Cold realization hit him as they locked him in his cell. Had Quing said they would go to Antarctica?
“They cannot.” He sank down on the thin pallet that was his bed. This was his punishment. To stay here and rot.
He deserved nothing more.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
ANCIENT OUTPOST, ANTARCTICA
18 AUG 04/2140 HRS MCMURDO STATION
“General Hammond?” Lt. Brooks poked his head through the archway.
George waved him in. “Report?”
“Major Davis radioed, sir.” The airman pushed back his hood and wiped stray snow off his watch cap. “He’s just rendezvoused with the SEALS over at Marble Point.”
“Notify me the moment their chopper lands topside.”
“Yes, sir.” The airman hurried off.
George ran a hand over his eyes, fighting off fatigue that wouldn’t end soon. In the past half hour, he’d provided Ambassador Zhu with as much detail as he dare regarding the Huang and Lord Yu. But he hadn’t told her everything. Not yet.
Zhu’s focus stayed fixed on her daughter’s comatose form. “Please,” she said as the airman left, “finish your story, General Hammond.”
Now came the kicker.
“We have evidence to suggest Huang was cloned from one of Yu’s original Dragon Guards,” George said. “A direct descendent of Sun Tzu, I believe.”
Zhu whirled toward him, her eyes widened in obvious disbelief.
“Lord Yu obtained the cloning technology from the ruins of an Ancient city,” George explained. “The SGC’s chief medical officer at the time was able to confirm that Huang’s DNA contained unusual traits. Traits not seen for over 4,000 years.”
Zhu chewed at her thumb as George detailed Lord Yu’s odd revelations to Daniel Jackson. He found the nervous habit telling. While she’d exhibited genuine surprise at his revelation, there was something else going on in that mind of hers, something that may or may not have a direct relation to their current predicament.
“And the U.S. decided to keep this information from China because…?” She dropped her hand to her side. “Don’t bother. The lack of trust between our two nations takes on many shapes, this being only one example.”
“It goes both ways, Ambassador. We’d no idea that Huang had fathered a child.”
Zhu shook her head. “A descendent of Sun Tzu. A viable, healthy clone. If this is the reason why Weiyan was always such a sickly child — ”
“General Hammond!” Ambassador Duebel raced in. Not for the first time today, George wished Lt. Simmons could be in two places at once — helping evacuation efforts, and here, running interference with fifth wheel ambassadors who should have been long gone.
The Swiss ambassador came to a halt beside Zhu. “Any change?”
She snorted. “In a manner of speaking.”
Duebel glanced at George. “I don’t understand. The force field’s still in place.”
“Why haven’t you evacuated yet, Ambassador? Where’s Juarez?”
“He left. My God, it’s cold in here.” Duebel yanked his parka zipper up. “We were boarding the helicopter when a radio report came in… Ushuaia, Argentina suffered a powerful quake twenty minutes ago.”
“Casualties?” George said a silent prayer.
“Several hundred wounded. No fatalities yet,” Duebel replied. “General, this will only get worse.”
“The Navy SEAL munitions team should be here shortly.” He glanced at his watch. “Sunrise is in fifteen hours. In the meantime, I’ve given Dr. Lee the next twelve hours to find a way through that force field so we can retrieve our people. Once those twelve hours are up, the outpost will be destroyed as promised.”
“Uh, General?” Lee hurried over. “If we know Weiyan’s father could shut the device down, shouldn’t we consider bringing him here? Four-thousand year-old genetics should be strong enough to — ”
“A 4,000 year-old what?” Duebel asked loudly.
“Ambassador, keep your voice down, please.” George shot Lee a silent warning. There was need to know and then there was need to not know. By now, the scientist should comprehend the difference.
“Sorry,” Lee said more softly, “but Huang’s ATA genetics could possibly shut down the drift device, and the force field. Then we won’t have to blow up the outpost.”
“Quing?” Duebel knelt down beside Zhu. “What does your ex-husband have to do with all this?”
“You’ll have to ask the general,” said Zhu, shifting her position with her legs tucked underneath.
George appreciated her discretion, but facts were facts. He urged Lee to get back to his work and then returned his attention to the ambassadors. “I’m sorry, but I can’t allow an enemy spy access to this facility. We have no idea if he — ”
“Now wait just a moment.” Duebel shot up and glared right at him. “If Ambassador Huang — ”
“Former Ambassador,” George retorted. “As a member of the Security Council, you’ve read the official report. Huang’s actions almost killed SG-1.”
“And look at them now.” Duebel flung a hand toward the hole. “Are you Americans so prideful that you’re willing to punish the entire continent — possibly the world — just because an accused spy caught you with your… Oh, what’s the American expression?”
“Caught with your pants down,” Zhu muttered.
“Exactly.”
“It’s far more complicated than that,” George explained.
Duebel crossed his arms. “If Huang’s ATA genetics are even remotely as powerful as his daughter’s, we need him here. Now.”
Jack took one look at Teal’c’s ashen face and knew exactly what he had to do. He grabbed Weiyan’s arm and pulled her up from Teal’c’s side. “Let’s go have a nice little chat, shall we?
“I have done nothing wrong!”
“Yeah, yeah. You keep saying that.” He mentally put a lid on any sympathy he might feel for the girl; he’d spent his life perfecting the act of being a bastard when needed.
That didn’t make what he had to do next any easier.
Teal’c raised an eyebrow, but Jack gave him a short shake of his head. Stay out of this.
He dragged Weiyan a few feet closer to the building. No earth-shattering quakes started up, so that was a good start. He waved his lighter at Weiyan. “You’re Chinese. You must know the Art of War inside and out.”
“Sun Tzu?” Lifting her eyes, Weiyan mirrored Teal’c’s eyebrow acrobatics. “Of course. It was my father’s wish that I memorize his work.”
Clink. Jack flipped the lighter open. “Yeah, I’ll bet. How does the one part of old Tzu’s writings go? Something about bait and lures?”
Snap. He flipped the lighter shut. “I’m a fishing fan.”
“Ah…” She closed her eyes and recited, “’Offer the enemy a bait to lure him; feign disorder and strike him.’” Her eyes opened again and cocked her head. “There’s another passage, General. One that speaks of pretending to be weak so that your enemy might grow arrogant.”
“Been there, done that.” Jack deliberately crossed his arms, the lighter still in one hand. “I gotta wonder… Your father nearly got us killed last year. By your own admission, you weren’t even healthy enough to join the trainee program. And yet, somehow, you cleared the IOA’s vetting process.”
Weiyan’s mouth shut tight. Not exactly what he expected.
He pushed it to the next level. “Now, I’m not that keen on the IOA. Frankly, there are times I think they’re not much better than the Goa’uld, what with all their power-mongering, but those folks don’t just let anyone in. Trust me, I know.”
“I — I…”
“Go ahead,” he said with as much patience as he could muster. “I’m all ears.”
She bit her lip.
Clink. Jack flipped open the lighter again. “Well?”
“You will not yell and make the ground tremble?”
Snap. “Try me.”
“My mother… She is Quing Zhu.” She gulped. “She pre-approved my application for the trainee program.”
“The Chinese ambassador?” Jack whistled. “Did she know about Huang’s little affiliation with the Goa’uld?”
An itty-bitty trembler rumbled beneath his boots. A warning. Or in his case, progress.
“Answer the question, Weiyan.” Jack threw back his shoulders, putting on the best mean-old brigadier general persona he could drum up. “Did your mother know or not?”
Weiyan nervously wet her lips. “I do not think so.”
Jack went in for the kill. “But if Huang’s name was on your application as next of kin — ”
“My father’s a good man,” she muttered. “His reasons for doing what he did must have served some great purpose.”
“Give me a break.”
The ground shook. Harder this time. Louder.
“Jack, calm down!”
Apparently, not loud enough. Jack raised a hand, warning Daniel not to come any closer. The rumbling kept up. Carter hurried over to Teal’c and helped him to his feet.
Jack got in Weiyan’s face. “So your mother snuck you in the backdoor. Faked your medical records — ”
“Hemophilia is manageable.”
“Your mom must’ve thought you’d be the prize student.” He stared her down. “Was she gunning for you to be first in line to operate the weapons platform?”
“My mother thought I would fail!”
A loud crash. Jack didn’t have to look to know the phantom Stargate had tumbled downward, all thirty-two tons demolishing the cliff. Still, there were no cracks in the ground around them. Jack opened his mouth, ready to push harder. An arm yanked him backwards.
Daniel stepped between them. “Stop it. Both of you!”
Weiyan turned away, her shoulders shaking.
“Back off, Daniel!” Jack shouted over the rumbling war of rock and dirt. “You certainly did fail, didn’t you, Weiyan? When you sat in that chair, Ambassador Zhu — if that’s really her name — shouted her lungs out at you, and bam! Those ATA genes spiked into overdrive.”
“Enough!” Weiyan whirled toward him. “You have no right to treat me this way.”
Boom. The ground shook. Hard. Jack managed to stay on his feet, but Weiyan stumbled forward. He stopped her fall and…
The rumbling stopped.
“Sir, we’ve got company.” Carter nodded toward the building. A curtain of golden-white light streamed downward, washing out their view of the brick building. The curtain oscillated, forming three, then four glowing ribbons.
Jack pulled Weiyan upright. “You’re right,” he told her. No one should treat you like that.”
“But — ”
“I needed to get that thing’s attention.” He jerked his chin toward the building. “Nice backbone you’re growing there, by the way.”
“I have always had a backbone, General O’Neill.”
“Having one and using it are two different things.” He turned toward Daniel. “Let’s see if Teal’c’s up for a hike.”
Daniel frowned. “You could’ve told me what you were planning.”
“I wasn’t sure it would work.”
The ribbons contracted, losing their gold tint. Four white-hot ribbons merged into a solid pillar. A handful of glistening tendrils unfurled. It was a familiar image. One Jack had seen too often for one lifetime.
“Jack, if that’s an ascended Ancient — ”
“If it is, it can kiss my ass. Daniel, Carter, get Teal’c over here. Carry him if you have to!”
With Teal’c’s arm slung across their shoulders, the two managed to half-drag, half-carry him over. As they reached Jack, the ascended being solidified into a hooded human shape dressed in a long, flowing white robe.
“You able to walk?” Jack asked Teal’c. His face was grayer than the SGC’s walls.
“I will try, O’Neill.”
Weiyan threw a supporting arm around Teal’c’s torso. “You must not try, you must do!”
Teal’c managed a weak smile. Then he broke down coughing.
“Yeah, you’re not going anywhere.” Jack gestured for him to sit down. Teal’c complied, too readily which scared the crap out of Jack.
The ascended being — or whatever the hell was dicking with them — waved in their direction. “Look, I get that this could be some glowy Ascended what — ”
“It could be Oma,” Daniel said with far too much reverence for Jack’s taste.
“Oma?” Weiyan bent down beside Teal’c.
“She is an ascended being,” Teal’c explained between gasps. “A former Ancient.”
Weiyan glanced up at Carter. “Did they not build the Antarctica chair?”
“Amongst other things,” Carter replied with a bare sliver of a smile. “General, I recommend caution.”
“No fooling.” Jack eyed the alien. A breeze had kicked up. A light one, but enough to send the ascended being’s robes flapping behind it. At least it had stopped waving.
Teal’c’s breath grew more ragged. Jack considered marching right up to the alien and punching its lights out, but something told him that wouldn’t be such a hot idea.
“I don’t know about the rest of you,” he said, turning back to the others, “but I’m getting pretty tired of being treated like a toy.”
“Daniel, you knew Oma better than anyone.” Carter tilted her head. “Would she really treat us like this?”
“Sam, I barely remember talking to her before I — ”
“Died?” Jack offered.
Daniel shrugged. “She’s always been fairly gentle. Helpful even.”
“Tell that to the Jaffa she burnt to a crisp on Kheb.”
“She was protecting Shifu,” Daniel whispered. “This is… Different. I’m not sure how, but it is.”
Teal’c started up another coughing fit.
“I don’t care what’s going on, Daniel, I’ve had enough.” Jack raised a hand to the side of his mouth and shouted, “No more games! You wanna talk? Then get your butt over here!”
The buzzing came back, softer this time. He ignored it.
“Careful, Jack, don’t — ”
He shot Daniel a glare. “I’m not letting that thing kill Teal’c off.” He turned back toward the alien, the buzzing intensified. Pressure crowded his eardrums.
The alien disappeared.
He shook his head. Tried to shake off the buzzing. “We’re not moving!”
The breeze shifted to a full-on gust. A dry, bitter cold reminder of what they’d left behind in Antarctica. “Anyone feel that?”
Carter opened her mouth to speak, but Jack never heard her. Something slammed against his back. He stumbled and the wind seized him as if he was nothing more than a ragdoll. A sharp tug and he felt himself yanked forward.
Twisting sideways, he tried to squirm out of its grip. No luck. Dust and wind blew across his face. He glanced sideways, but all he could see was the dusty terrain speed by. The only upside was that he had company. Carter, Daniel, Teal’c, and even Weiyan were just as locked up as he was by whatever had them in its clutches. The distant horizon became even more distant as they were pulled forward.
Ignoring the wind’s sting in his eyes and face, Jack refocused on the building up ahead. It was moving, too. Coming closer. A wave of vertigo hit him. If the yanking around didn’t stop soon, he’d be a pancake in need of scraping off the building’s walls. He threw up his arms, braced for impact.
The walls blurred. Jack squeezed his eyes shut, ready for what could only come next.
He jolted to a stop. Opening his eyes, the first thing he noticed was the warm air. The second thing was the blue light licking against bricked walls. They were inside a chamber of sorts, and though Jack couldn’t see the ceiling, he was pretty damn sure they were inside that damned building.
The third thing, and probably the most important, was the hesitant smile of someone he never expected to meet again.
“It is good to see you, O’Neill.” The robed alien pulled down his hood.
He looked exactly like Skaara.
Which was too good to be true.
ANCIENT OUTPOST, ANTARCTICA
18 AUG 04/2210 HRS MCMURDO STATION
George’s latest argument with Ambassador Duebel was stopped short by the arrival of Major Davis and two Navy SEALS. The men wore bright orange coveralls and jackets with Byrd Station patches on their left sleeves. Blue wool watch caps affixed with the traditional eagle and trident logo of the Navy SEALS covered their heads. They each carried a yard-wide chrome-and-black box stamped with the recognizable ‘explosives’ label. Colonel Ken Ferguson brought up the rear. George awarded Davis a grateful smile. “Glad you could make it. First time at the outpost? “
“Wish the circumstances were different, sir.” Davis quickly introduced the SEALS — Lieutenants Kalsner and Mason. “With your permission, they should start laying charges — ”
“Just one moment!” Zhu pointed at the chair. “If there’s any chance my daughter can be saved by using Huang’s — ”
“Huang the spy?” Davis asked. “General, what’s going on?”
“Have the SEALS lay their charges around the platform, Major,” George ordered. “I’ll be with you in moment.”
“Yes, sir.” Davis led the SEALS over to the other side of the platform. They put down their kits and flipped open the latches. Ferguson stood back, taking it all in.
George returned his attention to the ambassadors, his voice low. “Bringing Huang here is not going to happen.”
“Because he claims to be a spy for the Goa’uld?” Duebel asked.
“Yes.” George nodded. “And because sunrise happens just shortly after noon tomorrow. That’s less than fourteen hours from now. There simply isn’t enough time to retrieve him from Beijing. Do you understand?”
His lips pressed together, Duebel spun around and joined Zhu by the hole. He crouched down and took her hand.
“My last words,” Zhu whispered. “They were — ”
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