Nesert

3.9

Colonel Caldwell was propped up in a bed near the back and saw them come in. Nes stopped walking as they made eye contact, but Elliot took her hand and guided her the rest of the way.

"So are you Sekhmet or not?" he asked with a harsh tone.

Her defensiveness shifted her into Sekhmet with a smirk. "Well, I'm hardly the most reliable source for that particular question."

"Nes..." Elliot squeezed her hand in a gentle reprimand and she took a long slow breath.

"I'm not Sekhmet, but it can be a little difficult to shake her personality sometimes. Muscle memory."

The colonel nodded and a brief moment of distress crossed his face. "The goa'uld all seem pretty convinced you're Sekhmet, though."

"That was the idea."

"But we're supposed to trust you."

Nes was fighting Sekhmet hard now. "You of all people should have a better understanding of what being a host does to you."

He closed his eyes and hung his head. "Yes." He opened his eyes and looked to Elliot and Sheppard. "Can we have a moment?"

Elliot began to object, but Nes assured him it was fine and they both left the former goa'uld hosts to talk.

"I'm sorry for torturing you. I mean...I'm not. I'd do it again...but I am sorry you had to feel it, too." She smirked and leaned toward him. "I tried not to do any permanent damage."

"Thanks," he replied in a dry tone. He took a deep breath as he watched her. "Dr. Weir said you're wanting to stay here instead of going back to Ba'al." He waited for Nes to nod. "Why?"

Nes raised her eyebrows in confusion. It seemed obvious to her. "Because I'd rather not whore myself out for the sake of information. The goa'uld have already used my body enough for my taste."

The colonel nodded grimly, lost in his own thoughts for a while.

Nes sat down on a nearby stool. "I have to get away. Even if Ba'al doesn't kill me, the clones will keep trying."

"Yes."

"If Ba'al thinks I'm dead, if he finds out Kappa and Theta arranged it, it could cause quite a bit of infighting amongst them."

"So you want me to report that I've murdered you."

"That your goa'uld murdered me."

"There will be an investigation."

"Yes."

"And I'll have to sit there and tell them that I remember killing you."

"Yes."

"I've just spent months watching myself lie to everyone around me and now you're asking me to lie some more."

"Yeah, remember the whole Butcher thing? I had to let them blame me for all those murders. I'm only asking you to lie about one."

He narrowed his eyes at her, but finally blew out a breath of acceptance. "Fine, but so help me, if you even think about harming this base or anyone here. I couldn't protect this city the way I'd pledged before, but I sure as hell can now."

"Understood. When do you head back to Earth?"

"Well, I'm technically not in command for the time being, but I believe Dr. Weir was planning to report to Earth tonight and then the Daedalus will leave in a few weeks." He rubbed the back of his neck. "I can't say I'm looking forward to that debriefing even without the lying."

"How long were you a host, Colonel?"

"I was taken right after we returned from our first trip to Atlantis." He closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the pillow. "They showed up at my house." He was silent for several moments. "How do you ever move on?"