Author's Notes: Written for sjhwtolerance for the Dan/Jan Ficathon. This story can be read either as strong friendship (gen) or UST (ship).
Challenge: Janet Fraiser is summoned off world to help find the cause and the cure for a disease that is ravaging an early industrial society. While there, she is kidnapped by a rival sect that is unaffected by the disease. It's up to SG1 to rescue her before they all become victims of the disease. Do NOT include in the story: slash
Disclaimer: Stargate, Stargate SG-1 and all of its characters, titles, names, and back-story are the property of MGM/UA, Double Secret Productions, Gekko Productions, SciFi Channel, and Showtime/Viacom. All other characters, the story idea and the story itself are the sole property of the author. This story cannot be printed anywhere without the sole permission of the author. Realize this is for entertainment purposes only; no financial gain or profit has been gained from this fiction. This story is not meant to be an infringement on the rights of the above-mentioned establishments
Jack had a personal dislike for liars.
Liars obviously had something to hide. Liars would do what it takes to keep that something hidden. And whatever that something was, it was hidden for a reason.
It never was a good reason.
Jack thought about the liars he'd encountered during his lifetime as he strolled down the city hall's main corridor. He'd become adept at sniffing them out.
His gaze remained focused ahead, primarily trained on the little mousy man – Taras was his name – who had sandwiched himself between Carter and Daniel. Taras kept rambling, gesturing with his hands this way and that, discussing irrelevant cultural nonsense with Daniel. Every so often he'd mention something technical that would interest Carter, but for the most part, the conversation was standard and pointless. The society was less advanced than their own and only had some rare metal with an amazing conductive property to offer in trade.
Of course, the Air Force just had to have it.
Normally, a simple trade deal wouldn't bother Jack. But not today.
Today, Jack's nose was working overtime.
And it wasn't just because of the heavy perfume that was stinking up the place.
"So, what do you think?" Jack asked, keeping his voice low as he leaned toward Teal'c.
"I do not like this man," Teal'c replied.
Now that was an understatement. "He's hiding something," Jack muttered. "I just don't know what."
"If you sense a deception, why did you approve of this treaty?"
"If we want some leverage for the program, Hammond needs some results and he needs them fast." Jack sighed. "Besides, I could be wrong."
"But you do not believe this to be the case."
"No."
"I see."
"Don't," Jack said. "I know that look."
Teal'c said nothing.
Jack ignored him for the moment and took another quick inventory of the corridor. Simple and plain, it was an ordinary looking wooden hallway, complete with a dozen portraits and certificates lining the walls and some creaks and groans for posterity's sake. Jack felt like it was something straight out of an old historical memorial; Daniel had told him that the Rusayev were a people on the brink of their own industrial revolution. Jack didn't need a lecture – the smoke-filled skies told him enough.
He rubbed at his nose and glanced back at his team.
"And this is it," Taras said, rubbing his hands together. "You can see we have an efficient form of government. Yes?"
"Yes, it's very nice," Daniel said. "Thank you for showing us your…hall."
Taras beamed. "We have a solid government. Good industry. Hearty people. But the winters are long." Jack tensed when he saw Taras grab Daniel and Carter by the wrists. He lifted them up, like they won some sort of prize. "We are friends now. And friends share in health and life."
"Friends also know boundaries." Jack motioned for him to let go of both Carter and Daniel.
"Oh, yes." Taras released them. He rubbed his hands together. "Shall I take you to the Path to summon your supplies?"
Jack nodded for Taras to lead the way. "You have the –"
"Karcite," Carter finished for him.
"It is ready for you," Taras said. He opened his case and withdrew two samples of the metal, giving one to Carter and then Daniel. Jack watched them pocket the metal into their vests as Taras continued. "Our gift for yours. This way."
Jack fell in step with Carter – Teal'c and Daniel taking up the rear – as they followed Taras towards the temple that housed the Stargate. They started up the long road, one lined by crowded buildings and congested homes. Though Jack couldn't see them, he could feel dozens of eyes on him, watching them from the confines of their crammed living quarters. But no one came out to greet them or bid them farewell.
He coughed, hearing his voice echo through the empty streets.
The act caused Taras to glance behind him, and just for a second, Jack thought he saw something fearful in his eyes. He knew that look. He'd seen it many, many times before.
He tightened his hold on his P-90.
"Sir?" Carter frowned.
"Just stay sharp."
He caught her frown deepen, with the hints of a question forming on her lips, but whatever she was thinking she kept it to herself, responding in kind with a tighter grip on her own weapon. The two of them continued uphill to the temple.
The closer they came to the Stargate, the more the buildings thinned out to create more breathing room. When they'd first arrived, Daniel had gone off about something to do with spiritual significance, but that hadn't really interested Jack. He had been more concerned with the nervous delegation that had come to meet them.
This time was different. The rest of Taras' party had left as soon as they had arrived at the city hall, along with the group of curious locals that had paraded behind them. Now, on the trip back to the Gate, all the locals seemed to have vanished, just leaving Taras, his team, and the smog-choked skies above them.
That is, until they reached the outskirts of the city.
There were seven of them: three men, two women, and two children. Simply dressed, they stood in front of an alley, chanting something that sounded like a chorus of dying zoo animals. But there was a fire in their eyes and general contempt in their faces. That was something Jack could understand.
Still, they made no move to intercept.
Jack kept his hands on his weapon just in case.
"Oh," he heard Daniel say. "That's new."
Always stating the obvious, Jack thought.
"Pay no attention to them," Taras said quickly. He motioned them to follow. "I shall take you back to the Path."
"Who are they?" Carter asked.
"Nothing," Taras said. "It is nothing."
Jack paused and turned around to face the rest of his team. "Daniel?"
He had already stopped, his face scrunched up in a thousand wrinkles as he listened to their mutters and attempted to translate. "Pyeerum…In Pyeerum we have faith. Repent." He straightened and blinked once before focusing on Taras. "Why must you repent?"
Taras let out a nervous laugh. "They are the Baich. They follow the old ways. They do not concern themselves with the city."
"Ah." Jack glanced at Daniel. "Amish?"
"Something like that."
Jack nodded. Close enough. Though one thing still niggled at the back of his brain. "This Pyeerum person…"
"Most likely a Goa'uld," Teal'c said.
"Perfect. Any chance he'll be coming around any time soon?"
Taras stared at him. "I do not understand."
"Pyeerum. He's your god, I take it?"
Taras nodded. "For some of us, he is. But we are not bound by superstitions," he said, sending a not-so-subtle glare in the Baich's general direction. "We are a people of science."
"Yeah, yeah. So, no decked-out guy, gold eyes, nasty voice?" Jack asked.
Taras shook his head slowly. "No…"
"Okay." That was enough to satisfy Jack. Clearly, Taras had no clue what he was talking about. That was the best news Jack had received since they'd arrived on this planet. But he still had the feeling that maybe they should pick up the pace and leave the sightseeing for another time. Like never. He started to walk down the road toward the temple. "Let's move."
"Colonel!"
Inwardly, Jack grimaced, but he kept his outer composure cool for the time being. He turned around to follow the sound of Carter's voice, only to find that she had detached herself from the group and had settled in front of a street grate that led to what had to be a sewer. He sighed. One of the Baich's kids was standing by her side.
Much to Taras' dismay, Jack strode over to where Carter was kneeling, followed quickly by Daniel and Teal'c.
"Find something?" Jack asked.
"One of the children keeps pointing into the sewer," she said. "But I can't understand what he's saying."
"We should leave," Taras said, urging Jack and his team to continue.
Jack waved him away, gesturing for him to shush so Daniel could hear what the boy was saying.
Daniel frowned. "He says Akinova is trapped."
"A kid is trapped down there?" Jack asked, taking another step forward.
"A cat," Daniel said in a low voice.
Before Jack the chance to argue, Carter slipped off her P-90 and was ramming her hand down into the open space.
"Hey!" Jack shouted.
"I think I've got it, sir," she said. She winced as she shoved her body against the grate. "I can feel it."
Jack sighed, frowning with impatience as Carter continued to stick her fingers in God knows what. He hadn't signed up his team for a romp in sewage.
Just when he thought he couldn't stand it anymore, he saw Carter start to slink back, pulling away from the grate. With her was a smelly little ball of greasy fur. Akinova, he presumed.
Carter smiled and set the stinking thing at the feet of the boy. "You might want to clean it first," she said to him, even though the kid had no way of understanding her.
But he returned her smile nonetheless.
Jack stared at the grate area as the boy left with his cat.
"Sorry, sir," Carter said. "I'm all set now." She wiped her hands on her pants.
"We can go now," Taras said. Jack just knew that he was motioning them with his nervous little hands again, but Jack wasn't interested in what the diplomat had to say.
Frowning, he passed the Baich, the kid with the cat, and stepped closer to the grate. Despite the protests from his knees and the rest of his body, Jack kneeled by the opening and peered inside. It was dark, dank, and cursed with an overwhelming foul stench, all of which he would have expected from a sewer, though he could swear he'd caught a whiff of perfume.
He would have moved on except his eye kept catching a little glimmer of light, something he hadn't noticed until fuzzball had been dislodged from his smelly dungeon. Upon closer inspection, he realized it was a lone cufflink, silver in tone. Though, he realized it wasn't so lonely after all.
Attached to it he found a rotting hand.
"Son of a bitch!" he shouted as he scrambled back from the grate. Immediately, his hand went to the trigger, and he aimed his P-90 at Taras, ignoring the bewildered faces of the rest of his team.
"Jack?"
"They've got dead bodies under there," Jack muttered.
Carter and Teal'c joined him, pulling their weapons. Alarmed, Daniel froze for a moment before he drew his Beretta and stepped over to the grate to investigate. After he did, Jack saw his face turn a shade greener.
"We're heading to the Gate," Jack said. "Now."
"Please no, you misunderstand," Taras pleaded.
"You…" Daniel motioned to the grate. "How could you do that?"
"Please…" Taras said.
"No." Jack motioned with the tilt of his head. "Teal'c, take point."
Teal'c glared at Taras as he passed him and started back up the hill. Carter and Daniel followed with Jack covering their six. He kept his eye on Taras and the repenting septuplet in the alley.
"No!" Taras cried, running up alongside Jack. "Please. We are in need of your friendship. We mean no harm."
"Tell that to the guy you shoved down there," Jack said. He eyed Taras but he didn't see any weapons.
"We are in need of supplies," Taras tried again. "Please do not leave us."
"Nope." Jack kept pushing toward the temple. The sooner they were out of here, the better.
"We are plagued with disease! We are desperate! Please do not go!"
SG-1 grinded to a halt. Damn, this day got better and better.
"Excuse me?" Jack asked.
"We are ill," Taras said, his haunted voice just above a whisper. "My people are dying. We did not want to scare you away with our death."
Carter's face fell, her eyes showcasing a firestorm of anger, disgust, and shock. "So you stuffed dead bodies in your sewer?"
Taras didn't answer. He bowed his head in shame, rubbing his nervous hands against his shirt. As Jack stared at the native's hands, a thought struck him, and he glanced back to examine Carter. He realized at that point she must have thought the same thing. Her face went pale.
Daniel was the one to vocalize their fears. "Disease?" he asked. "You don't suppose it's a contagious—"
"Dammit!" Jack lowered his weapon and pointed to the hilltop. "Carter, Teal'c, get to the Gate. Tell Hammond our situation and get a medical team here. You go first," he told her.
"Sir—"
"Not this time, Carter. Go."
She nodded and both of them started to jog up the path toward the temple on the hill. Jack tried not to think about what kind of mess they could be dealing with or even what the consequences could be. Right now, he needed Daniel to use his powers of persuasion to get Taras to open up to them, and spill whatever dark secrets the Rusayev could be hiding. Otherwise, he had a feeling they'd all end up rotting away in a sewer of their own.