Who: Jack, Sam, Vala, Adria, Maybourne, Sheppard What: Rescuing Jack When: Last Friday Where: Some cabin in the woods Rating: low
Adria had to re-evaluate a few things since her arrival in town. She learned that this world was not like the worlds around the Milky Way that played host to a bunch of simpletons. That made things harder for her. The only logical solution was to create a Prior and for them to use their power to convert the people of Madison before the refugees could get involved. If there were enough conversions, her powers should be able to grow to what it was back home. She refused to believe what Daniel Jackson said was true - maybe he believed the Ori had been defeated, but they had to have only made it look that way, biding their time until they could truly defeat the Ancients.
She could have picked anyone, truthfully, and probably she should have picked someone else, but Adria was nothing if not vindictive and if Daniel Jackson - a man her mother seemed to love more than her - was not going to help her, than she was going to find a way to make him regret his insolence. Originally she was just going to kill Jack O’Neill until she discovered his mind was more advanced. His evolved mind made him closer to an Ancient and that meant he’d be a much more powerful Ori. And so it would be him.
He’d been missing for two days now. He was impossibly stubborn - her mother seemed to have a habit of keeping the company of stubborn men. She felt like she was going to break through soon. He was only a man, after all. He couldn’t hold out forever and certainly not as long as Daniel Jackson had.
Jack was currently fighting her mind advances which meant he was turning red in the face and tense as low gutteral sounds emanated from him. When Adria released him, he gasped for air and collapsed on his hands in front of him on the floor. He was getting too old for this. Madison was supposed to be his retirement. Maybe they needed an actual white picket fence for the Dome to get the hint.
Adria tsked. “You’re just delaying the inevitable.”
“I’m told I’m good at that.” He breathed out.
–
Sam was trying not to freak out. It was only moderately successful.
It had been a while since she had to deal with Jack being in mortal danger and she liked it even less now than she used to. At least she didn’t have to try and hide her feelings while they made plans to rescue him. She’d also never admit it out loud, but she was glad that Maybourne was here. As much of a pain in the ass as he could be, he was handy to have around in a crisis and Jack being kidnapped by Vala’s insane daughter certainly counted as one.
With the help of one of the local hacker types, they managed to get a lock on Adria’s location. Now it was simply a matter of getting in, neutralizing her, and saving Jack.
“You know, I didn’t need a rescue mission to welcome me to town,” Sheppard remarked as they geared up and planned their attack.
“Trust Jack to get himself in trouble,” Maybourne said, ignoring the glare he was getting from Carter. “It’s a good thing I’m here.”
Sam rolled her eyes. “Yeah, I’m grateful for both of you. Now, shut up and listen. Vala’s going to provide a distraction by calling Adria. While they’re talking, we’ll approach from three sides. Maybourne, you take the back. According to the plans we found for the cabin, there’s a back door that enters into the kitchen.”
After waiting for him to acknowledge, she turned to Sheppard. “You and I will flank the sides of the cabin. No doors, so we’ll have to break out windows to get in. That means stealth isn’t happening. Vala will try to draw Adria out to the front of the house. Maybourne, once you get inside, try to get eyes on Jack. At your go, Sheppard and I will hit from the sides.”
*
Adria was getting impatient. She didn’t have unlimited power here, much to her chagrin, and the fact O’Neill was fighting her meant she had to draw on more of it than she’d like to. There was no turning back now, though. So instead, she decided to do what had worked in the past for her. “If you don’t stop fighting me, I promise I will make things much less enjoyable for Samantha Carter.”
Jack glared at her, but managed not to take the bait. He hadn’t been prepared for the next part though as Adria added. “Or perhaps that little girl I saw you with. Do you think she could withstand as much pain?”
“You leave her out of it.” Jack spat out and knew he had fallen for it when he saw Adria smirk. He only had a split second to brace himself before he felt her trying to mindmeld him again and he brought his hands up to his head.
–
As soon as Sam and both men were in position, she signaled Vala to make her move. Vala dialed her daughter’s phone number and hoped that she would actually answer. Using something like a phone call as a distraction technique somehow seemed far too mundane for the situation.
Then again, it wasn’t something Adria was likely to anticipate, so perhaps it would work.
To Sam’s thinking, it was like when the Asgard asked them for help in fighting the Replicators because they needed something less advanced. It had worked then, so it was worth a try now.
*
Sam had been right. The sound of her ringtone through her off. She knew it was Vala because it was the only phone number in her contacts that she had that had a custom ringtone. She blinked.
Jack felt himself released as Adria looked over to her phone on the counter. It took a moment, but then the song started to sink in and he couldn’t help it. He looked at Adria and sent over a “Really?”
“Shut up.” Adria crossed the room and picked up the phone. “Hello mother.”
–
“Adria, darling, I haven’t heard much from you the past few days,” Vala said, forcing herself to keep her tone light. “I thought you wanted to spend time together.” She needed to keep her daughter distracted long enough for Maybourne to get inside and for Samantha and John to get in position.
Perhaps she should have had Daniel do this part. She was loath to put him in her daughter’s path though. “Things are different here. We could have the proper mother and daughter relationship that has been denied us since your birth.” She still remembered her utter shock at seeing her daughter mere hours after birth already walking and talking.
From the back of the house, Maybourne heard the phone ring and was surprised to hear the ring tone. The little background he’d gotten from Carter on the threat didn’t give any indication that Adria had many human traits and a custom ringtone certainly felt like one.
It did the trick though and he managed to slip in the backdoor silently. He took slow, careful steps through the room and peered around the doorway, trying to get a sense of the layout and where she was actually holding Jack. Within a minute, he determined that they were in a small room that appeared to be a study. He retreated enough that he could use the radio to notify Carter and Sheppard of what he found.
“Makes sense,” Carter replied. “That’s on your side of the house, John. It’ll be to your left when you enter through the dining room. I’ll come from the bedroom. Maybourne, get in position and we’ll go in two minutes.”
Vala was listening to the chatter and knew she had to distract her daughter for two minutes. That could be difficult, but she was going to do her best.
*
Jack was using the time to recuperate whatever strength he could get. He doubted he’d have long and he’d been in enough torture situations to know you took when you could get. He was trying to muster the energy to get up and try to escape, but after a day and a half, it was pretty fruitless.
Adria was stunned and for a moment didn’t know how to respond. She knew how she was supposed to respond - relationships like that of one with her mother were inconsequential to the bigger picture. And yet, Vala was still her mother. That meant something.
“I do want to spend time with you mother. I’ve merely been busy. You know I have a mission and even being stuck in a Dome is not an excuse not to complete it. I know that is something you will never understand.”
–
Blocking out the others as they moved into position, Vala focused on the conversation with her daughter. “I understand you feel obligated to complete your mission. I simply don’t understand why you wish to waste time and resources on such a small population.” She couldn’t believe she was saying these things, but even if Adria saw through them, hopefully it would be enough to allow them to free Colonel O’Neill.
“With all of your knowledge, you could work with the scientists here in determining a way to control the dome,” she suggested. “There have been people trying to do so for nearly nine years. Imagine the loyalty you can inspire if you solve this problem.”
Sam winced as she moved into position, knowing that it had to be torture for Vala to say these things, however it was necessary if they were going to get Jack out of her hands. Then, of course, was the issue of what to do with Adria. Even if her powers were limited by the dome, there wasn’t a lot in Madison Valley that could control her and they may end up in a similar situation again. She wasn’t sure if any of them had the fortitude to deal with that.
Between fighting the wraith and the replicators, Sheppard hadn’t really kept up on the details of the Ori threat that the SGC was dealing with. He’d gotten the run down when SG1 came to Atlantis a couple years back and thought it was pretty damn cool when they managed to destroy a wraith vessel and an ori ship in one go, but he hadn’t paid attention to the details and hearing the conversation between Adria and Vala made his stomach churn in unpleasant ways.
For his part, Maybourne didn’t know any of the others involved in this aside from Carter and Jack, but that didn’t matter. Despite all of their differences through the years, he wasn’t going to sit by and let something happen to O’Neill.
As soon as he confirmed he was in position, he heard Carter and Sheppard do the same and he waited for Carter’s signal to go.
It all happened at once. Maybourne entered the room where Adria was holding Jack with his weapon raised and ready to fire at the same time the windows shattered on either end of the house as Carter and Sheppard made their way inside and converged on the room as well. Within thirty seconds, Adria was surrounded.
*
Her mother had a point. Maybe there was a way of getting some of these ridiculous people on her side. Of course so many of them had rudely spoken to her on her arrival that she wasn't sure she didn't just want to see them all die. She did need them for power, though. She made a noncommittal sound to her mouth, then started to explain how she wasn't sure the people here would be receptive at all to her only to suddenly have people converging on her.
Jack could tell something was happening. For one, Vala wasn't lecturing Adria. Then when he heard the commotion, it was years of training that told him this was probably a rescue. He used the spike in adrenaline to climb to his feet though anyone with eyes could see he was in dire need of some rest.
Adria looked shocked for a moment, then the briefest wave of hurt rippled through her expression that was quickly replaced by ire. "It appears your words are hollow, mother." Adria's voice was stinging as she hung up. Then she looked at everyone. "I should feel a little insulted Daniel Jackson didn't think me a threat enough to come himself."
–
Sam quickly moved to Jack’s side, checking for any restraints that needed removing and giving him a critical once over to determine what injuries he may have sustained during his time with Adria. She trusted that Sheppard and Maybourne would keep their weapons trained on Adria and not permit her to get away with anything else. “You okay?” she asked softly.
“I am not going to allow you to get anywhere near Daniel,” Vala said, her engagement ring catching the light and making her wince in realization that she probably should have removed it before seeing her daughter in person. Knowing that she and Daniel were to be married would likely only spur her into further action against him. She wasn’t sure how they were going to contain her long term under the dome.
*
“Bit of a headache.” Which was Jack’s way of saying he was fine. Or he would be after some rest. His head was swimming, but he wasn’t about to admit he thought his head was going to explode - you never let the bad guy know you were hurting if you could help it.
“Do you really think you’re going to stop me? So few of you?” She looked at the few people who had surrounded her. Yes, she was bluffing a little, but she still had power. As if to demonstrate, she looked at Sheppard - a man she didn’t know - and with a slight nod sent him flying into the wall. “What’s stopping me from killing all of you right now?”
–
John was not prepared to go flying through the air into a wall. The wind was knocked out of him and ow, that was going to leave a mark.
“Adria, there are people in this town that are more powerful than you can imagine,” Vala said, knowing that they had a bunch of superheroes on standby in case things went sideways. They were still banking on her powers being severely limited thanks to being cut off from her worshippers though. “Don’t make me hurt you.”
Maybourne glanced around at the people in the room and made a decision. He fired the zat he was carrying at the dark haired woman and waited to see if she would crumple or send him flying next.
*
Adria looked at Vala. Did her mother mean it? Would she even care? She knew she shouldn’t care if her mother did or not, but there was a part of her that did. There was a part of her that tugged at her and wanted to say ‘why? Do you care or something?’ A very childish impulse she felt herself loathing.
Her thoughts were cut off - thoughts that made the shot of the zat land where it might not have previously. That and they were correct - her power was waning. Her charm around her neck would have normally protected her from any attack, but the zat hit. However she didn’t crumple to the ground like a normal human. She closed her eyes briefly and raised her chin like she had an unpleasant wave of electricity run through her before she opened her eyes. They flashed, angry. “Fools.” She waved out her arms and sent everyone flying outward, though Vala was sent flying toward the ‘cushion’ of the sofa.
Jack groaned - he could have done without that, thank you. But when he opened his eyes, he blinked. Adria was gone. “Great.”
–
“Where did she go?” Sam asked, pushing herself up and looking around, mentally cataloging all the people there and taking a quick inventory of any obvious injuries.
From the sofa where she’d landed, Vala stood, lips pursed in frustration. “I don’t know,” she said. “We’re going to have to figure out a better way to contain her so she doesn’t try this again.
Sheppard and Maybourne both struggled to their feet, grateful to see that the enemy was not attacking further. Once Sam was certain no one was in mortal peril, she walked around the room, wishing she had more equipment available. “I’m going to have to see if I can build an anti-Prior device,” she said. There had to be tech in this town that would duplicate it, right? Or they could get one of the magic users to help. She refused to believe there was nothing they could do.
“Everyone be on guard in the meantime,” Vala said. “We should get out of here.” She was suddenly desperate to see Daniel and make sure he was okay.
Sam moved to Jack’s side and tucked her arm around his. “Yeah, we’ll figure it out.”
*
"For now I vote getting out of here. I wouldn't bother with looking for anything. I don't think she lives here." At least from Jack's observations. He was mostly just glad to be able to not have to have his brain fried some more. He leaned again Sam a little, his voice dropping enough for only her. "Thanks for coming." Not that he doubted she would, but still.