Growing Pains - A Stargate Story

Chapter 3

Location: SGC Guest Quarters

POV: Marina Karssen

Rina lay stretched out on her bed, staring fixedly at the ceiling of her drab room.

It probably wouldn't be so bad if she had the option to decorate it, but her captors hardly seemed inclined to supply her with anything frivolous.

Besides, it's a prison. It's not supposed to be pretty.

Though her last prison had been pretty enough. More than pretty, rather.

She recalled her former bed, two or three times the size of her current one, lightly shadowed by the overhanging canopy, the room it sat in so large and open...and unguarded.

She had come and gone as she pleased, beyond her room, even beyond the stronghold. If she'd so desired, she perhaps could've made that whole planet her playground. But she'd never wandered much farther than the stargate. After all, she had no desire in leaving that prison.

She hadn't even seen it as a prison at all.

Rina sighed, rolling onto her side and slowly uprighting herself. How many days had it been since she'd arrived at the SGC? It must've been at least two or three.

I'm going to lose my mind staring at these walls...

She glanced at the clock on the wall, despising it for how slowly it ticked away.

11:45. Close enough.

Rising lazily to her feet, she crossed the room to the door, pushing it open.

"Is there something I can help you with, miss?" came the now painfully familiar query.

She gave the guard a sidelong look, radiating annoyance.

"I'm hungry. I'm going to the cafeteria."

It's just about the only place I CAN go in this god-forsaken facility.

"I'll escort you then."

"As always," Rina muttered, half-slamming the door behind her.

Location: SGC Mess Hall

POV: Daniel Jackson

Daniel strode into the mess hall, eyes still fixed on his notes. If not for Carter reminding him to eat something, he probably would've bypassed lunch entirely. It felt ironic though, given that Carter herself often got so wrapped up in her research that she entirely forgot regular mealtimes.

I'll have to repay the favor sometime.

Though lately Carter had taken to having later lunches with Teal'c. Daniel, however, hadn't given much thought as to why.

He caught sight of a uniform in his peripheral vision and narrowly dodged to avoid running into its wearer.

"Sorry," he said, briefly looking up from his papers to see the man standing there.

"No worries, Dr. Jackson," they replied easily.

Daniel noted the airmen's resting position, hands folded behind his back, eyes straight ahead.

"Waiting for someone?" Daniel asked curiously.

"I've been tasked with keeping watch on Miss Karssen," the airmen said, gesturing to one of the cafeteria tables.

There sat Marina, slowly working through her meagre meal.

"Oh..."

He hadn't seen much of her the past few days outside of her regular visits to the mess hall and her occasional meandering walks through the halls of Stargate Command. Though he'd ultimately decided to take a page out of Teal'c's book and give her ample space, especially after learning of her flat refusal to cooperate with Hammond's requests.