Episode 9.09 "Prototype"

With the completion of the remodeling at her house and the upcoming gala where she was expected to be on Ba'al's arm, Nes made a visit to the SGC, wanting to inform them of her soon-to-be public relationship with Emyr Kagan. Ba'al was aware of her attempts to maintain their trust and approved, so she needn't be secretive about it, especially since the Stargate program had altered their communications to block out the Trust's monitoring. Ba'al wanted her eyes inside the mountain, even for only a short period of time.

Sam escorted her down to General Landry's office immediately where she was greeted with extreme suspicion over her restored physical form.

"So you've joined with Ba'al again? We saw you at the press conference with him."

"That's why I went to the press conference. I knew you'd see me."

"So what's he up to besides copying himself?"

"Establishing a business empire, running The Trust...I'm still trying to get deeper to figure it all out. I suspect he has further plans he's not sharing with me yet."

"And you're sure he trusts you?" the general asked skeptically.

"No. I'm never sure about anything with Ba'al, but he hasn't given me any reason to think he doesn't trust me."

Alarms started sounding in the base.

"Unscheduled offworld activation."

"Colonel, wait here with her."

General Landry went down the stairs to the observation room and both Nes and Sam went to the window to look down into the Gate Room. Teal'c and Daniel came through the Stargate, Daniel looking very upset and babbling to the confused general until he said something that changed the entire feel of the room.

"What's going on, Sam?"

"I don't know. We found a young man in stasis on a planet. He says someone was experimenting on him."

Sam was needed, so Nes was assigned a couple airmen as guards and made her way to the mess hall for some coffee while she waited to hear what new crisis had occurred. She decided Daniel would be the best resource and made herself comfortable in his office.

"Nes! When did you get here?" He was distracted and agitated, but still managed to give her a smile.

"Just an hour or so ago."

"You look great. Ba'al must be treating you well." There was an undertone of disdain, but she ignored it.

"Can't really complain. What's going on here? Heard you have a visitor of some kind."

Daniel took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand. "We thought he was a victim of some kind of experimentation, but...he's Anubis."

"I'm sorry?" Her skin went cold. "How can he be Anubis?"

"Well, he's not Anubis precisely. More like...his son. Anubis managed to replicate his pre-ascension DNA using a genetic manipulation device on the planet we found. Then, he combined it with human DNA and was able to rapidly grow this Khalek guy."

"Similar to Keffler's experiments?"

"In idea only, I would bet. Anubis had knowledge from the Ancients that he likely used to create him."

Nes could feel her breathing speed up. "So now what?"

"Dr. Lam says her analysis suggests that Khalek is significantly more evolved than we are. Much more in line with the human form of the Ancients prior to ascension."

"So he might have powers as well?" She could hear her heart in her ears. "This is bad."

"I agree."

"What if he ascends again? We can't go back to having another Anubis."

"I know, Nes."

"You don't know!" Her terror took over. "You don't know what he can do! What he did." Nes closed her eyes and steadied her breathing. "We have to kill him."

"I'm not disagreeing with you, but the general isn't ready to take that step yet."

"I want to see him, this...Khalek."

"Is that a good idea?"

"I don't care if it is or isn't, Daniel. I want to see him."

Dr. Jackson tapped his pen on the table a few times before nodding. "I'm going down right now to speak to him and I wouldn't mind your input. You can come along, but I expect you to let me do all the talking."

Nes agreed, though she only partially meant it. How could she make such a promise before even seeing him?

They entered the observation room and took seats, Daniel with a notepad and pen, ready to write down anything helpful, and Nes off to the side and back a bit, less noticeable. Nes took in the man below them, strapped into a metal chair with leads attached to his body as they monitored him, his blonde head hanging forward so she couldn't see his face.

Daniel activated the comm system. "Khalek, can you hear me?"

The young man startled slightly and raised his head, trying to swallow and wake up. "Yes." He slowly opened his eyes and realized he was restrained, his panic obvious.

"My name is Daniel Jackson."

Khalek looked all around the room with concern. "Why have you restrained me like this? Why is everyone suddenly acting like they fear me?"

"Look, you can drop the act."

"I don't understand. Have you contacted my homeworld?"

It was so genuine. Even Nes wanted to believe him, comfort him, tell him it was just an awful mistake.

"We found you on your homeworld. I understand Ancient. Those...research notes Anubis left? We know that you were grown in that lab. That you possess Anubis' DNA and his genetic memories."

Khalek lowered his chin, his eyes still locked onto Daniel, and Nes watched the transformation that she knew her own face was so capable of, the shift from innocence and fear to a dangerous and sadistic predator. The goa'uld smirk distorted his face and suddenly he was recognizable to Nes, familiar as the one who had taken her will and soul back on Tartarus.

"My memories do include you, Doctor Jackson. The confrontation you once had with my father. I sense it is some time since I was last awake. What has become of him?"

Nes felt herself wanting to respond and shifted her body slightly forward.

"I'm not here to answer your questions," Daniel said firmly, unwilling to be intimidated by the evil in front of him and reminding Nes of her promise to be silent.

"The others. They wish to study me, don't they? Why else would I still be here, given the danger you know I pose? They want to learn what I am. How I came to be. But you…have you ever taken a life, Doctor Jackson?"

Daniel didn't respond, but Nes barely noticed he was in the room anymore, so focused on the man speaking, who now smiled maliciously.

"I believe you have…killed a man." Khalek closed his eyes and tilted his head. "My memories are so sharp and clear. It's as if they happened only moments ago. The countless lives my father extinguished. Of those that came before him and did the same." He drew in a breath and his voice whispered to them. "Such pleasure it gave them."

Nes' mind flashed back. I will think of you and your death often...and with such pleasure.

Now his voice began to lament. "But I have not experienced it myself yet." Khalek straightened his head as he continued. "Does it really feel…" he opened his eyes with a smile "...that good?"

Nes felt her heart speeding up with his words. She hadn't killed in such a long time now.

"Millions of slaves bowing before me. A galaxy of desperate, pitiful lifeforms at my feet. That's clearly intoxicating. I can almost taste it, as if it was me there and not those whose memories I possess."

His voice was strong and confident and Nes could almost see the words coming out of the previous hosts she'd known Anubis in.

"Oh, but nothing," his voice full of desire and seduction and then shifting suddenly into the power she knew he was capable of, "nothing do I anticipate more than the sweetness I know I will feel when I kill for the first time. I can hardly wait to watch as fear stops a man's heart. So much more intimate, one-on-one. To watch as the blood flows from his veins and savor his ever-fading hope for life."

It had been too long, far too long and her body's need was reinvigorated. How had she gone this long?

"There's only one way to stop it. I know you wish to take my life, and I promise you, before this is over, one of us will feel the pleasure."

Khalek smiled with his threat, but Daniel simply folded up his notebook, glancing over at Nes a few times as she sat enraptured by the beautiful picture he'd painted of the ecstasy of taking a life.

Daniel tapped her on the shoulder as he walked past and she stood, but before turning to leave she couldn't resist leaning just that bit closer to the glass to draw attention to her presence. Khalek looked up with confusion, but she gave him her own smirk. How she would enjoy killing him.

He was unattainable, though. She wasn't so foolish as to think she could subvert the SGC and physically overpower him. He would slaughter her without hesitation, but she still took a moment to enjoy his imprisonment and think of his screams.

If he'd had Anubis' memories from after her experiences with him, she likely would have taken the risk for even the small chance of revenge, but Khalek looked at her with the recognition of seeing another goa'uld, not of seeing Sekhmet or the things he'd done to her.

Nes put a hand up on the glass and tapped a finger with a smile before letting it drag across the window as she left.

"You need to kill him, Daniel," she said as she got out into the corridor.

"It doesn't work that way, Nes. You know that. We have procedures."

"You and I are the only ones who know him, who know what he's capable of."

"But it's not our decision."

Nes dropped her voice low and took a step toward him. "It could be. I could do it."

Daniel was tempted by her offer. She could see him warring with himself. "We can't, Nes."

"I'm leaving then."

"Just like that?"

"I'm not going to sit around here waiting to be killed or even worse, brainwashed again."

"Nes...we might need your help. You know Anubis."

"Precisely, which is why I'm leaving. I'm not a coward, but I'm not stupid either. You won't need my help."

"Fine. Any advice on dealing with him?"

Nes took in a deep breath and blew it out slowly. "Aim for his heart."

She turned and went down the hall, her steps quick and deliberate as she escaped Anubis and his words. She wanted nothing more than to kill now, to take her time like she had with Alpha, but completing the task with a last breath and the light leaving the eyes.

To watch as the blood flows from his veins and savor his ever-fading hope for life. She needed it.

If only the other clones didn't have those damn locator beacons. There had to be a way to disable them. Of course...as long as she finished things before anyone noticed her victim was missing, she could dispose of the body in a way that laid the blame on someone else. Or maybe destroy the beacon altogether.

That meant her best option might be Delta in Seattle.

The prowl began to set in, her walk changing into Sekhmet's, moving through the SGC and back up to the surface with clear purpose. A small part of her knew she should spare some focus for the situation with Anubis' experiment, but it was too late. She was already set on her new goal. The SGC would be fine.

They were always fine.

Nes beamed herself down to a penthouse apartment in Seattle, one Sekhmet had bought when it was first built in the late eighties. Just a few blocks away from Pike Place Market, Nes had visited there a few times during her year of isolation. Its views of water, mountains, and city were the perfect combination for her, and she was pleased that this was the required location to fill her needs. She went through her usual routine upon arriving at one of her homes and began working through the best way to approach Delta.

Farrow-Marshall had had a bit of chaos with the loss of the Halcyon tower, but fortunately they'd been able to capitalize on the insurance since the cover story had put the blame squarely on others. Construction on a new building had resumed, though under the watchful eyes of Stargate Command, naquadah was not one of the required elements in the process. Nes was sure that wasn't the end of it, with buildings going up for various Trust-run corporations all the time, but at least Seattle seemed safe for the moment.

Nes wanted to play a bit and she suspected Delta would be up for the games. His need for her might not be quite that of Alpha or Beta, but she highly doubted he'd be able to resist any offers she made. Ba'al wasn't expecting her back for another day or two at the earliest, so she'd at least have a bit of time before she was missed. She was unsure how frequently Delta checked in, but she likely could persuade him to make some excuses.

Nes changed into a dress far too short to be appropriate and beamed herself into Delta's penthouse after checking for any signals indicating monitoring, but Ba'al had no reason to suspect his clones would ever betray him, trusting them far more than he should. The copy wasn't back from work yet and Nes took the opportunity to wander around. The apartment was masculine and luxurious with stunning views and outdoor spaces as large as the interior itself. She chose a bottle of wine and took a glass of it to the living room to sit on the sofa and wait.

Only two glasses later, she heard the door open along with a pair of voices. She recognized Ba'al's, of course, assuming it was Delta, but the woman's voice, low and seductive, set Nes on edge with jealousy. He'd brought a woman home. Well...it wouldn't be all that difficult to get rid of her.

Nes stood and made sure her steps in her heels were clearly heard across the wood floor as she moved to the door.

"Hello, darling," her voice was sweet, the sugary tones just barely allowing the dangerous edges to poke through.

Delta looked at her with surprise, but it was his guest who spoke. "Who's she, Emyr?"

Nes let her eyes take in the curvaceous blonde standing just inside the door, arms crossed, toe tapping in annoyance, and she let herself transform fully into The Butcher. The woman paused in hesitation and fear and then looked to Delta for answers.

"Emyr, who is this?"

Delta gave Nes a smirk. "This is my wife."

"Soon-to-be wife. Let's not jump ahead."

"Why else would you be here, but to...jump ahead?" He gave her a wink and Nes looked forward to the evening all the more.

She shrugged, though. "Perhaps, but it looks like you already have company."

Delta leaned behind the other woman and pulled the door open. "Thank you for the evening...Julie."

"Jessica," she said with disgust.

Delta bowed his head in a feigned apology. "Jessica, of course. You can find your way out, right? Goodnight." He placed a hand on the small of her back and gently pushed her out into the hall before shutting the door in her face.

"That was rather rude, Delta."

"Would you rather I invite her back in?"

"If you want to kill her together."

"I would very much prefer other activities with you." He crossed the foyer to her. "What are you doing here, Sekhmet?"

Nes reached out a hand to his lapel. "I just thought it was about time we had a little meet and greet, a chat."

"A woman doesn't show up to a man's house in a dress like that to talk, my dear."

She shrugged. "No, I suppose not."

"What about Ba'al?" He clasped her hand as it lay on his chest.

"Let's just say, there are certain things that must be withheld from our lord in order to encourage…forward motion."

"But you'd rather not be deprived yourself."

"Precisely."

"Well, I can certainly offer my assistance with that."

"I was hoping you would say that. He's not expecting me back for another day or two."

Delta leaned forward and kissed her neck. "And I checked in this morning. We can take our time it seems."

Nes didn't stop Sekhmet's sadistic smile, Delta already too distracted to notice the noose around his neck. It took very little convincing to get Delta to move himself up the stairs, saving her the effort. He had the perfect spot for the evening upstairs: a very large walk-in shower where she'd simply be able to wash away any evidence before ridding the house of him entirely.

Delta had been serious about taking his time, so she enjoyed his attentions for at least a short while before using the same technique that had incapacitated Alpha as well. How could they all be so foolish?

He woke up with a splash of water to the face, tied to a chair she'd moved into the shower, anger filling him rapidly as he strained to be free.

"What are you doing, Sekhmet?"

"Do I really need to explain? You should be able to extrapolate my plans based on what you know about me, my dear."

"Fine. Why are you doing this?"

"Oh, simply for my own amusement. Like you said, I'd rather not be deprived. Fortunately, Ba'al has provided so very many of you." She smiled and tapped a small knife against her chin.

"And you don't think Ba'al will figure it out?"

"I have no plans of anything of you being left for him to investigate."

Delta flashed his eyes in fury. "Surely we can come to some other kind of arrangement."

"It's amusing how often all of you have made that statement. Always thinking you understand my motivations well enough to make various offers for your lives, but I simply want to kill you. I want to enjoy your screams and watch your life fade in front of me."

He tried to reason with her, but she cut off his objections with his own screams, Khalek's words playing through her mind. She was significantly more brutal with Delta, knowing she couldn't keep him for very long like she had with Alpha. Eventually he grew weary, though, and Nes only saw Adaar in front of her, guilt seeping into the satisfaction she was seeking. There was only so long she could push it aside and finally she stroked Delta's cheek as his eyes struggled to stay open.

"I'm sorry, Adaarbal. I shouldn't have tortured you with him."

Delta gave her a confused look, but before he could question her, she slit his throat quickly and waited for the last flash of his eyes.

Damn Adaar.

He was ruining any pleasure she should have gained from the destruction of another clone. She should have just killed Alpha.

Now that Delta was dead, Nes was able dig out the locator beacon, buried deep in his body. With that removed, she beamed back up to her ship and then dumped his body in various sections far out in the Pacific. She cleaned up the shower and locator beacon, and then, after wiping down everything she had touched in the apartment, she placed the beacon on the kitchen island to be found later. Delta would simply be missing and Ba'al would have no way of knowing if his copy were dead or had somehow managed to remove the device to escape his ties to the original.

The last task was the woman who had seen her. She couldn't have a witness just waiting around to be found by Ba'al and the clones. Nes had been far too recognizable. In the past she would have just killed her, but she couldn't bring herself to do that this time. Instead she beamed herself into the woman's apartment (easily located with security cameras and information from the taxi company). Jessica nearly toppled over in surprise and Nes explained to the young woman that she was going to need to disappear for a while if she wanted to live.

With that kind of a choice before her, she was more than willing to go with Nes who set her up in a house in the Greek countryside with orders that if she contacted anyone or attempted to return home, Nes would personally kill her after torturing her in horrific ways. The Butcher still inspired enough fear even though she was technically dead.

As a bit of a warning, Nes took a knife and cut the girl's arm enough to collect a bit of blood, and then went back to Seattle to trash her apartment and make a convincing case for her being injured or killed during a home invasion.

With any luck, Ba'al and the clones wouldn't even think to look for the girl, let alone find her.