After more than a half day's worth of painful, invasive and probing examinations and tests. Adam was beyond exhaustion, his temper was frayed and he felt more hopeless than ever. Every one of his tests, when not completely perplexing was completely normal, and none seemed to vary from Max's in any significant way. Full of exhaustion and frustration Adam sat on an exam table, wearing scrubs and studying his own x-rays.
"I'm sorry Dr. Pierson, its going to take some time to review the data we've accumulated, until then-"
"Fine, I'll be in my quarters." Adam said sharply and moved to the door.
"Dr. Pierson –"
"Adam, just call me Adam, there's not a whole lot you don't know about me now, so you may as well call me by my first name." His voice was hostile and succinct. Janet nodded and watched him leave.
Adam took an extremely long shower, not bothering to scrub, allowing the super heated water to redden his skin and flow over him unheeded. He wondered vaguely what day it was. Eventually Macleod would realize he and Max had not returned after the four month sabbatical, and no doubt in typical suicidal death before dishonor fashion he would come charging after his friends and disaster would no doubt follow. Still that was a problem for another day. He threw his roughly used scrubs into the trash and slipped into loose fitting pants and a t-shirt. Collapsing into bed he drifted into a dreamless sleep.
Max paced her room. It didn't look like the cell she had been in but it was still a cell. She could feel the locks, the cameras, the suspicions swirling around her like poisonous vapors. They were unworthy, soon the golden mother would wrap her in her arms and destroy her enemies, but only if she obeyed. She needed the book, and Adam needed to die. Her hands itched feverishly at the thought of destroying her one time mentor. She smiled coldly.
In one part of her mind she knew that Adam was her friend, she knew he had taken terrible risks, revealed closely held secrets and struggled to save her. She knew that he was family. In the other part of her mind, the acting part, she knew that the mother demanded his death; she knew the mother was holy and righteous and not to be denied anything. She knew in her core that she was required to annihilate Adam. So she paced and plotted and felt confidence in her ability to punish the unworthy.
"Sir, I don't like it."
"Noted Colonel."
"General, she is still a threat the only difference is that now she isn't tearing her cell apart." Daniel pointed out.
"What do you suggest we do?"
"Let her loose."
"No, no way Daniel-"
"Jack, we need to find out what book she is looking for and why, do you have another suggestion?"
"Why not let her go through the Area 51 listing?"
"Well, among other things, we don't know what everything in the listing does she may pass information about some of the items on to her 'golden mother'." Daniel said.
"What about this golden mother any luck there?"
"No, it's too obscure; there are dozens of references to the mother in different earth religions. She is usually a powerful fertility force, one of the earliest deities. I haven't found anything specifically referring to a golden mother. We need more information."
"What about the tests on Dr. Pierson?"
"Inconclusive. All we know is that both of them have inhuman immune systems, and show no signs of aging, additionally their blood gasses, EKG, and EEG readings are abnormal but within normal tolerances with each other." Major Carter sighed.
"I want her shackled, manacled, and chained around the throat, I want armed SFs with weapons drawn on her at all times. I want every corridor sealed around her in case she gets loose, do not forget that this woman tore her friend's throat out with her teeth people." General Hammond said solemnly.
"Great." Jack sighed.
Adam woke violently; he sat up and listened hard. His senses were alert, something had woken him, a sound, a smell, a feeling, something. He pulled his blankets away and opened his door. He heard the sound of approaching boots. They were marching, the only people who marched on base were the Marines of SG-11 who were still at the pyramid, and the SFs. He stepped in to the hall and leaned against the wall.
Two uniformed security forces appeared at the end of the hall. Behind them was Max, shackled and bound in chains, behind her was another group of guards. Adam froze, indecision could be deadly but he was bound by it, Max was unharmed, but the chains bode ill for her.
As she approached she recognized him. He watched a subtle rippled of tension flow through her, the guards behind her had weapons trained on her. Any more would be suicidal, temporarily suicidal but death was death. But he didn't think she was in a reasoning mood. She smiled at him, a smile devoid of warmth or humanity. He tensed to repel her, a split second before she moved.
Two shots rang out and ricocheted down the hall. Fire doors slammed down behind and in front of the group. Max struck the men in front of her hard enough to wind them and drop them to the ground. She lunged in her chains and managed to get enough room to end up on the ground, she slammed her right hand on the ground with enough force to pulverize her thumb, she slipped the manacles off and got to her feet. She flexed her hand, the bones audibly popping and snapping as they settled and healed. She lashed out at the guards behind her as they fired again. One bullet struck her in the chest, the other high in the shoulder. She grunted at the impacts and rendered the men unconscious.
Adam remained still ready to defend himself. She turned to him grinning inhumanly. Her hands were mostly free the left slowed by the manacles she flexed her fingers eagerly. She shuffled toward him, the shackles hampering her. Adam sighed.
"I'm going to end you now." She said coldly.
"No, you're going to try now." Adam corrected. He slithered past her defenses and broke her neck before she could react. He dropped her limp body and picked up one of the fallen men's radios.
"She's down, you can open up." He dropped the radio and checked the security forces guys. They were alive, satisfied he turned to Max, she was still dead. He put a foot on her throat to pin her until help arrived. The doors on either end of the hall opened, O'Neill hurried in with the rest of SG-1.
"They're alive." Adam said.
"Good, Max is dead?" Jack asked Adam nodded. Jack barely suppressed a shudder and gestured for more SFs to take Max in hand. They hauled her lifeless body off to a cell.
"Pierson what the hell is going on?"
"You tell me, I woke up and she was heading down the hall, she attacked your guys and tried to kill me, again. I thought we'd taken care of that minor detail."
"Apparently not, Daniel?"
"Yes Jack."
"We need answers, sooner rather than later."
"Jack I don't have enough information okay?"
"Adam? Care to volunteer anything new?"
"Like what? I've told you everything that I know about this."
"Gah, fine lock that lunatic up, I'm going to have a talk with the General." Jack grumbled.
Adam followed, Jack gave him an irritated look but remained silent. Adam glowered.
"Jack, you can't kill her here."
"Why not Pierson? You said yourself decapitation or dismemberment will do the trick."
"Okay fine you can kill her here but only if you don't mind bringing Mt. Cheyenne down on everyone's heads. Look Jack, this is holy ground, immortals can not be killed on holy ground not without some pretty serious repercussions." Jack ignored him.
"You ever hear of Mt. Vesuvius huh Jack? Pompeii? That eruption was set off by two idiots fighting each other on holy ground. I'm telling you do not do this."
"I'm not going to kill her Pierson, not yet."
"Why?"
"Don't get me wrong, I've killed people before, and not always the guys with the black hats, you ever hear of black ops? I will kill her if I have to and its becoming a more viable option every minute but not until I have to. Clear?" Adam nodded slowly.
The General agreed with O'Neill.
"She is too great a threat to remain here; we've reached a dead end. Unless either of you can come up with more information or a real plan I am ordering she be put into a medically induced coma until we have some answers. You have twenty-four hours." Jack nodded.
"It's unfeasible Daniel. Look when I got to you I was giving her a full syringe of large animal tranquilizers. A full syringe Daniel, she develops immunity to everything after awhile. A medical coma will not last for more than a few months, even after changing her dosages and the drugs used."
"Do you have a better idea?"
"Yes, we find this golden mother and kill the bitch."
"Adam we've killed Goa'uld before it can be done but it is never easy and never clean. We will find her Adam but we need to know more."
"What about SG-11?"
"The pyramid is empty. No sign of goa'uld technology, no chambers other than the main one."
"So that's it? With all your experience, and technology, and guns, and stuff, all you come up with is useless? Look me in the eye Danny, and tell me you would give up at this point if it were Jack, or Carter, or Teal'c or even the General going through this instead of Max and I."
"Adam-"
"No, I've had enough, we're leaving."
"Don't be stupid Adam, you can't."
"Try to stop me." Adam challenged and left. He didn't stop by his room. He was all ready wearing street clothes. He had money and even a new sword waiting for him outside the mountain. He headed for the main exit hoping Daniel hadn't been savvy enough to get out the warning immediately. He swiped his visitor's I.D. at the security checkpoint hoping that it hadn't been red flagged.
The light turned green on the turnstile and he was waved through. He moved causally, submerging the urge to sprint. Once outside the main entrance he ducked into the visitor's center and called a cab from the pay phone.
Getting in he noticed the SFs at the gate reacting.
"There's an extra $500 if you get to the airport in ten minutes." Adam growled. The cabbie took off like a bat out of hell. Adam hoped the guards hadn't had time to write down the plate or company. He tried to relax.
Deep in his gullet a small piece of technology powered on and began sending a signal. It was a tracking device inserted during one of his many exams. It was sending his updated location to a satellite which was quadruple encrypted. The signal was deciphered and downloaded into the SGC database. Wherever Adam fled he would be tracked until he figured out he was tagged and took countermeasures.
Adam leaned into the cheap plastic seat and sighed. He would find answers, he would defeat this bitch. Max was lost to him but he would see the golden mother dead at his feet, he would keep his word and protect his home. The Tau'ri would not kneel to the Goa'uld ever again.
"For cripes sake, how long has he been gone?"
"Five minutes tops sir."
"Fine get on to him he's got a tracker." Jack sighed and scrubbed his face. The SF took off at a trot. This was very bad, Adam knew things that would send the general public screaming to the hills with serious heebie jeebies, plus he was a master at hiding. The one advantage they had was his ignorance of the tracker but that wouldn't last.
"Colonel I want you and SG-1 to take care of this, you know him best."
"At once sir."
"Uh Jack, it seems likely he'll go back to the dig." Daniel said.
"Where he'll meet SG-11 and the egg heads, I think SG-11 can handle him."
"Jack you didn't see him fight Max, he has reflexes like a cat, I mean he can probably take Teal'c without much trouble, sorry big guy." Teal'c inclined his head in acknowledgement.
"Then we had better get there first sir." Carter said. Jack nodded.
They landed far enough from the dig that their choppers wouldn't be noticed. SG-11 had not been warned to expect them. Jack didn't want their day to day behavior to change, it might tip Pierson off. They hiked in before dawn, maintaining radio silence.
They crept into the camp hoping to find Pierson somewhere near the perimeter, finally they made contact with SG-11.
"O'Neill, what'd they send you golden boys down here for? Need a little field experience?" The Marine Major grinned a pearly white grin at Jack.
"Not exactly Major, have you or your team seen anyone else out here?"
"Huh, no not unless you're talking about macaws and insects sir."
"We may have a potential hostile –" Jack went on to describe Adam.
"You can shoot him if you have to, but try to avoid it."
"What?"
"Just keep your guard up Major."
"Okay campers let's go check on the pyramid and the egg heads."
When they got to the pyramid the scientists were unconscious. They were laid out in the shade perfectly safe. Jack groaned.
"Major could you and your men meet us at the pyramid?"
"On the way sir."
"How do trained Marines let something like this happen?" Daniel asked.
"You said it yourself, Adam is not a normal threat." Carter said.
Adam watched SG-1 from the shadowed jungle. He had a good idea how to find the golden mother, the scientists had the key all along. He briefly debated revealing himself to the team but he didn't need them to finish the job, and he could get them killed.
He faded into the jungle, but not fast enough, someone caught his movement and then unforgivably, he tripped. He bit back the curses that sprang to his lips and tried to run, the jungle around him was shredded by bullets; he was riddled and dropped to the ground, a pulped mass of red Swiss cheese.
"Jesus, over kill much?" Jack grunted.
"He was hostile sir."
"Pull him out of there." Two Marines grabbed Adam by the legs and dragged him into the clearing in front of the pyramid.
"Teal'c, Danny, guard him."
"Guard him? Colonel he's-"
"Major, a chopper will be arriving within the hour I expect you and your men to be aboard it."
"Yes sir." The Major growled. Jack watched them leave, feeling very annoyed. Carter checked on the scientists again.
"How long is this going to take?" Jack asked.
"Hard to say Jack, when he had his throat ripped out it took a few hours-" Adam's gasp interrupted Daniel, who jumped and looked deeply spooked. Adam laid gasping like a landed fish for a few moments and gathering his thoughts.
"Hey what the hell are you doing?" Jack asked leaning into Adam's line of sight. Adam rolled onto his side and coughed up a blob of half congealed blood.
"Ow." He said and rolled back onto his back.
"Seriously Pierson, what'd we do wrong?"
"You can't help me help her, you wanted to give up." Adam groaned and managed to sit up.
"Sir-"
"Relax Carter, he'll heal. You are a world class moron. Having no leads does not mean we are going to give up you idiot."
"Whatever, are you going to keep yelling at me? Or can I get up and tell you what you're scientists dug up?"