Andrews summoned Godfrey to set the lighting back to normal. Makepeace put his boots back on and fixed his clothes, then got up and wandered over to the windows. The sky was still overcast; the rain falling by the bucketsful. The blue of the mountains had been turned to slate by the soggy afternoon light.
Had they really only been on this planet for three days? It felt like at least a month.
He saw a brassy glint off to one side, in the direction of the flatlands. A large number of gold spheres were gliding back and forth in a coordinated fashion. Varayimshaeta's servitors.
"I wonder what they're doing?" Johnson murmured.
Makepeace turned his head, saw that the lieutenant was standing beside him. He shrugged. "Who knows?"
"You might."
Makepeace gave him a sharp look. "Not this." He returned to watching the spheres. They moved in complex, elaborate patterns, almost like they were dancing. "I got a history lesson, and a few odd feelings and facts, but I don't know anything about this."
"Yes, sir."
Clanking and banging noises came from the kitchen. By mutual, unspoken consent, the two men dropped their conversation and went to find out what was going on. Sergeant Andrews popped up from behind a kitchen counter, brandishing a large pan. "You guys think this is cast iron?" he asked.
"What are you doing?" asked Henderson.
"Gonna try out the stove. So, what about the pan?"
Godfrey was consulted. The hologram confirmed that the pan was indeed cast iron, and perfectly safe for humans to use to cook food.
For some reason, that irritated Makepeace. In a fit of rebellion, he growled, "I'd rather you used our own gear."
"Love to, but it ain't here, sir," Andrews said.
"Well, why don't we ask for it? It's not dangerous. We might even get it."
"It's worth a shot. Oh, Godfrey!" Andrews sang out. "Yoooo, hoooo."
Shaking his head, Makepeace left him to cajole the butler. The door beckoned, so he walked over to it. He hated this trapped feeling, and even though he knew it an empty gesture, he wanted to leave the suite. The door slid open with the barest whisper of sound, revealing an empty, unguarded corridor. Its length was lined with four more doors, two on each side, and it terminated at a fifth door. He stepped into the hall, into the illusion of at least partial freedom.
He really, really wanted off this planet.
"Want some company, sir?" Henderson had joined him.
Makepeace shrugged.
"It's best not to wander around alone, sir."
Did they really think he'd run off by himself? Sure, he'd taken a beating over the last two days, but he hadn't lost all his common sense. He said as much, in a rather irate tone, adding somewhat defensively, "I was just curious about what's out here, is all."
Unfazed, Henderson grinned cockily. "Yes, sir. Don't worry, sir, we all understand cabin fever. If you like, I can give you the grand tour."
In spite of his annoyance at the blatant baby-sitting, Makepeace had to admit he was curious about the remodeling project Henderson and Andrews had talked about after their excursion. He smiled crookedly and said, "Lead on, MacDuff."
Henderson headed down the hall. The corridor had a basic rectangular shape, with smooth walls tinted a muted green, the color much easier on human eyes than the gem-bright hues Makepeace had previously seen. Whenever they poked their heads into a room, they saw a variety of human-style furnishings. The first two looked like less grand versions of their own apartments. The third, Makepeace was startled to see, held a swimming pool, a Jacuzzi, and what looked like a sauna. The overhead lights reflected off the aquamarine water and the tiled walls.
Henderson grinned at his reaction. "Nobody's tried it out, yet."
"I'm surprised." He knew his guys were water rats. Makepeace breathed in the warm, humid air, wondering how long it would be before someone broke the pool in. If they didn't get off this planet soon, he might give it a go himself.
"We've had other concerns, sir."
Makepeace winced.
Leaving the pool room with regret, they moved on to the last doorway on the right. "Well, that's new," said Henderson, leaning into the chamber. He sounded surprised.
"New?" asked Makepeace.
"This stuff wasn't here this morning. Check it out, sir."
Makepeace stepped into the room and stopped. "Is that a big screen TV?"
The blank screen took up an entire wall. It had to be at least fifteen feet high. Placed near the back of the cavernous room were a sofa and several reclining chairs with footrests. A coffee table and some end tables accompanied them. Scattered in strategic locations were a number of dark boxes of varying sizes that looked remarkably like speakers. There were no windows, the lighting relying solely on thin, glowing panels set near the ceiling.
"I think it's a home theater," said Henderson. He remarked with admiration, "You've got one hell of an imagination, Colonel."
Makepeace grunted and walked over to the coffee table. He picked up the remote control sitting there. "I wonder if it gets ESPN?" He refrained from pushing the power button. God help him if Varayimshaeta had reproduced the last porno flick he'd seen.
"Turn it on, sir. Let's see what it's got."
Let's not, thought Makepeace. He didn't really care if his team knew he'd seen "Pulp Friction"—hell, knowing them, they probably all had bootleg copies of the thing—but there was no telling what Varayimshaeta might have dredged out of his subconscious. Enough of his psyche had been on display already. He set the remote down.
"Later," he said. "Why don't we see what else has changed in the neighborhood since you scouted it out this morning?"
"Yes, sir." Henderson looked disappointed.
Tough, Makepeace thought.
The two men left the theater and continued their perambulations toward the tall door set at the very end of the hall. "That's the elevator," Henderson informed him.
"You said it was unguarded?"
"It was this morning."
As the men approached, the elevator opened and disgorged a triad of the gold spheres. Within their midst they carried another of SG-3's rucksacks, just as they had carried the food and canteens. Makepeace and Henderson moved aside to let them pass. The entourage floated serenely down the hall and entered the Marines' suite.
"Looks like Andrews got his cooking gear," Henderson remarked.
Makepeace was thoughtful. "I wonder what else we could get, if we made the right arguments?"
"If you're thinking of weapons, sir, we've already tried that this morning, while you were still asleep. Godfrey wouldn't go for it."
"Figures."
The spheres exited the suite and floated back toward the elevator.
"That was fast," Makepeace said. He watched as the orbs glided in his direction. "You know, I'd really like to find out where they're going."
"You think they'll let us follow them, sir?"
"Probably not, but what the hell. It's not like we've got anything better to do."
The spheres passed by, and the two Marines fell into step with them. Surprisingly, Makepeace and Henderson were allowed to follow the orbs into the elevator. The men exchanged a glance, but stayed silent for the whole ride down. The door opened, revealing a large, circular chamber lined with five additional doorways. This room hadn't been redesigned to accommodate humans. The colors were hard and vivid, the architecture full of curves and odd angles. The spheres moved to a tripartite door directly across from the elevator. The men followed them.
"Didn't get down here this morning," commented Henderson.
Makepeace said, "Maybe it's a way out."
"Or the way to the servants' quarters. So to speak."
"I'll take whatever I can get."
The door's three sections slid apart, and the spheres floated into what looked like another elevator. When the Marines tried to follow, the spheres blocked the entrance. The door closed in their faces.
"That was rude," Makepeace said.
"We got farther than I expected, though," Henderson pointed out. He wandered over to an adjacent door. "Upstairs, the doors are all on some kind of sensor. They open on approach." This door, however, stayed shut.
"I'd say they don't work that way down here."
"Maybe it takes more?" Henderson knocked on the door and said, "Open, says me." It didn't budge. "Guess nobody's home."
"Or nobody's answering."
"Yeah. We're probably not supposed to go in there."
The two men tried the rest of the doors. The only one that opened was the elevator they had arrived in. "Looks like that's our limit," said Makepeace as he stepped inside.
"Better than nothing, sir," said Henderson. "Like I said, it's farther than we got this morning. Maybe Vara was satisfying our curiosity."
"I'm getting really tired of Vara."
"Yes, sir. Shall we head back, or do you want to explore some more?"
"You said there was no way out on any of the floors you reconned?"
Henderson shook his head. "Not that we could find. We checked everything pretty thoroughly."
"Think we can coax this thing to go further down?" Makepeace waved a hand at the control panel, which showed a glowing symbol on its hexagonal display, below which was a pad of small symbols, neatly arranged in thirty-six rows of twelve. The symbol in the first column of the seventh row matched the one on the display. "There are a helluva lot of floors below this one to choose from."
"Worth a shot." Henderson touched the next symbol in the pad. The elevator didn't budge. He tried all of the lower symbols on the panel, with the same lack of results.
"Or not." Makepeace folded his arms and leaned against the wall.
"There's always the upper levels. At least, the ones Vara will give us access to. You want to have a look, sir?"
"Nah, not right now." There wasn't much point, beyond satisfying idle curiosity. Henderson and Andrews were pros, and Makepeace trusted them implicitly. If they hadn't found anything, there was nothing to find. Any new floors added since the morning recon could wait for a while. Varayimshaeta certainly wouldn't add in any escape routes while redecorating. Makepeace said, "Why don't we see what Andrews has concocted for lunch?"
"The penthouse it is."
"The penthouse?"
"Didn't you know, sir? We're on the top floor. Best rooms in the whole damn place, too." Henderson touched the first symbol on the keypad, and the door obligingly closed. The elevator started upwards.