Chapter Text
For the last three days everyone had been working on high alert. They had tried to mount a defense against the attack ships coming down from the three motherships in orbit, had tried to find help with their allies, but in the end there was nothing they could do. Evacuation of those on a priority list to the Alpha Site, an uninhabited planet on which they were hoping a colony would be able to survive, was in full swing as hourly city after city fell.
Mary had no idea how this could have happened. Just a few weeks ago, they had thought they were safe when they had managed to fight back against two Goa'uld motherships. They thought both were destroyed, Adriel and Klorel dead. But apparently, that had not been the case. In the meantime, they had gone about business as usual, had sent teams through the gate, had even evacuated Nasya when that planet had been attacked by Goa'uld ships just a day before the attack on Earth began.
At first, they had thought those events were linked but when it had been Klorel who had made a very theatrical and dramatic speech about how he would avenge those who had killed his father, it was clear that he had survived and had come back with reinforcements and a thirst for vengeance that could only be quenched by destroying or subduing all of Earth.
Shannon, Mary, Beatrice and Lilith had flown counter attacks and it was a miracle they all survived, but it had barely made a dent in the enemies gliders. Now they were holed up in the Stargate Center, helping with the evacuation and trying to find a way to destroy the mountain, after it was clear the Stargate was what the Goa'uld were after now, one of the motherships descending on the mountain. There had been incoming wormholes, the enemies stopped from getting through by their iris blocking the gate. Thankfully, despite that, they had managed to open the gate to the Alpha Site several times, evacuating many people.
It was not enough, of course it wasn't, but at least some humans from Earth would survive. Mary had made her peace with not being among them, with her and the team dying to save as many others as possible. Right now, they were trying to make their way to the reactor room, General Superion having given them the order to try and blow up the reactor while Jaffa attack troops were already swarming the upper corridors. Strangely, they were barely killing anyone, just incapacitating.
Lilith speculated that Klorel wanted as many soldiers as possible alive, to find those who killed his father, meaning herself and the rest of SG-1. They were under no illusion that once they had been identified they would face torture and execution, so all of them were more than ready to die here, taking as many Jaffa with them as possible after having evacuated all of the soldiers that weren't absolutely necessary.
Both General Superion and Dr. Salvius had refused to be evacuated, Dr. Salvius working in sickbay on treating wounded who weren't yet stable enough to be send to the Alpha Site and General Superion intending to go down with the base. Mary admired both of them and knew everyone in her team, well, Shannon's team, intended to do everything possible to buy them as much time as they could.
General Superion had offered to evacuate Yasmine and Lilith, seeing as neither of them was a member of the military, but predictably, both of them had refused. As a former Jaffa, the former Prime of Adriel at that, Lilith had said she would rather die here with her new allies, her friends, than go back to bowing to false gods. And Yasmine had just shook her head at the mere suggestion. They knew she felt responsible, after all, she had been the one to make it possible to open the Stargate to Abydos, the one who had first freed Jayci and his people and then had not been able to protect him, to save him from being taken over by Klorel, being a host to a parasite.
None of the others blamed Yasmine, of course, but they understood. Even if it had just been a year for them to serve on the same team, they had gotten to know each other very well, were more of a family now than a team. And now they would die together, Mary thought, morbidly, as they were making their way through the dark corridors, trying to avoid the Jaffa who were advancing on the lower levels by the minute.
Sweat was running down Mary's face and neck, she felt dirty, grimy, not having been able to have a shower in three days while working under high stress conditions, flying fighter jets and fighting advancing ground forces. At least it would all be over soon. They were close to the reactor, only had two more levels to go, but it seemed the way there was blocked from all sides. The corridors were dark, only red emergency lights on, but Beatrice was tracking the movements of the Jaffa on her tablet and was telling the others where to go.
Suddenly, she raised her fist in a clear sign to stop and just a second later, the wall in front of them exploded and Jaffa burst out, surrounding them. There was no way to run, but Mary refused to put down her rifle, not willing to go down without a fight. Except, being hit across the face with a staff weapon so violently that she fell down, her rifle falling to the floor uselessly, put an end to that plan.
"On your knees!" a commanding voice boomed across the corridor. Mary was dazed and barely able to even understand. Her head and shoulder where the staff weapon had made impact were throbbing in pain.
Mary tried to get up, but was kicked hard in the ribs and then the head again, promptly falling back down. Vaguely she heard cries and screams that might have been Beatrice and Yasmine, but she was not sure. She was about to lose consciousness when another voice sounded, the booming low tone of a Goa'uld that made a cold shiver run down her spine, especially since there was something familiar in it, under the distortion.
"Jaffa, kree! I am Atem of Lacona. I have survived the destruction of our Lord's Ha'tak by hiding in this human. Take me to my Lord Klorel so I may aid him in conquering this meddlesome world."
The longer the voice spoke, the more something was tugging on the edges of Mary's mind, something that made her entire body freeze in terror. No. It couldn't be. It was impossible. With that thought, she finally succumbed to the darkness, hoping against hope that it wasn't true, that it had been her barely conscious mind playing tricks on her.
The first thing Mary noticed when her mind clawed its way back out of the dark was that her head and shoulder were still hurting but it was a dull ache now, not the throbbing pain it had been before. The second thing she realized was that she was lying on the floor, or rather, her body was, her head was in someone's lap. With quite a lot of difficulty, she opened her eyes and looked directly into Yasmine's devastated face, though it felt disorienting because it was upside down.
Stirring, Mary tried to look around, relieved when she saw Lilith and Beatrice next to her, even when both of them looked worse for the wear, their faces and uniforms dirty, both sporting cuts and bruises. Taking in her surroundings beyond her team mates, Mary wasn't sure whether she should be relieved or more worried when she realized they were still in the SGC, in one of the cells, which seemed to be crowded with other soldiers, from a cursory count probably all the remaining soldiers in the base, around fifteen people. There also was the matter of the one team mate that wasn't currently here, which Mary tried to push down, not think about it.
Beatrice smiled a little sad smile down at Mary and then looked over her shoulder, raising her hand.
"General, doctor, she's awake," Beatrice called, quietly, but with urgency in her voice. Mary frowned, trying to get up again, but getting dizzy and nauseous immediately and lying back down instead. Yasmine touched her shoulder gently.
"Try not to move too much. You took a nasty blow to the head," Yasmine said, leaning down to Mary, looking very concerned. Mary tried to position herself in a way that Yasmine's face was more next to her instead of above her, glad that the movement wasn't bringing on an immediate dizzy spell again.
Before she could ask anything, Doctor Salvius came through the crowd and crouched next to her, immediately starting to gently examine her, shining a light into her eyes that made Mary wince. Then the doctor smiled, though it was heavy with desperation and grief.
"You might have a concussion but I think you are alright. You were very lucky, that blow could have killed you," Doctor Salvius said, concern evident in her voice. Mary frowned, now noticing that General Superion was also crouching as best as she could by her feet, holding on to her cane.
Mary tried to get to her feet to stand to attention but the general waved her of and shook her head.
"At ease, colonel. I think this is not the time for formalities," the general said, her voice also heavy with worry and sadness. Mary frowned again.
"What happened?" she asked, looking around again. She knew, the answer to the question was that they lost, that Earth was doomed, but she couldn't help herself, she had to ask. Especially because something niggled at her brain, something that made her entire body go cold. Something that was related to the person who should be here but was not. Again, she knew she should not ask, especially because everyone around now looked even more devastated and hopeless, but she had to. She had to know. "Where is Colonel Masters? She was with us, right?"
The memory of that voice came back to Mary and she tried to push it down, to pretend that it wasn't real. But the way everyone tensed and nobody said anything for a long moment made the terror in her bones grow even more. No. No, please no. Not Shannon. Finally, it was Beatrice who answered, tears in her eyes, her voice hollow.
"She's a Goa'uld. The Jaffa took her, we haven't seen her since then. I don't know when or how…" Beatrice trailed off, her voice wavering now, the sheer devastation clear in it.
Mary sat up on her elbows and shook her head vehemently, even when it made it hurt more. Doctor Salvius glared at her mildly.
"No. No that's not possible. It's Shannon. It can't be," Mary pleaded, not even noticing that she was using Shannon's first name in front of General Superion. It wasn't a faux pas, of course, as they were the same rank, but they were trying to keep their private relationship exactly that, private. Right now though, she didn't care. In her head, Shannon had always been that, just Shannon and while they were still careful in front of those outside of their team, not wanting anyone to use their relationship against them, at this point it barely mattered. There were more important things. Like Shannon having been taken by the enemy. Being the enemy now. It was impossible. And yet, the faces all around her made it clear that it was indeed real. Lilith was the one to speak up, shaking her head.
"We all saw it. She must have been taken when we were on Adriel's ship or on another occasion. There is no doubt what she is now."
Mary tried to breathe, tried to think.
"Okay, so we get that thing out of her. Free her. Then we find a way to fight back," Mary said, trying to sound assured but not sure she was able to keep the hopelessness and terror she felt out of her voice. The others did not seem convinced but they all at least tried to nod and smile. The general gave her a curt nod, her eyes on fire even when her expression betrayed how she actually felt.
"Yes," the general said, putting emphasis on that one word. Then she looked around and came a little closer. "As far as we can gather, the invasion is still ongoing. Cities are being leveled, but there have to be survivors. If we find a way to get control over the base, even for a little while, we could lead more people to the Alpha Site, save as many lives as possible."
Mary's heart sank. So they weren't even trying to get Earth back at this point. She realized it was obvious, with three motherships in orbit and however many Jaffa on the ground, there was no way they could mount a defense right now. The general was right, the best they could do was to help survivors start a new life. Something wet landing on Mary's chin startled her and looking up she realized that it was Yasmine's tears.
The way Yasmine looked, completely devastated and hopeless and so guilty, it tugged at Mary's heart. She took Yasmine's hand and squeezed it, but before she could say anything, Yasmine shook her head and sniffed.
"This is my fault. Ra, Adriel. Jayci. I should never have opened that gate." A sob wrenched lose from Yasmine's chest, more tears running down her face. Mary hated seeing her like that, hated even more that her first thought was that Shannon would be the one to be able to console her, to say some affirmations that Mary herself never could put into words. But Shannon was gone. Worse than that, she was their enemy now.
Thankfully, Lilith was the one to break the heavy silence that had followed Yasmine's words.
"It is not your fault. The Tau'ri could not have kept hidden forever. Even when Ra was not ready to come back here out of shame, another Goa'uld would have claimed this world eventually. This outcome was inevitable, you just hastened it," Lilith said, in her matter of fact tone. Yasmine let out another sob but nodded.
"She's right, Yas. We know enough about the Goa'uld to know that they would have come to Earth sooner or later. This is their fault, not yours," Beatrice affirmed. Mary wasn't sure if this was actually the truth but at this point, it barely mattered. There was no reason for Yasmine to blame herself for the Goa'uld's actions regardless of whether they would have attacked Earth without her or not.
Mary nodded and smiled up at Yasmine.
"They're right. Don't go beating yourself up, okay, kid? You didn't do this," Mary reassured Yasmine, trying to sound as certain as possible. Yasmine gave her a grateful smile.
For a moment, Mary managed to delude herself that things weren't completely hopeless, that they would make it out of this. But then, a group of Jaffa appeared in front of the bars, one of them jiggling keys and opening the cell door. Mary immediately felt every cell in her body spring to attention, sitting up straight, glad that her head didn't feel too bad anymore.
"You, you, you and you, get up!" the Jaffa commanded in a cold harsh tone, pointing at Lilith, Beatrice, Mary and Yasmine.
There was no doubt that violence would be the answer if they didn't comply, so all of them got up, Mary with difficulty and both Jillian and Yasmine's help. Lilith and Beatrice looked stoic as ever walking towards the cell door, while Yasmine looked beyond scared. Mary kept her hand in Yasmine's for a moment longer after having gotten up, squeezing it, trying to give her an encouraging smile even when she herself felt her heart constrict in fear of what was awaiting them.
When Mary passed by General Superion, she put her hand on Mary's shoulder for a second, mouthing 'keep them safe', which Mary answered with a grim nod. In Shannon's absence, she was the leader of the team, something she was acutely aware of.
The Jaffa led them out of the cell, not without hitting Lilith with his staff weapon, hissing "Shol'va" towards her. Lilith barely let it faze her, only stumbling for a second and then straightening back up, schooling her face into a mask of indifference. Several Jaffa, all armed, led them through the hallways. Mary's breath hitched at the signs of destruction everywhere.
Scorch marks on the walls, rubble lying around. Several lights being out, even when others were on again, not just the emergency light. Still, the corridors seemed darker than usual, smaller. It was as if the SGC was completely transformed, as if it didn't belong to them anymore. From the gasps Yasmine let out and the shocked look on Beatrice's face, Mary could tell that she wasn't the only one thinking that.
And nowhere was the change as evident as in the gate room, that they were ushered into by the Jaffa. It didn't even look like the room they were used to anymore. There were large drapes hanging from the walls, a carpet on the floor. A big chair, more a throne was standing opposite the gate. Jayci, or rather, Klorel was sitting on it, in his usual lush robes, his chin in one hand, sporting a bored expression. He was flanked by Jaffa and surrounded by servants in simple outfits, their eyes trained on the ground.
But neither the servants nor Klorel himself was what caught Mary's attention, what made her stand stock still so long that a staff weapon was pushed into her back to make her get moving again. What made her heart stop and ringing start in her ears, tears appearing in her eyes was the person standing right next to Klorel. Tall, clean, dressed in light blue robes with modest jewelry, her hair in an intricate braid falling down one shoulder.
Shannon was always beautiful, but this was on a whole other level. Except, the one thing that made her the most beautiful person in the world to Mary, the way her eyes would light up and that soft smile she gave Mary in stolen moments of affection, was gone. Instead, her eyes were cold, her lips pressed together in a harsh thin line. It broke Mary's heart, completely devastating her.
Up until this very moment, she had clung to the hope that her memory had been wrong, that the others were mistaken. That Shannon couldn't possibly be a Goa'uld. But with evidence standing right before her, it was impossible to not believe it. It felt like her entire world was ending, which was ironic considering that Earth was currently on fire and Shannon was just one person. But she was the person that meant everything to Mary.
Losing her was a blow Mary was not sure she could ever recover from. She felt like everything was happening as if she was outside her body, looking down on herself, watching as the Jaffa forced them to kneel down in front of Klorel, as Shannon leaned towards him and whispered in his ear, a cruel smirk on her lips that Mary had never seen before, that made her stomach turn. Then, suddenly, everything came back into focus when Shannon looked directly at her, her eyes staring into Mary's soul, so hollow, so cold, so devoid of the humor and softness Mary was accustomed to.
It felt like she had been physically hit, like she was bleeding from a wound that would never heal. She knew tears were running down her face, wasn't able to stop them and didn't even have the strength to wipe them away. She barely noticed what was going on, that Shannon seemed to converse with Klorel, until her attention was sharply drawn to two of the Jaffa pulling Yasmine onto her feet roughly and dragging her towards Klorel.
Mary tried to stop them, as did Lilith, and both of them were rewarded by blows with staff weapons, thankfully not to the head, but to the side. It still made Mary fold in on herself for a moment, taking the breath out of her. She could only watch helplessly as the Jaffa forced Yasmine to kneel in front of Jayci and he took Yasmine's chin into his hand, smiling cruelly, ignoring her sobs and pleas for Jayci to stop, to fight Klorel, to resist.
"Yes, I envy you," Klorel said, towards Shannon, giving her a cruel smirk. "I wish I had time to play." He let go of Yasmine, who slumped down to the ground, sobbing. Then he wiped his hand on his robes and sighed. "Alas, I have a planet to conquer. Do have fun on my behalf though. I am sure they will be quite entertaining. And when you're done with them, make their deaths… last."
The way he said it felt like electricity was suddenly coursing through Mary's whole body, scaring her more than anything else had so far, especially since Shannon now again looked directly at her, the same cruel smirk also appearing on her lips. Mary felt like she would combust or scream if she looked at her like that any longer and was relieved when Shannon turned towards one of the servants. Though that relief did not last.
"Take them and make sure they're cleaned and dressed appropriately. Then bring them to my room." Shannon again looked at Mary, her smirk even more pronounced now, a spark in her eyes that paralyzed Mary with fear. "We are going to have some fun. I am sure they will serve well. For the time being."
Mary could barely comprehend what that meant when she was roughly pulled to her feet and dragged to the door by Jaffa, together with the others. They were led to one of the bathrooms, which now also sported wall hangings and several big piles of clothes on one end of the room, on one of the low walls in the corner. The Jaffa forced them to stand in a line in front of the two metal bathtubs, one on each side of a low wall, which were already filling with water, two young women in servant's robes sitting next to each of the tubs and keeping an eye on them.
One of the other servants, an older woman, walked up to them from the door and came to a stop in front of Mary and the others, looking them all up and down, not unkindly, but in a matter of fact way, as if assessing them.
"Take off your clothes," she commanded. Mary crossed her arms in front of her chest, absolutely not planning to comply. Yasmine was the only one who was scared enough to instinctively bring her hands towards the buttons on her uniform jacket, but when she saw the others not moving, she hesitated too. The servant sighed and stepped towards Mary, into her personal space. She was smaller than Mary but she exuded authority. "You are their leader, yes?" Mary just kept glaring at her, which she seemed to take as an affirmative, tilting her head, her eyes becoming hard. "Do it, or I will have to order the Jaffa to do it for you. I am certain you would rather avoid that."
Again, she spoke not unkindly, but there was a harshness to her tone that made Mary sure she would do exactly what she said. She realized this woman had most likely witnessed atrocities and was trying to stay alive to the best of her abilities. And also, that complying with her, maybe even gaining her as ally, would be the best way to get information, maybe even to find a way to fight back.
With that in mind and being acutely aware of the presence of the Jaffa behind her, Mary nodded towards the others. They all stripped down to their underwear, the woman holding up a hand to stop Yasmine and Beatrice. Another servant had come into the bathroom now, a younger woman and at a wave of the older servant, she indicated for Yasmine and Beatrice to follow her to the piles of clothes. She smiled at them, also looking not unkind.
"Come with me, I will find clothes for you. The lord hasn't given specific instructions so we will see what will fit you," the servant said, seemingly excited for that task, even though she eyed Lilith as if disappointed that she was not coming with her for now. Another nod from Mary and Beatrice and Yasmine followed the servant to the side of the room, two Jaffa going with them, their staff weapons ready by their sides.
Mary's attention was taken by the older servant again, who now gestured in front of her, looking over her shoulder towards the girls by the bathtubs, both of whom nodded, arranging washcloths and various bottles next to where they were sitting on the raised steps next to the bathtubs.
"Take those off too and get in, both of you," the servant said, pointing at the bathtubs, which were now more than half filled with water. Then she looked both Mary and Lilith up and down again, scrunching her face in disapproval. "We will have to scrub you thoroughly, all of you. The lord wants you clean."
She did not threaten anything this time, but she didn't have to, Mary knowing far too well that it was implied and very much not wanting any of the Jaffa to take off her undershirt, bra and panties. As did Lilith clearly, since she was already taking off her undershirt. Mary also took her underwear off, modesty being the least of her concerns right now. Fully naked, she stepped towards the bathtub, watching as Lilith stepped towards the other one but then having to turn around to step into the tub, nearly sighing when her foot submerged in the hot water.
Getting in fully and leaning back, she actually did sigh, not being able to stop herself. She closed her eyes for a moment, just letting the water wash away the exhaustion and pain of the last few days. Of course, it couldn't do the same with her memories and as soon as she relaxed a small bit, Shannon's face appeared in her mind, the way she had smirked, the way she hadn't been Shannon at all, but a cold, hard stranger in the body of the woman Mary loved.
Mary startled when she felt something enter the bathtub next to her. She opened her eyes to see that the young servant was now putting a washcloth into the water, smiling at Mary, leaning a little closer.
"I will be gentle, don't worry," she whispered, running the washcloth over Mary's arm, indeed gently, but it made Mary want to scream with how helpless she felt, how utterly defeated. Tears made their way down her face again when she looked over to the Jaffa, who were standing a little away now, closer to the bathroom door, but who still kept an eye on her.
"Don't think about them, just try to relax," another quiet, soft voice sounded next to Mary and she saw that the older servant had also sat down at the other side of the tub, now bringing her hand towards Mary's head, specifically her hair. She was about to protest, but a sharp look of the servant shut her up and let the woman inspect her braids, move her head around. "Good. These are well done. Let's get them cleaned, shall we?"
The fact that the younger woman's hair was also in braids gave Mary hope that they knew what they were doing, even though it was not easy for her to just let people she did not know do her hair, especially in this circumstance. It had taken her a long time to find a hairdresser she trusted. But there was nothing she could do at this point, and in the grand scheme of things, worrying about her braids seemed small in comparison to the literal end of the world and Shannon being taken over by the enemy.
Thinking about that made tears appear in Mary's eyes again, just as the older woman had taken the showerhead attached to the bathtub and rinsed her hair thoroughly. When she was finished, the younger woman stopped her administrations for a moment, leaning closer towards Mary, her look concerned.
"It's alright, we will be careful. You have nothing to fear from us," she whispered, smiling again now. Mary looked at her confused, but she only smiled more. "I am Farah and this is Asha." She indicated the older woman, who rolled her eyes but in what seemed like an affectionate way as she went about putting shampoo in Mary's hair and thoroughly massaging it in.
Mary had to admit it felt good and for a moment she felt like she could forget what was going on. But then Farah went back to washing her, specifically her breasts and she winced, her body reflexively retreating. Asha shook her head and scolded her, her hands in Mary's hair tightening.
"Don't resist. If you do it here, that is one thing, but if you do it with the lord, you will be punished. Just try to think about something else. Something good. A lover perhaps?" Asha said, very quietly, softly. Mary looked at her with wide eyes, shocked. What was she implying? She hadn't thought about what Shannon, or rather the Goa'uld in Shannon, was going to do with them but now the blood in her veins froze again at that thought.
Farah looked at her with a sadness in her eyes Mary didn't fully understand. She still cleaned Mary but had switched to her arms and legs now, not yet going between her legs but Mary dreaded that it would be coming. Farah talking again distracted her from that thought.
"She was your lover, wasn't she? The one who was taken by the demon? They said you destroyed Lord Adriel's ship and killed him. Is that true?"
"Farah!" Asha admonished her, quietly but harshly. Mary barely noticed it, feeling like all blood was draining from her body, a wave of cold rushing through it after hearing Farah say that Shannon was her lover. Asha softly moving Mary's head into her direction snapped her back to reality. Asha sighed and shook her head. "It is not our concern. But please, do not worry too much. I have heard that Lord Atem is generous and kind. If you please her, she will treat you well." Asha looked around towards Lilith in the other bathtub and Yasmine and Beatrice who were still being handled by the woman with the dresses. Asha turned back to Mary. "You and your friends. You care for them deeply, don't you?"
Mary tried to wrap her head around how well both Farah and Asha were reading her, but she didn't dare say anything. A moment passed and then Asha nodded solemnly and went back to Mary's hair. Farah smiled once more and then also went back to washing Mary, even more gently now. Mary still winced again when she went between her legs, but didn't try to get away, instead closing her eyes and letting herself be handled. She hated it, but there was nothing she could do. Eventually the scrubbing ended.
"All done. Let me help you out of the water," Farah said. Mary reluctantly opened her eyes again, not wanting to face reality but knowing that she had to. Asha nodded at her, not smiling but her face softer than it had been before. Farah did smile and held out a big towel now for Mary to step into. She did and Farah rubbed her dry and then Asha pointed in the direction of Yasmine and Beatrice and the other woman.
"Go, let Khata get you a dress," Asha said, loudly, but when Mary passed her, Asha stepped in front of her, into her personal space. Mary felt the urge to retreat, but she stood her ground. Asha looked around the room seeing that no one was paying attention to them and leaning in even closer. "Don't fight back. It will be seen as entertainment. The lord will summon you more often after. Don't let her know how much it pains you. Your lover is gone, there is only the lord. And don't try to protect your friends. It will only lead to suffering for you. Instead, try to stay impassive. Don't react. She will get bored with you and not call on you again."
All of that was said in one breath, quietly, hastily, as if Asha had to get it all off of her chest. Mary couldn't react, tears gathering in her eyes again when she thought about the implications of what Asha was saying. But eventually, she nodded, trying not to appear hostile when she was shown kindness. Asha gave her a small smile, then stepped out of her way and indicated her head jerkily towards where Yasmine and Beatrice were now clearly waiting to take their turns in the tubs.
Lilith was meeting Mary at the other end of the room, Mary briefly squeezing both Beatrice and Yasmine's arms when she passed them. Once Mary got there, Khata immediately started taking her and Lilith's measurements and picking out dresses. Apparently underwear and socks was not something they were currently to be concerned about, only getting thin slippers to not dirty their feet too much. Khata told them they would be given rooms and more complete wardrobes as the lord wanted. Lilith reacted to all of it stoically, not even protesting when she was put in a dress, something Mary hadn't expected.
But she realized that this wasn't new for Lilith, that the way servants, slaves, were treated by the Goa'uld must be very familiar to her. Mary caught her eyes and what she saw in there gave her more strength to endure all of this. It made Mary realize that Lilith might go along with all of this for survival, but the fire in her eyes was burning as brightly as ever, the determination to protect her team, those she saw as her family now, still her driving goal.
Lilith had told Mary and the others that before they had met she had always been weary of making connections, had only ever lived for becoming a better fighter, for being made Prime Jaffa, the lead warrior in Adriel's army. That she had seen having a family or even close friends outside of her teacher as liability, weakness. She had been wary of the Goa'uld, had not believed in them being gods for a long time, thanks to her teacher Areala. But she had not seen a choice for herself, other than trying to sway her master in small ways, which were never enough.
When Shannon had given her a way out, when Lilith had seen that their weapons were effective, that Shannon and her team were skilled fighters, she had made the split second decision to join them, to try and go against the belief system she had been indoctrinated into since birth. And with that, to go against her principles of never getting close to anyone, letting Shannon, Mary, Beatrice and Yasmine in, allowing herself to have a family for the first time in her life. Mary was glad they could provide that and admired Lilith greatly for her bravery in breaking away from what she had always been taught. She could only imagine how difficult it had been for her. And how difficult it must be to now be back in this system, as the lowest of the low.
Khata was fawning over Lilith, giggling even, clearly not having the same reaction as most others they had met, who saw Lilith as Shol'va, traitor, and only treated her with contempt and hatred. Instead, Khata couldn't stop glancing at the golden symbol on Lilith's forehead, as if she could barely believe that she was given the chance to dress up a former Prime.
Lilith stoically let it happen, but Mary could see little gestures and facial expressions she gave Khata that made her believe Lilith understood that the servant girl could be a valuable ally. Not for the first time, Mary admired Lilith's keen mind and her ability to think ahead, to plan several next steps. For her part, Mary was more of a 'hit first and ask questions never' kind of person. She had always relied on Shannon for the thinking part of the operation.
Thinking of Shannon made her feel that hopelessness again, the desperation knowing that they were primped and prettied up for the monster inside Shannon to do whatever she wanted with them. Her heart ached and her whole being revolted just thinking about what exactly it would be she wanted. She thought back at what Asha had said, already knowing that she would not be able to do that, to not protect her team, to not react to this being Shannon, the person she loved.
No, she couldn't stay impassive. Looking over at Lilith, who gave her a grim look, the fire burning in her eyes and then at Beatrice, who was in the tub, her eyes closed, looking tense and then Yasmine, who was just slumped in the other tub, tears still streaking down her face even with being washed, looking completely apathetic, Mary knew it didn't matter what would happen to her herself, she would endure everything if she could only keep them safe and unharmed. Or as unharmed as possible.
Whatever it would take.