06 - Siren Song Read Free

smile.
“Especially you, Dr Jackson. The last anyone heard about you, you were…” He
raised his eyebrows and circled a finger above his head. “A glowing cloud.”
    “Your intelligence really isn’t that reliable, is it?” Daniel said mildly.
    Carter stepped forward, drawing Aris’ attention. “Look, we should be past
playing games. We know what you do, and how you operate, so -just tell us what
you want.”
    “Very bold, Major!” Aris squinted at her, his expression amused. “You’ve been
getting used to taking charge, haven’t you? Getting ready to lead a team of your
own, perhaps?” When Carter didn’t answer, Aris chuckled and went on, “What I
want, Major, is for you and Dr Jackson to come with me. I need your expertise.
And of course, I’ll need the Colonel here and Teal’c as bargaining chips.”
    “We won’t go with you,” Daniel said immediately. Jack stepped as close to the
force field as he dared while avoiding another jolt. His fists clenched; he
forced them to relax. Daniel could say the words, but without some way of
breaking through Jack couldn’t stop Aris from taking them and he couldn’t help
Teal’c.
    “Now, now. Dr Jackson, haven’t we been through this already? I tell you what
you’re going to do, and you do it.”
    “Or… not,” Jack said with more bravado than he could back up.
    Aris regarded him pensively. “Colonel, I really don’t have time to play nice.
And I don’t think you want me to force them, do you?”
    “What kind of expertise do you need?” Daniel said.- Jack watched him; Daniel
was in full negotiation mode, all sensors on. Good for Daniel. “Because there’s
no reason you need all of us.”
    Uh-oh. Wrong turn. “Daniel,” Jack said sharply.
    Aris looked over at Jack, a smile twisting his face. There was a new scar on
his forehead, curving angrily down past the corner of his left eye, which
drooped a bit. “That may be true, Doctor. Why don’t we ask the Colonel here how
he feels about that?”
    Jack set his jaw. There was no right answer, though it didn’t matter what he
said; Aris wasn’t stupid, and there was no way he’d leave either Jack or Teal’c
behind as long as he held two of their teammates prisoner. He wouldn’t want them
on his trail. “Looks like we’re all taking a ride.”
    “Sir,” Carter began, but Jack cut her off with a look.
    Aris watched the exchange, then said, “Colonel O’Neill, I’m wounded that you
don’t trust me with the safety of your people.”
    “Trust?” Jack echoed. His finger twitched on the trigger of the P90, itching
for a viable target. “You’ve never given us a reason to trust you.”
    “How quickly your people forget.” Aris pointed at Teal’c. “I let a Tok’ra go,
and I saved his life.”
    “I have not forgotten,” Teal’c said, in a low growl. “But this is a new day.”
    A fleeting look of remorse crossed Aris’ face. “Sorry about the knock on the
head, Teal’c. It’s business. Nothing personal.”
    Teal’c inclined his head in that stiff way that told Jack he was going to get
his payback, eventually.
    “Anyway,” Jack said impatiently, “you didn’t do it for Teal’c. You did it
because you hate the Goa’uld.”
    “You know, that’s right,” Aris said as if it had just occurred to him. He
smiled again. “It’s irrelevant, though. Right now, you don’t have a choice. You
are, in fact—say it with me, now—choice-less.”
    “I hate that word,” Jack muttered.
    “Sorry to cut short the small talk, but now you’re all going to march to my
ship like good, obedient little soldiers,” Aris said. Although he still had his
weapon trained on Teal’c, Jack knew he could as easily point it at any one of
them and ensure compliance. “Drop your gear here—I’ll ring it up later.” A few
feet from Jack’s face, a shimmer of red as the shield dissolved and fell in
front of them. Aris stood patiently by, waiting.
    Starting with Daniel and ending with