The sarcophagus droned and hummed, faltering at times underneath Vala, while all the while, the crack behind her continued to grow. There were no shrieks of pain from inside the device, only a feeble thump of something hitting the inside, and muffled even still, a gasp for air and a soft moan.

The device opened reluctantly, too early, letting out a thin hiss of cold air. Daniel lay there, as pale as he had been going in, but blue eyes cracked open blearily. He was alive. He was supposed to be dead. His heart thudded sluggishly in his chest, every single beat making itself uncomfortably known. His breath rattled then began to even out.

His eyes found Vala standing over him. And everything rushed back. Not Vala. The Crocodile God looming instead. Sobek had taken her and discarded him like an old set of clothes. Oh God. She was his now and as it turned out, the God wasn't done with him. The fear began to blossom into a panicked terror. He'd only mentioned the possibility to Howard back on the dig, that you could use the sarcophagus as something else, like a method or torture, but now it looked like he was about to experience it in full. Sobek would torture him until it killed him, resurrect him and do the same, over and over. Vala would have to see all of it.

Daniel tried to wildly push her away, but the cycle had been interrupted too early. His hand hit the sarcophagus limply.