on the surface. Froze to death, terrible way to go."

Steve flinched as the knife's edge slid lower, along his hip and down his thigh. Anticipation was almost worse than Sadren just using the knife somewhere. Which was the whole point and he knew it. He doubled down on being unaffected, or acting like it. "Keep doing that and I'll start to think you like me."

Capan used a second clean syringe, rolling the thiopental vial up his sleeve and sticking the syringe into the sterile capping of a IV bottle of saline in his bag instead. "It won't harm the baby, it'll just loosen you up. Make it easier to just talk." He hated to offer the option, seeing she was with child but he had the vial of poison that Colonel Hamrick had refused. He lowered his voice as he checked her nose, it needed set and splinted for the partial fracture. "I can end it, though. I'm allowed to do that. Tell him what he wants to know, it'll be a lot less painful. Nobody would hold it against you if you break."

That would be from the brass knuckles. He felt the rest of the swelling, but he didn't think there was any other bone involvement. An ice pack and acetaminophen would help, but giving her the pills would be impossible to do sneakily. He looked at Adel. "I need her cuffs loosened to give the thiopental."

Sadren laid aside the knife now and Steve almost had his hand free, to make his move. His plan short-circuited as a bare hand touched his right thigh just above the splint. And it slid up, no more than a couple of inches.

Steve tensed and he looked at Izzy. Disgust and fear were becoming close friends. Steve drew a deep breath to show nothing but his poker face faltered, and Sadren grinned. "Now we're getting somewhere, did the thiopental help, Colonel? Your wifi code to get through your gate, or I send my men away and she watches while I wreck whatever scrap of respect she has left for you."

Getting the two Athendan soldiers out of the room suited Steve just fine. His hand was almost free, one on one without Adel pointing the gun at Cooper, he could down Sadren. "You do like me, I'm flattered. Still not giving you what you want, Sadren."

Steve got control of the fear as Sadren gave orders. "Capan, Adel, leave. Don't return for ten minutes. Ambassadress, you won't want to miss this. I can only wish the young lieutenant were here, perhaps Taskmaster Horva will bring her." And the medic left first, giving a look of helpless apology to Isabelle.

Fear battered against his control, slipping and twisting. He clung to bravado. "Ten minutes, you've got a high opinion of yourself."

The strap was past the widest part of his hand now.

<<tag Makes-Eternal-Everlasting , Azalea 'De' Andre , Isabelle Cooper , Vanessa Collins >>

[Isabelle Cooper]

1322
Interrogation Room Level 5
Decommed Gate Operations Facility
Athenda

"It won't harm the baby, it'll just loosen you up. Make it easier to just talk."

Isabelle watched as he hid the one vial and pulled out another, “So it is like having a drink but it is a lot less fun.” She replied, so he was not willing to just give her any drug, the man actually had a heart about some things. Isabelle held still as he started to check her face, his hands once again being as gentle as possible as he felt around her face, "I can end it, though. I'm allowed to do that. Tell him what he wants to know, it'll be a lot less painful. Nobody would hold it against you if you break."

Who would it be a lot less painful for? Herself? Steve? The baby inside her? They had not had any word on how the other members of SV-3 had been doing, they did not even know if they were still alive. Far as she knew Sadren had let them go exploring on the surface without jackets and they had frozen to death. “You can’t promise that.” She replied quietly, “He won’t let us die till he gets what he wants and even then he’ll keep us alive just to play his games.” She added.

When Capan commented on needed her cuffs looser in order to give the drug, Adel just raised a brow and shrugged as he crossed his arms over his chest, “If you can’t move her arm enough, then just twist till it breaks.” He replied with a smirk. Hearing his words, Iz did her best to twist her right arm out so Capan could have a better chance at getting on one of the veins in her inner arm.

"Now we're getting somewhere, did the thiopental help, Colonel? Your wifi code to get through your gate, or I send my men away and she watches while I wreck whatever scrap of respect she has left for you."

"You do like me, I'm flattered. Still not giving you what you want, Sadren." She was wondering what game Steve was playing and had he even noticed the one loose cuff? Of course the easiest thing would to be to just ask but that would also give it away and screw them both. "Capan, Adel, leave. Don't return for ten minutes. Ambassadress, you won't want to miss this. I can only wish the young lieutenant were here, perhaps Taskmaster Horva will bring her."

“Don’t want to miss what?” she asked her voice hoarse when she spoke, “I said earlier that he was not incompetent, I did not say anything about respecting him, then again I don’t think you’ve ever met many Americans. They can be rather difficult to deal with; I sure would not ever marry one, they can be bloody stupid sometimes.”

They needed time and with Sadren practically on top of Steve there was little chance he’d be able to get himself free enough to do something, least she was hoping he would be able to do something. He had taken some brutal hits to his side and she did not even know if his leg could support him. Talking might get her another punch but what was a headache when you face the possibility of death or worse. They had to get out of there. So she decided to keep on. "You seem so adamant to have his peers loose all respect for him, is it because yours fear you more than they actually respect you and you're jealous of that?" she asked, "You think peoples fear is obedience when it is not, it is them trying to stay in your good graces so you do not lash out and hurt them, unlike Colonello Hamrick who does not need fear to have his peers follow his orders, they respect him enough to know that he has the integrity to be in a leadership position and they trust his judgment enough to know when he makes a call it is usually the right one." all her talking made her jaw ache and she knew she was taking a huge risk, her could feel her hands trembling, trying to keep a brave face up she clenched her fists against the arms of the chair, Isabelle took a breath, "Commander you on the other hand, are just a spineless man wishing he had the respect of his men."  her green eyes looked straight at Sadren as she said this, all while praying Steve was able to do something with his hands.

TAG: Steve Hamrick , Avand Sadren

Lets do this.

[Steve Hamrick]

1322 to 1326
Interrogation Room Level 5
Decommed Gate Operations Facility
Athenda

He supposed it was a tiny mercy that Izzy didn't get Sadren's threat, as she asked 'what.'

But she couldn't see where the bastard's hand was as Sadren slid it higher while answering Izzy. "It shouldn't surprise me to hear that from you, stupid is certainly an accurate descriptor for him though."

Steve swallowed when she spoke. Didn't surprise him though, he didn't respect himself much right now either. One more tug and the rough leather scrapped the scabs on his raw wrists, making the bleeding start fresh but the blood slicked his skin and the leather cuff came off. He was working his left free. He'd grab the knife, the attack had to be overwhelming before his strength failed to his injuries, stab him and kill him, free Izzy.

And that whole train of tactical planning derailed, his breath hitched as Sadren's hand slid to his inner thigh. If the cuffs weren't escapable, Steve knew this would be where he'd break and start talking.

Rage bubbled as she so precisely hit the nail on the head. Sadren turned to her, now showing where his hand rested arrogantly. "Of the two, fear is far more effective, Ambassadress. Respect is fickle and fragile, too high-minded a feeling. Fear is visceral, madam. Your commander is terrified of me right now and what he knows is going to happen, even if he gives up the information I want. Every night he'll wake up in a cold sweat, screaming my name. Every touch will be me. He won't forget what this 'spineless' man has done to him until his next life, woman! And then he'll have to watch what I do to you. I choose to be feared, because fear lasts far longer than respect."

Steve twisted his left hand back and forth, working the strap over the joint of his thumb, cursing and blessing Izzy at the same time. Blood made the cuff slick as he worked his left hand free, and he bit his lip as he heard the metallic rattle and scrap of a belt buckle. Time was up. He lunged for the knife laying by his hip. Now or never, it was go time.

The antler hilt was strange for a second, not like the tough plastic of his combat knife. He flipped the blade to a better angle and slashed deep into the wrist of the right hand on his thigh, bright red blood spurting from the wound as the artery was opened.

Steve jack-knifed up as Sadren tried to grab for Steve's wrist with his left hand to disarm him. He twisted away to keep his hand free and turned the knife.

Sadren, still shocked by his prisoner's sudden freedom, swung his elbow at Steve's face.

Steve blocked with his left forearm and stabbed up into Sadren's chest, the knife deflecting partly on bone before sinking into flesh. He twisted the knife partly before yanking it back out.

Sadren grabbed at the table edge to brace himself, but his right hand refused to grip tightly enough as he coughed up blood.

Steve reached half blind for the ankle straps, relying on a mental idea of where his feet where more than the light. It was quicker to cut the strap then to unfasten the cuff, and he could feel the surge of pain whenever he jostled his knee, but if he stopped he was done for.

He rolled off the table and bit back the swearing he wanted to do as his right knee screamed at being used for so much as a fraction of his weight.

The next second the fight was on the ground, dirty and no holds barred. Steve kept his hand locked around the hilt, keeping the only weapon in the room.

His vision was blurred with blood loss as the breath was forced from his lungs. Steve had his stronger left knee planted on Sadren's chest, close to a mount as he put all his weight on the frothing stab wound to the chest and pressed the blade of his own knife into his neck, both heaving breaths. "Now I'm asking the questions. The scramble pad code for the blast door or I cut your freaking throat."

Steve leaned harder on Sadren's chest. "I don't enjoy inflicting pain, but killing? Yeah. I would have killed me in the corridor, no question. Two bullets to the chest, one to the head."

He crumbled. "3-4-8-6-4-1," punctuated with wet coughs.

"Knew you couldn't take it." Steve tried to care that Izzy was watching, but couldn't quite get there. The struggle started back up, Sadren fighting for his life and the noise had to be audible in the corridor as Steve jammed the knife in his throat and pulled it sideways.

Steve got up, with a death grip on the table as Sadren gurgled on the floor. He'd need her help to keep moving and the momentary surge of adrenaline was wearing off, leaving him shaky as he crossed the small room and used the knife tip to open the lock of the cuffs that held Izzy to the chair.

The metal was digging into her skin. "Hands numb? Bend and twist them around, the feeling will come back in a minute."

Once she was free, Steve slowly and awkwardly picked up his pants and worked them on, then started to search Sadren's clothes for anything useful. "Blake never hears about any of this, okay? I don't need his jealous sh!t fit while they're discharging me for the knee injuries."

He wiped the blade off on Sadren's pants leg and found an ID card in a thigh pocket and pocketed it. "They have to have heard that, they'll be back."

<<tag Isabelle Cooper, Makes-Eternal-Everlasting, Vanessa Collins, Azalea 'De' Andre>>

[Isabelle Cooper]

1322 to 1326
Interrogation Room Level 5
Decommed Gate Operations Facility
Athenda

"It shouldn't surprise me to hear that from you, stupid is certainly an accurate descriptor for him though."

It is an accurate descriptor of you, she thought as she kept her eyes on Sadren who still seemed few focused on Steve, when he turned she saw where his hand rested and she bit her lip, this was going to go one of two ways and she doubted it was going to end well.

"Of the two, fear is far more effective, Ambassadress. Respect is fickle and fragile, too high-minded a feeling. Fear is visceral, madam. Your commander is terrified of me right now and what he knows is going to happen, even if he gives up the information I want. Every night he'll wake up in a cold sweat, screaming my name. Every touch will be me. He won't forget what this 'spineless' man has done to him until his next life, woman! And then he'll have to watch what I do to you. I choose to be feared, because fear lasts far longer than respect."

She had been right when she had told Capan that Sadren would not allow his fun end anytime soon. Once Sadren had finished stripping everything from Steve then he’d do the same to Isabelle and she did not know if she would be able to handle anything close to what they had done to Steve, certainly not while pregnant. Fear lasts longer than respect…those words made her cold as she realized he was right, an event could be long over but the fear could remain for years, and as time went on it could only grow stronger.

The next few moments happened so fast that she could not follow every detail, she just knew that one moment Steve was on the bed, then there was blood and Steve was not on the bed, then more blood as Sadren tried to fight back. "Now I'm asking the questions. The scramble pad code for the blast door or I cut your freaking throat." A surge of relief went thru her as she realized that Sadren was getting what he was due, "I don't enjoy inflicting pain, but killing? Yeah. I would have killed me in the corridor, no question. Two bullets to the chest, one to the head."

Her eyes went from Sadren to the Marine who was crouched on his chest, fully ready to end the man’s life, she wanted this man dead, she knew it but she did not know if she was ready to actually watch it happen. Isabelle had little choice, Sadren gave Steve the information he wanted and Steve wasted no time in stabbing the knife into the man’s throat and ripping it out, the sound alone made her stomach churn. Iz squeezed her eyes shut but it was too late, the scene she had just witness burned in her mind, she felt bile rise in her throat as the metallic scent of blood reached her nose.

Then, there was the sound of metal scraping metal and a pair of hands touching her arms, though this time it was not the Athendan medic, it was Steve. Isabelle opened her eyes and stared at him; he had just killed a man and was acting like everything was perfectly normal, that it was something he did every day. What made it worse was the fact that he was using the knife he had just killed someone with to free her.

"Hands numb? Bend and twist them around, the feeling will come back in a minute."

Her now free hands felt like there were a million ants crawling over her skin, as she tried rubbing some feeling into them she watched with the same expression of amazement mixed with horror on her face as he picked up his pants and slipped them on. Her hands touched something wet on her wrist and she looked down to see that some of Sadrens blood from the knife had dripped off while Steve had been unlocking her cuffs, her stomach churned and before she could even reply to his comment about not telling Blake, Isabelle doubled over and emptied the contents of her stomach beside the chair she was still sitting in, her shoulders shaking with each heave.

“You-“ she gasped after her stomach was done spilling out onto the floor, taking a deep breath she gingerly wiped her mouth with a hand and leaned back up, her face was now pale, the dried blood from her nose standing out even more, there were a million things going thru her head and meanwhile she wanted to scream because she just saw a person murdered but he had deserved it and if Steve had not done anything they would still be in trouble.

"They have to have heard that, they'll be back."

Unable to decide on the best way to reply she just nodded, “What do we do then?” she asked after a moment, trying to avoid looking at the still bleeding body that laid on the floor but at the same time she could not bring herself to look at Steve, “It is two of us and however many of them decided to come thru that door and all we have is a knife.”

TAG: Steve Hamrick , Makes-Eternal-Everlasting , Vanessa Collins , Azalea 'De' Andre

[Makes-Eternal-Everlasting]

1322 hours
Level 5 Interrogation Room
Decommissioned stargate complex
Athenda

First outside the door there was silence, then the seemingly endless sattaco of gunfire, a growl or two, followed by screams and then the scent of burning flesh. Then the base alarm blasted like a klaxxon on a star cruiser. Then there was silence.

A lot of silence.

Possibly too much silence even as the base alarm blasted endlessly.

Then it happened, a scuffle outside the door, another human scream, and then a VMMMMMMMMM of something slicing something else and the scream was silenced as quickly as it began.

Then came the thuds. Heavy thuds againstr the metal door, bending it inwards with each hard THUD. The base alarm finally shut off after about a minute. The door bent inwards, then was somehow pulled back out of the room. A hard CRACK of metal breaking was heard as the door was pulled entirely off its hinges and flung up as a shield as more gunfire happened.

Steve and Isabelle saw clearly SOMETHING unseen holding the door as a shield, flashes of deep green energy flared from a weapon unseen before the massive creature holding the door as a shield was visible as his cloak faded. A cheetah using a plasma rifle of some kind had his tail wrapped about a parcel. More screams were heard, this time from the remaining Athenda soldiers of sheer horror at what was killing them so easily.

Of course the first thought anyone would have was 'Who trained a CHEETAH to use a rifle, much less use a door as a shield ???' Two words, Fijitia Military.

The Cheetah flung the door down the hall, the screams were quickly silenced as another massive cat, infact two cats arrived, both of them apparently tigers of some form. But none of them were Makes. The cheetah never looked into the room and knew Steve was sans outfit, a flick of the tail and the parcel was tossed towards the body on the floor. The cheetah never spoke. If he did, Steve never could hope to understand him one bit. Growls and chirps, a few meows, and something of a chuff was heard.

One of the tigers, apparently female facepawed herself at the Cheetahs words, speaking towards Steve but not looking his way the female Tiger spoke "Get dressed, we have the rest of your team upstairs, downstairs is a no go. They cut power first chance they got" Seeing Isabelle the tiger female made a small bow of greeting.

The Cheetah huffed something and went to Sadren as the man laid dying on the floor, Looking the man over the Cheetah was clearly unhappy, a low growling in his throat. The male tiger chuffed something apparently to his sister, the female shook her head. "Tatora-Dawn, no, I know what his men did to your mother, But there are more to kill. More that.... did the deed directly" She meant the deceased Feline Makes had come across at the generator complex. The Cheetah growled something. "I know you want your revenge, but that man isnt who you seek for it." The Cheetah, then known fully as Dendora-Tatora-Dawn, chuffed something towards Steve, the female translated "Are you hurt ? Do you require medical aid ?"

Then the male tiger remembered their manners "I am Fates-Eternal-Everlasting, this is my twin sister Springs-Eternal-Everlasting, that is Dendora-Tatora-Dawn, we're members of Makes-Eternal-Everlasting's squad. She sent us to find you as she and the rest found the others." Well that explained a lot, the Vedas crew as a whole never yet fully met the Fijita natives. Looks like it was a crash course in Fijitia technology. and why they called the stargates relics of an ancient age.

The male went quiet as the Cheetah, Tatora-Dawn put a paw to his left ear and listened a moment, then he chuffefd something and went to the door fast Springs spoke "More are coming, Makes-Eternal requested a status, do you want to answer her ?" She asked to Steve

Steve Hamrick Isabelle Cooper Azalea 'De' Andre Vanessa Collins

[Steve Hamrick]

1326
Interrogation Room Level 5
Decommed Gate Operations Facility
Athenda

Steve had been going to inventory what of their hardware Sadren had brought into the interrogation, when he heard Izzy retching behind him and then the acidic scent of vomit.

She tried to speak, only getting out a stunned pronoun, and he didn't say anything, as he strapped the GDO on his wrist. Remembering the numbers Sadren had demanded. 314159265358979.

"I'm sorry you had to see that, Cooper." He was fastening the green belt, still threaded through the belt loops of his uniform pants and she wouldn't know it but the color was representative of the training behind what he'd just done.

But he wasn't sorry he'd done it, as he looked at the blood on her face where Sadren had hit her. Not one damn bit sorry.

She wouldn't make eye contact, looking anywhere but him and Sadren's body. He stuck the knife between his belt and his waistband and moved to offer her a hand out of the chair.

His blood-stained hands. Steve pulled his hand  back. Izzy looked afraid of him. Rather than deal with that, he focused on answering her question, or was going to.

Until the very furry cavalry arrived. He was more used to the human hologram Makes used and was momentarily taken aback by the huge cats, then relieved that he wouldn't have to struggle through, ripping up his knee more.

"And we now have backup." He scrubbed some of the blood off on his trouser leg and grabbed for the parcel, which had the rest of his clothes and their gear. He watched the Fijitian Cheetah approach the body. "He's as good as dead, I don't know if you know much about human anatomy, but we don't survive that very well."

The P-90 had obviously been examined and messed with. Steve cleared the weapon and disassembled it, then re-assembled and loaded it while he spoke. "She got smacked around pretty good by that SOB and his lap dog, nose might be broken. And she's pregnant, they didn't hit her in the stomach though."

The tiger introduced himself and the others, and Steve nodded and gestured in turn with their names. "Steve Hamrick, Isabelle Cooper. Thanks for the save."

He moved wrong while trying to put his T-shirt back on and pain reminded him of the broken and cracked ribs as the movement of broken bone under skin and muscle overwhelmed the morphine haze and took his breath away. His voice was shaky. "And I may be more than a little roughed up too. Broken ribs, not sure how many. Knee's torn up pretty good. Tell her we're both walking. Sorta."

He checked the two handguns' serial numbers and made sure Izzy's was loaded and functional before handing it to her holstered. "Don't drop it this time."

He let the slide shoot forward on his own, chambering a round. He nodded to Springs. "Let's do this."

<<tag Isabelle Cooper, Azalea 'De' Andre, Vanessa Collins, Makes-Eternal-Everlasting>>

[Isabelle Cooper]

1328
Interrogation Room Level 5
Decommed Gate Operations Facility
Athenda


"I'm sorry you had to see that, Cooper."

Was he really sorry? He did not sound remorseful in anyway, so was he really sorry or was he just saying that because she had just finished almost throwing up on his feet. Stop it, Isabelle told herself she was not thinking clearly and was possibly dehydrated some, and combined with the elevated hormones, she knew she was just looking for something to be upset out. But even as she tried to rationalize with herself she could not shake the fear she still felt. 

As he held out his hand to her she could not help but cringe away, then came the sounds from the hallway, as the noise only got louder and closer to the room they were in, Iz got to her feet, she started to worry about if it was more Athendans coming to see where their commander was, as the metal door was suddenly ripped off its hinges like it was nothing Isabelle instinctively took a step behind Steve, at the start of all of this he had ordered her to stay behind him and she planned on at least making good on one of his orders that day.

"And we now have backup."

Steve started to finish dressing, Isabelle watched the large Cheetah move towards Sadrens corpse, her eyes went to the body again and she felt bile starting to rise but this time she held it back as she stared at the body, he deserved it, it was one of you or him, "She got smacked around pretty good by that SOB and his lap dog, nose might be broken. And she's pregnant, they didn't hit her in the stomach though."

"I am fine." she said as she rested a hand on her small stomach, "Just a headache and a sore throat, and I am pretty sure little one did not even notice anything." yes she could feel her heart beating in her nose, one side of her face felt like it was on fire, every so often she could taste blood in her mouth and her neck was hurting like she slept on it wrong, but she was still breathing and the baby in her belly was still fluttering around like it was just another day.

"Steve Hamrick, Isabelle Cooper. Thanks for the save."

While she was fine, Steve was a whole other matter, she had heard his ribs crack and break with Sadrens punches and if the bruises were any type of indicator of what was going on underneath, things were not well. As much as she wanted to be as far away from him as possible, she also knew that he had taken several of those hits for him, and if it had not been for him doing what he did, they'd still be in trouble, he was going to need her help to get out of there.

Steve turned and handed her the pistol she had been carrying when she had walked thru the Stargate earlier that day, "Don't drop it this time." for the first time in several minutes she looked at him as she took it in her hand, as she gripped the firearm her hands stopped shaking, this time she was not going to loose it, if anything she might make some use of it. "Vista frontale, grilletto, segui."  she replied in her native tongue,  as she pulled the gun out of his holster, it had been some of the first advice Steve had given her when trying to teach her how to shoot and it had stuck, even if her aim was still bad at times,  "You sure you're okay to move?" she asked, "I do not want to explain to Blake why you came back with a punctured lung." she added, though a punctured lung was better than a dead body. She did not want to have the chance to listen to a man choking on his own blood, even though she was sure Sadren would have enjoyed giving her the opportunity.