Nesert

3.1

"Whenever you're ready," Nes said calmly.

"Best to just get it over with, I suppose." Alpha looked to Nes, who nodded in agreement. "I expect to be amply rewarded for all of this, Sekhmet."

She smiled as she took a seat in an armchair next to the bed. "Of course. I look forward to it more than you know."

With that, Alpha closed his eyes and his face became more strained as the pain began to tighten all of his muscles. He was in agony, but trying to keep silent for as long as possible.

The pain started slowly in the back of their neck before it radiated into the skull. From there it spread to the rest of their body, fire and needles and knives and broken bones. Tessa felt her own little corner catch fire and burn away, shoving her forward into the full force of agony, and the scream for a moment seemed to be symbiote and host as both minds were in control and tormented together.

Tessa could hear Sekhmet's scream start to slip away as her own voice gained dominance, but it felt empty and distant, things were missing, and in the midst of the pain she couldn't think enough to pinpoint what was wrong. The pain began to fade away, first from their hands and feet, being pulled back towards their core, the tide sliding off the beach, but the pain in their head only morphed into an intense ache, pulling Tessa under the waves she could no longer tread.

Nes hated it. She hated seeing her own experiences from the outside and finally a scream poured out of Alpha's mouth that filled her own body as well.

He was killing himself and didn't even realize it.

Eventually, the scream hollowed out and softened, and she could hear the deep despair and loss within it. She closed her eyes against it, but it still tightened her chest with the memories of Sekhmet's and her own torment.

I've already said we're the same. We're one.

The emotions whirled in her head and body, mixing until she could no longer distinguish which had belonged to her and which had been left behind by the goa'uld.

Fear, disgust, hope, despair, hatred, bitterness, determination, resolve, then back through all of them again.

Nes was breathing hard now, grasping at Sekhmet's superior control, though she found her goa'uld side seemed resistant to provide comfort for her in these moments, instead shoving forward sorrow, shame, loathing, and desperation. Sekhmet's feelings at the end.

Alpha's eyes opened, tears spilling down the sides of his face, and he stared up at the ceiling, his breathing trying to normalize. Nes remembered that moment. That horrible and beautiful and destructive and creative moment.

I'm alone.

This was where the true struggle may lie.

"What did you do to me?" His voice was raw and thick and he turned his eyes to lock onto hers.

Nes simply stared, grasping her hands together to stop the shaking, too afraid to voice any of her thoughts and questions.

"You're not Sekhmet," he finally said.

She still kept silent. She needed to steady her breathing. She needed to find Sekhmet's calm.

"He's gone." He closed his eyes. "Alpha's gone." He turned his head to look at her again, this time with accusation. "You tricked him."

Defensiveness finally forced her to speak in a sharp tone. "And you're upset about that."

"Yes! No. What did you do to me?!" His breathing quickened again and she could see the panic taking over.