The ice felt good on her swollen knuckles and whatever he had done to stop her lip from bleeding had also numbed the pain. As hostages went, she was in pretty good shape.
They were sitting on stools at the island in the enormous kitchen with Thug #2 stationed just outside the door. She had already promised not to try an escape again, but she suspected Ba'al didn't trust her. At least that was a good idea.
"How is your hand, Dr. Harrison?" he asked.
She pulled the ice pack away and flexed her fingers very slightly. They resisted the movement at first, but eventually gave in. They still hurt, though, and she was sure she'd broken the middle one. "Still a little sore, but I think the ice is working on that."
"I was surprised by your ability to fell Maria. She's usually very capable." He sounded genuinely impressed.
She smiled slightly. "I'm sure she is when her opponent doesn't fight back."
"Did General O'Neill train you?"
"Some."
"He's a very good warrior himself, though a bit of a nuisance when it comes to my own existence."
She wondered if he was attempting idle chitchat in order to gain insight into her relationship with each member of SG-1. If so, he was barking up the wrong tree. She hadn't worked for the government and not learned a thing or two about keeping her mouth shut.
"I would imagine, what with your destructive tendencies."
He shifted his posture and leaned forward, his forearms on the countertop. "What do you know of my destructive tendencies?"
She matched his stance. "Enough to know that while I should be afraid of you, I'm more annoyed by your arrogance than anything else. That and your horrible taste in women."
He smiled. "You're very…difficult to get along with," he said.
"Actually, I'm very easy to get along with – you just happen to have caught me on an off day."
The smile never wavered and she wondered if he found her half as annoying as she found him. "I'll have Reggie bring you up to your room, now. At five, I'll send up something to eat." He turned to the doorway and called for Thug #2.
Ba'al had no way of knowing that, as a child, Aeda had been more than just a little mischievous. She'd often play pickpocket with her father's watch and wallet and her mother's favorite Brazilian teak coasters. She played pranks on her brother all the time – taking things from his room while he wasn't looking and putting them back in a different place, just to see if he'd notice. Much like fighting, she'd given up as she'd gotten older, but it was still inherent in her personality. She had done it with Daniel's Sekhmet idol, moving it around just to see if he'd catch on to the fact it wasn't where it usually was. He always figured it out, though it took him days sometimes.
Sitting on the island, near her left hand, was a pocket corkscrew. The color of the plastic was close enough to the color of the countertop that the corkscrew almost blended into it. Ba'al's back was turned for exactly four seconds and it was just enough time to reach out her left hand, grab the corkscrew, and slip it under the icepack.
When he turned back around to her, she smiled sweetly. "All set?" she asked.
He nodded. "If you'll excuse me, Dr. Harrison, I need to make a phone call. I will see you later this evening."
He left the kitchen through a side door. Reggie stood at the other door and looked at her.
"So your name is Reggie?" she asked. He didn't say anything. "Not many thugs named Reggie," she said as she stood and walked over to where he loomed in the doorway. Again, he said nothing. "Must make you feel special."
He took her arm – a little too roughly, she though – and guided her towards the back stairs. She pocketed the corkscrew expertly and began to think up a plan.
From six thousand feet in the air, Massachusetts wasn't that impressive.
Daniel had actually come to this conclusion during his last flight to the great taxed state and he was hard pressed to disagree with himself as they coasted through the air above the greater Boston region. Hanscom Air Force Base stood out below them as long and wide bands of tarmac and blue hangars. He took a deep breath as they surged downward for what he hoped was supposed to be a three-point landing. He had to give the pilot credit, though, as he suspected that there was at least some rubber left on the landing gear.
"How you holding up?" a familiar voice asked from his right and he turned away from the tiny window to look Jack square in the eye.
"With super glue and duct tape," he said and, for the first time since he'd arrived in the middle of the melee, Jack smiled.
"Better than nothing, I suppose." He pointed at Daniel's hand. "Can you shoot with one hand?" he asked.
"I've done it before."
"Not what I asked."
Daniel set his jaw and nodded. "Yes, Jack, I can shoot with one hand." He smiled slightly. "I can't hit shit, but I can shoot with one hand."
Jack shrugged. "You can't hit shit with both hands, so it's no biggie." He stood and offered his hand to the younger man. "Come on, Dan. Let's go meet the rest of the good guys."
They met the others, who had already exited the plane, on the tarmac below. Standing with the SGC members and the Admiral were five men the size of Teal'c. They were dressed in black and wore black sunglasses. As Daniel and Jack approached the group, one of the men in black stepped forward and took off his glasses.
"Gentlemen, let me be the first to welcome you to Hanscom Field." He stuck out his hand and General Landry took it, pumped it warmly.
"Thanks the assist, Major. I'm sorry there wasn't much advance notice." The General looked back at his rag tag group of SGC members and pointed at the man in black and his associates. "This is Marine Major Greene and his extraction team."
"As in Grant Greene," Cameron asked, stepping forward a little. The man nodded. "I read about your mission to Siagon, the extraction your team did just before the new regime came into power. You're one damn impressive Marine."
Green smiled. "I do try, sir."
"Major, are you and your team set for this?" Belvedere asked.
Green nodded and motioned for the group to follow him, which they did. He talked as they walked in the general direction of a blue hangar. "We've done a quick survey of the greater Boston area, based on the cellular phone records of Professor Harrison. It seems she was headed in the direction of Salem when she called you, Dr. Jackson." They reached the hangar and the doors opened, allowing them access to the cool air inside. May in Massachusetts was hotter than Daniel remembered it being. "So, we did some research, found a newly rented mansion off the beaten path, near the bay, and focused our attention there."
They stopped at a makeshift workstation and the Major rolled out a set of aerial photographs. It was as this happened that Daniel's cellular phone rang and all activity in the immediately vicinity ceased. He looked down at it, then back up at the group.
"It's Aeda's number," he said and flipped open the phone. "Hello?"
"Ah, Dr. Jackson, I was so hoping I wouldn't get your voicemail. It really is a modern convenience but most ineffective for bargaining, wouldn't you agree?"
He made a mental note to hit Ba'al in the face with his cast when they finally met up with him.
"How's Aeda?" he asked slowly.
The man actually laughed. "That woman is a – what do you call it? Spitfire. Full of sarcasm and a beautiful right hook. She's quite a graceful fighter, actually."
His hand began to throb. "Get on with it, Ba'al."
"Yes, well, I can see you have a one-track mind."
Jack caught his eye and one eyebrow lifted. Daniel nodded at the unasked question – she's fine, but I'm going to kill the sonofabitch when we finally get our hands on him.
"There is a village just north of Boston, out on the bay. Salem, I believe is the name. Quite an interesting history this place purports to have – witchcraft and the like. They hanged an awful lot of innocent people here."
"Ba'al…" Daniel warned.
"Near the edge of the village there's an abandoned farmhouse. Meet me there, Thursday at noon. Bring the generator."
"And Aeda?" he asked, though he knew the answer.
Again, Ba'al chuckled. "Bring the generator and I will release her. Defy me, and your precious professor will suffer the consequences of your actions."
The line clicked off and he brought the phone away from his ear. He felt the blood rush to his head, felt the room shift slightly, and tried to stave off the tunnel vision that was encroaching upon his consciousness.
Yep, he thought, I'm gonna pass out.
"She's in Salem," he said and gave into the growing darkness.
I'm sure everyone is a little out of character, but that's the fun of it. I promise - more action, more fun. Thanks for the reviews!
