The manor was built into the side of a promontory so that it jutted out over the sea which crashed against the rocks below. Vala stood before the curved glass wall that made up one side of the parlor, hands on her hips to hold back the tails of her jacket as she looked out over the choppy waters. It was absolutely freezing in front of the window, and she wondered who could possibly live in such a place. The moon hung just above the horizon, reminding her that it was night.
She and Tanis had been moving nonstop since leaving Qacha Teq, operating on little to no sleep trying to keep ahead of the Jaffa forces who seemed to be on the same trail they were. A few well-placed inquiries revealed that the rumors Vala overheard were true: a Jaffa along with another man and a woman were searching for Kali’s treasure. They sent a message back to Lucia to threaten Siero, but he swore on the graves of several family members that he hadn’t shared his information with anyone else. Tanis didn’t believe him, but Vala knew it didn’t matter either way. The information was out there, and suddenly they had competition.
They had the invitation to the party, but now Vala wasn’t sure that would be enough of an advantage to achieve their goals. Hence their side trip here, to the home of Anton Bellee. The System Lords gathered all the gaudiest, tackiest items they could find in their conquests, then they hired Bellee to find the perfect balance between gloating and intimidation. He’d earned a reputation for his work among some of the most flamboyant Goa’uld, which was saying something, so Vala knew someone like Wyrrick wouldn’t have gone to anyone else when it came to decorating his own mansion.
Bellee had been asleep when they arrived, and Tanis had taken great pleasure in waking him. At the moment she was keeping an eye on him while he changed out of his pajamas and freshened up. When he finally came out into the main room, prodded from behind by Tanis’ blaster in his ribs, Vala didn’t know why he had bothered to change clothes. His sleepwear had been replaced by a long lime-green kurta with a white silk stole trailing him like a cape. He walked with his heavy jaw thrust forward in irritation, his beetled brow knit in consternation. He twisted and glared back at Tanis and spoke with a resonant Goa’uld inflection.
“You don’t have to keep poking me with that. I’m walking, aren’t I?”
“Yeah. But it’s fun.” She poked him again just to prove she could. “Meet my friend.”
He stopped in the middle of the room and glared at Vala as she turned to face him. “I hope you and your friend enjoy prison. Once my security arrives, you will find yourselves very extremely under their restraints. They will not be kind because of your gender!”
“Oh, dear, Tanis. Security? Were you aware he had security?”
“If he had security, I think they would have stopped those morons we found walking the perimeter of this place. It looked like they were casing the joint, Mr. Bellee.”
Vala grinned. “Don’t worry. We took care of them for you.”
Bellee worked his jaw back and forth, his fists balled at his sides.
“So, either way, it seems as if we have a bit of time to kill. Why not chat? Have a seat. My associate and I don’t want to hurt you, and we don’t intend to rob you. And you can give up that ridiculous Goa’uld rumble. The Goa’uld chose the finest specimens for their hosts and, well, no offense…”
Bellee glared at her, then reached under the collar of his kurta and removed a small device.
Vala said, “We just want a little information about one of your clients.”
He walked to the largest armchair and threw himself down like a petulant child. His Goa’uld timbre was gone when he spoke again, leaving behind a vaguely piercing voice. “I don’t discuss my clients. And anyway, ninety percent of them are gone. If you want to rip off a design, I’m sure no one is going to come looking for you.”
“If they’re all gone, who is going to come after you if you tell us what we want to know?”
“I have my principles! I have business… acumen.”
Vala tossed a small burlap sack onto the floor in front of him. When it landed, it made a distinct sound of coins clinking together. He pursed his lips and tilted his head to the side as he considered the size of the bag and how many coins it could conceivably hold.
“Ninety percent of your client base is gone?” Vala said. “Sounds like you’re not going to be getting much repeat business in the coming months. And years. In fact, your entire career may have gone up in smoke along with the System Lords. I hope you managed to save some of your earnings and didn’t throw it away on frivolous things.” She let her eyes drift across the room at the various indulgences that surrounded them. “Seems the Goa’uld aren’t the only ones with expensive tastes.”
Bellee shifted in his seat. “Well… a man must eat, yes? Which client are you looking for?”
“Dysmas Wyrrick.”
Bellee laughed. “Dys? One of the few people who still has the means to hire me, not to mention sending his goons after me if he finds out I betrayed his secrets. No deal.”
“We just want to know the layout of his home. Apparently he’s holding a party there soon. Tanis and I have an invitation, but we’d like to know our way around so we can…”
“Mingle,” Tanis said.
Vala smiled. “Yes. We need to strategically mingle.”
“Right.” Bellee chuckled. “You just want the floor plan so you can gossip better… at the party where Wyrrick just happens to be showing off some of his newest treasures. Why would that ever be a problem? Look, you’re obviously planning to rip him off, and when you do, who is he going to come looking for? He’s going to come after me, the only person who could possibly have handed over that information. No, I think I’ll just sit here and wait for my security. You might have taken care of the men outside, but they work for a company. I sent a signal from the panic button next to my bed the moment you came in and started roughing me up. They’re going to be here any second.”
“I’m sure they will be,” Tanis said without concern.
Bellee glared at her. “You’re not going to bluff me. The signal is hard-wired. It can’t be disabled.”
Vala said, “If it has electronics, Tanis can disable it.”
Tanis said, “Oh, no. He’s right. Whoever set it up was kind of a genius. Even the sloppiest disable technique would still send a signal to the company just in case. Technically it is impossible to stop the signal from getting out.”
Bellee smiled smugly.
“Of course… just because the signal has to go out doesn’t mean it has to take the most direct route. I managed to make sure it passed through our ship first. I have a couple of relay programs set up that shot the signal off the atmosphere. It’s taking a few laps around the planet before it finally goes where it’s supposed to go. Once it gets done touring the nine continents, your security forces will be alerted to what’s going on here.” She checked the timepiece on the inside of her wrist and nodded. “Yeah. We have time.”
Bellee looked at her for signs she was bluffing, but she gave nothing away. He huffed and blew out his lips. “So… what? Either I give you what you want or you kill me?”
“Nothing so crass,” Vala said.
Tanis said, “Aw.”
“Hush. If you don’t give us the blueprints, we’ll simply bring you with us. We’ll leave you behind at Wyrrick’s party when we’re done with you.”
Bellee’s face changed shades and he pushed up from his seat. “Sure. Let him do the dirty work. Fine. Out of my way, pokey.”
Tanis stepped away from a large painting and Bellee hooked his fingers under the frame to swing it out. Behind it was a recessed panel with a safe. Once his back was turned, Tanis caught Vala’s eye and tapped her ear with two fingers. She glanced toward the front of the house. Vala signaled to ask how long they had and Tanis swept her hand in an undercutting arc. Not long. Vala walked to the window and looked outside, craning her neck so she could see along the land’s edge. Lights were sweeping across Bellee’s side lawns as his security surroun
ded the structure. She didn’t betray her anxiety as she moved closer to the wall, out of sight from the window.
“Having problems remembering your passcode?”
“It’s a little dark in here, okay?” He sighed and finally got the door open. He shuffled through a rack of crystals, lifting them at random in order to read the small identifying glyphs written on the surface. Finally he found one and withdrew it, turning to hold the disc out to Vala.
“That has everything you’ll need to know. It’s the blueprint to the house where he’s holding the party. The treasure rooms, the armory, the main ballroom, it’s all there. Even the grotto is there.”
“Grotto?” Vala said. “Sounds positively divine. Hope we get a chance to partake while we’re there. Thank you, Anton. You’ve been an absolute peach. Shame we’re going to part ways soon. Unless you plan to attend the party.”
He laughed. “With you two there? I think I’ll keep a few planets between us if it’s all the same to you. But you know what? If you’re going to wreck the place, try to spare those tapestries on the wall in the main room. I had to go to eight different agoras to find those damn things.”
“No promises, but we’ll do our best. And it goes without saying that Wyrrick doesn’t find out about our little visit.”
Bellee barked a laugh. “Why would I go to Wyrrick and tell him what you did when it would be so much easier and cleaner to just commit ritual suicide right here in my home?”
“You might get the idea that he would forgive you for handing over the information if you give him a chance to change his defenses before we arrive, or let him set a trap for us.” Vala stepped closer. “But that would be a very bad idea, Mr. Bellee. You see my friend here? Tanis? She gets arrested quite a lot… but she always gets out.”
“And I always remember the people who set me up.”
Bellee swallowed a lump in his throat. “Look, just get out of here and…”
“Sire Bellee?” The person speaking pounded on the front door. “Are you well, master?”
Bellee forgot his submissive act and turned to face the front of the house. “They’re still here! Get in here and arrest them, you scissorbills!”
Tanis rushed to stand beside Vala, who backed up closer to the window. “Tanis, I believe that’s our cue. Hold on tight, dear.” She pushed up the sleeve of her jacket and used three fingers to activate the device strapped to her wrist. Their tel’tac rose from the waves below the cliff, the water cascading from its curves as it surged into the sky. Vala used her thumb to activate the small charges she’d placed in the window caulking while Tanis was retrieving Bellee. The explosives shattered the floor-to-ceiling window’s center pane. Cold wind blew in from the ocean and filled the room with its frost, knocking Bellee to the ground with surprise as Tanis turned and fired her blaster at the ship. The wind tried to catch the grapple, but it had a homing signal that carried it directly to the ship’s underside.
Security officers flooded into Bellee’s house and he shrieked orders at them as Vala and Tanis leapt out into the frigid night. The tel’tak changed course just before impacting the house and Tanis’ rope was pulled taut. She and Vala swung like hooked salmon underneath the vessel. Vala tilted her head up and, when their position was right, she hit the final button on the wrist control. The aperture on the bottom of the ship blossomed to drop the transport rings around them as they dangled.
Both women tumbled when they arrived inside the ship, the centrifugal force of their swing to freedom causing them to fly in opposite directions. Vala hit the ground and skidded, looking up to see Tanis hit the far wall and tumble down. Vala coughed as she got to her feet, dizzy from the sudden switch from spinning in mid-air to standing on solid ground. She used the wall to brace herself as she moved into the cockpit, found her seat, and disabled the autopilot. Tanis joined her a few seconds later and sank into the other seat.
“Clear?”
Vala checked. “No signs of aerial pursuit, at least not yet.” She squinted at the screen ahead of her. “If we can get out of the system without running into any blockades, we should be home free.” She smiled at her partner. “Very well done back there, Ms. Reynard.”
“You weren’t so bad yourself, Mal Doran. What’s our next step?”
Vala took out the crystal with Wyrrick’s information on it and tapped it against her thigh. “Next, we plan.”
CHAPTER 10
A second team of Marines came through the gate and helped secure the prisoner before she was brought through to Earth. Jack made certain the corridors were kept clear of anyone other than security personnel as Kali was taken to the brig. She was allowed to shower and offered a change of clothing before she was escorted to an isolation room with a table set up in the center. Her hands were shackled to the table in front of her. Once she had been confirmed as a non-threat, she was left alone.
SG-9 briefed Jack about what they had found on the planet, and now they were on a well-deserved standby while he figured out how to deal with their new prisoner. When he finally went down to see her with his own eyes, he was surprised to find Morello in the observation room watching the Goa’uld through the one-way glass. He pushed up the sleeves of his jacket and stood just behind her right shoulder for a moment, watching as she watched the former System Lord.
“Captain.”
Her shoulders twitched and tension appeared in her neck, but she kept her eyes on the glass. “General. Sir. I-I didn’t know it was you.”
“Relax. I learned a long time ago with Colonel Carter that I can’t order anyone to stand down no matter what it says on my uniform. And I don’t think anyone would mock you for taking a victory lap with this mission. How long have you been assigned here?”
“Two years, sir.”
“And you already bagged yourself a Goa’uld. Not one of the good ones, of course. Kind of lower-tier. But still not too shabby.”
He could see her fighting the urge to smile. “I’ll aim higher next time, sir.”
“See that you do. No more slacking off.” He uncrossed his arms to pat her on the shoulder. “I know I said it in the briefing, but it bears repeating. Good work, Captain.”
“Thank you, sir.”
Jack left her in the observation room and nodded to the airmen outside the door as he entered the holding cell. Kali sat up straighter when she saw him, lifting her chin and narrowing her eyes as she tracked his movements. Jack stood in front of her and crossed his arms. Her lips were pursed in a moue of unimpressed boredom. She looked as if she’d taken a bite of something foul and was trying to find the strength to swallow or find a napkin to spit it into.
“Hi. I’m Jack O’Neill. You may remember me from such events as the Kicking of Ra’s Ass and The Death of Apophis numbers one through five.”
“Why have you brought me to this place?”
Jack raised his eyebrows. “Accommodations not to your liking? We could try to find somewhere a little gaudier for you… I think Trump’s got a few casinos nearby.”
Kali sighed. “This war has been fought already, O’Neill. You have nothing to gain by imprisoning me here.”
“Oh, that’s where you’re wrong.” He leaned forward and placed his hands on the table. “See, we know all about your little Hail Mary plot. We know you’re going after the Jaffa, and we’re going to stop you. The only question is whether you get brownie points for helping out.”
The Goa’uld smiled. “Aha. Now we have come to the crux of the matter. You consider yourselves fortunate, no doubt, to have discovered the device before it activated. But if you believe you will foil the plot you are sorely mistaken. I have lost everything because of the Tau’ri and the Jaffa, and you will both feel my vengeance.”
Jack said, “I think you’ve forgotten where you’re sitting. See, I have some very good friends among the Jaffa. One of ‘em is a big guy with a gold tattoo in the middle of his forehead. Nice guy, not a big talker. But if he dies, or if his family dies, because of some pissy Goa’uld with a g
rudge, you’re going to wish those Jaffa of yours had caught up with you. Because what they would have done is nothing compared to what I’ll do. Do we have an understanding?”
Kali stared at him.
“Tell us how to disable your devices.”
“Begin mourning your friend now, O’Neill.”
Jack worked his jaw and pushed away from the table. “How long do we have before it activates?”
“Seconds.”
“We’re not done here.”
Kali smirked and it took everything he had not to smack her. He left the room to find Daniel lingering in the corridor.
“Geneva Convention,” Daniel said.
“Doesn’t count for zats.”
“Pretty sure it does.”
“Show me where.”
“I don’t think the people who wrote it were prepared for the possibility of alien energy guns but if they had they would have been very against the idea of using them on prisoners.”
Sam approached and joined them. “Has she given anything up?”
Jack sighed. “No. But I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised. What about you? Any luck?”
“The infirmary has gathered a pretty sizable care package. With your permission I’d like to begin preparing to take it to Nicia.”
“Yeah, it doesn’t look like Kali is going to be much help. We might as well keep chipping away at the other side of the problem. Look, I know she was lying about only having seconds left, but I bought it when she implied time was running out. Is there a chance that even with all of this running around we’re still going to come up short?”
“Of course,” Daniel said. “There’s always a worst-case scenario.”
Jack glared at him. “Not the answer I was angling for.”
“It’s a small miracle we even discovered this plot before it devastated the Jaffa nation,” Daniel said, “and every minute spent without disabling it is another minute closer to having it go off.”
SG1-24 Two Roads Page 14
