Tessa let Ronnie shove her off once they were through the gate and he fell to the platform as she walked down the stairs. She'd programmed in an address that led to an uninhabited world, but she didn't need people, just sky and air that hadn't been pumped through pipes.
"You're still Sekhmet." Ronnie's voice was accusatory.
"That's up for debate."
She breathed in the fresh air and took in the view of a different sun and extra moons. She was on another planet. Just being outside after all that time underground would have been incredible, but this...this was overwhelming.
Though not quite so overwhelming that she couldn't sense Ronnie slowly standing. She gave him another half a moment to make his decision before she made hers. He was too far away to think he could surprise her, but the man was desperate, she knew that, and as he took his first step off the platform, Tessa whirled around and pointed the gun at him.
"Don't be stupid. I have no intention of killing you."
"Then why did you bring me here?"
She let out an exasperated sigh. "Because you were there and because I needed a hostage to get through the gate without being shot."
"You know they're just going to come through that gate any second." Ronnie crossed his arms in a confident manner. "They saw the address."
"Sweetheart, don't you think if I can rig a remote device to hack the dialing computer, that I could also force that computer into a full system reboot and then run a diagnostic program? I've got plenty of time." She smiled and made her way over to the Dial Home Device, holstering the gun.
Ronnie's confidence faltered and he followed her over to the DHD a little ways.
"But I'll be off now anyway. Thank you for the help. Again." She began dialing the next address, pushing in the symbols she knew by heart.
"Where are you going?"
"Well, you are welcome to look at the address. I won't be sticking around there either, but if it makes you feel helpful, by all means," and she gestured to the DHD.
The gate activated and she made a step towards it before turning to Ronnie again, striding over to him quickly until there was barely air between them. "I forgot to kiss you goodbye." Tessa reached up and grabbed the front of his jacket to pull him down to her level before he could react.
She'd expected resistance, but Ronnie offered little, and when she pulled away, she gave his cheek a quick pat.
"I've wanted to do that since the first time I saw you."
Ronnie pulled her into another kiss. He was trying to delay her. She wasn't stupid, but she allowed another minute or two or three of his clever tactics, gently grasping his hand as it slid down her side toward her gun.
She stepped back with a smile. "Why Ronnie Harris, are you developing a bit of Stockholm syndrome?"
He leaned in close again. "Can you blame me?"
"Keep this up and I'll be tempted to take you with me." She watched as momentary concern passed over his face. "Of course, I suspect you're aiming more towards delay rather than tagging along."
He smiled. "Can you blame me for that either?"
"Cute."
Tessa let Sekhmet's smirk say the rest of her goodbye and she jumped through the Stargate.
Six worlds later and she felt confident no one would follow her to her real destination: Sekhmet's old secret stronghold, Isheru. Hopefully it was still there.
With each planet, she had felt further from Earth even though she'd bounced all over the galaxy, but her physical proximity to her home planet had nothing to do with her real distance. Several moments, looking over the alien landscapes, she'd wished she had taken Ronnie with her, simply to keep the connection to her old life. He had been the last tether and she'd cut it with a quick smirk and careless leap through the Stargate.
A forty minute cautious walk from the Isheru gate towards a barren mountain brought her to a small cave which led into a long tunnel and she pulled up the mental map in Sekhmet's library, taking the second corridor on the left before she came to a door. It seemed operational and the code worked to open what looked like a tomb entrance, but inside was an elaborate room filled with various items Sekhmet had stashed away, her own private bank and vault.
She'd specifically taken a group of slaves from another planet to build the haven and then slaughtered all of them to keep her secrets, forcing the most loyal to bury the rest before taking their lives as well. Since it was still here and apparently untouched, Tessa guessed that Sekhmet's efforts had been successful and it was completely unknown to any other goa'uld.
In no rush, Tessa took her time looking over the items, some she knew would be here by Sekhmet's mental ledger, but others had been forgotten with centuries of new memories. Gold and jewels, a variety technology both goa'uld and otherwise, books, even clothing, were all stacked and ordered along the walls. Sekhmet had clearly not intended to stay away for thousands of years when she'd built this place.
The last spot she checked was the hidden door towards the back of the room behind some deep red curtains. Pulling the latch at first did nothing, but with the knowledge Sekhmet had left behind, she found the door mechanism panel and after some investigating, was able to bypass a failed component. This place was really an incredible testament to the longevity of goa'uld technology. They built them to last, that was for sure.
She stepped into a very different, but much bigger cavern. No decorations of any kind were on the walls and the lighting was dim so it took a moment for her eyes to adjust, but as they did, a smile formed on her face.
There in the middle was a tel'tak, a relatively small goa'uld ship. Tessa let her hand glide across the ship's hull as she made her way to the door. Its beauty wasn't just in the metal and curves, but what it represented: freedom.
Inside, the ship was still in good condition visually, but she couldn't get the engines to start. Again she thanked Sekhmet's mechanical knowledge as she headed back towards the engine room. After an hour staring at control crystals however, she was cursing the witch for not learning more. She knew it was unfair to lay any blame at the goa'uld's feet since her own knowledge contributed exactly nothing to her current situation, but Sekhmet also couldn't defend herself, so she was the perfect scapegoat.
Tessa took a break to rummage through the items in the other room again and see if any of the exquisite gowns fit, but Sekhmet had had a considerably shorter host back in those days. Tessa now understood a bit better why she had been chosen with the goa'uld's love of variety in her forms.
At least the jewelry fit.
A few more hours had the tel'tak functioning well enough to fly, but she would need parts and a real mechanic to get it back in good working condition. Fortunately, Sekhmet had left her plenty to barter with, though her eyes and voice would go a long ways towards procuring the things she required. She managed to cobble together a combination of clothing pieces to make her look more like a goa'uld, gathered up various bits of treasure, and set out for a fairly close planet.
This world had belonged to Ra before his death, but she guessed that it now shifted loyalties as the System Lords waged their petty wars. With the fear most humans had of the goa'uld, she was quick to find a young man declared the best with ships and she promised him a handsome reward if his work proved high quality and swift. A seamstress was her next stop, a crowd gathering behind her as she walked through the small city. She had measurements taken and a few simple dresses could be made quickly, though a more intricate gown would take more effort. She gave them significantly less time than they had wanted, but fear was something she needed to maintain with this ruse.
At this point, it wasn't difficult to keep up the general attitude the goa'uld seemed to carry, as Tessa hadn't killed anyone since Sekhmet had shot those people in Boston, but those hardly even counted. A week prior, they had tortured and murdered a man with black hair and a tattoo of a wolf on his arm, but nothing since then. No screams. No blood. No blissful moment of watching them die. She needed to find someone deserving of death.
She would be justice for them.
After finding a room for the night, she snuck out wearing a tank top and the guard's pants she'd taken when she'd escaped the SGC. She'd be able to blend into the crowds well enough to hunt and it took only a handful of conversations to find the common theme of trouble, some men being kind enough to point out a local criminal who seemed to be running the various black markets and unlawful activities. Sekhmet's prowl seeped into her bones and muscles and mind as she watched the rough looking middle aged man, his hair beginning to gray at the temples and his face scarred from a past confrontation. Still, he looked to be in his prime and was certainly strong enough to put up a good fight.
Tonight in the rather rundown tavern, he had a young woman beside him who looked to be working very hard to appear happy with her situation, smiling too big and laughing too much and drinking like she was trying to drown out the world. Tessa still remained invisible in the shadows and went over her options for a plan. The most enjoyable by far would be to seduce him away to a dark alley, but she was short on any disguises that would cover her goa'uld persona and make her appealing enough to leave the woman at his side in such a public venue. Instead she opted for simply following him when he left with his reluctant companion.
The poor girl could barely walk anymore, but that didn't seem to deter Tessa's soon-to-be victim, who hadn't had much to drink at all, the kind who likely wanted to stay in control. That suited her just fine. She wouldn't have to wait for him to sober up. She stepped out of the dark into their path, not quite keeping the adrenaline under control as well as Sekhmet usually had done.
"Nice evening for a stroll," she casually commented.
The man glared at her, not wanting any interruptions on his amusement. "Go away." Tessa stepped further into a shaft of light, straightening her body, and watching his eyes roam. He shoved his tongue into his cheek as he looked and thought. "Unless you'd like to take her place."
Tessa breathed in deeply, pleased that she would still get to toy with him a bit and stepped closer to the pair as the woman weakly tried to push the man away.
"I would think I'd be more fun than her."
He laughed loudly before releasing her into a pile on the ground. "I can always have her another time. She owes me."
Tessa channeled her disgust into her muscles, realizing that for the first time that she was alone in this. She would not have Sekhmet's conscious mind to help her physically, mentally, or emotionally. She was completely on her own and for a brief moment, she contemplated just walking away, but this was why she chose someone like this man. If she walked away, he'd just go back to that poor girl. If she let him live, he'd just go after her the next night. He was too easy to justify and she let herself become Sekhmet's Tessa again.
His confidence in his own strength allowed Tessa to persuade him that his house would be better than an alley and with that decision, he prolonged his life, but those extra few hours were likely unwanted by the end.
Without her reputation of The Butcher lingering on the lips of all the locals, it felt more like her early days with Sekhmet when victims were more confused than terrified at first. This man kept trying to figure out which of his enemies had ordered the hit and what he could offer for his life and Tessa had to explain more than once that she was killing him simply because she wanted to. She needed to. Screams and death and pain were her drug of choice, though the choice had been forced upon her.
When his eyes went dim, a knife in Tessa's hand as Sekhmet's love of the weapon was finally passed onto her protégé, she was pleased that she still felt the rush the goa'uld had always given her. It wasn't quite as strong, but still far surpassed any normal human emotion. Her body felt more relaxed than it had in weeks, her muscles loosening and her breathing evening out. She had expected the guilt to be intense without Sekhmet's careful management, but she experienced neither guilt nor regret for this scum.
Tessa didn't bother cleaning up in any way. She liked how the room was its own solitary horror, the body seeming almost superfluous, an unnecessary extravagance. The blood on her own clothing was easily hidden with a stolen cloak and the sun hadn't come up in full force yet so she was able to slip out of the house unseen. She was fortunate to be on a planet with longer instead of shorter days and nights.
Back at her own temporary quarters, she cleaned her clothes and threw the cloak in the fireplace, before climbing into the bed and sleeping deeply. When she awoke, feeling rested, she realized she hadn't been sleeping well since she'd been left alone. With her own emotions reflected in her body all the time now, it had slowly tensed more and more, but now she slept with ease and she promised herself she wouldn't go so long until the next time.
Good sleep was certainly worth killing for.
